Chapter 27: Attending the Meeting Alone

“Eighty to ninety percent certain!” Qin Ye snapped his fingers. “First, think about it: how much combat power does Huaguo actually have to deal with supernatural events?”

“Not much,” Arthas replied with certainty. “There hasn’t been much since ancient times, and nowadays people hardly believe in such things. There should be even less.”

“Exactly. Second, his rank isn’t low within the Special Investigation Division. With so few personnel, if they need to resolve the supernatural disturbances in Qingxi County at once, what should they do?”

“In my experience, they wouldn’t drag things out—they’d cut through the mess quickly by sending someone with enough strength and authority to solve it in one go. And with the Ghost Market about to open, who could be more suitable than the host of the Ghost Market?”

“He must be the host of the Ghost Market!”

Arthas nodded. “So… what are you planning to do?”

“Though I loathe the idea of confronting the military’s power head-on…” Qin Ye slipped away quietly. “But since the truth behind the orchestrator is at stake, I have no choice but to cross swords with these upright sects at least once…”

………………………………………………

Night.

The moon was hidden, the wind sharp. In Xichuan, nine out of ten days saw neither sun nor moon, so the phrase fit perfectly.

Room 302 of the prestigious Jinxin Hotel, the finest in Qingxi County. Amid modern decor, a middle-aged Taoist with a long, black beard sat cross-legged in meditation. With each breath, the air around him subtly rippled. At precisely midnight, two faint streams of white vapor issued from his nostrils.

He quietly exhaled and opened his eyes. After putting on his shoes, he went to the desk.

Spread atop it was a map of Qingxi County, which he studied carefully.

That morning, a D-class supernatural alert had been issued from Rongcheng: a ghost evaded all spiritual detection lines and slipped into Sichuan Province under cover of night, targeting Qingxi County directly.

The hospital where Wang Chenghao was located was marked red—a primary defense zone. The area near Minzu Street was orange, the soon-to-be site of the Ghost Market. Other places lay mostly in hues of yellow and green.

Qin Ye’s guess was correct; he was indeed the host of this Ghost Market and also the captain of the Special Investigation Division in Xiajiang City.

A few minutes later, he rubbed his brow in frustration.

Every time insiders looked at the national map, worry gnawed at them. The yellow zones grew ever more numerous; if supernatural incidents fully erupted… that moment might come within a decade.

The authorities were desperately recruiting everyone with a connection to the underworld, even the most minor second-sighted individuals, but it was far from enough.

The situation was like the waves before a tsunami: each surge building, and when the peak arrived…

He dared not imagine further.

Folding the map, he fell silent for a moment. “Fellow cultivator, since you’re already here, why not come out and show yourself?”

No answer.

The Taoist turned, his expression now solemn. In one hand, he grasped a horsetail whisk; with a swift tug, a short peachwood sword appeared.

With a gentle flick, the sword rose into the air of its own accord, fluttering around him like a butterfly.

“I am Chang Fengzi, abbot of Yuqing Temple. Which fellow cultivator comes to instruct me?”

Before the words had faded, a silver light flashed in the void. With a shout, Chang Fengzi’s peachwood sword split into seven or eight phantasmal blades. In the next instant, his vision blurred.

Crash—countless chains erupted from thin air. The peachwood sword struck them, scattering golden sparks everywhere.

The chains, as if sentient, anchored themselves throughout the room, rapidly forming a prison of metal links. Chang Fengzi’s gaze sharpened as he desperately searched for the most open spot.

The adversary was dividing the battlefield, but… the adversary had a physical form! Wherever he was, the chains would be thinnest!

“There!” With a flash of insight, the peachwood sword ignited without flame, streaking toward the door like a meteor.

But an instant later, a dazzling blade of light exploded behind him, slashing at his undefended back!

“Not good!” Startled, he dropped a jade pendant, but caught it firmly. Immediately, he felt a chill at his throat.

In a rush, the storm ceased.

The assailant came and went faster than lightning.

In the blink of an eye, all was still. Behind Chang Fengzi, a figure appeared—wearing a bamboo hat, body shrouded in a black cloak, blade poised at the Taoist’s neck.

“Who are you?” Chang Fengzi gritted his teeth. “You’re not a spirit… spirits can’t touch the physical, unless they’re century-old specters… But if you were that powerful, you’d have no need to fight me… Wait…”

In this lightning-fast contest, he finally saw the chains clearly. At a glance, his whole body trembled. “Fengdu Sinking Gold?!”

“Is this Fengdu Sinking Gold?!”

“You… you’re an Underworld Messenger?!”

“No… there are still Underworld Messengers in this world?!”

“Enough.” Qin Ye deliberately lowered his voice, lifting the blade against Chang Fengzi’s neck, drawing a thin red line. “You’re the host of the Ghost Market?”

“Yes…” The chill at his throat wiped away half his joy, and he answered honestly.

Yet inwardly, waves crashed. This was definitely an Underworld Messenger… He’d seen them in his sect’s ancient records. Fengdu Sinking Gold could only be used by official underworld emissaries! It was a natural bane to ghosts!

The situation in Huaguo was like piling firewood beneath a cauldron—if the underworld intervened, all hope would be lost.

But now was not the time for questions.

“Bring out all the task logs registered at the Ghost Market in the past six months.”

Chang Fengzi pointed hoarsely at the phone by the bed. “Password is 642321… Lord Messenger, if you require anything, just ask. I only want to know… what has happened with the underworld? Why is it that we receive no response from the underworld now, no matter what we do?”

Qin Ye hesitated, then answered gravely, “Great upheaval has shaken the underworld. The living must now fend for themselves.”

“Wha—”

He didn’t finish. A terrible pain struck his nape, and Chang Fengzi collapsed unconscious.

“What a hard head!” Qin Ye cursed under his breath, shaking his hand before lighting a stick of Forgetting Incense. He took the phone and left.

He couldn’t linger; he knew well this was a blind spot. Most forces were focused on the hospital or the Ghost Market, but… there was always surveillance.

He slipped through the window, vanishing into the night sky without a sound.

Barely thirty seconds after his departure, the door burst open. Three men in black suits, guns drawn, rushed in!

“Sir!” Seeing Chang Fengzi on the ground, they hurried to help him up, but he unexpectedly grabbed one of them.

“Quick…” His eyes bloodshot, hair disheveled, Chang Fengzi gritted out, “Extinguish the Forgetting Incense… Alert the Rongcheng branch immediately! Now!”

“Sir…”

“Do as I say!” Chang Fengzi rose, his neck cracking audibly, face twisted. “Report to Rongcheng… There’s an official Underworld Messenger in Qingxi County! No matter the cost, find him!!”

“Are you alright, sir?”

“I’m fine… I practiced the art of bone-shrinking since childhood. His blow couldn’t knock me out.” He exhaled deeply, then barked, “Contact the armed division! Track my phone! Now!”

“Yes, sir!”

“And… check everyone in the county! Find out who wasn’t home at this hour! No matter who it is, keep them under watch until orders from above!”

“Yes… Sir, won’t this…”

Chang Fengzi’s tone was resolute. “Do as I say… You have no idea how crucial an official Underworld Messenger is to the current situation! Even if it costs a whole city, a whole province—it’s worth it!”

Less than three minutes after Qin Ye’s departure, every light in the Jinxin Hotel blazed on.

“Damn!” he cursed inwardly. Such fast response!

This was nothing like in TV dramas—there, the police always arrived after the fight was over…

At the same time, he saw several SUVs racing straight toward his location.

“Beidou tracking…” He now cursed modern technology bitterly. The authorities weren’t searching elsewhere, just coming straight for him. Clearly, his phone had been tracked!

“小阿, twenty minutes… Can I outrun a car?”

“Impossible. Your body can’t withstand the underworld energy of the Yanluo Seal, but there’s one way—you can fly briefly. Head for the rooftop. Now, quickly find out who took the Donghai contract!”

Before the words finished, in a rush, clouds of yin energy swirled at his feet, his cloak billowed though there was no wind, and like a kite, he soared into the sky.

Qin Ye was in a difficult bind.

First, he had to uncover the true identity of the mastermind. The western provinces were already riddled with the old ghost’s plots, and the Yanluo Seal shards were the only keys. If, during his search, the enemy discovered him and he had no means of resistance… it would be suicide.

Second, he could not pin his survival on anyone else. Yes, he feared death—terribly so. Thus, his only option was to ensure, at all costs, that he did not die.

This simple yet heavy wish he would entrust to no one—much less expect the Special Investigation Division to reveal the old ghost’s identity to the world. They might not even know the truth. Even if, by some miracle, they found out and reported it internally, he could never join the Special Investigation Division.

It was a matter of identity.

The aura of death around him could not be faked… The time of supernatural catastrophe might not be far off, and he doubted Huaguo could take control quickly. Should order collapse, someone would inevitably think: Ah, there’s an Underworld Messenger among us. How is he different from ordinary people? Can more be made? If sacrificing one could produce many Underworld Messengers, then chaos could be contained…

Never test the human heart.

It cannot bear scrutiny.

Flying at random, he instinctively veered away from Funeral Street, all the while quickly unlocking the phone and searching through the files.

Faster… His anxiety was mounting. He searched the archives rapidly but thoroughly. One minute, two minutes… five, ten!