Chapter 25: Chen Yi's Commission

[Page 1 of 3]

“It’s definitely here!”

After staring at the compass for a long while, Ye Feifan saw that its wavering needle kept pointing toward the outpost—the place where he had made Zhang Qing bring the blood, near the outpost itself.

“He’s alone. We may be able to obtain some information about the Zhang family. Remember, we need him alive.”

“Understood, Boss.”

“Don’t worry, Boss. We know what we’re doing.”

…

The black-clad man leading the group was short, but the men accompanying him were all hulking brutes. Their black clothing concealed their powerful physiques, yet Ye Feifan could still tell that they were no ordinary men…

They were even slightly stronger than Zhang Qing.

The Eight-Tribulation Realm!

Ye Feifan drew a deep breath. The oppressive sensation was familiar, much like that of the martial instructors who had once trained him at the Xun family’s practice grounds.

There were spies from the Liu family within the Xun family, and this one held an astonishingly high position. All the black-clad men obeyed him. That meant the weakest among them should be at least in the Four-Tribulation Realm.

There was a reason Zhang Qing had hidden himself. Their strength and numbers far exceeded his own.

The group gradually drew closer. A cluster of black-clad men stopped not far from the outpost—or rather, they stopped because their leader had halted. The compass in his hand was shaking violently.

“He’s inside. Stay alert. We’re going in!”

Bang!

They kicked open the wooden door, and the group of black-clad men charged into the outpost.

A horrifying scream echoed through the night. Ye Feifan’s heart tightened as well. That monster had indeed returned.

“The leader is dead! Run!”

“Quick, run!”

Two or three dark figures burst out of the outpost and fled toward the small stone bridge, but a hunched figure blocked their path. Ye Feifan had no idea when he had appeared.

Old Chen Yi!

“Kid, have you seen our Cuihua?”

“Get lost, you old fossil!”

Without bothering to wonder why an old man had appeared here in the middle of the night, one of the black-clad men immediately reached out to seize him, attacking with lethal intent.

“Why did you abandon me? My death was so miserable…”

Chen Yi gave a sinister laugh. His kindly face became a bloody, mangled mess, blood dripping incessantly as a ghastly chuckle escaped him.

“Come keep me company!”

“A ghost… a ghost…”

His attack missed. The old man’s appearance had changed, and the black-clad man who had attacked him turned pale with terror when he saw his hand withering away. He hurriedly backed off and ran toward the river.

“Every one of you must die!”

The old man cast a wary glance at the outpost, then let out a terrifying laugh and floated lightly after the fleeing men.

Splash!

[Page 2 of 3]

Splash!

…

Several splashes rang out as the group of black-clad men leaped into the Drowning River.

What fools!

Ye Feifan clenched his teeth. He had gone to such lengths to hide. If they had cornered him in the water, the sheer number of water weeds and vengeful spirits would have been enough to wear him to death. The few black-clad men would naturally have stood no chance either; their strength was far from sufficient.

“There’s something in the water!”

“What is it? Something’s wrapped around me!”

“No… don’t come any closer… stay away…”

…

Several screams gradually died away, and the night grew even more desolate. Old Chen floated eerily out of the water and climbed onto the bank. Behind him, the river was littered with mangled limbs.

They had been torn to pieces!

It was completely different from what Ye Feifan had imagined. The water weeds had not possessed them—they had simply shredded the black-clad men. What was going on?

“Have you come, Zhang Qing?” the old man called softly, using a familiar name.

The pocket watch trembled. A strand of gray mist drifted out of Ye Feifan’s hand and took the form of Zhang Qing before the old man.

“Chen Yi…”

“Have you seen our Cuihua?”

Faced with this bizarre situation, Ye Feifan could only force himself to step out. What he had not expected was that the old man recognized him.

“You’re… that young man…”

“It’s me. Can you tell me what you’re looking for?”

As Ye Feifan spoke, his hand tightened around the hilt of his sword. If anything went wrong, he would strike at once. The blade had been smeared with black-dog blood, enough to ensure that his opponent would be unable to resist.

“I’m looking for our Cuihua… Have you seen her?”

“Tianzi City is so huge. Why do you keep searching here?”

Ye Feifan did not relax his vigilance. He merely shifted his feet back an inch.

Chen Yi’s features blurred for a moment before returning to their kindly appearance. Ye Feifan’s words had clearly agitated him, and then his face twisted into something hideous once more.

“That’s right… Why do I always search here… The waiter… I want you dead…”

Seeing that Chen Yi was about to go berserk, Ye Feifan hurriedly asked, “Are you unable to kill him?”

“Cuihua… can’t be found…”

Zhang Qing looked at Ye Feifan in surprise, feeling that he had seen this scene somewhere before.

“Why can you leave the Drowning River?”

“Why… Cuihua… calling…”

As he listened, Ye Feifan began to feel that something was wrong. Chen Yi’s speech was broken and disjointed, and he did not seem fully conscious. Something must have clouded his mind.

“My corpse isn’t here… Where is it…”

“What happened to him?”

Chen Yi’s intermittent speech made Ye Feifan uneasy. He quickly asked Zhang Qing beside him. After all, they had been neighbors for many years—Zhang Qing would certainly know what was different.

[Page 3 of 3]

Zhang Qing pondered for two seconds, glanced at the tense Ye Feifan, and said gravely, “He made a substitute out of water weeds. The weeds failed to carry out his final wish, and someone even suppressed his corpse. His consciousness is incomplete now.”

“A water ghost? The waiter?”

“It probably isn’t him…”

Before Zhang Qing could finish, Chen Yi interrupted him.

“Help me…”

Zhang Qing looked at Ye Feifan. His expression was perfectly calm, and his meaning was clear: You decide. It’s your call.

Ye Feifan felt a headache coming on. He had never expected Zhang Qing to throw such a difficult problem at him. Ominous beings truly were not easy to deceive.

He was forcing Ye Feifan to take a side. If Ye Feifan refused, he would disappoint Chen Yi. Once disappointed, the two vengeful spirits could join forces to kill him and end the game.

After taking a deep breath, Ye Feifan stared solemnly at Chen Yi.

“Old sir, do you know where your corpse is?”

“With the waiter… Help me…”

“All right. I’ll help you.”

Having received his promise, Chen Yi’s body grew somewhat translucent. He gradually drifted backward and sank into the river.

“Damn it. I forgot to ask him what was inside the outpost.”

“You’d better not go in. You’ll die horribly.”

With that, Zhang Qing transformed into gray mist and slipped back into the pocket watch.

The pocket watch?

No. He absolutely had to see what kind of monster was inside.

Holding the pocket watch in his hand, Ye Feifan formed a reckless plan.

Using the pocket watch required a price: he had to forgo the ability to attack. It was a divine artifact meant for escape.

A one-minute pause in time might sound brief, but in a battle between experts, a single second could determine victory or defeat. One minute was more than enough for him to lay an ambush and bury a group of powerful enemies.

After witnessing the outpost twice, Ye Feifan deduced that the monster attacked only those who entered it. The fate of the two servants and the black-clad men confirmed his suspicion.

Should he take the gamble?

After weighing the matter, he decided to risk it. Life itself was an unknown wager. Whether one won or lost, all would eventually turn to dust. In that case, he might as well stake everything on a single throw and fight for a future.

Ye Feifan slowly approached the outpost. The wooden door was closed, with several bloody handprints smeared across it. All he had to do was reach out and push it open. Yet as he stood before the door, the monster did not attack him.

“Zhang Qing, are you ready?”

“I’m ready.”

Then I’ll wait one minute!

Time was mysterious. Using the pocket watch’s innate ability required him to count down a full minute in advance, much like charging one’s rage before unleashing a devastating ultimate attack. The ability consumed Ye Feifan’s stamina and Zhang Qing’s power. Afterward, Zhang Qing would fall into a deep sleep for an entire week. Such an ability naturally came with severe limitations.

“Sixty… fifty-nine… fifty-eight… thirty-seven… twenty-eight… twenty-two… seventeen… nine… five… two… one…”

He silently counted down. The second hand of the pocket watch completed one revolution, stopping just short of overlapping with the blood-stained crack.

[Postscript: Prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony; freedom, equality, justice, the rule of law; patriotism, dedication, integrity, friendship.]