Chapter Eighty-Eight: Departure

Because of what Zhou Wanlong said, there was no room for argument. To avenge his brother, he was willing to settle things by disciplining his own younger brother, and even the ten-million fine would be borne by Zhou Wanhu alone. What else could the other deputy captains possibly say?

Besides, among itinerant cultivators, having someone like Zhou Wanlong, who had reached the Cloud-Riding Realm, was itself a source of hope.

In fact, the Wanlong Demon-Hunting Squad had doubled in size over the past few years, and the addition of six deputy captains was tied to that very fact. It had not always been this formidable.

These people had come precisely because of Zhou Wanlong and his Cloud-Riding cultivation. On the one hand, there was a great tree to shelter them in the gathering zone; on the other, they hoped to receive guidance and support that might help them break through to the Cloud-Riding Realm.

Now that Zhou Wanlong had spoken, they were all stirred with excitement. None of them said anything more; they immediately went down to organize manpower and make arrangements to keep a dead watch on that Hai Feng.

Only after they had all left did Zhou Wanlong wave a hand and remove the restraint on Zhou Wanhu.

“Brother, we all went together. You can’t make me bear everything alone. Ten million—on what grounds?” Zhou Wanhu nearly exploded in fury the moment he realized the restriction had been lifted.

If five people shared the burden, two million each was still barely acceptable. But to make him shoulder the entire sum alone—that was a different matter entirely.

“Look at them, one by one. They went with me, and we acted together. Even by the rules, it should be shared among all of us. This wasn’t my punishment alone—why should those fellows get the advantage?”

The more Zhou Wanhu spoke, the more furious he grew. He felt that this time, his elder brother was plainly favoring the others.

He wanted to continue arguing, but then he saw Zhou Wanlong looking at him with icy eyes. The coldness and murderous intent in that gaze tightened his heart at once, and he no longer dared say another word.

“Our assets—you’ll secretly mortgage everything you can. But make sure you sign confidentiality agreements. Nothing can be leaked…”

“Huh?”

Zhou Wanhu had not yet fully reacted to Zhou Wanlong’s words. His mouth fell open as he stared at his elder brother in shock.

“You too. Anything you can’t take with you, dispose of it quietly. But remember this: use only those proper places that can sign confidentiality agreements. If anyone really notices something, then say you were fined and need to raise funds, or that you need to buy weapons—either explanation will do.”

“Remember, the others must not know about this. That man is certainly from some major power or prominent clan, and may even have the protection of Manager Wen. But no matter what, he must die.”

“Riches come with danger. Kill him first, then see how things stand. If necessary, clean everything up and go somewhere else to start anew. As long as we have enough resources, we can be masters wherever we go.”

Only then did Zhou Wanhu understand that when they had returned after being punished by Manager Wen at Paradise of Mortals, his elder brother had already made his decision.

No matter what happened, after killing that man, they would withdraw and leave Third Gathering Zone.

If necessary, they would even sever ties completely with the others. In other words, what those fellows carried on them might very well also be the elder brother’s target.

…………………………

At Paradise of Mortals, in Manager Wen’s exquisitely luxurious penthouse residence, Lin Qingyun chatted at length with him.

Because Lin Qingyun’s conversation wandered without any clear purpose, Manager Wen was not particularly interested. At first, he had intended to let them leave once they had finished the other party’s spiritual tea.

But after the tea was gone, Lin Qingyun brought out a few antique curios for them to admire together.

After admiring those, Lin Qingyun decided they ought to have a proper meal and took out some rather rare demon meat.

Of course, aside from that, Lin Qingyun also spoke with Manager Wen about interesting tales and anecdotes concerning the highest figures in Huaxia, and even some stories about the world’s elite.

His purpose was very clear: he did not want to leave and wanted to continue exchanging words with Manager Wen.

Lin Qingyun had activated part of the safes left by his parents. Those were not simple little boxes; inside were many intriguing things.

Any random item taken from them could capture Manager Wen’s attention.

In the blink of an eye, he had stayed at Manager Wen’s place for a full day. By then, Lin Qingyun also already knew the manager’s real name: a very elegant one, Wen Zhu.

By his own account, he was something like a professional manager, representing multiple powers in overseeing Paradise of Mortals.

Of course, those were only humble words, because through their conversation Lin Qingyun also learned that Wen Zhu was one of the decision-makers in the administrative tier of all Third Gathering Zone, a person capable of influencing the entire zone’s direction.

Through casual talk with this manager, Lin Qingyun gained a deeper understanding of Han Ze as well.

Although there were powers behind the gathering zones exerting influence, Han Ze was a land abandoned by the world. At the beginning, it had been given some attention; all sides had gone to considerable lengths, even deploying a Radiance Realm expert to lay the foundation and attempt to control the place.

But over these past decades, as various ruins continued to emerge, peace was established at sea, and monster-hunting in the ocean became a craze, Han Ze’s value gradually declined.

In the struggles of the past, among what had originally been a gathering zone, three had been completely erased. More precisely, five had been destroyed, and two later rebuilt. One could imagine how fierce the competition had once been.

But now, even the number of Cloud-Riding experts this side could accommodate was limited. Things valuable to higher stages of Cloud-Riding had become much scarcer, and the overall worth of Han Ze had fallen lower and lower.

Only then did the gathering zones gradually settle into stability, forming the seven solid zones they had today.

As for the so-called unorthodox and demonic factions, there were certainly quite a few here. When the drinking and conversation turned to that subject, Manager Wen also said that anyone who could come here was no harmless soul. The seven gathering zones were a mixed and unruly place, and such people were simply part of the normal order here.

After all, leaving the gathering zones meant entering a place where mutual slaughter and struggle for dominance were the norm.

He also learned many disordered and miscellaneous things, yet just as Lin Qingyun had suspected, it was still difficult to find anything particularly special about this place, or why his parents had once made a discovery here.

Perhaps Lin Kunshan had merely wanted to divert attention and had said it casually.

Of course, even if there was no news on that front, that was one thing. But Lin Qingyun also failed to uncover any clues about the impending blood sacrifice of Han Ze by the Heavenly Demon Sect. He was not anxious, however. He had already decided to stay a few more days. If that yielded nothing, he would go take a look around the other gathering zones.

If in the end he still found nothing, then he would secretly find a way to spread the news.

Talking with Wen Zhu was clearly far more interesting than watching others at Paradise of Mortals and listening to the gossip and hearsay that Little Black had gathered. Still, the manager was suffering and enjoying it in equal measure.

This style of idle chatter was not to his liking at all, yet Lin Qingyun kept producing things that could always capture his interest.

For five days, Lin Qingyun pestered Wen Zhu in conversation for five whole days before finally deciding to leave.

“Sir, if you really are leaving, please be careful. Actually, if you are not short on money, you could hire mercenaries to protect you. If the funds are sufficient, you can even hire Cloud-Riding experts. Of course, make sure to hire those proper organizations—the ones with large operations both in the country and elsewhere. Or you could speak to Manager Wen. If Manager Wen says a word, then as long as the Wanlong Demon-Hunting Squad still wants to keep making a living in Third Gathering Zone, they should not dare act recklessly.”

Since Lin Qingyun had decided to leave, Little Black kindly reminded him that matters were not so simple.

In truth, Little Black had remained by their side these past few days, hearing and learning a great deal. During that time, Manager Wen had even taken the initiative to ask about Lin Qingyun and the Wanlong Demon-Hunting Squad, and had even offered to pass along a message for him.

In Little Black’s view, if Lin Qingyun had agreed then and there, with just one word from Manager Wen, the Wanlong Demon-Hunting Squad would surely have behaved themselves. Yet this Lord Hai Feng had refused.

“You are very clever. If there is a chance, I hope we can continue working together. You need not worry about me. You should first make sure that you are safe. If you are not certain, then stay at Paradise of Mortals for a while. I’ll leave a room for you.”

Whether this concern was sincere or merely an added courtesy of service, Lin Qingyun was very satisfied.

“Rest assured, my lord. A guide and attendant like me has never been regarded as anything important by them. They also know they can get nothing out of us, so they naturally cannot be bothered to make things difficult.”

Since she said so, Lin Qingyun no longer worried. After all, she had been born and raised here; she should know the lay of the land.

As they spoke, Little Black had already escorted Lin Qingyun to the entrance of Third Gathering Zone.

“I am about to leave, and you still do not mention payment yourself.” Once he went any farther, he would be outside the gathering zone. After that, it would be a place without rules, so Lin Qingyun did not intend for Little Black to keep escorting him.

“Having followed you for so many days, I already knew in my heart that you would not treat someone who runs errands for you unfairly. Besides, even if you forgot, I have already gained a great deal. At Paradise of Mortals, you even opened a room just for me and let me enjoy treatment I had never experienced before. Not to mention all the fine tea and good food I got to share with you. The power inside me is even somewhat clogged now, and I’ll need to slowly dissolve and refine it. Just these things alone are worth far more than what I gained in the past year.”

Little Black did not pretend to refuse.

“That is true enough. I do not treat those who work for me unfairly. This is your reward. Remember to protect yourself. There is a box inside; I placed some seals on it. Unless it is forcibly broken open, it cannot be opened for at least three months. The rest are cultivation resources. Use these months well and focus on training.”

A pouch appeared in Lin Qingyun’s hand, which he casually tossed to Little Black.

These resources were basically enough for Little Black to cultivate from the Initial Phoenix Realm to the Heart-Tuning Realm.

Lin Qingyun had obtained a fair amount of such Initial Phoenix Realm resources in the previous bouts of slaughter and battle. They were of little use to him anyway; under normal circumstances, he would have taken them all back and handed them over to Brother Chao for disposal. This time, he had merely selected a portion to leave for Black Girl.

The pouch was not small. Little Black’s heartbeat quickened, and she guessed this was certainly no trivial sum. Yet before she could even offer thanks, Lin Qingyun’s figure was already gone.

Though Lin Qingyun had left, Little Black still bowed respectfully. Then she immediately entered the waterside stronghold with great caution. Once inside, she wound her way through several turns and first found a place to hide.