Chapter 115: Conspiracy

***

In the office area, Wang Tai sat alone, focused on his computer screen, paying no attention to the dignified Yuan Shi Tianzun who had just arrived upstairs.

"Hey, Wang Tai, my friend," Zhang Yuanqing greeted him in his mind, then turned to head towards the office of Captain Shen.

The frosted glass door of the office was wide open. Li Dongze, leaning on a cane, with his shoulder puffed up, sat on the sofa in the reception area, engaging in a friendly conversation with Teng Yuan.

On the other side, a red-haired girl was leaning over her desk, diligently doing her homework, while Guan Ya sat beside her, guiding her through the assignment, although her expression didn't seem too cheerful.

"Oh, our hero has arrived," Li Dongze looked towards the entrance, his eyes lighting up.

"Captain Shen," Zhang Yuanqing first greeted Teng Yuan and then turned to Li Dongze, saying, "We have a guest today. Hello, Comrade Li."

Li Dongze's expression stiffened, and he glanced at Teng Yuan and Yuan Shi before forcing a smile and saying, "It seems I wasn't here, but you've successfully won the respect and approval of the team members, Teng Yuan. Well done. I was worried you wouldn't get along with your colleagues as you used to."

Teng Yuan replied in a tone lacking enthusiasm, "Not really, I just did what I was supposed to do."

"Hmm?" Li Dongze made a puzzled sound.

"I just made some changes to the regulations, increased meal allowances, provided two months of heat subsidies in advance, and eliminated salary deductions for being late," Teng Yuan explained.

In Teng Yuan's unenthusiastic recounting, Li Dongze's expression gradually became blank.

"Come on, Captain Shen, have some cola," Zhang Yuanqing handed Teng Yuan a glass of soda, further fueling the situation.

"Oh my goodness, this is absurd! This is not how you lead a team," Li Dongze exclaimed loudly. "This is far from elegant leadership."

Listening to their argument, Zhang Yuanqing sat down next to Jiang Jingwei. She was working on multiple-choice questions, frowning with a serious expression, as if the questions on the paper were formidable enemies.

The topics covered in the questions were all related to junior high school knowledge, such as triangles, square roots, equations, the Pythagorean theorem, and more.

"You came at the right time. Teach her how to do her homework," Guan Ya wore an expression that seemed to say, "I'm tired, just destroy it."

Since there was no way around it, Zhang Yuanqing glanced at the questions and found that the accuracy rate was a perfect 100%. He immediately smiled and said, "Impressive, very talented."

Guan Ya clenched her teeth and said, "I did all of that."

Watching Guan Ya grinding her teeth, Zhang Yuanqing sighed, "Well, let me teach her then. After all, I'm a Scorpio, and even if it's a pig, I'd still be compassionate."

As he said this, he gazed at Jiang Jingwei's delicate face, and an inappropriate thought crossed his mind: her nose is so elegant; it would be great if it were a pig's nose.

Guan Ya gave him a suspicious look and took out a makeup mirror from her bag, asking, "Is there something wrong with my face?"

"No, not at all!" Zhang Yuanqing denied vehemently. "You're the most beautiful, Guan Ya. To show my sincerity, I can give you a kiss."

"Get lost!"

Zhang Yuanqing smoothly redirected the conversation back to Jiang Jingwei and asked with a gentle tone, "Jingwei, in terms of junior high school math, which topics do you grasp well, and which ones do you find challenging?"

Jiang Jingwei tilted her head, contemplating, and then said, "I'm good at addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division."

"Junior high school!" Zhang Yuanqing emphasized.

Jiang Jingwei shook her head.

None at all? That can't be possible," Zhang Yuanqing couldn't believe there was a child so clueless.

Jiang Jingwei glanced at the multiple-choice questions and suddenly realized, "I did learn a few tricks. For questions with three long and one short option, choose the shortest; for three short and one long, choose the longest; for two long and two short, choose option B; for irregular options, choose option C. That's how I tackle multiple-choice questions."

Zhang Yuanqing's blood pressure skyrocketed. "Apart from these tricks?"

Jiang Jingwei's little face turned serious. "There's one more crucial thing: learning to give up."

Guan Ya's blood pressure rose as well.

After a few seconds of silence, Zhang Yuanqing said, "Here's the deal: you give me five hundred bucks, and I'll do your homework for you."

Jiang Jingwei was shocked. Could there really be such a kind-hearted person in the world?

"No way!" Guan Ya exclaimed. "You'd be harming her even more. She's already this clueless."

Zhang Yuanqing retorted, "Then you teach her."

Guan Ya fell silent.

"An ancient saying goes, 'Teach according to the student's aptitude.' Everyone has different talents. It's wrong to educate everyone with the same rigid method. This girl obviously isn't cut out for academics. Her talents lie elsewhere. What's the point of investing so much time in learning these subjects?" Zhang Yuanqing explained.

Jiang Jingwei applauded, "Makes sense! I enjoy fighting. Yuan Shi, let's go to the combat room. I'll teach you how to fight."

Zhang Yuanqing chuckled, "Oh, am I your student now?"

At this moment, Li Dongze ceased his criticism and looked at Zhang Yuanqing seriously, saying, "I came here today for two things. First, there's a dinner gathering tonight for Team Two to celebrate your achievement of an A-level meritorious service and to commemorate our collective success. Second, I have a reminder for you."

A reminder? Zhang Yuanqing also became serious.

Li Dongze spoke in a solemn tone:

"It's now early May, and in another month, it will be time for the semi-annual large-scale slaughter instance. Every year at this time, some level 3 Transcendents and level 6 Saints will seek opportunities for advancement.

"For Spirit Realm practitioners, this is a big event. Our Five Elements Alliance, along with the Taiyi Sect and the Spirit Realm families, will jointly organize a martial arts competition to select the best candidates.

"The purpose of doing this is twofold: to assess the potential of our members and to identify the most outstanding individuals for focused cultivation."

Jiang Jingwei chimed in, "I understand. It's like a practice test. Our school has monthly practice exams."

Li Dongze nodded and continued:

"Evil organizations have their own version of these 'practice tests,' but they are more brutal and ruthless. They send potential geniuses to infiltrate major cities and hunt down the seeded players of official organizations.

"In theory, someone like me, a level 3 Scout, could also be a target, as I'm eligible to participate in the mid-year slaughter instance.

"But Jiang Jingwei and Yuan Shi, your priority levels are much higher than mine, especially Yuan Shi. You've cleared two S-level instances in a row and have been awarded A-level meritorious service, which makes you very conspicuous.

"Operatives from the evil organization will definitely have their eyes on you, trying to hunt you down, gain notoriety, and claim rewards."

Zhang Yuanqing's heart sank as he remembered the discussion about this on the official forum by the veteran practitioners yesterday.

He immediately said, "Captain Shen, I'd like a list of bounties for Transcendents in the evil organization's advanced stage."

Li Dongze said, "You can find it in the database yourself; your permissions are higher than mine now. In these next few days, try to keep a low profile. Wear a mask and a hat when you go to and from work. Teng Yuan, don't think you can laze around at home. With you overseeing Team Two and us around, evil professionals won't dare to approach."

Teng Yuan nodded slightly and added, "Yuan Shi, I'll consider applying for a 'living in constant fear' allowance for you."

Zhang Yuanqing wasn't sure whether to be grateful or angry.

"By the way, since they're hunting geniuses, is Sergeant Fu Bai also in danger?" Zhang Yuanqing asked.

Fu Qingyang was young, in his twenties, and at the pinnacle of the Saint realm. He was determined to join the Elder Council and would likely participate in the upcoming slaughter instance to advance to the Dominator realm. That would make him a target for the evil profession as well.

"Of course, many evil professionals would love to kill him. When he was in the capital city, there were countless attempts on his life by evil professionals, but no one succeeded. However, back then, his level wasn't high. Now, those trying to hunt him down are probably peak-level Saints," Guan Ya said. She had a worried look in her eyes.

Zhang Yuanqing glanced at her. When Li Dongze mentioned someone wanting to assassinate him, she showed no concern, but when it came to her cousin, she worried.

Women!

Ultimately, he was wrong.

Jiang Jingwei said, "Yuan Shi is only at level 2. He probably won't make it in time for this advancement. Plus, he'd have to bear the risk of being hunted down. What a shame!"

Li Dongze pondered and said, "Yuan Shi still has one more multi-person instance in the Spirit Realm that hasn't been opened yet. Even if you manage to clear it successfully, you might not reach level 3. Even if you do, you'll be the weakest level 3. It's indeed a stretch for you to participate in the slaughter instance."

In the suburbs of Songhai, at a large villa.

Li Xianzong, dressed in a black vest and camouflage pants, with both hands in his pockets, arrived outside the villa. He surveyed the three-story building, bent his knees, leaped three to four meters high, jumped over the wall, and entered the villa.

Li Xianzong, with one hand in his pocket and the other twirling a butterfly knife, casually pushed open the double wooden doors of the villa.

The first floor of the villa was empty, decorated extravagantly with smart appliances and expensive handcrafted furniture, showcasing the owner's luxury.

Li Xianzong's ears twitched, picking up faint screams from the second floor.

He smirked, and the butterfly knife in his hand danced in a dazzling arc as he ascended the spiral staircase.

Li Xianzong's visit was to find a guardian from the Illusionist Sect, a terrifying figure at the pinnacle of the Saint realm.

According to the information obtained by Tian Lingling, this guardian's target for assassination is Fu Qingyang.

Upon arriving on the second floor, Li Xianzong pushed open the door to the master bedroom. It was a spacious room of over a hundred square meters. On the left side of the entrance was a large, soft bed that could accommodate six or seven people.

On the right side were various peculiar objects—or more accurately, instruments of torture—hanging on the walls.

On the soft bed, seven or eight burly men were tormenting a woman with a beautiful face. When they noticed someone entering, they merely glanced back and continued their cruel treatment of the helpless woman.

This process continued for half an hour as Li Xianzong leaned against the doorframe, expressionless.

Once everyone had had their fill, a brawny man from the group dragged the barely conscious woman off the bed and brought her to the area on the right filled with torture devices.

He tossed her to the ground, picked up a leather whip, and began lashing it down with force.

Snap!

A deep bloody mark appeared.

Snap, snap, snap. The whip continued to mercilessly strike the woman's body, leaving bloody welts on her delicate skin. She shivered and let out sharp screams.

After dozens of lashes, Li Xianzong knocked on the door frame with his butterfly knife and grinned, "Had enough fun? My patience has its limits."

One of the men who had been enjoying the woman's suffering approached menacingly and snarled, "Get the hell out of here."

Li Xianzong plunged his knife into the man's chest, pulled it out, and a gush of blood followed.

The man clutched his chest and stumbled to his knees.

The other men paid no attention and continued tormenting the woman, while a few kept watching.

A few more minutes passed, and the woman stopped screaming. She changed from a pitiful demeanor to one of haughty indifference and calmly said, "You can leave now."

Only then did the brawny men dare to stop, bowing respectfully, and dragging the lifeless body out of the master bedroom.

Sitting on the ground with her legs crossed, the woman was covered in injuries, but her expression remained aloof and queenly. She arched her lips and said, "I detest it when others interrupt my entertainment. You must stay here and entertain me for three days, or else, I won't show any respect for Archbishop Bing's face."

Li Xianzong wasn't fazed by the woman's threat and grinned, "If it were up to me, I'd cut off your head and then chop your body into pieces, flushing it down the sewer."

The woman's body shuddered uncontrollably, and she unconsciously rubbed her thighs, her face showing a seductive blush. She giggled and said, "Great idea. A seductive demon like me is the kind of toy I adore. I like your brutality. Well then, come and play with me."

Li Xianzong, inspecting the woman's alluring face and figure, sneered, "I came here to cooperate with you. Besides, I'm only interested in slaughter."

According to the information, this woman was a pervert who enjoyed being ravaged, humiliated, and abused. She had a strong addiction and couldn't be satisfied by just one or two men. Every day, she engaged in group activities with many men. If she wasn't pleased she will kill someone.

The woman glanced at Li Xianzong's motionless crotch and chuckled:

 “You’re a loser, go away. I hate people interrupting my entertainment.”

Li Xianzong did not leave, but said with a smile:

“Are you not interested in Yuanshi Tianzun? Are you interested in Fu Qingyang?”

The woman’s eyes lit up and she licked her red lips: “I’ll give you three minutes.”

(End of the chapter)

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PS. This is the longest chapter so far.

I think I will be posting my updates soon in Patreon. Not now. After 120 chapters, I will upload the rest in Patreon, so I could earn a little bit for my internet connection fees haha. Translating is really hard and we need fast connection to upload daily so you can read.

I hope you support me in Patreon soon! Thank you readers! ❤