Stellar Chamber of Commerce.
"Uncle Long, hasn’t he returned yet?" Yan Xishuo glanced at the time, sitting restlessly on the sofa as he asked.
"Not yet, but he should be back soon," the elderly butler replied slowly. "Young Master, there’s no need to worry... The Paper Puppeteer is a fifth-tier powerhouse, the strongest of the three currently stationed at the Commerce. With his abilities, nothing will go wrong."
"That’s good." Yan Xishuo let out a sigh of relief. "Have the law enforcement officers been taken care of?"
"Yes. No matter how big the commotion tonight, no enforcer will interfere... As for the cleanup afterward, it will also be handled discreetly. There won’t be any fallout."
Yan Xishuo nodded and took a sip from the teacup on the table. Just then, the door to the room was pushed open.
A figure stepped forward and whispered something into the butler’s ear. The latter gave a slight nod.
"Young Master, the Paper Puppeteer has returned."
"Oh? Did he succeed?"
"But the two most crucial targets weren’t caught..." Yan Xishuo frowned slightly. "Grant him permission for the soul-crushing interrogation. Tell him to use whatever means necessary to capture those two within the day... dead or alive."
"Understood."
---
Dim torchlight illuminated the dungeon corridor as a hunchbacked man carrying a paper figure on his back slowly walked past rows of cells.
As he appeared, the guards stationed throughout the dungeon instinctively lowered their heads, fear flashing in their eyes as they avoided meeting his gaze.
Finally, the hunchbacked man stopped in front of two cells.
With a casual wave of his hand, two paper figures floated into the cells. As the paper folded and unfolded, two figures tumbled out midair, sealed inside the prison.
"Keep an eye on them. I’ll prepare for the soul-crushing iinterrogation," the hunchbacked man said indifferently. "In ten minutes, bring them to the interrogation room."
"Yes, sir!" A scar-faced man stepped forward and immediately responded.
The hunchbacked man was about to leave when he turned back and glanced at the scar-faced man. "I heard that a few days ago, someone escaped from this dungeon?"
The moment these words were spoken, beads of sweat formed on the scar-faced man’s forehead. He forced a smile.
"That... that was an accident..."
The hunchbacked man stared deeply at the two cells before falling silent for a moment.
"Never mind. These two are both Path practitioners. You lot probably can’t handle them... I’ll come personally to retrieve them later."
With that, the hunchbacked man waved his hand again. Two paper figures, weightless as air, drifted from his side and stationed themselves at the dungeon’s entrance. Only then did he seem satisfied, turning to leave for the interrogation room.
As the hunchbacked man departed, the oppressive atmosphere in the dungeon finally eased slightly. Even so, the guards couldn’t help but feel a chill run down their spines as they stared at the two eerie, vividly colored paper figures blocking the exit.
"Does he really think so little of us...? Not only does he leave, but he also stations two watchers?" one of the guards muttered discontentedly once the man was out of earshot.
"Keep your voice down. What if those paper figures can hear?"
"Paper figures don’t have ears. How could they hear?"
"How the hell did that guy surnamed Jian escape last time? I still don’t get it..."
"It was downright supernatural. One moment everything was fine, then we turned a corner during patrol, and the cell was empty... like he vanished into thin air."
"But he’s just an ordinary Path of the Soldier practitioner, right? How could he just disappear...? You must’ve missed something and let him slip away."
"Whatever. Where could he even run? He got caught again, didn’t he...? This time, keep your eyes peeled. There’s no way we’re letting him escape again."
---
The guards chattered among themselves, taking turns patrolling past Jian Changsheng’s cell, their gazes filled with vigilance as if afraid he’d vanish the moment they looked away...
Jian Changsheng sat in the familiar surroundings, his battered face twisting into a bitter smile.
"Round and round... and I’m back again."
He never imagined he’d be captured and brought back here one day... This time, his heart was utterly drained of hope. He knew the Twilight Society wouldn’t rescue him a second time, and escaping on his own was simply impossible.
He had completely failed this trial from the Twilight Society. What awaited him now was likely endless torture through soul-crushing interrogation.
"Lin Yan? You still alive?"
Jian Changsheng leaned weakly against the wall, remembering the unlucky guy thrown into the neighboring cell. He spoke helplessly.
No response came from the next cell—either Chen Ling was still unconscious or too disappointed in Jian Changsheng’s performance during the fight to bother replying.
"Sorry... That Puppet Path guy was too strong. I couldn’t even get close to him." Jian Changsheng sighed deeply. "This time, it’s my fault you got dragged into this..."
"I thought escaping this place would be the start of my new life... but fate loves playing tricks. In the end, I’m back here again. Tell me, why is my luck so damn awful? I’m either getting killed or hunted down. Ever since I stepped onto this [Asura] Path, nothing’s gone right for me."
"Is this the price for talent? But I haven’t even had a chance to use it!"
Jian Changsheng cursed bitterly, his eyes filled with resignation. After a long silence, he spoke again, "Not everyone can endure soul-crushing interrogation... You should brace yourself. Ten minutes from now, we might be saying our final goodbyes."
"Actually, I hid some things from you before. My name isn’t Jian Wubing... It’s Jian Changsheng."
At this point, there was no need for Jian Changsheng to keep up the act. He spoke quietly and sorrowfully, as if delivering his last words—or bidding farewell to Chen Ling.
But just as he reached this point, a few patrolling guards passed by his cell. They glanced inside, relieved to see Jian Changsheng hadn’t mysteriously vanished this time...
Then their eyes drifted to the neighboring cell.
The next second, they froze in place.
The scar-faced leader rubbed his eyes, his mouth hanging open in shock—as if he’d seen a ghost.
"WHAT THE HELL?! WHERE’S THE GUY NEXT DOOR?!!!"