The Hunter Arrives
"I just wanted to try."
Su Zhiwei smiled helplessly. "They're like an endlessly playing symphony orchestra, constantly buzzing in my ears... I just wanted to see if I had the authority to conduct them..."
"And then?"
"It seems I do have the authority... However, I haven't been able to master the method yet."
Chen Ling looked at Su Zhiwei, his gaze as if he were looking at a monster.
How long has it been since she came out of Shennongjia... She has actually already begun to grasp the power of her own "theory"? Moreover, judging from the energy she condensed just now, its intensity could already be considered Second-Tier. Although it ultimately failed, it wasn't far from success... It's nothing more than a few more attempts.
For the Nine Monarchs, the existence of ranks seemed to hold little significance. As long as they gradually deepened their mastery over their own "theory," their power could increase rapidly... One must know that it only took Su Zhiwei a single night to go from an ordinary person to this stage.
"Your spirit is somewhat overdrawn. You need to get some good rest." Seeing her pale face, Chen Ling spoke up to remind her.
"By the way, regarding this Teacher Xiao... how much do you know about her?"
"Teacher Xiao?" Hearing Chen Ling suddenly ask this, Su Zhiwei was somewhat puzzled. "Previously, when we were over at the Su Estate, we were neighbors for a very long time. When I was a child, she was the one who attended all my parent-teacher meetings. I can say I know her very well... Why?"
"When you were interacting with her in the past, did you ever notice... anything strange about her?"
"Strange?"
"For example, occasionally being able to do things that exceed common understanding, or behaving differently from other people?"
Su Zhiwei understood Chen Ling's meaning. Surprise flashed in her eyes. "Are you suspecting... Teacher Xiao, like you, is someone who has stepped onto the Divine Path?"
"I'm just guessing."
Chen Ling knew that in this era, there were also Divine Path Possessors, it was just that their numbers were extremely scarce... And thinking about it carefully, Xiao Chunping was an inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of Su Embroidery. Having delved into the path of embroidery for decades, it wasn't impossible for her to have stepped onto the Divine Path.
Furthermore, the act of moving the museum from the bustling downtown area to the remote suburbs was strange in itself... Coupled with that faint, elusive feeling of being spied upon from earlier, Chen Ling now had a sixty percent certainty.
"Didn't you say there are Fourteen Divine Paths in the world? Which Divine Path do you think she belongs to?"
"The Path of the Arts," Chen Ling stated with certainty. "Embroidery, painting, tattoos... Anyone who uses graphics to carry power is basically on the Path of the Arts. It's just that I'm not clear on the specific path."
Chen Ling was someone who had been to the Red Dust Domain and had obtained quite a bit of information from Heart 9. If Xiao Chunping had a Divine Path, it could only be the Path of the Arts.
Su Zhiwei pondered for a long time before shaking her head. "...No, I didn't feel anything strange about her. If I had to point out something, it would be her strict requirements for embroidery diagrams? In my impression, Yao Qing received several severe beatings because he ruined embroidery diagrams while playing soccer or because he didn't embroider well enough himself."
Chen Ling frowned, lost in thought.
Seeing this, Su Zhiwei hesitated again and again before saying, "However, I don't think you need to worry... Even if Teacher Xiao possesses a Divine Path, she harbors no ill will toward us."
"That's why I didn't do anything... Otherwise, I would have taken you guys and moved to a different place long ago." Chen Ling looked at this unlit museum, quiet and mysterious. "If she really can be trusted, then this is the safest place."
"She can be trusted. Everyone in the Xiao family can be trusted."
Chen Ling raised an eyebrow and asked with great interest, "Including Yao Qing?"
"Yao Qing is just a bit stubborn. At his age, it's the time of hot blood, when he has the courage to question everything... He's not bad by nature and can definitely be trusted."
Su Zhiwei's expression was incredibly serious.
Seeing this, Chen Ling smiled faintly. "If he heard these words, he'd probably be so happy he wouldn't be able to sleep all night."
"...What?"
"You're so smart, you couldn't possibly fail to see that he likes you, right?"
Su Zhiwei was stunned for a long while. She seemingly hadn't expected Chen Ling to bring up this topic. She subconsciously tucked her long hair behind her ear and shook her head.
"He... no, we are brother and sister... and can only be brother and sister."
"Why? The way he looks at you isn't how a brother looks at a sister."
"I am eight years older than him... He's still just a college sophomore, while I already... How could we possibly be together?" Su Zhiwei repeatedly shook her head. She, who had always been full of rationality and intellect, was now somewhat flustered. Pursing her lips, she said.
"Let's... not bring this matter up again..."
Chen Ling gave her a deep look and didn't say anything more. He just stood there quietly, gazing at the moonlight overhead.
After a long silence between the two, Su Zhiwei finally spoke up.
"I'm a bit tired... I'll go back to rest first. You should sleep early too."
"Okay."
With Su Zhiwei's departure, only Chen Ling was left alone in the quiet museum.
He stood above the murmuring stream like a ghost in the dark, his gaze fixed on the room where Xiao Chunping and Yao Qing were, lost in thought...
...
Gusu.
In a narrow, dim underground tavern, the pungent smell of smoke swirled in the air.
Behind the old bar counter, the bright colors emitted by the neon tubes illuminated the tavern like a dream. Figures sat on sofas or chairs in front of the bar counter, ice cubes and liquor clinking against the glass walls.
"I heard... the one issuing the bounty this time is 'The Hunter'?"
"'The Hunter'? Which 'The Hunter'?"
"Don't you know? It's that rumored 'Hunter' in the Golden Triangle who, with one gun, slaughtered a hundred-man mercenary team all by himself and bathed the local largest human trafficking organization in blood... It's said that the other side even deployed armed tanks and a bazooka squad back then, yet they were still forcefully counter-killed."
"It's him?! It's that 'Hunter' from the Golden Triangle? Real or fake?"
"The Hunter's strength could probably rank in the top ten among global assassins, right? No... top five is also possible."
"That person personally issued the bounty?"
"Who exactly does he want to kill? He's not making a move himself, but issuing a bounty to us instead?"
"It seems he's currently being held up by the police in Jingnan City. Afraid the target might escape, he asked us to come and help... Calculating the time, he should be arriving soon, right?"
"..."
Within the hidden underground tavern, over a dozen figures were conversing. A thin bartender stood quietly behind the bar counter, gently wiping the glass in his hands, his gaze occasionally glancing at the pendulum clock in the corner of the wall.
Clang—
A dull sound came from the side. It was the sound of a heavy metal door opening amidst rust. The tavern instantly fell into a dead silence.
Everyone's gazes looked over there. The bartender also slowly narrowed his eyes, stopping the movements of his hands.
Shoe soles stepped onto old wooden boards, emitting a harsh creaking sound. In the dim neon glimmer, a figure carrying a hunting rifle, covered in blood and gore fragments, slowly walked over from the darkness.
Sky Wolf, Nie Yu.
He stood still before everyone. His sharp gaze locked onto the bartender behind the bar counter as he spoke in a low voice.
"Where is Su Zhiwei?"