"Jia Qing, Chen Changrui from the Dark Star Bureau came to see me today. He watched for a very long time; he might have noticed something."
"You’re lying still. How could he notice anything?"
"This isn’t his first visit. Last time, he called the doctor over and had me undergo several examinations. The doctor told him everything was normal, but he didn’t believe it. He even told his subordinates that there was something wrong with me. I reckon he’s seen through me."
"Brother, just hold on for two more days. I’ll return after two days."
"Jia Qing, this Chen is too difficult to deal with. You must come back soon."
...
"Zhou Changhong" cut off the communication and stood in a forest, silently watching the distance.
After watching for a while, he wiped the bloodstains off his face. That Local Deity named Qiu Luoye had a rather nasty temper and was pretty heavy-handed.
He couldn’t step into Qiu Luoye and Shui Yongquan’s territory anymore, or the consequences would be very severe.
...
Luo Zhengnan, Hall Master of the Jiang Xiang Gang’s Medicine King Hall, was on the terrace, holding a radio and listening to the broadcast:
"Dear listeners, ’Blood Gun Detective III,’ directed by Ma Junyang, is about to be released. Opinions on this movie are mixed. To sum it up in one sentence: criticism and anticipation coexist. Today, we have invited Luo Guangxun, the editor-in-chief of ’Cinema New Discourse,’ to analyze the film’s prospects from a professional critic’s perspective."
"Hello, dear listeners, this is Luo Guangxun. As everyone knows, the ’Blood Gun Detective’ series has challenged the ethical views of Puluo State. However, it has also provided a new developmental direction for the film industry. Especially since the third movie was filmed in New Land, the mysterious aura of New Land has added a lot of interest to this movie..."
Luo Zhengnan laughed. "This Old Fifth Ma really knows how to stir things up, going all the way to New Land to film. Isn’t he afraid..."
BUZZ. BUZZ.
Luo Zhengnan’s head throbbed, and a series of numbers appeared before his eyes.
But he couldn’t ignore the continuous calls, so Luo Zhengnan ultimately answered.
"Gang Leader, you were looking for me?"
"Old Luo, you’re getting harder and harder to find. What, still upset about last time with the Deputy Gang Leader?"
"Gang Leader, you’re overthinking it. I’m an old member of the gang; I understand the big picture and consider the overall situation. I never take such matters to heart; I completely comply with the gang’s arrangements."
"With your word, I can rest easy. I’m not someone who goes back on my word. The position of Deputy Gang Leader, I’ve always kept it for you. Once the right opportunity comes, I’ll immediately appoint you."
"Thank you, Gang Leader, for your high regard!"
"Old Luo, I’m calling you mainly to ask you to gather some information for me. Is there someone called Benefactor active in the Back Three-Land of Puluo State recently?"
"Back Three-Land? I don’t know much about that place."
"That’s why I want you to go and find out. This person called Benefactor is young, but his cultivation level is not low. He’s fast on his feet, probably a Traveling Cultivator. He acts ruthlessly and is wild in nature. Report back as soon as you find anything."
"Gang Leader, the task you assign, I will do my utmost to accomplish!"
Luo Zhengnan hung up the phone and continued to listen to the radio.
...
Xiao Zhenggong muttered to himself while driving, "Benefactor... Who would give themselves such a name? Young in age, with a high cultivation level, acts wildly, with a ruthless nature... This description, why does it sound so much like him? Could it really be him? This kid’s cultivation level has always been unclear. But he’s been lying in the hospital all this time, so he supposedly shouldn’t have had the chance to stir trouble at Cheap Person Ridge. Could it be..."
Xiao Zhenggong suddenly stopped the car in the middle of the road, unmoved by the horns blaring behind him.
He was contemplating something.
Xiao Zhenggong’s expression darkened as he made a U-turn at the intersection and headed toward Yuezhou Sanatorium.
Arriving at the sickroom, he stared at He Jiaqing on the bed for a long time.
"Are you He Jiaqing?" Xiao Zhenggong asked.
He Jiaqing remained motionless without responding.
Xiao Zhenggong continued, "If you are impersonating him, you’d better not be too stubborn. The heat is dying down, and I’m planning to kill He Jiaqing. You wouldn’t want to be a scapegoat, would you?"
There was still no reaction from He Jiaqing.
Xiao Zhenggong patted He Jiaqing’s face. "I’m here to give you a heads-up this time. Next time I come, I might really take action."
...
"Jia Qing, Xiao Zhenggong from the Dark Star Bureau came again. He said he’s going to kill me."
"He says that every day. Brother, don’t worry, he wouldn’t dare do it."
"When exactly are you coming back?"
"Just a few more days, that’s all!"
...
Xiao Zhenggong returned to his villa, where a beautiful blonde woman was waiting for him in the living room.
"Gang Leader Xiao, did you call me here today for friendship or for business?"
Xiao Zhenggong stepped forward, wrapped his arm around Alia, and chuckled. "Aren’t they the same?"
Alia touched Xiao Zhenggong’s face. "If it were for friendship, you definitely wouldn’t be this eager. Let’s talk business first."
Xiao Zhenggong nodded. "I can’t hide anything from you. Is your brother in the Outside Provinces?"
"Yes, he’s handling some matters in the Outside Provinces. He’ll leave tomorrow."
"Invite him over. I have some matters that require him to stay another day."
"It’s easy to ask him to stay another day, but as for the price, I won’t need to elaborate, will I?"
"When have I ever treated him unfairly?" he replied.
「The next day.」
Xiao Zhenggong brought a bouquet of flowers and went to visit He Jiaqing.
He sent the caregiver away, placed the flowers on the table, and stood by the bed, staring at He Jiaqing for a long time.
"I gave you a chance. Since you won’t speak, I’ll treat you as the real He Jiaqing."
Having said that, Xiao Zhenggong inserted the flowers into the vase and took a bottle of mineral water from his waist, pouring it onto the flowers.
After watering the flowers, Xiao Zhenggong turned and left the sickroom, standing at the door and quietly watching.
One minute later, the flowers blossomed, and a clump of golden pollen from the heart of the flower, as if alive, burrowed into He Jiaqing’s nostrils.
This clump of pollen indeed had life; it was Cui Tiq’s masterpiece.
Within thirty seconds of the flower blooming, the pollen would find a human within two meters and parasitize their body. If it couldn’t find a host within two meters, the pollen would die immediately, leaving no trace whatsoever.
Xiao Zhenggong left.
The person impersonating He Jiaqing, lying in the bed, felt something odd in his throat.
After an hour, he felt alternating chills and fever.
But the equipment showed his body temperature hadn’t changed significantly.
His throat was dry and itchy, and he dared not make a sound rashly.
By evening, taking advantage of the caregiver’s toilet break, "He Jiaqing" coughed into his hand twice, finding it full of blood.
The fishy, salty taste of blood filled his mouth, and "He Jiaqing" was in a panic.
...
"Jia Qing, that Xiao Zhenggong did something to me. I seem to have caught a serious illness. I’m coughing up blood, ceaselessly coughing. I can’t hold on much longer..."
"I told you, I’ll be back soon. Just hold on a bit longer. Don’t always bother me unless it’s important."
「The following night.」
Xiao Zhenggong returned to the sickroom. After sending the caregiver away, he watched He Jiaqing with a smiling face and asked, "Unpleasant, isn’t it?"
His chest hurt as if on fire, and blood kept pouring into his throat. The doctors couldn’t find anything wrong, and "He Jiaqing" felt like every breath was a struggle. Yet he dared not show any sign of it.
Xiao Zhenggong’s eyes lowered. "I’ll give you one last chance," he said. "Tell me, are you really He Jiaqing? If you are, it proves I didn’t kill the wrong person. If you’re not, I can still save you now."
Xiao Zhenggong waited for a moment, then added with a smile, "Still not talking? Well, someone will come to collect your body shortly."
Just as Xiao Zhenggong reached the doorway, "He Jiaqing" opened his eyes. "Wait a minute. I’m not He Jiaqing."
"That’s more like it," Xiao Zhenggong walked back to the bedside. "First tell me, who are you?"
"My name is Zhou Changhong, and I’m from Puluo State."
Xiao Zhenggong nodded. "The big star, I’ve heard of you. Why are you impersonating He Jiaqing here?"
"He Jiaqing went to Puluo State and had me take his place here."
"When did you start impersonating He Jiaqing?"
"Three months ago."
"What’s your relationship with He Jiaqing?"
Zhou Changhong paused for a moment. "He’s my benefactor."
"Benefactor? Did you call him ’Benefactor’?"
Zhou Changhong nodded. "I did call him that, but he said it was too formal and asked me to call him ’brother’."
Xiao Zhenggong took out a bottle of mineral water and handed it to Zhou Changhong. "Drink this, and you’ll start to feel better soon. Tell me in detail about this Benefactor."
"Back then, I was just a poor actor, an extra in the theater, barely able to eat. It was He Jiaqing who discovered me. He said I took acting seriously and introduced me to the ways of the Drama Cultivator. He also introduced me to Ling Miaoying..."
...
Big Head stepped out of the elevator and saw the caregiver squatting at the elevator entrance.
He glanced at the caregiver, whose face was ashen, eyes vacant, and spirit in a haze.
A Martial Cultivator’s sensory abilities weren’t very strong, but Xiao Zhenggong was of a high cultivation level. If Big Head continued toward the sickroom, Xiao Zhenggong would surely sense him.
Big Head took a wireless earpiece from his pocket and put it in his ear.
Through the earpiece, he faintly heard the conversation inside the sickroom.
After listening for a while, Big Head turned around, went down in the elevator, and left the hospital.
「Cheap Person Ridge, Sage Peak, the Sage’s Residence.」
Amidst the convoluted corridors, a young man in white reported through the door, "Master, Second Senior Brother has identified the thief. His name is He Jiaqing."
"Who is he?"
"The son of He Haiqin, a wealthy merchant from Puluo State."
"How could the son of a merchant overcome Cong Shixiang?"
The young man in white said, "Second Senior Brother says his cultivation level is not weak, but he probably doesn’t match up to Eldest Senior Brother’s level. I suspect that with Eldest Senior Brother lacking his Soul, his mind incomplete, he suffered greatly against He Jiaqing."
"Just because of his impaired mind? Not necessarily." The panting inside the room ceased abruptly.
The Sage had experienced "Benefactor’s" prowess firsthand and believed the man truly had substantial abilities. "Where is this person now?"
"According to Second Senior Brother, he was originally recuperating in the Outside Provinces, but now he’s back in Puluo State, assuming the name Zhou Changhong and frequently associating with the wealthy Ling Family."
"Again, a wealthy merchant. They are all in Greenwater Bay. Go to Greenwater Bay. Have your Third Senior Brother bring a generous gift for an old friend of mine, and ask this friend to test He Jiaqing. If he can get rid of He Jiaqing, all the better. If not, it doesn’t matter, but he must thoroughly investigate his Taoist Sect and cultivation level."