Yin Yang felt his head growing heavy, as if he hadn't slept in a very long time.
He felt more and more that his state of being was becoming abnormal.
‘True God? What exactly is that black vortex in the divine kingdom? Could I really be impersonating some Lord of Rebirth and Communion?’
‘But that doesn't make sense. If He truly existed, the prayers of those believers should have been received by Him. There's no reason I should be the one sensing them.’
Yin Yang propped himself against a tree, beads of cold sweat trickling down his forehead from weakness.
“Young man, are you alright?”
A car stopped, and the rear window rolled down. An elderly man in casual clothes looked out at Yin Yang.
“I'm... I'm fine.”
The old man looked at Yin Yang's attire, then at the sweat on his forehead.
“Young man, climbing mountains for exercise is good, but you must know your limits.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
Yin Yang forced a smile. Only then did the old man signal the driver to move on, though he gave one last piece of advice before leaving.
“Take care of your health.”
“Thank you.”
After the car drove away, Yin Yang found a large rock by the roadside and sat down.
The dull pain in his abdomen vanished again. It seemed his liver had been sent back to the Hidden Vault.
Shadows surged behind Yin Yang as the blade-wielding ghost's figure faded, flying up into the air.
Although it had hidden its form, its killing intent was difficult to fully conceal, startling several birds into flight.
Yin Yang observed through the blade-wielding ghost's perspective and noticed that the Lyu family's transcendent item was indeed domineering. Even birds could not fly into the Lyu family's airspace; they were forced to veer away.
It was as if an invisible air wall existed above the Lyu family estate.
‘With a transcendent item of this level, they would probably notice the moment I used Spirit-Snatch.’
‘I wonder if I can... "bribe" it somehow?’
‘Unfortunately, their sentries are too tight. It's hard to get close.’
Yin Yang's brow furrowed as his mind raced.
‘Can I get my good partners to help?’
He rubbed his chin as another piece of information came to mind.
It seemed someone was offering a bounty for the ‘masked man.’
The corners of Yin Yang's mouth curled upward as an idea formed.
Snap.
He snapped his fingers, and a Nuo opera mask materialized by his hand.
“Let's make the water a bit muddier.”
...
Wanwu City.
Yin Yang was in his familiar attire—a black mask and a transparent raincoat.
After today, the envoy of Wanwu City would be heading to other cities. In other words, this was his last chance to enter Wanwu City from Huangshan City.
He walked straight to Ye Muchun's shop, only to find him in the middle of a business deal.
Ye Muchun noticed Yin Yang and immediately finalized the deal.
“Done. Mr. Chen, we're old customers. We'll go with the price you said!”
“I have other business to attend to. Once the money hits the account, you can collect the goods in three days!”
The man named Mr. Chen stood up and cupped his fists.
“Much obliged, Boss Ye.”
The man also noticed Yin Yang and gave a polite nod, wrapping his black robe tightly around himself as he walked out.
Once the man was gone, Ye Muchun's smile instantly became more sycophantic.
“You've arrived. Is there anything I can help you with?”
Yin Yang smiled.
“I don't like owing favors. The information you gave me last time was indeed useful, so I'm giving you a piece of information in return.”
As he spoke, Yin Yang took out several photos and handed them to Ye Muchun.
Ye Muchun didn't ask too many questions. He took them and observed carefully. At first, he didn't see anything special, until he noticed the mask that appeared frequently.
“This mask? Is this the masked man with the bounty of a sealed object on his head?”
He looked at Yin Yang in disbelief.
The bounty for the masked man had long since spread throughout Wanwu City.
The problem was that the people who posted it provided the bounty but not a single clue. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Worse yet, they hadn't even left a description of the mask's design.
Most cultists wore masks during missions, and many wore masks in general. Who could possibly know who it was?
Therefore, even though many were tempted, no news had surfaced for a long time.
When he saw Yin Yang nod, he couldn't help but gasp, feeling even more impressed by the vast reach of Yin Yang's organization. Then, he heard Yin Yang ask.
“How is this news?”
“Fantastic! Is it real?”
“I can guarantee that the masked man did indeed appear there!”
“Good!”
Ye Muchun was extremely excited because he was certain this information would fetch a high price.
“What would you like to exchange it for?”
Yin Yang smiled and waved his hand.
“Consider it a return for the favor of your warning last time.”
Hearing this, Ye Muchun couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed. Yin Yang, however, stood up to leave.
“If you plan on selling this news, do it quickly. Just before I came here, someone already tried to break into the Lyu family estate, only to be driven away by their people.”
Ye Muchun nodded with a serious expression. He understood what Yin Yang meant.
If someone had already tried to break in, it meant others already knew this news.
And the most valuable information was often time-sensitive.
Yin Yang turned and left, intending to browse the stalls to see if he could find any hidden gems. Meanwhile, Ye Muchun took the photos and headed to the shop in Wanwu City that specialized in selling information, planning to liquidate it immediately.
But just as Yin Yang turned into a small alley, he saw that Strongman once again.
As expected, the man in a suit was standing nearby. Their posture made it clear they were waiting for him.
“Well?”
The man in a suit looked at Yin Yang with a beaming smile, as if they were old friends of many years.
Yin Yang shook his head.
“Sir, I have my own business to attend to.”
“Of course.”
The man in a suit signaled for the Strongman to step aside. As Yin Yang passed by, he spoke.
“Believe me, I can give you a price that will satisfy you. All you need to provide is a connection between me and the Tang family.”
Yin Yang gave him a deep look before walking out of the alley without looking back, heading toward the stalls outside.
Once Yin Yang was out of sight, the Strongman spoke in a low, muffled voice.
“Sir, can this person really contact the Tang family?”
“Yes. I made that ring ten years ago. Back then, our relationship with Great Wei wasn't so strained. Mr. Tang found me, saying he wanted to commission a transcendent item for his daughter.”
“He said there were many people with ulterior motives approaching her every day. He wanted me to make something that could help her discern lies, preferably with minimal side effects and a long duration of use.”
“So, I created that Liar-Eater Ring for her.”
“To me, my works are like my children. I can recognize them no matter what they look like.”
“Someone gifted with such an item must be someone close to Miss Tang. He will help us get in touch with the Tang family.”
The Strongman lowered his head, seemingly accepting the man's words.
...
“What? News of the masked man?”
“Is it true?”
Rate on N.U.
