Chapter Ninety-nine: Villains in Power

At two in the afternoon, the paranormal channel gave it a strong push. Thank you all for your continued support!

Hearing Huang Wuchang's absurd "question," Ye Dong gritted his teeth in fury. "This old fox Huang Wuchang has absolutely no regard for human life! How far does he intend to toy with people before he's satisfied!?"

Guang Qi stared blankly, his gaze fixed on his companion who was slowly regaining consciousness.

"What's the matter? You're not exactly the kindhearted type, are you?" Huang Wuchang chuckled slyly. "As they say, every man for himself, and the devil takes the hindmost. There's plenty of pleasure to be had in this world!"

Hearing Huang Wuchang's instigation, Guang Qi's gaze sharpened, a chill steadily seeping from his eyes.

Seeing this, Ye Dong couldn't help but shake his head with a sigh. "Guang Qi is beyond saving."

"I'll bet," Guang Qi said, looking at the black dice on the ground as if looking at himself. Black was still black, but white was no longer white.

"Hahaha! Now this is getting interesting!" Huang Wuchang nodded and laughed heartily. "Now it's your turn to roll the dice. I choose big!"

After a few seconds of silence, the three miraculous pills that could save Guang Qi's life were finally picked up slowly and clenched tightly in his hand.

He let out a long breath, then suddenly loosened his fingers, and the dice bounced across the ground with a series of "click, click, click" sounds.

"Small! Small! Small!" Guang Qi stared at the still-spinning dice, his voice escaping uncontrollably.

Huang Wuchang seemed to have taken an interest as well, his eyes locked onto the three dice that had toyed with countless lives, a cold sneer playing on his lips.

"Rumble..." Under Ye Dong's tense gaze, the dice finally ceased their restless tumbling and lay still upon the bloodstained ground.

"One, two, two!" The dice that came to rest before Guang Qi showed 1-2-2 on top!

"It's small! It's small!" Guang Qi pointed at the dice with one hand. "Master, I won!"

"Hmph..." Knowing he had lost, Huang Wuchang didn't seem particularly bothered. He merely used the lid of his teacup to brush aside a few tea leaves. "You won."

"Thank you, Master! Thank you, Master!" Guang Qi kowtowed repeatedly, thanking Huang Wuchang profusely.

"Cough, cough..." The companion lying on the ground let out a few dry coughs, and in an extremely faint voice asked, "Cai... Brother Cai, why... why are you kowtowing to him!? He's... a demonic Taoist... who stops at nothing...!"

Hearing his companion's accusation, Guang Qi quickly turned his head away, afraid to meet his gaze even for a moment.

"Hmph!?" Huang Wuchang raised an eyebrow, gently setting down his teacup. "So what if I'm a demonic Taoist? You're so righteous, and yet here you are, lying on the ground at my mercy. If you kowtow to me like Fang Juncai did, I'll spare your life. How about it?"

"Pah! You shameless piece of trash!" Guang Qi's companion spat with all his remaining strength. "You demonic Taoist... committing heinous crimes... Even if we've been defeated by you today, the organization will... will surely bring you to justice!"

"Hahaha!" Huang Wuchang laughed heartily. "Where's your organization now? By the time you die, they probably won't even find your corpse. In the end, you'll just get a plaque calling you an unnamed hero. What's the point?"

"Clatter!" A small knife was tossed by Huang Wuchang to land in front of Guang Qi. He said coldly, "Kill that so-called companion of yours, and your life is spared!"

Guang Qi and his companion both stared at the coldly gleaming knife on the ground. Time in the room seemed to freeze.

Ye Dong could no longer stand it. Pointing at Huang Wuchang in his mind, he cursed, "I've seen plenty of bastards, but I've never seen one as vile as you!"

Seeing Guang Qi rooted to the spot, unwilling to act, Huang Wuchang smiled and glanced at the pistol a few meters away. "To kill a man is very simple. A knife, a bullet—either can easily end a life. Since you chose to go undercover, you must have already passed the test of facing death, haven't you?"

Guang Qi nodded helplessly. In the past, for the sake of his mission and status, he had long forgotten life and death. But in the presence of this demonic man, his bottom line seemed utterly useless.

"Now I'm giving you a chance to advance—to forget your companion's life and death," Huang Wuchang sneered. "What do you think? Can't do it? If you can't, then in the end, you'll still die."

After hearing Huang Wuchang's words, Guang Qi finally looked at his dying companion.

"Cai, have you lost your mind!?" Facing the murderous intent radiating from Guang Qi, his companion felt a chill in his heart. "Do you really... really intend to kill me with your own hands!?"

"I'm sorry," Guang Qi slowly shook his head. "Your life was something I won back for you in the first place. Now that you're returning it to me, there's nothing wrong with that!"

His companion's eyes bulged wide as he stared at Guang Qi, endless anguish visible within them.

"Goodbye!" Guang Qi took a breath, and with a swift motion of the knife, he personally ended his comrade's life.

"So he really did kill the contact person with his own hands!" Ye Dong's heart jolted, and even he seemed stunned for a moment.

"Mm, now you're starting to see the light," Huang Wuchang said with satisfaction as he watched Guang Qi truly deliver the killing blow. He spoke slowly, "Fang Juncai, right now, only I know you're an undercover agent." He poured himself a cup of tea and asked coldly, "Do you know why I haven't reported this information to He Wei and his men?"

Guang Qi could only shake his head continuously, his eyes filled with terror.

"There's a saying that goes: death is not the end of pain, but the beginning of another pain." Huang Wuchang set down his teacup, shaking his head with a bitter smile. "The reason I didn't hand you over to He Wei and the others is because I saw your ambition."

The moment those words left Huang Wuchang's mouth, a burning desire for survival instantly flared in Guang Qi's eyes, and he cried out repeatedly, "Master, please, please enlighten me!"

Huang Wuchang gave a contemptuous smile. "You're a smart man—the truly clever kind. Your intellect and emotional intelligence are a cut above He Wei and his two companions. What a pity, though—your strength doesn't yet match your ambition. In the end, I still saw through you."

"Master sees everything with perfect clarity. Juncai wouldn't dare overstep!" Guang Qi's heart tightened, and he thought to himself in alarm, "When did he find out about my ambition!?"

"No, no, you dare overstep. You have quite the audacity." Huang Wuchang set down the teapot with a cold snort. "Just now I said I saw your ambition, and I analyzed it as well. Your plan was indeed not bad, but you made a mistake at the very first step."

Ye Dong knew that in Guang Qi's heart, his plan was to assassinate Huang Wuchang by surprise, then capture Wei Ye and his two men in one fell swoop, and seize their wealth and ancient texts—that was the first step toward the pinnacle of his life. With such a great achievement, he could naturally rise smoothly through the police ranks. That was the second step of his plan: to secretly learn sorcery and use police power to control the underworld, achieving a position where his left hand wielded magic and his right hand held money and power. That was the third step. But faced with Huang Wuchang's unbreakable sorcery, the desperate Guang Qi had stumbled on the very first plan—a stumble big enough to be fatal.

Ye Dong, now aware of Guang Qi's original plan, couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine. "This Guang Qi's ambition is truly enormous! He's a genuine careerist!"

However, Ye Dong quickly realized, "It's precisely because his past plans failed that he constructed an even more venomous and grandiose scheme!"

"Master, spare me! Master, spare me!" Guang Qi looked at Huang Wuchang, pleading with beggar-like eyes.

"Hahaha," hearing Fang Juncai's submissive pleas, Huang Wuchang was quite pleased with himself. "Your mistake was this: you stood on the wrong side and chose the wrong opponent."

"Master's lesson is correct. Juncai overestimated himself, daring to oppose Master. I beg Master to spare my life!" Guang Qi pleaded again, kowtowing endlessly on the ground. Thud, thud, thud—soon his forehead was bleeding.

Huang Wuchang gave a cold laugh. "The very courage to shoot at me is proof enough that you have extraordinary nerve. It's just that the shackles of worldly common sense prevented you from understanding the true heights of this world."

"Indeed, how was I supposed to know that even after firing all twelve bullets, I couldn't hurt him!?" Guang Qi, prostrate on the ground, was filled with regret. "This defies all scientific common sense!"

"He Wei and his men are afraid of bullets tainted with blood essence, but I'm not afraid in the slightest." Huang Wuchang stroked his beard with a smile. "That's something you didn't anticipate, isn't it?"

"Master's magical powers are unparalleled. Juncai submits in admiration." Guang Qi couldn't hold back the tears of remorse in his eyes. "Juncai refuses to accept this—refuses to fade away so ingloriously. I beg Master to leave Juncai a path to live. Even if Juncai must serve as a beast of burden, I will repay Master's mercy in sparing my life."

"You're a talent. I have no need for you to be a beast of burden." Huang Wuchang smiled. "Not only will I not have you killed, I'll even teach you sorcery and help you realize your ambitions."

"Ah!?" Guang Qi was overwhelmed by the unexpected favor, looking at Huang Wuchang in bewilderment.

"Rise, young man," Huang Wuchang withdrew his smile and looked at the teacup on the tea table.

"Yes! Yes!" Guang Qi hastily brushed the dust from his hands, poured tea into the cup, and respectfully presented it to Huang Wuchang. "Master—no, Master Teacher, please have some tea!"

Seeing Guang Qi's quick wit, Huang Wuchang's face showed great delight. "I told you you're a talent—very good at reading the moment and perceiving the subtlest details. Excellent, excellent."

He accepted the tea, took a light sip, and set the cup back down. "From now on, your name will no longer be Juncai, nor Fang Juncai. Having drunk your tea, I shall bestow upon you a name today: Guang Qi. 'Guang' means bright and clear eyes, and 'Qi' means soaring ambition."

"Guang Qi thanks his esteemed master!" Having snatched his life back from thin air, he was naturally overwhelmed with gratitude—there's no need to elaborate on that here.

But Guang Qi wasn't a fool. Having narrowly escaped death at Huang Wuchang's hands, he knew there would be a price to pay.

Huang Wuchang let out a cold laugh, drew a tiny seedling from his bosom, and handed it to Guang Qi. "Eat it."

Guang Qi knew that whatever Huang Wuchang offered would be far more vicious than the deadliest poison. This was a botanical gu—a sinister thing called the "Bone Plum Blossom."

"Yes!" Without a second thought, Guang Qi swallowed it in one gulp!

Seeing this, Ye Dong felt a wave of nausea. "Jeez, this Guang Qi isn't afraid of anything, is he!"

Then, after swallowing the Bone Plum Blossom, Guang Qi's expression instantly changed—twisted and ghastly pale. His body crumpled, curling up on the ground and howling back and forth in what seemed to be unbearable agony.

"Is it poison!?" Ye Dong's heart tightened, wondering what would become of Guang Qi next.

Seeing this, Huang Wuchang couldn't help but burst into laughter. He paid no attention to Guang Qi's agonized screams, simply sitting calmly in his chair, savoring his tea. "This tea really is quite good."

More than half an hour later, Guang Qi's piercing screams gradually subsided. Lying on the ground, his face bloodless, he gasped for breath continuously, drool and snot pooling on the floor.

Huang Wuchang took out a small Bagua mirror from his bosom and tossed it in front of Guang Qi. "Take a look at yourself now."

Guang Qi weakly groped for the mirror, and upon seeing his reflection, he was so startled that he dropped the mirror to the ground, crying out in shock, "Who... who is this!? Is that me? Is that me!?"

"Hahaha! It's you!" Huang Wuchang looked at the completely transformed Guang Qi, his face smug. "This is the effect of the Bone Plum Blossom. Isn't it great to have a new face? A brand new lease on life!"

"Bone Plum Blossom!?" Guang Qi violently tore at his clothes, straining to twist his head toward his rear shoulder—a blood-red plum blossom of bone spurs was clearly visible there!

"Good heavens!" Both the Guang Qi in the vision and the Ye Dong in reality cried out simultaneously.

"So he's got something like that on him!?" Though Ye Dong had no physical sensation, his subconscious still felt his scalp crawl. "Damn it, is this thing now growing on my soul's vessel!?"

In the vision, Guang Qi seemed unable to believe his own eyes. With a dazed look, he turned to Huang Wuchang, only to see him lighting several bloodstained yellow talismans and stirring their ashes into a cup of tea.

"My good disciple, come, drink this, and let's see if you have the fortune for it." Huang Wuchang cackled, pushing the tea toward the edge of the tea table, signaling Guang Qi to drink.

"This... what is this?" Guang Qi, half-dead, steadied himself against the table and asked in a low voice.

"Damn it, this thing obviously has sorcery attached to it without even looking!" Ye Dong cursed incessantly. "Damn it, don't drink it! This yellow-robed demonic Taoist doesn't treat people like people at all!"

"This is fortune," Huang Wuchang said with a lecherous smile. "Drink it, and you'll possess magical powers."

"If it's something that grants magical power instantly, what else could it be but demonic arts!?" Ye Dong couldn't help cursing again, but Guang Qi couldn't hear a word of it.

"I can gain magical powers!?" Guang Qi stared blankly at the tea. He knew that if he truly drank this brew, he would become Huang Wuchang's slave forever.

"Haven't you always yearned to obtain my magical arts?" Huang Wuchang smiled with an evil curl of his lips.

Guang Qi took the teacup and smiled helplessly—that helpless smile a microcosm of everything since his failure.

Though Guang Qi downed the talisman water in one gulp, tears brimmed over from his eyes.

"I will not rest until this grievance is avenged." A sinister, low growl seeped into Ye Dong's mind, causing him to shudder involuntarily.

As the talisman water entered his stomach, Guang Qi felt as though ice picks had stabbed viciously into his eyes. An extreme chill and searing pain quickly flooded his entire body!

"My eyes!" Guang Qi clutched his eyes tightly, the excruciating pain sending him rolling on the ground again, writhing back and forth, a truly pitiful sight.

"So Guang Qi endured so much torment from Huang Wuchang—no wonder he harbors such bitter hatred for this demonic Taoist." Ye Dong's heart ached with sympathy, and he found himself speaking up for Guang Qi.

After the violent agony subsided, Guang Qi finally opened his eyes. He had probably gained a profound new understanding of relativity just now.

"So, isn't it a whole new world?" Huang Wuchang looked into Guang Qi's eyes, chuckling.

"My eyes—how are they so clear and bright!?" Guang Qi felt as though his vision had never been sharper or more comfortable.

"See if you can read these ancient characters." Huang Wuchang handed Guang Qi an ancient tome. "Read the first line of the first page for your master."

Guang Qi took the book and looked at where Huang Wuchang had indicated. Though the characters he saw were strange and archaic in form, his eyes seemed to possess a translating ability, and he could read them at once: "In ancient times, there was a strange era: the moon rose while the sun had not yet set, and sun and moon appeared together in the sky like twin mirrors. People called it the Yin-Yang Night, when great fortune and great disaster come on the same day."

Yet what struck Ye Dong as odd was that these thoughts-processed memories did not seem to synchronize with the visual images entering his mind. Instead, they lagged to a certain degree.

"Strange. Do memories come in two forms—directly acquired and indirectly acquired? The memories acquired through sensory organs like eyes and ears transmit perfectly, while memories processed through mental deliberation seem to lag during transmission for some reason?"

Ye Dong pondered, "There's a peculiar time gap here."

"Good! Very good!" Huang Wuchang's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help clapping his hands in praise. "Just as I expected—you truly have the gift of spiritual insight!"

"Master, what exactly is going on with my eyes!?" Guang Qi flipped through the ancient text. Not only the strange writing, but even the peculiar diagrams within, he could decipher.

"This is the 'Wisdom Eye'—the fortune you've been granted!" Huang Wuchang laughed heartily. "Congratulations! With the aid of your Wisdom Eye, my grand plan for immortality can be advanced by ten years!"

Huang Wuchang made no effort to hide his excitement. He abruptly pulled Guang Qi in front of him and boomed with laughter. "In my search for this Wisdom Eye, I've sacrificed no fewer than twenty people with spiritual aptitude—and finally, I've found you!"

Ye Dong was shocked. "This demonic Taoist has killed that many people just for this Wisdom Eye!?"

The scene shifted, and a new fragment surged into Ye Dong's mind...