"Ah, didn't I hear from Master Swallow that his teacher, Brother Owen, achieved nirvana and then transformed into a Blue Wraith?"
"You may not know this, but that's a family scandal, Qingyuan."
Zhuang Bo spoke, and I responded with an 'oh.' Then he began to explain: several hundred years ago, a shocking event occurred, known throughout the occult world.
Some heirs of the Nether Syndicate began to disappear mysteriously, one after another. Even the leader of that generation vanished without a trace.
Afterward, Old Tom traveled far and wide to investigate, and discovered that the Renegade Monks were behind it all. Once the truth was uncovered, Old Tom went alone to confront Brother Owen and demand the return of the missing people.
The result was that the Renegade Monks were nearly wiped out, and Brother Owen suffered severe injuries, barely clinging to life. At that time, Master Swallow was not at the Renegade Monks due to family issues.
It was Old Tom who single-handedly destroyed the Renegade Monks. So by modern times, their foundation was ruined because of Old Tom, and now there are very few members left.
Thinking about it, Brother Owen truly wasn't a good person. Just then, Old Tom, after greeting the Nine Daoist Scions, walked over.
"What are you all talking about?"
"Little Cat, we were just talking about your glorious deeds."
Yin Choujian teased, and I looked at Old Tom with gratitude.
"Those guys are worse than ghosts, heh, they're evil to the core. Back then, they used our Nether Syndicate members as ingredients for their rituals. When I went to demand their release, they refused, and even tried to capture me too. So I fought them."
At this moment, the atmosphere grew heavy. Lan Yin led the Guides over to us, while only four Renegade Monks remained on the other side. The Dao Sect members seemed unwilling to interact with them.
"Cousin?"
I looked over in surprise. At the doorway, a stylishly dressed man walked in—it was my cousin. He brought Li Susu with him, and they entered directly. My cousin then respectfully stood to the side.
"Master Ancestor, Master, senior brothers, please..."
It was Master Mingde and Master Jianyun, followed by my cousin's fellow disciples. By now, nearly all the sects in the occult world had arrived.
Dao Sect, Brahma Order, Renegade Monks, Brother Owen, Yellow Springs, Nether Syndicate—six sects gathered together. My cousin spotted me from afar, called out, and ran over. I went to meet him.
"Cousin, you came too?"
"Hey, little brother, what can I do? I never want to attend these meetings, but Master insisted I come."
Li Susu followed as well.
"Qingyuan, I haven't seen Brother Tianshu around."
"Oh, sister-in-law, uh, he was just here a moment ago."
I looked around but couldn't spot Hu Tianshu. Where did he go? Worried, I quickly took out my phone and made a call.
"Qingyuan, come over here, I found something. I'm at the edge of the plaza. Call Zhang Hao over too."
I hung up, then informed my cousin. Li Susu went over to join Yin Choujian and the others.
My cousin and I quickly ran to the edge of the plaza. Hu Tianshu was standing behind a barrier, where he had scraped off the coating to reveal some words: Changhua Construction Co., Ltd.
"What's up with Tianshu?"
I asked. Hu Tianshu pointed to the company name. I'd heard of it before, from Zhou Dafa, who hadn't been replaced yet. Guo Weiming is from this company.
"You should be familiar, Zhang Hao. Your company has worked with them quite a bit."
My cousin nodded, resting his hand on his chin, and looked at it.
"Just as you said, this company is connected to the Immortality Society, right?"
Hu Tianshu nodded, then began to explain. He had investigated and found that the Daoists who came down the mountain received a mysterious financial donation, and the source was this company.
"Those Daoists aren't wealthy. I asked Qiu Lin, and their Nine Scions had trouble with funding when discussing where to negotiate. Dragon Plaza was the best location, but they didn't have enough money to set everything up."
I nodded. Why did those Daoists have my phone number? That's another question.
"Let's see how things play out, Qingyuan. I have a feeling this is strongly connected to the Immortality Society. Those Daoists accepted help from them."
Whenever the Immortality Society is mentioned, my impression of the Dao Sect plummets.
My cousin yawned and went to lie down on the platform beneath the Suanni statue, looking like he wanted to sleep.
"Cousin, you don't look so well. What's wrong? Lately..."
My cousin sighed.
"Sigh, Qingyuan, my master did some calculations for me. I might have to wait until I'm forty before Susu and I have kids—and it'll be both a daughter and a son. It's exhausting. Truly, men are oxen and women are fields. After marriage, the pressure is real."
I shot my cousin an annoyed look—still as unserious as ever. At that moment, he looked at me as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
"Cousin, just say it. What's on your mind?"
My cousin thought for a moment, then sighed, shook his head, and forced a stiff smile.
"Forget it, Qingyuan. My own problems—I'll handle them myself."
Zou Mashang walked over to my cousin and sat down beside him.
"Cousin, whatever it is, you can tell me. If there's anything I can help with, I will."
"No need, Qingyuan. Your matters are more important. Mine are just trivial. I’ll take a nap for now—wake me up later."
I continued talking with Hu Tianshu.
"I've already called Wuming. He's arranging for the Blue Wraiths to investigate. It's always good to be cautious."
"By the way, Tianshu, how did you get all this out of Qiu Lin? He’s from the Dao Sect, right?"
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Hu Tianshu smiled.
"Even though he’s from the Dao Sect, he still needs to eat. I found out quite a lot—there’s something odd about the number of chairs."
I let out a surprised sound.
"This time, besides the seven Ghost Sovereigns, each has a seat. The Nine Scions of the Dao Sect have nine seats, Nether Syndicate one, Renegade Monks one, the ten Guides of Yellow Springs, Ghost Burial Squad one, Brahma Order one. The total should be thirty, but there are two extra seats."
I made a surprised sound, and Hu Tianshu continued.
"The big table fits exactly thirty-two chairs, which is strange—it’s as if it was ordered that way from the start. And a table that size isn’t easy to make; it would take months to custom-build."
What Hu Tianshu said made me even more suspicious. If he’s right, then those Dao Sect people must have been in contact with the Immortality Society months ago, and ordered this huge table.
"These huge barriers are the same, Qingyuan. They're twenty-three meters tall—basically impossible to see inside from the outside. Even from afar, you can only see busy people. And just now, Red Hair’s men called to tell me that many nearby businesses have shut down, and even the police are dispersing crowds, saying there might be a groundwater surge or an earthquake."
"Only the Immortality Society could pull all this off."
I said firmly. Hu Tianshu nodded, and I clenched my fists, scanning the surroundings.
"Qingyuan, remember—keep calm. Unless they insult you like before, even if the Immortality Society shows up in front of you..."
"I know, Tianshu. I'll hold back."
Hu Tianshu adjusted his glasses and then smiled.
"Qingyuan, this may look like a negotiation, but it's actually a major transaction. You'll understand soon enough."
I made a surprised sound and looked at Hu Tianshu.
"Don't be fooled by appearances, Qingyuan."
We sat down near where my cousin was. Everything was nearly set up, and it was already past 2 p.m. I shook my cousin awake, but he was drenched in sweat and looked terrified.
"Cousin, cousin..."
Finally, my cousin woke up—startled and full of fear.
"Cousin, are you really alright?"
I was worried—my cousin seemed to have had a nightmare.
"I'm fine, Qingyuan, really."
We walked over. The seven Ghost Sovereigns were already seated on the left, with the ten Guides beside them. On the right sat Master Mingde and Old Tom. The Nine Daoist Scions sat opposite the Ghost Sovereigns. Wuyun sat to the left of the Guides, separated by Poison Star.
We all stood behind the seven Ghost Sovereigns. At that moment, Xuanjizi stood up—he seemed to be the host of this meeting. Earlier, I’d seen him running around, mediating between different parties and informing everyone of their seats.
"First, on behalf of the Nine Daoist Scions, I sincerely thank everyone for coming to this discussion. Thank you."
Xuanjizi spoke, clasping his fists and bowing deeply.
"Enough with the formalities. Aren't we here to negotiate? Spare us the pleasantries."
Red Hair was getting restless. He put his feet up on the table, slid his chair back, and sprawled out like a boss.
Xuanjizi's expression soured, and he forced a stiff smile.
"We have to handle things one by one. First, our Dao Sect wants to speak with the Ghost Burial Squad, and the rest of you are here as witnesses."
Yin Choujian rested his chin in his hands, quietly watching Xuanjizi. At that moment, all eyes from the Nine Daoist Scions focused on Poison Star. She giggled, then winked at me. I nodded.
As expected, the Dao Sect brought up Wu Zheng's issue right from the start. I nervously watched Poison Star. He wanted me to stand by his side, but now that I'm a ghost, how can I speak for her? That's a problem.