Capture

Luyang City lay beside the Yangtze River. It was the hub of canal transport dispatch, with thriving commerce and a population in the hundreds of thousands. It was a massive city, with countless more passing through.

This was Iron Palm Gang territory, but the Five Sects and Three Schools all had businesses or outposts here. The streets bustled with people, and martial artists carrying sabers and swords could be seen everywhere. Dug and his group did not stand out amid the crowd.

As he listened to Feng Yunjie introduce Luyang City along the way, Dug took in the unfamiliar customs and grew increasingly awed by the Simulation Arena.

It was too real!

What kind of technology could create a world like this? And such a world was actually used only for assessment.

What a luxury! If game developers on Earth had this kind of capability, they would become the richest people in the world in minutes...

"Seventh Master, Xingyu Tower ahead is a Feng Family property. We'll stay there for now, have something to eat, and then make further plans," Feng Yunjie said. "The people Father sent to search for Heavenly Demons should have come here as their first stop too. A night has passed; I wonder whether they found any news. There are only a few cities as large as Luyang in all of Great Qian. Even a small county town like the Feng Family's had two Heavenly Demons, you and Feng Jiu. There should be even more in Luyang City..."

"That's possible." Dug nodded. He had been keeping an eye on the changes in the total number of people in the Simulation Arena.

Since last night, only a little over six hundred and fifty contestants remained in the Simulation Arena. One hundred and sixty had been eliminated overnight. The Simulation Arena truly was a cold, merciless meat grinder that made no sense at all.

He had been fairly merciful, leaving Feng Jiu alive. Otherwise, Feng Jiu would have become one of the more than hundred people who vanished last night.

At this rate, there would be barely anyone left in the Simulation Arena in less than ten days.

But that was only the best-case scenario. Dug knew that as things continued, the rate of attrition would slow. Those who remained would all be elites, the sort who could disguise themselves and skillfully use their Keywords.

Feng Jiu had not been wrong. Exposing himself really was a foolish move.

While everyone else lurked in the shadows, he was a bright, obvious living target, bound to be targeted by everyone.

The easiest way to enter the Simulation Arena's top ten was not to use one's Keyword to its fullest, but to survive until the end and eliminate everyone else.

If only ten people remained, then even if he was not in the top ten, he would still be in the top ten.

There was no such thing as a wall that did not leak. He had been so high-profile at Feng Manor that someone with a loose tongue would eventually leak information about him and his Keyword.

There was nothing he could do about it. Who told him he did not understand the rules of the game? Open attacks were easy to dodge, but hidden arrows were hard to guard against. Among several hundred contestants, he alone was playing with his cards face-up...

What the hell!

The one thing Dug was grateful for was that the Simulation Arena only eliminated people; no one actually died.

But having already become number one, he could not accept being eliminated afterward. It was the pride of a transmigrator, and he had to defend it.

Fortunately, information spread slowly in ancient times, and the distances were great. Dug still had time to prepare, so he would not have to face hundreds of enemies all at once.

If they came at him one at a time, Dug figured he could handle them. His status as the Simulation Arena's number one was no mere decoration.

Still, he had to find a way to increase his strength. The stronger he was, the safer he would be. Ideally, he could be like Martial Saint Qiao He and suppress an entire era...

When they arrived at Xingyu Tower, a waiter led away their horses. The shopkeeper personally came out and led them into the rear courtyard.

As they walked, Feng Shiyi asked, "Feng Zhong, did the people who came yesterday uncover anything?"

"Yes." Feng Zhong glanced at Dug and nodded.

Dug and the others stopped at once and looked at the shopkeeper.

Feng Yunjie asked, "What did you find?"

Feng Zhong turned to Dug and asked, "Second Master, this young hero looks unfamiliar. Is he..."

"This is Seventh Master, the Supreme Elder of our manor. He will handle the matter of the Heavenly Demons." Feng Shiyi shot him a glare. "There's no need to hide anything from him."

"Feng Zhong greets the Supreme Elder." Feng Zhong hurriedly cupped his fists toward Dug and spoke respectfully.

"You're too polite, Shopkeeper Feng." Dug smiled. "Tell us about the Heavenly Demon."

"Funny enough, the Heavenly Demon is Wang San, one of the waiters in our shop," Feng Zhong said. "A few days ago, Wang San caught consumption. The physician said he could not be saved, so he went home to wait for death. When people from the manor came to investigate last night, I reported his situation.

"But guess what? Wang San was alive and kicking, flirting with the little girl next door. He was not even coughing anymore. Gravely ill, then rapidly recovered—every sign matched possession by a Heavenly Demon, so they brought Wang San back.

"But that fellow's got a hard mouth. He refuses to admit he was possessed, insisting that a traveling physician passed by his house and gave him a few needles, curing his illness. He even shouted for us to find some master at a temple to exorcise him. Yet none of the neighbors had ever seen that traveling physician..."

"Where is Wang San now?" Dug immediately became interested and cut him off.

"His acupoints have been sealed, and he's locked in a guest room," Feng Zhong said. "The manor specifically named him, so I wouldn't dare let him escape. Second Master, is he really a Heavenly Demon? A man with consumption getting better just like that—I can't help thinking it's eerie..."

"Feng Zhong, when are you going to fix that loose-mouth habit of yours? Stop talking nonsense and take us to Wang San." Feng Shiyi cut him off as well.

"This way, Second Master." Feng Zhong gave a simple-minded grin, hurried two steps ahead, and led the way. "Room Seven, Yellow Wing, the innermost room. Second Master, you can rest assured when I handle things. Hardly anyone stays in the Yellow Wing, so no one will be able to rescue him. Not only did I seal his acupoints, I tied him up too. I've prepared rooster blood, black dog blood, and glutinous rice in advance..."

Feng Zhong muttered all the way as he led them to Room Seven in the Yellow Wing. He took out a key and opened the door. "Second Master, Wang San is inside."

"All right, I understand. Leave the rest to us. Go tend to the front hall. Tell the kitchen to prepare a table of good food and wine for us." Feng Shiyi had had enough of Feng Zhong's prattling and hastily tried to send him away once he opened the door.

"It's all been prepared, Second Master. When I handle things, are you still worried?" Feng Zhong did not move. He kept peering into the room. "Second Master, you have to let me stay and see how to identify a Heavenly Demon. If I encounter one again in the future, I'll be able to deal with it myself!"

"Let him stay. The shopkeeper is one of us, and he knows Wang San's circumstances better." Dug casually preserved Shopkeeper Feng's dignity before looking into the room.

A youth of about eighteen or nineteen, dressed as a waiter, had been tightly bound and thrown onto the bed.

At the head of the bed sat a bowl of glutinous rice, a bucket of dog blood, and a bucket of chicken blood...

Dug was speechless.

Well then, this guy really was treating Heavenly Demons like ghosts and monsters!

Noticing the door open, Wang San desperately squirmed. He wanted to lift his head but could not. "Shopkeeper! Shopkeeper! Is that you? You finally came! I'm really not a Heavenly Demon. Please let me go. I shouldn't have failed to come back to work after getting better. I'm begging you, let me out. I can't hold it in anymore..."

Dug and the others entered the room.

Wang San's voice came to an Abrupt Stop. "Who are you?"

Without saying a word, Feng Shiyi stepped forward and pressed two fingers to his pulse. A moment later, he raised his head. "His vital energy is abundant, and his pulse is gentle yet strong. He doesn't resemble someone recovering from a serious illness. Seventh Master, there is no doubt that this is possession by a Heavenly Demon."