Capture

Luyang City stood along the Yangtze River and served as a hub for the transport and distribution of goods. Commerce thrived there, and with hundreds of thousands of residents and countless transients, it was a true metropolis.

This was Iron Palm Sect territory, but the Five Sects and Three Schools all had their own businesses or bases here. The streets teemed with people, and martial artists with sabers and swords were everywhere. Du Ge and his companions didn't stand out in the crowd.

As he listened to Feng Yunjie describe Luyang City along the way, Du Ge took in its customs and local color, growing ever more amazed by the Simulation Field.

It was so realistic!

What kind of technology could create a world like this?

And a world like this was being used only for an assessment.

What a waste!

If a game developer on Earth had this kind of technology, they'd become the richest person in the world in minutes...

"Seventh Master, the Xingyu Tower up ahead belongs to the Feng Family. We'll stay there for now, have something to eat, and then decide what to do next," Feng Yunjie said. "My father sent people to look for Heavenly Demons before. This was probably their first stop, too. A whole night has passed, so I wonder if they've found anything out. There aren't many cities as big as Luyang in all of Dagan. Even a small county town like ours had two Heavenly Demons—you and Feng Jiu—so there should be more in Luyang City..."

"Could be." Du Ge nodded. He'd been keeping an eye on the total number of contestants in the Simulation Field.

Since last night, the field had been whittled down to just over 650 contestants. A hundred and sixty had been eliminated overnight. The Simulation Field really was a merciless meat grinder, with no regard for fairness.

At least he was relatively merciful and had spared Feng Jiu. Otherwise, Feng Jiu would have been one of the hundred-plus contestants who vanished last night.

At this rate, in less than ten days, only a handful would remain in the Simulation Field.

But that was just the best-case scenario. Du Ge knew that as the competition went on, the rate of eliminations would slow. The contestants left would be the cream of the crop: good at disguising themselves and skilled at making use of their Keywords.

Feng Jiu had been right. Revealing himself like that really was stupid.

When everyone else was hiding in the shadows, he was a glaring, easy target for them all.

The easiest way to make the Simulation Field's top ten wasn't to make the most of your Keyword. It was to survive until the end and eliminate everyone else.

Leave only ten people, and you'd be in the top ten no matter who they were.

There was no keeping a secret forever. He'd been so high-profile at Feng Manor that sooner or later, someone with loose lips would reveal who he was and what his Keyword was.

It couldn't be helped. He didn't know the rules of the game.

You could dodge an open attack, but not a hidden one. Among hundreds of contestants, he was the only one playing with his cards face up...

What the hell!

The one thing Du Ge could be grateful for was that the Simulation Field only eliminated contestants. Nobody actually died.

But he'd already reached first place. If he got eliminated now, he wouldn't be able to live with himself. It was a transmigrator's pride, and he had to protect it.

Fortunately, news traveled slowly in ancient times, and so did people. Du Ge still had time to prepare; he wouldn't have to face hundreds of enemies all at once.

If they came at him one at a time, he thought he could handle them. Being ranked first in the Simulation Field wasn't just for show.

Still, he had to find a way to grow stronger. The stronger he was, the safer he'd be. Ideally, he'd become like Qiao He, the Martial Saint, who had ruled an entire era...

When they arrived at Xingyu Tower, a servant led their horses away. The owner came out in person and ushered them into the back courtyard.

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

"Yes." Feng Zhong glanced at Du Ge, then nodded.

Du Ge and the others stopped at the same time and looked toward the owner.

"What did you find?" Feng Yunjie asked.

Feng Zhong turned to Du Ge. "Second Master, this young hero looks unfamiliar. Is he..."

"This is Seventh Master, the supreme elder of our manor. He's in charge of the Heavenly Demon matter," Feng Shiyi said, glaring at him. "There's no need to hide anything from him."

"Feng Zhong pays his respects to the supreme elder." Feng Zhong hurriedly cupped his fists toward Du Ge and bowed respectfully.

"Please, there's no need for that, Shopkeeper Feng." Du Ge smiled. "Tell us about the Heavenly Demon."

"As it happens, the Heavenly Demon was our waiter, Wang San," Feng Zhong said. "A few days ago, Wang San contracted tuberculosis. The doctor said he couldn't be saved, so he went home to wait for death. When the manor's people came to investigate last night, I reported his situation to them.

"Now, guess what? Wang San was full of energy, flirting with the neighbor's young daughter. He wasn't even coughing anymore. A serious illness, a miraculous recovery, and all the signs fit Soul Possession by a Heavenly Demon. So they took Wang San back with them.

"But that fellow's stubborn. He insists he wasn't possessed, and says a traveling doctor happened to pass by and cured him with a few acupuncture needles. He even demanded we go to a temple and find a master to drive out the evil spirit. But none of the neighbors had seen any traveling doctor..."

"Where is Wang San now?" Du Ge asked, suddenly interested. He cut Feng Zhong off.

"He's in a guest room with his acupoints sealed," Feng Zhong said. "The manor specifically asked us to find him. I wouldn't dare let him get away. Second Master, is he really a Heavenly Demon? He was dying of tuberculosis, and then suddenly got better. No matter how I think about it, something seems wrong..."

"Feng Zhong, when are you going to break that habit of yours of talking too much? Cut the nonsense and take us to see Wang San," Feng Shiyi interrupted him too.

"Right this way, Second Master." Feng Zhong gave a simple-minded grin and hurried ahead to lead them. "Yellow Room 7, the innermost room. You can count on me, Second Master. No one usually stays in the Yellow Rooms, so there's no chance anyone can come rescue him. I sealed his acupoints and tied him up, too. I've even prepared rooster's blood, black dog's blood, and glutinous rice..."

Feng Zhong chattered all the way to Yellow Room 7, where he took out a key and unlocked the door. "Second Master, Wang San's inside."

"All right, I know. We'll take it from here. Go back to the front and get busy. Tell the kitchen to prepare us a table of good food and wine." Feng Shiyi had had enough of Feng Zhong's chatter. As soon as he opened the door, he hurried to send him away.

"I've already got everything ready, Second Master. Don't you trust me?" Feng Zhong didn't budge, peering into the room. "Second Master, you have to let me stay. I want to see how you identify a Heavenly Demon. Then I can handle it myself if I run into another one!"

"Let him stay. The owner is one of us, and he knows Wang San's situation better than anyone." Du Ge casually defended Shopkeeper Feng's dignity, then looked into the room.

A young man of about eighteen or nineteen, dressed as a waiter, lay tied up on the bed.

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

Du Ge was speechless.

Well, this fellow really was treating Heavenly Demons like ghosts!

Hearing the door open, Wang San struggled desperately, trying to lift his head but unable to. "Shopkeeper, Shopkeeper, is that you? You're finally here! I'm really not a Heavenly Demon. Please untie me. I shouldn't have stayed away from work just because I got better. I'm begging you, let me out. I can't hold it anymore..."

Du Ge and the others entered the room.

Wang San's voice abruptly stopped. "Who are you?"

Feng Shiyi said nothing. He went over and took Wang San's pulse. A moment later, he raised his head. "His qi and vitality are abundant, and his pulse is gentle and strong. He doesn't seem like someone who's just recovered from a serious illness. Seventh Master, there's no doubt he's been possessed by a Heavenly Demon."