Wu Zhangkong

Yun Ze studied it for a long time but couldn't find any clues worth noting.

He glanced at the time. It was nearly evening, and the last rays of the setting sun were already shining over the city, heralding the approach of nightfall.

In the end, Yun Ze decided to go investigate that night.

After the sun had set, Yun Ze quietly left the hotel and made his way to Heaven Dou Cemetery.

Heaven Dou Cemetery was an important place in Heaven Dou City. Many of the city's residents were buried there, so it wasn't difficult to find out where it was.

Yun Ze headed into Heaven Dou Cemetery. As soon as he entered, he saw a blue-clad figure sitting before a grave.

He crept closer, careful not to get too near, and hid behind a tombstone.

He had a good view of the inscription on the gravestone beside the blue-clad figure.

[Beloved Wife Long Bing's Grave]

Curious, Yun Ze watched Wu Zhangkong and strained to hear what he was saying.

Wu Zhangkong seemed to have had a little to drink. His voice carried a hint of drunkenness as he said,

"Long Bing, you've only been buried for a short while, and now something like this has happened. Don't worry. I'll stay here and watch over you until the person who's been digging up graves shows himself."

Yun Ze immediately understood what he was thinking and started to quietly retreat.

But just then, Wu Zhangkong heard a disturbance in Yun Ze's direction. A glimmer of purple appeared in his eyes, and the Heavenly Frost Sword flashed into his hand, thrusting straight for Yun Ze's throat.

"Clang!"

Blood trickled from Wu Zhangkong's wrist. Forced to switch the Heavenly Frost Sword to his other hand, he stared at Yun Ze.

Yun Ze was holding the Heaven-Propping Spear, but not in the usual way. He gripped it near the spearhead, using it like a short spear.

"I'm not here to rob graves. I'm here to investigate the grave robber too."

Yun Ze put away his Martial Soul and spoke briefly. Then he took off his outer garment, revealing the uniform of Shrek Academy's Inner Court.

"You recognize this uniform, right?"

Wu Zhangkong froze for a moment, then put away his Martial Soul and gently wiped his wrist.

"Are you a new disciple of the Inner Court?"

Yun Ze nodded, then shook his head.

"I'm new, but strictly speaking, I'm not part of the Inner Court. My father is Yun Ming, the Sea God Pavilion Master."

Yun Ze spoke the last few words very quietly. There was no problem telling Wu Zhangkong who he was, but he still had to be wary of a grave robber lurking nearby and eavesdropping.

A look of surprise crossed Wu Zhangkong's eyes. He nodded.

"No wonder. If you're the son of that legendary figure, then it's no surprise that a three-ring Soul Master could catch me off guard."

Yun Ze glanced at Long Bing's grave and said,

"You weren't wearing your Battle Armor, and you've let yourself get rusty lately. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gained any advantage."

After stopping the bleeding at his wrist, Wu Zhangkong asked Yun Ze,

"Then... is my teacher doing well?"

Yun Ze shook his head.

"Senior Zhuo Shi seems the same on the surface, but he's troubled inside."

Wu Zhangkong lowered his head.

"I've let my teacher down."

Yun Ze smiled.

"You two are something else. According to Old Man Zhuo Shi, he actually feels that he's the one who let you down."

Wu Zhangkong's eyes widened. Yun Ze continued,

"You really are an ill-fated pair of master and disciple. Two people with such similar personalities fall out, and neither of them is willing to back down."

"You took a situation that could've been cleared up in just a few words and turned it into a deadlock."

"And now outsiders can't do anything to mediate, either."

Wu Zhangkong let out a soft sigh.

"When I was young, I was reckless and foolish. Now that I'm older, I can only sigh over it."

Yun Ze smiled.

"Oh, come on. If you can say something like that, you can't be all that old. Real old age is wordless—it's the silence of knowing that nothing can be done to turn back the course of life."

"My advice is, whatever you're thinking and however you plan to make it up to your teacher, talk to him first. Let him understand how you feel before you do anything else."

Wu Zhangkong looked at Yun Ze.

"I'll give it some serious thought."

Just then, another set of footsteps came from the entrance to Heaven Dou Cemetery. Wu Zhangkong and Yun Ze exchanged a glance, then each hid in a clump of withered trees.

A short, wretched-looking old man came in. He looked like a goblin.

He was holding a small, gray object shaped like a bell.

Wu Zhangkong used Soul Power to send his voice directly to Yun Ze.

"That should be the person we're looking for. The bell in his hand seems to be his Martial Soul, but I can't see any Soul Rings."

Yun Ze used his spiritual power to communicate with Wu Zhangkong.

"From where I'm standing, I can see his Martial Soul beneath the hem of his robe. He has five Soul Rings. The strange thing is, neither his Soul Spirit nor his Soul Rings have any luster."

Wu Zhangkong replied,

"He's probably using some kind of secret technique to conceal the auras of his Soul Rings. Let's see what the old man does first."

Yun Ze also sensed something strange about the old man. He nodded and, in tacit agreement with Wu Zhangkong, stayed put to see how the old man would react.

Strangely, the old man simply waited as the corpse clawed its way out of the grave. It then swayed to its feet and walked over to him.

The next moment, as if the game had refreshed, the old man and the corpse vanished without a trace.

Every trace of their presence disappeared completely, leaving both Wu Zhangkong and Yun Ze quietly astonished.

Yun Ze used his spiritual power to tell Wu Zhangkong to stay put, then went forward to investigate.

Wu Zhangkong was stronger than him. If this was a trap, then once Yun Ze stepped out, Wu Zhangkong could remain behind and catch the mantis's unsuspecting prey.

With a spear in each hand, Yun Ze cautiously prodded the grave that had been dug open, but found nothing...