Werewolf Game

"Junior Disciple Brother, you're up so early?"

Chen Yuque's brisk voice came just after he had packed up one hundred grams of Iron Horned Giant Rhinoceros Meat.

"Whoa, that much? Did you clean out the cafeteria's stock? That must've cost over a million, right?"

Zhang Fusheng said bashfully,

"Yeah, Senior Sister. I like Star Beast Meat more. Mainly because it can speed up my cultivation."

Chen Yuque did not pay it much mind and smiled.

"If Third Senior Sister finds out, she'll definitely get mad at you. She loves that stuff too."

As the two chatted, they carried up a large tray of breakfast and headed shoulder to shoulder to the fourth floor.

Eldest Senior Brother had already emerged from the meditation room. His upper body was bare, and thick white bandages wrapped diagonally from his left shoulder down to his lower right abdomen, blood spots seeping through them.

Beside him was Little Senior Sister Lin Dongxi. Her growth had been stunted from birth; though she was nineteen, she had the face of a six- or seven-year-old and stood only one meter twenty tall.

She was currently squinting sideways at Zhang Fusheng, clearly still holding a grudge over what had happened that night.

"Eldest Senior Brother, Little Senior Sister." Zhang Fusheng greeted them with a smile, his gaze sweeping over the two before settling on Chen Yuque.

His smile was gentle, his eyelids slightly lowered to conceal the faint glimmer in his eyes.

The logic was simple.

Since only Master and his three senior disciples knew about the Spring Thunder Technique, and Master naturally could not possibly go around such a huge bend just to kill him,

then it could only be one of the three senior disciples.

But which one?

Was it Eldest Senior Brother, who had gone to investigate District Eight, "happened" to encounter an explosion, and conveniently shot dead the "mastermind"?

Or was it Second Senior Sister, who bore an irreconcilable hatred for Chen Nuanyu yet acted entirely indifferent as she transferred Chen Nuanyu's accounts to him?

Or perhaps this righteous little chirper glaring at him—the Little Bean whom Master had favored most before his arrival?

He did not know.

Yet for some reason, Zhang Fusheng felt excited instead, with the same inexplicable thrill from yesterday, when he had brushed past bullets and brushed past life and death.

As for the claim that the "mastermind" had commissioned all his senior brothers and sisters, Zhang Fusheng dismissed it with a snort, believing it was merely meant to muddy the waters.

He trusted the intuition brought by his Minor Perfection Visualization Method. He trusted that wolf was among his senior brothers and sisters.

At least one wolf. Perhaps all three were wolves.

"Breakfast." Second Senior Sister placed the meal on the low table, and the four sat cross-legged around it on the floor.

Breakfast was rather lavish: four bowls of vegetable porridge and eight small plates of assorted side dishes, half meat and half vegetarian.

Chen Yuque picked up a slice of braised beef with her chopsticks and placed it in Zhang Fusheng's bowl, smiling as she spoke.

"Master said before he left that we have to take good care of Junior Disciple Brother. He's only just joined us, and now he's suffered such an undeserved calamity. He must still be shaken."

Eldest Senior Brother slurped up a mouthful of porridge and said honestly,

"When I first met Junior Disciple Brother that day, I thought he was a fool like I was back then, stubbornly sitting in the front row. Who would've thought he was heaven-blessed talent? Even compared to a monster like Third Senior Sister, he still has the edge."

Little Bean rolled her eyes.

"We're eating. Don't cue me."

She gloomily shoveled food into her mouth.

Because of her congenital illness, the little girl's physical and actual ages did not match. Her mental age was much better off, though it had not reached the level of a nineteen-year-old. Now that someone had suddenly taken a share of the favor she received, she was naturally somewhat unhappy.

Zhang Fusheng pondered it. Third Senior Sister wore her emotions on her face, so she did not seem like the type to stab someone in the dark—but that was no guarantee.

What if she was putting on an act right now too?

He took a sip of porridge and heard Eldest Senior Brother say,

"Now that Master's gone, who knows how long he'll be away? He said he went to the Investigation Bureau. Junior Disciple Brother, did you meet people from the Investigation Bureau yesterday?"

The Investigation Bureau only operated in Large Cities.

"Mm."

Zhang Fusheng nodded.

"It was the Investigation Bureau Vanguard Team. Their leader was even one of Master's former students."

Eldest Senior Brother nodded dumbly.

"I guessed it was because of Daoism. Recently, followers of the Western Sect have been leaving obvious traces, frequently meeting with Chaimen."

After a pause, he sighed softly.

"I advised Master not to touch Chaimen for now, lest he draw retaliation from the Western Sect. But Master refused. He wanted to secure resources for Junior Disciple Brother and settle some past grudges. Yet strangely, the Western Sect never came—instead, people from the East Cult did."

Zhang Fusheng's heart stirred. Chaimen was connected to the Western Sect of Daoism?

Master's assessment of the Western Sect had been that there was no evil it would not commit, no wickedness it would not perpetrate. Zhong Shan had also called the Western Sect a true evil cult.

Chen Yuque set down her chopsticks, one brow lifting.

"Are you sure it was the East Cult?"

"Sure. Absolutely."

Eldest Senior Brother nodded faintly.

"Funny enough, there used to be a high-ranking member of the East Cult named Huang Qiuxian. He had a grudge against Master and is most likely still hiding in Jiangzhou. I suspect he planned the attack."

After a pause, he said regretfully,

"Unfortunately, Master won't let us investigate Huang Qiuxian. Of course, we probably couldn't find anything anyway. He should have changed his appearance and name long ago. Who knows where he is now."

Zhang Fusheng silently drank his porridge.

What was this?

The darkest place was under the lamp?

Old Huang had not even changed his name. He was openly teaching boxing in the Seventh District!

And precisely because of that, the attack could not have been related to the East Cult. The person Eldest Senior Brother had killed was likely the product of a scheme to divert disaster eastward.

He silently observed his three senior brothers and sisters, naturally not revealing anything about Huang Qiuxian.

"Junior Disciple Brother."

Niu Dali shoveled down the last mouthful of porridge from his bowl, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and spoke with honest sincerity.

"In a few days, when Master returns, you should still try to persuade him not to touch Chaimen. If we provoke the Western Sect's fury, neither we nor Master will be able to withstand it."

He took a deep breath and said solemnly,

"As for Junior Disciple Brother's resource issue, I can allocate one-third of the 'hotel' business under my name."

Zhang Fusheng froze.

"Hotel business?"

Chen Yuque covered her mouth and explained with a smile.

"They call it a hotel, but it actually takes every kind of job, just like Bar No. 19. In terms of assassins and killers, its scale is far beyond Number 19. Since Eldest Senior Brother has spoken, I, as his junior sister, must keep up as well."

She lowered her head, her wine-red hair falling to obscure the light in her eyes. Her tone was languid.

"I'll also give Junior Disciple Brother one-third of the 'Money House' business under my name."

As she spoke, she and the honest-looking Niu Dali both turned to look at Little Bean.

The latter immediately became wary.

"Why are you looking at me?! I already have the least! And you want me to give some to this huge pervert?!"

Eldest Senior Brother and Second Senior Sister smiled.

After a long while.

Little Bean deflated. She viciously poked at the porridge in her bowl with her chopsticks and muttered,

"I'm a senior sister too. Fine, I'll give it! I'll give one-third of the 'trading company' under my name to the huge pervert too."

Zhang Fusheng accepted without hesitation, cheerfully thanking them before asking curiously,

"I think I understand the hotel and Money House now, but what exactly is the trading company?"

"Smuggling. Arms." Second Senior Sister explained on Little Bean's behalf.

Zhang Fusheng suddenly understood.

"When Junior Disciple Brother has time, you can inspect the three branches. The hotel is in the Ninth District, while the Money House and trading company are in District Four."

As he spoke, Eldest Senior Brother rose leisurely to his feet.

"I still have some matters to handle. Also, I need to enforce Master's rule about killing Number 19. I'll get to work first. You all take your time eating."

Second Senior Sister got up as well.

"I'm off to collect debts too!"

The two then strolled away separately.

Only Zhang Fusheng and Little Bean remained at the low table, staring at each other with wide eyes.

Her lips were puckered as she hummed and hawed in distress. She was clearly calculating every gain and loss, yet with her pink, porcelain-doll appearance, she did not seem annoying at all. Instead, she looked utterly adorable.

Unable to resist, Zhang Fusheng reached out and pinched Little Bean's cheek.

"Don't be mad, Little Senior Sister. I can make balloon animals, actually. Want me to make you one? A puppy, a butterfly, or a banana?"

"Are you treating me like a child to amuse?!"

Little Bean flew into a rage, but then she grew suspicious and asked hesitantly,

"You really can? Make a butterfly and let me see."

Zhang Fusheng was stunned.

"You actually want one?"

After pondering for a moment, he fished out one of the small balloons he always kept in his pocket, inhaled, blew it up, and tied it off.

He handed the long balloon to Little Bean.

Lin Dongxi stared blankly.

"Wasn't it supposed to be a butterfly?"

"Yeah. It's a caterpillar. Leave it for a few months and it'll turn into a butterfly."

"..."

Pop!

Little Bean turned into Little Red Bean. She crushed the balloon and threw a punch at him. Her fist wind howled, the low wooden table shattered into four pieces, and leftover food flew through the air.

"Damn, you're serious?!" Zhang Fusheng fled with his head in his hands.

For three consecutive days, everything remained peaceful.

During those three days, Zhang Fusheng left the Martial Arts Academy several times each day, but every time he went out, he felt an eerie sensation of being watched.

Someone was monitoring him.

But the problem was that he only knew someone was watching him; he could not sense where the surveillance came from, nor from which direction.

It seemed the watcher's position lay beyond the furthest distance that Minor Perfection mental will could perceive.

Under such circumstances, Zhang Fusheng did not dare leave rashly. What if several Great Martial Artists suddenly jumped out to kill him?

He was not sure whether the Mental Spiritual Realm could restrain a Great Martial Artist.

More importantly, he had only raised a single real soul within the Spiritual Realm. He simply could not inflict "real damage" on anyone within it.

Even if the Spiritual Realm could trap a Great Martial Artist, it could only trap them.

But he had not been idle either. He painstakingly studied the Five Thunders Art and the mysteries of the Spiritual Realm, successfully achieving nothing at all.

Instead, he had already touched the threshold of activating the third form of the Eight Forms of Body and Spirit—Giant Form.

"Over those sixty years of Contemplation Time, I never truly practiced the Eight Forms of Body and Spirit. It was simply a natural enlightenment. The Minor Perfection White Bone Meditation should at least correspond to the sixth, or even the seventh, form of Body and Spirit."

Zhang Fusheng muttered to himself,

"No wonder I learn so quickly."

Luminous Form could slowly transform one into Dead Man's Bones. Unfortunately, that time did not count toward Contemplation Time. Otherwise, after sixty years of contemplation, he would already possess Dead Man's Bones.

Newly Dead Form made one like a person who had just died, with no aura or breath, like a true dead thing—nearly impossible to sense or detect.

As for the third form, the Giant Form he was about to master, he did not yet know its use. But according to the Great Sun Scripture, it was a form of Body and Spirit meant for killing and combat.

The fourth day, July 5th.

"Junior Disciple Brother, it's your turn on duty today. You'll be responsible for matters at the Martial Arts Academy."

After Eldest Senior Brother and Second Senior Sister left one after another, that Little Bean unexpectedly prepared to leave the Martial Arts Academy as well.

"Today's visualization class is yours!" Little Bean stood on the table and vigorously slapped Zhang Fusheng's shoulder.

"Sure, sure." Zhang Fusheng smiled.

After watching Little Senior Sister leave as well, he turned and entered the second-floor equipment room—the surveillance room was also there.

"Turn off all surveillance. Have the workers and students return to their dormitories. Hear nothing, see nothing, ask nothing."

"Yes, Senior Brother Zhang."

The Martial Arts Academy quickly fell silent, all clamor gone.

All three senior brothers and sisters had left.

Would someone come to kill him?

Zhang Fusheng did not know. He merely sat cross-legged in the third-floor training room, looking at the dark-faced old man.

"Senior." He spoke sincerely. "Was it really not the East Cult that wanted to kill my master?"

Huang Qiuxian replied coldly,

"No."

"I would like to see who is acting under my East Cult's name. Are you certain they will come today?"

"Not certain. Most likely they won't. But whether they come or not, I'd rather introduce someone to you."

"Who?"

"A mysterious man. None know where he came from, nor where he is going. I only know his surname is Zhong, that he comes from an organization called the Gaotian Association, and that he possesses unfathomable capabilities."

Zhang Fusheng glanced at his watch.

"I don't know whether he'll come today. How about you stay here for a while, and I'll go meet him?"