Another Transaction

"I still have a major task to attend to."

In a flash of lightning, Chen Zhuo spoke up.

BANG! A thunderous sound erupted.

Huang Yuan'er's punch, which seemed to carry the weight of ten thousand jun, was forced to a dead stop just three inches from Chen Zhuo's forehead.

Though the fist never landed, the sheer force of the wind caused the skin on Chen Zhuo's face to cave inward.

Huang Yuan'er had put his full, lethal strength into that strike.

Yet, Huang Tiansheng's hand had appeared out of nowhere, silently intercepting and halting the momentum of the blow.

"Second Uncle... what is the meaning of this?"

Huang Yuan'er's face twisted into a mask of ferocity, ready to lash out at the slightest provocation.

"Good nephew, calm yourself."

Huang Tiansheng's lips curled slightly. Since the slap wasn't on his own face, he remained remarkably composed. "He just said he still has a major task to attend to; let's see what it is he wants to do."

"Besides, he is afflicted with my Corpse Puppet Gu. If I do not remove the parasite, he will remain a walking corpse forever."

"Whether you want to kill him or carve him up, isn't that entirely up to you?"

Hearing this, Huang Yuan'er's expression shifted repeatedly. Swallowing his rage, he finally let out a cold snort and stepped aside.

He stayed back, fearing that if he got too close, he wouldn't be able to resist the urge to beat Chen Zhuo to death.

"Go do your 'major task.' Do whatever you need to do, but once you are finished, you must return to this spot."

Huang Tiansheng walked up to Chen Zhuo and patted his shoulder once more.

To ensure there were no slip-ups, he secretly released two more Gu parasites, which burrowed into Chen Zhuo's skin.

"Yes."

Chen Zhuo's entire body shuddered, then he began to walk with a wooden, mechanical gait, stepping out of the courtyard one pace at a time.

The three men did not stop him; they merely followed at a distance, their eyes locked intently on his back.

"Master Chen..."

People greeted Chen Zhuo along the way, but he ignored them all, continuing his steady march forward.

Finally, he plunged straight into the Dianshi Office.

"Damn it, he's gone to Sun Qifeng's place."

Not far behind, Huang Yuan'er felt a surge of anxiety and moved to follow him inside, only to be grabbed by Huang Tiansheng.

"Don't be impatient. He is under the influence of my Corpse Puppet Gu. Even Sun Qifeng won't be able to detect it, let alone remove it. He will come out on his own."

"Once he emerges, we will naturally be able to learn from his own mouth what he went in there to do."

Huang Tiansheng was brimming with confidence.

He had spent the better part of his fortune to acquire those four Corpse Puppet Gu from a passing Blade-Catcher.

Any martial artist below the Blood-Exchange realm would be trapped in a living hell once struck by his Gu.

How could a lowly White-Uniform Runner possibly have reached the Blood-Exchange realm?

He was certain that Chen Zhuo would walk out of there of his own accord.

"You need more patience in your dealings. You are far too rash, which is why your eldest uncle still doesn't trust you with important matters."

At this moment, Huang Tiansheng did not miss the chance to lecture and pressure Huang Yuan'er from his position as an elder.

Huang Yuan'er offered a cold smile and remained silent.

"Interesting."

Registrar Wang watched the Dianshi Office with keen interest, then turned his head to say, "I have no interest in your Long River Gang's affairs, but once you have squeezed the truth out of him, the man must be handed over to me. I am very interested in his encounters."

"There are too many eyes here; it is not convenient for someone of my status to linger."

With that, he turned and left, not waiting for a reaction from Huang Tiansheng or his nephew.

Huang Tiansheng watched his slightly hunched back, a cold sneer forming on his lips. "Always obsessed with digging through the dirt."

Huang Yuan'er said nothing, though his murderous intent toward Chen Zhuo grew even sharper.

The moment he stepped into the Dianshi Office, the dullness in Chen Zhuo's eyes vanished, replaced by clarity.

"That face is quite tough."

He shook his hand, walking straight toward the room where the Chief Clerk resided.

"Master Sun."

As soon as Chen Zhuo entered, he saw Chief Clerk Sun, whose frame was as imposing as a mountain, sitting in a large iron chair, hunched over a desk reading a book.

Seeing Chen Zhuo, Chief Clerk Sun did not seem surprised in the slightest; he merely waved a hand to signal him to sit and had someone pour him a cup of tea.

Amidst the swirling tea mist, Chief Clerk Sun slowly set down the book in his hands, looked at Chen Zhuo with indifference, and asked, "Those two outside were brought here by you, weren't they?"

Chen Zhuo nodded slightly, feeling no surprise himself.

Most matters within the yamen could not be hidden from this Chief Clerk, let alone the fact that countless eyes were secretly watching the surroundings from the entrance of the Dianshi Office.

Chief Clerk Sun leaned forward slightly: "You caused trouble, so you come to me to hide? Or are you trying to play some game of driving a tiger to devour a wolf?"

The words were blunt, but the logic held true.

Chen Zhuo did not make any excuses, nor did he try to be clever; he nodded candidly: "Exactly."

"You are quite honest."

Chief Clerk Sun leaned back against his chair and smiled faintly: "I will allow you to stay for an hour at most. Whatever trouble you have, you must resolve it yourself."

Chen Zhuo shook his head: "It won't take that long."

"Oh?"

Chief Clerk Sun glanced at him with a hint of surprise.

He suddenly realized that he couldn't quite read this little White-Uniform Runner.

Was he putting on a front, or did he have a hidden trump card that made him so fearless?

Chen Zhuo spoke again: "Coming to see you in such a rush today, besides wanting to temporarily shake off the vermin outside, there is another matter, one even more important."

"Let's hear it."

"I want to make a deal with you."

The deal Chen Zhuo spoke of was not a spur-of-the-moment idea, but something he had been brewing for several days.

It was just a coincidence that today provided the opportunity for an in-depth conversation.

After all, with their shared enemy with the Sun Family standing outside, the enemy being right before them meant his relationship with Chief Clerk Sun would inevitably draw a little closer.

"A deal?"

Chief Clerk Sun laughed: "If not for Master Yan using a favor from years ago to offset it, you would have been headless that day."

"Since then, I have only extended my help to you unilaterally out of consideration for Master Yan's past favor and because you are somewhat of a promising talent."

"How can you speak of a deal between us?"

Hearing this, Chen Zhuo nodded, acknowledging the statement.

With such a disparity in status and strength, he indeed had no qualifications to negotiate.

Chief Clerk Sun shook his head and reached out to pick up the book on the table again, clearly intending to see him out.

However, Chen Zhuo suddenly shook his head and said: "I killed Zhou Sheng, and I was the one who exposed that residence in the Ghost Market in the north of the city."

He spoke a sentence that seemed to have no beginning or end, yet Chief Clerk Sun's hand, holding the book, stiffened abruptly.

Chen Zhuo struck while the iron was hot and continued: "As for the help, you and Sun Fei have indeed assisted me many times, and I am grateful for that."

"The matter of that residence can be considered my gift to you; it doesn't count as a favor."

As he spoke, he lifted his teacup to take a sip before continuing: "The world is full of hustle and bustle, all for the sake of profit. If my guess is correct, the struggle between you and the Long River Gang is for nothing more than one thing."

"Demon Blood."

"You actually know about Demon Blood?"

Hearing these two words spill from Chen Zhuo's lips truly caught Chief Clerk Sun off guard.

"Demon Blood plays a vital role for martial artists."

Chen Zhuo did not respond to Chief Clerk Sun, but continued on his own: "But Demon Blood can be divided into true and false; false blood is easy to obtain, while true blood is hard to find."

At this point, his voice paused, and he pointed a finger toward the direction of Dangyun Mountain.

"If you can only harvest false blood from that Tier 3 demon beast, wouldn't that be a waste of a heavenly treasure?"

Upon hearing this, Chief Clerk Sun could no longer suppress the shock in his heart and stood up abruptly.

Chen Zhuo's breath hitched, as if a great mountain were pressing down upon him.

"Chief Clerk Sun, don't be agitated."