Chapter 79 Private Interactions

Zhu Shi was clearly still wary of Lu Youxun's possible attempts to recruit me.

In fact, if Lu Youxun really wanted to communicate with me privately, she couldn't possibly prevent it. This is probably more of a way of clearly expressing her attitude.

Lu Youxun chuckled and raised his hands in surrender: "Alright, alright, I understand. You've done a great job this time, I'll listen to you."

"And what about Zhuang Cheng's achievements?" Zhu Shi asked.

"Of course, I will not only approve Zhuang Cheng's becoming a heretic, but Luo Shan will also provide sufficient compensation afterward." Lu Youxun promised as he removed the ring that looked like it was made of wire from the middle finger of his right hand.

He had previously used that ring to make his right hand appear ethereal, grabbing the monster's heart and making it unable to refuse interrogation. If Luo Shan is going to reward me later, I'd like to receive a gadget with supernatural uses like this. Whether I'll actually use it or not is another matter, just having one would make me happy all day.

After saying goodbye, I left the sports park first. Lu Youxun kept his word and didn't follow me out. Seeing this, other questions arose in my mind.

He initially stated that his involvement in this event was a test of my abilities. While he seemed to have "tested" my strength level when he attempted to transmit information into my consciousness, I find it hard to believe he would simply let it go. So, without going to the front lines with us, how will he assess my combat performance?

Is it using the surveillance cameras in the sports park? Actually, after finding Ma Zao, I became quite sensitive to surveillance, and I've also observed the surveillance system in the sports park.

Many people probably don't realize that security cameras need regular cleaning, otherwise the lenses will become so fogged up that they become unusable. This sports park is basically unmaintained; I don't know if the security cameras are damaged, but they certainly can't function properly.

Perhaps Lu Youxun intends to use a divination spell that reads the land's memories. He was able to obtain Ma Zao's photo using the same spell. If he later reads my battle footage, my ability to use elemental transformation will definitely be exposed.

Although I feel bad for Zhu Shi's good intentions, I don't really care about whether my elemental transformation will be exposed now.

In the past, I listened to Zhu Shi and concealed my power to avoid attracting excessive attention from Luo Shan, which would expose Ma Zao. But now, I have to rely on the power of Zhu Shi and Lu Youxun to find Ma Zao, so the premise of concealing my power no longer exists.

So let Lu Youxun discover it if he wants to.

I found a corner where no one could see me, and then used fire teleportation. For some reason, I still kept "fireflies" at home, hoping that Asahi might sneak back, so I could spot her immediately. Now, it's convenient for me to use fire teleportation to go home anytime, anywhere.

After returning home, I continued to use my elemental form to manipulate the "fireflies" scattered throughout Saltwater City in search of Asahi's whereabouts.

The strange man mentioned to us that Ma had appeared in the new urban area, and he even told me the exact location: behind a struggling vegetable market. That's the area I'm currently focusing my search on.

Unfortunately, Ma Zao only appeared there last night; she couldn't have stayed there indefinitely. Sure enough, I searched for ages but found nothing. Just knowing this was a place she had passed through, a place with her footprints, made me feel one step closer to her, and I felt much more at ease than during the first two days when I had absolutely no clue.

I searched for a long time, and it was past midnight. Only then did I exit my elemental form, leave my house, and go for a walk outside the neighborhood. Walking helps soften a rigid mind; it's a kind of mental massage. This is something I've learned in the last two days.

I walked on the grassy slope by the river. To my left was the gently flowing river, and to my right was the road. There were many shops across the road, but most of them were closed.

Even at this hour, a few shops were still open, such as barbecue restaurants. Surprisingly, there were quite a few customers; since the interior seating was limited, they set up many plastic tables and chairs outside. People ate skewers and chatted. It was hard to say whether the street was quiet or bustling, but it was certainly a typical scene.

Strangely enough, having just experienced a magical battle, this scene, so full of realistic and mundane flavor, seemed like an unfamiliar landscape from another world to me.

What exactly is this adventure that transcends reality? I couldn't help but examine my own heart once again.

Just then, a person walked towards me from the opposite direction. He also seemed to be taking a stroll along the riverbank, and at first I thought he was just a passerby. It wasn't until he got closer that I could see his appearance clearly.

He saw me too, and said with a smile, "You're not home yet, Zhuang Cheng?"

“Lu Youxun, aren’t you investigating that head?” I asked.

"I've been investigating for several hours, but haven't gotten any decent results yet. My brain's tired, so I'm taking a break," he said. "How about you?"

"Let's go out for a walk to clear our heads," I said.

"Meeting is fate, how about we grab some skewers together?" He gestured towards the barbecue restaurant across the street.

I really don't know if it was fate or if he came prepared.

I had a feeling he was probably there to try and recruit me into his faction. Although I wasn't interested in politics, I needed to rely on his divination and investigative skills later, so I had to keep him company for a while.

We ordered some skewers and drinks inside the barbecue restaurant, and then sat down at the plastic tables and chairs in the corner outside.

The skewers and drinks were served one after another.

"First of all, congratulations. You are no longer an ordinary civilian demon hunter, but an unorthodox Wuchang officially recognized by Luoshan," Lu Youxun said with a smile. "The official documents and certificates will be sent over in a couple of days, and the specific payment will be finalized then. For now, you can accept this for now."

He took out the ring I had been eyeing, the one that looked like it was made of woven wire, and placed it in front of me.

At first, I was thinking that I "didn't care at all," but now I couldn't resist the temptation and was immediately drawn to the barrage of gifts. At the same time, I asked in confusion, "What's this?"

"The Black Rope Heart-Locking Ring, once worn on a finger, allows that hand to pierce through the other person's flesh and seize their heart," he explained the ring's function. "During this time, the other person cannot lie or remain silent. If they insist on lying or remaining silent despite the resistance, their heart will stop beating. Of course, the wearer can also crush the other person's heart if they wish."

"Furthermore, if the opponent's power is too strong, the Black Rope Heart-Locking Ring's effect will be nullified. Even if the opponent is willing to cooperate, the ring will be rendered useless after use. This is something to be aware of."

"What I mean is, why are you giving this to me?" I asked. "Isn't this your personal item? Are you giving it to me as a reward on behalf of Luo Shan?"

“This is a personal gift of gratitude. I’ve been investigating the Humanitarian Affairs Bureau, and one of the reasons I got involved in the investigation of the strange man was because I suspected he was connected to the Humanitarian Affairs Bureau,” he said. “You’ve been interested in this ring, haven’t you? Since you like it, I’m giving it to you.”

Upon hearing this, I stopped being polite and directly put away the black rope heart-locking ring. Then I asked, "You said you were involved in investigating the strange person incident in order to track down the Humanitarian Division, so why did you advise me and Zhu Shi not to capture the strange person alive? If you hate the Humanitarian Division so much, shouldn't you be urging us to try to capture the person alive by any means necessary?"

He chuckled self-deprecatingly, not directly answering my question, but instead saying, "If I had known earlier that you were a super strong person who could even achieve elemental transformation, I naturally wouldn't have thought that kind of weirdo could pose a threat to you. Perhaps I would have advised you to capture him alive, just as you said."

"So you found out after all." I wasn't surprised at all that your elementalization had been exposed. "Was it because you used some kind of magic that reads the earth's memory in that sports park?"

“I can’t use it even if I want to. What do you think Zhu Shi stayed there for?” He laughed. “She predicted that I might go there to read the land’s memories and pry into your secrets afterward, so she stayed there and spent time making arrangements to hinder the divination.”

"She's clearly doing something that benefits you, but she's unnecessarily keeping it from you. Maybe she feels embarrassed about taking credit from you. What a clumsy girl who doesn't know how to conduct herself in social situations."

No wonder Zhu Shi stayed in the sports park; it was all for me...

From childhood to adulthood, apart from Chang'an, I have rarely felt such thoughtful care from outsiders. For a moment, I didn't know how to describe my emotions.

But if that's the case, how did Lu Youxun know about my elemental transformation?

"Oh right, that head..." I suddenly remembered, "That strange man saw my elemental form. Did you divination about that from his head?"

"Not really. Zhu Shi also infused that head with a bit of anti-divination power. Although it won't hinder my divination of other aspects, it will only hinder my divination of his battle with you." Lu Youxun shook his head.

"When did she do it?" I asked, surprised.

“It was when she was sealing the remaining power inside her head,” he said. “She’s clumsy in dealing with people, but she’s incredibly secretive in other areas. Besides what I just mentioned, she must have taken several precautions against my magic. If I were to rashly use magic to spy on you, I would definitely be in trouble.”

"My act of temporarily reviving that head using necromancy may have exceeded her expectations, so she's been watching me the whole time. I don't know if you noticed. If I were to ask her about the battle, she would definitely stop me. It's really scary."

"So what kind of strange magic did you use to bypass her tight defenses?" I asked.

Lu Youxun glanced at me, then took out a dark-looking object from behind him and placed it on the table.

With intense curiosity, I took a closer look.

It was just an ordinary electronic telescope.

(End of this chapter)