Chapter 45
Chapter 45
Outside Mingjiang No. 7 Special School…
At Zuo Yuanshan’s command, the anomaly wielders around him sprang into action. Every one of them was an elite of Zuo Group!
“Father, wait!”
One of the young men suddenly spoke. He was Zuo Yuanshan’s son, Zuo Qingyun. Raising his phone, he said,
“The men I stationed outside Five Dragons Mountain are calling.”
He answered immediately.
As he listened to the report, suspicion crossed Zuo Qingyun’s face. His expression darkened, and his brows slowly drew together.
“What happened?!” Zuo Yuanshan demanded, his face sinking. “Was there an accident?”
Zuo Qingyun answered grimly,
“Father, my men say the Anomaly Suppression Bureau’s vehicles have emerged. The teachers they used as sacrifices… are all alive!”
“Also… Five Dragons Mountain has been sealed by anomaly mist. A new Water God’s Authority may already have appeared!”
His voice grew urgent. “I’ll head over there immediately!”
Zuo Yuanshan froze, then erupted in fury.
“What would be the point?!” he roared. “That old fox Shi Xuan came out alive, and a new Water God has appeared. Isn’t it obvious enough?”
“Your third uncle… must have been killed by that old bastard Shi Xuan!”
He ground his teeth, nearly bursting with frustration.
How long had the Zuo family prepared for this day? Zuo Yuanshan had even come in person and spent days watching this wretched public restroom!
Yet something had gone wrong at Five Dragons Mountain, and someone else had snatched away the Water God’s Authority?
Cold sweat rolled down Zuo Qingyun’s face. He hurriedly pulled out his phone and repeatedly dialed Zuo Yuanfeng and the others.
But there had been no contact since Zuo Yuanfeng’s group entered Five Dragons Mountain. Naturally, there was still no response.
“That shouldn’t be possible. We prepared so thoroughly, and Qingting was there to support us…”
Zuo Qingyun’s face was grim.
“That old fox Shi Xuan possesses the Sundial of Insight. Zuo Qingting may have been exposed long ago. Your third uncle was probably eliminated when Shi Xuan turned our own scheme against us!”
Zuo Yuanshan suppressed his fury, his expression dark as he continued,
“I never imagined our Zuo family could dominate Jiangdong, only to suffer a defeat at his hands here!”
Zuo Qingyun asked, “Father, what do we do now?”
Zuo Yuanshan clenched his fists and stared at Mingjiang No. 7 Special School.
“We withdraw for now!”
“This place may already be a trap too!”
Zuo Qingyun’s expression twisted. “Are we simply going to let this go?!”
“Of course not!” Zuo Yuanshan replied.
“No matter how cunning that old fox Shi Xuan may be, touching something like the Water God’s Authority leaves him only one path-death!”
“Notify the other families. Spread the news that Shi Xuan obtained the Water God’s Authority!”
Zuo Qingyun started, then immediately understood.
Zuo Yuanshan intended to throw Shi Xuan into the center of the storm.
The Eclipse Organization and many other factions had their eyes on the Water God’s Authority.
Only by muddying the waters could the Zuo family create an opportunity to reclaim it.
“Understood. I’ll handle it immediately!”
Zuo Qingyun nodded.
…
The news spread rapidly.
Inside a skyscraper in the capital of Jiangdong Province, a bespectacled middle-aged man reading a newspaper shot to his feet.
“Shi Xuan obtained the Water God’s Authority? Is the information reliable?”
The subordinate before him nodded.
“Chairman, the news came from the Zuo family. They claim that Five Dragons Mountain has become a deity-sealed anomaly zone. We’ve already sent people to investigate.”
The middle-aged man sneered.
“Heh. It seems the Zuo family suffered a loss at that old fox Shi Xuan’s hands and now wants to muddy the waters…”
His subordinate asked, “Chairman, should we get involved?”
“Of course. The Water God’s Authority is equally important to our Li family. Contact the Cao and Wang families immediately.”
“If the Water God’s Authority has fallen into official hands, no single family can oppose them head-on… Raise the matter through the Jiangdong Chamber of Commerce!”
The Zuo, Li, Cao, and Wang families were the four great plutocratic clans. Together, they had long monopolized the entire economy of Jiangdong Province and controlled its largest pool of anomaly wielders!
“Also, go to Five Dragons Mountain personally and determine what happened there.”
…
Inside a Cao family villa, an old man practiced tai chi, his movements slow and measured.
Yet his eyes were entirely crimson, giving him an extremely sinister appearance.
“Father, the Zuo and Li families sent word… Someone appears to have obtained the Water God’s Authority.”
A middle-aged man hurried over.
The old man was Cao Yi. At the news, blood seemed to flow within his eyes. He spoke coldly.
“Heh. They only tell us after the Water God’s Authority has fallen into someone else’s hands? Does the Zuo family have any respect left for the Eclipse Organization?”
The Eclipse Organization was not controlled by any single family. It had been formed by several of the greatest plutocratic clans.
Cao Yi asked, “What does the Li family say?”
His son, Cao Zhen, answered, “The Li family wants to raise the matter through the Jiangdong Chamber of Commerce and investigate the situation first.”
Cao Yi nodded. “Li Huayuan has some sense. Do as he says.”
“Something this momentous happened in Jiangdong Province, yet the Provincial Anomaly Suppression Department never informed us. They have indeed gone too far!”
…
Meanwhile, someone was playing a zither in an old-fashioned garden belonging to the Wang family.
A graceful woman in a qipao stood beside the window. Fine lines had appeared at the corners of her eyes, but she remained strikingly elegant.
She was Yin Rumei, the head of the Wang family.
Everyone knew that the previous head of the Wang family had died young. His wife, however, was shrewd and exceptionally capable. Not only had she stabilized the family, but it had grown increasingly powerful under her control. No one dared underestimate her.
“Madam, the Zuo, Li, and Cao families have practically burned out our phones,” said a fashionably dressed young woman beside her.
“How should we respond?”
Yin Rumei lifted her teacup and took a delicate sip.
“What does Wang Zhong say?”
“According to Wang Zhong, the Zuo family brought this upon themselves. They intended to ambush and kill Shi Xuan at Five Dragons Mountain, but he turned the tables on them.”
“The key figure was a man named Li Que, currently a teacher at Mingjiang No. 7 Special School. Wang Zhong says he can suppress the black mist of the calamity.”
“Furthermore, with this man’s help, the S-class anomaly Rain received divine investiture and became a Water God. Wang Zhong suspects that Li Que either possesses an object from inside that place, like the Hall Master of the Hall of Anomalies, or Li Que himself… came from inside it.”
Yin Rumei raised a delicate brow.
“A Water God who received divine investiture…”
Wild deities were nothing unusual. Several existed in Jiangdong Province alone.
But one who had received divine investiture was truly astonishing.
The young woman continued, “A god who has received divine investiture shines like a star in the night sky. There is no way to conceal its presence.”
“Mingjiang City will become very lively now. The Hall of Anomalies, the other wild deities in Jiangdong Province, and the Eclipse Organization will probably all converge upon it… In my view, the authorities won’t be able to withstand the pressure.”
“Even if Li Que truly came from that place, so many years have passed that he probably has little left at his disposal. He may be in trouble as well.”
Yin Rumei considered this.
“Tell Wang Zhong to continue observing in secret. He must not expose himself. His primary target is Li Que.”
“If Li Que is like the Hall Master and merely obtained a fragment of the Divine Seal, find an opportunity to take it back.”
The young woman asked, “What if Li Que really did come from that place?”
Yin Rumei fell silent for a long moment before answering slowly,
“Then give him a hand.”
“Few people remain who came from that place. Whatever else they may be, each one counts as an old acquaintance of sorts.”
“We can’t let these things from outside bully one of our own.”
The young woman nodded. “Rou’er understands.”
…
The coach finally returned to the city.
The teachers nearly cried with excitement at the sight of modern buildings and paved roads.
This supposed field trip had been nothing less than torture.
And that was only because they had forgotten everything after waking, believing that they had merely suffered food poisoning.
Otherwise, their experience inside the village office would probably have haunted them for the rest of their lives!
Not everyone had forgotten, however. Gao Shen remained dazed and occasionally revealed a look of lingering terror.
Most of the others had already fallen under the anomaly opera’s influence, but because he had been sitting beside Qin Shiyu, he remained conscious long enough to witness certain things.
His mind was still in a fog. Only after the vehicle stopped and everyone began disembarking did he manage to climb down.
“Um… Teacher Li, Ms. Qin, I wish you a lifetime of happiness together. When you hold the wedding banquet, you must remember to invite me!”
Before leaving, he suddenly turned toward Li Que and Qin Shiyu, his face utterly sincere.
He finally understood that Qin Shiyu and Li Que might both be anomaly wielders. They were people he could never afford to provoke.
Li Que was about to explain that there was nothing between him and Qin Shiyu, but she had already smiled.
“Thank you, Deputy Director Gao.”
Then she turned, smiling at Li Que.
“Teacher Li, shall we head back to school?”
Li Que was speechless.
…