Chapter 113: A Bewildered Voice

Zhang Liu stopped pacing and looked the man up and down. "When did you pass the Five Trials of the Heaven-Watching Division?"

The man, caught off guard, replied respectfully, "I passed them four years ago, sir."

Zhang Liu gave a curt nod. The scene fell into silence. Beads of sweat trickled down the man's forehead; he realized, to his dismay, that he could not fathom what was on Zhang Liu's mind.

"Passing the Five Trials means you are barely qualified, but you seem to have forgotten something," Zhang Liu said coolly. "Though the Heaven-Watching Division is rooted in the Ancient Yue Kingdom, it is not a government office. Do not treat it as such, and there is no need to curry favor with me."

The man nodded repeatedly, acknowledging his error.

"If you have time for such nonsense, go slay more anomalies," Zhang Liu continued. "The more you kill, the more I will value you. Do you understand?"

The man quickly agreed, not daring to speak further.

Zhang Liu paused, then said, "As for the matter of the coroner, I admit I had selfish motives at first. I suspected the coroner was deliberately trying to get close to Director Wu. You should know that Director Wu came from humble beginnings; some might use that as an excuse to gain his trust. After all, being a disciple of the Director is no small status."

The man indicated he understood. How could he have forgotten Zhang Liu's own circumstances? This was nothing but a shifting of responsibility—a blatant attempt to deflect blame. He had reframed an act of sabotage as a test, and had done so with such righteous indignation.

The man knew his superior well. Zhang Liu also hailed from humble origins and shared a similar background with Director Wu, who had always entrusted him with significant tasks. Yet, for reasons unknown, the Director had never accepted Zhang Liu as his disciple. Jealousy, the man knew, could distort a person beyond recognition.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, the man said with lingering fear, "I understand, sir. I will—"

Zhang Liu brushed his hand over his goose-quill saber, cutting him off. "I know what you are thinking. You think I incited the person in charge of Shengge County to frame Fang Mu out of jealousy?"

"I would not dare, sir!"

At this juncture, the man dared not say another word.

"I did indeed incite that official," Zhang Liu said slowly. "But it was not out of jealousy. Do you know why?"

The man shook his head frantically. He was a smart man; he didn't want to know things he shouldn't, but now Zhang Liu was forcing it upon him, and he was terrified.

"I simply do not want just anyone approaching the Director. Like the Director, I came from the gutters," Zhang Liu said softly. "The Director is the leader I have supported my entire life. Anyone who approaches him must undergo my trials. He has only passed the first part."

As he listened, the man was stunned. Could he have been wrong? He truly could not grasp Zhang Liu's psyche; he lacked the words to describe it, for he had never encountered anything like it before. If Fang Mu were here, he would surely label Zhang Liu as a "fanboy with a pathological attachment." Unfortunately, since both were men, his master would likely find this situation difficult to manage.

"I... I shall take my leave now." The man saw something in Zhang Liu's eyes—a fervor that made his scalp crawl—and he dared not linger.

"Wait." Zhang Liu took two steps forward and said pointedly, "A Mysterious Anomaly ruin has appeared here. Such a site is no small matter. Since I am already here, I cannot leave. Inform your superiors."

"Yes, yes!" The man nodded and hurried away.

Once the man had gone, Zhang Liu looked toward the dense forest in the distance and flashed a grim smile. "Heh... a Mysterious Anomaly ruin. Indeed, a fine place." He unsheathed his saber and wiped it gently, thinking to himself, "Then let me see just what qualifications you have to be the Director's disciple."

...

Fang Mu was unaware of what had transpired; he was lost in deep thought. With so many recent events, he took this moment to analyze his skills one by one, and suddenly discovered a very practical application.

His movement skill, "Dual Shadow Evasion," had a unique trait: it left behind a very lifelike shadow at the original location. However, this shadow was fake and immobile. While it might deceive an enemy once, the effect would be greatly diminished the second time. After all, enemies were not fools; they wouldn't trip over the same stone twice. In other words, beyond the raw speed it provided, the illusionary feature was somewhat redundant.

After pondering, Fang Mu conceived of a brilliant tactic based on this skill. Besides Dual Shadow Evasion, another skill could leave behind an identical self: the "Clone Mantra," which could only be used twice a day. The Clone Mantra was significant; the resulting clone possessed half the power of the original, which Fang Mu considered quite formidable. Usually, this was used to overwhelm opponents with numbers, but Fang Mu linked it to his evasion skill.

When fighting, there were three scenarios: overwhelming strength, a stalemate, or being at a disadvantage. If he were in a stalemate or losing, he would need to use his trump cards. The Clone Mantra was one such card, but Fang Mu devised a variation.

To put it simply, if Fang Mu used Dual Shadow Evasion and left an illusion behind, and the opponent was fooled and suffered a minor injury, that was the first scenario. If the enemy later refused to fall for the illusion again and Fang Mu found himself at a disadvantage, he could use the Clone Mantra. By leaving a clone in place and instructing it to remain still, the enemy would mistake it for the Dual Shadow Evasion. When the enemy let their guard down, the clone could strike. The element of surprise from such a ruse would be devastating. Of course, this was just an idea formed in his spare time and required practical verification.

"Brother Fang, it's about to begin."

As Fang Mu was contemplating, Iron-Calculate Xian, who had been sitting nearby, spoke up. Fang Mu opened his eyes and looked into the distance.

A massive vortex was forming in the sky. It was several hundred meters in diameter and continued to expand as it rotated. The people in the clearing stirred, rushing toward the position directly beneath the center of the vortex.

"Brother Fang, we must hurry," Iron-Calculate Xian said. "Our position is slightly off."

Fang Mu nodded and headed toward the center of the vortex.

...

The center was not far from the clearing, and they arrived shortly. The vortex in the sky was expanding at a visible rate. From its center, a chorus of whispers began to drift outward. Standing on the ground, Fang Mu looked up at the vortex, listening to the whispers that seemed to sound right in his ears.

The voices shifted constantly between awe-inspiring and seductive, a chaotic oscillation that induced a strange sense of bewilderment. Suddenly, the eerie whispering ceased. A beam of golden light shot from the center of the vortex, striking the ground without causing any disturbance.