"There were remains from over a hundred people found at the scene. You deployed so many agents, and in the end you still had to resort to self-destruction? You've experienced Master Song's capabilities before. How can you still be so arrogantly careless?"
Zhao Huoyan left without looking back after delivering that line. Feng Jinwen sat alone in the stark prison cell, head lowered. A little paper servant hopped off the bed and ran to the floor, looking up at his unreadable expression. At that moment, his face showed more anxiety and fear than anything else.
This wasn't what he had expected. He had believed that Song Miaozhu had died in the explosion, that he alone had survived. But now, she was still alive.
Song Miaozhu was alive? How?
What now?
His plan to become an elite master might be ruined. He had faith in the life-saving power of his Life Talisman, but compared to the Spirit-Gathering Dolls, he had no confidence.
And what about the spiritual items she had confiscated from him? Had she taken those with her?
If the effects of the Death Talisman were exposed, it would be over for him. She hadn't shown herself at the beginning of the battle, and the Death Talisman hadn't activated properly. She probably didn't know about it yet, right?
The explosion had happened so suddenly, right when she thought she had everything under control. In that kind of chaos, there was no way she had the time to collect all the spiritual items.
Yes, that must be it.
At most, she would have grabbed the Spirit-Gathering Dolls lying in the room. As long as those other items hadn't fallen into her hands, there was still room for him to maneuver. Feng Jinwen forced himself to calm down. He looked up at the surveillance camera and said, "I need some spiritual paper and ink."
He had to produce a Life Talisman first, to boost his bargaining power.
People from SEIU headquarters were also watching through the surveillance feed. Orders were given to deliver the materials to him without delay.
Meanwhile, Zhao Huoyan was reviewing the investigation report on the Kuncheng Division. He had no idea that a little paper servant was hiding near his computer, eavesdropping.
"The Kuncheng Division has officially filed purchase requests for one colored paper fire-dragon head, one Spirit-Breaking Tang Blade, one Tiger-Bear Embroidered Fan, one copy of the Lanting Calligraphy Sword Manual, and three Peace Charms," came the report.
"Upon investigation, it was found that the items were assigned under false identities. The division head used names of his subordinates and substituted Eternal Life Society members' spirit-nurturing pearls in their place. Based on this, Feng Jinwen's claims appear credible."
"What's SEIU's official stance on how to deal with him?" Zhao Huoyan asked.
"We'll prioritize extracting intel on the Eternal Life Society. The agents transporting him to the capital have nearly reached Lingcheng. Just make the transfer smoothly. And if Master Song contacts you again, be sure to explain that this is only a temporary measure. Everything we're doing is to uproot the Eternal Life Society entirely. Feng Jinwen included. In the end, he will receive the punishment he deserves."
…
Song Miaozhu had been keeping a close watch through the paper servants placed near both Feng Jinwen and Zhao Huoyan.
Judging from their interactions, she was fairly certain Zhao Huoyan and the SEIU's current leadership weren't connected to the Eternal Life Society.
That meant the black-robed attackers from that night weren't SEIU members using the Society as a cover to manipulate her.
That, at least, was good news.
However, she also noticed a subtle shift in the SEIU's attitude toward Feng Jinwen—likely due to the intelligence he held about the Eternal Life Society and the power of his Life Talisman.
She hadn't planted paper servants inside SEIU headquarters, so she couldn't tell whether she was overthinking things or if insiders from the Eternal Life Society were finally starting to exert influence.
"A temporary measure, huh?"
Song Miaozhu wasn't too concerned whether their so-called temporary measure was genuine.
Right now, with just identity-based cursed paper dolls, she could kill anyone with weaker cultivation than hers. Before the explosion, she had also taken the chance to collect the blood of the black-robed attackers. Feng Jinwen's was among them. The other attackers were all dead, so their blood was no longer of use, but Feng Jinwen's remained. If SEIU had its own "temporary measure," then so did she.
As long as she could use Feng Jinwen as a lead to uncover the full network of the Eternal Life Society—even if all she got were their names—she could make sure each one paid the price. As for Feng Jinwen's talk of turning against the Eternal Life Society because of the explosion and returning to SEIU to expose them, she remained skeptical.
She couldn't be sure whether any Eternal Life Society insiders still remained in Yuanshan Ancient Town during the bombing, but one thing was certain—the Death Talisman Feng Jinwen created absorbed the life force of others and returned it to the user.
With a name like the Eternal Life Society, it was clear how obsessed those people were with immortality. A spiritual item that could absorb life force and extend lifespan? There was no way they would discard it, or its creator, so easily.
Those people were greedy, not stupid.
There had to be more going on here.
She didn't have the scheming mind of a political snake pit, and couldn't quite figure out what they were plotting, but that didn't matter—she had paper servants. As long as they stayed close to Feng Jinwen and SEIU members, the truth would eventually come to light.
With her black market ghost shop business on hold, and not much else needing upkeep in the mountain cave, Song Miaozhu assigned most of her paper servants to prepare inside the ghost shop's warehouse.
When Feng Jinwen was transported to the capital, they would follow, infiltrating SEIU's central bureau directly. This time, she would investigate SEIU and the Eternal Life Society to their very core. She would drag out every person who meant her harm.
She didn't want, and didn't need, anyone else's help with this. Otherwise, she might be restricted in how freely she could use her curses in the future.
So even now, knowing full well that Feng Jinwen was suspicious, she said nothing to Zhao Huoyan. He might be upright and fair, but he was only the head of the Lingcheng Division. Once Feng Jinwen arrived in the capital, Zhao Huoyan would have little say in what happened next.
If the time came to reveal Feng Jinwen's true nature, she could always present the Life and Death Talismans as evidence. Anyone who saw the Death Talisman for what it was would never believe the Eternal Life Society had truly abandoned him.
For now, Song Miaozhu continued trading Spirit-Gathering Dolls with SEIU, working hard to earn spirit stones. Once the next spiritual energy tide arrived, she worried the dolls might lose market value due to the surge in available energy.
No matter what spiritual item one used to aid cultivation, nothing could beat the sheer effectiveness of spirit stones. Her trades continued, and even grew more frequent. But her private contact with SEIU members grew less and less.
Occasionally, she would have her little paper servants post a message in the elite master group chat. This kept up ties with the elite masters, and also served as a smokescreen to make it seem like she was still somewhere with a signal.
She hadn't told anyone about her current situation.