Chapter 135: Conspiracy

Jin Maiji took a look and confirmed it didn't look like the team from earlier; they must have swapped personnel in the short time they were gone, and this group looked much more formidable than the previous bunch of ghosts.

Zhang Wei asked in great confusion, "Why did these ghosts suddenly swap people? Is there some conspiracy?"

Miao Zhiwei immediately asked in a low voice, "Senior Brother, do you mean the ghosts are conducting some secret experiment inside?"

Chen Hui chimed in, "Very likely. Didn't Inspector Zhang encounter a fierce female ghost in Shenfeng Cave before? Those ghosts never have good intentions; they must be up to some experiment."

"Hehehe, that consultant Danielle seems to be very favored by Baron James, and Baron James happens to be the ghost in charge of Shenfeng Cave. Why doesn't Inspector Zhang make a sacrifice and seduce Consultant Danielle to fish out some intelligence?"

Zhang Wei rolled his eyes and said, "White-faced Hui, I'm telling you, you'd better be careful. That woman Danielle is very formidable, and she's petty too. If she finds out you're badmouthing her behind her back, watch out, she might beat you into a pig's head."

Chen Hui pulled his head in and hurriedly apologized with a smile, "Ah? Everyone won't tell her, right?"

Jin Maiji draped an arm around Chen Hui's neck and laughed, "Haha, kid, it just depends on whether you know how to play along."

Chen Hui pulled a bitter face and said with great grievance, "Once I get my salary, I'll treat you big shots to a meal."

Jin Maiji waved his hand dismissively, "Pfft, poor wretch."

He then looked at Zhang Wei, who was frowning in thought, and stepped forward to say, "Inspector Zhang, the way I see it, the ghosts are in charge of Shenfeng Cave, so if something goes wrong, it's their responsibility. Let's just stay out of it."

Zhang Wei thought about it and realized Jin Maiji's words made a lot of sense. Besides, with his Martial Uncle-Grandmaster's abilities, no matter what happened, the old man would be able to resolve it, so there was no need for him to worry.

He hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Forget them. Let's go back and rest; today has been quite tiring."

Jin Maiji also hurriedly said, "Let's go, let's go. We've been running around for most of the night, let's get some rest early."

At this moment, inside Shenfeng Cave, Baron James was showing Count Guluosi around. Count Guluosi breathed in the air inside the cave with a look of intoxication and said in disbelief, "James, you truly are the darling of God. To think you could find such a wonderful place."

Baron James wore a look of pride and said, "How about it? I told you that cooperating with me was definitely a wise choice. I'll even invite other sorcerers to come later; I imagine absorbing their blood will help you grow stronger faster, right?"

Upon hearing this, Count Guluosi's face broke into a very pleasantly surprised smile. He hurriedly said, "I was wondering what you were planning with that grand assembly you organized. I didn't expect it was arranged for me as well."

"James, excellent. The fresh blood in these sorcerers is much more useful than that of ordinary people. Don't worry, I will definitely fulfill the agreement between us. Just you wait; when the time comes, I can make you a king."

Count Guluosi looked at the arrogant-looking Baron James and sneered inwardly. Once his power broke through, why would he need to listen to Baron James anymore? He would simply turn Baron James into his thrall and turn this Xiang Island into his vampire kingdom.

Baron James revealed a hint of a smile, but he did not fully trust Count Guluosi; it could only be called mutual exploitation.

One human and one vampire, each with their own schemes, yet neither knew they had already walked into Zhang Sheng's trap.

Currently, Baron James had Count Guluosi practicing inside Shenfeng Cave, while simultaneously having people build a high platform and other facilities near the cave for the exchange assembly.

When Zhang Xiong and the others learned that the exchange assembly was to be held at Shenfeng Cave, they all became excited.

At the guesthouse near Shenfeng Cave, Zhang Xiong, who had been beaten into a pig's head by Zhang Sheng, was trying to find a way to fix his teeth, but this scene was seen by the arriving Nala, Yumiko Koshishi, and others.

Nala said with great surprise, "My god, Master Xiong, who beat you into this state? To be fair, there aren't many people here who are stronger than you, Master Xiong."

Zhang Xiong was very embarrassed and didn't know what to say. The atmosphere suddenly became awkward, and the others felt quite delighted to see Zhang Xiong in such a sorry state.

A witch immediately asked, "Zhang Xiong, why isn't Songcha by your side? I smelled the scent of Songcha's gu-vessel; he wasn't killed by you, was he?"

How could Zhang Xiong admit it? He endured the pain and immediately retorted, "Don't talk nonsense. I ran into people from Maoshan. Songcha's fierce ghost was wiped out by the Maoshan people. There were several of them, and I was no match for them."

Yumiko Koshishi frowned and asked, "Mr. Zhang, what are the names of the Maoshan disciples who dealt with you?"

Zhang Xiong sneered, "What, Miss Koshishi, do you have a grudge against them? Ah, that's right, there's news recently that Miss Michiko was killed. Could it be that the Maoshan Daoists solved her?"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately looked at Yumiko Koshishi with inquisitive eyes.

Yumiko Koshishi did not quibble or deny it. She nodded and said, "That's right. My younger sister, Michiko Koshishi, died at the hands of Maoshan Daoists. She was my only relative, so I must avenge my sister."

Zhang Xiong shook his head dismissively. Now she had been slapped from a distance by that person; the technique was similar to before, which showed just how strong that person was.

By his calculations, that person was at least eighty years old, yet his magic power showed no signs of decline, as if he hadn't aged at all. At this rate, he would have thought that person was immortal.

Zhang Xiong said with some disdain, "If you want revenge, I think you're overestimating yourself. Do you know which faction within Maoshan those people who killed your sister belong to?"

Yumiko Koshishi narrowed her eyes. She could tell from Zhang Xiong's expression that he had ill intentions. However, this matter was very important to her—not just because of her sister's death, but more importantly, the trade routes her sister directly controlled. If the culprit who killed her sister wasn't dealt with, the business couldn't be expanded, which would be a huge blow to the firm.

She smiled and said, "I ask Mr. Zhang to kindly enlighten me. I will definitely have a gift to reward Mr. Zhang."

Zhang Xiong sneered, "Since you want to know, I'll tell you straight. The ones who killed your sister are called Lin Zhengfeng and Zhang Wei. This Lin Zhengfeng's father is Lin Jiuying, and this Zhang Wei has no parents and was adopted by Lin Chengfeng."

Upon hearing this, the expression on Yumiko Koshishi's face became very complex. First, she knew who Lin Jiuying was, especially since Lin Jiuying had a junior fellow apprentice named Zhang Sheng. This Zhang Sheng had caused their Nine Chrysanthemum Faction to decline decades ago, and now they had to rely on extreme organizations.

As for this Zhang Wei? She also knew him; he was an orphan adopted by Lin Chengfeng, so she hadn't paid much attention to him.

Zhang Xiong saw the dramatic change in Yumiko Koshishi's face and laughed, "Hahaha, now you know, right? The Lin Chengfeng who killed your sister has a Martial Uncle named Zhang Sheng. Nowadays, everyone says he is the Number One Celestial Master, invincible. Everyone here has more or less had friends, family, or masters die at his hands, right?"

"If Baron James hadn't invited you here, who among you would dare to come to Xiang Island? Your Nine Chrysanthemum Faction is also only able to set up industries on Xiang Island under the protection of the ghosts. Miss Yumiko, do you dare to seek revenge?"

Yumiko Koshishi fell silent. They didn't even dare to mention the name of this Zhang Sheng. Even the head of the Nine Chrysanthemum Faction wouldn't dare provoke Zhang Sheng now. How could she, a mere altar master, dare to stroke the tiger's whiskers?

Zhang Xiong seemed to have been too stifled just now, and now he felt triumphant, "Miss Yumiko, let me tell you something else. That Zhang Wei looks similar to my Martial Uncle-Grandmaster. People in the sect all think Zhang Wei is that person's offspring. Whether it's Lin Chengying or Zhang Wei, who can you find to take revenge on?"

Yumiko Koshishi snorted coldly, "Thank you for the information, Mr. Zhang. The reward will arrive tomorrow."

Zhang Xiong snorted coldly, "No need. This is information I'm giving you for free."

Nala was a bit hesitant. He asked with trepidation, "Master Xiong, could it be that your injury was caused by that person?"

Zhang Xiong's face looked ugly as he said, "That's right. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been left without the power to fight back."

Someone immediately questioned, "Impossible. If that person were still that strong, why didn't he stop Baron James from occupying this Shenfeng Cave? This is Lamma Island territory. Back then, the Archbishop of Xiang Island wanted to reach into Lamma Island but was beaten back to Europa."

"That's right. Zhang Xiong, isn't this your own 'bitter flesh' ruse, trying to scare us away with that person's reputation so you can take Shenfeng Cave for yourself?"

"You're absolutely right. This Zhang Xiong is very cunning; we can't believe him."

In fact, Zhang Xiong really did have such a plan. Although he had been slapped today, he felt that the fact that the person hadn't appeared directly meant there must be some problem that had left him unable to attend to other matters.

He had risked his life to come back this time just to enhance his magic power and live a little longer. Now that he saw hope, he naturally didn't want to give up.

That was why he had deliberately revealed such information just now to test the resolve of these guys. Seeing that these people were very stubborn, he felt relieved.

……

Baron James bringing Count Guluosi into Shenfeng Cave naturally did not escape Zhang Sheng's divine sense. Zhang Sheng saw every move of Zhang Xiong and the others, as well as Baron James, but he didn't pay them any mind. Since the bait had already been cast, he was just waiting to close the net.

Besides, he was now nearly at the level of the Heavenly Dao and was in charge of both the Yin and Yang realms; he had many things to do every day. Dealing with people like Baron James was something he only did in his spare time.

"Disciple Sai Jinhua, my cousin A-Bo is thirty years old and still unmarried. I do not know where his marriage fate lies. I respectfully request the deity's guidance."

"A single stick of pure incense to worship the deity. I invite the deity of this altar to show the cause. The disciple requests the deity of this altar to quickly perform spirit-writing and divination to report clearly. Let the brush move like a dragon and snake to clear the murky. Supreme Lord Laozi, act in accordance with the law!"

Zhang Sheng heard a cultivating woman petitioning him. He diverted his attention to look and instantly remembered something. He immediately raised his brush in the void and left the character "Wei" (entrust/commission) on the paper. Seeing this character, Sai Jinhua immediately began to calculate.

His cousin A-Bo now has a girlfriend named He Chunmei, who has nothing to do with this character; she was ecstatic, convinced that her cousin would break up with his current girlfriend, and then forcibly linked this character to herself.

However, this matter does not have much to do with him, but his cousin has a predestined affinity for evil, which, come to think of it, is related to a wicked ghost in the Underworld.

Thinking of this, he immediately sent a dream to Zhang Wei, giving him some hints to let him handle this matter.

The protagonist of this matter, A-Bo, is a hoodlum who collects debts for others; he happened to buy a mahogany vanity table and brought it home, but Sai Jinhua saw at a glance that there was a problem with this table, yet she was made so neurotic by that character that, upon hearing A-Bo mention a commission, she instantly forgot what had just happened and immediately went to get a mirror matched according to A-Bo's instructions.

However, A-Bo does not like Sai Jinhua; after all, Sai Jinhua studies Daoist arts and her hobbies lean toward the older generation, while A-Bo is a youth of the new era who hangs out in the underworld, so naturally, he likes beauties with curly, wavy hair.

However, his girlfriend He Chunmei looks down on A-Bo for being poor, and since she works at a foot massage parlor, plus she is pretty and has a sexy figure, she is often fancied by those big bosses.

This time, He Chunmei got into a boss's car, and A-Bo had been waiting at her workplace for two hours; seeing his girlfriend get into another man's car with such an intimate attitude, one could guess what would happen even with their feet.

He immediately chased after them and shouted: "A-Mei, you come out, you explain things clearly to me; I've been waiting here for you for two hours!"

He Chunmei said with an indifferent face: "I've already promised to have dinner with the boss, so you go back first; when I'm in a good mood, I'll look for you."

A-Bo said angrily: "Are you crazy? Have you forgotten that I just bought you a bag two days ago?"

As soon as He Chunmei heard A-Bo mention this bag, she glared and scolded: "You still dare to mention this bag? This bag is fake; you made me lose face in front of so many sisters, and I haven't even settled the score with you yet! You can give this bag to whoever you like, don't give it to me!"

Having said that, she threw the bag at A-Bo and immediately closed the car window.

The four-eyed boss in the driver's seat let out a mocking laugh and then drove away.

A-Bo could not swallow his anger and hurriedly shouted curses, but unfortunately, the others had already driven off into the distance.

A-Bo returned home looking depressed; it just so happened that his cousin was not at home, so he had to cook himself a bowl of ramen, sat in his room to eat, and watched television.

After finishing the noodles, he saw the vanity table he had bought today; he originally wanted to give it to A-Mei, but he got angry as soon as he thought of that woman, and he muttered: "You table are really sinister; I broke up just after buying you!"

As he spoke, he went up to examine the wooden table and saw that the box could still be opened, so he reached out to open it, but the next second, a piece of paper drifted out from inside with many words written on it.

It turned out that this table belonged to a woman named Wei Xiaodie, and she was only twenty years old when she wrote the letter.

She was born in Ta Mun, her family was very poor, and there were several other siblings in the family; the family favored boys over girls, so Wei Xiaodie was not valued.

Even more tragically, Wei Xiaodie had a heart condition and would not live long, and on top of that, a fortune teller said her life was very thin and she had to marry an ugly and bad man as his wife in order to be reincarnated.

(End of this chapter)