Chapter 3: Chen Qingjing

Please wait a moment.

A voice came from behind, Chen Shoushan speaking unhurriedly.

The voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to have a magical power that made Chen Qingjing involuntarily stop, turn her head, and want to hear what Chen Shoushan would say next.

Seeing Chen Qingjing stop again, Chen Shoushan didn't find it strange—how could an ordinary person resist the words of a corrupted baron? He hadn't even deliberately used his extraordinary ability; relying merely on a 'lawyer's instinct, he could easily 'persuade' others.

You're heading out? Could you help me take out the trash? It's just a simple task!

Chen Shoushan spoke with a pleasant face; although it sounded like a question, his words carried an indisputable feel. Years of aristocratic life had made him adept at commanding the servants around him—an inevitable decadence, after all, it's easy to go from frugality to extravagance!

Of course, Chen Shoushan didn't resist this change either; it wasn't really a bad thing.

Huh?

Chen Qingjing was a bit slow to react—we're familiar, right? How could he take it for granted like that?

No… actually, I'll take it.

She instinctively wanted to refuse, but as the words were about to leave her mouth, she somehow changed her mind and even reached out, actively picking up the trash by the door.

That really is the case! Isn't it just natural to grab the trash when heading out? We're all neighbors!

Distortion!

Just now, Chen Shoushan subtly activated his extraordinary ability, easily twisting Chen Qingjing's refusal into a thought favorable to him.

Mm! No one can refuse the request of an Extraordinary Person following the lawyer's path.

Really, thank you for the trouble! Beautiful miss, let's go—watch your step!

Chen Shoushan looked satisfied at Chen Qingjing straining to hold the trash, and couldn't help but express his thanks.

Okay, okay.

Chen Qingjing gritted her teeth and replied with effort.

Something felt off—very off—but no matter how she racked her brains, she couldn't figure out what was wrong, after all, helping a neighbor toss out trash is perfectly normal, right?

Watch the stairs, lift your foot.

Thus Chen Shoushan walked ahead, leading the way and occasionally reminding Chen Qingjing to watch her step, while Chen Qingjing followed behind, clutching a heap of stinking trash and swaying on the verge of collapse, and moreover she had to say thanks to Chen Shoushan.

We're here, the trash bin is over there, beautiful miss—I'll head off first, wishing you a perfect day.

Chen Shoushan pointed to the nearby trash bin, gave Chen Qingjing a slight bow, then turned and left.

Thanks! You too.

Left alone holding a heap of trash, Chen Qingjing remained in place, pondering what exactly felt off.

After finally finishing disposing of the trash, Chen Qingjing brushed off her clothes as she walked, suddenly stunned—what had she done? Pointlessly helping a stranger take out the trash, and then having to thank him?

As the distortion's effect gradually faded, Chen Qingjing's rationality slowly returned, and some things she had unconsciously ignored re-entered her mind.

The illogical reason that, as a neighbor, she should help him throw out trash—once the distortion's effect wore off, it could no longer influence Chen Qingjing.

——————————

On the other side, Chen Shoushan gazed at the endless flow of people and vehicles before him, feeling a surreal sense of crossing eras—suddenly shifting from the industrial age to modernity, truly giving him an indescribable sense of contrast.

He shook his head to cast aside these irrelevant emotions—how could someone aspiring to become the new-era emperor be disturbed by such useless feelings? Just keep moving forward!

Now Chen Shoushan's first priority is to connect with Headquarters, for it's undeniable that before Old Qin's death, Headquarters still held sway, and within the Empire, Headquarters had the final say.

As for the Black Emperor's path, whether acting or advancing, the required rituals are inseparable from power and rules, so Chen Shoushan's idea is simple: first use Headquarters' influence to digest his demon potion, then further advance to become Sequence Five—Chaos Instructor!

The promotion from Sequence Six to Sequence Five requires a ritual—after extreme chaos, before order is reborn, take the demon potion, and the greater the chaos, the higher the success rate.

Talk then act—Chen Shoushan has always been a doer who dares to think and act. Now his main goal is to attract Headquarters' attention; given Headquarters' shortage of personnel, as long as he displays his extraordinary ability and keeps his identity clean, taking charge of a city should pose no problem.

But Chen Shoushan also didn't want to be like Zhou Zheng, who forces himself through everything—otherwise he'd eventually bite the dust. Although he needn't worry about recovery, he isn't invincible; before reaching Sequence Four he remains within human limits, and encountering things like ghost paintings, hungry ghosts, etc., a mishandled encounter could still do him in.

But how can he attract Headquarters' notice while retaining some say?

Chen Shoushan's plan is to handle a supernatural event that exists in the original work.

First, it can draw Headquarters' attention and also establish merit in advance, essentially paving the way.

Second, he wants to test whether his extraordinary ability works on ghosts, and if so, how effective it is, to gauge where his current Sequence Six ability roughly ranks among the tiers in the original work.

Third, the ghosts that appear early in the original work, he can roughly recall their killing patterns, so even if he's outmatched, he can still retreat safely.

But after all, it's been a long time since he read the original work, which is also unfinished, so he doesn't clearly remember some plot characters.

Therefore, to be safe, Chen Shoushan decided to look into the supernatural event that Yang Jian encountered when he first became a Ghost Master, since he mostly recalls the early plot, and the supernatural events Yang Jian ran into earlier were relatively minor.

Moreover, he might even team up with Yang Jian, let him handle the supernatural event while he assists from the sidelines, showcasing his extraordinary ability, then wait for Headquarters to take the bait.

As an Extraordinary Person following the lawyer's path, rationally using rules to gain maximal returns with minimal input is almost ingrained instinct, and also counts as one of the most basic role-playing tenets of the lawyer's path.

But right now he still needs to figure out how far the plot has progressed; if it's already late-stage, not only would his earlier plans come to nothing, but his advantage of knowing the plot would also be slim.

(End of chapter)