Chapter 60: with translation of chapter title

In the dim room, under the bean‑sized golden light pressed to his forehead, Lü Liang's face flickered between light and dark, making Zhou Shuo beside him shift expression, for he too wondered what scene Zhang Xilin's left‑behind memory held, and whether it contained news of the Qi Body Source Flow, one of the Eight Extraordinary Skills.

A few decades ago in the world of the extraordinary, in 1944—the year before the end of the War of Resistance against Japan—a disturbance arose among the extraordinary; because that year was the jiashen year, the disturbance was also called the Jiashen Rebellion.

The Jiashen Rebellion swept across nearly the whole extraordinary world of China, as various factions launched a manhunt against thirty‑six individuals in order to seize the eight extraordinary skills; those thirty‑six were dubbed the Thirty‑Six Thieves by outsiders, and Zhang Xilin was one of them, bearing the Qi Body Source Flow, which itself was one of the eight extraordinary skills being contested, and this is also the fundamental reason his grave was dug up after his death.

"What exactly is recorded in here?" As time passed bit by bit, Shen Chong could not help but speak first, wondering whether the extraordinary skills that once stirred the extraordinary world had been left behind by Zhang Xilin.

"How is it? Any news of the Qi Body Source Flow?" Gong Qing likewise could not hold back.

"Then you can look for yourselves!" Lü Liang, with his usual expression, took the golden light away from his forehead and then handed it to Gong Qing; Gong Qing reached out, stuck the golden light to his fingertip, then, imitating Lü Liang, pressed the golden light to his forehead, and after a moment his face filled with surprise as he opened his eyes wide.

"Is this the fate of the survivors of the Jiashen Rebellion?" Gong Qing stared at the bean‑sized golden light on his fingertip, his face full of astonishment, which also stirred Zhou Shuo beside him; after Xia He and Shen Chong had each taken a look in turn, he received the golden light and placed it on his forehead.

Overcast rain drizzled in the sky, the scene shifted instantly, and Zhou Shuo felt himself sitting under a tree, where he unexpectedly saw Feng Baobao, that employee of the Omnipresent Company—but she was not wearing her usual white top and black skirt; instead she wore a brown outer garment and green trousers, the style of the trousers being from the 1980s‑90s, her eyes as calm as before, perhaps eternally so, yet why would she appear in Zhang Xilin's memory?

In just an instant, Zhou Shuo thought of a connection: he could clearly perceive his surroundings, realizing he was now inside Zhang Xilin's memory, seeing from what should be Zhang Xilin's perspective, yet why would the memory of a man dead for over a decade contain a trace of Feng Baobao—could she be a relative of hers?

Just as Zhou Shuo made that connection, the Feng Baobao before him suddenly stepped forward, her left hand grabbing his collar while her right hand thrust out without hesitation; Zhou Shuo had no power to resist, he lowered his head and watched that clean wrist pierce his chest—but it was not his chest, it was Zhang Xilin's.

His vision slipped downward, gradually growing blurry; Zhou Shuo faintly heard Zhang Xilin utter a sentence, but perhaps because he had been dead too long, Zhang Xilin's memory was fragmented, so he could not make out any words, only feeling his sight slowly fade into darkness.

"May I ask how long Zhang Xilin has been dead?" Zhou Shuo removed the bean‑sized golden light from his forehead and looked at the other four who remained silent.

"Twelve years." Lü Liang gave the answer precisely.

"Hmm, twelve years…" Zhou Shuo lifted his gaze slightly; counting back twelve years from Feng Baobao's current age, she should have been no older than ten then, yet the person in the memory was indistinguishable from the Feng Baobao he had seen a month ago—that look could not belong to two different people, meaning the girl from twelve years ago was exactly the same as she is now.

"How is it? Have you figured it out?" Lü Liang asked the person whose gaze had risen, for that person, like himself, had seen Feng Baobao—and they were not two different people.

"What did you discover?" Gong Qing, lost in thought, saw Lü Liang gazing at Zhou Shuo and could not help but feel surprised, sensing that there must be some hidden secret here!

"The woman who killed Zhang Xilin is called Feng Baobao." Zhou Shuo looked at the astonished deputy sect leader, making no attempt to conceal it; Lü Liang, thinking likewise, had also realized that it was not two people but Feng Baobao.

"Oh? So you know him, Zhou Shuo!" Gong Qing exclaimed, a little startled.

"Not only do we know her, we also know where she is now—she is a person of the Omnipresent Company; we saw her just last month, her appearance has not changed at all. Sect leader, this is not some kind of agelessness technique; rather, there is simply no sign of aging on her: twelve years ago she looked about seventeen or eighteen, and last month she still looked seventeen or eighteen—I can be certain they are not two different people." Lü Liang pushed up his glasses.

"If that is the case, Zhang Xilin's death is likely inseparable from the Omnipresent Company." Zhou Shuo's gaze sank slightly in contemplation; Feng Baobao indeed plays a significant role—Zhang Xilin was killed by her, and although we do not know the cause, it is certain she was the person he saw before his death, and it is even possible that the Qi Body Source Flow is now in the hands of the Omnipresent Company, for whoever let her be an employee of that organization—a governmental body that usually has its dark side.

"If that's so, then the direction we've been pursuing might be wrong—but if what you say is true, that girl is probably even more interesting than the Qi Body Source Flow." Gong Qing understood Lü Liang's meaning, a blush rising on his face and excitement flashing in his eyes; a person who has kept her appearance unchanged for twelve years makes one think of immortality, and compared to that, the Eight Extraordinary Skills are mere trash—what matters more is the story behind eternal youth, which would be incredibly fascinating.

"Here you go." Zhou Shuo looked at Gong Qing, excited like a child, and returned the bean‑sized golden light in his hand to Lü Liang.

"Sect leader!" Lü Liang, seeing the bean‑sized golden light land on his fingertip, could not help but have a face flash in his mind, and a smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Lü Liang, why are you smiling so sinisterly? Are you hatching some evil plan?" Gong Qing, who had just been excited like a child, upon hearing Lü Liang's call and seeing his smile, could not help but frown slightly, posing the question in all seriousness.

"Nothing much—I just found this information, and I can dispose of it as I wish?" Lü Liang lifted his gaze, looking at the astonished deputy sect leader, glanced at the silent Xia He and Shen Chong, and at Zhou Shuo blinking his eyes, then gave him a toothy smile.

"That brat…" Zhou Shuo looked at Lü Liang's toothy smile, a face instantly flashing in his mind, vaguely grasping his intention: Zhang Xilin is Zhang Chu Lan's grandfather, and he is currently with the Omnipresent Company; if he were to see this memory, it would probably be quite interesting, right?

"Sure! But what do you want to do?" Gong Qing answered Lü Liang's request without hesitation, though he was a bit confused.

"Hehe, Zhang Xilin has a grandson named Zhang Chu Lan, who is now under the protection of the Omnipresent Company." Lü Liang curled the corner of his mouth in an arc, confirming Zhou Shuo's speculation, causing Xia He's expression to shift slightly, while Shen Chong pushed up his glasses with an amused look.

"Hmm, I think that's not good." Upon hearing Lü Liang confirm his guess, Zhou Shuo immediately shook his head without waiting for Gong Qing to speak.

"Why?" Lü Liang looked at Zhou Shuo's headshake, somewhat surprised that something so interesting would be bad.

"That kid, in the circle, ought to be the sort who stays silent until he makes a stunning debut—hehe, his scheming nature is a match for yours, so your idea might not work out on him." Zhou Shuo raised his brows slightly; Lü Liang's intention was to give this memory to Zhang Chu Lan in order to drive a wedge between him and the Omnipresent Company, but that is not a good idea, for though the kid looks like a loser, his fortune is astonishing and his character can absolutely be described as old‑crafty and deep‑calculating.

"Why?" Lü Liang disregarded Zhou Shuo's disparagement, focusing only on why his own idea was bad.

"All right! Let me put it this way since you don't quite get it; I'll give you a simple example. Do you think making friends is better like giving charcoal in the snow, or like adding icing on the cake?" Zhou Shuo slightly spread his hands, switching to a more vivid metaphor. Zhang Chulan is a sly, calculating person; he absolutely does not trust Omnipresent Company, so there's absolutely no need to give this to him now.

"Of course it's giving charcoal in the snow. Oh, I get it now." Lv Liang, hearing Zhou Shuo's words, answered naturally, then suddenly realized: both giving charcoal in the snow and adding icing on the cake depend on the needs of the friend you want to befriend; without hesitation, the bond formed by giving a gift when someone is most in need is stronger than giving a gift when it's optional.

"But that's too boring." Lv Liang scratched his head a bit; he understood the reasoning but couldn't help himself, having just come up with this good idea. Although it inevitably involved his admiring Zhang Chulan, wanting to drive a wedge between him and the company, even pulling him into Complete Nature, he would rather see Zhang Chulan's expression upon seeing this scene.

"A cup of wine only becomes more fragrant and mellow after aging to a certain year; you're the one who needs it!" Zhou Shuo, looking at the guy who could barely endure it, couldn't help but advise. Actually he also found it quite interesting, but if Zhang Chulan doesn't really need it, giving him this memory might not have much impact; only when it's needed, sending out this memory will really be a lot of fun.

"Hmm, all right! Brother Zhou, I'll listen to you." Lv Liang, hearing Zhou Shuo's words, thought it over again and again, then firmly nodded his head; he thought maybe he could endure a bit longer now, or perhaps at the right moment this memory might have an unexpected effect on him.

"Sect Leader, Shen Chong, what are those two up to?" Xia He, seeing Lv Liang nodding at Zhou Shuo, couldn't help but ask the two of them; she could vaguely guess what Lv Liang wanted to do, but after all that talk about giving charcoal in the snow and adding icing on the cake, she just couldn't figure it out.

"I don't understand." Shen Chong pushed up the glasses on the nose and shook their head.

"These two are both sneaky and love to watch chaos, not afraid of making a big deal." Gong Qing looked at Zhou Shuo, face full of helplessness; as for Lv Liang, that's fine, but this newcomer is the same, even more sneaky than him, and our Complete Nature really is...