Chapter 18 Did I Hallucinate?

Was I hallucinating?

Zhang Yuanqing stood stiffly in place, his first reaction was that he was experiencing auditory hallucinations. The whispers in his ear weren't real, but rather a product of some force affecting him. After all, it was impossible for outsiders to know his father's name, so the most likely possibility was that the whispers in his ear originated from his own mind. But why his father's name? If some kind of illusionary power was affecting me, it would surely trigger the thing I most desired in my heart. I don't yearn for fatherly love, and I only have a hazy impression of my father who died many years ago... As Zhang Yuanqing was filled with confusion, Fu Qingyang, who was in front of him, noticed his abnormality and said with an unusually serious tone, "Don't stop, keep moving!"

The Centurion's voice contained a convincing power, clearing Zhang Yuanqing's mind and dispelling his distracting thoughts.

He held his breath, ignoring the whispers in his ear, and strode after the white suit, heading towards the zoo gate.

"Zhang Zizhen, you're leaving again? You treacherous villain..."

The whispers in his ear suddenly became shrill and resentful, like a woman abandoned by her lover.

Zhang Yuanqing tensed up, silently reciting "Keep your mind clear as ice, unshaken even if the sky falls," and quickened his pace, finally following Fu Qingyang out of the zoo gate. Instantly, the whispers in his ear disappeared.

Zhang Yuanqing didn't dare to stop or look back, heading straight for the luxurious car. Only after the car started and drove far away did he dare to look back. The night was dark, and the silhouette of the zoo was faintly visible in the darkness, quiet and eerie. "Phew!"

Lingdian Kanshu (Zero Point Reader)

Zhang Yuanqing breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself, "That Dog Elder's zoo is too weird, isn't it?"

Fu Qingyang sat upright in the wide, soft seat, his eyes showing a hint of surprise and seriousness. "What did you hear?" Zhang Yuanqing chose his words carefully, "A name that shouldn't be mentioned. Centurion, I suspect I was under a hallucination. I just don't know who cast the illusion on me." Fu Qingyang picked up the half-smoked cigar, lit it himself, and exhaled thick white smoke. "The basis of illusion is to ignite emotions, targeting the weakest part of the human heart. Is the name you heard your heart's weakness?"

The core ability of illusionists is actually the guidance and teasing of the target's emotions, able to see the weaknesses in the target's heart at a glance. Therefore, Saint-level illusionists (Dream Weavers) are also known as heart demons.

Zhang Yuanqing's expression froze for a moment, and he slowly shook his head.

Fu Qingyang exhaled white smoke. "Then it wasn't an illusion." Not an illusion... Zhang Yuanqing's doubts were confirmed, but he wasn't happy at all. He said in a low voice, "If the voice I heard wasn't an illusion, then who was talking to me? Could it be that there were zoo staff hidden nearby, or some animal?" Fu Qingyang denied him again, "No, there was nothing around just now." This was a scout's judgment.

Zhang Yuanqing fell into silence. Fu Qingyang took a strong puff of his cigar, drawing it deep into his lungs, and exhaled dense white smoke. "Having ruled out staff and animals, and also the Dog Elder, it's quite obvious who was speaking." He looked at Zhang Yuanqing, his tone unusually low. "The zoo is a rule-based item, an item with its own consciousness." Having said this, it was impossible for Zhang Yuanqing not to understand. "The 'zoo' itself was whispering in my ear? It knew my dad?"

"My dad is...a Lingjing Xingzhe?!"

Zhang Yuanqing lowered his head, hiding his slightly distorted expression.

This conclusion gave him a huge shock, and he couldn't accept it for a moment.

If my dad was a Lingjing Xingzhe, then he didn't die in a car accident back then. How could a Lingjing Xingzhe die so wretchedly... The zoo recognized him. He had a connection with the zoo when he was alive. Could he have been the former owner of this rule-based item?

Then his level must have been very high... The zoo's whispers in my ear clearly mistook me for my dad. Did it misidentify me? What did it use to determine that I was Zhang Zizhen? Appearance? Aura? Bloodline? Role card?

Appearance is ruled out first. My dad and I can't look exactly alike. The role card is Mo Jun's. Mo Jun and my dad aren't from the same era. Is it bloodline?

The zoo is a Wood Fae's item. Wood Faes control reproduction and life-related abilities, so it's reasonable to identify people by bloodline... Zhang Yuanqing's thoughts became clearer and clearer. At the same time, he thought of the headache he couldn't find a cause for. Only after seeing Mr. Bill did he learn that the cause was trauma to his soul. But the problem is, he was just an ordinary person. His world and the world of Lingjing Xingzhe were two parallel lines that never intersected. How could he suffer such an injury? Now he understood.

Although he still didn't know the cause of the injury, at least it showed that he wasn't completely unrelated to the Lingjing world. There was a Lingjing Xingzhe in his family background.

"Then what about my mom? Is she also a Lingjing Xingzhe?"

Zhang Yuanqing recalled the anxious and helpless look on his mother's face when he suddenly fell ill. If she was a Lingjing Xingzhe, she wouldn't have looked so anxious and flustered. But she quickly found medicine to treat his soul injury, indicating that she had connections... So, although she wasn't a Lingjing Xingzhe, she knew of their existence and even had some contacts...

Zhang Yuanqing pieced together the details, gradually putting together the clues. In addition, he suddenly thought, could the Dog Elder, as the current owner of the zoo, have any connection with his father?

"Centurion!" Zhang Yuanqing snapped out of his thoughts. "How did the Dog Elder obtain this rule-based item? Does every ruler have one of these rule-based items?" Fu Qingyang flicked the ash off his cigar, always answering his trusted subordinate's questions. "I can't investigate the elders' information. As for everyone having one...?" Fu Qingyang glanced at him.

From the Centurion's calm but not mediocre kingly contempt, Zhang Yuanqing found the answer.

The luxurious car continued to drive. Halfway there, Zhang Yuanqing sent a message to Little Green Tea, asking the Palace Master of Zhisha to meet at the usual place.

Then he asked Fu Qingyang for a cigar, but didn't smoke it, just holding it in his hand, spacing out. He only took a puff when the cigar was about to go out. On the streets at four in the morning, Zhang Yuanqing wore a mask and a duckbill cap, his footsteps echoing in the silence.

Across the street from the Security Bureau, the door of a coffee shop was open, bright lights shining through the floor-to-ceiling windows onto the street, making it the only open shop on this street.

Zhang Yuanqing easily pushed open the door of the coffee shop and saw the red-skirted figure standing at the counter.

She was concentrating on brewing coffee, saying softly, "Go sit down for a while, wait a few minutes." This sounded so familiar... Zhang Yuanqing mumbled something and picked a table to sit down.

Before long, the Palace Master of Zhisha came over with two cups of coffee. She put the coffee on the table, propped her chin in her hand, and gazed at him with a smile. "You're asking me out more and more often. Do you miss me?"

Why does she always like to tease me... Zhang Yuanqing picked up a cup and took a sip, his brow immediately furrowing.

"Pure coffee?" He hated drinking pure coffee the most. It was either bitter or sour. The Palace Master of Zhisha revealed a sly smile. Zhang Yuanqing sighed. "Palace Master, you're like this cup of coffee I'm drinking." "What do you mean?" The Palace Master of Zhisha's eyes darted around, and she said with a smile, "Although bitter, it's full of attraction?" "No, it's neither sweet nor milky!" Zhang Yuanqing finished setting the stage and struck a blow, taking the opportunity to retaliate.

The corners of the Palace Master of Zhisha's mouth froze instantly, and her eyes behind the mask glared at him. Zhang Yuanqing changed the subject and said in a deep voice, "I went to see the Devil's Eye tonight. The Dog Elder interrogated him about the inside story of the Chu family massacre, and he specifically asked to see me." He dared to mock the lunatic because he was confident.

Sure enough, the Palace Master of Zhisha immediately forgot about the coffee. Her breathing suddenly became rapid, and her body leaned forward abruptly, her bright eyes staring fixedly at Zhang Yuanqing. "What did you find out?" It was rare for Zhang Yuanqing to see her so out of control, and he said seriously,

"The leaders of the Chu family's extermination were the Ghost Blade Heavenly King and the Extinction Heavenly King. Shura personally gave the order." "Shura..." The Palace Master of Zhisha thought for a moment, then slowly shook her head. "The Chu family was one in the north and one in the south with the Soldiers of Light, with no grudges or grievances. Just being on opposite sides of the alliance isn't enough for Shura to personally issue the order to massacre the Chu family."

Zhang Yuanqing immediately repeated the Devil's Eye Heavenly King's explanation.

The Palace Master of Zhisha was like a statue, not moving for a long time. After a good while, she whispered, "I see..." She raised her eyes, looking at Zhang Yuanqing, her eyes flickering with strange emotions. She said softly, "Thank you, you've untied the knot in my heart for many years." The reason for the Chu family's massacre had always been a knot in her heart that she couldn't untie. After more than twenty years, she finally understood the cause and effect. Zhang Yuanqing said, "If the Palace Master wants to seek revenge on Dark Night Rose, you have to know who the enemy is. Do you know the attributes of that rule-based item?" The Palace Master of Zhisha picked up her teacup, her red lips pursing against the white rim, and took a small sip. She put down her teacup and recalled, "I haven't personally checked the attributes of that item, but the clansman who brought me to Songhai told me that the item can bring the dead back to life. Whether the soul is annihilated or the body is crushed, it can revive them." "Its name is Mother Goddess Uterus, and it's one of the top rule-based items for the Musician class. To use it, two conditions must be met. First, the blood of the person to be revived must be prepared in advance. It must be blood full of vitality, and the amount is also required. It's not as simple as a drop of blood, but I don't know exactly how much is needed." "Second, one of the reviver's descendants, or a beloved person, must be sacrificed as an equivalent exchange."

"As long as these two conditions are met and the item's rules are triggered, the reviver can be re-nurtured from the Mother Goddess Uterus. No one can stop it, including the Lingjing. It also has a limitation. Once revived from the Mother Goddess Uterus, it can never be used again. A person only has one chance, just like no one can return to their mother's womb for a second time." Zhang Yuanqing listened silently and said, "What does 'blood full of vitality' mean?"

The Palace Master of Zhisha explained,

"After a Lingjing Xingzhe dies, they will return to the Lingjing, referring to all their abilities being taken back by the Lingjing. Therefore, the blood before death and after death is different. Blood after death cannot revive the body of a Lingjing Xingzhe."

"Blood full of vitality can be understood as blood from before death." Zhang Yuanqing nodded. "Based on the item's usage rules, can we infer that the leader of Dark Night Rose anticipated their own death, so they made preparations in advance?" "That's inevitable." The Palace Master of Zhisha frowned. "What do you want to say?" Zhang Yuanqing spoke eloquently, "From the Light Compass's prophecy, it's not difficult for us to know that Shura chose to invest in the leader of Dark Night Rose, and that was twenty-one years ago."

"At that time, the leader of Dark Night Rose must have had a certain level and status in the martial world. It's impossible for Shura to invest in a nobody. So, as long as we investigate which high-level Night Wanderers rose to prominence twenty or even thirty years ago, can't we lock down the identity of the leader of Dark Night Rose through a process of elimination?" The Palace Master of Zhisha's eyes lit up suddenly, and she added with excitement, "The Taiyi Sect, as the largest Night Wanderer organization in the world, whether it's the common people or the government, they will definitely notice any talented Night Wanderers and register them." "Through this line, we can further lock down the identity of the leader of Dark Night Rose." She suddenly frowned. "It's just that the Taiyi Sect and the Five Elements Alliance are both official organizations, but they're not of one mind. If you investigate this matter through the Five Elements Alliance, they will be noticed." "At that time, the Taiyi Sect might just give you some worthless information to dismiss you, and then secretly investigate it themselves."

This would be doing the work for others.

Of course, it wouldn't be a problem for the Taiyi Sect to investigate, but they probably wouldn't reveal the information to them.

Unless they could develop an informant within the Taiyi Sect! Zhang Yuanqing didn't have a good solution for a while, and said, "Let's discuss this matter in the long term."

The Palace Master of Zhisha nodded slightly. "The most important thing for you right now is the arena competition, don't put your energy into these things." After a pause, she suddenly asked, "The Devil's Eye Heavenly King must have had a purpose in seeing you, you didn't say it just now."

Zhang Yuanqing's eyes flickered, avoiding her gaze. The Palace Master of Zhisha's heart sank, and she frowned. "Speak!" Zhang Yuanqing said with a helpless look,

"He did have a purpose in seeing me. He put a curse on me, a curse that I would become like him. The Dog Elder checked my body afterward, but couldn't find where the curse was hidden." As soon as he finished speaking, the Palace Master of Zhisha grabbed his shoulder. Immediately, his skin felt a prickling pain. Turning his head, he saw countless wriggling red lines crawling out of the Palace Master's fair hand, burrowing into his body like parasites.

After a moment, the red lines retreated back into the Palace Master's body. She released her hand and gritted her teeth.

"As expected, I can't find anything unusual... This Devil's Eye, it's not enough for him to die a thousand times. You shouldn't have met him." Zhang Yuanqing looked solemn. "Since it concerns the Palace Master's knot, I think it's worth the risk." The Palace Master of Zhisha was stunned for a moment. Seeing her staring blankly, Zhang Yuanqing stopped at the right time, stood up and said, "Don't worry about the curse, we'll take it one step at a time. Palace Master, I'll go first."

Without waiting for her to respond, Zhang Yuanqing strode out of the coffee shop. After walking a distance, he looked back and found that the lights in the coffee shop were still on, unlike the previous times, when the lights would go out as soon as he left.

"That last move was pretty good, both taking credit and not going too far, leaving her to savor it slowly. Although Ling Jun is trash, he's indeed skilled at dealing with women. I can clearly feel that her attitude towards me has improved..." Zhang Yuanqing walked further and further away.

The next day at nine o'clock, he opened the official forum on time to check the news.

You Fenglaiyi was right, today's arena competition was indeed canceled. The official posted a notice on the forum: #Due to recent event adjustments, today's arena competition is canceled.# "It seems the headquarters really intends to adjust the competition mode..." Zhang Yuanqing was happy instead of worried. For him, this was a good thing.

He wasn't confident in fighting one-on-one, but when it came to dungeons, Zhang Yuanqing was very confident.

[White Dragon: I heard Yuan Ting say that the official plans to throw the top eight contestants into a dungeon. They're currently discussing what difficulty level dungeon is appropriate.]

[Please Call Me Queen: Ah, I heard about it yesterday, but I wasn't sure. Even the Taiyi Sect's loudspeaker is saying this, so it's probably true. This is great, Yuan Shi Tianzun will definitely get first place.]

[Lai Ri Fang Chang: Please Call Me Queen, do you think there's a possibility that the other seven contestants will unite to eliminate Yuan Shi Tianzun first? 1] "This Lai Ri Fang Chang always sings my praises, but what he says is always reasonable. The contestants who can enter the top eight are all smart people. Dungeons aren't arena competitions, so it's impossible to expect them to be fair and just. I really have to be careful."

Zhang Yuanqing browsed the comments for a while and exited the forum. Since he didn't have to fight in the arena competition today, he would find something to do.

He hesitated for a long time between the two options of finding Xiao Yuan and finding his mother. "If my dad was really a Lingjing Xingzhe, then she hid a lot of things from me, which is understandable. After all, the existence of Lingjing Xingzhe is a supernatural phenomenon, and it's not easy to explain. Besides, I was just an ordinary college student before. What's the point of telling me?"

"If I tell her that I've become a Lingjing Xingzhe, she might confess the past to me and tell me how my headache came about."

"It's best to wait for her to come back and talk in person. If we have an unpleasant conversation on the phone and she hangs up directly, there's nothing I can do about it. And when we talk face to face, I can use the Watcher's glasses to observe her." Zhang Yuanqing chose to meet Xiao Yuan.

Following the advice of his life mentor, he would improve his relationship with Aunt Xiao Yuan while learning about what troubles she had encountered.

Wuhen Hotel, strong cold winds blowing.

Xiao Yuan stood straight at the front desk, her bright face expressionless, cold and aloof, without a welcoming smile.

In the entire morning, the hotel only welcomed two groups of guests, one of which was renting by the hour. Business was quite bleak.

The location of a hotel has two major considerations: first, the commercial district it's located in, and second, the convenience of transportation.

Airports, high-speed rail stations, tourist attractions, commercial centers, and near schools all meet the above two criteria.

Wuhen Hotel is located in the suburbs and is a small hotel. Its positioning is aimed at middle and lower-class guests. In previous years, there were several factories nearby. With factories, there's traffic. Business was still pretty good.

But since last year, the economic environment has been poor, and several factories next to the hotel have closed down one after another. The surrounding area suddenly became deserted.

With nothing to do, Xiao Yuan picked up her phone, opened Yuan Shi Tianzun's avatar, and typed in the message: "Who's the opponent you matched with today?" She thought about it, deleted the message, and closed her phone expressionlessly.

At this time, the hotel's glass door was pushed open, but there was no one at the door. An invisible person had entered. ps: Will correct typos later.