Chapter Forty-Nine: Zheng Wen

Fang Mu looked at the figure before him with interest and said, “So, you’re Young Master Zheng?”

The man was dressed in white robes with a broad sash, a bird with two feet and a pointed beak embroidered on his chest. A jade hairpin adorned his head, and he held a folding fan in his hand—the very image of a refined gentleman in troubled times.

“I am Zheng Wen. Greetings to you both.” Zheng Wen shook his fan, drifting slowly down from the coffin to land gently on the ground.

Ever since Zheng Wen appeared, the Iron Calculator had been watching him closely. Now, he spoke curtly, “A Wraith Adept.”

There was no need for him to say it; Fang Mu had already noticed. In Zheng Wen’s other hand, a ball of dark mist flickered in and out of existence. Within the black mist, layers of shadowy figures shifted and flashed, accompanied by faint cries and calls.

“Gentlemen, I am dying,” Zheng Wen said slowly, waving his fan. “Will you allow me to tell you my story?”

Yellow talismans still drifted through the sky, casting the entire street in a gloomy, sinister light that made Zheng Wen’s face appear as pale as paper.

Fang Mu did not act, but instead assumed the posture of a spectator and said, “Speak in detail.”

Iron Calculator raised his hand, and a Bagua diagram descended from the heavens, sealing the surroundings tightly.

Zheng Wen paused in surprise.

Iron Calculator waved his hand and explained, “Don’t misunderstand. I’m not blocking your escape. Since you want to tell us secrets, we have to make sure nobody else hears. That’s all.”

In truth, Fang Mu hadn’t expected Iron Calculator to do this, but he was quite satisfied with his approach. Shameless enough, thick-skinned, and could lie without batting an eye.

Compared to someone like Qing Ruowu, who was rigid as a board, Iron Calculator was more like a streetwise fellow—much more to Fang Mu’s taste.

Fang Mu clapped his hands and said, “Alright, we’ve sealed off the area to prevent any leaks. Now you can speak freely.”

Zheng Wen: “...”

How could both of them be so shameless, lying as easily as breathing?

Fang Mu stroked his butcher’s knife and threatened, “Hurry up, we’re giving you a chance here. Don’t waste it.”

“Exactly! We’re giving you a chance and you’re not using it!” Iron Calculator chimed in.

Zheng Wen gave a bitter smile, suddenly doubting whether he’d chosen the right course. But he went on, “Actually, it all starts with my story.”

“I was once the young master of a wealthy family in Well Dragon County, but due to poor health, my condition worsened day by day until I was bedridden.”

“One day, just after taking my medicine and preparing to sleep, he came to me carrying a piece of tree bark. He told me to eat it, claiming it would save my life. But from that moment, it was as if I’d fallen into an abyss...”

As he spoke, hatred shone in Zheng Wen’s eyes.

“I became a Wraith Adept. I lived, but at the cost of becoming something I despised. I ate people—my family’s servants, even my close relatives. It made me stronger, but more and more fearful.”

“That headless female corpse—I was the one who planned to harm her, but some other wraith beat me to it.”

“Wait—” Fang Mu frowned and interrupted, “So many people died, and you managed to cover it up?”

How big could Well Dragon County be? Zheng Wen devoured his entire household, yet no one noticed?

Zheng Wen beckoned, and the hand shrouded in black mist suddenly spread open.

Over twenty wraiths appeared behind him, each with a different appearance.

“These are my family and my servants,” Zheng Wen sighed. “You just returned from Meng County, didn’t you?”

Fang Mu nodded. He had indeed just come from Meng County.

Zheng Wen’s expression showed he’d expected as much. He continued, “I can control these wraiths and make them behave like normal people. Unless someone is a Spiritual Adept, no one would notice. Do you know what that means?”

Fang Mu pondered for a moment. “It means other Wraith Adepts can do the same—your kindred spirits as well.”

“Exactly!” Zheng Wen waved his hand and the wraiths vanished. Hatred gleamed in his eyes as he said, “In the end, we might even consume ourselves, but there’s a sense of resonance before then.”

That sense of resonance—Fang Mu thought of the ruined temple, where the monk had already felt it and confessed in his letter, though it was too late.

“You either end up eating yourself, or there’s another possibility!” Zheng Wen gritted his teeth. “Before that resonance, someone sends us to die. That’s why you were sent here—it solves the resonance problem and washes his hands of us.”

Fang Mu asked, “And after you die, what benefit does it bring him? Is it just about cutting ties?”

“We are the sons, he is the mother.” At this, Zheng Wen fell silent for a moment before continuing, “The method he gave us to become Wraith Adepts was already flawed. Once we die, we become wraiths, creatures under his control—his stepping stones.”

Zheng Wen raised his black-shrouded hand, and as the dark mist swirled, his face looked even more sinister.

“Do you know? He placed constraints on us—we can’t reveal his identity, can’t describe him, and certainly can’t take you to him.”

As he spoke, pain twisted Zheng Wen’s face.

“Then, how do you plan to tell us?” Fang Mu asked coolly. “If you can’t reveal the mastermind, did you bring us here just to say this?”

If he couldn’t reveal the true culprit, all this was meaningless.

The air around them grew tense. Zheng Wen could feel Fang Mu and Iron Calculator locking their focus on him.

Zheng Wen forced a bitter smile. “There is a way to find him.”

“Oh?” Fang Mu’s interest was piqued. “How do you propose to tell us about his identity?”

“Kill a Wraith Adept,” Zheng Wen explained. “Once a Wraith Adept is killed, he turns into a wraith and follows the ghostly path to his master. The ghostly path traverses the realms of Yin and Yang. Unless someone is specifically watching, it’s impossible to trace. I can take you to the Wraith Adepts he’s cultivated—just don’t kill me.”

“A fine idea,” Fang Mu said. “What a pity.”

Zheng Wen looked confused, not understanding.

Fang Mu continued, “Aren’t you yourself a Wraith Adept?”

Zheng Wen was stunned, then realized what Fang Mu meant.

They intended to kill him directly and use him as a guide.

This isn’t right—this wasn’t how the script was supposed to go!

Don’t you need me to lead the way? Killing me won’t solve anything!

Fang Mu smiled. “Never mind whether what you say is true. The mere fact that you approached us is suspicious. Your story is well-written, but your performance is too stiff.”

Iron Calculator added, “That’s right. Brother Copper Abacus and I thought the same thing. You’re either trying to use us to kill someone for you, or there’s some other scheme. Either way, it’s not happening...”