Chapter 579: Treacherous Banquet

Wang Yu's paintings captured his emotions; each one seemed to possess a soul.

"This child is destined for greatness." I folded Wang Yu's drawing, tucked it into my pocket, switched off the light, and prepared to leave.

When I reached the entrance, Bai Qi suddenly barked twice at the door, nudging it wider with his head as if deliberately trying to please whoever was outside.

Moonlight spilled over the tips of her dark hair, the silver frost accentuating her plain dress. She stood with her hands clasped tight, a trace of shyness and surprise on her face—like she had been shoved to the center of a stage before she was ready.

"Gao... Gao Jian, what a coincidence..."

Huang Xue stood in the doorway wearing a light-colored casual dress. She must have been waiting for a while.

"What are you doing here? Did you overhear what I was discussing with Mr. Gu?" My expression darkened, the chill in my voice shattering the romantic atmosphere.

"No, I came to bring some pastries for Wang Yu." Huang Xue held out a delicate basket toward me. "I just made some yogurt purple sweet potato mash. Would you like a taste?"

Ever since she had entered the dream, Huang Xue's condition had improved immensely, and she was recovering fast.

She looked a little shy, seemingly worried that her cooking wasn't up to par. "This is my first time making purple sweet potato mash. Try it. If you don't like it, I can also make milk banana egg custard, rose mochi, coconut sago pudding, and..."

"No need." I stepped out the door, brushing past her. "I have things to do. We'll talk another time."

"Oh. Well, stay safe."

I called Bai Qi and walked more than ten meters before looking back. That picturesque, delicate girl was still standing outside the door with her basket, staring at the withered cherry blossom tree, lost in thought.

...

I forced all those messy thoughts out of my head and slapped my own cheeks. Catching a cab back to Ting Tang Road, I started making my final preparations.

Chen Jiuge was a disciple of the Xiao Zhuang Taoist Temple. He was representing the temple in this hunt for the Ghost Mother. If I made a move against him, I would be provoking the most mysterious sect of the righteous path.

'The major righteous sects originally agreed to meet in three days. They only arrived in Jiangcheng today because of Chen Jiuge's proposal. Why did he rush over in such a frantic hurry?' During the Live Show broadcast in the Deep Dream Layer, I had been wearing the Good and Evil Asura Mask, so he shouldn't have recognized me. But he knew to come to Jiangcheng. Could the Traitors have leaked my information to him?

If that was true, then exactly how much the Traitors had revealed to Chen Jiuge would be the key to breaking out of this situation.

'No wonder he's in a rush. There are only three days between the two Live Show broadcasts. He has to use the excuse of hunting the Ghost Mother to come to Jiangcheng and find an opportunity to get rid of me within this window.' Thinking of it this way, Chen Jiuge's timeframe was even tighter than mine, unless he was willing to spend points to exempt himself from a broadcast.

Sitting in the center of the Adult Shop, I tapped my fingers against the desk, too lazy to even light a cigarette.

'According to what the Traitors said before, Chen Jiuge should be a mole trained by the Two-Faced Buddha to infiltrate the Live Show. But now he is involved with the Xiao Zhuang Taoist Temple and belongs to the righteous path. Is this also part of the Two-Faced Buddha's plan?' I was extremely curious how a Fate Usurper had managed to plant his own subordinate into a major righteous sect.

'He's playing a very big game of chess, and I don't have the vision to see through it yet.' During the last broadcast, the Live Show had issued an optional task to see through the Two-Faced Buddha's schemes in the Dream Realm. Looking back, that task must have been crucial. Unfortunately, I had been entirely on the defensive in the dream, leaving me with neither the chance nor the time to find any answers.

'This is my first contact with Chen Jiuge. Since I was wearing the Good and Evil Asura Mask at the time, he shouldn't know anything about me. All of his information must have come from the Traitors. But the Traitors and the Two-Faced Buddha are merely cooperating, and I haven't completely severed ties with the Traitors yet. If they still want me to join them, they probably won't move in for the kill. From this, I can deduce that they didn't tell Chen Jiuge much. As long as I stay cautious and don't panic, I should still have a chance to turn the tables.'

At that thought, I slowly relaxed, lit a cigarette, and watched the rising smoke.

'The enemy is in the open while I am in the dark. This is an opportunity.' I flipped through my ancient disguise technique book and looked at the Human Skin Mask on the last page. 'Maybe I can invent a fictional killer to mislead them.'

While I was meticulously formulating my murder plan, my phone suddenly rang. I looked at the caller ID in surprise.

'Huang Boyuan? Why is he calling me?' Under normal circumstances, Secretary Zhang should be the one contacting me. He rarely used this private number.

I thought for a moment, hit record, and answered the call.

"Gao Jian, are you busy?"

"Just spit it out. I'm quite curious about what could trouble Director Huang enough to call me personally."

"It's something important. Where are you right now? I'll have Little Zhang pick you up."

"Explain things first." I heard something fishy in Huang Boyuan's tone. His voice was low and his words exceptionally polite, as if there was some big shot beside him whom even he didn't dare offend.

"It's a good thing. A few immortal Daoist masters have arrived in Jiangcheng. They heard about your heroic deeds to save the city and want to meet you."

"Immortal Daoist masters?" Hearing this, my heart skipped a beat. These people had just arrived in Jiangcheng and were already looking for me.

What is a blessing is not a disaster, what is a disaster cannot be avoided. I crushed out my cigarette. "Alright then. I'm at my shop on Ting Tang Road. Have Secretary Zhang pick me up."

"Done. He'll be there in fifteen minutes. Oh, and make sure you dress up a bit, kid!"

Hanging up the phone, I looked at the cigarette ash on the floor and pulled out two of the Miaozhen temple's Cleansing Dust Talismans to use on myself. I didn't do this for cleanliness, but to dispel the Yin energy and bad luck on my body—just to prevent anyone observant from connecting me to the Three Yin Sect.

Hiding the Good and Evil Asura Mask and the Human Skin Mask inside my jacket, I left Bai Qi to guard the place. I locked the shop door and went outside. A short while later, Secretary Zhang pulled up to my door in Director Huang's private car.

"You even brought Director Huang's ride over. You guys really value me."

"It's not us who value you, it's those immortal Daoist masters. Mr. Gao, once you strike it rich, don't forget that your brother here once drove for you."

I wasn't in the mood to banter with Secretary Zhang, so I just smiled and stayed silent.

At five minutes to nine, Secretary Zhang drove me into Century New Garden.

As soon as we reached the entrance, an attendant ran over to open the car door, then led me up to the banquet hall on the second floor.

It was incredibly lively inside. A massive sea of people filled the hall, making it look almost identical to the scene of Jiang Chen's wedding over a month ago.

The attendant left after guiding me into the hall. I walked among the various tables. The setup looked a lot like a business banquet.

All the food in the hall was free to eat, and dedicated servers stood by to handle the alcohol and beverages.

'Where is Huang Boyuan?' The atmosphere in the hall was great, but it was a bit too noisy for Daoist practitioners. I figured those Daoists were probably in a private room right now.

I was in no rush. After running around all day, my stomach was already growling with hunger. It was the perfect time for a full meal.

Surrounded by a crowd of elites in evening gowns and suits, I stood out like a sore thumb as I sat in the hall holding a massive plate, stuffing my face with food.

Disdainful and contemptuous gazes frequently swept over me. These people spoke with remarkable eloquence, engaging in high-level discussions to show off their knowledge and refinement. I didn't care in the slightest. I guzzled red wine, thinking I probably should have brought Bai Qi along so he could have a huge meal too.

"Young Master Jiang, why did you come out?"

Someone in the hall called out, and many people turned their heads to look.

"Young Master Jiang is already a manager at such a young age. His future is limitless."

"Of course. He's the young master of Jiangjin Real Estate. He was destined to stand above others from the moment he was born."

"He's walking this way! Oh my god, is he going to ask me to dance?"

"Get out of the way, you hag! Young Master Jiang is here for me."

A slight commotion broke out in the banquet hall. The man who had just walked out of the private room seemed to bring his own spotlight, quickly becoming the center of the guests' attention. He was handsome and possessed a mature aura, carrying the confidence of a successful man.

As he entered the banquet hall, he nodded politely and casually chatted with the people around him. Confident and radiant, he looked exactly like one of those perfect men trending online.

"Why did Young Master Jiang come out of the private room?"

"Is he going to welcome a guest? A very important guest seemed to arrive earlier, and Young Master Jiang came out personally to welcome them too."

"I don't know, let's watch and see."

Many people tried to use the opportunity to strike up a conversation with Jiang Chen, but he politely declined them all. He walked straight across the banquet hall, heading toward the most secluded corner.