Chapter 655: Tracking

After the thirteenth live broadcast, many items related to feigned death appeared in the Live Show's product catalog. These new additions put me on high alert.

'What kind of peril will I encounter in the future? Do I really have to rely on feigning death to escape?'

'The Breath-Severing Pill and the Feigned Death Doll aren't too expensive. I should redeem them just in case.' I had saved two innocent people during the last broadcast and received an extra twenty points as a reward. Now that my total points broke a hundred, I felt quite wealthy.

'Among the new items, there's also a Ghost-Detaining Token. It costs ten points—the same price as an Upper Vehicle Talisman. This token perfectly complements my ghost arts. Getting my hands on it would be like giving wings to a tiger.' Although the Ghost-Detaining Token could only be used once, it could become my ultimate trump card if I found the right opportunity.

Taking out my phone, I thought it over before sending a message to the Live Show. I redeemed the Breath-Severing Pill, the Feigned Death Doll, the Nine Palaces Realm-Breaking Divine Talisman, the Earth Divine Talisman, and the Ghost-Detaining Token.

'This transaction cost thirty-five points in total, leaving me with seventy-eight.' Only after receiving the Live Show's confirmation receipt did I put my phone away and gaze casually at the scenery outside the car window.

'I have to save Sakurako's life, and I'll have to enter the Deep Dream Layer sooner or later. Because of that, the Secret Manual of Xiaozhuang Temple is absolutely crucial to me.' The people from the Daoist sects were scheming against me, but I was scheming right back. 'There are three days and two nights before the next broadcast starts. Delaying will only invite trouble. I need to make a decision as soon as possible.'

When I arrived at the Central Bank of Jiangcheng, the lobby manager had already been waiting for some time. I retrieved my black package and withdrew all the cash from my bank cards to carry on me, creating the illusion that I was preparing to flee.

Leaving the bank with the items I redeemed from the Live Show in hand, I felt much more relaxed.

I bought a bunch of food along the way and took a car back to Ting Tang Road.

The shop door wasn't locked. I pushed it open. "Bai Qi, time to eat!"

My voice echoed through the empty shop, but no one was there.

'Where did he run off to?' I placed the food on the table, pulled a stun gun from the drawer, and slowly made my way up to the second floor. "Bai Qi?"

I pushed the wooden door open. The room was completely empty.

'Everything in the room is untouched, and the marks I left haven't been disturbed. No outsiders could have come in last night. So where did Bai Qi go? He's incredibly smart; there's no way he'd lose himself!' Just as I was starting to worry, my ears twitched. I suddenly heard a few barks. "Bai Qi?"

I hurried downstairs and followed the sound, stepping out of the adult store and stopping in front of the restaurant next door.

This small restaurant had just opened recently. The couple who originally lived here were mistakenly killed by the Blood Fox, and I had even seen their family of three on the Death Train. 'A new neighbor?'

Because of the broadcasts, I had been exhausted from running around and hadn't paid much attention. Thinking about it carefully, this place had already been open for a week.

Standing outside the door, I called out Bai Qi's name.

He must have heard my voice. Not long after, the restaurant's wooden door was nudged open, and Bai Qi squeezed out sneakily with half a roast chicken in his mouth.

"Did you... steal someone's food?" I looked at Bai Qi, whose mouth was dripping with grease as he ran over wagging his tail. Feeling completely speechless, I pushed his big head aside. "Stay here and don't run around. I'll go pay your bill."

Right after I spoke, before I could even step into the restaurant, its wooden door slammed shut with a bang and was locked from the inside.

Standing at the door, I realized I was being snubbed. 'Refusing to see me? It seems Bai Qi really made a mess for them.'

I let out a bitter smile, pulled out a hundred-yuan bill, and slipped it under the gap in the door. "I'm really sorry. My dog caused trouble for you."

There was no response from inside the restaurant. I shook my head and led Bai Qi back to the adult store.

'This new neighbor seems to have a problem with me.' I checked Bai Qi's body and found no signs of him being struck. The shop owner obviously hadn't made things difficult for him. But thinking about it brought up a question: the owner hadn't harmed Bai Qi and even gave him half a roast chicken, yet when I, his owner, came to the door, they locked it and refused to say a word.

'I can't shake the feeling that this new neighbor knows me. Have we met before?' I stood by the window, looking at the restaurant next door. 'Refusing to open for business in broad daylight—there's definitely a problem. But now isn't the time to worry about that. My most urgent task is getting rid of the people from the Daoist sects.'

Taking the food out of the bag, I ate while dialing Secretary Zhang from Ganding Pharmaceuticals.

"Mr. Gao? Do you need something?"

"Yes, it's urgent. I need you to find a few traditional Chinese medicines and deliver them to Ting Tang Road."

"What do you need traditional Chinese medicine for? Also, aren't you with the immortal master from the upper sect? Chairman Huang was afraid of disturbing you and specifically instructed us to temporarily suspend all contact with you." Secretary Zhang's voice came through the phone with a very official tone.

"Suspend all contact with me?" I raised an eyebrow. That old fox Huang Boyuan had already sniffed out the danger. He saw that I was at odds with the sect cultivators and was afraid of getting burned, which was why he told Secretary Zhang to cut contact. 'All under heaven bustle for profit, all under heaven hustle for gain. A businessman is just a businessman.'

I sighed and continued. "The immortal master you mentioned already let me leave. Right now, I need patchouli, angelica dahurica, atractylodes, perilla leaves, and rhubarb. I hope you can deliver them to Ting Tang Road within an hour. Also, isn't it time to pay out the dividends for the medical and wine prescriptions I sold to you?"

"Mr. Gao, the wine and medical prescriptions are still in the testing phase. It will be a long time before they can hit the market."

"That won't work. I urgently need money right now. How about this," I said casually, tapping my fingers on the table. "Advance me a million first. You can deduct it from my dividends once you start making money."

"A million?!" Secretary Zhang paused noticeably. "I can't make that call. Wait a moment, I'll go ask Director Huang."

Just a few minutes later, the phone rang again. Huang Boyuan's voice came through the receiver.

"What do you need a million for?" Huang Boyuan cut right to the chase the moment he spoke.

"Do I need a reason to spend money?" I pulled a five-yuan bill from the drawer, training Bai Qi to go buy cigarettes for me.

"Secretary Zhang has left. I'm alone in my office, so no one can hear our conversation." Huang Boyuan's voice was a bit hoarse; it seemed he hadn't slept well these past few days. "Jiangcheng is about to descend into chaos. You're close to those Daoists—have you heard any insider information?"

"No. Those Daoists guard against me like a thief. Even if they had insider information, there's no way they would tell me," I answered without a second thought.

"Bullshit! If you haven't heard anything, why are you asking me for a million? Aren't you just preparing to run?" Huang Boyuan rarely swore, but he let one slip. "You give me intel, and I give you the money and the medicine. We both get what we need. Let me tell you the truth: plenty of people can cough up a million, but aside from Ganding Pharmaceuticals, no one in all of Jiangcheng can gather those herbs for you on such short notice. Think carefully."

These herbs were the beacon Daoist master Wan needed to find me. I had to gather them as soon as possible. I pondered for a moment before speaking. "Jiangcheng is about to become ground zero for a disaster. You'd better hang that painting your wife left behind in your room. Also, I'll give you one piece of advice—don't go out after dark."

Hanging up the phone, I tossed it aside and buried my head in my food.

Around two or three in the afternoon, a black sedan parked in front of the shop. To my surprise, the person who stepped out of the car was Huang Boyuan's eldest daughter, Huang Lan.

"The old man didn't trust anyone else, so he sent me to deliver these to you personally." The tall, full-figured Huang Lan retrieved a silver suitcase from the passenger seat. "The medicines you asked for are all inside. The old man prepared three sets of everything."

After saying that, she pulled two bank cards from her tailored suit jacket. "The password is six ones. They were opened at private banks. They're safe and untraceable; no one will be able to track them."

"Thank Director Huang for me when you get back."

Tucking away the bank cards and the suitcase, I was just about to enter the shop when Huang Lan stopped me. "Hey! The old man also had a message for me to pass on to you."

"What is it?"

I stopped in my tracks and turned around, only to see Huang Lan step away from the car and lean close to my ear. "Those ox-nosed old Daoists from Century New Garden approached him and Jiang Detao, wanting to team up to control you."

"I already knew that." I nodded and turned to walk away, but before I could even take a step, Huang Lan suddenly grabbed my arm. She spoke rapidly.

"The old man didn't agree, but Jiang Detao did. Supposedly, Jiang Detao used all his connections last night and found Wang Yu in the Jiangcheng county district."

After saying that, she let go, got back into the car, and drove away.

'They found Wang Yu last night?' My expression shifted unpredictably. 'If that's really the case, I'm afraid I'll have to push my plans forward.'

Stroking the Ghost Ring, I entered the shop, locked the door, and took out the herbs from the suitcase.

These herbs had a strong scent. When mixed together, they emitted an even more distinctive odor.

This scent was highly attractive to certain guiding Gu insects. I guessed that Daoist master Wan planned to use this method to find me.

Grinding and mixing the medicine, I wrapped them in paper, divided them into three portions, and stuffed them all into the Embroidered Cloth Bag that originally held the Fate Ghost Eyeball.

'I hope Daoist master Wan can get here soon. If he's too late, he'll probably only be collecting my corpse.'

I circulated the Profound Truth Mental Method inside the shop to recover my Pre-Heaven True Qi. When evening arrived, I brought Bai Qi out of the shop and strolled aimlessly along Ting Tang Road.

'The surveillance cameras on the street have adjusted their angles to specifically monitor my shop. The pedestrians around here look suspicious too; there must be plainclothes cops mixed in among them.' I found a food stall and sat down. Not long after, the originally deserted stall suddenly bustled with activity.

Keeping my head down to eat, I feigned complete ignorance, though a plan was already taking shape in my mind.

'There are two places where I can trap and kill the sect cultivators: Jianghu Cancer Research Hospital and the Three Yin Sect graveyard. Going to Jianghu Cancer Research Hospital is tantamount to openly declaring that I'm connected to Chen Jiuge's death. Going to the Three Yin Sect, on the other hand, risks exposing the fact that I slaughtered their entire sect. What a difficult choice...'