Chapter 798: The Will of the People and the Dragon Vein

I had seen the blue-robed Daoist outside the White Rose Beauty Parlor before. Back then, I had clashed with him and even forced obsession into his body.

"Looks like he's recovered quite well."

The Daoist's festering fingers had been bandaged. With his hands behind his back, he patrolled the woods, occasionally drawing a talisman or two and slapping them onto the bushes.

I concealed my aura and crept closer, stepping up right behind the Daoist as if I were nothing but an ordinary person.

"What a coincidence. We meet again."

My sudden voice made the Daoist jump.

The familiar tone sent a shudder through him. He jerked his head around. "W-what are you doing here?!"

"Calm down. Put the talismans down first; I mean no harm." Lowering my voice, I explained, "I'm here on someone's behalf. They want me to activate some grand array?"

I kept it vague, wanting to test the middle-aged Daoist's reaction.

Hearing this, the middle-aged Daoist revealed a trace of confusion. "A grand array? I've been stationed here for several years, and I've never heard of any grand array."

He took a step back, wariness flashing in his eyes. It seemed my actions last night had indeed traumatized him.

"You've never heard of it?" The Black-Robed Anchor had risked the permanent destruction of his Dream Immortal Chant Mother-Child Talisman just to pass this message out; he couldn't possibly be lying to me.

"I'm certain I've never heard of it." The middle-aged Daoist looked at me suspiciously. After a long pause, he finally said, "You said you were entrusted to come here. Can you tell me what this person looks like? After all, this isn't a place ordinary people can enter. Even within the government, we're an invisible department. If your friend knows our stronghold, they must also be an anomaly outside the rules."

The middle-aged Daoist had used some specialized terms. I frowned, not pressing the issue, and simply answered, "I don't know what he looks like either. I've never seen his face."

"You don't know what he looks like, and you actually dared to listen to him and come here?" The middle-aged Daoist massaged his forehead. "I know supreme skill breeds supreme courage, but let me be clear: this is the headquarters of the Jinghai Third Department. Everyone living here is a Daoist master or Celestial Master with real capabilities. It's only because Jinghai is in chaos right now and most people have been dispatched that you could even sneak in."

The Black-Robed Anchor still needed my help handling things in reality, so he had no reason to harm me. Besides, even if he wanted me dead, he wouldn't use such low-level methods. He was not a stupid man.

"Take me inside. I want to confirm it myself."

"I'm afraid that won't do." The middle-aged Daoist looked troubled. "Although the higher-ups aren't strict with us, there's still discipline. If I bring you in and someone gets the wrong idea..."

"If you don't take me in, you'll have to stop me. Is that it?" I stared coldly at the middle-aged Daoist. My black-and-white mask was deeply unsettling, enough to send a chill up one's spine even in broad daylight.

My tone left no room for argument. The middle-aged Daoist sighed. "Follow me. There are many talismans set up here, so don't touch anything."

With the middle-aged Daoist's explanations as he guided me, I gained a new understanding of this special complex.

On the surface, this was the Veteran Cadre Activity Center, but it was actually the headquarters of the Jinghai Third Department.

The so-called Third Department was a special branch detached from public view, dedicated to handling supernatural incidents. It was jointly composed of extraordinary folk practitioners and disciples dispatched by the Five Great Upper Sects.

This was also why, despite Jinghai being many times larger than Jiangcheng, there wasn't a single trace of demonic evil in the inner district.

After passing a few forks in the road, the middle-aged Daoist led me through a small door only wide enough for two people to walk side by side. He said this was actually the main entrance; the large gate outside was just to fool ordinary people.

Once inside, separated from the outside by just a single door, my breathing became much smoother.

"Jinghai is one of the gathering places for the will of the people in Huaxia. The dragon vein beneath our feet carries the nation's fortune and the beautiful wishes of everyone. And this building of ours is built precisely on the dragon eye of the dragon vein! It symbolizes our duty: to oversee Jinghai, patrol on behalf of the heavens, and slay demons!"

The middle-aged Daoist explained from the front, while I followed closely behind. "You keep mentioning the will of the people. What exactly is that?"

"The will of the people is the will of the masses, encompassing all kinds of beautiful blessings and striving thoughts. When the will of the people gathers, the nation's fortune will inevitably prosper." The middle-aged Daoist's face was filled with pride as he said this. "The will of the people and the dragon vein complement each other. After decades of development, the Jinghai dragon vein, nourished by the will of the people, already shows signs of taking flight!"

He spoke with some excitement, his voice growing louder, disturbing an old man playing chess in the distance.

If he hadn't deliberately pressed down a chess piece and made a sound, the middle-aged Daoist and I probably wouldn't have even noticed him as we walked past.

Narrowing my eyes, I turned my head to look at the old man.

He looked completely ordinary, wearing an ash-white shirt and bearing the appearance of a retired veteran cadre. He matched the name of this complex perfectly.

"Department Head, w-why are you out here?" The middle-aged Daoist froze. Clutching his injured hand, he secretly shot me a look, seemingly signaling me to leave quickly.

"Is it not a joy to have friends coming from afar?" The old man placed another piece. The sound of the chess piece hitting the board wasn't loud, yet it felt as if it struck directly against my heart.

There was more to this old man than met the eye.

I grew secretly vigilant. Knowing I couldn't avoid him now, I walked straight over and sat down opposite him.

"Do you know how to play chess?" The old man didn't even look up. His eyes remained fixed on the board, as if nothing in this world was more important than this game.

"No." Unable to figure out his intentions, I answered casually.

"To think there's a Fate Usurper who doesn't know how to play chess." The old man let out a faint laugh. He looked up at me, his eyes gleaming like stars.

The moment he uttered the words "Fate Usurper," the Eighteen Yin Apertures in my body began circulating madly. The phantoms of five massive ghosts loomed over the entire building.

"Old sir, do you truly think my ghosts wouldn't dare to kill in broad daylight?" At this moment, I was genuinely possessed by murderous intent.

Unhurried, the old man placed the chess piece in his hand. Not long after, a man in a suit walked out.

When I saw this man's face, my heart leaped, and I could no longer maintain my calm.

I had seen this impeccably suited man before! When the Five Great Upper Sects surrounded and attacked me at the Three Yin Sect Daoist temple, he had been there.

He was the only person who hadn't attacked from start to finish!

"Perhaps I should call you Mr. Gao?" The old man's gaze never left the chessboard, as if discovering my true identity was a trivial matter. "Chen Wei is one of our people. When the Five Great Upper Sects surrounded you back then, he just happened to be invited along."

"And so? What are you trying to do now?" Thoughts flashed through my mind one after another.

The fact that the Jinghai Third Department knew I was a Fate Usurper wasn't too serious of an issue in itself. But I had come here at the request of the Black-Robed Anchor. According to what Xiao A said in the Deep Dream Layer, the Black-Robed Anchor should be someone who despised Fate Usurpers to the extreme!

Putting the two things together, I grew increasingly certain that this was a trap targeting me!

"Are you worrying right now? Afraid that this is a trap and that we might attack and kill you?" The old man seemed capable of seeing through people's hearts; what he said was almost exactly what I was thinking.

"What else?" I sneered coldly. I had plenty of trump cards on me; if a real fight broke out, I wouldn't necessarily lose.

"Relax. Not only will we not lay a hand on you, we'll even lend you a hand." The old man stood up and walked deeper into the building. "The person who sent you here—was he wrapped entirely in a black robe, without a single inch of skin showing?"

The person he described was exactly the Black-Robed Anchor, but the more he spoke like this, the more uneasy I felt.

"That person's entire family was killed by a Fate Usurper. His own Fate Pattern was also stolen by a Fate Usurper. He was disfigured and covered in scars, which is why he resents Fate Usurpers." The old man gave me a meaningful look. "He hates Fate Usurpers, not you."

I stopped in my tracks. "What do you mean?"

Chen Wei, who was beside him, followed the old man and only dared to speak after receiving a signal. "The Department Head hasn't told him this news. Furthermore, our relationship with him is strictly cooperative, just like what our relationship with you will be in the future."

"You want to recruit me?" I couldn't understand how things had escalated to this point.

"We noticed you last night when you tried to force your way through the checkpoint. We had intended to contact you immediately, but unfortunately, that man beat us to it. However, it seems heaven has its own plans. Even we didn't expect that he would send you to activate the dragon vein grand array!"