"So, you’re saying they didn’t find it, huh? I’ve heard Qin Kun from Binhai County has already arrived in Nanwu County. On his first day there, he almost beat three members of the Sacred Fire Sect to death."
"The fools from the Sacred Fire Sect dared to use... uh... something in front of Qin Kun."
"Are you confident you can deal with Qin Kun?"
"He didn’t go all the way to Nanwu County just to beat people up, did he?"
So he’s saying they didn’t find it? Lady Lie’s mind raced. Dared to use what? Gathering intelligence on members of the Sacred Fire Sect isn’t difficult. They followed the usual paths into the Divine Land; thinking they could completely hide their identities is nothing but a pipe dream. But I haven’t even figured out what exactly Qin Kun did that day, or what specifically happened during their encounter. How could Su Yue already know all this? No wonder! No wonder the Sacred Fire Sect was so thoroughly humiliated when they visited, not daring to utter a peep before promptly beating a hasty retreat. There must have been some serious leverage, something not meant for public knowledge, that Qin Kun caught them with red-handed. I had planned to use Qin Kun’s situation to test him, but it turns out he knows even more than I do, right down to the specifics.
Lady Lie immediately adjusted her approach. Just painting pies in the sky is definitely useless. She decided to reveal her hand.
"Young Master Su, I’ll be frank. We hope to cooperate with you. Even if you’re not interested in the Soul Devouring Beast, there’s no conflict of interest between us. As long as you’re willing to cooperate and help find the Soul Devouring Beast, we’ll give you a piece of intelligence that you’ll definitely be interested in."
Wen Yan’s eyelids drooped. He remained silent and expressionless.
Lady Lie continued, "The location of a Ba’s fall, including a token."
Wen Yan felt the Little Zombie holding onto him tighten its grip slightly.
"Which Ba?" he asked.
Now we’re talking about my area of expertise, Wen Yan thought, no longer feeling sleepy.
As far as Wen Yan knew, Fuyu Mountain records mentioned three beings that could be called Ba. However, in popular legends, the term seemed to refer to only one specific entity.
Wen Yan’s single question left Lady Lie dumbfounded. There’s more than one Ba? she wondered.
Maintaining her composure, she casually replied, "I’m not sure, but the location of the fall is real, the token is genuine as well, and we can add an old map on top."
Wen Yan could sense the Little Zombie seemed very anxious and keenly interested in this news, but he himself didn’t feel particularly moved. He only knew of the Ba’s existence; he had no clear concept of how significant this matter truly was to zombies.
Lady Lie was secretly disappointed by his reaction. Logically, the fallen site of a Ba should be an unmissable opportunity for a faction with such powerful zombie-controlling abilities. But now that I’ve heard there’s more than one Ba, this bargaining chip probably isn’t enough.
After a moment’s thought, she immediately raised her offer, her tone serious. "In addition, the Chunjun Mace. The real Chunjun Mace."
Wen Yan felt the Little Zombie’s grip tighten further, signaling that this item was even more important than the last. It was on the verge of turning into a wailing creature. Wen Yan reached out and gently squeezed the Little Zombie’s restless arm.
How should I respond? he pondered. I’ve never even heard the name ’Chunjun Mace’ before.
After a moment’s thought, he decided to be honest. "Sorry, my knowledge is limited. I’ve never heard of this item."
Lady Lie was surprised by Wen Yan’s answer. However, she quickly rationalized it to herself. He must be one of those sheltered ’second-generation’ types, she thought, her earlier impression deepening.
"The Chunjun Mace was once a powerful warrior’s weapon," she explained. "It’s rumored to have a strong ability to control zombies."
Upon hearing this, a familiar feeling washed over Wen Yan. Here we go again, he thought. The pie-in-the-sky promises, the sales pitch.
He couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Lady Lie felt slightly embarrassed. Even I don’t believe this exaggeration, she thought. These were all things Zhuge Wanjun told me. We’ve had this item for a long time and have certainly researched it thoroughly.
She wasn’t clear on exactly how they had obtained it. She only knew Zhuge Wanjun had said its origins were undoubtedly legitimate, but it had become useless over time due to its age.
For a faction that controls zombies, even a ruined item is still extremely valuable. But he doesn’t seem uninterested, just completely ignorant about the Chunjun Mace. My expectations for this offer should be lower.
"To show our sincerity," Lady Lie said, "the next time I come, I can hand over the Chunjun Mace to you, Young Master Su, as long as you agree to cooperate."
"Let’s put the Chunjun Mace aside for now," Wen Yan said. "First, tell me about this Soul Devouring Beast you’re looking for. You want my help, so you need to be specific. What exactly do you need me to do? I don’t even know what the task is, so how can I help?"
Lady Lie chose her words carefully, revealing a little more. "It’s : we’ve found some traces, but the location is difficult for us to access. Zombies are the most suitable for the task. However, ordinary zombies with low Spiritual Intelligence probably wouldn’t be able to handle it well."
"Oh, I see. We’ll talk about it next time." It’s probably that walled-off area in the chemical plant Domain, Wen Yan guessed.
He also wanted to find the Soul Devouring Beast. And I probably understand it better than anyone else, he thought. But he couldn’t make his intentions too obvious. It was just like before, when he had merely expressed a slight desire to peek inside the walled area, and the consistently deferential White-haired Zombie had decisively refused him.
Wen Yan calculated the time. It was almost dawn. He rose to leave, casually picking up the Red Fox, which was curled into a ball.
Lady Lie merely glanced at the still-unconscious Red Fox and said nothing. Such a good-for-nothing, collapsing just from being dragged into the water. Not worth wasting my breath on, she thought, uninterested in what Wen Yan planned to do with it.