Chapter 184 The Calm Before the Storm

In a certain car.

Zhang Hao finally received the Zhenyao Museum curator's message.

For some reason, perhaps it was his imagination, but he sensed a hint of gritted-teeth difficulty in those short six words. The corner of his mouth twitched. Thinking of Grandmaster Zhang Ruosu's words, Zhang Hao felt he had to bite the bullet and go, no matter how difficult it was.

To be honest, he used to love wandering around those old neighborhoods.

Especially after a case. They weren't as bustling and lively as the new districts, but the solid pavement, the thick old trees on both sides, and the slow, lazy atmosphere could relax someone in his profession from the bottom of their heart, whether it was eating a boxed lunch in the car or squatting under a tree for a smoke.

When someone came, he'd put out the cigarette, smile apologetically, and walk away.

It gave people a sense of relief, of unloading a heavy burden, a feeling of ease from the heart out.

Well, that's how it used to be.

Now, he'd rather stay in the office than go to that old street.

When did it start?

Ah, ever since he met Curator Wei.

The atmosphere over there always felt heavier and heavier.

Zhang Hao sighed, put out his cigarette, and floored the accelerator. Xiang Hongbao was still reminiscing about that steaming bowl of instant noodles and the delicious broth. That little bit wasn't enough; he just felt hungrier. He turned to look at Zhang Hao and asked, "Where are we going? Why the long face?"

Zhang Hao said, "You wouldn't understand."

Xiang Hongbao curled his lip. "Isn't it just calling for reinforcements?"

"I heard everything. What's not to understand about a museum?"

Zhang Hao sighed. "You'll understand when we get there."

His foot pressed firmly on the gas pedal.

Xiang Hongbao muttered to himself, how could even a car dedicated to the action team feel like it had that push-back feeling?

These guys definitely modified it.

A moment later, Zhang Hao turned into the old street, rummaged in the car, and found a small packet of soda crackers. Xiang Hongbao wondered if the soda crackers were expired. The things were so damp they felt like underwear left in a southern dorm room during the rainy season. There was no crispness at all.

Just then, Xiang Hongbao's pupils suddenly contracted.

He felt an indescribable bone-chilling sensation rise in his heart.

His back straightened subconsciously.

He heard a hissing sound, like steel, yet also like a raging warhorse.

And a sorrow that spanned countless years.

He turned his head involuntarily.

Silence.

He looked left and right, and saw a few shops behind him. It was rare to see new shops in such an old street. One was a bookstore, and the other was an art studio. The chill seemed to come from those two shops, but upon closer inspection, that feeling was completely gone.

Xiang Hongbao turned to look at Zhang Hao, and said strangely, "Did you hear anything?"

Zhang Hao looked at him in confusion and asked, "What?"

"...Never mind."

Xiang Hongbao shrugged and tossed the damp crackers back.

"But you're right, there is something wrong here."

Zhang Hao had already gotten out of the car, so Xiang Hongbao followed suit. He saw the museum and his eyes lit up slightly. As Zhang Hao took a deep breath, adjusted his mentality, and walked inside, Xiang Hongbao followed behind and saw the others eating dinner. He reached out and patted Zhang Hao's shoulder, saying, "Isn't this pretty cozy?"

He saw a young man scraping rice off his plate. Beside him was probably his sister, who had a good appetite. Over there were two very beautiful ladies, and an empty chair beside them, obviously someone had temporarily left that seat. There was a sense of family gathering for a meal here. Xiang Hongbao said, "What's so strange about it?"

Zhang Hao's body stiffened.

In his eyes, there was an obviously unusual mysterious girl, a Tian Nu (Heavenly Maiden) senior whom even the Grandmaster respected, the beloved of Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu. Looking around, he could only be thankful that the Qingqiu fox clan members weren't here. If they were, plus a nine-tailed fox…

As a small Daoist priest experiencing the world, he really couldn't handle it.

Wei Yuan's eyes lit up when he saw the walking five hundred thousand.

Could it be that he was here to pay?

So he coughed lightly and asked, "Zhang Hao, who is this?"

Zhang Hao came back to his senses and introduced him. "Ah, this is Xiang Hongbao. He's one of our own, a member of the Jingjiao Church who infiltrated the Western Church. But someone reported him, so he was only released today."

One of our own?

Wei Yuan's expression froze slightly, but he didn't show it.

"Such a thing happened? That's truly regrettable..."

Xiang Hongbao saw the young museum curator's genuine emotions on his face and was greatly moved.

He felt that this was a truly empathetic person.

See, see, isn't this much better than the saints in the Jingjiao scriptures?

Wei Yuan invited the two to sit down and talk. Just then, Yuanjue walked out from the back. He had just gone to the kitchen to get food. Seeing the two, he smiled and said, "Are these Curator Wei's guests? Would you like this humble monk to get two more sets of bowls and chopsticks?"

Wei Yuan said, "Since you're here, I'll have to trouble you, Yuanjue."

"Haha, you're too kind."

The big monk turned back and brought out two more bowls of rice.

Xiang Hongbao was already starving and couldn't take it anymore. He thanked him and took one.

Zhang Hao was still a little restrained. He thanked him, and when he turned to take the bowl, he saw an extremely familiar face. His expression froze. Those videos he had watched today surged into his mind, the absolute protagonist of Buddhist debates, the disciple of the Tang Dynasty's Xuanzang, the Consciousness-Only School…

"You, you…"

The big monk bowed with one hand, his voice gentle, and said, "This humble monk is currently staying with Curator Wei."

"I'm just doing some chores on the side."

"Just a small handyman in this museum."

Museum, handyman…

Zhang Hao opened his mouth, looked at this small museum, and was speechless for a moment.

Only Xiang Hongbao, who had been imprisoned early and had his phone confiscated, forcing him offline, didn't know the monk's background. He was carefree and ate happily. Feng Siyu could only grind her teeth in anger, and the speed of her chopsticks increased.

Jue's expression was calm and elegant.

Yu Ji only heard that this young man's surname was Xiang, and her eyes flickered slightly.

In Shenzhou, it was customary to talk business at the dinner table. Wei Yuan asked what had happened, and Zhang Hao calmed himself down and told the story of why he had come in such a hurry. When he mentioned that Western cultivators, especially those with divinity, were about to enter the waters of Shenzhou, Wei Yuan frowned and interrupted, "Did they report this to Longhu Mountain in advance?"

Cultivators, especially those at the level of divinity, were strategic forces to ordinary people.

Entering another country's territory required notification.

Zhang Hao shook his head and said, "The Celestial Master said he'll deal with them after this matter is over."

"The priority is to figure out what happened in the East Sea."

Wei Yuan nodded, his brow furrowed slightly. The power of the Western Church was not weak. The elites of the New World and Australian branches had disappeared together, and the simulated angels with divinity had directly lost contact. Clearly, the East Sea contained some kind of danger that could instantly wipe out cultivators at the level of simulated angels.

This danger in Shenzhou's territorial waters had to be dealt with.

This was what Zhang Ruosu meant.

Eliminate the danger first, then deal with those who didn't follow the rules.

The East Sea…

Wei Yuan closed his eyes, and a name instinctively appeared in his mind.

Gonggong.

The great god who had shattered Buzhou Mountain and caused the heavens to tilt to the northwest.

The one who had led to the great flood of the Age of Gods, and was sealed under the East Sea by Yu leading the gods and myriad races.

Although the entrance had been directly sealed off back then.

No one could guarantee it.

Could it be that Gonggong had revived?

Wei Yuan's eyes twitched, and the more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

If it was Gonggong, dealing with a few simulated angels with divinity would be as easy as eating.

Just then, Xiang Hongbao's phone rang again. He reluctantly put down his chopsticks, picked up his phone, and answered the call. He realized that the call was from the Church. Before he could walk out, the Church's voice came through.

"Xiang! Find Shenzhou's cultivators immediately!"

The old man on the other end had lost his original composure, leaving only gnashing teeth and anger.

"But don't let their high-level cultivators know directly."

"Try to handle it gently. The New World Church is spreading rumors that Shenzhou harmed our priests and angels. Now they've provoked the Inquisitor-General to lead an elite force from the sea to Shenzhou, demanding an explanation from Shenzhou's cultivators. Find a way to stop them!"

"Be sure to bring them back."

"This matter hasn't been clarified yet, don't escalate the conflict. Remember, don't let their high-level cultivators get directly involved. Try to handle it through official channels. Those high-level cultivators might directly take action…"

The call ended.

The corners of Xiang Hongbao's mouth twitched. He was silent for a moment, then turned awkwardly to look at the group at the table and said, "That's, that's it."

"Those fanatic lunatics from the Church Inquisitorial Court are already on their way."

Wei Yuan put down his chopsticks.

Yuanjue's eyes were peaceful.

Zhang Hao opened his mouth.

Wei Yuan raised his hand to stop Zhang Hao, looked at Xiang Hongbao, and asked in a calm voice, "Didn't he tell you not to tell Shenzhou's high-level cultivators? What are you going to do? This is, after all, your faith."

Xiang Hongbao was stunned, and said, "Of course, I'm going to find the Celestial Master directly."

He cursed, "What official channels? What are they planning to do? Trying to play the democracy card, planning to use international public opinion to pressure people? Bah! I know what shit those guys are going to say before they even fart."

He noticed that there were also girls present, so he held back his words, then said matter-of-factly, "Hey, don't look at me like that. It's true that I joined the Church. There's no way around that. But Shenzhou's territory and territorial waters are inviolable. That's also my faith."

"Faiths have priorities, right?"

"Other faiths have to wait. Shenzhou's territory is inviolable. That's my factory setting, okay? How could I betray my country for God?"

Xiang Hongbao coughed and said solemnly, "Let me introduce myself. Xiang Hongbao, a contract worker in the Church Jingjiao Street Office's Literary and Artistic Studio, with a three-year probationary period before being promoted to a permanent position."

"So, you should call me Comrade."

Xiang Hongbao saw that no one was responding, so he scratched his head awkwardly.

Then he said, "Zhang Hao, can you find the Celestial Master? Hurry up and find a high-level cultivator to take care of those lunatics from the Church Inquisitorial Court."

Yu Meiren's voice was calm. "Lunatics? That's not necessarily the case."

Xiang Hongbao was stunned.

Yu Meiren gently tapped the table with her finger, thoughtfully.

"On the one hand, they're sending the Church Inquisitorial Court. On the other hand, they're telling Shenzhou this news through you. That way, even if things develop to the worst possible situation, as long as they find you and bring out the message records, they can at least clear the Church."

"The Church is innocent. That's the inevitable outcome. But is that really the case?"

"With the revival of spiritual energy, are you sure that the Church isn't trying to test the extent of the revival of this ancient land of Shenzhou, taking advantage of the Church Inquisitorial Court's anger to act accordingly?"

Xiang Hongbao opened his mouth.

In that instant, he felt something dirty called political maneuvering.

He reacted and murmured, "So, it's best if the Celestial Master doesn't take action."

"This matter shouldn't involve Shenzhou's strongest cultivators. It has to show Shenzhou's foundation."

Feng Siyu said, "Yu-jiejie, you're so amazing..."

Yu Meiren was silent for a moment, then said calmly, "I only learned a little from an old man surnamed Fan."

"It's not worth mentioning."

Xiang Hongbao's scalp tingled. "What should we do? Zhang Hao, find a way to contact others... There should be many other experts in the Celestial Master's Mansion."

Wei Yuan stood up and looked at the honest monk beside him. "Yuanjue, do you want to stretch your legs?"

The monk put his palms together and said, "You're the curator, and I'm the handyman. If you say we need to stretch our legs, of course there's no problem."

Xiang Hongbao was stunned and stammered, "Are you guys crazy? That's the Church Inquisitorial Court! They're a bunch of lunatics!"

"They're very good at fighting."

Wei Yuan said, "Elites? I'm used to it."

He fought them often during the Qin Dynasty.

Yuanjue said, "Thank you for your concern, Benefactor."

"This humble monk just wants to reason with them and make things clear. We don't necessarily have to fight."

Wei Yuan raised his hand and picked up his sword. The eight-sided Han sword with the iron eagle insignia fell into his hand. The low hum of the sword made Xiang Hongbao pause. Yuanjue thought for a moment and raised his eight-hundred-pound Nine-Ringed Tin Staff. The ringing of the nine rings cleared people's minds. The heavy and huge staff itself also had a magical power to instantly calm those who saw it being wielded.

Wei Yuan also took out his firearms. These things still had some deterrent power.

Silently, accompanied by the sound of weapons humming, the click of firearms, and the trembling of the tin staff, a wave of killing intent surrounded Wei Yuan and the monk. Wei Yuan seemed to have thought of something. He held the sword in his hand, looked at his watch, and said to Zhang Hao and the others, "Wait for me for a moment. I'll go get something."

Then he returned to the inner room and closed the door.

He was decisive and lay directly on the bed, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

Countless delicacies appeared in his dream—

The ancient secret art: Nine Nether Lord, Zhujiuyin Summoning Technique.

Wei Yuan joked in his heart, but his thoughts were somewhat heavy.

He had to confirm it first.

Whether Gonggong had woken up over there…

ps: Today's second update... A buffer chapter. Thank you to 明月道流年 for the generous reward.