My Professions Have Too Much Personality - Chapter 84: The Sky Changes

Chapter 84: Chapter 84: The Sky Changes

“What’s the situation over there?” Su Chen asked, looking at Yang Yan and Gu Bing, whose faces were incredibly grim.

“Not only did it confirm my suspicions, but we also found a Black Tuo Statue,” Xia Hanshi said in a low voice. “Black Tuo is really preparing to descend using a vessel, and it’s in a hurry.”

“A Black Tuo Statue?” Su Chen’s expression turned inquisitive. ’Is this the big thing I sensed?’

Gu Bing explained, “It’s a statue of a Deceitful God, forged with a Meteorite Iron Core, and it houses the power of the Deceitful God.”

“So, a super-sized Deceitful Artifact?” Su Chen couldn’t help but ask.

“Yes and no.” Gu Bing shook her head. “While a Deceitful Artifact also contains the power of a Deceitful God, it’s just power. It carries the Deceitful God’s corrupting nature, but its connection to the god itself is very shallow.”

“But this kind of statue is different. It houses the Deceitful God’s true consciousness. A vessel for the Deceitful God uses this consciousness to summon the power of the god’s main body.”

Su Chen had a realization. ’I’m more and more certain now. It’s probably because my panel devoured its power that this thing got curious and is so desperate to find me.’

Xia Hanshi’s figure flickered and then vanished.

“Where is Teacher going?”

“He’s probably gone to keep an eye on Zhang Hongbo.” Yang Yan’s expression was complicated. “This Southwind City of yours… the waters run deep.”

Gu Bing gave him a general summary of the situation.

“The City Lord’s position… gone just like that?” Su Chen was also shocked, a wave of emotion washing over him.

’Zhang Hongbo did so many things before, even secretly targeting me. To some extent, it was all to protect his own authority.’

’But now, he’s been stripped of it all so easily?’

“Doesn’t Ying Feng have to make the decision?” Su Chen was confused. “They dragged their feet just dealing with Zhou Xian, but with Zhang Hongbo, it’s happening much faster.”

Yang Yan explained, “Special circumstances call for special measures. This matter is too big—a Priest and a Black Tuo Statue have both appeared, and it involves his immediate family.”

“Of course…” Gu Bing added, “it won’t be announced publicly for now.”

“If Zhang Hongbo himself was unaware of these things, he might get away with an idle post.”

“That’s Ying Feng’s standard procedure…” Yang Yan, who was beside them, picked up the thread. “But knowing Elder Xia’s temperament, if Zhang Hongbo makes one wrong move from here on out, his entire family will die.”

’His whole family will die…’ Su Chen thought of the siblings, Zhang Hengyu and Zhang Yunqing.

“Also…” Gu Bing paused, her expression strange. “Elder Xia has already had us issue an order to recall Yuan Chenyang. It seems he intends for Yuan Chenyang to take over as acting City Lord.”

“Huh?”

Su Chen found it amusing. Zhang Hongbo had transferred Yuan Chenyang away to take over his post as Minister of Inspection.

Now the tables had turned, and Yuan Chenyang was about to take over Zhang Hongbo’s position as acting City Lord.

“This kind of ’acting’ position usually isn’t rescinded,” Gu Bing explained. “Yuan Chenyang has connections in high places. Now that he’s seized this opportunity, he won’t let it go.”

“Elder Xia is doing this to shut the Third Judge up.”

Su Chen also understood. Old Xia wasn’t truly reckless; he was perfectly aware of the consequences of his actions, but he did them anyway.

’That bad reputation of his is partly just people venting their frustration at being powerless against him.’

However, thinking of Old Yuan made Su Chen’s head ache.

’Old Yuan has treated me well. When the time comes, I won’t know what to say.’

“Don’t feel burdened. He’ll understand.” Seeing his expression, Gu Bing sighed and offered some comfort.

Su Chen nodded and took his leave.

“He’s a rare talent. A kind heart, perseverance, and skill—he’s missing none of it. It’s just a shame Elder Xia got to him first…” Gu Bing watched Su Chen leave, feeling it was a greater pity than ever.

“Yuan Chenyang was the one who discovered him, but who’s to blame for him not being able to keep him?” Yang Yan shook his head. “The fact that Elder Xia is giving him the City Lord position is already beyond my expectations.”

“Besides, it’s not a guarantee that something will happen to him. Elder Xia has plenty of students who turned out just fine.”

“What about the three who were lost…” Gu Bing couldn’t help but say.

“No one ever saw their bodies. They just disappeared…” Yang Yan frowned. “After interacting with him this time, Elder Xia isn’t quite what I imagined. You shouldn’t believe all those rumors.”

***

“Who? Who? Who the hell was it?!”

In the sewers, the Black Tuo Priest hid in a crevice, forcing himself to endure the surrounding stench. The black robe covering his body was reduced to tattered scraps, and his skin was covered in scorched marks that stung incessantly.

Behind him, the Black Tuo Statue emitted a dark glow, seeming extremely unstable.

“How could the information have leaked? Everyone who knew were Believers! How could Xia Hanshi have come straight here?!”

“Where did he get his information?!” the Priest roared in a low voice. Xia Hanshi’s sudden attack had forced him to use the Holy Statue’s power to escape.

This had caused a chain reaction that affected his subsequent plans. The Holy Statue’s now-depleted power would make it difficult to support the descent of the Black Tuo Saint Master.

“Who… who was it…” The Priest suppressed his fury, forcing himself to calm down. A name gradually surfaced in his mind.

Zhou Xian!

He was the only one who wasn’t a Believer.

As the first high-ranking official in Southwind City he had cultivated, even if his public identity was exposed, his familiarity with the city was still useful.

Coupled with the death of his own son, even though Zhou Xian had been reluctant to become a Black Tuo Follower, the Priest still placed a great deal of trust in him.

But now, thinking it over, this seemed to be the only possible way the information could have leaked.

’This surprise attack didn’t use anyone from Southwind City. They came straight here. They clearly had extremely precise information. It definitely wasn’t a lucky guess.’

The more the Priest thought about it, the more something felt wrong. He was almost certain Zhou Xian had betrayed him!

“You’re courting death! Courting death!”

***

“So, what’s the word?”

In front of the elevator doors, Sun Tai was still waiting anxiously. When he saw Su Chen return, he rushed over, peppering him with questions.

Su Chen said in a low voice, “Zhang Hongbo has been secretly removed from his position as City Lord. My teacher… uh…”

He thought for a moment, then added, “Teacher Yuan is already on his way back. He’s expected to take over as acting City Lord.”

Visibly, Sun Tai’s pupils slowly lost focus. His body swayed and bumped against the wall, and his large, round face gradually flushed a deep red.

’I got the City Lord fired!?’

This was the only sentence running through Sun Tai’s mind.

Of course, he knew there were many other factors involved, but his actions had ultimately had an impact.

’Not only that, but my old boss is going to be the acting City Lord?’

Sun Tai was very clear on the unwritten rules of this game. If Yuan Chenyang didn’t have anyone backing him, he would probably only be the acting lord for a short while. But Yuan Chenyang was from the Judicial Court and had connections in Ying Feng.

The “acting” title would probably be removed very soon. When that happened, wouldn’t he, the “number one contributor,” be skyrocketing to the top?

“Brother Sun…” Su Chen couldn’t help but call out. Sun Tai’s entire face had turned beet red, and he was grinning foolishly, which was a rather scary sight.

“Oh, oh…” Sun Tai snapped out of it. His breathing slowly evened out and his color returned to normal, but he was still extremely excited. “My dear brother, I really owe this all to you!”

“You’ve earned it,” Su Chen said, then added a warning, “It’s best if you don’t let this get out.”

“Understood, understood.” Fatty Sun nodded repeatedly. He was grinning from ear to ear the entire way back, drawing quite a few stares, and he still hadn’t completely calmed down even after returning to his office.

’This is the deputy minister’s office…’ Su Chen, meanwhile, arrived at his new room. It was on one of the highest floors of the Inspectorate building.

The amenities were extremely luxurious. The Gravity Training Chamber could even be cranked up to ten times gravity. Su Chen gave it a brief try and found he could barely handle it.

’The strain is too heavy. Under these conditions, the training effect is actually diminished.’ Su Chen adjusted the multiplier on the panel back down to five, which felt more suitable.

’So much has happened in a single night.’

Now that things had finally quieted down, Su Chen felt that the pace of events had been breathtakingly fast, catching him off guard.

First the assassination attempt, then Xia Hanshi’s visit, and finally Zhang Hongbo’s dismissal—it all happened in a very short span of time.

’All of this… it seems to have started with the Deceitful Artifact that Qi Chuan led me to. No… it began even earlier.’ Su Chen was gradually piecing together the timeline from the things Yang Yan and the others had said.

’According to them, the Black Tuo Followers and Zhou Xian’s group had their own plan. Normally, they would have corroded things slowly and then reaped the rewards.’

’If I hadn’t been there, Jiang He would have died, Qi Chuan would have gained Jiang Rong’s support, and Qi Chuan is one of Zhou Xian’s men.’

’And if the Holy Word Stone had been lost, Old Yuan would have had to take the blame and might have been transferred. His replacement might have even had ties to the Deceitful God Sect.’

’But I messed all that up. Then something unexpected happened with the Deceitful Artifact. That Black Tuo thing probably wants to know who ate its power, so the Black Tuo Followers invested more and more resources, which led to the current situation.’

Su Chen’s brows were tightly knit. Before, he had been caught in the middle of it all, confused and helpless, with no idea what was really going on.

Now that his status was rising and he was learning more and more information, he could gradually deduce the original picture.

And with events having developed to this point, it seemed no one was paying attention to why the Deceitful Artifact was empty anymore.

“I can’t control how things develop.” Su Chen shook his head, deciding not to worry about these things. He downed a couple of mouthfuls of a Potion and entered his familiar training rhythm.

’Still, how am I going to leak the Priest’s coordinates to Old Xia?’

***

“Uncle…” Zhang Yunqing opened the door, looking with some surprise at the hurried-looking middle-aged man.

Zhang Feng burst in, covered in sweat. “Quick, Yunqing, pack your things! Something’s happened! We need to leave Southwind City as soon as possible.”

“Hengyu! Hengyu!” he yelled.

Zhang Hengyu came out of the Gravity Chamber, looking rather puzzled.

“Quick, pack your things!” Zhang Feng urged repeatedly. Zhang Hengyu looked at his sister.

“Uncle…” Zhang Yunqing’s brow furrowed slightly. “What happened?”

“Don’t ask! This is a matter of life and death! We have to go now!” Zhang Feng looked anxious. “Would I lie to you?”

Zhang Hengyu was visibly at a loss, but Zhang Yunqing remained calm. “What is it, exactly? It won’t hurt to take a moment to explain.”

“Sigh… Your father has connections to the Deceitful God Sect!” Zhang Feng said through clenched teeth.

“What!?” Zhang Hengyu’s pupils trembled in disbelief. It was unthinkable.

A jolt of shock went through Zhang Yunqing’s heart.

“Did it have to come to this?” A long sigh suddenly sounded. Zhang Hongbo stepped out of the shadows, his expression a mixture of anger, helplessness, and suppressed killing intent.

“Why did you have to involve the two of them?”

Zhang Feng’s face also showed surprise, which then slowly twisted into a ferocious scowl. “I’m your brother! You’ve been investigating me behind my back?!”

“You think it was me?”

“If you weren’t investigating me, who else could it be? In all of Southwind, no one dares to touch the main commercial warehouse!” Zhang Feng snarled. “The situation was perfect, and you ruined everything!”

“What did they promise you?” Zhang Hongbo’s tone was calm. “Isn’t this life good enough?”

“It’s precisely because of this life!” Zhang Feng screamed himself hoarse. “We only get to enjoy it for a few decades! How is that enough?!”

“So it was longevity.” Zhang Hongbo wasn’t surprised at all.

Zhang Yunqing looked at Zhang Feng with a mixture of shock and anger.

“Big Brother!” Zhang Feng’s expression turned fawning. “Join me! If we two brothers team up, won’t Southwind be in the palm of our hands?”

“Then we can live happily forever. Wouldn’t that be nice?”