My Professions Have Too Much Personality - Chapter 85: The Return of Yuan Chenyang and a Series of Shocks

Chapter 85: Chapter 85: The Return of Yuan Chenyang and a Series of Shocks

“Utterly senseless.” Emotions churned in Zhang Hongbo’s eyes as he asked his final question. “If I hadn’t come, would you have taken them? Used them to hold me back, forcing me to protect you?”

“How could I…” Zhang Feng immediately denied it, but before he could finish, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed, stiff as a board, completely silent.

“Father…” Zhang Hengyu stared blankly, watching as his second uncle collapsed.

“Father, what on earth is happening?” Zhang Yunqing asked urgently, a terrible premonition rising in her heart.

“He… was colluding with the Deceitful God Sect.” Zhang Hongbo kept his head down, staring at the body on the floor, his own chest still rising and falling slightly.

“What?” Zhang Yunqing’s heart hammered in her chest as the shocking realization hit her.

’I’d subconsciously ruled out anyone connected to Father as a suspect.’

“Did Yang Yan and the others find out?” Zhang Yunqing couldn’t help but ask.

“Worse…” Zhang Hongbo sighed. “Elder Xia found out.”

Zhang Yunqing’s face went pale, and she suddenly felt a chill seeping from the surrounding shadows.

“I am no longer the Southwind City Lord,” Zhang Hongbo added.

Zhang Yunqing wasn’t surprised in the least. Zhang Hengyu, however, muttered in shock, “Father…”

Zhang Yunqing’s gaze swept over to him. Seeing his still-vacant expression, she felt a flash of exasperation. “You…”

“Hengyu…” Before she could finish, Zhang Hongbo cut her off.

Zhang Hengyu looked up blankly, only to see an affectionate expression on his father’s face he had never seen before. “You did well,” Zhang Hongbo said with gratification. “A sincere heart isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”

’Me?’

For some reason, Zhang Hengyu felt his eyes blur. It had been a long, long time since he had heard a word of praise from his father.

“Get on good terms with Su Chen…” Zhang Hongbo said, but then he shook his head. “Never mind. Just do as you see fit.”

“Su Chen?” Zhang Hengyu was still in a daze.

Seeing their confusion, Zhang Hongbo didn’t hide anything. “Su Chen is now Elder Xia’s student,” he said bluntly.

“He…” Zhang Yunqing froze. An image of Su Chen’s face appeared in her mind, and she couldn’t help but stammer, “How could he be…”

“Body and spirit. Double Red Gold,” Zhang Hongbo said succinctly.

“Double… Red Gold!?” Zhang Yunqing was dumbfounded, looking as if she’d been struck by lightning.

’Double Red Gold? No wonder…’ Zhang Hengyu, on the other hand, felt a flash of understanding.

“That’s enough talk for now. I have some loose ends to tie up.” He looked at his brother’s body again. A flicker of pity showed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by an icy resolve.

“Don’t either of you go anywhere.”

Watching her father leave, Zhang Yunqing still found it all hard to believe. She sat on the sofa for a long time before a bitter smile touched her lips.

’Being Xia Hanshi’s student did indeed seem to carry some kind of curse, but in the end, he was the student of the Chief Judge.’

’In Southwind, that still put him above everyone else!’

“Quite decisive…”

From the shadows, Xia Hanshi’s figure vanished.

「…」

Pinching his nose, Zhou Xian found the hidden Priest in the sewers. He was shocked by the man’s wretched state.

“Priest, what happened? What’s wrong?”

“What’s the situation on your end?” the Priest asked, his jet-black pupils fixed on Zhou Xian with a chilling gaze.

At the mention of it, a wave of lingering fear washed over Zhou Xian. “I sent two men in first to test the waters, but things got weird, so I didn’t dare make a move. I watched the area for a few hours and, sure enough, Zhang Hongbo’s men showed up…”

“Good thing I was cautious and didn’t act rashly, or I would’ve walked right into a trap.”

“You’re a clever one, aren’t you,” the Priest said, his voice laced with sarcasm.

“And what about you…?” Zhou Xian subconsciously took a step back.

“Not long after you left, Xia Hanshi arrived at the main trade warehouse with Ying Feng’s people and Zhang Hongbo,” the Priest said hoarsely. “They came so suddenly I had no time to prepare. All my men were killed. I only managed to escape by using the power of the Holy Statue.”

“They came looking for you?” Zhou Xian was aghast. “How could that happen? That location is top secret. There must have been a mole.”

“Yes, that’s what I was thinking too,” the Priest nodded. “I was just about to ask you to help me analyze the situation.”

“Hmm… Could it have been that Zhang Feng guy?” Zhou Xian immediately began to speculate, but then shook his head. “No, that’s not right. He knew about it, but he’s a Believer. He would never leak it.”

“Then this is troublesome. Everyone who knew about this is a Believer. Logically, it should have been impossible for the information to leak.”

“Wrong. There’s one other person who isn’t a Believer,” the Priest said, slowly getting to his feet.

“Huh?” Zhou Xian froze, his expression changing drastically. “You suspect me!?”

“Who else?” the Priest retorted. “According to your own analysis, it seems the only one who could have leaked it is you.”

“It absolutely was not me!” Zhou Xian said unequivocally, then quickly explained, “I have no reason to do that. Besides, even if I did, why would I come back here? To get myself killed?”

“I don’t know,” the Priest shook his head. “But I no longer trust you. You have only one choice: become a Believer, or… die.”

At some point, darkness had enveloped them, and even the foul stench of the sewer had vanished.

Zhou Xian’s face turned ashen. Knowing he had no choice, he immediately said, “I am willing to become a Believer of the Saint Master.”

The Priest paused. Doubt flickered in his mind. ’Was it really not him?’

“Come forward,” he called out.

Zhou Xian took a deep breath, walked forward, and half-knelt before the Priest, his head bowed.

“…My Lord in the chasm, Saint of the Seven Shackles, Eye that gazes into the hearts of men…”

As the low chant began, everything around them started to grow hazy. Zhou Xian involuntarily raised his head. The Priest had vanished, and in his place was a single, black, vertical pupil.

“My Lord…” he cried out involuntarily, a fanatical gleam flashing in his eyes. “To only find faith in my Lord today… my sins are too great to be cleansed.”

The Priest paid him no mind, simply staring intently at him. “Zhou Xian, before you professed your faith, did you leak the information about the main trade warehouse?”

“No,” Zhou Xian still shook his head. “Though I had not yet recognized the greatness of my Lord, I did not betray you.”

’It really wasn’t him…’ The Priest was suddenly at a loss. He had been certain it was Zhou Xian, but now that he was a Believer, he couldn’t lie.

’Then who on earth leaked the information?’

The Priest temporarily suppressed his doubts and looked at Zhou Xian. “We must act with even greater caution now. I used a portion of the Holy Statue’s power, so it will be very difficult to summon the Saint Master’s descent again. We need to replenish its strength…”

“The Refugee District,” Zhou Xian answered immediately. “It’s densely populated and loosely managed. If we’re careful with our preparations and time it right, we can accomplish our goal before Southwind discovers anything.”

The Priest nodded in satisfaction. In any case, there were only two people who knew the plan now. It was finally safe.

「…」

[Wind and Thunder Envoy: 15%]

[Secret Thought Master: 10%]

[E-level Gale Body Refining Technique – Skilled: 60%]

[E-level Void Star Meditation Technique – Novice: 90%]

After glancing at his status panel, Su Chen stepped out of the Gravity Chamber. He went to the washroom to rinse the sweat from his body and stood before the mirror as cyan currents of wind flowed out from all over him.

’The Gale Hunter’s Upper-tier Profession, Hurricane Warrior, is only Tier Three Middle. It’s too weak.’ Su Chen’s thoughts wandered. This was information he had learned from Yang Yan.

’Even if I use the Deceitful God’s Power to interfere with the advancement requirements, the difficulty of going from a Superior to a Top Level profession will definitely be higher. Ying Feng should have better professions. I’ll see if there are any alternatives then.’

Soon, the wind currents had dried his body, leaving him feeling clean and refreshed. The physique in the mirror looked even more toned and robust. Su Chen gave it a few satisfied glances before carefully switching to his “Black Tuo Follower” state to sense things.

’Why is that Black Tuo Statue constantly on the move?’

Ever since it escaped from Old Xia, the Black Tuo Statue’s coordinates had been moving nonstop for the past few days. It never stayed in one place for more than half an hour at a time.

’There’s no way I can inform Old Xia about this…’ Su Chen was troubled by the situation.

’I could bluff my way through the first time I located it, but chasing after it like I’d planted a tracker would be way too suspicious.’

’According to Yang Yan and the others, the Black Tuo Statue took a lot of damage last time. And to summon Black Tuo, it definitely has to be in a fixed location. It must still be looking for a place right now.’

’Hurry up and stay put somewhere, so I can come up with a plausible story,’ Su Chen grumbled to himself as he opened his closet and picked out a decent set of clothes.

It was only noon, but he had finished his training for the day because Old Yuan was returning today.

Cyan scales rippled across the surface of his skin, quickly covering his entire body. He then put on an outer shirt over them.

…_

In the mid-level parking garage of the Inspectorate, a hovercar slowly came to a stop. Yuan Chenyang stepped out, his expression grave. He looked up at the still-imposing building.

Although he had only been gone for about two months, he wasn’t sure if the Inspectorate was still loyal to him.

He knew all too well what Zhang Hongbo’s methods were like.

’I wonder what’s so urgent that Zhang Hongbo and Ying Feng’s special envoy issued a joint order for my return,’ Yuan Chenyang wondered.

The only official information he had received was that the Exploration, Patrol, and Inspectorate departments were all conducting a major joint operation in the city, causing quite a stir.

“Director?”

A patrol squad spotted Yuan Chenyang and called out his title a few times in disbelief. Yuan Chenyang gave a dismissive wave and walked into the building.

“Director…”

“Director…”

Greetings echoed endlessly along the way. Yuan Chenyang responded to each one as he headed straight for the top floor.

Meanwhile, a sweat-drenched Sun Tai had just arrived at the parking garage. Hearing that the Director had already gone up, he sighed in dismay. “And here I was, hoping to be the first to give him the good news.”

But then, he thought of Su Chen, and his expression shifted slightly. ’Never mind. It’s better to let the Director find out for himself.’

「…」

“So, everyone’s here?”

Without knocking, Yuan Chenyang pushed open the door to his former office and saw Zhang Hongbo standing by the large window, with Yang Yan and Gu Bing seated on the sofa.

He was instantly on guard, a series of grim scenarios flashing through his mind.

’An urgent recall, with everyone waiting for me like this… No matter how I look at it, this can’t be good. For all I know, someone’s about to walk in and arrest me.’

“You’re back. Must have been a rush,” Zhang Hongbo said, turning around with his usual warm smile.

“With a joint emergency summons from you and the special envoy, I didn’t dare delay for a second.” Yuan Chenyang’s tone was all business. “What’s this all about?”

“You two, would you like to make the announcement?” Zhang Hongbo said, looking at Yang Yan and Gu Bing.