Chapter 151: Guidance

Zhang Shou-zheng did not notice anything unusual about his senior brother. Returning to his room, it was already past three in the morning. He let out a yawn, lay down heavily on his bed in extreme exhaustion, and quickly drifted off to sleep.

Just as Qing Yu-tong had said, Shao Hua had already left. It was unclear what had transpired, but in terms of strength, Shao Hua and Qing Yu-tong were evenly matched. However, if Shao Hua were to successfully reshape his physical body, the outcome would be uncertain. For now, at least, the crisis had been temporarily resolved.

Xiao Ling had also returned while Zhang Shou-zheng was visiting Jiang Li-tian. When Qing Ya stood in a stalemate with her, hearing a long whistle echoing from afar, Qing Ya immediately turned into thick black mist and fled. Xiao Ling did not give chase because Jiu'er had instructed her only to block Qing Ya and prevent her from coming over to provide reinforcements.

Until the third day, nothing out of the ordinary happened. The enforcement elders of the Heaven Dao Sect did not show up either. Zhang Shou-zheng even felt that the days were passing with an unusual peace—a peace so profound it seemed almost unimaginable. Still, for nothing to happen was a blessing.

After school, he and Jiu'er returned to the hospital, only to be greeted by an unexpected guest in the room: Li Yin-lin.

Li Yin-lin stood by the window, his silver hair dancing in the breeze, while Qian Sheng cowered in a small corner of the room, holding a wooden staff before him with a look of absolute terror. Catching sight of Zhang Shou-zheng entering, Qian Sheng immediately cried out:

"Zhang Shou-zheng! Just how many zombie friends do you have? Each one is more powerful than the last. Are you trying to scare me to death?"

Li Yin-lin turned his head, a flash of silver light gleaming in his eyes as he stared at Qian Sheng. Qian Sheng instantly clapped a hand over his mouth in fright. Li Yin-lin chuckled softly and then spoke, "Shou-zheng, I already know you are heading to the Three Realms Bazaar. This time, I will accompany you."

"No way! You don't even have a token for the Three Realms Bazaar; you cannot enter."

Though Qian Sheng found the other party terrifying, upon hearing that he intended to go to the Three Realms Bazaar, he shrieked in alarm. After all, the being before him was evidently a silver zombie! If such a creature caused havoc in the Bazaar, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Didn't you say that as long as one can endure the twisting forces generated by the array space, one can enter? Senior Yin-lin is a silver zombie; his physical body is far stronger than mine, so it shouldn't be a problem," Jiu'er remarked quietly from the side.

"You... I was already making an exception, and now you want me to bring one of them in too? Absolutely not! If my grandfather finds out, I'll never be allowed out again."

Qian Sheng bit his lower lip, extraordinarily resolute, shaking his head back and forth like a rattle-drum.

"Very well, I will not force the issue. I trust your Three Realms Bazaar, and I also hope Shou-zheng encounters no trouble inside. In that case, I shall simply keep watch outside. Shou-zheng, let me see your token, so I know which sector you will use to enter the Bazaar. When you come out, I will be waiting right outside."

Li Yin-lin walked over to Zhang Shou-zheng, extended his palm, and spoke calmly.

Zhang Shou-zheng promptly pulled the token from his pocket and handed it over. Taking the token, Li Yin-lin inspected it carefully. A moment later, he smiled faintly and said, "Ah, it turns out to be in the East Suburb Garden."

"You... how do you know?"

Qian Sheng was completely dumbfounded. The guiding token indeed noted the location, and all issued tokens did so. Furthermore, there were over a hundred places in Dragon Capital that led to the Three Realms Bazaar. However, the characters on this particular token had been written by her using the unique script of the Mountain Ghost clan; if she had not specifically taught it to those guiding envoys, they wouldn't have been able to read it. Yet this fellow before her actually knew! Still, knowing the location did not frighten her, nor was she worried about the exact spot of the array formation, because activating the formation required an additional matching token—and those companion jade pendants were held strictly by the guiding envoys.

"I have been there before, so I remembered it," Li Yin-lin replied indifferently without hiding the fact, handing the token back to Zhang Shou-zheng.

Zhang Shou-zheng took the token and said, "Qian Sheng, don't worry. Big Brother Yin-lin is simply here to ensure my safety. It's almost dark now; when will the guiding envoy arrive?"

"Nine o'clock tonight," Qian Sheng pouted, speaking in a sullen tone.

At nine o'clock in the evening, a black sedan pulled up to the entrance of the hospital. The door opened to reveal a figure clad in a black cloak, closely resembling the robes of a netherworld runner. The figure produced a token, pressed it against a surface as if sensing something, and after a brief moment, began to move.

As if knowing precisely where Zhang Shou-zheng was, the man in black took no detours, walking straight to Zhang Shou-zheng's door and knocking lightly. Zhang Shou-zheng, who had been meditating with his eyes closed inside the room, abruptly opened them. The jade pendant in his pocket radiated a faint warmth. He pulled it out, and the silver engravings upon it shimmered with a delicate glow.

Qian Sheng grinned and said, "They're here."

Zhang Shou-zheng opened the door to find a lean, gaunt man standing outside. The man, dressed in black, looked at Zhang Shou-zheng expressionlessly and spoke in an icy tone: "I am the guiding envoy of the Three Realms Bazaar. You hold the token leading to the Three Realms Bazaar. Come with me."

"What's the rush? There's still me, Uncle Qian San."

Qian Sheng slipped out from behind Zhang Shou-zheng, smiling brightly at the lean man. Seeing her, Qian San's icy expression finally shifted: "Miss Qian Sheng, why are you here? Your grandfather is worried sick. Hurry and return with me to the Three Realms Bazaar."

"Uncle Qian San, I made a sister outside, but she doesn't have a token. Can I bring her in with me? Don't worry, as soon as the bazaar closes, I'll bring her right back out. We mustn't let Grandpa find out about this."

Qian Sheng pulled Jiu'er forward. Jiu'er had already concealed her zombie aura, making her look entirely like an innocent girl next door. She even pursed her lips and offered Qian San a gentle smile.

"Very well, as long as the old master doesn't discover it, bringing her along is fine. Now, we are some distance away from the East Suburb Garden, so we had better set off immediately. I recall giving this token to the Jiang family; how did it end up in the hands of this young man? Never mind, I won't press the matter. Whoever holds a token is qualified to go. However, there is only one token. Miss Qian Sheng, you belong to the Mountain Ghost clan, but this little doll beside you has no token. Aren't you afraid she will be destroyed by the twisting forces generated by the teleportation array? Surely you don't intend to expend your own origin energy to help her through?"

Qian San looked at Qian Sheng with a peculiar expression and muttered.

"Oh, Uncle Qian San, you needn't worry about such matters. This token was a gift to Shou-zheng from the Jiang family. Let's get moving! During this trip out, I provoked a zombie demon, and it was only thanks to Shou-zheng's protection that I survived. Nothing is more important than going home now. If I hadn't been in such a rush when I came out and forgotten my token, I would have opened the bazaar and gone home myself long ago; why would I have waited until now?"

Qian Sheng urged impatiently.

"Many thanks to this young brother for saving our young miss. In that case, let's depart at once. Once I drop you off inside, I still have several other places to visit."

The chill on Qian San's face receded slightly as he led the group away.

Shortly after they departed, Li Yin-lin followed closely behind them, while down at the school, an uninvited guest made an arrival.