Chapter Twenty-One: The True Culprit Behind the Scenes

Wang Zixuan asked, "Where am I?"

Cui Pan replied, "You're in your bedroom."

Wang Zixuan pressed on, "How did I get back? What about Tangtang? Where is she? How is she?"

Cui Pan answered, "When we arrived at the Yashen Disco, only you were lying on the floor. There was no one else. What exactly happened? Ever since you hung up, Lord Yama has been furious. Even Zhenyuan Daxian couldn't calm him down."

"I don't know either," Wang Zixuan said. "Everything had just been settled. I was reporting back to the boss when I was suddenly knocked out from behind for no reason."

Everyone fell silent; the situation was just too strange. After a long pause, Cui Pan finally spoke up, "In a bit, we'll leave a few physicians to take a good look at you. If you're alright, we should get going. If we don't return soon, something big might happen."

Wang Zixuan didn't ask what was going on, and the others dared not elaborate. And so, several high-ranking officials from the Underworld vanished with their entourage in a swirl of black smoke, leaving behind only a few emaciated old doctors to examine Wang Zixuan's condition.

While the entire Underworld was on high alert, Zhong Kui sneaked into his contact's house. As soon as he entered, he whispered, "Didn't I tell you not to contact me during this period? How dare you come looking for me?"

The man in black replied, "I didn't want to either! There's no choice. The operation failed. That fool left behind a lot of clues. I came here to discuss our next move."

Zhong Kui snapped, "If he's a fool, you're not much better. The mission failed—don't tell me you didn't get the item either! If that's the case, I may have to consider finding someone more suitable."

The man in black responded, "I got it. But what's the use?"

"You don't need to know that right now," Zhong Kui said. "Just follow my original plan. This time, don't make any mistakes. Otherwise..." He trailed off, a cold sneer replacing the rest of his threat.

"Don't worry," the man in black assured him. "This time it'll be flawless."

"Save the talk. Go get ready!"

Watching the man in black dissolve into a cloud of smoke, Zhong Kui stood in place for a long time. Something had gone wrong this time—but at least it wasn't a total loss. The plan would just have to change.

Glancing at his watch, he realized it was time to return. Staying away too long would arouse suspicion. He left the house, looked around, and vanished into the crowd of ghosts. Unbeknownst to him, a silent figure followed from the shadows.

Amidst the chaos, King Yama and Zhenyuanzi were still bickering. Zhenyuanzi was so infuriated by Yama's shamelessness that he nearly fainted.

If it was a matter of reason, Yama was full of twisted logic. If it came to cursing, Zhenyuanzi couldn't outdo her. As for fighting—either way, fighting a woman was a lose-lose situation. Just as he was at a loss, his phone rang.

Zhenyuanzi picked up, sounding like he'd swallowed gunpowder, "Who is it? Don't bother me unless it's important."

On the other end: "Master, something's wrong! That damned monkey is here again!"

"Who?" Zhenyuanzi asked.

"The Great Sage! As soon as he arrived, he headed straight for the ginseng fruit tree. We can't stop him! Master, please come back quickly, or there will be real trouble!"

Zhenyuanzi's heart skipped a beat. Who had provoked that living ancestor again, bringing chaos to his doorstep? Forgetting his quarrel with Yama, he vanished in a flash of golden light. But when he returned to the temple, there was no sign of the monkey—not even a single hair.