Free Web NovelChapter 102: Chapter 101: Talent Evolution, Ding Xiang
BANG!
A dilapidated door was forcefully kicked open, and two Patrol Police officers in large peaked caps quickly entered.
The dimness inside made the two men squint instinctively. As their pupils adjusted to the light and they saw the chaotic mess, as if a hurricane had torn through the room, they both stopped in their tracks.
"Anyone here?"
One of the Patrol Police officers tried shouting into the room. The space, bathed in an eerie red glow, remained completely silent. There was no answer.
The two exchanged a look and, with a tacit understanding, retreated outside.
Then they turned and blocked a middle-aged woman who was craning her neck to see. "Ma’am, you must have misheard. What sound of a wall being smashed? There isn’t even anyone in the room."
"Young man, you didn’t even go all the way in. How can you say there’s no one inside?"
The middle-aged woman retorted irritably, "What if they’re all dead? Maybe the murderer is hiding in the room right now..."
"You’ve been listening to too much radio, Ma’am. The world isn’t crawling with psychos and murderers."
One of the Patrol Police officers waved his hand lazily. "Now I’m starting to suspect you’re just crying wolf. Why don’t you come with us to the Patrol Office to give a statement..."
"You’re nuts!"
The middle-aged woman picked up her grocery basket and walked off, muttering curses.
Seeing that they had driven away the caller, the two young Patrol Police officers finally breathed a sigh of relief. One glanced at the scene inside, then stepped forward and gently pulled the door shut.
"Looked like either a robbery or a murder. Someone might really be hiding in there."
"What does it matter what it is? We only get paid twenty silver coins a month. Why would you risk your neck for that?"
"Fair point."
The two Patrol Police officers had come in a hurry, and they left just as quickly.
What they didn’t know was that right above where they had just entered, in the shadows untouched by the lightbulb’s glow, Fu Juemin, dressed in a white suit, was clinging to the ceiling in a corner like a gecko.
At that moment, Fu Juemin was holding the fully manifested Painted Ghost in a tight embrace, like a man holding his lover, pinning it securely in his arms.
With his [Soft Bone] fully activated, the aura of his Snake Demon Soul Seed, pushed to its absolute limit, paralyzed the Painted Ghost, making its entire body go rigid.
In the Painted Ghost’s Perception, it wasn’t being held by a living person, but was instead tightly coiled by a terrifying, jet-black python whose massive body was slowly, inexorably... constricting, about to swallow it whole.
The last remnants of the Snake Phase Poisonous Qi flowed into his palms. Beneath his Snake Scale Gloves, ten crescent Black Moons appeared at the base of Fu Juemin’s fingernails. Then, as easily as plunging them into tofu, he slid his fingers between the Painted Ghost’s ribs and into its body.
Fu Juemin narrowed his eyes, his hands moving slowly inside the Painted Ghost’s body.
The process felt like repeatedly plunging his hands into a huge, rotting, gelatinous mass. He could feel the nauseatingly sticky texture and the trembling of the Painted Ghost’s body in his arms.
Gradually, most of Fu Juemin’s arm sank inside. The fingertips of his right hand touched something—what felt like a small, rough piece of hide.
His expression flickered, and he tried to pull the piece of hide out.
Just then, the Painted Ghost’s body in his arms trembled violently, then rapidly deflated like a leather ball suddenly letting out all its air.
"HISS—"
In that instant, countless wisps of gray smoke seemed to drift before his eyes, and the familiar process of absorbing a Soul Seed began.
But this time, what Fu Juemin "saw" wasn’t the usual scene of a deceased Demon’s soul rushing straight for him. Instead, he saw the ghost that had just died in his arms, fleeing in terror, desperately trying to get away.
He pulled up his character panel. The Skill Energy Slot, which had been dormant for a long time, finally started to fill up again.
The Golden Energy flowed slowly into the slot, its speed pitifully slow.
There had been some Golden Energy left over in the Energy Slot from when he killed the Merciful Rat Demon. Even with this new addition, it was barely enough to fill the entire Energy Slot once.
This also showed the difference in power between ghosts and Demons.
Under the [Talent] section, a new Talent Ability appeared.
But before the Talent could fully manifest, small vortexes began to form behind the [Soft Bone] and [Yao Ling] Talents, pulling at the words of the unformed Talent, causing them to blur and fade.
At that moment, a scene seemed to play out in Fu Juemin’s mind: a pitiful Painted Skin Ghost trembled in fear while the two great Soul Seeds, the Black-Scaled Snake Demon and the Merciful Rat Demon, flanked it, staring and swallowing their saliva...
"TAP—"
Fu Juemin slid lightly down from the ceiling. A strange light shone in his eyes as he murmured thoughtfully to himself, "So... different Talents can devour each other to evolve..."
......
In Shenghai, the world inside the Concessions and the world outside were two different places.
The truly wealthy would never live anywhere but within the Concessions.
Wealth was the ticket to this world—starting with the Public Concession.
Numerous large apartment buildings were constructed on the outskirts of the Public Concession. Even the cheapest unit cost as much as twenty silver coins per month to rent.
More upscale apartments could go for fifty silver coins a month, or even as high as one or two hundred.
The people who could afford to live here were the likes of compradors for Western firms, senior bank managers, doctors, lawyers, and newspaper editors-in-chief.
They were the new money of the middle class, respectable social climbers, and they also represented the lowest rung of this elite circle.
The next tier of the wealthy was qualified to enter the core area of the Public Concession or the independent concessions of the various Western powers, where they could choose a modern lane house or a fashionable townhouse with a garden.
Within this circle, they were the relatively respectable "high-level players," paragons of success in mainstream society.
But the true top-tier elite mostly lived in the extra-settlement roads area of the West District.
There, they could own large, whole plots of land, complete with sprawling gardens, garages, horse tracks, tennis courts, and more.
This small handful of people controlled over ninety percent of Shenghai’s flow of wealth—they might be ambassadors, retired Warlords, business tycoons, darlings of the financial world, or top officials in the Xin Republic’s Government.
Of course, a small minority chose to live in Prince Alley in the North District.
It couldn’t compare to the Prince Alley in Yingjing, of course. This one had merely housed two down-and-out Princes, but it was still an existence far beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Fu Guosheng now stood outside a grand, crimson gate in Prince Alley, facing a pair of stone lions, as if quietly waiting for something.
His carriage was parked at the entrance to the alley; he had walked a considerable distance to get here.
"CREAK—"
Half of the large gate opened, and a smiling, middle-aged man in a traditional long gown from the previous dynasty walked out.
Fu Guosheng’s eyes lit up slightly. He took two steps forward and was about to speak, but the other man gently stopped him.
"You must be Mr. Fu?"
"I am."
"Our Old Madam has said that the Su Family accepts your Heart Intent.
We thank the Fu Family for taking care of our Miss Su on the Luan River. However, our Miss has already repaid that kindness in full. From now on, there is no need for further contact.
The Old Madam does not wish to see you, and the Miss will not see you either.
I have said all I need to say. Please see yourself out, Mr. Fu."
After speaking, the man cupped his fists at Fu Guosheng, turned, and went back inside.
The smile froze on Fu Guosheng’s face. From behind the door, not yet fully closed, he could faintly hear unconcealed voices—"Just anyone thinks they can come and curry favor with our Su Family..." "Steward, what about the things they brought?" "The young misses would never care for it. Take it to the back courtyard and distribute it among the servants..." "Yes..."
"Master..."
The butler, Chen Zhongping, walked up, hesitating to speak.
As the large gate slowly swung shut before him, the expression on Fu Guosheng’s face returned to one of calm.
"Forget it. We’ve paid our respects, so we haven’t failed Miss Su."
Fu Guosheng waved his hand. "Let’s go look at the shops."
"Yes."
The group left the alley, boarded the carriage, and headed toward Four Countries Road.
Half an hour later, on the bustling Southern Country Avenue, Fu Guosheng walked out of a shop with a dark expression. Behind him, a dapper man in a suit with slicked-back hair jeered loudly in a squawky voice, "Damn country bumpkin! If you want to buy a shop, go to East Suburb Huangni Gou! Do you even recognize the name ’Wanlong Trading Company’?"
Even if I were willing to sell, could you even afford it..."
"Bastard!"
The accompanying Nursing Home, Wang Shuisheng, was so angry he gritted his teeth, unable to stop himself from raising a fist and charging forward.
But the man with the squawky voice wasn’t afraid. Instead, he grinned and took two steps closer. "Ooh, you wanna fight? Come on, hit me if you’ve got the guts. Believe it or not, one phone call from me, and I’ll have the patrolmen arrest you all, you bunch of country bumpkins..." freeweɓnøvel.com
"That’s enough."
Fu Guosheng restrained the man beside him. "We’re new here. Don’t start trouble."
Wang Shuisheng resentfully lowered his fist.
But even as he said it, he turned to look at the towering buildings and endless traffic. Even for a man like Fu Guosheng, who had been a dominant figure on the Luan River for half his life, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of confusion and helplessness, like he was completely out of his depth.
Just then, a commotion arose from the street.
Looking up, he saw several brand-new black cars slowly approaching, each surrounded by a group of formidable men in uniform short jackets, holding Western rifles.
Wherever they passed, pedestrians on both sides of the street hurriedly made way. Even the passing Patrol Police and Westerners stopped and stood respectfully.
’A big shot is out and about!’
Fu Guosheng’s eyes flickered. The scene reminded him of his own glory days on the Luan River. The posturing was similar, but in terms of sheer pomp and circumstance, the difference was night and day.
Just the black cars clearing the path were far superior to the vehicle he had used on the Luan River.
As luck would have it, this major Shenghai personage seemed to be stopping to get out right where they were standing.
A large group of armed men quickly cleared the area. Fu Guosheng led his men to the side and watched as an even more luxurious, extended-body sedan slowly pulled to a stop and the door opened...
"You country bumpkins are actually pretty lucky."
The suit-clad manager who had mocked them earlier had sidled up again at some point. He said with a smirk, "You get to witness Madam Ding of our Southern Country Road on an outing. It’s a real eye-opener for a bunch of toads like you..."
"You!"
Unable to take it anymore, Wang Shuisheng grabbed the man in the suit by the collar. The man’s face filled with panic, and he immediately yelled.
"Wh-what are you doing? You country bumpkin!"
The commotion quickly drew the attention of the nearby motorcade. Fu Guosheng’s expression changed when he saw them glance over warily and rack the slides of their pistols. He was about to shout to stop the conflict.
But just then, a hesitant, somewhat tentative voice suddenly sounded in his ear.
"Fu... Guosheng?!"
Hearing this voice, Fu Guosheng gave a slight, imperceptible shudder. As if a memory had been stirred, his expression grew distant for a moment.
He slowly turned. When he saw the woman who was getting out of the car surrounded by people, a woman wearing a black silk cloak embroidered with gold thread, he fell into a long silence.
After a long moment, he finally spoke in a low voice, his expression complex, uttering a name that had been sealed away in his memory for a long, long time.
"Ding Xiang."
