Forge a path to success

Chu Hengkong had no injuries whatsoever; how could mere sticks possibly harm his body? The hallucination he had experienced earlier was the little female ghost synchronizing her "experiences" with his own, causing his enemy to suffer the torment she endured before her death. If it weren't for the city lord's talisman manifesting, he would have been killed by the evil spirit in the hallucination... But even now that he had regained his senses, the situation wasn't much better.

Dark night, rooftop, a gigantic wolf's head, howling wind. In the few seconds he was lost in his hallucination, he had already been rammed onto the rooftop by the giant wolf, and in another second he would have crashed six stories off. Wooden fangs tore through his sleeve, leaving long gashes on his arm. Chu Hengkong's arm wasn't bitten off thanks to his honed instincts; at the last moment, he raised his iron spear to block the gaping maw, helping him survive the most dangerous moment. Now, the spear was severely twisted; before he fell off the rooftop, he and the spear would be bitten to pieces.

"You die too! All of you, die!!"

The little ghost's venomous curse echoed in his ears. Retreating meant falling off the roof, while advancing meant facing the giant wolf's bloody maw. For a moment, Chu Hengkong had nowhere to escape. With the edge of the rooftop almost within reach, Chu Hengkong released the gun barrel with his right hand. He twisted his waist, took a lunge to the right, and the tentacle holding the gun on his left arm extended with the giant wolf's momentum. This extra length allowed him to continue blocking the wolf's bites and also enabled him to spin around to the wolf's side from an impossible angle.

From this position, the collar around the giant wolf's waist was within reach. Chu Heng clenched his fist into a palm and slammed it down. The little ghost girl saw it clearly and quickly shouted, "Haaaah, get out of the way!"

The giant wolf was startled and immediately released its grip, rolling away to create distance. Chu Hengkong's hand blade couldn't reach it, so he decisively changed his palm into a hook and swung it forward. The sticker on the back of his hand activated, and two transparent water bullets appeared between his fingers. With a series of whooshing sounds, the water bullets leaped out one after the other, smashing the collar inside the giant wolf's body to pieces!

The little ghost girl stood frozen, while the giant wolf froze, its crimson eyes revealing a human-like despair. Chu Hengkong flicked his spear and clicked his tongue.

It's that simple.

If he hadn't deliberately let the dog go, it would have been dead long ago. But that brat is unreasonable; she only learns to listen after being beaten. He glared at the little ghost girl, his tone laced with annoyance: "Shut up now? Come with me, so I can finish my 'moral education' and call it a day..."

Chu Hengkong stopped halfway through his speech, his expression turning serious for the first time. The evil spirits had indeed stopped moving, but their bodies, far from weakening, were subtly growing larger.

As the little female ghost's form grew, it became increasingly ethereal and blurry, like a low-resolution image from an old television. The giant wolf was being dragged into the phantom, appearing as if being devoured by the ghost. Her face was almost disappearing, and a pure black tornado swirled around the phantom. Instantly, sand and stones flew everywhere, and the wind was strong enough to uproot large trees. Chu Hengkong slammed the tip of his spear into the ground; otherwise, even he would be blown away!

"Kill! Die! All of you die! You! All of you, die!!!"

The sound of the wind was a cascade of countless tiny curses, its core being an ever-growing vengeful spirit. Chu Hengkong had misjudged the situation; he thought shattering the relic would strip the evil spirit of its fighting power, but he hadn't anticipated that the relic would also act as a restraint. If it weren't for the stone collar constantly acting as a "tether," this evil spirit would have long since left the abandoned apartment to wreak havoc in the city.

"damn it……!"

Chu Hengkong rarely cursed so loudly. The little female ghost now seemed illusory and blurry to him, much like the phantoms of demons. This was probably just a nascent, unreal demon! What a waste of time! She was already a demon infancy, what was the point of criticizing and educating her? He should have just killed her with a talisman and sent her to the afterlife, and even gotten a high-level relic for free!

But then he remembered the girl's eyes—so stubborn, so full of resentment, as if she had been steeped in hatred for ten years, so different from her weak father. Her father's eyes were empty, completely hollow, filled only with sorrow. One was vengeful in solitude, the other was waiting in solitude.

—Chu Hengkong, let me remind you, spirits have all sorts of tricks up their sleeves. Remember to clean up afterwards, don't leave any loose ends.

Jie An's parting words echoed in his mind, a rare seriousness in the usually slick middle-aged man. Chu Hengkong almost lost his balance; a strange black wind blew bricks and tiles away, and it looked as if the cement on the rooftop was about to fly up. He took one last look at the female ghost; her illusory eyes were no longer stubborn, only filled with dark resentment.

Even assassins who have been in the business for a long time will eventually encounter difficult situations, and the same is true in this other world. Hein's pleas, Jie An's instructions, the little girl's cries, the female ghost's venomous wrath—the images in his mind shifted one after another, finally settling on the initial sentence.

Clean things up thoroughly, don't leave any loose ends.

Chu Hengkong put on the power-charging bracelet, drew his spear, and attached the faintly glowing talisman to the tip. His last foothold was blown away; he leaped across the large fragments in the air, plunging alone into the dark wind, heading towards the female ghost and the giant wolf within it.

The man roared and drew his gun. The power within the relic erupted with his surging emotions. The talisman on the tip of the iron spear pierced through both the man and the dog in one shot!

·

The clock struck 11:30, the windows rattled loudly in the cold wind, and the noise made it impossible to sleep. Hein stared at the moldy ceiling, wide awake.

He had to leave for work in half an hour, and he should have been out the door long ago, but Hein felt very tired today, so tired that he couldn't even lift his arms. Usually, he lived on the hope in his heart, telling himself over and over that he would find it eventually, but the detective's words before he left shattered that false hope.

He'd known for a long time that there was no hope after half a year; continuing to search would only be a way to survive. He struggled to get out of bed, preparing for work, but it was pointless; he felt like a walking corpse whose actions had become stagnant.

The door slammed shut with a loud bang, the sound so fierce it seemed it would smash the iron gate apart. Hein instinctively opened the door, and a man with a gun strode in, his menacing aura chilling to the bone.

“Detective Chu…?” Hai En almost didn’t recognize the man.

"Open your safe," Chu Hengkong said hoarsely. "Quickly!"

Hein felt dizzy. Was this a robbery? The detective in the newspaper was a robber? He thought this city was absurd; he didn't even realize he was laughing when he opened the safe. The small iron door opened, and inside lay the most precious things in the house. The money he had painstakingly saved, the property certificate, the marriage certificate, the birth certificate… all those little treasures were thrown out with a single, forceful gesture. After emptying the safe, Chu Heng slapped a piece of paper inside; Hein vaguely saw that it was a talisman.

Chu Hengkong closed the safe door, sat on the floor, and let out a long sigh. Haien stared at the certificates scattered on the floor, his fingers trembling uncontrollably. The shocking turn of events had completely broken this honest man: "What are you doing?! What did our family do wrong?! I—"

"……dad?"

Hein's scream stopped abruptly. The little girl in front of the safe looked up at him, her bright black eyes, jet-black hair, and fair, delicate face framed by her obedient little dog. She hadn't changed at all; everything was exactly as he remembered from the last moments.

He suddenly knelt down, his trembling hand touching his daughter's hair. It was a little cold, but real, and he could feel it.

"Tina?" Hein smiled. "Where have you been? Dad has been looking for you."

"I'm lost..." the girl whispered.

"Why don't you come home! Dad is so worried about you! So worried about you..."

The father hugged his daughter tightly, tears streaming down his face. The little black dog, Hawu, lay quietly to one side, wagging its tail vigorously.

Tina's father searched for people during the day and worked far away at night. The two lived only a block apart but never saw each other again. This naturally made Tina very desperate, because before she died, she heard the thugs' threats and never saw her father again. She thought that her parents had been killed and that they would destroy this heartless city.

Now she's locked in a safe, not just a collar that can be easily removed, but a heavy block of iron. She can't go very far; at most, she can walk around the building, waiting for her father to come home.

I wonder what level of relic this safe with the talisman is now?

Chu Hengkong stretched his shoulders and looked at the little girl: "Your father is still alive. If you misbehave again, you'll cause trouble for him."

"I won't make a fuss anymore!" Tina cried. "Daddy, I'm sorry, I won't make a fuss anymore..."

Then she apologized again. What was there to apologize for? Kids are such a hassle. Chu Hengkong stood up and patted Hai En on the shoulder: "Move the money and certificates somewhere else. From now on, these are your family's most precious treasures, so take good care of them."

As if waking from a dream, Hai En was so bewildered that he didn't know what to do. In desperation, he picked up the tears that had fallen to the ground and cried out, "Detective Chu! Please!"

Chu Heng glanced at it and suddenly revealed a rude expression like that of a thug.

"Do you even know the rules of the underworld?"

Hein flinched in fright: "It wasn't intentional, please give me some more time—"

"Why give so much when you're helping the child accumulate good karma?" Chu Hengkong returned to his usual calm expression. "Reimbursing travel expenses is enough."

He picked up the smallest of the beads, shouldered his gun, and went out into the night.

Chapter 18 Short-sighted

The smallest pearl in the safe is worth three hundred pearls, enough to reimburse the fare back to headquarters, and even enough to buy a decent bottle of wine.

The headquarters lights were always on, brightly lit year-round. Chu Hengkong carried a bottle of liquor into the break room. The shift change was long over; those off duty were resting in their dormitories, while those on night duty patrolled the streets. The little girl resented the police's incompetence, unaware that it was precisely because the thugs avoided the patrolling officers that her father was spared.

But what's the point of reasoning with a child? The child doesn't care about any of that; all they know is that no one came to their rescue when they were harmed.

Chu Hengkong sat down on the small sofa and poured himself a glass of wine. The purplish-red liquid was slightly astringent, with a sweet aftertaste and a faint floral fragrance. He squinted his eyes, wondering if he should go find a bag of peanuts.

"Stay up in the middle of the night, sneaking out to drink alone?"

A golden ponytail swayed by the doorway as Ji Huaisu strode in with a brisk pace and sat down on the sofa to the side. She reached for the wine bottle: "I'll have a drink too."

Chu Hengkong moved the wine bottle back an inch: "Drinking while on duty is against the rules."

"Don't give me that. You're the one who violated the rules first." Ji Huaisu's eyes darted around. "If you don't distribute the money, I'll report you internally!"

Chu Hengkong smiled helplessly and pushed the bottle of wine to the center of the table. The two temporary partners each took a glass and savored the poorly made wine, which looked decent. No one spoke, and the hands of the clock in the lounge ticked away.

"Have I ever told you that I used to be involved in organized crime?" Chu Hengkong asked.

“I mentioned it once,” Ji Huaisu glanced at him, “but it doesn’t seem like it.”

"It's true," Chu Hengkong said calmly. "In traditional underworld families, newcomers have to pass two major hurdles to join. The first hurdle is the initiation ceremony, which usually involves swearing an oath with blood handprints in the presence of senior members. After the ceremony, you become a member of the family, and everyone treats you like a brother."

But the family is large and has many different kinds of people. To gain recognition, you need to become a 'trustworthy person.' That's quite complicated. You have to start by helping the older generation with the smallest and most trivial tasks: collecting debts, extorting protection money, guarding the premises, and teaching a few tactless people a lesson... Gradually, you gain everyone's approval, and then the second hurdle comes. One day, an older generation member will send you a brown paper bag, saying that he has an urgent matter to attend to and can't spare the time, so he asks you to help him with a small matter.

Chu Hengkong raised his glass, the purple liquid under the lamplight turning a deep red like blood: "The newcomer hurriedly opened a brown paper bag on the way and found a gun. Only then did he realize he was going to kill someone. The chosen target must have crossed the organization's bottom line. Perhaps in society in broad daylight they wouldn't deserve to die, but in the rules of the underworld, they would certainly die."

Once a newcomer pulls the trigger, he will transform into a 'credible person,' because in a world of violence, only human life is the most credible covenant and curse.

Chu Hengkong shrugged: "In the past, the pass rate for this test was very low because people are all made of flesh and blood, and most people felt that the other party would not be worth their lives... However, in modern times, the test has become a mere formality because everyone already knows the tricks of the trade. As long as you fire a shot, you can advance, so no matter who the other party is, you can just kill them with one shot."

Whether things are handled well or poorly is secondary; the key is the choice made by the person involved. The person being held at gunpoint may have their own difficulties, may be elderly, weak, women, or children, or may simply be an innocent victim. But regardless of the true situation, you must pull the trigger yourself, because what the person who set up this test really wants to see is your attitude.

This applies to both the underworld and the legitimate world.

Ji Huaisu listened with great interest and asked, "What did you do back then?"

"Me?" Chu Hengkong chuckled softly. "I'm used to doing thorough research before taking on a job. My target is a poor waiter whose sister married an old member of the family. That man is a typical Puglia playboy, often beating his wife and gambling away her hard-earned money. In the end, he beat his pregnant wife until she miscarried, and the poor woman suffered a mental breakdown. After the waiter found out about this, he grabbed a knife and killed the old member."

When he saw me, he was terrified; this tall man of 1.8 meters was trembling. He begged me to spare his sister's life, saying he wouldn't resist. I told him to get lost! Take his sister to another city. If anyone tries to stop you, tell them my name and that I'll kill anyone who dares to touch Chu Hengkong!

Chu Hengkong downed the wine in his cup in one gulp, a look of satisfaction in his eyes. Ji Huaisu rolled her eyes: "Such a strong江湖气 (jianghu spirit)."

"On the way back, I bought a bottle of wine and went straight to the boss's office. The boss said, 'I'm sure of it today, Ah Kong, you'll never become a big shot in your life.'"

"Why?"

"The boss said you're smart and quick-witted, and no one can beat you in terms of skill, but you lack a forward-looking vision and have absolutely no patience. Great people always look to the future; they don't mind making temporary concessions or compromises because it will help them succeed in the future. But you just won't look up; your eyes are always fixed on the path in front of you. If you don't change your personality, you'll be a thug for life."

At this point, Chu Hengkong's eyes held a hint of nostalgia: "I must say, boss, you really have a good eye for people. I, Chu Hengkong, am a short-sighted fool! I only care about today and don't care about tomorrow. I'm unwilling to compromise even for a moment. No matter how much reason and benefit you offer, you can't make me do something against my conscience!"

He looked at Ji Huaisu: "Tell me, am I being very willful?"

“It’s very willful,” Ji Huaisu nodded. “It’s just like a child.”

Chu Hengkong burst into laughter. He wasn't usually a talkative person, but tonight he was talking non-stop. Perhaps he missed his time in the underworld, or perhaps these words had been bottled up inside him for a long time. He didn't care whether others were listening; he was just speaking wildly under the influence of alcohol. The more he talked, the happier he became, practically dancing with excitement: "That's why I can't make it anywhere, I deserve to be a henchman for life... But all in all, I'm happier than the big shots!"

Some children are stubborn because they don't understand reason, while others understand everything but still don't change, remaining stubborn their whole lives. Ji Huaisu thought this person was the latter; he probably had this bad temper since childhood, otherwise a person with feelings and righteousness wouldn't have ended up as an assassin.

She waited until Chu Hengkong's laughter stopped, then said softly, "Chu Hengkong, your hometown is very peaceful, isn't it?"

Chu Hengkong was stunned for a long time: "Most places are safe and sound."

“I think so too, otherwise your boss wouldn’t have said those things.” Ji Huaisu shrugged. “In times of peace and prosperity, everyone has enough to live on, so naturally they can look to the future. But when the world is in chaos, it’s not easy to even save your life. Too many people are focused on what will happen in a few years, but they overlook the danger of today’s knife.”

Seeing Chu Hengkong's confused expression, she suddenly laughed: "We're all just a worthless life left, so what's the difference between big and small! What's wrong with taking it one step at a time? If you can make it to the far reaches of the world step by step, you'll be a real big shot too."

She tossed Chu Hengkong a round object and leaned back casually on the sofa: "Congratulations, Detective Chu! Today you're officially promoted to senior detective. Remember to treat everyone to drinks sometime."

It was a badge-shaped white jade plaque, with a dragon carved on the warm, smooth jade base. Chu Heng glanced at the half-empty bottle of wine and began to doubt his own drinking capacity.

Just then, the door to the lounge opened, and the man with the paper fan reappeared as if by magic, followed by the shifty-eyed Jie An. Ji Qiufeng snapped the fan shut and chuckled, "Everyone's in such high spirits late at night, huh? Why are you celebrating before the ceremony even starts?"

"What ceremony?" Chu Hengkong was completely confused.

Jie An leaned closer, rubbing his hands together: "Hey, didn't Captain Huaisu tell you? There are strict requirements for promotions in our team. To become a senior detective, you need to be at the first-ranked level!"

The slight intoxication in Chu Hengkong's head instantly dissipated. He jumped to his feet, his face full of disbelief: "Wasn't it dismissal? How did it turn into a promotion?"

“We’re evaluating a senior detective, not a cold-blooded killer. You handled things brilliantly, who else should we promote if not you?” Ji Qiufeng tapped him. “But the final decision was still rash. In this situation, you could have consulted a senior before making a decision. From now on, the area around Gushui Street is your jurisdiction. Keep an eye on the little girl and the dog. If anything happens again, you’ll be held responsible.”

Chu Hengkong put the badge away and said seriously, "I will definitely keep a close eye on it."

"Alright, then let's solve another case with our Tentacle Detective." Ji Qiufeng shook his fan. "Since no one is too sleepy... let's strike while the iron is hot and hold the promotion ceremony for senior detectives before we go to sleep."

Chapter 19 Skillful Hands

Dozens of red stone pillars supported the vast space, and bright lights illuminated the white jade floor tiles. On the walls of the circular hall, reliefs of various birds and beasts were connected to form a huge painting. A jade carving of a white dragon stood in the center of the space, every scale and claw lifelike, like a divine beast guarding the city, or a king surrounded by all beasts.

Chu Hengkong carefully observed his surroundings. He was led to the 31st floor of the headquarters building. The three floors above this floor had been opened up to create a temple hidden within the building. He was certain that this was a temple, not only because of the stone pillars resembling those of an ancient Greek temple and the jade carving of an ancient dragon, but also because of the unique atmosphere that was hard to find elsewhere—majestic and solemn yet calming, as if the gods were present.

"Come on, look this way."

Ji Qiufeng walked to the Dragon God statue, bent down, and reached out his hand. A white snake crawled out from behind the jade carving and slowly coiled around his arm. This white snake was not large, with a slender body. When coiled, it was large enough to sit on the man's palm. Its eyes were azure blue, not eerie but gentle.

"Let me introduce you, this is our team doctor and scholar, the wise Miss Youyou~"

Ji Qiufeng raised his hand as if presenting a treasure, while Ji Huaisu and Jie An beside him made "ooh ooh" sounds in unison. The little snake glared at them fiercely and uttered a quick and clear female voice: "It's not Youyou, it's Youyou! Be serious, the newbies are trying not to laugh!"

Chu Heng coughed twice and said seriously, "Hello, Miss Youyou."

The white snake leisurely flicked its tongue with satisfaction, climbing onto Ji Qiufeng's head as it asked, "That's more like it. Have you ever thought about becoming a craftsman or a magician?"

"No." Chu Hengkong replied without hesitation, "I don't feel at ease."

"Neither mystery nor machinery can be trusted; only the body and skill are the foundation of survival. You're truly a pure flesh-and-blood enthusiast," Youyou commented. "Good, that saves me the trouble of explaining. Ji Qiufeng should have already told you the specific details. I'll confirm one last time: are you sure you want to use this tentacle?"

On the way to the temple, Ji Qiufeng gave him a brief overview of the information about the ascension, which included an important decision.

"'Skillful Hands' is the starting point of the path to advancement, the foundation for every step you take afterward. Once you advance to Skillful Hands, the power of that tentacle will increase, but it will also become a part of your life, and even if it is severed, it cannot be replaced by a new body. From the perspective of an elder rather than a superior, I would suggest that you cut off the tentacle and advance with only one arm."

"If I don't cut off my arm, will I have to use tentacles for the rest of my life?"

"What in this world is certain? If you can reach point four, you can solve this problem completely. But that's a distant goal that most people can only dream of in their lifetime."

"I'll climb up quickly."

In just a few words, a crucial decision concerning his future was made so easily. Losing the tentacles would likely prevent him from using the Silver Eye Book again; losing such an important intelligence channel in this unfamiliar world would only hasten his demise. Not to mention, there were no trustworthy prosthetics in the city. Cutting off the tentacles and replacing them with something even more dubious—who could guarantee that new problems wouldn't arise?

Even if the tentacles are ugly, at least nothing's happened yet, and besides, they're quite useful. Even if they really are some kind of monster's body... at worst, the original owner can just fight them off when they come looking for them.

Therefore, Chu Hengkong answered without hesitation: "I'm sure."

"Wow, that's really something! Let's begin then." Youyou exclaimed, tapping the dragon god statue with its tail. The jade carving silently sank into the ground, its original base forming a hollow circle. Rays of yellow light emerged from the white jade floor, drawing a complex and regular magic circle around the hollow circle.

“You are not yet capable of understanding the principles of the Secret Array. Do not ask or guess. Just do whatever Ji Qiufeng tells you to do. Remember every word he says, understand?” Youyou looked into his eyes.

Chu Hengkong nodded.

“Look closely at this magic circle; it’s called ‘Sealing Formation,’” Ji Qiufeng said gently. As he spoke, the magic circle gradually took shape. First, three circular arrays appeared around the hollow circle, forming a triangle of equal side length. Each array contained a simple symbol, whose meaning he could naturally understand despite never having encountered them before: dust, light, and shadow.

Outside the triangular array, three more concentric rings took shape. The structure of the three rings was several times more complex than that of the inner array. The rings themselves were composed of countless tiny characters, and each layer of the rings was decorated with various abstract symbols, such as the sun, moon, sky, and ocean. When he saw some of the symbols, he suddenly felt a chill in his heart. A sense of crisis, which came from nowhere, gripped his heart, as if he were standing on the edge of endless darkness, and one wrong step would plunge him into an abyss.