Chapter Three: The Enigmatic and Unfathomable System

When Heiyu returned to Earth, he could not recall anything that had just happened in the world of cultivation; everything felt like a hazy, inconsequential dream. He rose slowly to his feet—perhaps he was simply too exhausted today, to have actually dozed off here. Strangely, he found himself in unexpectedly good spirits.

Yet as he remembered that Uncle Liu had just left, he thought this inexplicable good mood was horribly inhuman. Still, it was hard to suppress it. He held up his phone, using the flashlight, and stood before the mirror. Reflected there was a beaming, rotund figure, grinning broadly. The sight was somewhat unsettling, but his buoyant mood made Heiyu impervious to fear.

“You fool, you’re still grinning!” Heiyu pointed at his own reflection, cursing angrily. The fat man in the mirror only smiled all the brighter.

“Damn it!”

He slapped himself twice, hard. His face stung, two bright red marks standing out starkly—the smile vanished at last.

“That really hurts.” The pain grew even more intense, completely snuffing out his inexplicable good mood, leaving only a hint of frustration. Who hits themselves so hard? He checked his reflection again. His face had begun to swell, and the red marks were turning into bruises.

This is really strange. “Pain, disappear!” he commanded his reflection, feeling a bit childish, not actually expecting anything to happen. Yet as he stared into the mirror, the bruises faded, and his plump cheeks returned to their usual roundness. The pain vanished as well.

“How odd. What’s going on?” Heiyu gazed at himself in curiosity. Suddenly, footsteps sounded behind him, interrupting his thoughts.

“Hey, Fatty.” Fan Xiangdong shone his flashlight toward Heiyu. Heiyu glanced toward the door and saw Fan Xiangdong standing there, flanked by two emaciated figures.

“And who might these be?” Heiyu remembered Fan Xiangdong mentioning he’d bring two friends, assuming they would be firefighters. But these two, clearly not the muscle-bound firefighters he’d met earlier, were both thin as rails.

“These two are geomancy masters,” Fan Xiangdong introduced. Geomancy masters—commonly known as feng shui practitioners—were said to be able to perceive things hidden from ordinary eyes.

“I am Zhang Mengshan.”

“And I am Zhang Dongling.” The two thin men cupped their hands in greeting, their movements crisp and precise. Clad in black Daoist robes, they exuded a distinct air of otherworldly elegance.

A fleeting thought crossed Heiyu’s mind—this feeling seemed familiar, as though he’d encountered it somewhere before. But the notion vanished as quickly as it came.

“What are you thinking about so deeply, Fatty?” Fan Xiangdong asked.

Heiyu frowned. The constant “Fatty” from Fan Xiangdong was grating on his nerves. Did the man have no manners?

“Just call me Heiyu,” he said, addressing the two geomancy masters but, more importantly, making the point to Fan Xiangdong.

“Have you found anything, Masters?” Fan Xiangdong ignored Heiyu’s protest and turned to the two thin men.

Zhang Mengshan glanced at the fat man, then exchanged a look with Zhang Dongling. Zhang Dongling replied in a low voice, “Nothing found.” With that, the two strode away.

Fan Xiangdong hurried after them. “Masters, but this place really is strange today. The appliances that were here when I arrived—how could they just disappear?”

“You were mistaken, that’s all,” Zhang Dongling replied without pausing.

Fan Xiangdong chased after them. Heiyu, looking through the corridor window, watched the three of them get into a car and drive away.

“What kind of people are these?” Heiyu wondered aloud.

[System: Potential threat successfully repelled.]

[Task progress for Extinguishing the Azure Star: 0%]

What was that? It seemed familiar, as if these words had floated before his eyes before.

A system? Was he a transmigrator? But no, he had lived in the Great Xia nation since childhood, feeling nothing amiss.

The system offered no response. Soon, the words disappeared as well. It seemed to be a solitary, unpredictable thing.

Heiyu shook his head.

Ding—the phone in his pocket chimed. He pulled out another device, discovering it was a brand new foldable phone. This wasn’t his. As soon as his finger touched the screen, it unlocked automatically.

How odd.

The message was from a WeChat user named Brother Zhong Kui.

Heiyu opened the message.

Brother Zhong Kui: Tianhua, could you return my phone? I went through a lot to get this model. I can give you twenty thousand Resentment Points in exchange, how about it?

“What are Resentment Points—some kind of in-game currency?” Heiyu muttered suspiciously.

He typed his reply: I have your phone. I don’t want Resentment Points—how about twenty thousand Great Xia dollars instead?

He sent the message from an account called Tianhua. Of course, Heiyu didn’t expect the other party to actually give him so much money; he’d checked online, and this foldable phone cost over ten thousand yuan, and was a limited edition. He’d asked for twenty thousand just to see how extravagant someone must be to pay so much for a phone.

Soon, the other party replied.

Brother Zhong Kui: I don’t have twenty thousand Great Xia dollars. How about a copy of “Thousand-Mile Transference Technique”?

“More game items? Forget it, the phone isn’t mine anyway—even if he doesn’t pay, I’ll return it. What can I say, I’m a decent person,” Heiyu thought, nodding in approval of himself.

Tianhua: No need for that. I’ll return the phone free of charge.

“Thousand-Mile Transference Technique” has been sent successfully.

Buzz—

A thread-bound manual materialized in Heiyu’s hand.

Brother Zhong Kui: I can’t just take the phone for nothing, so I’ve sent you the item. Later, I’ll have someone come by to collect the phone. That’s all for now.

Heiyu stared curiously at the book that had appeared in his hand. On the cover, written in brush strokes, were the words “Thousand-Mile Transference Technique.”

Is this how files are sent from a foldable phone? Has technology really advanced this far?

Heiyu skeptically opened the manual.

[System: Skill package detected. High compatibility with the Extinguishing the World task.]

[Attempting to receive.]

[4%…]

[8%…]

[15%…]

[…]

[98%…]

[Reception complete. Enjoy your use.]

[Task progress for Extinguishing the Azure Star: 0%]

The text vanished from before his eyes. Heiyu felt a torrent of information surge into his mind.

This “Thousand-Mile Transference Technique” was actually a skill for taking things from others—luck, wealth, even appearance. Each use would increase his Resentment Points.

“Resentment Points again… Could my system be connected to Brother Zhong Kui’s game somehow?”

Heiyu typed again: Brother Zhong Kui, what are Resentment Points for?

Brother Zhong Kui: You’re not Tianhua, are you?

Tianhua: No, I just happened to get this phone.

A video call was starting.

Heiyu sighed but accepted the call.

On the other end was a man with a wild, bristling beard and fierce eyes, just like the legendary Zhong Kui—enough to make Heiyu uneasy.

Zhong Kui’s voice boomed, “Aren’t you Heiyu, the gatekeeper at Peach Orchard?”

Heiyu’s heart skipped a beat. How did the man know his name? But as for being a gatekeeper at Peach Orchard—that must be a mistake. Was there someone who looked like him, with the same name?

Suddenly, text flashed before his eyes:

[System: Potential threat detected, attempting to erase.]

[Erasure complete.]

Zhong Kui stared blankly at Heiyu for a moment. Then, suddenly smiling, he said, “Brother Heiyu, just consider this phone a gift from me.”

Now Heiyu was the one bewildered. What kind of system did he have, capable of erasing another’s memory?

“Sorry to trouble you, Brother Heiyu. I’ll leave you to your business,” Zhong Kui said, ending the call.