True friendship is often no match for the pursuit of promotion.

The temperature in the entire house suddenly dropped, and with it, the brightness as well. The lighting had already been dim, and now it was worsened further—it was almost impossible to see one’s hand in front of one’s face. Yet, at this moment, a strange kind of “brightness” appeared within the room, emanating from the mist that rose from the floor.

The mist had come without reason.

It seemed almost alive, climbing upward from the ground until it reached Chen Sheng’s neck, when it finally began to subside.

Such a scene inevitably brought to mind the days when he’d worked in the Celestial Court, but there was little time for nostalgia. In the midst of the fog, two sheets of paper drifted down from thin air.

With the appearance of these papers, the sudden mist vanished in an instant, so abruptly that it caught one off guard.

The room returned to its previous level of brightness. The little ghost girl held up the two sheets and handed them to Chen Sheng.

As Chen Sheng took them, he saw that they were two pieces of yellow paper. On the yellow paper were a string of bright red numbers, several lines of crimson text, and a similarly red portrait.

The numbers indicated the quantity of hair.

The lines of text described someone’s background and identity.

The portrait, of course, needed no further explanation.

“He looks rather young…” Chen Sheng murmured, gazing at the image of the young man on the yellow paper. Instantly, a series of “classic scenes” played out in his mind:

Do not bully the poor youth → Chance encounter upon leaving home → Becomes a disciple of someone or other → Fellow disciples are jealous → Senior sister comes to the rescue → Another stroke of luck → Strength increases → Enemy seeks revenge…

He shook his head to break off his wandering thoughts, then looked at the little ghost girl and asked, “Are you sure this hair count is accurate? Does this person really have that much hair?”

“How could it not be accurate? It’s absolutely precise!” the little ghost girl replied, adopting the tone of an expert.

“You’re that certain?”

“Of course! The ghost from the other side personally stripped all the hair off this person and counted each strand, one by one!” the little ghost girl said with a hint of pride. In this city of Upper Three Rivers, there were very few ghosts who had connections “over there” and could ask them for favors!

Chen Sheng was, of course, unaware of the special meaning behind her mention of “the other side.” He was thoroughly shocked by her answer.

Stripping off someone’s hair and counting each strand, one by one—was that even something a person would do?

Oh, he almost forgot—she didn’t belong to the human species.

With a heart full of complaints, Chen Sheng glanced over the crimson lines of text. Having learned that the young man’s name was Ling Tianquan, he paid no further attention.

To Chen Sheng, this was just a “plot NPC,” a “storyline target monster”—knowing the name was enough. As for the rest, how many players ever bothered to read the background of a mere “storyline monster” in a game?

Most people never finish reading, and some don’t even glance at the name.

Chen Sheng was among the majority.

“Where is this Ling Tianquan right now?” Chen Sheng asked again.

“In a villa,” the little ghost girl replied, and promptly gave him the detailed address.

Chen Sheng was rather surprised—it was none other than Uncle Yan Shidong’s villa. It seemed he hadn’t gone to the wrong place before, after all. Unfortunately, he hadn’t managed to finish off this Ling Tianquan previously, so now he’d have to make another trip.

Still, since he hadn’t had enough fun before, the present seemed the perfect opportunity.

With a beaming smile, Chen Sheng hurried on his way.

…

At this moment, Uncle Yan Shidong’s villa was in utter chaos. Numerous police officers were patrolling the vicinity, while the distinguished guests who had attended the villa’s banquet were escorted home safely, one by one.

Although no one had been injured, the incident had frightened people—especially since a prominent figure had been present. Uncle Yan Shidong was now beside himself with rage.

“Find the assailant immediately!”

“And find out which bastard sold the firearms—lock him up for a good long while!”

Uncle Yan Shidong barked orders.

Meanwhile, Yan Shidong, having heard about the shooting, rushed over that very night.

Though his uncle was the chief of this precinct, Yan Shidong himself was only a mid-level officer and had not been eligible to attend the earlier banquet.

Promotions within the police force were notoriously difficult, and advancing from mid-level officer to senior officer was even more so.

A senior officer, wherever he might be, was a person of considerable standing and influence, possessing great authority.

Therefore, even with his notable family background and the support of his uncle, the chief, who had tried to secure merits for him, Yan Shidong could only bide his time in the position of a mid-level officer.

His earlier decision to “sell out” his old friend “Chen Jue Shen” was closely tied to his career ambitions.

That old Master Feng had made a weighty promise on behalf of his son.

Though Yan Shidong despised Master Feng, he had to admit that, thanks to his ancestors, Master Feng was well-connected.

And in the imperial court, connections were everything.

With Master Feng’s recommendation, his promotion would encounter far fewer obstacles, and his time as a mid-level officer would be greatly shortened.

“Uncle, what did Young Master Ling say?” Yan Shidong asked straightforwardly, having already learned on the way that no one had been hurt.

“Young Master Ling said nothing at all,” his uncle replied grimly.

“Nothing at all?”

Yan Shidong’s expression changed slightly. If the man had been angry or demanded the culprit be caught within a day, that would have been easier to handle—it would mean Young Master Ling wasn’t truly furious with them. But for him to say nothing at all left Yan Shidong with a chill.

It meant that Young Master Ling was already displeased with them in his heart.

“What should we do then?” Yan Shidong couldn’t help but ask, deeply worried about his own prospects.

They could not afford to provoke Young Master Ling. Though he held no official post, if he expressed dissatisfaction with the Yan family, someone would surely step in to punish them.

Even Master Feng’s intervention would be of no use, for Master Feng’s own son was among Young Master Ling’s followers.

Seeing his nephew’s anxiety, his uncle said, “Don’t worry. There’s still room for things to be smoothed over. As long as you can capture A’Chen, everything will be fine.”

Hearing this, Yan Shidong finally breathed a sigh of relief, though he couldn’t help but ask, “Uncle, wasn’t it Master Feng’s son who A’Chen offended? Why does Young Master Ling want to deal with him too? Did A’Chen offend Young Master Ling in the past? If that were the case, he wouldn’t have made it out alive, let alone go to White Cloud Mountain to settle old scores!”

“A’Chen never offended Young Master Ling. But as the saying goes, before you beat the dog, you must look at its master.”