Chapter 24: I Am Waiting for One More Minute

"A cunning opponent indeed."

Climbing up the octagonal tower with all his might, Ye Feifan grabbed the pendant and slid down the pillar, his clothes stained with blood.

"The pocket watch!" Ye Feifan’s heart tightened as the sound he had just heard returned.

*Tick-tock...*

It was the quest item!

It wasn't a needle; the image on the card had deceived him. The true answer was the pocket watch. His own watch disappearing must have been a hint from the system; he had foolishly assumed he’d left it at Gu Fangxiang’s place.

"Won't you come out and show yourself?"

*Tick-tock...*

A grey shadow drifted from the watch, coalescing before Ye Feifan into a young man. He wore clothing from the 1950s or 60s, yet he exuded a heavy, oppressive aura.

A Fourth-Tribulation realm entity!

The young man was stronger than the humanoid shadow, though it was hard to say if he was stronger than the possessed servant.

Though he looked young, his expression was calm. Through the cat’s vision, Ye Feifan could see that his resentment was not particularly heavy; he seemed like the type of person who lacked a strong presence.

"What is your name?"

"Zhang Qing. And who might you be, sir?"

"I am Ye Feifan. Tell me, Brother Zhang, why did you commit murder?"

"I committed murder?"

Ye Feifan hadn't been mistaken; Zhang Qing’s gaze was strange, as if he didn't remember killing anyone at all.

"I have never killed anyone. They simply ran into me themselves."

"Can you tell me what happened?"

"What is it you want to hear?"

Zhang Qing looked lonely; he must have been here for a very long time.

"How many years have you lived here?"

"Sixteen years."

Ye Feifan’s body stiffened. He turned to look at Zhang Qing in surprise, confirming he wasn't lying. This meant the system had already begun arranging these events when it set his trial, waiting only for him to inherit the system to trigger those foreshadowed traps.

"That’s not a funny joke. When did you wake up?"

"I woke up sixteen years ago."

"How did you die?"

"Die?" Zhang Qing pondered for a moment. "I was the young master of the Zhang family... Right, that wretch. I must kill her..."

His resentment, previously faint, surged like boiling water as he recalled her. The blood-red aura was so blinding that Ye Feifan was moved to tears; the man had nearly spiraled into a frenzy.

"Calm down. She is already dead."

What era was this, that he was still dwelling on her? Fearing that Zhang Qing might suddenly lose control and slaughter him, Ye Feifan hurriedly pacified him.

"Dead?"

Zhang Qing went silent. He laughed for a moment, then stopped.

"Have you seen those shop owners?"

"They are all dead."

"Did you see the killer?"

"A waiter."

"Tell me more..."

Feeling he was close to the core of the mystery, Ye Feifan urged him on.

"Why should I tell you?"

"I can trade information with you."

"What kind of information?"

"Information about yourself."

"I don't trust you."

Ye Feifan released the hilt of his sword without drawing it, instead looking toward the back door and asking, "Who just fled through the back?"

"That waiter. But it's strange; he arrived before you, yet he possesses no power at all."

Suppressed...

"Where has he gone now?"

"He left. You are in trouble."

Even if he knew the killer, the authorities had no way to convict him. The cultivation world was a place where the strong preyed on the weak; the waiter was a scout for the Liu family, and they would certainly protect him. It was time for him to leave.

"Did he discover you?"

"He did. The blood on the top was their method of investigation."

"That is enough!"

Ye Feifan took a deep breath, looked earnestly at the young man who appeared a few years his senior, and said, "Are you willing to come with me? Tomorrow, I can give you information about yourself."

Zhang Qing thought for a moment and nodded. "You have no killing intent. I trust you."

"Good. Go inside; I will take you with me."

"Very well!"

Zhang Qing transformed into a grey mist and darted into the pocket watch. Ye Feifan clicked on his flashlight to examine it.

*Tick-tock...*

The gears were working normally. The casing was made of gold, and the watch face had a deep crack, with a trace of blood inside it.

[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining the special item: "Blood-Stained Pocket Watch." A vintage style, imported. After Zhang Qing’s death, his resentment remained, possessing the object and turning it into a lethal weapon. (Before the Host found this item, the system assisted in the performance, slowing down time; in reality, it was already midnight when the Host stood outside.) Unlocks the talent ability: "I Am Waiting One Minute" (Can pause time for one minute; cannot attack others during the pause).]

"I am waiting one minute?"

The side quest "Tick-Tock" had no difficulty; the true challenge was surviving until dawn. This meant Ye Feifan had resolved the supernatural issue, but the human problem remained.

The time he had seen earlier was fake! The waiter must have panicked after losing his power and gone to fetch reinforcements. They were surely preparing to intercept and kill him!

Run!

Leaving the Beichen Teahouse, Ye Feifan ran desperately toward the Sandbar. He remembered the bus route; as long as he followed it, he could reach the Sandbar. There was a mysterious monster at the guard post, and even the full might of the Liu family might not be a match for it.

Though he hadn't seen the monster, Ye Feifan felt it was extraordinary. If not for the excessive number of water weeds and humanoid shadows, combined with the wretched thunderstorm, it might have emerged to battle the Zhang family earlier.

The moonlight was lovely tonight—no black clouds, no rain. The monster might just be out for a stroll.

If he wasn't mistaken, the waiter was definitely heading to the old alleyway to intercept him. If he went there, he’d be walking straight into a trap. The waiter certainly wouldn't expect that Zhang Qing had revealed his identity.

Thanks to the effect of his Silent Boots, Ye Feifan sprinted for two or three hours until he reached the small stone bridge. His lungs burned with pain.

Fortunately, though his cultivation was only at the Second-Tribulation realm, the strength he had gained from his previous slaughters had been used to fortify his physical body; otherwise, with the stamina of an ordinary person, he would have collapsed from overexertion by now.

The stone bridge was quiet. There was still a distance to the Sandbar, and this stretch would decide life or death.

"Bring as many men as you want; I will make sure you are all buried here."

After Ye Feifan left, a dozen men in black and the waiter appeared by the bridge.

"He ran this way?"

"Yes, my lord. He must be nearby."

"You couldn't even handle one person? Useless. This is your only chance."

"I understand, my lord. He has connections with the Zhang family; I believe they are plotting against us."

"Have you confirmed what that servant took?"

"No. There were masters from the Zhang family acting in the shadows; we couldn't snatch it."

"A bunch of useless trash!"

Besides the waiter, the leader questioned the others, but there was not a single piece of good news.

"He came here in the middle of the night; he is likely heading to the Sandbar guard post. You, return to the reception house. The Zhang family might send people there; find an opportunity to extract the information."

"As you command."

His heart skipped a beat, but the waiter didn't linger. His figure soon disappeared into the darkness. He could have warned them, but his superior had been berating him while walking to his death. These people would likely all be dead tonight; he didn't care to speak to the dead. Perhaps he would be the next leader.

The waiter’s secret thoughts remained unknown to the others as they stepped onto the stone bridge, heading toward the Sandbar.

The people who die fastest in this world are neither the good nor the bad, but the foolish. The waiter was clearly a clever man, but his superior was not.

No one noticed the water weeds on both sides of the stone bridge swaying in the shadows.

...

Reaching the Sandbar, Ye Feifan didn't run straight to the guard post. He sensed a crisis; that monster was back.

"Can you transfer the blood they left on you to that place?"

Taking out the pocket watch, Ye Feifan pointed toward the guard post.

"I cannot. There is a great terror there, beyond my ability to handle. I am merely a 'Great Ghost' class; the creature inside is at least a 'Fierce Ghost' class."

Zhang Qing was helpless but warned him of the danger.

It was indeed a place of great evil!

After a moment of silence, Ye Feifan lowered his expectations.

"Then get the blood as close to it as you can."

"Very well!"

The blood on the outer layer of the watch condensed into a single drop and drifted toward the territory near the guard post's ambush point.

Ye Feifan hid under a large tree where there was sparse wild grass, perfect for concealment.

"Have you ever been to the Sandbar?"

"I have not, but that old man named Chen Yi has."

Taking out the watch to communicate, Zhang Qing gave Ye Feifan a surprising piece of news.

"The old man has been here?"

"He has. He told me so last time."

"What did he come here for?"

"To find Cuihua."

"..."

Ye Feifan was speechless. Did the old man only know how to search in one direction? Tianzi City was so large, why was he so fixated on the Drowning River? Could it be that Cuihua was in the river? Had she become a water weed?

The situation was spiraling out of his control. The Sandbar and the small stone bridge were not safe places, and the Beichen Teahouse hadn't been either.

"How did those shop owners die?"

"They were hanged after being poisoned by the waiter."

"Where are their bodies?"

"In the Drowning River."

"How were they transported here?"

"They had a carriage... Someone is coming."

Zhang Qing stopped. In the darkness, several painful screams rang out.

It was the same familiar bridge entrance, but the water weeds and humanoid shadows of the thunderstorm had been replaced by a group of men in black.

Yesterday the water weeds, today all of you—truly, the tides of fate turn for everyone!

"Boss, we can't hold on!"

"What is happening?"

"Xiao Wu and the others were dragged into the river by the water weeds!"

"The river water is evil. Forget them! We must find the tall, thin one and return quickly. Delays will only lead to trouble."

"Understood..."

The men in black stepped into the Sandbar. Their objective was clear; the lead man held a compass, drawing closer and closer to the guard post.

[PS: Prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony, freedom, equality, justice, the rule of law, patriotism, dedication, integrity, and friendship.]