# 735
# Chapter 735: Shen Qingzhu's Deal
The eastern sky was turning bright.
Lin Qiye sat by Baili Pangpang's bedside, gazing at the morning sun outside. Exhaustion lingered in his eyes.
After realizing the severity of the situation last night, Lin Qiye had been keeping vigil by Baili Pangpang's side, diving into the psychiatric hospital within his mindscape to search for a way to wake him up.
But neither Merlin nor Bragi knew anything about the origin of that Prayer Mat, nor did they know how to rouse Baili Pangpang from this state.
As for Sun Wukong, Lin Qiye had asked him too, but there were simply too many things in Great Xia mythology associated with Prayer Mats. Without seeing the actual Prayer Mat in question, he couldn't determine what was happening.
After asking around, Lin Qiye had gained nothing.
It seemed he'd have to wait until returning to Great Xia before seeking help from others...
Lin Qiye glanced at the clock on the wall. Today was the day he had agreed to meet with Furuhara Yoshiki. He needed to pick up the repaired White Slash in the morning, and that evening, the other team members would rendezvous in Hokkaido before heading back through the ruins to the Mist World and returning to Great Xia.
Right now, An Qingyu, Jiang Er, and Cao Yuan should be preparing to leave for Hokkaido.
Just as Lin Qiye was lost in thought, a knock came at the door.
His spiritual perception identified the figure outside, and confusion flickered in his eyes. He walked forward and opened the door, finding the Knight standing hesitant behind it.
"Knight." Lin Qiye asked, "What brings you to me?"
The Knight opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something, but his face was full of hesitation...
After much deliberation, he finally spoke:
"There's something I thought about all night, and I feel I should tell you..."
"What?"
"Last night, Shen Qingzhu came to see me."
Shen Qingzhu?
Lin Qiye froze. "What did he want from you?"
"He wanted to make a deal with me, and asked me not to tell you all. But I think this matter is too significant—I should inform you, the captain..."
"A deal? What kind of deal?"
The Knight took a deep breath and said slowly:
"He said he wanted to exchange the head of an Oracle Envoy for one thousand spots in Utopia..."
Lin Qiye's pupils constricted sharply.
One thousand spots in Utopia...
In that instant, he roughly guessed what Shen Qingzhu was planning.
The Black Society was considered a rogue element by the Oath Society and couldn't be extradited into Utopia. This meant the Black Society members in the Human Enclosure had only one fate—being buried eternally with this country.
And Shen Qingzhu wanted to trade the killing of an Oracle Envoy for a chance at survival for these Black Society members!
This was extremely risky, and it was private business for him as the Black Society's Grand Commander. He wouldn't involve Lin Qiye and the others, which was why he had asked the Knight to keep it secret and driven alone through the night to Tokyo to hunt the Oracle Envoy...
Was he insane?!
Lin Qiye's spiritual sense swept across the entire club's surroundings but found no trace of Shen Qingzhu. His expression slightly darkened as he turned to ask the Knight: "What time did he come to you last night?"
The Knight thought for a moment. "Around twelve?"
Lin Qiye checked the time again. It was nine-thirty in the morning. Driving from here to Tokyo at full speed would only take about eleven hours...
Shen Qingzhu was almost in Tokyo!
...
Outside Tokyo.
A black sports car raced along a straight road at breakneck speed!
Shen Qingzhu gripped the steering wheel with one hand while the other held a cigarette resting on the window frame. His eyes stared calmly at the faintly visible city ahead, his foot pressing the accelerator to the floor.
Ding ding ding ding—!
A crisp phone ringtone sounded from the passenger seat.
Shen Qingzhu glanced at the passenger seat. After a moment's hesitation, he picked it up.
"Hello?"
"拽哥, are you insane?" Lin Qiye's voice came through the phone.
"I'm not insane." Shen Qingzhu said calmly. "Don't worry. I'll kill one Oracle Envoy and come back."
"You can't use Forbidden Ruins. How are you going to face an Oracle Envoy head-on?"
"I almost killed one with my own hands before, didn't I?" Shen Qingzhu said coolly. "Last time I faced the fire attribute one, it was because I didn't know he could still move after his soul was ground away. I won't make the same mistake this time."
"This isn't about making mistakes or not. All the Oracle Envoys are now in Tokyo searching for Yuzuri Kurotetsu and Yuzuri Takishiro. Once you engage in battle with one of them, the others will definitely rush over immediately. You're no match for them—this risk is far too great!"
"Risk?" Shen Qingzhu smiled. "Throughout my journey, the one thing I fear least is risk."
"..."
Lin Qiye was momentarily at a loss for words.
Risk was indeed a common occurrence for Shen Qingzhu. Whether it was surviving in Cangnan South Mountain, being an undercover agent within the Believers, or rising to become a black market legend in Japan... he relied on daring to gamble, daring to fight, along with extreme meticulousness.
He truly wasn't afraid of this so-called risk.
And Lin Qiye knew 拽哥's temperament well—once he made a decision, no phone call could change it.
"You're almost in Tokyo now, aren't you?" Lin Qiye spoke again. "I'm not going to try to convince you to come back. I just need you to wait where you are. Give me one hour, and I'll come help you..."
"This is my own business. I can handle it myself." Shen Qingzhu directly interrupted Lin Qiye.
"Don't worry. I'll rejoin the team at the scheduled rendezvous time... Captain."
With that, Shen Qingzhu didn't wait for Lin Qiye to say anything more. He hung up the phone.
Two seconds later, the phone flew out the window, crashing to the ground in the howling wind and shattering into scattered parts.
Vroom—!!
A low engine roar blared as the black sports car streaked away, vanishing at the end of the road.
...
Lin Qiye heard the dial tone on the other end of the line, his brow furrowing immediately.
Things were exactly as he had expected...
Once Shen Qingzhu set his mind to something, there was no pulling him back.
"What should we do now?" Jialan stood beside Lin Qiye, anxious. "Him going to Tokyo alone is far too dangerous..."
Lin Qiye was silent for a moment, then picked up his phone and dialed another number.
"Hello?"
"Seven Nights? I've finished handling everything. Once I blow up the entire Pure Land, I'll come rendezvous with you all in Hokkaido..." An Qingyu's voice came through the phone.
"No, wait a moment." Lin Qiye said calmly.
An Qingyu's voice paused, as if sensing something off in Lin Qiye's tone. She asked perceptively:
"What's wrong?"
"The plan needs to change." Lin Qiye took a deep breath and explained the whole situation to An Qingyu.
An Qingyu fell silent.
"I understand."
An Qingyu nodded. She walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked down at the city below. "What do you want to do?"
Lin Qiye paused for a moment. "I have a crazy plan..."