Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1035: How Could There Be a Path to Immortality in This World? (43)

At this moment, no matter how much Windchaser tried to ignore the odd behavior of ‘Mo Xiaofei,’ he couldn’t convince himself otherwise…

If his brother’s strange behavior was due to being schemed against by that eccentric old man from Wudang Mountain, then the current ‘big brother’ he was seeing was definitely not behaving this way because of some underhanded trick.

He seemed exceptionally familiar with this place—every path, every restriction along the way, he knew exactly how to bypass them… Even the strange things he spoke of.

Windchaser recalled that when Big Brother Mo Xiaofei first set out for Mt. Tai to seek the inheritor of the Plain-Clothed Dao, his goal was to investigate his past life.

Could it be that the current Mo Xiaofei is actually…

But thinking this far, Windchaser felt he was overthinking. Even though he was just a lone wandering wolf, he had still roamed through various demon-infested places.

He remembered once encountering a dying old demon during his wandering days and having a chat. Humans have past and present lives, and demons do too.

The cycle of six realms was controlled by the underworld. It was said that the underworld had a book that recorded everything about a person’s past life—good or bad, achievements and mistakes. Based on the contents of this book, the underworld would decide a person’s next life.

There were six paths in the underworld—demons could reincarnate as humans, and humans could be reborn as demons.

However, no matter what, after reincarnation, past memories would be erased. To recall one’s previous life was nearly impossible…“What are you thinking about?”

‘Mo Xiaofei’ suddenly stopped walking and looked at him inquisitively.

There was an indescribable authority in that gaze, making Windchaser hesitant to meet his eyes directly. Scratching his head, he replied, “I was just wondering… We’ve been in here for a while now. I wonder if the people outside have left.”

Windchaser remembered that when they first entered, they had encountered a silent masked intruder, as well as another patrol team within the cave.

“Hmm.”

‘Mo Xiaofei’ simply nodded, not answering Windchaser’s question.

Windchaser quickly caught up, taking two steps forward. “Uh, big brother, when are we getting out of here?”

“Are you in a hurry to leave?”

Windchaser responded, “Well, I was just thinking… It’s the first day of the new year. I wanted to visit some friends and wish them well.”

And of course, to pay respects and assure the safety of your elderly parents too… Windchaser thought to himself. Given Mo Xiaofei’s current state, he probably wouldn’t do it, so he had to take on the responsibility himself.

Unexpectedly, ‘Mo Xiaofei’ said, “There’s no need for that. By the time we leave, the new year will have long passed… Perhaps even the first day of the new year has already ended.”

Windchaser was stunned and instinctively asked, “Huh? Big brother, what do you mean? How could the first day of the new year be over? We’ve only been here for a few hours at most. Midnight hasn’t even arrived yet, right?”

‘Mo Xiaofei’ glanced at him calmly. “Have you ever heard the saying: ‘One day in the heavens, one year on earth’?”

“You mean the myth about the celestial realm?” Windchaser responded instinctively. “I remember some old demon mentioning it before—one day for the immortals in the heavens is equivalent to a year for mortals on earth.”

“It’s about the same here.”

Windchaser was left standing in place, dumbfounded.

“… About the same? Wait! Big brother, what did you say? Big brother!”

But ‘Mo Xiaofei’ had already walked ahead, hands clasped behind his back, ascending the mountain path. Mist curled around the trail, and no matter how Windchaser tried to chase after him, he couldn’t catch up.

BOOM!

Massive stone pillars crashed to the ground like felled trees, sending dust clouds billowing into the air.

But instead of advancing, Wang Hu stopped, frowning. Behind him stood the strange old ghost who had been egging him on, claiming that spamming basic attacks was enough to break through.

This old ghost claimed to have escaped from Xiao Shengmo’s Tower of Ten Thousand Ghosts. Having been stuck inside for several centuries, he was apparently out of touch with the outside world.

However… While the old ghost’s clothing was outdated, it wasn’t centuries behind fashion trends. He claimed the Tower of Ten Thousand Ghosts had everything one could ever need, and that its master, Lord Xiao, was such a benevolent ruler that he had even moved King Fengdu of the Ghost Realm to tears.

As if!

That gloomy and terrifying King of Fengdu showing kindness?

The Tower of Ten Thousand Ghosts was supposed to be engulfed in eternal hellfire, where souls entered as ghost soldiers and generals—not officially recognized by the Celestial Court, but more like private mercenaries.

Such a place had “good benefits”?

“Brother Wang Hu, why’d you stop?”

“Have you really not noticed?” Wang Hu snorted.

Tai Yinzi finally took a closer look around. Wang Hu had bulldozed a path forward, but when they looked back, the fallen stone pillars had somehow silently returned to their original positions…

“What the hell?” Tai Yinzi frowned.

Having failed every formation test during his training five hundred years ago, he was utterly baffled by this eerie labyrinth.

Wang Hu glanced at Tai Yinzi’s dumbfounded expression and barely resisted the urge to punch him in the face with a Dominating Fist. Instead, he simply sat down.

Since brute force wasn’t working, there was no point in wasting energy. Who knew what else was lurking in this strange place?

“Old ghost.” Wang Hu propped his chin on his hand and looked at Tai Yinzi. “They say Xiao Shengmo has been a ghost king for five or six hundred years, but no one knows his origins. Do you?”

Tai Yinzi was standing atop a stone pillar, scanning the area. Without much thought, he replied, “He was a cowherd, obviously.”

Wang Hu watched as the old ghost picked his nose and knew he was just talking nonsense. He barely managed to suppress his urge to throw another Dominating Fist at him.

“Old ghost, I’m going to meditate. Don’t disturb me.”

Tai Yinzi yawned. “Suit yourself, I’m gonna take a nap too. Been grinding too hard lately, I’m exhausted.”

Wang Hu exhaled and closed his eyes.

Tai Yinzi floated down, leaned against a stone pillar, crossed his legs, and soon started snoring loudly.

Wang Hu’s brow twitched. Twitched. Twitched… Then he suddenly opened his eyes.

Tai Yinzi’s snoring grew louder and longer…

Finally, Wang Hu stood up abruptly and walked straight over.

Sensing something, Tai Yinzi cracked his eyes open. “Brother Wang Hu, you done resting?”

Dominating Fist!

Spin, spin, spin—face first into the ground!

Tai Yinzi staggered to his feet, furious.

“You little brat! When I roamed the world, you were still a chromosome in your daddy’s—”

Dominating Fist!

“You damn—!”

Dominating Fist!

“I warn you, I have connections—”

Dominating Fist!

“MMP! You don’t believe me? I’ll summon my boss and end you!”

This time, Wang Hu hesitated, his terrifying fist stopping just before Tai Yinzi’s already swollen face.

“Your boss?”

Tai Yinzi smirked. “Heh! You naive little tiger… You know nothing of true power! If you piss off my boss, he won’t even need to act himself—his vicious wife will erase you down to the atomic level!”

“…Oh?” Wang Hu chuckled coldly.

Dominating Fist!

After landing this time, Wang Hu moved with lightning speed, grabbing Tai Yinzi by the collar. Seeing the terrifying iron fist about to strike again, Tai Yinzi shrank his neck in fear.

This tiger demon’s origins were unknown, but the blows he delivered were excruciatingly painful. Tai Yinzi could feel his body on the verge of breaking apart. He wasn’t sure how many more punches like this he could withstand—Black Soul Envoys weren’t invincible; they could die too!

"Shout!" Wang Hu snorted coldly.

"Sh-Shout?" Tai Yinzi was stunned.

"When I tell you to shout, you shout!" A vein bulged on Wang Hu’s forehead.

Tai Yinzi gulped, glanced at Wang Hu’s fist, and then trembled as he uttered, "Ah… AhAh?? Ah ah ah, ah ah… ah?"

The veins on Wang Hu’s forehead swelled even more, and a surge of blinding white demonic energy erupted from him. Suddenly, a massive spectral tiger head appeared in the sky!

At the same time, the ground beneath Wang Hu began trembling wildly, as if unable to bear his presence. His face was now marked with fierce tiger stripes, and the sheer killing intent he radiated shattered the surrounding stone pillars!

Wang Hu lifted Tai Yinzi high by the neck and said coldly, "Old ghost, don’t play dumb with me! I’ll give you one last chance—summon this 'Boss' you spoke of. If you don’t, my next punch will erase you from existence!"

"Divine Beast Transformation…" Tai Yinzi’s face turned pale with horror.

Damn it! Wasn’t he supposed to be just an ordinary member of the White Tiger clan?!

Tai Yinzi’s mind raced. There was no way he could actually summon The Boss here… If the one who answered was her, his secret theft from the club would be exposed!

Who knew what kind of punishment awaited him then? But if he didn’t call, he’d probably be beaten to death by Wang Hu’s fists!

After a quick mental calculation of the pros and cons, Tai Yinzi made his decision!

At worst, his work sentence would be extended again—it was still better than dying here at the hands of this brute!

"Fine! Since you’re so desperate to die, don’t blame me for being ruthless!" Tai Yinzi flared his nostrils and widened his eyes. "If you’ve got the guts, let me go first!"

"Hmph!" Wang Hu tossed Tai Yinzi aside, his demonic energy continuing to surge. Small rocks lifted into the air around him, defying gravity under his immense power.

Tai Yinzi swallowed hard… He swore to himself—once he got out of this mess, he was never coming out again!

Taking a deep breath, Tai Yinzi remained calm because, even after being inexplicably transported to this place, he could still sense the existence of the club. In fact, it felt as if he was inside the club itself—completely connected to it.

That’s why he had no doubt that summoning The Boss here was possible.

However, to Tai Yinzi’s shock, no matter how frantically he called for The Boss in his mind, there was no response.

…Was the person he was calling outside the service area?

Nonsense! Impossible!

The whole place reeked of the club’s presence!

The Boss… I was wrong!

I shouldn’t have left my post! I shouldn’t have stolen things!

I shouldn’t have drunk your tea!! I swear I’ll change! I’m one of your most loyal subordinates… The Boss!! Meow meow?

"Old ghost! My patience is running out!"

"W-Why so impatient!" Tai Yinzi braced himself. "If you’re so eager to die, I won’t stop you! Just wait a little… Hero! Spare me! Give me a bit more time! The signal here is terrible!!"

"Go to hell!"

Dominating Fist!!

As Wang Hu’s fist came crashing down, Tai Yinzi felt despair—there was no way he could dodge it.

He even regretted not training harder back in the sect… If he was going to die, he should have trashed the club before leaving! Destroy the kitchen, break all the cabinets, blow up Adam, smash The Boss’s records—at least make that wretched woman furious!

Boom—!

The ground trembled violently from the impact.

Yet… Tai Yinzi didn’t feel the usual agonizing pain from Wang Hu’s punch.

Instead, a barrier had appeared before him.

Wang Hu’s fist was stopped outside this shield—like a soap bubble, shimmering with a glassy light as it refracted the surroundings.

Boss, I knew you wouldn’t abandon me!

Tai Yinzi trembled with excitement. As the light flickered, he noticed something unusual—a shadow had appeared on the ground.

Overjoyed, he looked up. "Boss, you’re he—Boss?"

His expression froze.

Floating in midair wasn’t Luo Qiu.

Nor was it the club’s terrifying Miss Maid, whom Tai Yinzi feared more than anyone.

Instead… it was a small figure.

A girl with long purple hair, appearing only eleven or twelve years old. Her skin was pale, and her expression was emotionless.

Her gaze swept across the scene, pausing briefly between Wang Hu and Tai Yinzi. Then, she slowly descended—her luxurious purple dress gently swaying.

【Prototype Universal Treasury Administrator, Gaia… Who is calling?】

She spoke.

(End of Chapter)