“It’s urgent,” Zhao Qi said softly. “The mental imprint in Lu Nanzhi has been removed.”

“… Oh?” The man was still smiling. “Has any titled mental-type transcendent come to Dadu recently?”

“No,” Zhao Qi said coldly. “That’s why I came to find you. Your guarantee to me was that once this imprint was planted, no one other than titled transcendents would notice. But the current situation doesn’t match what you said.”

“…” The man’s shadowed face seemed to fall into contemplation. “Actually… removing the imprint doesn’t necessarily require the strength of a titled transcendent…”

After a moment of silence, he smiled and said, “Generally speaking, only after passing the trial of the Twelfth Level of Deep Sea will mental-type transcendents undergo a qualitative change. The vast and immense mental power begins to become minute. Before that, the abnormalities that mental-type transcendents can capture are limited. But in fact, when it comes to removing imprints, there are always some exceptionally talented geniuses who are born with finer mental characteristics. The Dadu District is so big, so it’s reasonable for such an exception to appear.”

“I’m not here to hear you explain the reasons or boast about geniuses…”

Clearly, Zhao Qi had little patience. He said coldly, “Do you know how troublesome it was to plant the mental imprint in that woman? Those earrings are top Class A sealed objects!”

The man displayed a completely opposite attitude.

He listened to Zhao Qi’s words with interest, calmly accepting his anger. His hand resting on his thigh even stretched out two slender fingers and gently tapped the back of his other hand.

“It was because I trusted your flawless plan.” Zhao Qi gritted his teeth, and cold sweat gradually seeped out of his forehead. “Now that the mental imprint has been removed, she must suspect me.”

In the Dadu District, there were many fools who thought that Lu Nanzhi only had looks and relied on the power of the Zhao family to stand in a high position. Only those who had faced Madam knew how terrifying this woman was.

For example… Zhao Qi.

This arranged marriage he couldn’t avoid was essentially a ‘battlefield’ orchestrated by Lu Nanzhi alone. Throughout these years of marital strife, he had lost miserably and had no voice or status. In the end, only the empty title of the heir of the Zhao family was left… Lu Nanzhi’s performance earned everyone’s approval, especially his father’s.

“Young Master Zhao, don’t belittle yourself.” The man, who had been listening quietly, finally broke his silence.

He sincerely encouraged Zhao Qi, his tone genuine. “You’re the heir of the Zhao family, the only son… That old man won’t favor an outsider… right?”

As he spoke, he noticed a change in Zhao Qi’s expression, so he was forced to add the word ‘right?’ to his words of comfort.

“The original will… has been annulled,” Zhao Qi said hoarsely. “The new will hasn’t been written yet… All of Dadu will soon know about it.”

The man opposite him was so shocked that his lips formed an ‘o’.

Even someone who remained unperturbed by the sky falling would be shaken upon hearing this news.

This was truly unexpected. Old Master Zhao… actually took such an action. Although the new will had not been written, the annulment of the old will was already a very clear signal.

“That is really… unfortunate,” he said with a tone of half amazement and half regret, but it sounded like he was indifferent to the matter. He said calmly, “But I still believe that the old master won’t make a decision to hand over the Zhao family to someone with a different last name. Young Master Zhao, there’s no need to be too nervous.”

“I can’t let that woman continue like this any longer…” Zhao Qi took a deep breath and said calmly, “You need to help me. Otherwise, we will die together.”

“…”

It was a blatant threat.

But the man merely smiled lightly, unperturbed. “Young Master Zhao, you’re overestimating me. What I can do can hardly be called help. Only you can deal with Lu Nanzhi. I’m only responsible for providing… methods.”

Zhao Qi calmed himself and said, “The imprint is gone. What other methods do you have?”

“Two methods.” The man took out a black jade bead as though he were performing a magic trick and laughed softly. “The imprint was actually just a test. Although Lu Nanzhi’s will is firm, she doesn’t possess a transcendental ability, so her mental power is limited. No matter how powerful those two earrings are, they’re still external objects after all, and there will be a time when they’re removed. Young Master Zhao, since you could plant the imprint once, you can do it a second time.”

Zhao Qi frowned.

“With the previous experience, the mental imprint planted this time can be bolder. It won’t just cause Lu Nanzhi to lose sleep, but it will even make this woman submit to you completely,” the man said calmly. “The mental imprint is sealed within this bead. There’s only one chance. When Lu Nanzhi removes her earrings and you plant this imprint, the esteemed Madam of Dadu will be at your beck and call from now on.”

Zhao Qi took the black jade bead and examined it. “What are the side effects?”

“Side effects…”

The man replied calmly, “This mental imprint will directly drain the soul. The target will become dazed, and their reaction speed will slow dramatically. In a sense, she will no longer be the esteemed Madam because she will gradually become… an idiot.”

Zhao Qi fell silent and quietly accepted the black jade.

“What’s wrong, Young Master Zhao? Are you worried about what will happen to the Zhao family if Lu Nanzhi becomes an idiot?” The man smiled. “Lu Nanzhi is about to take over the entire Zhao family, but you’re still concerned about the superficial bonds of marriage. You’re really kind-hearted. At that time, you will be a pauper with nothing.”

“I don’t need you to remind me,” Zhao Qi said coldly. “What’s the other method?”

“The second method is simple.” The man took out a necklace. “This is an ordinary-looking necklace. Whether in Dadu or Changye, apart from a very few transcendents with unique characteristics, no one else can perceive… the true quintessence of this necklace.”

“Quintessence?”

“The reason we can have a pleasant conversation here is that our minds are drifting in the Void without any obstruction, so our bodies can still receive signals and still be driven by them…”

The man’s voice rose. He ignored Zhao Qi’s grim expression and launched a lengthy and obscure interpretation. His fingers lightly tapped the back of his hand, like a pianist absorbed in his performance. “And if the mind is severed, the body will perish, and we will be exiled… No one knows where the mind will go…”

“You mean… death?” Zhao Qi frowned and voiced his understanding.

“Oh, that’s an interesting metaphor, but it’s not quite accurate.” The man smiled. “You can understand it as falling asleep, falling asleep indefinitely… just like Gu Changzhi. Everyone can only say he’s asleep. No one dares to say he’s dead. This necklace contains such power. It can exile a person’s mind. Of course, it’s only limited to ordinary people like Madam.”

Zhao Qi accepted the necklace with great caution. “How do I use it?”

“Just have her put it on. It’ll only take twenty minutes, maybe a little longer, but it won’t take more than an hour.” The man seemed to envision a beautiful scene and sighed softly. “Tsk… The Madam of Dadu will fall into a long and peaceful slumber, like a butterfly wrapped in a thick cocoon in winter.”

Zhao Qi fell silent.

He thought with a slight headache. This necklace looked decent enough, and the craftsmanship was passable, but why would Lu Nanzhi be interested in it? It looked just like an ordinary necklace.

She wore extremely high-quality transcendental sealed objects.

The necklace Lu Nanzhi always wore was the best protective object available in Dadu. Even if she encountered a magnitude 12 earthquake, it could keep her safe and sound.

“Put it on her yourself. You’re her husband. She wouldn’t refuse you… right?” The man smiled and encouraged, “Give it a try. It’s better than doing nothing.”

Zhao Qi neither nodded nor shook his head.

He accepted the necklace, just like he accepted the jade bead earlier. No one knew what choices this man would make after being forced into a corner.

“There’s one more thing,” he said calmly. “It’s about the Sincere Society. Chen Jingtan was beaten up, and my business fell through. I messed up this matter. Whether it’s Cui Zhongcheng or the old man, they’ll look down on me even more. If I want to salvage this business, I have to give Chen San an explanation. It’s not easy for me to handle this myself. I need your help.”

The man sighed helplessly. “Young Master Zhao, we agreed from the start that I would only help you plant a mental imprint to deal with Madam.”

He rubbed the space between his eyebrows. “The last imprint was removed, so it’s understandable that you came to find me. The necklace and jade bead are my compensation to you.

“But now, you’re bringing up the Sincere Society… What do you mean by this?”

The last few words, spoken clearly and deliberately, landed heavily. The air in the empty factory suddenly surged, creating invisible air waves that crashed against the old limestone walls and the rusty metal roller shutter door. In an instant, spider web-like cracks spread on the walls and roller shutter.

It was as though an ancient deity had awakened. Just by opening his mouth, it was like a divine decree stirring up a roaring tempest.

The transcendents beside Zhao Qi instantly became grave.

They looked at the man sitting in front of them, feeling as though this thin figure was as immense as a mountain or as deep as an abyss, that they couldn’t look at him directly. Moreover, faint blood-red flames were seeping out.

Everyone broke out in a cold sweat.

Only then did they realize why he dared to attend the meeting alone.

If they really fought, the other side only needed one person.

Interestingly, when the few high-level transcendents were no longer calm, the calmest and most composed one was Zhao Qi.

“We rise and fall together,” Zhao Qi uttered lightly. “They all say that I’m useless. Only you keep telling me not to belittle myself…”

Zhao Qi laughed self-deprecatingly. “In fact, I know they’re right. I’m just a pile of mud. Thank you for seeing something in me and being willing to help me.”

He continued calmly, “There’s a term called sunk cost. You’ve helped me so much, so surely you don’t want me to fall here. Others can easily cross this small hurdle, but I can’t get past it, so I can only find you for help.”

A storm swept through.

The man sitting on the chair stared coldly at Zhao Qi.

“You help me, and I help you. I don’t care what Dadu will become in the end. I only care about myself. Even if I’m just a pile of mud, at least there should be a wall I can lean on.” Zhao Qi smiled. “What do you think?”

All the transcendents present felt their hearts palpitate.

The storm reverberated.

The ancient deity said softly, “Zhao Qi… you’re really a bastard.”

The man looked straight into those calm eyes. After a long time, he said one word. “Just this once… Deal.”