Truth be told, Irene wasn’t wrong.
Yu Sheng had indeed grown very curious about this place called Thousand Peak Spirit Mountain.
It was a destination beyond Borderland—somewhere he genuinely knew existed and could potentially reach—and he even had an Internet Friend there.
But he was very afraid he’d get beaten to death the moment he met this Internet Friend.
Perhaps he’d even get killed by that very Internet Friend himself.
Of course, getting beaten to death wasn’t such a big deal. The problem was that this whole issue started from a rather embarrassing misunderstanding—a misunderstanding he’d created when he still knew nothing about anything. Dying once or twice wasn’t so bad, but the awkwardness of coming back to life afterward made him hesitant.
Yu Sheng figured he should at least first uncover who exactly this “Three Thousand Wicked Disciples” was, along with gathering more intelligence on Thousand Peak Spirit Mountain, before making his move. The misunderstanding eventually had to be resolved, but he was very aware of how his Door-opening ability worked. He knew clearly that the next time he opened the Door, he’d still step directly into Eldest Senior Brother’s Alchemy Furnace. Without preparation, it could easily lead to another “door-opening kill.”
All these thoughts flashed rapidly through his mind, and Yu Sheng stared out at the street with a heavy sigh: “Better take it slow and steady…”
Irene sat on the windowsill and tilted her head up to look at him. “You’re just scared you’ll get chased and beaten when you go there.”
“Benefactor,” Foxy now walked up from behind, her face filled with curiosity. “What were you two just talking about? It sounds like… you have some kind of conflict with that ‘Thousand Peak Spirit Mountain’?”
“It’s a long story,” Yu Sheng sighed again, explaining to her patiently, “It goes back to a time before you arrived. Back then, I was desperately searching for a way to reach Nightfall Valley, and tried opening numerous Teleportation Doors. But I wasn’t skilled yet, and to be honest, I was pretty reckless…”
Then, keeping the story concise, he recounted how he’d accidentally opened a Door directly into someone else’s Alchemy Furnace. He concluded by adding, “Of course, I still can’t be sure if that’s really the same place. But considering the architectural style in the news photos, the chances are pretty high.”
As Foxy listened to Yu Sheng’s tale, her expression gradually turned strange. Her fluffy ears slowly drooped halfway down, and her eyes soon began to redden.
Yu Sheng was startled by this reaction: “Hey, we were just talking, what’s wrong…?”
Before he could finish, Foxy lunged forward: “Benefactor… I didn’t realize you went through so much trouble back then…”
The Demon Fox Maiden hugged Yu Sheng abruptly and tightly, her numerous fluffy tails wrapped securely around him, as if afraid he’d run away.
“Benefactor, you’re so kind.”
Warmth and softness—these sensations lasted less than half a second, immediately replaced by a feeling akin to being crushed by hydraulic clamps.
Yu Sheng struggled on the verge of death: “You… you’re choking me…!”
“Ah!” Foxy immediately let out a startled cry, her tails spreading out instantly like an opening fan. “I’m sorry, Benefactor!”
Yu Sheng needed almost half a minute to catch his breath and heal the small cracks in his ribs along with various minor internal injuries. Once recovered, he took a deep breath and looked helplessly at the panicked Fox Girl: “I appreciate your gratitude, but next time, please remember I’m just a fragile Human. Anyway, opening a few Doors wasn’t that difficult, just a bit tedious at most. If anything, it was the Special Affairs Bureau who really had a tough time back then. I still feel a bit guilty about that… Hmm?”
He suddenly stopped speaking, recalling something, and glanced down at the time on his phone.
“Speaking of the Special Affairs Bureau, I just remembered something,” he muttered, opening up Frontier Messenger and scrolling through his private messages. “Bai Li Qing should be awake by now… I’ll send her a message.”
Irene, who had been sitting on the windowsill enjoying the show, suddenly widened her eyes. Even someone as bold as her almost broke character: “You… you’re too kind—do you even remember what you just said? You’re sending her an urgent work message at breakfast time…?”
Yu Sheng had already sent out the message—a photo accompanied by a single sentence. The photo was of the cloth he’d found, and the caption read: “Guess what I found in my own house again?”
“You just don’t understand how diverse Humans can be,” Yu Sheng lifted his head after sending the message, grinning cheerfully at Irene. “People like her would love nothing more than getting work out of the way the moment they open their eyes. For such an important piece of news, waiting until working hours would actually disrupt her planning. Because her entire day is probably already mapped out by the moment she’s awake.”
The little doll was completely taken aback. It took her a few more seconds to react before she hesitantly asked, “Is…is that so?”
“Absolutely. Trust my judgment when it comes to people,” Yu Sheng said casually, turning to walk outside. “By the way, thanks for the reminder. It’s mealtime—I’ll go fix something to eat.”
Foxy instantly brightened up and eagerly followed behind.
Yu Sheng was only halfway to the dining room when he suddenly paused again, his phone vibrating urgently—Bai Li Qing was calling.
He swiftly placed the phone to his ear, but before he could utter a word, the female Director’s crisp, cool voice broke through the speaker: “Was it that room with the snowfall you mentioned earlier?”
“Yes,” Yu Sheng sighed, glancing at the torn cloth in his hand. “This time it wasn’t just snow piling up. The wind blew the snow straight into the room. Then, in the corner, I found this thing—did you notice the patterns on it?”
“I did,” Bai Li Qing replied directly, wasting no words. “Do you have time right now? Bring it to the Special Affairs Bureau immediately.”
Yu Sheng froze, blinking blankly at his phone.
“Um, now?” he asked cautiously. “I haven’t eaten yet…”
“The Bureau has a breakfast cafeteria.”
Yu Sheng tried again, his voice hopeful. “But it’s not urgent, right? I can literally open a Door and arrive in an instant. Maybe I’ll wait until you get to the office first…”
“I’m already here—I stayed overnight,” she answered plainly, her tone calm as usual. “The aftermath of the Angel’s Descent needed handling.”
Irene, who’d been shamelessly eavesdropping, clapped her small doll hands, cheerfully chanting, “Oh-ho~!”
Yu Sheng’s lips twitched in mild annoyance as he struggled to keep a straight face. “Fine, I’ll be there soon.”
“See, your instincts were right!” Irene laughed gleefully, arms swinging wildly. “Workaholics sure are different—she wakes up running at full power, and you’ve gotta follow along~”
Without another word, Yu Sheng scooped up the noisy doll, tossing her lightly onto his shoulder. “So it’s ‘Oh-ho’ and ‘Hai-ya’ now, is it? You’re coming with me.”
“I don’t mind,” Irene shrugged smugly. “I’ve got two other bodies at home—plenty to play games and watch TV.”
Ignoring the doll’s smugness, Yu Sheng turned his gaze toward Foxy, nodding decisively. “Come along, Foxy—Benefactor’s taking you out to breakfast at the Special Affairs Bureau.”
Minutes later, Foxy sat happily in the headquarters’ cafeteria, already diving into mountains of food.
Yu Sheng and Irene, meanwhile, were swiftly escorted by Bai Li Qing straight to the familiar High-Risk Laboratory, promptly handing over the mysterious piece of fabric to the heavily-armored lab personnel.
It was the same meticulous procedure as last time—the cautious exchange process, the staff in heavy protective gear—even though Yu Sheng had casually stuffed the cloth into his pocket, no shortcuts were allowed.
“Is all this still necessary?” Yu Sheng murmured curiously as he watched the technicians disappear behind the sealed lab doors. “The last time I brought that metal component, you confirmed it had no contamination risks, right? I thought maybe we could ease up a little this time.”
“Every new sample follows the highest level of First Contact protocols,” Bai Li Qing replied flatly, her eyes steady. “Downgrading threat levels happens only after thorough tests.”
Yu Sheng nodded reluctantly. “Fair enough.”
Then his expression turned serious again as he quickly explained what had transpired earlier with “Three Thousand Wicked Disciples.”
“There’s something else important,” he continued, voice earnest. “I shared a picture of this cloth on Frontier Communications, just like last time. Someone named ‘Three Thousand Wicked Disciples’ responded—he has something similar.”
Bai Li Qing sharply turned toward him. “What?!”
Without hesitation, Yu Sheng recounted the entire interaction. Although the Director’s expression was difficult to read, her brief silence told Yu Sheng she took this news very seriously.
“About that Thousand Peak Spirit Mountain,” Yu Sheng ventured carefully, curiosity clear on his face. “What kind of place is it exactly? Does your Bureau usually deal with them?”
“They’re one of the strongest powers within Featherwing-13b,” Bai Li Qing responded calmly. “Their headquarters is located at FY13b-17c-1426-3—a planetary identifier code. Locals call that planet ‘Grand Void Spiritual Axis,’ and Thousand Peak Spirit Mountain lies near its northern pole.”
She paused briefly before continuing, her tone thoughtful. “Grand Void Spiritual Axis, led by Thousand Peak Spirit Mountain, controls a cluster of resource-rich planets and colonies. While they rarely leave their territory or pay attention to the wider universe, their connections with the Special Affairs Bureau are fairly active. We maintain several border stations trading regularly with them.”
She then added softly, “When we mobilized our friends to help find Foxy’s home last time, Thousand Peak Spirit Mountain provided considerable assistance.”
Yu Sheng stood there, dazed by the flood of new information.
It was as if he’d been yanked straight from the warmth of his bed into the vast ocean of stars. Fortunately, he’d grown somewhat used to such cosmic revelations after dealing with Foxy and her cyber-immortal brethren. Compared to that lot, Bai Li Qing’s revelations merely left him momentarily stunned—though part of his surprise was realizing something he hadn’t anticipated at all:
He’d assumed “Thousand Peak Spirit Mountain” referred simply to a mountain, maybe home to some sect. But now he knew better.
That wasn’t just some mountain peak…
It was the capital of an entire interstellar civilization!
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation