This time, Wen Yan was quick to react and gave it a like first.
The surrounding environment shifted silently, and he found himself back inside the Water Ghost Domain.
Uncle was still standing behind him, eyes closed, playing the part of the most reliable guard.
All the way from the small stone beach, they reached the grassy land beside the pool. Nothing unexpected happened this time—he didn’t even see the two demons today.
When they arrived, Lady Lie was already there waiting for them.
She was kneeling there, with a low table in front of her, on which lay three boxes.
Seeing Wen Yan appear, Lady Lie tensed up, immediately replaying Zhuge Wanjun’s words in her mind.
She stood up, bowed formally and properly.
"Greetings, Young Master Su."
"No need to be so polite."
Lady Lie no longer had her previous confidence, her heart full of apprehension, now starting to worry that what she brought might not be wanted.
This time, it wasn’t about making a deal. According to Wan Jun, this was gift-giving, a show of their sincerity.
She opened one of the long boxes; inside was a copper mace, more than a meter long, covered in verdigris.
"Young Master Su, this is the Chunjun Mace I mentioned before. Four feet long, four-edged, blunt.
Legend says the Chunjun Mace has the power to command all zombies—a legendary weapon."
"Isn’t this the same routine as the Dragon Slaying Saber? These things are best taken as stories."
Lady Lie looked slightly embarrassed. She knew this, of course—the story was likely just an old rumor. If the Chunjun Mace truly was some extraordinary treasure, it wouldn’t have ended up a mere antique.
There was no way they could get their hands on it so easily, either.
To be honest, they’d definitely tried it out and found it useless—just an antique weapon.
And with modern testing, at most it was a couple hundred years old, without any famous backstory, not even worth much as an antique.
"It is, indeed, the real Chunjun Mace. Take it as a gift to Young Master Su."
She put the lid back on, held it up with both hands, and presented it to Wen Yan.
Then she opened another wooden box, inside was an exquisite golden phoenix hairpin.
"This is what I mentioned last time—it’s the token related to the Ba Yun Lands."
She opened the third box as well.
"This is the old Territory Map, and it’s the original. The Ba Yun Lands are marked on it.
All three are gifts for Young Master Su."
"Gifts?" Wen Yan immediately sensed something wasn’t right.
Last time, these were supposed to be bargaining chips for a deal. The little zombie had seemed very anxious about them, which made him play along.
This time, actually seeing them, he could feel the little zombie was holding himself back, but his excitement was still obvious.
Especially after the phoenix hairpin appeared, the little zombie’s body seemed to tense up.
But still, he had to ask—who gives away all their bargaining chips as gifts at the first meeting for no reason?
"Yes, our young lady specifically instructed me—these are gifts for Young Master Su.
These items are indeed valuable, especially that map which has been around for at least seven or eight hundred years.
There are a few Grave-Robbing Colonels in Guanzhong County who’ve been eyeing it for a long time, but our young lady never traded it away.
She believes that only in the right person’s hands will these things have real value.
At most, we could just trade them for some money.
It’s better to just give them all to Young Master Su."
Wen Yan remained silent. Even if he was slow, he could tell Lady Lie’s attitude this time was very different.
"I’m not sure about that. I only follow my young lady’s orders and deliver these items to Young Master Su, purely as gifts. As for the rest, I don’t know—you’ll have to speak to my young lady."
At this point, Lady Lie naturally took out a business card, and handed it to Wen Yan with both hands.
"This is my young lady’s business card."
Wen Yan looked it over and was actually a bit surprised.
South Wall Law Firm, Zhuge Wanjun, and a phone number beneath.
That was all—there wasn’t even a position written on the card.
"My young lady is a lawyer at the Yu State South Wall Law Office. She’s had contact with many of the different races, and has worked on all kinds of supernatural cases—in Nanwu County she’s actually quite famous.
If it’s convenient, Young Master Su, you could leave your contact info—my young lady will get in touch with you."
Wen Yan turned the card over in his hands, puzzled as to why they’d suddenly gone so public about things.
They’re really not afraid of the Scorching Sun Department paying them a friendly visit?
And today, their attitude seemed just a little too good, which definitely meant something was going on that he didn’t know about.
"Alright, I’ll give her a call."
"Thank you for your trouble, Young Master Su." Lady Lie bowed politely again.
Wen Yan chatted with Lady Lie for a while longer. She was very courteous, but constantly said she wasn’t sure or not allowed to answer, and that Wen Yan would have to discuss things with Zhuge Wanjun.
Eventually bored, with a while left before dawn, Wen Yan went off on his own to the pool to find Wang Xueqi.
He entered the water, as if slipping into a vast, dark deep sea. But this time, he faintly sensed a dim light here, clearly able to see farther than before.
Who knows whether it was because he’d completed the First Phase of the Scorching Sun Fist or that beauty snake gall he ate last time had finally started working.
After entering the Water Ghost Domain today, he could see much more in the darkness.
As he floated in the water, Wang Xueqi sensed him at once, and came straight over to his side.
"You’re here..." Wang Xueqi drifted beside Wen Yan, a little happy.
"Just came to check on you. Are you feeling your consciousness fading?"
"Not really, no. But I did see other living people today—and I felt a little urge to pull them into the water..." Wang Xueqi was a bit uneasy as she recounted what had happened.
Wen Yan thought for a moment—so there was decay, just not that severe.
He reached out a finger and tapped Wang Xueqi between the brows, blessing her again with some yang energy—just a little top-up.
"How does that feel?"
"Really good, feels like my mind’s getting clearer, and I’m remembering a lot more."
"What are you remembering?"
"Something really big, glowing blue, fell into the water—and then, I could find other water surfaces in the depths."