Li Xiang felt that he had been living a fulfilling life recently.
He was originally just an ordinary worker, with no money, no car, and no wife. Despite working for years, he had hardly saved any money.
Li Xiang got tired of working and scraped together enough to buy a used sedan.
With a determination to work hard, save money, and accumulate wealth, he resolutely embarked on this path of no return.
But dreams and reality are always separated by a vast ocean. The income he earned from driving day in and day out wasn’t as much as he had initially imagined, and he was still a long way off from being able to settle down and get married.
However, he had already sworn to his family that he would persevere, so how could he give up now?
Moreover, there was a not-so-small debt at home, and from time to time, people would come to collect, so he could not stop.
At least, his income was now higher, and that was better than being bossed around by leaders in the office every day, wasn’t it?
Life continued on, day by day.
From the initial passion to the subsequent numbness, it seemed everyone would go through such a journey.That’s life, I guess.
There were no thrillers, no bizarre twists and turns, and the colorful imaginations of childhood were no longer there.
Eventually, everyone has to grow up.
But just when he was getting used to this lifestyle, an encounter more than a month ago completely shattered this rhythm.
Mysterious organizations, Transcendents, monsters, battles, Divine Skills!
These things were constantly echoing in his mind. Whenever he calmed down, he could always envision that world hidden behind reality, filled with all sorts of fantastical and bizarre scenes.
Remembering the task that the lord had assigned him, Li Xiang spent every day almost without sleep or food, probing into the mysterious incidents happening around him.
He had visited every forum, tieba, and chat group, scouring every legend available online, and not overlooking any bizarre ancient books he encountered on the streets.
And these days, he could distinctly feel that something was not right with the world.
Although he couldn’t find complete information on several past incidents, having previously encountered real Transcendents and based on subtle clues, he still sensed something extraordinary.
Online discussions about these matters were also rife, like the apocalyptic topics of yesteryear, with their popularity continually surging.
The prevailing theory was the Spiritual Energy Recovery, which was also the topic most people were fervently discussing.
For some reason, many major websites hadn’t shut down their forums and tiebas on this subject, as if intentionally guiding people here.
That afternoon, Li Xiang was having lunch at home, using every spare moment to look up information on Transcendents, and terms like "Lord Sword Immortal" and "Flying Car Hero" had particularly caught his eye.
Like now, in a post titled "Revealing the Truth Behind the Sword Immortal Scam", the author wrote at length, ultimately suggesting that the so-called "Lord Sword Immortal" was nothing more than a stunt by a streamer looking for fame.
The article analyzed the live-streaming video from multiple angles, assertively and authoritatively, dissecting layer by layer how the fraud was perpetrated and the process involved, leaving many unable to refute it.
Li Xiang frowned as he read through the post, clearly displeased. He had been fortunate enough to download the video of the Sword Immortal on an obscure forum.
Whether it was the timing or the extraordinary means displayed by the character in the video, he was almost certain that this purported "Lord Sword Immortal" was Zhang Xiaoman, who had assigned him the task.
"Heh, ignorance is indeed bliss, but how can the true horror be anything you can imagine?"
As Li Xiang typed out this response, what came to mind was his previous encounter in No Light Alley, and those two vine-like tentacles reminiscent of giant beasts were something he could never forget.
After hesitating for a moment, Li Xiang sighed and, with some reluctance, deleted the comment he had just made.
He felt that his identity was now sensitive, being a peripheral member of that organization, and he couldn’t speak as freely as he used to.
"I’ll let you guys off this time, but if it had been before, under my ’Key God’ hands, not one of you could match me."
He put away his phone with some regret, tidied up the dishes on the table, and then got up and left the house.
Life had to go on, and he still had to drive his car in the afternoon.
After going downstairs and unlocking the car alarm, Li Xiang walked to the temporary parking space in the residential area, flipping through the ride-sharing app to see if there were any orders he could take.
However, the next moment, when he looked up again, the scene before him made him somewhat dumbfounded.
Right in front of him, not far away, three brand new and beautiful luxury cars had surrounded his old clunker, and a young man and woman were leaning against one of the cars talking.
Behind them stood five black-suited bodyguards wearing sunglasses, one of whom was even a blond foreigner.
These people were from the Light Blue Clan, with Xiao Shun and Su Changqing in casual clothes and the others dressed up in black suits.
"What’s going on? Why are they blocking my car? Could they be looking for me? It can’t be that I’ve been exposed, could they be government people? But that shouldn’t be right, after the vine incident last time, the government already investigated me..."
Li Xiang’s mind raced with many thoughts, and his heart started to sink, yet he still braced himself and walked over.
The distance was short, and the two sides quickly met; Xiao Shun in front immediately asked.
"Excuse me, are you Li Xiang?"
"Ah, sorry, I think you’ve got the wrong person."
Li Xiang scratched his head and smiled, pretending to be confused.
At his response, everyone seemed speechless, not expecting him to play dumb so well.
Xiao Shun coughed awkwardly, then put on a serious face and said,
"Li Xiang, we know it’s you, and we know some of your secrets. Don’t worry, we’ve come to discuss business with you."
Li Xiang tensed up involuntarily when he heard the word "secrets," but the "business" mentioned by the other party left him puzzled.
Ji Xiaoqi, dressed in a black OL outfit, stepped forward and introduced, "These two are the chairman and CEO of the Light Blue Group, Mr. Xiao Changqing and Mr. Su Shun."
Xiao Changqing? Su Shun? And the Light Blue Group?
It sounded unfamiliar.
After pondering for a moment, Li Xiang realized they were indeed here for him; continuing the pretense was pointless, so he simply asked,
"I don’t understand what these secrets you’re talking about are. What do you want with me?"
Xiao Shun looked at several curious passersby and spoke to him,
"Whether it’s a secret or not, you’ll know soon enough. Some things are not convenient to discuss here. We’ve reserved a private room at the Aromatic Tea Pavilion; why don’t we go somewhere else to talk more leisurely?"