This old song sings of the pain of longing so searingly it carves into the heart. A whole crowd of Ghost Servants couldn’t control their feet and shuffled into the room.

An Zongding lay by the wall, motionless, pretending he had already passed out.

He didn’t know where this was, but he knew Green Flower could open The Unnameable Place, so this was very likely another nest of Green Flower’s.

By firelight he saw that in this room there was a Phonograph, a bed, a miscellaneous shelf, and a wardrobe.

There was a table, and on the table a mirror. In front of the mirror sat an indescribable thing, putting on makeup.

He had just gotten a clear look at his surroundings when more than eighty Ghost Servants suddenly all entered the room. An Zongding gritted his teeth and, bracing against the wall, slowly stood up.

Even if one leg was broken, he had to be standing right now.

The Ghost Servants were all here. The final battle had come!

Granted, the Ghost Servants’ condition was all wrong, still circling the Phonograph in a daze, listening to the tune, but An Zongding now had no route of escape and had to fight a blood battle.

"Hear my command!" An Zongding bellowed.

Whoosh!

A whirlwind kicked up at the horn of the Phonograph and sucked all eighty-odd Ghost Servants into its belly.

An Zongding fell silent for a moment, held on to the wall, and lay back down on the floor again.

"Green Flower" walked up to An Zongding and kicked him: "Playing dead now, don’t you think it’s a bit late?"

An Zongding didn’t move. Right now he had to keep his nerve; there was still a chance to turn the tables.

That thing doing its makeup was the key to victory. On it An Zongding smelled the scent of a Lost Soul, and he could sense that this Lost Soul’s combat strength was not low.

Why would there be such a powerful Lost Soul in the Greenwater Beggar’s nest?

This was not the time to ponder that.

As long as it was a Lost Soul, there was a way to control it.

An Zongding silently used a Technique on the Lost Soul doing its makeup—Cloud Yanxiu. The Technique was silent and vicious; in just a few seconds An Zongding could already sense that the Technique had taken hold.

The Lost Soul sitting before the mirror doing its makeup rose to its feet without a sound. "Green Flower" did not notice.

An Zongding sent out a command with his mind, ordering the Lost Soul to launch a sneak attack on the Greenwater Beggar.

Victory or defeat would be decided in this one move; An Zongding staked all he had learned in his life on it.

Thud!

Hong Ying came to stand in front of An Zongding and kicked him in the face.

"Qi Lang is talking to you. You mute or what?"

A big chunk of An Zongding’s cheek caved in. He clenched his teeth and endured, continuing to use his Technique.

The outcome wasn’t decided yet; there was still a chance!

Thud!

Hong Ying kicked him again: "I asked you if you’re mute?"

This time An Zongding couldn’t use his Technique anymore. That kick left his consciousness a little fuzzy.

Hong Ying raised her foot to kick again, but the Phonograph blocked her: "Ying Ying, leave him one last breath. Husband has questions for him."

Li Banfeng said to An Zongding: "Open your eyes first. If you still won’t open them, I’ll gouge them out."

An Zongding opened his eyes.

Li Banfeng asked: "An Zongding, tell me the first thing: are you really from Snowflake Beach?"

An Zongding nodded and mumbled: "You should know what kind of status people from Snowflake Beach have."

Li Banfeng said: "Why are you people investigating me?"

An Zongding said: "Because we’re going to take Greenwater Bay’s territory. Green Flower, you’ve hogged Greenwater Bay for so many years, you’ve gotten more than enough cheap advantage. It’s about time you gave up the place."

Li Banfeng peeled off the pus-covered sores from his face, took a towel, and wiped away the grime: "What I asked is why you people are secretly investigating me."

"You’re not Green Flower? Then who are you?" An Zongding’s face was full of horror. He had no idea what the man before him really was.

Thinking back on what the man had said earlier—he’d said someone hurt his Brother and stole his Brother’s wife. Could he have been talking about Qin Tianjiu?

That Lost Soul from before, the one long and thin like a Long Spear, had called him Qi Lang. Could he be Li Qi?

What would Li Qi be doing here?

An Zongding didn’t know how to respond. The only person he could hope for now was Feng Chongli; he could only pray Feng Chongli would hurry over to rescue him.

...

Longmen Road, Green Flower’s residence.

An Zongding had been gone a long time and not returned. Feng Chongli was getting a bit worried.

His Magical Treasure abacus hadn’t found Green Flower’s Contract Book; they really shouldn’t linger here. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Urged on by Mu Yuejuan, Feng Chongli went to open the gate to The Unnameable Place.

He didn’t open it.

Mu Yuejuan said: "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and open it!"

Feng Chongli tried to open it again, and the door still didn’t open.

"Someone added another lock," Feng Chongli said to Mu Yuejuan, "and this lock isn’t easy to open!"

PS: Why does Snowflake Beach want Greenwater Bay so badly?

Thanks to Alliance Hierarch 20181128120528990 for the tremendous support—two Alliance Hierarchs in one go. Shala is endlessly grateful.