Chapter Thirty-One: We Are All People Who Walk Unorthodox Paths...

At nine o’clock the following evening, Li Changqing and Guan Wenyan stood beneath a utility pole by the deserted road outside the abandoned factory. The weather had grown chilly, and Guan Wenyan, dressed lightly, stamped his feet and asked in a low voice, “Did you put the Guardian Token inside? Is Guardian Hu really not going to compete for the position of cult leader?”

Guan Wenyan felt a persistent dissatisfaction in his heart. After days of effort, it was one thing to have infiltrated the wrong person, but now Hu Qideng wasn’t even participating in the election for cult leader. Whether Gou Zhen or Qi Hongshan became leader, he would never gain access to the Shadow Cult’s core secrets.

“I put it in ahead of time,” Li Changqing replied casually, glancing at his phone. “Why aren’t they here yet? It’s already nine o’clock.”

This street beside the abandoned factory was sparsely populated; a third of the streetlights were broken and unrepaired. At last, dim headlights appeared in the distance. Five sedans rolled slowly to a stop by the roadside.

Gou Zhen and Qi Hongshan, each accompanied by their own followers, stepped out. In addition, two others had arrived—Ding Jiashi and Ke Linzhi—here to pledge allegiance to Li Changqing, who was posing as ‘Hu Qideng’.

Both Gou Zhen and Qi Hongshan brought five people each, as if it had been agreed upon beforehand. Ding Jiashi and Ke Linzhi looked somewhat uneasy; they had already heard that the person before them was but Hu Qideng’s disciple, not Hu Qideng himself.

“Guardian Gou, Guardian Qi,” Li Changqing swept aside his earlier impatience, greeting them with a broad smile and gesturing toward the abandoned factory, “This is the factory I told you about. I’ve already placed the Guardian Token inside.”

As he spoke, Li Changqing gave the two a knowing look. Both understood.

Gou Zhen coughed, speaking slowly, “Before we go in, I think there’s something we need to clarify.”

He tapped his cane and glanced around, continuing, “I propose that we each hand over our rosters first, so no one can renege at the end.”

Without control over the lists, the position of cult leader would be an empty title. Gou Zhen feared that, once he became leader, Qi Hongshan would refuse to hand over his roster.

Qi Hongshan chuckled inwardly; perhaps Gou Zhen didn’t know that Li Changqing had already been won over by him.

“I agree. Let’s both hand over our rosters, temporarily to Li Changqing, who is the neutral party and won’t favor either side,” Qi Hongshan said loudly. “Afterwards, whoever gets the Guardian Token and becomes the leader will naturally receive both lists.”

Both men were supremely confident in themselves.

Li Changqing was taken aback—an unexpected windfall. Beside him, Guan Wenyan’s eyes lit up, his spirits instantly revived.

Qi Hongshan and Gou Zhen each produced two rosters, sealed in yellow paper with strips of tape; if tampered with, they would know. Li Changqing collected the lists carefully, then coughed, “Thank you both for your trust.”

“Let’s go,” Gou Zhen said, his eyes fixed on the factory.

Gou Zhen and Qi Hongshan exchanged glances and ambled toward the abandoned factory.

The open yard inside was overrun with weeds and debris. In the dim moonlight, the two men searched for the direction of the employees’ dormitory. Neither wanted to reveal where the Guardian Token was hidden, so they moved unhurriedly toward the dormitory building.

As they walked, each noticed something odd: why was the other also headed toward the dormitory?

Could it be?

Gou Zhen dropped his pretense, flinging aside his cane—no hint of age remained—as he sprinted toward the central dormitory building. Qi Hongshan followed close behind.

They realized that both their destinations were the same: the central dormitory building.

Damn it! That kid Li Changqing must have told both of them where the Guardian Token was hidden.

The dormitory was not tall, only eight floors, with many tiles fallen from its exterior walls. Dust covered the corridors, and discarded household items left behind by departing employees were everywhere.

Both men sped up the stairs toward the sixth floor. Neither lagged behind.

On the sixth floor, the narrow corridor had about twenty rooms, most of them unlocked.

Gou Zhen and Qi Hongshan exchanged a glance and split up, searching the rooms on either side.

Gou Zhen pushed open a door to the left, the wood creaking. Inside, the layout resembled a school dormitory: four bunk beds, a wooden table, and a wooden wardrobe.

There weren’t many places to hide things; he opened the wardrobe, sending a cloud of dust into the air.

“Cough, cough.”

Only some abandoned T-shirts lay inside.

After searching the rest of the room, Gou Zhen confirmed the Guardian Token was not there and moved to the next room.

Qi Hongshan’s experience was similar. Entering a room, he was suddenly surprised when the long-dead lights flickered on.

“Hm.” Qi Hongshan glanced up at the flickering light. Footsteps thudded in the corridor outside.

Hands behind his back, Qi Hongshan called out calmly, “Trying to play tricks, Gou Zhen?”

No answer came. Qi Hongshan scowled and muttered, “What a lousy hiding place. That Li Changqing, he’s playing both sides, with no sense of propriety.”

He reached for the wardrobe.

Unbeknownst to him, the shadowy evil creature behind him stirred, as if to stop his action—but too late.

As soon as Qi Hongshan opened the wardrobe, countless black strands of hair erupted from within, instantly wrapping him up.

His face changed drastically; he was caught completely off guard by the sudden emergence of this evil entity.

“What is this?” Qi Hongshan shouted.

The shadow creature on his back grabbed him, engaging in a tug-of-war with the black hair in the wardrobe. But the shadow’s strength was far inferior, and in the end, Qi Hongshan and his shadow were dragged into the wardrobe.

Bang.

The wardrobe slammed shut.

The room fell silent; after Qi Hongshan was dragged inside, not a sound remained.

The world was quiet.

Gou Zhen had already searched four rooms, unaware of Qi Hongshan’s misfortune. Yet he sensed something wasn’t right.

“This place is saturated with Yin energy,” Gou Zhen muttered, his face showing a hint of unease. When he’d entered, he hadn’t felt anything unusual, but now a dense gloom pervaded the area.

Could Qi Hongshan be playing tricks? That tiresome fellow, thinking such tactics would disrupt his search for the Guardian Token?

Gou Zhen chuckled coldly. He pushed open another door and entered—this room was unexpectedly clean and tidy, entirely different from the others. It even carried a faint fragrance.

Upon entering, the door slammed shut behind him.

Gou Zhen’s expression shifted; he turned to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge, as if welded shut.

A low moan sounded.

Gou Zhen turned, and there, sitting at the table, was a woman dressed in white, emanating an icy aura. In the pitch-dark room, her features were unclear, but her eyes burned with chilling cold.

“Who are you—human, ghost, or demon?” Gou Zhen narrowed his eyes, his back to the door. “I’m a Guardian of the Shadow Cult. We’re all people of the dark path—”

Before he could finish, the woman opened her mouth, and a bright red tongue shot out, piercing Gou Zhen’s heart with a wet crunch.

In front of her, Gou Zhen couldn’t resist at all.

Eyes wide, Gou Zhen stared at the woman, as if he understood something at last.

This was just an ordinary abandoned factory—how could such a formidable evil entity suddenly appear?

Was it Li Changqing? Or Hu Qideng?

It was their doing! Hu Qideng had lured him here, so other evil spirits could kill them, ensuring his uncontested rise to cult leader.

Blood trickled from Gou Zhen’s lips as he realized the truth. He slowly closed his eyes.

His body collapsed to the ground with a dull thud.

The Shadow Cult’s evil entity, eyes gleaming with malice, lunged at the woman like a moth to flame.

Soon, the entire room fell completely silent.

Outside the factory, an hour had passed.

After the two entered, not a sound had come from within, and they had yet to emerge.

Ding Jiashi and Ke Linzhi approached Li Changqing with grim faces.

Ding Jiashi lowered his voice, “Is Guardian Hu truly unwilling to compete for cult leader?”

Before coming, they had received word from Qi Hongshan and Gou Zhen, knowing the young man before them was merely Hu Qideng’s disciple.

Ding Jiashi and Ke Linzhi had brought many cult followers, hoping to place their bets on Hu Qideng; if he became leader, their own status would rise.

But the circumstances had changed drastically and unexpectedly.

Li Changqing kept his gaze on the factory, speaking calmly, “My master is indifferent to fame and fortune and has no interest in the leader’s position.”

Ding Jiashi and Ke Linzhi exchanged glances, mouths slightly open, but refrained from further persuasion.

If Guardian Hu refused the cult leader’s position, there was no point in arguing.

The group stood by the roadside, eyes fixed on the factory, but nothing stirred within.

Time passed, minute by minute.

Soon, midnight arrived—three hours since the two Guardians had entered the factory.

“Li Changqing.”

Gou Zhen and Qi Hongshan’s subordinates, ten in all, approached Li Changqing as if previously arranged. The leader was a bald middle-aged man whom Li Changqing vaguely recalled as Gou Zhen’s follower.

The bald man said, “The two Guardians have been inside for so long and still haven’t come out. Could something have happened?”

“Perhaps I hid the Guardian Token too well; they haven’t found it yet.”