Chapter 114: Martial Artists Gone Missing?

Leaving the Patrol Team.

Driving home, Zhang Chu received a call from Guan Zifang.

Four cores of nine-star beast essence.

“Help arrange a barbecue tonight.”

Old Guan was generous, no doubt about it.

A lifelong homebody, since returning to Binzhou he barely stepped outside his front door, living like an old man who couldn’t care for himself.

But when it came to spending, he was truly lavish.

Having ordered the barbecue on the way, Zhang Chu finally drove back to Xishayuan.

As soon as he entered the door,

Guan Zifang was lying on the couch in his newly bought pajamas, engrossed in a drama.

“Old Guan, dinner’s ready.”

Zhang Chu quickly put away his things; the barbecue set was a dazzling assortment.

Guan Zifang devoured the food like a barbarian released after a decade or more in the patrol team’s custody. “You’re pretty reliable, kid. You didn’t embarrass me.”

“How so?”

Zhang Chu was taken aback; it was rare for Guan Zifang to praise anyone.

“I heard you made a big splash today at the Arms Department, even entered the Special Ops Hunting Grounds?” Guan Zifang said.

“You know that too?”

A chill ran down Zhang Chu’s spine. This old man, who was a shut-in at home, seemed to know everything going on outside.

Guan Zifang kept quiet, focusing on eating.

After the meal,

Old Guan rubbed his belly, ready to head to bed.

“Old Guan, look at this.”

Zhang Chu suddenly remembered the photo he had gotten at the Martial Arts Bureau’s patrol team and spread it out before Guan Zifang. “Is this the statue you photographed in the Canglong Mountain Town’s Demon Suppression Tower?”

“You really have a knack for these things, kid. Even the Sacred Maiden of the Shenluo Alliance wasn’t captured. Regret it?”

Guan Zifang teased.

“Nonsense!”

“I stand on the side of justice. How could I be on the side of evil?”

Guan Zifang didn’t say it outright, but Zhang Chu was certain—the statue in the Demon Suppression Tower of Su Mingyue was indeed photographed by Guan Zifang.

Back at the patrol team just now,

When Su Mingyue saw the photo, her first reaction was that it was a fake.

She had been captured for nearly half a month and never imagined she was actually the Sacred Maiden the Shenluo Alliance was grooming.

“Nonsense. I wasn’t always old. I wanted to join the Shenluo Alliance back then.”

“Then why didn’t you?”

Zhang Chu was curious.

“They didn’t want me.”

Guan Zifang closed the door casually and went into the bedroom. “You’d better be careful lately. You reported their Sacred Maiden. Knowing the Shenluo Alliance’s nature, they won’t let it go easily.”

Didn’t want him?

Zhang Chu was stunned for a long time.

The Shenluo Alliance must be blind.

Ignoring a genius like Guan Zifang, they insisted on elevating Su Mingyue, this sly woman, as their Sacred Maiden.

“Hey, Old Guan, where’s my nine-star core!”

…

In the following days, Zhang Chu discovered new frontiers.

The Star Beast Hunting Grounds at the Boundary Monument Hall no longer interested him.

During the day, he worked at the Martial Arts Research Institute, using the “Accelerated Domain” to continuously absorb the ancient trees in the academy’s Star Beast Forest, increasing his spiritual power.

He then allocated some of it to nourish the vine demon seed in his dantian.

After work, he stopped by the Arms Department’s Special Ops Hunting Grounds.

After seven or eight days,

His combat power had increased by 5,000.

His spiritual power had risen by 4,000.

Sunday night.

Zhang Chu left the Special Ops Hunting Grounds satisfied. “Sis, thanks for your hard work these days. I ordered some milk tea for you to go. I’m heading out now.”

“No need to be so polite.”

Over these days, Zhang Chu had grown quite familiar with the armory’s armored lady.

Watching Zhang Chu’s retreating figure, she looked enviously: “Where can I find a boyfriend like that? I want a dozen.”

“Uncle Li, are you at the shop?”

Leaving the Arms Department, Zhang Chu called Li Dashan.

“You’re coming? Wang Peng’s here. Let’s have a few drinks. Long time no see.”

Li Dashan laughed.

“Okay, I’ll order takeout.”

After ordering on his phone, Zhang Chu drove to the Martial Artists’ Black Market and entered Li Dashan’s shop.

The weekend was the busiest time at the Martial Artists’ Black Market.

Both regular and freelance warriors came to browse.

The first floor of Li Dashan’s small shop was packed.

“Xiao Chu, Wang Peng’s inside. Sit down first.”

Seeing Zhang Chu carrying wine, Li Dashan hurriedly said.

“Alright.”

Seeing Li Dashan busy and thriving, Zhang Chu took the wine upstairs.

“What are you so absorbed in?”

Seeing Wang Peng bent over playing on his phone, Zhang Chu quietly stood behind him.

Startled, Wang Peng relaxed upon seeing Zhang Chu. “Next time, can you make some noise when you walk? You scared me.”

“What were you looking at?”

Zhang Chu sat down and asked.

“A mercenary group came into Uncle Li’s shop just now and said things aren’t stable outside Qingcheng Town near Binzhou. Two nearby townships have had warriors disappear. Seems pretty serious.”

“I checked the forum just now. Some insiders confirmed the news. It’s true.”

Wang Peng handed his phone to Zhang Chu.

Zhang Chu quickly scrolled through several posts, surprised. “Is this for real? Refining warriors into pills?”

Warrior disappearances are a major issue across the entire Spiritual Energy Continent.

There are generally two reasons for such disappearances:

First, during training, they encounter spiritual beasts that have awakened consciousness and start devouring human warriors to enhance their cultivation.

The second is even more horrifying: hunters who specialize in killing warriors to refine them into spiritual energy pills.

Those who engage in such anti-human activities on the Spiritual Energy Continent are called black warriors.

Zhang Chu had seen gossip about this on the forum.

Taking one spiritual energy pill could raise a warrior’s star level—a terrifying prospect.

The Martial Artists’ Black Market was once banned a hundred years ago due to the sale of such pills.

After the Battle of the Northern City Demon Rejection Gate,

The Martial Arts Bureau took control of the city and began cracking down on black warriors.

After purging these tumors, they tacitly allowed the reopening of the Black Market.

“Whatever happens, if this kind of thing really occurs, the Martial Arts Bureau will step in. We’d better keep our distance. Whether it’s spiritual beasts or black warriors, we can’t afford to offend them.”

Wang Peng said.

Zhang Chu said nothing but sensed that this matter was far from simple.

After Li Dashan finished his work, the three had a drinking session before Zhang Chu returned home.

Guan Zifang was already snoring.

Zhang Chu crashed into bed immediately.

The next morning,

After breakfast, Zhang Chu prepared to go to the Martial Arts Research Institute for a nine-to-five shift.

Just as he stepped out, Hu Sanyi was waiting at the door.

“Old Hu, what are you doing here?”

“There’s a big problem.”

Hu Sanyi grabbed Zhang Chu, jumped into his car, and floored the accelerator straight to the Martial Artists’ Center.

“Why come here? Not going to work?”

Looking at the mercenary service hall on the 13th floor of the Martial Artists’ Center, which he hadn’t visited in a long time, Zhang Chu was puzzled.

The hall was packed with mercenary groups, a sea of people.

“Brother Chu, long time no see.”

Just then, Zhou Chuanxiong greeted him warmly. “Our office said—”

“What’s going on? So many people outside?”

Zhang Chu was curious.

“Brother Chu, have you heard? Recently, warriors have been mysteriously disappearing in Qingcheng Town. The Martial Arts Bureau issued an SS-class mission this morning to investigate the cause. The reward is quite generous.”

“Our Gale Squad is a sharp blade of the Martial Artists’ Center Mercenary Corps. Naturally, you were my first thought for such a high-level mission. When I couldn’t reach you, I contacted Captain Hu Sanyi.”

Zhou Chuanxiong hurriedly placed the mission details and reward in front of Zhang Chu.

An investigation into the Qingcheng Town disappearances?

He had just talked to Wang Peng about this gossip last night. Who would have thought it would become reality today?

Zhang Chu’s heart tightened suddenly, sensing this warrior disappearance case was aimed directly at him!