The person who walked in was surprisingly the white-haired man who had just hosted the wedding banquet.
Although he was dressed in all black and his face was covered, his impression on Ling Shu was too deep. As soon as he saw him, Ling Shu couldn't help but recall the way he had stared at people with his beast-like eyes during the underworld wedding, as if he was starving and ready to pounce and take a bite out of you at any moment.
He vaguely remembered seeing those same eyes when he had just woken up and his consciousness was still fuzzy. The voice that had been echoing in his ears seemed to still have a lingering magic, and although he hadn't been controlled in the end, it was hard to avoid feeling uncomfortable and leaving a shadow.
Ling Shu felt that if he wasn't wearing a mask right now, his expression would give him away.
Looking at Yang Chunhe again, her body had begun to tremble slightly, seemingly even less able to hold on than Ling Shu.
He quickly reached out and supported the other person's back, causing Yang Chunhe to shake and become somewhat more alert.
The other person revealed a completely different obsequious smile and turned to Yue Dingtang.
"Mr. Yue, I have been sent by the divine envoy to inform you that tonight the divine envoy will host a banquet in your honor. Please prepare yourself, as someone will come to pick you up in about an hour."
Yue Dingtang was a bit surprised. "So soon?"
He had thought it would take three to five days to meet the so-called leader of the Azure Dragon Society.
The man with white hair said eagerly, "As our honored guest, the Divine Envoy will surely make time for you, even amidst his busy schedule. This is a rare opportunity, so if you have anything to say, think it over now and tell the Divine Envoy when you meet him. Otherwise, it may be a long time before you get another chance."
Yue Dingtang smiled and said, "If I join the Azure Dragon Villa and become one of you, won't I be able to see the Divine Envoy all the time?"
The man with white hair shook his head and replied, "Not necessarily. The Divine Envoy is always busy and doesn't see people easily, especially new members. You are an exception among exceptions. As far as I know, you are the only one who has been able to meet him among all the new members."
Yue Dingtang said, "In that case, I am honored indeed."
What a load of nonsense to talk about exceptions within exceptions.
The truth is, Yue Dingtang was able to earn a large sum of money for the Azure Dragon Society in the shortest amount of time possible.
This caught the attention of the divine envoy, who wanted to meet him and have him make even greater contributions to the society.
No matter how much spiritual talk there is, it can't compare to the practicality of money. Even if Yue Dingtang is now performing well as a spiritual leader and can summon spirits and ghosts, the temptation of making money is probably even greater.
Although the Azure Dragon Society uses religion to accumulate wealth, it is ultimately a gang. This divine envoy is just a gang leader disguised as a spiritual being, no different from Lu Tongcang or Jiang He.
If there is any difference, it is that he is more ruthless and cruel than Jiang He, and he goes beyond the limits of human cognition - hypnotizing new members and controlling their minds, forcing them to participate in dark weddings and blood feasts, even eating human flesh.
Yue Dingtang thought he had seen and heard it all, but he had never heard of such things before.
The man with white hair didn't think he was speaking in reverse, but rather agreed with him. "It is indeed so. Your divine abilities are vast, and very few can impress the old man. It is evident that Mr. Yue is a remarkable person. If it is convenient, could you say a few good words for me in front of the great man? I would be satisfied."
Yue Dingtang smiled and said, "With your abilities, Mr. He, you will surely make a name for yourself sooner or later. Why should I say anything? But if you are willing, I can point you in the right direction, and we can make money together."
The man with white hair and a happy face rubbed his fingers together and said, "Thank you, Mr. Yue. I do need money for many things lately..."
Yue Dingtang beckoned him over and took out a piece of paper with a set of numbers written on it.
"This is a bank account I have at HSBC. There's a bit of money in it that I had planned to use to buy a house after getting married. But now that I'm following you, I don't have to worry about not having a house in the future. Mr. He and I hit it off right away, so you can go withdraw the money and consider it a small token of my appreciation for you and the Azure Dragon Society."
The man with white hair felt both tempted and hesitant. "I'm not sure if that's a good idea. How can I touch the membership fee you donated?"
Yue Dingtang replied, "I came here without knowing anyone, and the first person I met was you, Mr. He. You've been kind to me, and I always repay kindness. There should be around ten thousand dollars in that account. Please donate eight thousand on my behalf to the society. I'll let the Divine Envoy know."
Implied in his words was the extra two thousand dollars for the benefit of the white-haired man.
The other party was clearly delighted and no longer held back, taking the note from Yue Dingtang and becoming more affectionate towards him.
"Don't be polite, little brother. By the way, let me remind you that the Divine Envoy is quite suspicious and may ask you many questions repeatedly. You must remain loyal and not speak recklessly, otherwise there may be trouble."
Yue Dingtang understood immediately, "I understand, thank you, Brother He."
The two quickly established a deep friendship because of that bank account.
The white-haired man took the note and smiled like a flower, but it gave people goosebumps.
"I won't disturb you anymore. You should prepare yourself. The person who will pick you up later won't be me."
After giving his instructions to Yue Dingtang, the man with white hair stood up to take his leave. But as he reached the door, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"Did you leave something behind, old friend?" asked Yue Dingtang.
The man with white hair turned around and walked straight towards Ling Shu and his companion, standing in front of Yang Chunhe with his piercing eagle eyes fixed on her, like a wild beast ready to pounce.
Under such intense scrutiny, it was hard for anyone to remain calm.
Although Yang Chunhe was brave, she was still just a young student, and this trip to Azure Dragon Mountain Villa had already exposed her to the darkest depths of human nature.
Just as she was about to crack under the pressure, Ling Shu's sleeve suddenly snapped, and he dropped something, diverting the man with white hair's attention.
He looked down and saw a finger on the ground - a finger that had once belonged to a living person, but had now started to rot due to the passage of time.
"Where did this come from?" The man with white hair squinted his eyes and picked up the finger.
"I apologize, Master He. This finger was dropped on the ground during the wedding banquet earlier. I picked it up with the intention of returning it, but as someone who had never touched a woman's hand before, I was momentarily possessed and..." Ling Shu knelt on the ground and deliberately spoke in a disgusting tone.
In reality, the reason he kept this finger was because there was a white mark on the nail that only Mrs. Feng would recognize as belonging to Miss Feng.
In the current situation, it was the only way to clear Yang Chunhe's name.
Yue Dingtang had wanted to say something to divert the attention of the man with white hair, but to his surprise, the man not only did not blame or suspect Ling Shu, but actually admired his behavior and chuckled a few times.
"If you want to touch women, I have plenty. Not only do I have hands, but also a brain and body. Look at your qualifications, if you can pass my test--"
He placed his hand on Ling Shu's head and slowly stroked it through the hood.
Ling Shu shuddered and dared not move.
Yue Dingtang almost couldn't resist grabbing the hand and chopping it off, but he had to endure it for the sake of the bigger picture.
He knew that the white-haired man wasn't teasing Ling Shu, but had a more sinister purpose.
Because the way he touched Ling Shu was like he was looking through the mask and flesh, examining Ling Shu's bones for perfection and suitability for collection.
"In the future, it won't be a problem for you to have as many women's fingers as you want."
After the white-haired man finished speaking, he withdrew his hand satisfied, placed the severed finger back into Ling Shu's palm, and left.
The door closed and Yang Chunhe let out a sigh of relief, collapsing onto the ground in exhaustion.
"What kind of devil is he!" She exclaimed.
A little frog who likes reading. Hope you liked this chapter, and thank you for your support! Coffee fuels my midnight translation binges.
Give me feedback at moc.ebircssutol@tibbir.