The cave was unusually quiet. Daoist Baijie silently stared at the assertive Boss before him.
He suddenly realized it wasn't just quiet—this place was deathly silent.
Daoist Baijie abruptly snapped to attention—aside from himself, the Boss, and Da Zhe, everyone else, including Huang Baifu, Cang Jinshui, and Qu Xinghe, hadn’t moved at all.
They looked like statues frozen in an instant… Daoist Baijie was horrified.
What terrified him more was that they might not only be immobilized but even their thoughts could have been halted.
The terms of a transaction couldn’t be disclosed. The Club would never take the initiative to reveal such matters—but if the client said it themselves, it seed that didn’t fall under the Club's responsibility.
So at this mont, with Luo Qiu present, everything had been paused.
“If there are no further questions, let’s begin sending the relevant personnel away.” Seeing that Daoist Baijie had nothing to say, Luo Qiu seed ready to end the brief explanation. “Sir?”
“Wait,” Daoist Baijie frowned, speaking earnestly. “Is there truly no workaround? Boss Luo, rules are created by people—they can be changed… and they must have loopholes. Every life here is precious.”
Luo Qiu calmly t Daoist Baijie’s eyes.
After a long pause, he slowly said, “There’s a way. But I don’t know if you’ll choose it.”
“Please, go on!” Daoist Baijie urged.
“Hmm… based on the service you purchased, there are two parts. First, the safe evacuation of all mbers from both the Daoist and Demon sides. Second, we don’t offer unlimited service, so a ti limit was set—36 hours. Therefore, by shortening my service ti while increasing the number of evacuees… what do you think?”
Daoist Baijie fell into deep thought.
The Managent Bureau appearing here was sothing he hadn’t expected at all. He hadn’t even known they were involved—he had thought it was only the Daoists and Demons. If they were here too… who else had been drawn into this due to the spiritual energy of the Jade Dragon Pillar?
Could 36 hours be enough to evacuate everyone safely?
If he shortened the service ti to evacuate the Managent Bureau, would there be enough ti to evacuate the others… assuming there were others?
Even if he helped the Managent Bureau now, would the Club still be able to fulfill the original contract for the Daoist and Demon factions within the reduced ti?
Or would so of the Daoists and Demons who could have been saved be left behind due to the shortened service ti?
Daoist Baijie furrowed his brow.
No… even with shortened ti and more evacuees, based on the original contract, the Club should still be able to complete the evacuation!
The real issue was—were there more people beyond the Daoist, Demon, and Managent Bureau?
If more existed, and the ti ran out…
But then, why was there a ti limit in the first place?
Daoist Baijie once again looked at the young-faced Boss—he couldn’t read a single thought from his expression.
This Boss’s power had already surpassed all of Daoist Baijie’s understanding. He even believed the Boss could evacuate everyone in an instant… yet he deliberately imposed a service duration—this duration counted as part of the transaction and required compensation.
Profit.
Suddenly, Daoist Baijie understood the key point. The Boss could do it instantly. The service ti simply ant higher cost!
Why would Boss Luo tell him this?
Could he be hinting that this extra profit could sohow be negotiated or shared?
Wang Hu had said this man was sincere and genuine—it seed he was right.
Daoist Baijie’s furrowed brow gradually relaxed.
Luo Qiu softly said, “Elder, it seems you’ve made your decision, haven’t you?”
Daoist Baijie solemnly nodded. “I… am willing to shorten the service ti so the entire Managent Bureau can be safely evacuated.”
“I understand.” Luo Qiu nodded, then suddenly asked, “But before that, I’m curious… why did you choose this?”
Daoist Baijie said quietly, “Boss Luo, let’s not beat around the bush. You need to make a profit, or this business wouldn’t work. All rchants seek profit… I understand that. You hinted to about the possibility within the service ti… how could I not understand? Your principle is to not work for free… and I don’t begrudge that. So thank you, Boss Luo.”
“I see…” Luo Qiu nodded and said no more. “They’ll be able to move soon. This exit will remain open for ten minutes. Say whatever you need to say… I won’t disturb you.”
With that, Luo Qiu walked out of the cave. Da Zhe scratched his head, then followed him out—once both had left, ti inside the cave resud.
Seeing Luo Qiu’s departing figure, Daoist Baijie had a faint sense sothing was off… but the mont was too brief for him to grasp it.
At that mont—
Hong Ling blinked, and Huang Baifu… Wang Hu’s brows furrowed.
So began to breathe again. Footsteps resud… the frozen world was moving once more.
“Sothing just happened, didn’t it?” Cang Jinshui asked Qu Xinghe quietly.
Qu Xinghe looked around in confusion. Mr. Da Zhe had vanished, and there was a vague mory of another young man… but it all felt blurry.
The distorted exit portal was still there.
Daoist Baijie exhaled and spoke firmly, “Everyone, don’t waste ti. This exit will only remain for ten minutes.”
The group exchanged glances, but no one moved first—until soone from the Managent Bureau stepped forward to test it. One team mber crossed through under orders.
He entered, and several minutes later returned with joy on his face. “It really works! Captain, I saw Mt. Tai!”
“Let’s go,” Captain Ling Feng nodded and quickly began organizing the evacuation.
…
Outside the cave, Luo Qiu watched the chanical equipnt clearing the forest brush, lost in thought.
Da Zhe hesitated before approaching and quietly asked, “Boss, you seem a little… unhappy?”
Luo Qiu gave a slight smile. “There’s no happiness or unhappiness—just another business transaction.”
Da Zhe blinked in confusion. “Boss, I don’t understand. Why did you remind Daoist Baijie that he could shorten the service ti?”
Luo Qiu shook his head. “Actually, I didn’t an to remind him of that… maybe he misunderstood, or maybe I didn’t express it clearly enough.”
“Then… Boss, what did you an?”
Luo Qiu looked toward the distant mountains and said softly, “I just wanted to see—when faced with saving the present or saving the future… how would he choose.”
“Then… did he make the wrong choice?”
“No.” Luo Qiu shook his head again. “There’s no wrong choice. The only wrong thing… might be the question itself.”
Luo Qiu then smiled. “Alright, let’s not dwell on this. Once Daoist Baijie cos out, we’ll head to the next place.”
…
…
Passing through the exit, the group appeared near a granary on the outskirts of a small village—without disturbing anyone, especially the villagers working in the fields.
It seed the exit location had been carefully selected.
Cang Jinshui and Qu Xinghe didn’t choose to leave imdiately. Despite the short duration, what they experienced felt like a lifeti. Still, they waited—hoping to see if any of their clansn had survived the disaster.
“What? How is that possible?!”
At that mont, Captain Ling Feng’s expression drastically changed.
Everyone turned to look at him, noticing he was staring at his phone in shock. After exiting, he had imdiately contacted Managent Bureau headquarters.
“What happened?” Hong Ling asked urgently.
Ling Feng frowned in disbelief. “They say… today is the Lantern Festival.”
“What?!”
They had entered on New Year’s Eve—yet only felt like they’d been inside for two or three hours!
(Note: Let give an example. Chinese New Year's Eve: Fell on January 28th, 2025. Lantern Festival: Was celebrated on February 12th, 2025. This marks the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations.)
…
…
“Five hundred years!!”
Inside the energy sphere, Gongsun Wuwei and the charmingly lazy woman both shot to their feet.
Perhaps their imposing stares were too intense—Jiang Zuo instinctively backed away. The energy shield seed to sense his thoughts and subtly retreated with him.
“Young one! Are you serious?!” Gongsun Wuwei’s expression was extrely grave.
Jiang Zuo solemnly said, “Seniors, I can swear on my late master’s na—everything I said is absolutely true. Before I entered this place, it was already Lunar New Year in 2018. The tiline you ntioned… is a full 500 years ago!”
The two seniors stared at Jiang Zuo in silence, making him sweat nervously. Even knowing they were trapped in the sa sphere, he still felt a chill—just what level were these cultivators?
After a long pause, the charming woman sighed softly. “Who knows what year it is in the heavenly palace now… Wuwei, it seems this place and the outside world are truly worlds apart.”
Gongsun Wuwei said nothing and sat back down cross-legged, eyes closed. To Jiang Zuo, it looked like the senior was overwheld and trying to calm himself.
Understandable—five centuries had passed in a flash. Everything he knew had turned to dust. The ancient world was long gone, and he was likely the only one left behind… how tragic.
Jiang Zuo secretly sighed in pity.
But then Gongsun Wuwei suddenly slapped his thigh, eyes gleaming. “Hell yeah! Five hundred years—my enemies are probably all dead! Didn’t even need to lift a finger. Feels so damn good!”
Jiang Zuo: …??
The charming woman chuckled. “Wuwei, you fool. No ambition! You should be thinking—after 500 years, we’re probably revered ancestors by now! Clan rules? Sect traditions? Who cares anymore!”
Jiang Zuo: ……???
What happened to the dignified cultivator seniors?
“I can’t take it anymore. Just thinking about being an honored ancestor makes eager to leave!” the woman frowned. “But this stupid shield—we’ve tried everything for years and still can’t break it… do we really have to stay even longer?”
Just then, Gongsun Wuwei struck the shield with his palm.
It didn’t look like a powerful move—more like swatting a fly—but the shield suddenly rippled.
He frowned. “It feels… weaker.”
The woman looked surprised—and as if to confirm it, the surroundings began flickering between light and dark.
Jiang Zuo was shocked. A pulling force suddenly yanked him downward. The protective barrier around him shattered.
He crashed to the ground… Wait, ground?
Lifting his head, he found himself in a tal room—four walls and ceiling all forged from tal. It was no longer that chaotic space.
“So strange. I’ve never seen anything like this,” Gongsun Wuwei examined the room. “Were we trapped in… this tin can all these years?”
“This might be so kind of advanced spatial technology…” Jiang Zuo muttered as he stood. “I rember Gaia ntioning a protective protocol… maybe this was designed to protect ‘subscribers’ from external threats.”
“But why did the space suddenly collapse?” the woman asked.
Jiang Zuo thought aloud, “If maintaining the space required massive energy, then maybe a machine malfunctioned—or energy ran out, causing it to stop.”
At that mont, a crisp voice echoed through the room:
【Energy supply will resu in 30 seconds. Subscribers, please do not worry. Protection protocol will soon restart. Please wait patiently.】
The tal room began shifting again, seemingly returning to its chaotic state.
“Damn it! I’m not getting trapped again!” Gongsun Wuwei grunted.
“There!” Jiang Zuo spotted sothing door-like and quickly pointed.
Without hesitation, Gongsun Wuwei raised his hand—though his action was barely visible, his palm slamd against the tal door.
With a loud boom, the two-ter tal panel blasted open, revealing an exit.
“Ha!” Gongsun Wuwei stepped out without hesitation.
The woman vanished in a flash, appearing at the exit and stepping through as well.
Jiang Zuo shivered and quickly followed.
But his mind was full of questions—why had the protective space failed right when he arrived?
The timing felt too perfect—like a blackout during a power surge.
“Could sothing in that place just now have drained the energy all at once?”
(End of Chapter)
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