Forgotten Photo Studio

Chapter 130 A perfect strategy
As the sun sets and the city lights begin to twinkle, the evening glow fades.

Xu Yan and Chen Zhiwei left the oppressive gray building and rejoined the bustling traffic and crowds of Jiangcheng in the evening.

The cold air carried the mixed smells of exhaust fumes and food, a stark contrast to the deathly silence and disinfectant odor that had filled the center just moments before.

The two walked silently along the sidewalk for a while. Chen Zhiwei finally couldn't help but gently tug at Xu Yan's sleeve, her voice filled with lingering excitement and a hint of worry:
"Senior, what were your thoughts on that fast track? Are you worried that the assessment will be too difficult?"

She paused, her eyes hardening as if she had made a firm decision. "It's alright. I'll use Grandpa's Soul-Suppressing Bell to protect you! Although I can't directly help you fight the enemy, I can definitely stabilize your mind and dispel evil. We'll definitely get through this!"

The evening breeze ruffled her hair, and the streetlights cast dappled light into her clear eyes. That unreserved trust and support was like a warm current that instantly broke down the ice wall that Xu Yan had built in her heart by weighing the pros and cons.

He stopped, turned his head, and, under the neon lights of the city, his gaze fell on her face with utmost tenderness.

“Silly girl,” he reached out and gently tucked a stray strand of her hair, ruffled by the wind, behind her ear. “How could I let you take such a dangerous trip?” His voice was soft, but carried an undeniable resolve. “In places like that, even the slightest mishap could lead to utter destruction. If I’m going, I must be fully prepared, not let you worry about me.”

He continued walking forward, with Chen Zhiwei close behind him, watching his profile as he fell into deep thought.

Xu Yan's mind raced. The reason he didn't immediately agree to Lin Lan's request wasn't because he was afraid of the challenge itself, but because he had thought of another treasure—the jade cicada.

That seemingly ordinary jade pendant possesses an extremely special ability: it isolates all life force, making the wearer feel as if they are surrounded by death energy.

"If I had the Jade Cicada," Xu Yan thought to himself, "it would not only perfectly resist the mental erosion and perception of E-level and even E+ level ghosts, but it would also allow me to perfectly 'disguise' myself during the assessment, like a real 'deceased,' moving among the anomalies and taking a great deal of initiative."

This is undoubtedly a hidden trump card for assessments that require demonstrating potential through "understanding and influence".

However, the problem is that this crucial jade cicada is no longer in his possession.

At this moment, it is still in the hands of that troublesome spirit medium—Zhou Wenbin.

"Does this mean I should go head-to-head with Zhou Wenbin first in order to pass this assessment?" Xu Yan rejected this thought as soon as it crossed his mind.

He still felt lingering fear when he recalled his last encounter with Zhou Wenbin.

That man, who appeared to be simple, honest, and even somewhat rustic, was actually incredibly resilient, possessed extremely high combat intelligence, and had a masterful and unpredictable ability to manipulate the underworld, making him extremely difficult to deal with.

Although the ghosts summoned by his own "Eighteen Gates Secret Records" were far superior to the wandering spirits he could summon, forcibly seizing them when the opponent was on guard and fighting on home ground was still a poor strategy.

“Such an opponent…” Xu Yan’s gaze swept over his reflection in the shop window on the street, and then looked at Chen Zhiwei beside him who trusted him completely. A grander and more adventurous idea gradually became clear: “If we can turn an enemy into a friend and make him our ‘teammate,’ that would be the best solution.”

As he walked, he rapidly reconstructed all the information about Zhou Wenbin in his mind: his quirks, his weaknesses, his possible needs, and the unknown "principles" he followed in his journey between Yin and Yang...

"Senior brother?" Chen Zhiwei couldn't help but call out again when she saw him walking silently with a slight frown. Xu Yan snapped out of his reverie, met her concerned gaze, and put on a reassuring smile again. However, deep within that smile lay a hint of sharpness and decisiveness that was not easily detected.

“Don’t worry,” he said, taking her hand and feeling the warmth of her palm. His tone returned to its usual calm. “I have my own plans for the assessment. We… might need to meet a ‘friend’ first.”

He looked up at the setting sun at the edge of the city, gradually being swallowed by skyscrapers, the afterglow dyeing his pupils a dark gold.

How can one obtain the crucial jade cicada from a clever, powerful, and vigilant spirit medium without engaging in conflict, or... how can one recruit him into their camp?

This is undoubtedly a more difficult problem than passing the assessment itself.

But in order to better protect those around him and to increase his chances of winning on the brutal road to the Gold rank, he must find a way to break the deadlock.

Xu Yan and Chen Zhiwei arrived in the old town, where the damp, musty smell and the scent of incense and paper money were a welcome contrast to the hustle and bustle of the distant city.

Xu Yan didn't knock on the door directly. Instead, he stood casually with Chen Zhiwei in the shadows at the alley entrance, where the streetlights couldn't reach, his sharp gaze sweeping over the bungalow.

"Senior brother, who are we looking for here?" Chen Zhiwei asked in a low voice. She could sense that this place was filled with a deeper yin energy than ordinary ghosts.

Xu Yan did not answer immediately. Instead, he looked around cautiously to make sure no one was listening before gently pulling Chen Zhiwei closer and whispering a few words in her ear.

Chen Zhiwei's eyes widened suddenly, and she instinctively covered her mouth, her voice filled with disbelief: "Such a strange object exists in the world? It can completely mimic the fluctuations of another person's soul, even deceiving the underworld?"

“That’s right.” Xu Yan nodded slightly, his gaze returning to the bungalow shrouded in gloom, his eyes deep. “Therefore, our next move must be foolproof. This item might give us an extra trump card in the assessment, but for this hurdle, we’ll have to rely on our true abilities.”

Relying on his past memories and the records about the Yin-Walking lineage in the "Eighteen Gates Secret Records", Xu Yan's pupils contracted slightly in the darkness, allowing him to see more details that ordinary people could not perceive.

The bungalow was not undefended; at least three extremely concealed "yin barriers" were set up around it. The energy flow was obscure, revealing no murderous intent, yet it was like the most sensitive spider web, serving both as a warning and a trap. The technique was shrewd and precise, far exceeding the level of ordinary yin practitioners.

However, Xu Yan's gaze finally settled on the strange plants that looked half-dead at the entrance of the bungalow. Their leaves were not withered and yellow, but rather had an ominous, dark stain that seemed to be tainted by filth.

"Foul air clings to the roots, and sinister fire scorches the leaves..."

He understood perfectly that this matched the description in the secret record of being corrupted by the backlash of being accompanied by "filthy ghosts" for a long time.

Zhou Wenbin's situation is probably worse than he anticipated. This is both a crisis and an opportunity that can be exploited.

(End of this chapter)