The Demon Cult Leader’s Path to Chasing His Wife [Ancient to Modern] - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Climbing a Tree to Catch a Fish (Part 3)

“Where did she go?” Xia Zhitao gazed at the empty street, slightly startled.

The very instant she had looked down to pull up the WeChat QR scanner, Zhang Kuang had stepped back twice, her body abruptly dissolving into ten thousand flower petals. The crystalline petals rose with the flowing wind, scattering into the air in a flash. The scent of hibiscus seeped into the breeze, lingering around the tip of the nose with a hint of ethereal coolness.

Song Muzhao let out a sigh, looking up at the sky with utter exasperation.

Xia Zhitao hadn’t seen it, but the two underlings hiding in the shadows saw everything clearly. Right after Zhang Kuang turned into petals, they had drifted into the tree with lightning speed, reconvening to reveal her human form.

Amongst the lush, verdant leaves, the great Leader of the Demonic Cult was currently crouching on a branch with absolutely no backbone. The dense, overlapping foliage hid her figure, making it difficult to discern from a distance that a person was hiding in the tree.

Zhang Kuang’s expression was somewhat solemn, her eyes still fixed on the person standing in front of the law firm. However, the fact that she was wearing a white shirt and a black pencil skirt while sneakily hiding in a tree—holding a cup of coffee to boot—made the scene truly quite hilarious.

Lu Qian looked at the sky: “Boss…”

Song Muzhao said: “Boss, what are you doing hiding in the tree?”

Zhang Kuang gave a “cough” and said: “The scenery is good.”

Indeed, the scenery was good—her wife’s features were elegant, and her beauty was so delicate it made the rest of the world grow dim. Was she not the most beautiful scenery?

Once Zhang Kuang started praising her wife, she couldn’t stop; she could praise her for a day and a night and still feel she hadn’t said enough.

Lu Qian rubbed his forehead: “Boss, why don’t you come down? She saw you were gone and has already walked inside.”

Zhang Kuang nodded slightly and leapt down from the tree in a single bound.

Song Muzhao noticed a silver chain of fine interlocking rings hanging from Zhang Kuang’s neck, with a pale white beast fang suspended at the end. This necklace seemed to be something Zhang Kuang wore constantly, never taking it off even when changing or bathing.

There seemed to be a thin mist gathered around the beast fang, which cast a dismal, cold light under the high noon sun. The mottled bloodstains on its surface had turned slightly black due to age.

Zhang Kuang stood still, and the pendant, which had swung up from the jump, fell back to her chest, resting quietly against her shirt. Zhang Kuang looked at her underlings as they emerged from the shadows and spoke calmly: “Thank you for your help today.”

Lu Qian hurriedly said: “The Boss’s business is our business! We would go through fire and water without hesitation!”

A smile curled at the corners of Zhang Kuang’s mouth. She lightly raised her right hand, and two drops of golden liquid condensed in her palm. The liquid floated in the air and gradually solidified into two water-drop-shaped crystals. The reddish-gold crystals refracted ten thousand fragmented threads of light under the sun, appearing increasingly brilliant and magnificent, like a gilded sunset melting into a sea of warm orange light.

The underlings held their breath, staring unblinkingly at Zhang Kuang’s palm.

Zhang Kuang smiled and said: “A small token of my gratitude, please accept it.”

She nudged her palm forward, and the crystals seemed to have a mind of their own, automatically separating and flying to the two individuals. Watching the underlings accept the gifts with excitement, Zhang Kuang added: “A small portion of my spiritual energy is stored within these crystals. They can heal injuries or enhance your cultivation; they can save your lives in a moment of crisis.”

This is basically a priceless treasure. Following this Boss was definitely the right move—so reliable!!!

The two underlings grew even more excited, carefully tucking the crystals away. Song Muzhao went so far as to remove the black gemstone pendant from her silver chain and replaced it with the small crystal Zhang Kuang had given her.

Xia Zhitao entered the law firm. She swiped her card to enter the team room with her laptop and documents.

She had arrived earlier than everyone else, so the small meeting room was very quiet; she was the only one there. Xia Zhitao placed the files on the table and looked somewhat hesitantly at the coffee resting at the corner of the desk.

The coffee had felt warm when she held it, and even now, it emitted thin wisps of steam; it must have been freshly ground very recently. Logically, one should be cautious about food and drink given by strangers, as one had to worry about harmful substances. Yet for some reason, Xia Zhitao couldn’t bring herself to throw the coffee away.

As if possessed, she picked up the cup.

the mellow aroma unique to coffee spread through her mouth. The warm liquid swirled over the tip of her tongue, branding everything it passed with a mark unique to “her.”

It was very delicious.

Knock, knock, knock.

There was a knock on the door of the small meeting room. Xia Zhitao turned toward the entrance. A young assistant, holding a stack of materials, timidly peeked her head in: “Lawyer Xia—”

Xia Zhitao put down the coffee and asked: “What is it?”

The assistant’s eyes darted around as she said hesitantly: “Someone is at the door looking for you. It’s that old gentleman who came before.”

Xia Zhitao stood up. She didn’t show much emotion, merely replying calmly: “I’ll go talk to him.” As she expected, an old man still wearing his construction uniform was standing at the entrance of the law firm, clutching a rather beautifully packaged bag, looking restless and ill at ease.

Xia Zhitao let out a nearly inaudible sigh and went up to ask gently: “Uncle, please don’t come back anymore.”

She paused, then said: “I can’t take this case.”

The old man’s eyes had been full of joy when he saw her, and he was about to shove the bag into her hands, but he froze because of Xia Zhitao’s words. Nonetheless, he pushed the bag forward, his tone a bit bitter: “Please accept this. It’s Euryale seed from my hometown—a type of health-boosting medicinal ingredient. Use it for soup; it’s very nutritious.”

Xia Zhitao said: “Please take it back. I cannot accept it.”

The old man looked at her expectantly, simply pushing the bag forward repeatedly: “I beg you, Lawyer Xia, please accept it.”

Xia Zhitao frowned slightly, looking very troubled: “You don’t understand. This case cannot be fought. Whether it’s me or any other lawyer willing to take this case, the chances of winning are truly miniscule.”

The old man seemed not to hear her, persistently pushing the gift bag, his voice already carrying a hint of raspiness as he murmured:

“My daughter and son are both gone. I can’t finish it all by myself.”

“Boss, Boss!”

Lu Qian led Zhang Kuang into a massive building.

Despite idling all day and failing his math tests, Lu Qian still knew a bit about his family’s business. The Lu family was in the entertainment industry, and their “Yinglu Entertainment” was a titan in the field, covering records, acting, film, and various other industries.

“You can count on me,” the young master of the Lu family was proficient in the art of flattery and played the role of an underling with great style. “I’ve looked into it. That recent movie—what was it called again?”

The staff member he had dragged along—and also the only person here who knew his true identity—Xiao Liu, sighed and explained: “It’s called The Hard Road, Director Li’s new film.”

“Right, right, right,” Lu Qian said. “That ‘Road’ thing. This film has a lot of fight scenes; they said they’re short a martial arts double. Boss, let’s go play around and see if you like the atmosphere. If you don’t, we’ll just leave.”

Zhang Kuang nodded with a touch of cold elegance, though in truth, her attention was completely captured by the lively atmosphere.

The building was exceptionally large, with many offices, studios, and even performance venues distributed throughout. Many things were incredibly novel to Zhang Kuang, such as a musical instrument that had only black and white colors but could play music, and people in front of white cloths changing into many different poses.

Upon arriving at the designated studio, there were only a few staff members inside. Xiao Liu thought this is bad and secretly wiped away a bead of sweat, quickly apologizing: “Young Master Lu, the director and the actor who needs the double haven’t arrived yet for some reason. I’ll go urge them right now.”

Zhang Kuang said: “It is no matter. We shall wait here.”

Xiao Liu gave her a strange look. Although this girl was tall, had a strong aura, and possessed terrifyingly high beauty, she was, in the end, just a nameless minor actress who had managed to latch onto a big shot. How could she speak in such a managerial tone in front of the Lu family’s young master after getting only a bit of favor?

Lu Qian naturally didn’t know what Xiao Liu was thinking. He huffed and puffed as he pulled out a chair, saying solicitously: “Boss, sit!” Then he scurried away, returning with a complete tea set, embodying the word “lackey” to the extreme: “Boss, have some tea!”

The grand Young Master Lu, moving chairs and serving tea and water?!

Xiao Liu was stunned.

He gave Zhang Kuang a look full of complex emotions and went to a corner to make a phone call.

The two sat in their chairs brewing tea with nothing to do. A larger room nearby seemed to be holding auditions. The door was wide open, and the two could see the people inside.

Seeing that Zhang Kuang had been watching that area with interest, Lu Qian looked closely at them and immediately understood which variety show they were recruiting for.

The audition next door was actually for a variety show called Who is the Veteran Actor. Like its name suggested, while it claimed to be a competition of acting skills, it was actually focused on comedy and full of dramatic effects. Therefore, every “amateur” who went on the show had to be “meticulously selected”: naturally, the more “Mary Sue,” the more psychotic, the more fun, and the better the program effect.

There were real veteran actors showing off their skills, “traffic idols” pecking at each other like rookie chickens, and performances by amateurs that were either shocking or amusing. Mixed together, these created a magical chemical reaction and contrast. All of this kept the popularity of Who is the Veteran Actor consistently high, and its ratings were very impressive.

Zhang Kuang naturally didn’t understand the inner workings, she just thought the people going on stage to “perform” were quite funny. She sipped her tea and asked casually: “What are they recruiting for over there?”

Lu Qian said: “I don’t know either,” he looked toward the simple judges’ table, “but looking at this posture—”

The person on stage was wearing exaggerated smoky makeup, his expression looking exactly like an “Overbearing CEO” worth about 250 Zimbabwe dollars, as he said fiercely: “Today!! I! Will leave you with no place to be buried!!”

Lu Qian pondered for a moment and said: “Is he acting out a ‘Country Love Story’?”

Zhang Kuang looked thoughtful.

At that moment, the person on stage continued: “—Mortal! Do you know whose love you have obtained! It is the love of the Leader of the Demonic Cult!!”

Lu Qian: “…”

Zhang Kuang: “…”

A moment later, Zhang Kuang spoke calmly: “Lu Qian.”

Lu Qian trembled: “B-Boss?”

She silently rolled up her sleeves and stood up. “I’m going to kill him.”

“Boss!” Lu Qian grabbed the leg of her chair, wailing: “Boss, don’t be impulsive!”

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