Chapter 60: The Fate of the Transcender

Facing Zhang Daosheng’s dangerous gaze, and that restrained yet terrifying killing intent that seemed as boundless as a tsunami, Zhou Yan’s body was tense, but his expression remained calm.

He answered calmly, “To be honest, if it were me, I would naturally trust the first speculation more as well.”

“I can’t think of any way to prove that I’m just an innocent person with amnesia.”

Hearing Zhou Yan’s candid words, Zhang Daosheng paused very slightly. He nodded slowly, still watching Zhou Yan. “That’s right. From the information, you have quite a few issues.”

As he spoke, his restrained killing intent leaked out a bit, instantly enveloping Zhou Yan in a terrifying murderous aura, soaking his back with cold sweat. He was almost ready to summon his life equipment and fight desperately.

‘Although this old man is obviously unfathomable,’ Zhou Yan thought, ‘Just judging by his aura, he must be at least a level or two above Luo Xuan... No, at least two levels.’

‘But however strong he is, he’s still human, right? My life equipment can be summoned and fused in an instant. Maybe I could kill him in a single blow...’

Zhou Yan’s mind raced.

Unexpectedly, the old man’s boundless killing intent suddenly vanished.

“You needn’t be nervous,” he said. “Huai Yi is already dead... His two daughters possess nothing worth coveting...”

“You, though you hide secrets, both the investigation and my intuition tell me you have genuine goodwill toward those two girls...”

He fell silent for a long moment, then sighed at last.

“Go on, then.”

He waved his hand, signaling Zhou Yan to leave.

With Zhang Daosheng’s abrupt withdrawal of killing intent, Zhou Yan’s taut body finally relaxed. The urge to summon his life equipment and trigger super fusion gradually faded.

Zhou Yan wiped sweat from his brow and, after some thought, asked the old man, “Grandpa Zhang, may I ask, what is your identity?”

Zhang Daosheng glanced at him, his voice low: “Elder of Vermilion Bird Palace.”

Zhou Yan nodded and fell into a brief silence.

‘Elder? That must be someone important, right?’

‘Should I try to curry favor? Maybe cling to his leg?’

Zhang Daosheng saw Zhou Yan’s expression and knew he had no concept of his status, so he couldn’t be bothered to explain. Instead, he opened the car door and got in.

With a bang, the door closed.

Seeing this, Zhou Yan understood the old man didn’t wish to talk further. He turned silently to leave.

Yet he heard the sound of a car window rolling down behind him. He looked back in confusion.

Zhang Daosheng waved his hand, and a white object spun through the air toward him.

Zhou Yan instinctively caught it. Looking down, he saw it was a white card embossed with gold, bearing Zhang Daosheng’s name and a string of numbers.

“This is my private number,” the old man said slowly. “If you ever run into trouble that Luo Xuan can’t handle, call me.”

Zhou Yan thought for a moment and asked, “Grandpa Zhang, since you’re old acquaintances, why not speak with Xiao Xuan yourself?”

Zhang Daosheng paused for two seconds, then shook his head. “That child doesn’t want to see me.”

“Oh...” Zhou Yan, seeing the old man’s look, wisely asked no more. “Then I’ll be on my way.”

“Mm.” Zhang Daosheng waved his hand.

Just as Zhou Yan was about to turn away, Zhang Daosheng spoke again in a muted tone: “Your citizenship issue—I’ve already arranged for it to be handled. In a few days, someone will come to the sword hall to find you. Just cooperate as needed.”

Zhou Yan raised his brows. After being threatened by this old man’s killing intent for so long, he finally had some good news...

After these last words, Zhang Daosheng raised the car window.

Zhou Yan knew this sudden nighttime meeting was over. He turned quietly and headed back toward the old street.

Inside the car, the old man watched Zhou Yan’s back through the one-way glass, his gaze strangely thoughtful.

“So alike... Truly so alike...

“If I hadn’t seen Huai Yi’s child completely...

“Now, it would probably be just like this.

“No wonder those two girls are so taken with him...”

He murmured softly to himself, as if speaking to no one.

*

Four days later.

After completing another round of South Ming Sword cultivation in the corner, Zhou Yan hadn’t yet begun the next round when Luo Ke, who had been waiting nearby, called out to him.

“Brother Zhou Yan, someone’s here for you.”

“For me?” Zhou Yan turned in surprise and saw a middle-aged man in official uniform standing beside Luo Ke.

The official staff of the Empire of the Primordial Sovereign usually wore white uniforms styled like Tang suits, decorated with a Yinglong motif. The look was crisp, dignified, and imposing—ordinary people could recognize them at a glance.

At this moment, the man stepped forward with a smile toward Zhou Yan. “You must be Mr. Zhou Yan?”

“Yes, that’s me. May I ask what this is about?” Zhou Yan nodded politely.

Noticing the man’s official status, Zhou Yan recalled the mysterious old man “Zhang Daosheng” from a few nights ago, and what he’d said.

Could this be the person Zhang had mentioned, sent to solve his “citizenship” problem?

The man nodded at Zhou Yan, still smiling. “My surname is Fu. I’m with the Civil Affairs Department of Tianzun City. We received a report from a care facility saying a patient went missing in this area. According to their records, the patient ‘Zhou Yan’ should be you, correct?”

Care facility? Missing? Patient?

Zhou Yan was stunned, but quickly maintained a confused expression and murmured, “I—I am Zhou Yan, but Mr. Fu, I have amnesia and have no memory of any care facility or such things...”

At this point, seeing the official seemed to know Zhou Yan’s identity, Luo Ke, standing beside him, grew even more excited than Zhou Yan.

She hurriedly waved at Luo Xuan, who had already noticed the situation, motioning her to come over.

Then Luo Ke eagerly turned back to the official, saying, “Officer Fu! Zhou Yan arrived at our sword hall a few weeks ago. He looked... unwell, so I took him in. Can his identity now be confirmed?”

She looked at him expectantly.

But Officer Fu only returned an apologetic smile. “Miss, although we know Mr. Zhou Yan’s identity, without his consent, we can’t disclose it to you.”

Luo Ke looked at Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan took a breath and shook his head. “Xiao Ke, you took me in—how could you not be entitled to know?”

Luo Ke immediately grinned in triumph.

Zhou Yan turned to Officer Fu. “Please go ahead—I’d like to know where I come from myself.”

Zhou Yan was also curious what identity Zhang Daosheng had arranged for him.

Officer Fu smiled and said, “Regrettably, according to our investigation, your parents passed away early, and you have no other relatives. When you came to Tianzun City seeking work, you encountered criminals in the suburbs, which left you in your current... unfortunate state.”

He continued, “After the public security officers rescued you, you were sent to a care facility for treatment. You were in a coma for a long time. Unexpectedly, after awakening, you left the facility on your own—and even lost your memory.”

Hearing this, Zhou Yan was dazed.

‘Seriously, Zhang Daosheng, is this the identity you arranged for me?’

Am I forever doomed to the fate of most transmigrators—an orphan?

***