Way of the Devil

“I won’t lie to you, Brother Feng, I’m planning to start an Anomaly Research Society here. Let’s gather everyone who’s interested in these things and form an organization to do research on the sources and patterns regarding the Anomalies. Let’s make a contribution to the general public,” said Lu Sheng with a righteous air.

These days, the people would easily follow such statements which seemed to have stemmed from a great awareness.

When Feng Zhongzheng heard about this, he felt a sense of respect well up within himself.

“If this is true, please count me in, Brother Lu.”

“For sure! However, before that, we have to make a name for ourselves,” said Lu Sheng carefully.

“Of course!”

“I’ll fund the research society completely. Also, I’ve bought a residence in the city. We can use it as a place where the research team can communicate with each other. Also, I’m planning to invite several formidable pugilistic elites to teach the members several skills they will need to face different dangerous situations,” Lu Sheng said sternly.

Initially, Feng Zhongzheng thought that Lu Sheng was only saying all of this on a whim. However, when he heard that Lu Sheng even went so far as to have bought a house, he was surprised as well.

“Brother Lu, I’m impressed that you’re willing to invest such a huge sum!”

“In today’s world, Anomalies have plunged the lives of the people into misery. Even the government is powerless to root out these Anomalies. If we, learned men, can manage to discern some pattern here and find some way to root them out, we’ll truly be carrying out a great feat! We’ll be bringing happiness to the people!” Lu Sheng sighed with emotion.

“You are indeed righteous, Brother Lu!” Feng Zhongzheng immediately felt a deep veneration for Lu Sheng. He raised his teacup and offered three toasts to Lu Sheng. “In that case, since you’re doing all this, Brother Lu, it won’t be becoming of me if I keep turning you down. Alright! I’m in!”

“That’s not all. We should also pull the others who have similar interests as we have to join the team. We should plan this together!” said Lu Sheng with a stern expression.

“You’re right. I know many of the people in the city. I even know some of them who are interested in this. I’ll spread the word!” Feng Zhongzheng felt a fervor rise up within himself. He could almost feel the weight of the mission upon his shoulders.

He was a hedonistic son of rich parents who squandered his time. However, with this heavy sense of responsibility, he felt as if he was finally walking on the righteous path.

He went about recruiting members on that very day.

As Lu Sheng expected, Feng Zhongzheng had silently persuaded three members to join the research society.

Lu Sheng included, the five of them went to see the large manor in the suburb Lu Sheng had bought. There were three five-story blocks with a fishpond in the center. The four of them could not help but feel awed by the grandeur of the place.

Hence, the so-called Anomaly Research Society was hastily established.

Lu Sheng was the president, while Feng Zhongzheng was the vice president.

Lu Sheng provided the society with operational funds, while Feng Zhongzheng was in charge of contacting several members of the public and the merchants. After spending some silver, he quickly established a simple, scattered information network.

Many members of the public were actually interested in these Anomalies. Hence, it was easy for them to gather information.

The research society hired some workers to build a tea stall which provided free beverages and snacks near the main road outside the city.

However, if anyone wanted to enjoy the service for free, they would have to recount a strange rumor they knew.

When Lu Sheng learned about the tea stall plan, he highly approved of it. He invested several hundred catties of silver again and hired workers to build similar tea stalls on the other three main roads.

Feng Zhongzheng was in charge of gathering rumors and information. Another young man, Lu Jianhua, was in charge of verifying the authenticity of the information.

The other two members were female. They were each tasked with gathering information and verifying it.

With this clear structure, the society seemed more like a legitimate society.

Lu Sheng hired some cleaners and a cook. He also hired two retired government servants as guards.

The research society began functioning properly.

Lu Sheng had spent up to 1,000 catties of silver. However, he thought that it was a worthwhile investment.

He was of the opinion that they had done well by establishing this network of information regarding Anomalies without using his main body’s strength.

Without having to move around, he soon gained a rough understanding regarding the method of coexistence between Great Song and the Anomalies.

After the recent Devil Disaster, due to some unknown reason, the Anomalies had once dwindled. They only recovered slowly after Great Song was rebuilt.

The government of Great Song seemed to turn a blind eye to these Anomalies, which were virtually indestructible. They did not want to waste precious resources to manage them. After all, the Anomalies would not move from their locations. All the people had to do was pay more attention and avoid them.

It was also true that there had been many vigilante groups which organized efforts to chase the Anomalies away. Without exception, they failed.

This led to the scenario where fewer people cared about Anomalies.

However, Feng Zhongzheng and the other young people with rich parents did not mind. It was not as if they were risking their own lives. They were merely researching the patterns and nature of the Anomalies. To the educated young people from rich families, this was undoubtedly the best way to pass their time.

Gathering cases of Anomalies was like reading storybooks to them. No, these were much more interesting than the storybooks.

One month later, the Anomaly Research Society absorbed a dozen middle-class young people who had free time on their hands.

They did not fret about their clothes and food. They wanted entertainment, but they could not afford to splurge on booze or other hedonistic pleasures that might harm their reputation or health.

Hence, coming to the Anomaly Research Society to learn about the various rumors about the mysterious Anomalies became their greatest pastime.

Lu Sheng did not care about the motivation of the people who came here. He merely wanted to constantly gather Anomaly cases and organize them into volumes which were neatly arranged in the library.

He named the library the Anomaly News Block.

From the beginning, these young people, Feng Zhongzheng included, were only doing this for fun. They could even feed themselves here when there was not much to do. They also had a wide space to move about in. There was much more freedom here compared to being cooped up and monitored at home.

However, as the rumors regarding the Anomalies started piling up, the attitude of these young people gradually changed as they read more and more about them.

***

“Bam!”

“Preposterous! This is absurd!”

Outside the Anomaly News Block, a young burly man slammed a palm on the surface of one of the stone pillars.

A handsome young rich man with a scholarly air was standing behind him. This young man had a slender ornamented sword which was hung on his waist.

“That’s tragic. Squire Song’s family had always done good deeds all their lives, yet what a fate has befallen them!” The young rich man was slightly depressed as he sighed.

“Does that Anomaly know no mercy?! Song Ke’er was so kind and adorable! To think! It!” The young burly man’s breathing was ragged, his complexion flushed. “To make things worse, none of the officials are taking this up even after a report was made! This is preposterous!”

“Brother Chen Da, don’t you get it after reading all the rumors about the Anomalies? The government doesn’t want to care about them. Nobody can do anything about the vicious and evil Anomalies…” the young rich man tried to comfort him.

“Bullsh*t! A certain cultivator has cultivated the Tiger Hunting Palm for more than a decade. That Anomaly is only a third-rate pugilistic being, at most! Their methods never changed. They either catch you off-guard, or they sneak up on you!” Chen Da spat on the ground.

“Moreover, that place isn’t far from here!”

“Brother Chen…”

Chen Da waved his hand.

“Du Chengxuan, you should head back on your own after this. I’m feeling tired today. I’ll be heading back to rest now.” He strode out of the research society with a disgruntled expression. He swiftly disappeared from sight.

When the handsome young man Du Xuancheng saw this, he shook his head helplessly. He went to the neighboring chaos to have some tea and rest.

Lu Sheng was standing on the top floor of the Anomaly News Block. He looked down through the window.

When he saw Chen Da storming out of the research society, he knew that the opportunity he had been waiting for was finally here.

After reading more and more about these tragic cases regarding the Anomalies, many of the rich young people began feeling a certain sense of injustice. They were beginning to feel that their surroundings were unsafe.

Before this, all they heard about was the occasional tragedy which happened in some foreign place or some family being wiped out somewhere. However, rumors being rumors, the precision of the information could hardly be verified; hence, they felt nothing when they heard them.

However, now that they were actually gathering the information and pinpointing the exact locations of the cases, even with a casual glance, they suddenly felt that they were living among dangers.

Because of this, the members of the research society were starting to have a sense of crisis. They were also starting to recognize the society for what it was.

Lu Sheng then applied his psychological guidance art at suitable intervals.

With some pushes at several intervals, his objective had been achieved.

As he looked at the leaving Chen Da, Lu Sheng held his cup of sweet tea up to his lips and took a sip. He turned around sat on the leather seat to rest.

The seed was sprouting. All that was left now was to give it some fertilizer, and it would grow swiftly…

After resting for a while, Lu Sheng went downstairs for his meal. Then, as usual, he went through the latest information regarding the Anomalies.

Then, he had some light conversation with the other members. Before he knew it, night had fallen.

At this moment, a young man named Du Xuancheng hurried over to him and told him that his good friend Chen Da, who was the man who stormed out of the compound, had gone out of the city.

Du Xuancheng was convinced that Chen Da’s destination was Squire Song’s manor where an Anomaly appeared.

Lu Sheng feigned a look of shock. He quickly gathered the members and told them about this.

They began searching for him frantically.

Early next morning, Chen Da hurried back on a horse. He was covered in blood and his right arm was broken.

However, Chen Da did not return without achieving nothing. He took something out from his pocket before passing out. It was a peculiar piece of silver metal.

Lu Sheng hastily called for the doctors. At the same time, he put the metal away. After studying it for half a day, he emerged from his room. His expression was one of terror and joy. After some slight hesitation, he turned around and returned to Chen Da’s room.

***

“What is this!?” Feng Zhongzheng and the other three were the core members of the current research society. However, even with the four of them huddled together, they could not understand the state of the silver metal they placed on the table.

Lu Sheng stood at the side, his expression heavy.

“To be honest, I’ve established this research society for this.”

“But… what can it be used for?” Feng Zhongzheng asked in a low voice.

“Use?” Lu Sheng drew a deep breath. “Chen Da, you should tell them.” He turned to look at the door.

With a clatter, the door was slowly opened. Chen Da stood at the doorway, completely healed. He walked into the room slowly.

He had an icy expression. After experiencing life and death, he was no longer the old Chen Da.

“Those cursed Anomalies can just go to hell!” He raised his right arm, which suddenly started wriggling. It morphed into a huge mass of silver tendrils which danced in the air.

There was a glaring dark yellow fluorescent radiance between the tendrils.