21: The Pavilion Master says hello, Death knocks at the door

That voice exploded in his mind, devoid of any emotion, yet more penetrating than the sharpest ice pick.

“Scribe” of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, why act so dishonorably?

The Pavilion Master asked me to greet Your Excellency on his behalf.

Lu Yuan’s steps suddenly froze.

His body, which had just left the market and stepped into the dimly lit alley, was nailed to the spot.

An indescribable chill shot from his tailbone straight to the crown of his head; every pore contracted violently.

The flow of his blood seemed to slow down.

His only thought was to escape.

But his body wouldn’t obey; his muscles were tensed to the extreme, unable to move even a single finger.

This was not mere pressure.

This was a higher-level lock, a shudder where the very instinct of life was completely suppressed.

“WARNING! High-dimensional Karma lock detected!”

“Target: Unknown existence.”

“Risk assessment: Extremely dangerous.”

“Escape probability calculating…”

“Calculation failed.”

The Exchange’s panel, for the first time, lit up with a blood-red warning, signifying utter despair.

Escape probability, calculation failed.

The weight of this phrase far surpassed any previous crisis he had faced.

It meant that, under the opponent’s rules, he didn’t even qualify as a “tradable target.”

Lu Yuan’s stiff neck made a faint “clack clack” sound as he turned it with extreme difficulty, looking at the empty alley entrance behind him.

He knew very well that running meant death.

In front of such an existence, any act of turning his back was the most foolish provocation.

He forcefully suppressed the heart that was almost exploding in his chest, commanded the muscles in his throat to resume function, and made his voice sound steady, even carrying the coldness of one who had been offended.

“Since Your Excellency knows of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, you should understand the Heavenly Secret Pavilion’s rules.”

“The Pavilion Master’s name is not for just anyone to mention.”

He did not deny it.

He chose to apply pressure in reverse.

Admitting his identity and bringing up “rules” and the “Pavilion Master” was his only protective charm at this moment, even if this charm was fabricated by himself.

The shadows at the alley entrance writhed for a moment.

A figure slowly emerged, completely enveloped in a wide black cloak, her face obscured, and no spiritual Qi fluctuations could be sensed.

She stood there quietly, yet the surrounding light and air seemed to twist because of her presence.

A gaze fell upon Lu Yuan.

That gaze was devoid of warmth, yet it pierced through his flesh, seeing every thought in his Sea of Consciousness.

“Interesting disguise, interesting methods.”

The female cultivator’s voice resonated in his mind again.

“You do not bear the Karma imprint of the ‘Heavenly Secret Pavilion’.”

Lu Yuan’s heart sank heavily.

This was the most fatal flaw.

He could disguise his actions, his words, but he could not disguise this metaphysical imprint, which originated from the core of the organization.

But the expression on his face did not change in the slightest; he didn’t even blink an extra time.

“External Scribes, to ensure secrecy, temporarily shed their imprints; this is common knowledge.”

He continued to weave his protective shell with lies, every word spoken with absolute certainty.

The female cultivator let out a very soft laugh, a playful amusement in her tone.

“Creating chaos at the market entrance to divert the attention of the guards.”

“Using a negligible cost to make that Loose Cultivator named Zhao Si your first layer of cover.”

“At the most chaotic moment, using a beggar and a broken bowl to complete a seemingly accidental physical transfer.”

“From beginning to end, you did not have any direct Karma entanglement with the target.”

She unhurriedly and clearly recounted every step of Lu Yuan’s recent operation.

Every word shattered the psychological defense Lu Yuan had just built.

She had already seen through everything.

Lu Yuan fell silent.

In the face of absolute, incomprehensible information disparity, any defense seemed pale and ridiculous.

He began to deduce in his mind if the other party were to act immediately, whether he had even a one-in-ten-thousand chance to use his remaining karma points to buy a future of mutual destruction.

Just in this suffocating silence, the female cultivator’s tone shifted without warning.

“But you did well.”

“Much more interesting than many of our rule-abiding ‘Scribe/Recorder (Official Title)s’ internally.”

Lu Yuan looked up.

That invisible force, powerful enough to crush him, quietly receded.

Under the female cultivator’s cloak, those deep eyes seemed to flash with an unusual light.

“The Pavilion Master is very interested in you.”

“For ‘that matter’, we need a ‘local variable’ like you, who doesn’t play by the rules.”

She paused, and for the first time, her clear, cold voice carried a formal tone.

“Will you cooperate, Mr. Yuan?”