Chapter 59: The Secret of the Desires Pagoda's Top Rank

"Hello, Xishu, or should I call you Wen Xun?"

Wen Xishu listened to a melodic, magnetic voice—the kind of gentle second male lead's voice he usually expected to encounter in otome games or romance dramas.

Typically, the owners of such voices were not particularly attractive. But Wenren Jing's voice commanded no such scrutiny, because his appearance was simply too pleasing to the eye, unforgettable at a single glance.

Wen Xishu suddenly felt that if he were to describe Wenren Jing on paper, the only definitive detail he could commit to was that this person was biologically male.

As for his physical features, Wen Xishu truly did not know how to articulate the impression.

Yet it was undeniable that upon seeing this man, one would realize that the romantic cliché in books about being captivated for a lifetime at first sight was not necessarily an exaggeration.

Wenren Jing merely raised a hand to invite Wen Xishu to take a seat.

Wen Xishu actually felt as though the flowers in this forbidden zone had instantly burst into full bloom.

Good grief, this was a super succubus whose charm was so overwhelming that even the slightest gesture seemed to trigger visual special effects...

Wen Xishu evaluated him thusly in his heart, supposing this was what the books meant by describing someone as if they were wreathed in holy light.

Yet in reality, everything remained entirely ordinary and mundane.

The game on the chessboard had not been restarted. Wen Xishu had no intention of playing either; he merely sat straight.

Wenren Jing spoke:

"I am Wenren Jing. Actually, we have met before."

Wen Xishu genuinely had no memory of this. He smiled and said:

"Apologies. According to the old headmaster, I used to be an absolute moron. Whatever you saw back then was definitely that... well, rather abnormal version of me."

Wenren Jing gave a soft laugh:

"Teacher is a very, very unrestrained person. Sometimes his vocabulary can offend others—don't take it to heart. In his eyes, I am merely a foolish student."

Such unrestraint was predicated upon the condition that nothing in this world could suppress one's true nature. Throughout the entire bunker, who else could possibly compel Albert Neapolitan to rein in his disposition?

Wen Xishu also longed to be unrestrained, but in reality, he was forced to wear a mask.

"I heard some things from Teacher, and upon reflection, I figured it was impossible for me to owe you a favor, yet you recently brought back a tier-six architectural blueprint."

"I suspect you went to the Tower of Desire."

Wen Xishu pondered for a moment before replying:

"No, I went to the Tower of Phantoms, and I met someone named Tang Rui."

Although Wenren Jing had vaguely guessed as much, hearing Wen Xishu utter that name directly still caught him somewhat off guard.

His expression grew even gentler:

"It seems you obtained the invitation letter."

This casual remark startled Wen Xishu.

Yet Wenren Jing merely cast a glance at Wen Xishu, causing the astonishment within the latter's heart to vanish instantly, leaving his entire being tranquil and stable.

Wen Xishu ought to have been bewildered by such a capability, but owing to that very tranquility and stability, he remained in an intensely calm state, incapable of feeling startled.

"Is this Wenren Jing's ability? Everyone says his grace is peerless, but he also possesses this capacity to alter inner emotional states..."

"What a terrifying individual. Come to think of it, combining this ability with my mental bullet comments... it would be an absolute checkmate."

Wen Xishu thought to himself. A sense of crisis was already taking root within him, yet even that sense of crisis was suppressed beneath Wenren Jing's single glance, failing to grow into anything substantial, amounting to little more than a slight sense of restraint.

Of course, Wen Xishu's other focal point was that Wenren Jing knew about the invitation letter. Wenren Jing had never set foot in the Tower of Phantoms, so how could he possibly know of such a letter?

His thoughts turned to Wen Chaohua.

Wenren Jing spoke:

"This is the department district; my ability is still effective here. Teacher and I often play chess here."

"Teacher also tests me here. It is quite interesting—once I enter the Tower of Slaughter, my abilities related to the Tower of Desire vanish."

"Yet Teacher continually tests me, playing the role of a monster from the Tower of Slaughter in an attempt to help me eradicate the urge to kill within his own heart."

"It is as though he is certain that one day, I will have to face the monsters of the Tower of Slaughter."

Wen Xishu did not respond.

Yet Wenren Jing, as though he had heard an answer, continued of his own accord:

"You need not be nervous, nor should you feel a sense of crisis. Chao... your older brother shared some insights with me regarding his explorations of the Tower of Phantoms back then."

Wen Xishu thought to himself that as expected, someone of Wen Chaohua's stature as the foremost pioneer of the Tower of Phantoms could not possibly be ignorant of the invitation letter's existence.

"Xishu, how is Tang Rui now?" Wenren Jing asked.

Only then did Wen Xishu cautiously open his mouth:

"She is doing very well. She is no longer a parrot; if anything, she is a vulture now. She is not someone you want to mess with these days."

"Those who harmed her are all dead. She is no longer broken."

Wenren Jing slowly stood up. This supreme figure of the Tower of Desire bowed slightly toward Wen Xishu:

"Thank you. Though I had already guessed it, hearing you confirm it in person makes me very glad. This was a regret I was never able to put to rest, but you accomplished it. You are remarkable, Xishu."

This gesture genuinely surprised Wen Xishu. The man before him was capable of discarding his pride to such an extent.

While it fell short of a ninety-degree bow, as the undisputed pinnacle of the Tower of Desire and the pride of the illustrious Wenren family among the six major clans...

Wen Xishu could still deeply feel the weight of this bow.

At the same time, Wen Xishu always felt that the way Wenren Jing looked at him was somewhat peculiar. It seemed laced with a certain... solicitude.

"Don't be so polite. I merely encountered someone in the Tower of Phantoms' rest area who used to frequent the Tower of Desire—someone named Pu Meixi. What a pity, she died in the Tower of Phantoms. That place is far too dangerous; I tried desperately to save them, but in the end, only managed to save one."

Wenren Jing sat back down in his seat and said softly:

"I understand. Rest assured, I will negotiate and do my utmost to minimize the higher-ups' probing and surveillance of you. If they suffer any losses in the process, it will merely be counted as standard attrition in the exploration of the Tower of Phantoms."

"They will not blame you or vent their wrath upon your head. I believe I am still capable of ensuring that much."

He was entirely too astute. Wen Xishu thoroughly enjoyed conversing with such a person; no matter how veiled one's hints were, the other party instantly grasped what you truly meant to express.

"What is the exact nature of your relationship with my older brother?" Wen Xishu decided to ask more directly.

Wenren Jing was equally candid:

"Before he committed that grave offense, he and I were both Teacher's disciples. Myself, Xun Hui, and your older brother Wen Chaohua—we could be considered Teacher's three personal disciples."

"The Wen family was not regarded as a prominent clan in the past."

"However, because Wen Chaohua and I found a kindred spirit in each other, and he shared the surname Wen while mine was Wenren, that single character difference between our names felt to me like an extraordinary twist of fate."

"He and I became close friends. I believed it was the kind of friendship where we could entrust each other with our lives, and die for one another without a moment's hesitation."

"During that period, the Wen family and the Wenren family even entertained the notion of a marriage alliance, and the Wen family began to flourish continuously with the aid of the Wenren family."

"Not only the Wenren family, but the Xun family also maintained a very favorable relationship with the Wen family back then. Based on certain special reasons, the relationship among the three of us was deemed by nearly everyone as entirely impervious to failure."

"Almost everyone believed... that the three of us would remain eternal friends. But later on, with the occurrence of that incident, everything changed."

"He failed both Xun Hui and me. Regardless of whether there were extenuating circumstances hidden behind his actions, some things, once done, cannot be undone."

Wenren Jing made no effort to conceal the disappointment in his heart.

Wen Xishu had not expected that the true succubus would turn out to be Wen Chaohua. In a sense, the Xun family and the Wenren family could be said to have altered their entire perspective on the Wen clan solely because of Wen Chaohua alone.

Judging by Wenren Jing's reaction, the sins committed by Wen Chaohua were clearly the deeper knot within his heart.

He suddenly grew curious: what on earth were the "special reasons" mentioned by Wenren Jing?

"Then I hope you can keep things straight: my brother is my brother, and I am myself. I was still a moron back then; although his crimes implicated me, I myself am entirely innocent."

Wen Xishu spoke once more. Wenren Jing nodded, feeling that Wen Xishu was indeed different from what he had imagined.

Wenren Jing had even entertained speculations as to whether Wen Xishu, upon recovering his wits, would turn out identical to Wen Chaohua. But as things stood, the two of them were vastly different.

Wenren Jing said:

"Very well, tell me—what do you need? I dislike owing favors, and you made a valid point: he is himself, and you are you."

"I can dispense with formalities where he is concerned, but with you, the proper courtesies must be observed."

Wen Xishu relished this exact phase of the conversation, yet he remained extremely cautious:

"Do you have any suitable items or sequences that I could use?"

When asking for things, one had to dare to speak up. If one acted timidly, the other party might genuinely take the opportunity to lower the quality of the items bestowed upon you.

Thus, Wen Xishu's opening request targeted items and sequences directly.

Wenren Jing smiled:

"No problem. Before your next tower ascent, I will have everything you need prepared. Rest assured, they will by no means be useless trinkets."

"They will prove immensely helpful to your ascent in the Tower of Desire."

From beginning to end, Wen Xishu had never admitted to ascending the Tower of Desire, even though Wenren Jing had made it clear that he learned about the invitation letter from Wen Chaohua.

Yet Wen Xishu still refused to acknowledge it:

"Though I am currently unable to enter the Tower of Desire, there is no guarantee I won't be able to in the future, so I will gladly accept these."

He had not explicitly denied it either, yet Wen Xishu took care to leave no loopholes in his phrasing.

Wenren Jing uttered words remarkably similar to those of Albert:

"You are reluctant to trust people. Your heart harbors deep reservations, and you maintain a defense against everyone. That must be terribly exhausting."

"Yet it is entirely correct; maintain this stance. At the same time, you must learn to leverage external momentum and rely on the forces standing behind you."

"In any case, you can trust Teacher, and what you must do is make everyone believe that you stand on the exact same side as Teacher."

"Teacher can protect us, and he alone is capable of protecting us."

Having spoken these words, Wenren Jing was suddenly overcome by a trace of emotion—feeling that his own temperament was still lacking, for the sight of a face so similar to Wen Chaohua's had caused him to speak far more than intended.

Wen Xishu was naturally no fool; he instantly caught the issue hidden within that statement:

"Us?"

He vaguely sensed that those "special reasons" might well be tied to this final remark by Wenren Jing.

"I bear a monstrous guilt upon my shoulders as the younger brother of the arch-criminal Wen Chaohua. Consequently, every faction within the bunker seeks to unearth Wen Chaohua's secrets through me; I cannot afford to trust people lightly."

"What I fail to understand, however, is who 'us' refers to in your sentence... are you speaking of yourself and Xun Hui?"

Wenren Jing felt a slight pang of surprise. This Wen Xishu was far more astute than he had imagined. This ability to draw connections instantly reminded him once more of Wen Chaohua.

"There are some things I cannot divulge at too great a length, Wen Xishu. May you succeed in becoming the foremost pioneer of the Tower of Phantoms—though your opening performance has been astonishing..."

"You are not yet the foremost pioneer of the Tower of Phantoms. You do not even possess the qualification to know this secret."

"However, if you can continue to amaze everyone and prove to Xun Hui and me that you are indeed that person, I will tell you everything I know."

Wen Xishu had no desire to wait until some future date:

"At the very least, you must tell me... what is it that makes even the likes of you feel the need for protection? I venture to guess that this has absolutely nothing to do with the bunker's Security Bureau or Political Bureau."

Wenren Jing shook his head:

"The sins you already shoulder are enough to keep you occupied. Certain matters of a terrifying nature are better left unsaid until you are fully prepared."

"Very well, I must take my leave. Once again, allow me to express my gratitude. I suppose... perhaps I will obtain news of Tang Rui from someone else in the future."

"I have always harbored deep regret; my handling of those matters concerning her was far too perfunctory. Thank you."

Wen Xishu understood that this was a polite dismissal, leaving him with no choice but to depart.

Even so, he did not abandon his train of thought, utterly detesting those who left stories hanging on cliffhangers. Furthermore, Wenren Jing had underestimated Wen Xishu's associative prowess.

As Wen Xishu walked down the corridor, he actually managed to deduce several implications that sent a chill down his spine.

"Ah, the key piece of information is 'foremost pioneer'."

"Though Wenren Jing refuses to speak, his implication is clear: this is a crisis targeting the 'foremost pioneer'."

"That is to say, the foremost pioneers of all three tower systems will encounter a crisis that only someone like Albert can resolve. In that case, what manner of ability does that old madman Albert truly possess?"

"Right, he climbed to the ninety-sixth layer of the Tower of Slaughter... According to what I understand, rumors say that those who reach this tier can bring a certain proportion of their Three-Tower panel attributes back into reality."

"Wait, the records in the library state that Xun Hui is the foremost pioneer of the Tower of Slaughter, ranking first on the heavenly ladder. Xun Hui climbed to the fifty-seventh layer. Wenren Jing, as the foremost pioneer of the Tower of Desire, climbed into the sixties..."

"And as a hidden existence who no longer appears on the rankings, the old madman climbed to the ninety-sixth layer. In other words, the old madman belongs to the retired tier of contestants, having faded from the public rankings. He is not the ranked pioneer, but rather the bunker's supreme pioneer."

"The ranked pioneer reaches the fifties or sixties, yet the bunker's supreme pioneer reaches the nineties... How bizarre. The gap is outrageously vast. Is there truly no one capable of reaching any of the dozens of layers in between?"

Wen Xishu actually caught a glimmer of understanding; he recalled the guide's mention that a handful of truly terrifying existences remained within the bunker.

Presumably, these beings were not mere directors of the Security Bureau or the Municipal Affairs Bureau.

Yet he did not dare to think any further, because precisely as Wenren Jing had noted, the conclusions yielded by this train of thought... were terrifying.

Night had fallen.

Wen Xishu had already returned to his dormitory.

Tomorrow's schedule was sparse, consisting merely of a few theoretical classes detailing the proper utilization of tradeable sequences within the Tower of Slaughter, alongside a compiled summary of various monsters' weaknesses.

Wen Xishu was indeed interested in these subjects, but tomorrow held something he wished to pursue even more.

Tomorrow afternoon, Wen Xishu, Yue Yun, and Nissen intended to take advantage of the break to visit the second floor for a bit of diversion.

Naturally, their destination was the Capsized Cabin. Word had it that a massive queue currently wound outside the shack, with a crowd of people waiting to see just how one capsized.

Though the people walking out of the cabin never looked particularly cheerful, it did nothing to deter the throngs eager to go. Wen Xishu also wanted to figure out how on earth this contraption was supposed to make him rich, and in what domain that wealth would materialize.

However, those were matters for tomorrow.

Tonight, Wen Xishu resolved to challenge the "Academy's Secret Treasure" once more. With his anti-magic value elevated, he planned to revisit the top floor of the library to decipher the shadow cast after the clover stopped spinning.

Even if it yielded just one extra character, he figured it would provide a wealth of information.