The Call

"Fuck, you scared the hell out of me."

Zhang Yuanqing dropped onto the edge of the bed, his heart still pounding.

He suspected that if his return had been delayed by even one more second, he might have come back as nothing more than a mangled corpse.

Once he finally calmed down, he caught sight of the Red Dancing Shoes on his feet and nearly had another heart attack.

"Dismiss. Dismiss."

The Red Dancing Shoes dissolved into a flash of red light.

Whew, he'd nearly started stomping! Zhang Yuanqing finally relaxed. He got up and walked to the window, gazing out at the towering buildings and the green leaves reflecting rainbow-colored light. He listened to the old folks chatting in the neighborhood, along with the faint hum of traffic in the distance.

It was dinnertime. A delivery rider in a blue uniform zipped through the neighborhood on his little electric scooter.

From the windows of the apartment building next door came the explosive sizzle of vegetables hitting hot oil, followed by the clanging of a spatula as someone stir-fried them.

The human world was still the best. So were big cities.

He stood there for several minutes before he finally felt that he'd shaken off the terror completely.

Once he'd calmed down, he hurried to the mirror to test his skill.

He steadied his emotions, stilled his mind, and silently communed with the Lunar Power within him.

Soon, Zhang Yuanqing saw his reflection being erased inch by inch until it vanished into thin air.

I really can turn invisible. Hehehe.

Nine seconds later, his body was outlined once more, reappearing in the mirror.

"Hmm, a little tiring. It's like running a few laps around the track."

Next, he tested his physical strength. He easily crushed a battery until it caved in, then used a utility knife to make a small cut on the back of his hand. In less than five minutes, it had healed completely.

Even setting his supernatural abilities aside, the increase in his muscle strength alone had already taken him beyond the limits of an ordinary person.

As for his other active skill, Spirit Devour, he hadn't had a chance to use it yet. There were no spirits nearby.

"My body's so much stronger now. If my old condition flares up, will my body be able to withstand an overload for longer? No, what I should be thinking about is whether there's a doctor profession among Spirit Realm Walkers. I need to find someone to look at my strange illness."

Zhang Yuanqing then opened his Inventory to admire his items, though he didn't take anything out.

The Demon Subduing Pestle was one thing, but what if the Red Dancing Shoes demanded that he dance awkwardly alongside them?

Staring at the Demon Subduing Pestle, Zhang Yuanqing fell into thought.

"If I remember right, the Banyan Tree Spirit said that the Demon Subduing Pestle sealed Lady of Three Paths Mountain's yang soul. Could she come looking for me?"

The thought alone was terrifying.

"The NPCs in the Spirit Realm shouldn't be able to appear in the real world, right? And it's not very likely I'll go back into the Mountain God Temple. I've already explored that tiny temple. It couldn't possibly support another quest."

He said it, but he wasn't sure. Lady of Three Paths Mountain's smile kept flashing through his mind.

"I'll go to the office later and ask Old Driver and the guy with the fake-translated accent."

Just then, someone tried turning the doorknob a few times. But Zhang Yuanqing had locked the door from the inside, so they couldn't get in.

"Zhang Yuanqing, why'd you lock the door? Were you sneaking around doing something bad?"

His aunt's sweet, clear voice came from outside. She gave a little huff and said, "Dinner's ready."

Only then did Zhang Yuanqing realize how ravenous he was. He answered several times in quick succession, then hurriedly put away the Demon Subduing Pestle, took off his clothes stained with dust and blood, changed into a spring baseball jacket and black track pants, and hid the dirty clothes.

Only then did he go to the door and unlock it.

His aunt stood outside, peering into the room with her round, pretty oval face. Suspiciously, she asked, "Why'd you lock the door?"

"Practicing a divine art."

"What divine art?"

"The Art of Learning from the Barbarians to Control the Barbarians."

"You little brat. Looking for a beating?"

His aunt glared at him fiercely. Her eyes were captivating—large, round, bright, and lively, with neither redness nor cloudiness.

The ancient poets' "limpid autumn eyes" must have meant eyes like hers, sparkling and bright.

At the dinner table, Zhang Yuanqing swept through the food like a whirlwind, his appetite greatly increased. His grandmother was glad her cooking had improved, but regretted not making more.

"You've got school tomorrow, so get to bed early tonight. Don't make me drag you out of bed," his grandmother warned.

"If Auntie doesn't come into my room to play games tonight, I'll be able to sleep early," Zhang Yuanqing immediately shot back.

A foot kicked his shin under the table.

"She has work tomorrow too." His grandmother turned to her daughter and added, "If you have to work overtime tomorrow, call me ahead of time."

His aunt was an intern in the obstetrics and gynecology department at a public top-tier hospital. When things were quiet, they were very quiet; when things got busy, she worked harder than any corporate drone.

"Make an effort to spend time with your male colleagues. There must be plenty of doctors at the hospital who are trying to date you," his grandmother probed.

"Mom, you're thinking too small. Men who bring their wives in for prenatal checkups often sneakily ask me for my number too." His aunt put her hands on her hips, looking smug.

His grandmother raised her palm. His aunt ducked her head and quietly went back to eating.

While the mother and daughter talked, Zhang Yuanqing's thoughts drifted to what he had to do that afternoon.

"After dinner, I'll contact Guan Ya and tell the authorities I cleared the trial. I also need to write a report on the instance. I wonder if a first-clear report is worth anything, and how much credit I can get for it."

"I also need to mention that the Mountain Goddess has awakened. I can't forget. It feels like a hidden quest."

After dinner, once he'd filled his stomach, Zhang Yuanqing returned to his room and found that his phone had run out of battery.

With everything going on in the Spirit Realm, he'd been too busy and worried to charge it.

After plugging it in, he saw four or five missed calls.

Caller: Guan Ya.

Two of the calls had come an hour ago, while he was still in the Spirit Realm. The other three were from two minutes ago.

"Are you that eager to find out if I'm dead?" Zhang Yuanqing thought with a wry smile. He tapped the screen and called Guan Ya back.

Sunlight reflected off the glass walls of a two-story building.

In the spacious, luxurious office, Li Dongze finished a simple lunch, glanced at his watch, and walked into the work area with his cane.

"Guan Ya, any news from Yuanshi?"

This was the third time he'd asked the same question.

He didn't have much hope, but until the matter was settled, he couldn't stop thinking about it.

Li Dongze had already written his apology letter. All that remained was to wait for the outcome, then admit his mistake to the Centurion. He'd been careless this time, lacking a Scout's professional discipline.

As for that kid, Yuanshi Tianzun, Li Dongze felt sorry for him, but no one could overcome a trial quest opened by a Role Card through sheer human effort.

"His phone's off." Guan Ya shook her head. "I've called him five or six times."

Li Dongze seemed to have expected that they wouldn't be able to reach him. He let out a silent breath.

"Let's wait a little longer. Just a little longer."

"Okay, Squad Leader." Guan Ya tucked her hair behind her ear and gave him a reassuring smile. "Until we know the result, anything is possible. It's like Schrödinger's cat: until we open the box, we'll never know if it's alive or dead."

Wang Tai, standing nearby, couldn't help speaking up.

"That's not how Schrödinger's cat works. From a probabilistic standpoint, without special methods or assistance, his chances of clearing Sheling Tunnel are practically zero."

Guan Ya and Li Dongze's faces darkened. "Shut up!"

Did I say something wrong again? Wang Tai lowered his head in silence.

What a socially inept guy! Li Dongze and Guan Ya both chided him in their thoughts.

After working with Wang Tai for so long, they'd given up trying to improve his people skills.

Guan Ya thought the difference between an interesting soul and a boring one was immediately obvious. Just look at that kid Yuanshi: he was handsome, and he knew just what to say. If he could become their colleague, work wouldn't be so dull anymore.

Too bad his luck had run out.

If they still couldn't reach him by the end of the workday, there'd be no hope at all. Guan Ya sighed and leaned languidly against her soft chair, her ample chest stretching the white blouse taut.

"Report to me as soon as there's news."

Li Dongze had just finished speaking and was about to turn away when Guan Ya's phone, sitting on the desk, suddenly rang.

At that moment, the phone on the desk rang.

Li Dongze stopped in his tracks and stared at Guan Ya's phone.

Caller: Yuanshi Tianzun.

Li Dongze's breathing suddenly quickened.

Guan Ya sprang up from her chair, banging the desk with a clatter and knocking the things on it over.

Her beautiful eyes widened, her face filled with shock and delight.

She snatched up the phone and looked at Li Dongze.

Li Dongze's expression was taut. "Put it on speaker!"

His voice was low and solemn.

Their expressions grave, the two of them looked as if they were taking a call from a kidnapper.

Guan Ya answered, anticipation and restrained joy in her voice.

"Yuanshi?"

"I cleared the trial quest and made it out of the Mountain God Temple," Zhang Yuanqing's voice came through the speaker.

Guan Ya and Li Dongze froze at the same time.

Wang Tai, who'd been so absorbed in his work that he'd paid no attention to the outside world, abruptly looked up. The data-obsessed Scholar wore an expression of shock and disbelief.

After a few stunned seconds, Li Dongze's little mustache visibly started to flutter. He cried, "Oh, God! Did you hear my prayers? This is unbelievable! Oh, my God, I can't believe it's true!"

Then he realized he'd lost his composure and quickly schooled his expression. "Graceful. Be graceful."

Li Dongze knew what clearing Sheling Tunnel meant. An S-rank Spirit Realm instance that Taiyi Sect had deemed impossible to clear had been conquered. It was bound to attract intense attention. Yuanshi was a newcomer, but it was easy to foresee that he'd make a name for himself in one fell swoop and become a somewhat famous Spirit Realm Walker.

On top of that, an S-rank Spirit Realm instance contained information and items—tangible rewards that were sure to be plentiful.

Whether official or civilian, organizations were eager to conquer high-difficulty Spirit Realm instances, especially for the first clear. It was the quickest and most effective way to strengthen an organization.

Most importantly, there were only a handful of Night Wanderer Trial Spirit Realms in the Songhai region. The existence of the Sheling Tunnel bug had cost the official organization a great many prospective Night Wanderers.

With a detailed guide, the number of Night Wanderers born each year from then on would increase.

Though the rewards for an instance wouldn't be as generous after it had been conquered as they were for the first clear, the authorities were focused on increasing the number of Night Wanderers.

That alone was enough to catch the attention of the Five Elements Alliance Elder Council.

"How did you do it?" Guan Ya murmured.

"It wasn't hard. I cleared it without breaking a sweat. Heh. Anyone with legs could've done it."

Yuanshi Tianzun had said exactly what his ID suggested he would.

Guan Ya was at a loss. She couldn't tell whether he was joking or if it was the humblebragging of a top student. In her impression, Zhang Yuanqing was a clever university student who was good with people, but there was no way he was anything extraordinary.

She liked her new colleague because he was charming and funny, and knew how to say the right things. She'd never thought it meant she respected his abilities.

Now, though, she'd have to reassess this newly minted Night Wanderer.

"Very good. You did very well." Li Dongze excitedly tapped his cane and said urgently, "Come to the office right away. Get over here now."

"Okay," Zhang Yuanqing said.

After they ended the call, Wang Tai couldn't help saying, "He has abilities beyond those of an ordinary person. We don't know what kind yet, but he definitely has them. Squad Leader, I think you've found yourself a freak."

At that, Li Dongze's smile spread uncontrollably. He cleared his throat and said, displeased, "What do you mean, a freak? He's a genius!"

With that, he hurried toward his office as if he had something urgent to do.

Li Dongze decided the title of his apology letter needed to be a little more elegant. Perhaps: I'm Sorry, Centurion. I Accidentally Found a Freak

He could hardly wait.