An Unexpected "Guest"

Leaving the conference room, Yuan Ting exhaled, the pressure on his chest finally lifting.

This young master of the Fu Family, whether by his own level or his illustrious lineage, was someone beyond reach. Facing him, one felt the pressure of a superior, not the presence of a mere rich second-generation heir.

Yuan Ting's gaze swept over two bunny girls passing by. They were in the bloom of their youth, curvy and pretty-faced. There were seven or eight such bunny girls in the villa, each a beauty in her own right.

Though surrounded by beauties, Yuan Ting knew that this scion of a wealthy family had no interest in women.

Compared to the beginning, the bunny girls in the villa had already been replaced twice. Those girls who had been hired, thinking they had a chance to fly onto a branch and become a phoenix, couldn't suppress their restless hearts and tried to seduce the young master of the Fu Family.

They were all dismissed.

The girls currently remaining in the villa were well-behaved, doing their jobs obediently without any unrealistic notions.

The bunny girls in the villa were like a status symbol, or perhaps just a personal quirk of Fu Qingyang.

Leaving the villa and slipping into his private car, Yuan Ting ruminated on the content of today's meeting. He first reported the critical intelligence regarding the death of the Judge of Ghostly Eyes to the Taiyi Sect.

Once the official business was done, he sent a message to his good friend Jian Ji:

"Something big happened in Songhai. The Judge of Ghostly Eyes is dead, and his confidant, Black Impermanence, is in hiding with the Holy Grail and the Roster."

Jian Ji: "I'm so shocked I can't speak. The Judge of Ghostly Eyes just died like that, inexplicably? It's like waking up to find a country has been wiped off the map."

The two lamented the situation for a while, then began to worry about what would happen if the Fallen recorded in the Roster collectively lost control.

Jian Ji: "Anything else?"

There was, of course—the Night Wanderer who cleared the Sheling Tunnel had just slaughtered a Level 3 Bewitching Demon. He couldn't say that; if word got out, Elder Sun would kill him.

Yuan Ting's expression twisted, and he typed:

"There is one more piece of news, just listen and don't spread it. Elder Sun is confused; that Night Wanderer he didn't want..."

Songhai, in a dim bedroom.

The lights were off. The only light source came from three candles on the table, arranged in a triangle. In the center sat a red lacquer box, its lid carved with a relief of a strange-looking insect.

A figure wearing a silver mask knelt by the table, using a small knife to slice his fingertip, drawing out bright red blood.

He brought his blood-stained finger to the mouth of the insect relief. The insect came to life, greedily sucking the blood, and the lacquer on the wooden box turned an increasingly vivid crimson.

Woo— A wind suddenly rose. The candles were stained with the color of blood, and the scarlet flames leaped high, forming a blood-colored vortex above the wooden box.

"What is it?"

A cold and majestic voice emanated from the red vortex of flames.

"Subordinate has followed your instructions and released the bait. The Five Elements Alliance will search for Black Impermanence at all costs, but I cannot guarantee that Black Impermanence will remain hidden in Songhai."

The majestic voice said slowly: "I divined that Black Impermanence is in Songhai. He must have a purpose for hiding here; the specific reason remains to be verified."

"What else do you need me to do?"

"Secretly assist the Five Elements Alliance in searching for Black Impermanence. Notify me immediately if there is any news. I will be in the Spirit Realm during this time and may not be able to respond in time."

"Do you have a mission?"

"No, I am searching for the place where the Judge of Ghostly Eyes perished. Coincidentally, I ran into that person from the Taiyi Sect. Heh, the death of the Judge of Ghostly Eyes truly has deeper secrets."

The voice gradually faded, and the vortex formed by the blood-colored flames extinguished.

Knock, knock.

The sound of knocking came twice, and Grandma's voice drifted into the bedroom: "Yuanzi, time for dinner."

Her tone was light, and she seemed to be in a good mood.

Zhang Yuanqing opened his eyes. The bedroom was pitch black, the curtains blocking the lights from outside.

So comfortable. The day's exhaustion has finally been replenished. It's a pity that it's hard to see the moon in Songhai; otherwise, basking in the moonlight would be perfect. Zhang Yuanqing yawned, put on his cotton slippers, twisted the bedroom door handle, and walked into the living room.

A rich, savory aroma drifted into his nostrils. The dining table was laden with dishes: sweet and sour pork, braised pork belly, roast duck, black-bone chicken soup, asparagus, spring bamboo shoots, and more.

Grandma was wearing an apron, bustling between the living room and the kitchen.

His cousin was helping in the kitchen.

Grandpa, with his graying hair, sat on the living room sofa, sitting bolt upright and watching the television with focused attention.

Sitting at the dining table were a middle-aged couple—Zhang Yuanqing's uncle and aunt.

Aunt had delicate features and fair skin. Although she was no longer young, she was well-maintained. She wore a white, waist-cinching dress, her hair draped in waves, and there was a touch of vanity in her brows.

The man beside Aunt had features quite similar to Chen Yuanjun. He was dressed in a purple suit, purple slim-fit trousers, and a rose-colored shirt, looking as flashy as a nightclub playboy—no, a playboy elder.

Zhang Yuanqing's uncle was an unreliable man. In his youth, he played in a band, claiming he wanted to chase his dreams and yearn for poetry and distant places. So, he packed his bags, put on bell-bottoms, and ran away from home with a few "like-minded" friends to become a wandering singer.

A few years later, having found no dreams and having been battered by society, he returned home covered in bruises. He wouldn't work, instead carrying a tape recorder around all day like a loafer, dancing wherever he went. All day long, it was either karaoke or hanging out with his shady friends.

Of course, young people in the city during that era were all like that—just drifting.

Because he was good-looking and had a silver tongue, he managed to marry Aunt, who came from a well-off family. After they married, he did settle down for a few years, but after Aunt gave birth to his cousin, he quickly reverted to his true colors.

He spent his days idling about; he didn't work, he just played.

"Yuanzi, did you miss your uncle?" Uncle was very happy to see his successor.

Uncle loved to sing, dance, and rap. His favorite song was "Yo yo check it out, bring me a jianbing guozi," which he would accompany with his own original dance moves.

Apart from Zhang Yuanqing, no one in the house was willing to indulge his rapping and awkward dancing.

That was why his uncle valued Zhang Yuanqing so much, viewing him as the successor to his mantle.

"Aunt!" Zhang Yuanqing greeted her, then gave his uncle a perfunctory response.

"Your uncle brought you a gift," his uncle said.

"Oh, my dear uncle, you've finally returned! Why didn't you tell me in advance? If you had, I certainly would have gone to the airport to pick you up—God is my witness."

Zhang Yuanqing did a complete 180 in attitude to express his intense emotions.

The uncle and nephew laughed heartily, shaking hands and bumping shoulders. His uncle draped an arm around his successor's shoulder as they took their seats:

"Yuanzi, I was traveling abroad recently and specifically went to learn rap techniques from chimpanzees. We should incorporate tongue-clicking and lip-quivering when we sing; it makes it sound much more imposing."

I know about tongue-clicking, but what the hell is lip-quivering? Zhang Yuanqing was dumbfounded. "Impressive! As expected of my uncle, your talent is astounding. Uncle, I'm a bit short on pocket money lately."

"Small matter. Your aunt has money; I'll tell her to give you some later."

Before long, Chen Yuanjun and his grandmother brought out the final few plates of food and called everyone to eat.

"Why isn't Aunt back yet?" Zhang Yuanqing asked.

"She said there was something at the hospital, she'll be back later," his grandmother replied.

His uncle raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Something at the hospital? Is she on a date with her boyfriend?"

His grandmother scoffed, "Then I'd truly thank the heavens. Looking at her, she won't be getting married before she's thirty. What is wrong with young people these days? One after another, none of them want to get married."

His grandmother was very dissatisfied with the state of the world.

His uncle then said, "Speaking of which, Chen Yuanjun is still single too. Chen Yuanjun, bring your boyfriend home one of these days so Dad can take a look."

The serious and steady Chen Yuanjun froze. "What?"

His uncle shrugged. "You're already thirty and still don't have a girlfriend, so Dad can only look forward to a boyfriend."

No sooner had he finished speaking than his grandmother rolled up her sleeves, ready to slay his uncle.

"Mom, Mom, I'm just joking!" his uncle hurriedly stopped her. "How do you have no sense of humor? It's popular to pair up male CPs these days; young people really like that sort of thing."

His aunt kept her head down, eating without a word.

She and her mother-in-law did not have a good relationship; rarely in this world are there harmonious relationships between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law.

His grandmother had a fiery temper, and his aunt had a strong personality. One complained that her daughter-in-law couldn't do housework, while the other complained that her mother-in-law was meddlesome.

When Zhang Yuanqing was still small, his aunt and grandmother often quarreled. Whenever they started a scene, his aunt would crack melon seeds and watch the show from the sidelines.

Zhang Yuanqing would try to mediate, saying, "Please, stop arguing," while simultaneously taking melon seeds from his aunt's hand.

Chen Yuanjun would usually do his homework while cracking his aunt's melon seeds.

Now that his aunt was past her hot-headed youth, she couldn't be bothered to fight with her mother-in-law anymore, but their relationship remained lukewarm.

At this moment, Chen Yuanjun looked over and said, "I heard something happened at your school today?"

"Huh? I don't know, I came back early to sleep," Zhang Yuanqing played dumb.

His grandmother hurriedly asked what happened. Chen Yuanjun gave a brief explanation, and upon hearing that criminals had infiltrated the school, his grandmother became even more dissatisfied with the state of the world.

Just as they were talking, the security door made a "beep" sound, followed by the handle being turned.

Sitting at the end of the table near the entryway, Zhang Yuanqing turned his head to look—it was his aunt who had returned.

His aunt was dressed in an off-the-shoulder cutout sweater, revealing her rounded, fair shoulders, with a small black camisole underneath. She wore light white spring-summer jeans and a pair of white sneakers.

Zhang Yuanqing's gaze landed on her lower legs, and his pupils suddenly constricted.

Clinging to Jiang Yu'er's lower leg was a chubby little baby.

ps: Thanks to "Shanhe Moyun, Gaoshan Yangzi, Huangqiu, Huishuohua de Zhouzi, Laoying Chi Xiaoji" for the Silver Alliance status. Thanks also to the other Alliance leaders for their tips. Once we hit a hundred alliances, I'll post a special chapter to thank all you bosses for your support.