Voodoo Master

"What is it?" Zhang Yuanqing already had a guess.

"A battle between Spirit Realm Walkers broke out in Fenghui District. One dead, one injured. We need you to come and perform Spirit Inquiry."

There was a commotion on Li Dongze's end of the call, as if people were arguing.

Just as I thought. It's Spirit Inquiry. Squad Leader wouldn't be asking him for help. And he couldn't help with anything else, since he was still a kid.

"What about the Night Wanderer in Fenghui District?"

Taiyi Sect had assigned a Night Wanderer to every district in Songhai. Yuan Ting was in charge of Kangyang District.

Naturally, they had one in Fenghui District, too.

"The dead man was a Voodoo Master. Their spirits are notorious for being sinister and vicious, and this Voodoo Master was a little different from the others. Spirit Devour carries some risk. Taiyi Sect's Night Wanderer doesn't want to take the chance, and he's gotten into an argument with our colleagues in Fenghui District." Li Dongze's voice sounded heavy.

As he spoke, the noise on the other end grew louder.

A Voodoo Master's spirit? Zhang Yuanqing was delighted. He'd been reading plenty of information on the different professions these past few days. In terms of spiritual power, Night Wanderers and Illusionists ranked first, with Voodoo Masters just behind them.

That'll give me a ton of experience.

But Zhang Yuanqing frowned. "Taiyi Sect is an official organization, too. This is part of their duties. Isn't anyone going to do something about him?"

Even if there was a risk, he'd accepted the official organization's benefits and treatment, so he ought to do his job instead of drawing a salary while doing nothing.

"Taiyi Sect is different from the Five Elements Alliance. Night Wanderers are scarce, and the Council of Elders is in the Capital City. The Night Wanderer team leaders in each district are all on equal footing." Li Dongze sounded helpless.

They could certainly file a complaint, but that would mean sending a report to the Capital City. No one in Songhai had direct authority over him.

They would definitely file a complaint later, but first they had to deal with the situation at hand.

And because the Voodoo Master's spirit was so vicious, Night Wanderers from other districts wouldn't take a risk over an incident outside their jurisdiction.

At times like this, the importance of the Five Elements Alliance having its own Night Wanderers became clear.

"I'll be right over," Zhang Yuanqing said.

At that moment, he faintly heard someone speaking through the speaker. "Li Dongze, what you're doing isn't appropriate. I do need Spirit Inquiry, but he's only Level 1."

The voice cut off abruptly as Li Dongze hung up.

Zhang Yuanqing ended the call. Old Driver swiveled her office chair around to face him and smiled.

"From the voice, that sounded like Li Yuanfang from the Second Team. The Second Team in Fenghui District hasn't made a contribution in ages, and their performance is always at the bottom. That's why their district's Night Wanderer acts so important."

Li Yuanfang? What a great name! Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself.

Guan Ya added, "The Second Team leader in Fenghui District is also one of our White Tiger Corps."

Old Driver shot him a sultry look.

She's hinting that I should build good relations with the White Tiger Corps' mid-level officers and do them a favor. Zhang Yuanqing gave her a complicated look. "Sister Guan Ya, you're so good to me. Are you in love with me and hoping to rob the cradle?"

Pfft! Wang Tai, who was drinking water at the next desk, spat it out.

He stared at the two of them in alarm. Since when did they get together? How did I not notice at all?

"Rob the cradle?" Guan Ya's brows shot up. A vein throbbed on her smooth forehead as she bit her full lips. "Yuanshi, I think we have enough time for a sparring match before Squad Leader's car gets back."

"I was wrong!" Zhang Yuanqing readily admitted defeat.

The black business car pulled into the Fenghui District Public Security Bureau. Through the window, Zhang Yuanqing saw Li Dongze waiting in front of the office building, leaning on his cane.

After getting out, the two nodded to each other, then went inside together.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the morgue.

Seven or eight Spirit Realm Walkers had gathered in the spacious, brightly lit corridor outside. Zhang Yuanqing glanced over them, guessing their professions from their appearances and bearing.

Muscular and looks hot-tempered. Definitely a Fire Master. What profession is the one with a bird on his shoulder? Hmm, Squad Leader said the Wood Demons in the Hundred Flowers Society love animals. And that wooden expression means he's obviously an Earth Monster.

The Spirit Realm Walkers all looked rather indignant.

Finally, Zhang Yuanqing looked at the middle-aged man who came forward to greet them. He appeared to be around forty, with sunken eyes, a hooked nose, and thin lips. He looked sharp and stern.

"Let me introduce you. This is the leader of Fenghui District's Second Team, a Level 3 Scout. His Spirit Realm ID is Datang Li Yuanfang." Li Dongze smiled as he introduced the man's ID.

"Li Dongze, you're practically eager to introduce my Spirit Realm ID to everyone you meet," the middle-aged man sighed. He turned to Zhang Yuanqing, his stern face breaking into a faint smile.

"I was obsessed with TV dramas set in the Tang Dynasty a few years ago, so I chose that name. You must be the young Night Wanderer our White Tiger Corps just recruited. You're quite the handsome young man."

I wonder if there's someone called Di Renjie. You two would have an awkward time meeting—no, it'd be hilarious. Zhang Yuanqing suppressed a laugh and shook his hand enthusiastically, calling him "Team Leader" over and over.

Li Yuanfang's smile widened. "Our own Night Wanderer really is the best."

After a brief sigh, he continued, "Li Dongze told me what happened, right? I'm sorry. Taiyi Sect's Night Wanderer stationed in Fenghui District refused to perform Spirit Inquiry, so we had no choice but to ask for your help."

The muscular young man snorted. "Even if devouring a Voodoo Master carries some risk, it's not like it'll kill you. Is there no risk when we're on the front lines fighting Evil Professions? Taiyi Sect's Night Wanderers are always so high and mighty. Every time we ask them to do something, they act like we're the ones begging them."

The young man with the bird on his shoulder smiled. "That's why it's better to have our own people."

Li Yuanfang waved a hand to cut off his subordinate's grumbling, then said thoughtfully, "Although Li Dongze assured me you could handle it, I still have to warn you. Voodoo Masters have extremely powerful spiritual strength, and it's chaotic and frenzied. The deceased was a Level 3 Voodoo Master.

"The spirit he left behind is extremely dangerous. Are you sure you can do it?"

The team members immediately looked at Zhang Yuanqing, their gazes full of expectation.

Zhang Yuanqing nodded. "No problem. I can handle it."

The Spirit Realm Walkers from Fenghui District looked pleased. Li Yuanfang's expression relaxed, and his gaze toward Zhang Yuanqing held a little more approval.

"Sorry for the trouble," he said with a nod.

Li Dongze immediately led Zhang Yuanqing into the morgue and shut the door, keeping the Fenghui District colleagues, who had been eager to come in and watch, outside.

Leaning on his cane, Li Dongze walked over to a steel autopsy trolley and lifted the white sheet covering the body.

At the sight of the corpse beneath it, Zhang Yuanqing was taken aback, his face full of shock.

The corpse had short, dark green hair and rough, tough dark brown skin. Thick plates of callus covered his joints, including his elbows and knees, like armor. His nails were dark, their tips sharp and curved, and they looked poisonous.

The skin on his face was dark brown as well. His dull, lifeless pupils were vertical like a snake's, and his irises were amber.

Leaning on his cane with one hand, Li Dongze explained, "Voodoo Masters in the Transcendence Realm have two main abilities. First, they raise Gu, using the insects to kill people without a trace. Second, they merge with Gu. Depending on the insect's traits, they gain an ability that improves their close-combat skills, such as self-healing, vitality, strength, speed, or poison."

Zhang Yuanqing remarked, "Sounds powerful. No wonder it's an Evil Profession."

It was worth noting that among the local Spirit Realm professions, Voodoo Masters, Illusionists, and Bewitching Demons were all top-tier professions, on par with Night Wanderers.

That was why there were only three Evil Professions, and their numbers couldn't compare to those of the official Spirit Realm Walkers.

Li Dongze said, "He was killed while undergoing a Gu transformation, so his body stayed like this. Heh, not the most dignified way to die. Since he merged with a Gu insect, his spirit is full of hostility and animal nature, and it causes severe mental pollution. That's why Taiyi Sect's Night Wanderer doesn't want to touch it."

Zhang Yuanqing nodded.

He had the Demon Subduing Pestle protecting him, so he wasn't afraid of mental pollution.

Li Dongze continued, "The other person he fought was also a Voodoo Master. When our people arrived, they killed one of them, while the other was injured and escaped. Our initial suspicion is that the man may be a member of the Spirit Energy Society, or a subordinate of Black Impermanence.

"Let's get started. See what clues we can find this time. I think our colleagues from the Second Team outside are already on tenterhooks."

Zhang Yuanqing nodded, opened his Inventory, and took out the Demon Subduing Pestle, handing it to Li Dongze. Then he walked over to the humanoid corpse and roused the lingering spiritual power asleep inside the body.

A phantom figure slowly emerged. Its face was blank, yet its expression was savage and sinister.

It's even more frenzied than Ou Xiangrong's spirit. I want to eat it, but I don't want to eat it. Zhang Yuanqing sighed silently. Thick, black light welled up in his eyes, filled his sockets, and he opened his mouth and inhaled, swallowing the spirit into his belly.

His brow swelled with pain as countless jumbled memories flashed through his mind.

The memories were fragmented and chaotic. Zhang Yuanqing pieced together bits of the dead man's life, half watching and half guessing.

Before becoming a Spirit Realm Walker, this Voodoo Master had been unemployed. He was hotheaded and violent, and made a living collecting debts for loan sharks. He worked security at nightclubs, ran honey traps, and forced women from out of town into prostitution.

He had done every kind of evil, yet lived comfortably and well.

By a stroke of luck, he gained the favor of the Spirit Realm. A Role Card descended from the heavens, making him a Spirit Realm Walker.

He had named himself "Outlaw." After becoming a Spirit Realm Walker, he was keen on charity. Once he had accumulated enough Moral Value, he began killing ordinary people, raping women, and venting the wicked urges in his heart.

For Zhang Yuanqing, those fragmented, chaotic memories were agonizing. They dealt a severe blow to his worldview, and a violent contempt for everything began to grow in his heart.

Then he found the crucial memory he wanted.

In a lavishly decorated tea room, a man with the upper half of his face covered by a silver mask sat at a glass table, sipping tea from a porcelain cup.

He looked at the Zhang Yuanqing seated across the table and said, "Judge of Ghostly Eyes is dead. The East District Branch president of the Spirit Energy Society can only be our master now. After fighting for so many years, the two vice presidents can finally put it behind them."

"How did Judge of Ghostly Eyes die?" Zhang Yuanqing heard his host ask.

"That's not something you need to know." The silver-masked man's gaze sharpened.

"My apologies, Deacon."

The masked man's expression softened. He poured him a cup of tea and said,

"Black Impermanence has gone into hiding with the Holy Grail and the Roster. The Holy Grail is a rule-type item of the Voodoo Master profession, so its importance goes without saying. The Roster contains all the slaves Judge of Ghostly Eyes has recruited over the years.

"Whoever controls the Roster can control many Spirit Realm Walkers. Both items are extremely important. Outlaw, this is our chance to make a contribution. If we help our master find Black Impermanence and consolidate the East District Branch's strength, we'll be able to stand against the Songhai branch of the Five Elements Alliance."

"Then what should I do, Deacon?"

Outlaw's breathing quickened slightly, his voice brimming with excitement.

"I have a list of Black Impermanence's subordinates. Search for them, and you might find where Black Impermanence is hiding. Of course, the people on the list have gone into hiding. They are 'Unbridled,' 'Unjust Heaven,' 'Merciless Killer,' and 'Moist Matron.' Their real-world identities are..."