A brilliant golden light shone into his sea of consciousness. The hostility in Zhang Yuanqing's heart dissipated, and he broke free from the Spirit Inquiry state. He saw Li Dongze, whose clothes were disheveled, and felt pain all over his body, as if he'd been brutally beaten.
"Honestly, every time I devour the spirit of an Evil Profession, the Night Wanderer goes berserk."
Li Dongze tossed the Demon Subduing Pestle back to Zhang Yuanqing, then straightened his clothes and pulled a pack of wet wipes from his pocket. He handed it over and said, "Wipe the nosebleed away. You must always maintain your elegance."
Zhang Yuanqing took the wipes and cleaned off the blood. He first opened his status panel for a look. His experience had increased by 5%, bringing it to 52%.
Then he sorted through the fragments of memory.
The Spirit Energy Society East District Branch had two vice presidents. One was Judge of Ghostly Eyes, and the other was the superior of the superior of Outlaw.
The two vice presidents had vied for the position of president, openly and behind the scenes, for years. After Judge of Ghostly Eyes died, the other vice president had tried to get the Holy Grail and the Roster, take over his rival's legacy, and consolidate the East District Branch.
He was also looking for Black Impermanence.
The Spirit Energy Society was a huge organization. The East District Branch alone had two vice presidents, both high-level Spirit Realm Walkers. Zhang Yuanqing collected himself and said, "Squad Leader, I found an important lead."
He immediately told Li Dongze about the list he'd seen in the memory fragments.
Li Dongze listened, nodding along. When he heard about the list, his eyes suddenly lit up.
"Excellent. Very good. With this list, we can investigate specific people instead of flailing around blindly. As expected, no one knows an enemy better than the enemy themselves."
Zhang Yuanqing pondered. "Something feels off to me. First Ou Xiangrong, then Outlaw. It's almost as if someone's handing us clues."
Li Dongze smiled. "You've got a good head on your shoulders. How about this: write me an analysis report. Consider it a test of your abilities."
You elegance-obsessed freak. Keep this up and you'll lose me. Zhang Yuanqing's face went blank.
"Second Team got lucky. They've made a big contribution." Li Dongze sighed, then fell silent. Leaning on his cane, he walked to the door and opened the iron gate.
The Second Team members in the corridor immediately surged forward. One of them, Li Yuanfang, wore a stern expression tinged with anticipation as he asked, "Well? Any leads?"
Li Dongze smiled. "We got a list of Black Impermanence's subordinates. Your Second Team has earned a merit."
A smile spread across Li Yuanfang's usually stern face.
The Second Team captains were overjoyed, their faces wreathed in smiles.
The significance of the list was obvious. The more important it was, the greater their merit—and the more the whole team would benefit.
Li Dongze said gravely, "But the list's authenticity still needs to be verified."
Li Yuanfang nodded calmly, then looked past Li Dongze at Zhang Yuanqing and said, "When the rewards are handed out, we'll set aside ten percent to compensate you. Thanks."
His tone was unexpectedly gentle.
Then, with an envious sigh, he said, "Squad Leader Li, you've got great luck."
The Second Team members looked at Zhang Yuanqing with warmth and approval.
No one objected to their squad leader's plan to compensate him. They thought Zhang Yuanqing deserved it.
Dinner.
Zhang Yuanqing sat at the dining table, enjoying the meal his grandmother had made.
Jiang Yu'er ate while scrolling through short videos. She wore a pink hoodie with two fluffy ears on the hood.
He remembered that when his aunt had been eighteen or nineteen, she'd liked collecting black stockings and short skirts to show off her mature charm.
After her twenty-fifth birthday, though, her fashion sense had grown more girlish. She called herself a young girl and a little fairy.
The older she got, the more she liked to act cute.
"Don't play on your phone while you eat," his grandmother scolded.
"Just for a little while," his aunt pleaded. Chewing her food, she said, "Yuanzi, I saw a mixed-race beauty at the hospital today. She had an amazing figure and was gorgeous, too. Do you know how old her husband was?"
That mixed-race beauty not only had a great figure, she was also a great driver. Zhang Yuanqing played along and asked, "How old?"
"Still a college student." His aunt looked at him with disdain. "Look at you, still single. You're such a disappointment."
"You're single yourself. What gives you the right to criticize me?" Zhang Yuanqing shot her a sidelong glance.
"What do you know? I'm single because I'm saving myself. You're single because you're useless."
"Even the Overlord of Western Chu couldn't take a punch like that."
His grandmother heard them and scolded her daughter. "How dare you criticize Yuanzi? He's focusing on his studies right now. What's wrong with that? And saving yourself? What, are you planning to become a saint? You're going on another blind date next week. I'm not asking you to get married right away, but at least find a boyfriend and see how it goes."
His aunt redirected the trouble, turning her attention to her nephew. "I haven't even made it permanent at work yet. I need to focus on my career, too. Your grandson is thirty and he doesn't have a partner either."
His grandmother thought that made sense and looked at Chen Yuanjun thoughtfully. "Yuanjun, how about I arrange another blind date for you? Last time, I showed your photo to a girl, and she told me she wasn't interested in older men. I thought her family had no taste. I'll ask Yu'er to edit your photo so you look younger."
His cousin's mouth twitched. He reflexively furrowed his brow into a deep frown and said solemnly, "Whatever makes you happy, Grandma. But I think Yuanzi has been sleeping all day and gaming all night for the past few days. He hasn't been focusing on his studies at all. University isn't the end of learning; it's the starting point for entering society. Auntie's overseas, so you should keep a closer eye on Yuanzi. You might as well smash his PS5."
His grandmother thought that made sense. She angrily scolded him, "All you do is play games all day! You useless thing. Do I have to smash your game console to make you stop?"
Come on, man. You're such a snake. Zhang Yuanqing's scalp prickled. As his grandmother went on and on, he quietly summoned Little Doubi and told him to climb onto his grandfather's head. Then he steadied his emotions, took matters into his own hands, and stole his grandfather's hearing.
"Grandma, look at Grandpa. He doesn't do a thing and leaves you to run the whole household. That's not fair."
His aunt and cousin looked at him in surprise. The kid sure was bold today.
At that, his grandmother turned to his grandfather and frowned. "Old Chen, say something, too. Old Chen? Old Chen?"
With a plump, adorable baby perched on his head, his grandfather paid no attention and continued eating in silence.
Zhang Yuanqing quietly recalled Little Doubi. His grandfather suddenly raised his head, as if he'd only just heard someone call him, and frowned. "What?"
"I'm talking to you!" his grandmother snapped.
"I didn't hear you."
"What do you mean, pretending to be deaf? All you do all day is go for walks, play chess, and watch TV. Am I a servant in the Chen family? You don't care about your daughter, your grandson, or your grandson on your daughter's side. Now I know where that family disgrace inherited his nature from!" His grandmother's temper erupted without restraint.
Zhang Yuanqing lowered his head and ate, keeping his contribution to himself.
Moss Pet Cafe.
The roller shutter was halfway down. The shop was dimly lit, the orange glow blending with the elm floor to create a calm, soothing atmosphere.
The officers in charge of Fenghui District, Kangyang District, Jinjiang District, and Puning District had gathered together. There were eleven in all, seated around a circular table with steaming cups of coffee beside them.
There was no doubt this was a high-level meeting. Only an Elder would be able to summon officers in charge for a meeting.
Under the orange pendant lamp, a Curly Teddy sat proudly in the center of the circular table and spoke in a human voice.
"Everyone's here. I'll keep this brief. Judge of Ghostly Eyes's death is a serious matter. What have you uncovered over the past few days?"
He was an Elder of the Hundred Flowers Society and one of the people in charge of the Judge of Ghostly Eyes case. He oversaw all the Spirit Realm Walker teams in the four districts and had the authority to report directly to the Alliance Leader.
The other officers said nothing. The officer in charge of Fenghui District raised a hand and spoke in a low voice.
"My people killed a Voodoo Master today. We confirmed he was one of the Voodoo King's people, and got a list from the spirit's memories."
He then announced the contents of the list.
A look of approval appeared in Curly Teddy's beady eyes.
"Good work. Hmm, Voodoo Masters' spirits are abnormally frenzied. For a Night Wanderer from Taiyi Sect to use Spirit Inquiry on one, it takes a considerable toll. We'll compensate him later."
The Fenghui District officer nodded, then added, "I don't think the Ou Xiangrong incident was a coincidence. He was bait put out by the Voodoo King to let us know about Judge of Ghostly Eyes's death. The Voodoo Master we killed today was also one of the Voodoo King's men. He wants to use our official forces to find Black Impermanence."
The Voodoo King was another vice president of the Spirit Energy Society East District Branch. He'd been competing with Judge of Ghostly Eyes for the position of president for a long time.
The two sides were bitter enemies.
"When two people share the same goal, anyone can become an ally. But the Fallen Holy Grail is too dangerous to be allowed to harm anyone else. It has to be kept in our official custody and must never fall into the Voodoo King's hands." Curly Teddy's beady eyes swept over the group. "Does anyone else have anything to add?"
The officers silently noted down the list. One female officer frowned and said, "The case of Zhao Yingjun should put us on guard. I suggest screening everyone at the Songhai Branch, including the Night Wanderers from Taiyi Sect. There could be Spirit Energy Society agents hiding among them."
Curly Teddy pondered for a few seconds, then slowly nodded. "In that case, we'll need to use the Tiger Tally. I'll submit an application to the Marshal."
After they finished discussing business, Teddy turned his head toward Fu Qingyang, who sat silent in a white suit, and said, "I heard you recently recruited a promising Night Wanderer who cleared Sheling Tunnel?"
Fu Qingyang nodded slightly, then added, "He also killed Ou Xiangrong."
Curly Teddy said, "A few days ago, Elder Hongying of Taiyi Sect contacted me. She wants us to hand that Night Wanderer over to her. I know Elder Sun said he didn't want the little fellow, but the Five Elements Alliance and Taiyi Sect did sign an agreement.
"Elder Hongying is in charge of personnel. Elder Sun doesn't get to decide. What do you think, Qingyang?"
Fu Qingyang said coolly, "Just turn her down. If you'd rather not, I can call her myself."
One of the Hundred Flowers Society officers immediately laughed. "It's not a big deal. It's just one Night Wanderer. We might as well give him to Taiyi Sect. Isn't Elder Hongying's favor worth more? Besides, every district has a Night Wanderer from Taiyi Sect stationed there. When we need them to do their jobs, they cooperate just fine, don't they, Old Zhang?"
Old Zhang was the officer in charge of Fenghui District.
The other officers kept quiet, unwilling to weigh in on such a sensitive issue.
When everyone looked at him, Old Zhang frowned and said, "Since he belongs to Centurion Fu, I won't comment on his transfer. But I do have something to say about the work ethic of Taiyi Sect's Night Wanderers. The Voodoo Master we killed today wasn't questioned by a Night Wanderer from Taiyi Sect. He claimed he wasn't in good condition and refused to help.
"My squad leader had no choice, so he went to Second Team in Kangyang District for help. And, well, they came as soon as he called, without a single complaint. He's only a Level 1 Night Wanderer.
"I personally think there's a difference between our own Night Wanderers and other people's Night Wanderers."
Fu Qingyang paused. He hadn't known about this.
After hearing Old Zhang's account, several officers shared their opinions.
"I think we should keep him. Taiyi Sect won't miss one Night Wanderer."
"We're short-staffed right now. We can trust our own people more."
The Hundred Flowers Society officer looked embarrassed and said nothing more.
Curly Teddy nodded.
"Then we'll keep him. I'll turn Elder Hongying down. Qingyang, Ling Jun from Taiyi Sect will arrive in Songhai with his team in a few days to help us hunt down Black Impermanence. You're peers, you get along well, and you're one of the Four Young Masters. Go meet him."
Fu Qingyang replied, "Mm."
Before you continue