"Zzz..." The Cat King Speaker crackled with static, then fell silent.
Zhang Yuanqing sat dazed before his desk. His mind, however, was churning in turmoil, a tangled mess of countless surging thoughts.
After who knows how long, he finally pulled himself from the chaos of his emotions, pinched the bridge of his nose, and sighed.
"Good grief... So even you were a slave of the Deceitful Eye Judge."
Once the initial shock passed, past clues and details converged in his mind, gradually piecing together the truth of the matter.
—The Demon Lord had been a slave of the Deceitful Eye Judge, brought under his control back when the Demon Lord was still weak.
An audio clip from the past served as proof: every month, the Demon Lord had been assigned a task to hunt orthodox walkers. Who had issued those tasks?
Zhang Yuanqing hadn't understood it before, but if the Demon Lord was the Deceitful Eye Judge's slave, the logic fell into place. The Deceitful Eye Judge was a big shot in the evil profession faction, naturally opposed to the orthodox faction.
Ordering his "slaves" to suppress orthodox walkers within his jurisdiction (the Spirit Society Eastern District Branch) made complete sense.
Yuan Ting of the Taiyi Sect had mentioned that the Demon Lord was volatile and haughty, slaughtering orthodox and evil professions alike without distinction. That was because Night Wanderers belonged to an orthodox profession. When an orthodox walker killed an orthodox walker, if the target had Reputation, the killer's Morality Points would be deducted.
Therefore, the Demon Lord had to hunt evil professions to ensure he wouldn't become wanted by the Spirit Realm.
"The Demon Lord was controlled by the Deceitful Eye Judge when he was still weak. Struggling to survive, he strove to find a way to break free from the Holy Grail's control until, on the verge of reaching the peak of supremacy, he finally saw hope.
"Then, partnering with Brother Bing, who was also a slave, he hunted down the Deceitful Eye Judge... All the information I gathered before corroborates this deduction. Both motive and logic align."
Zhang Yuanqing continued pondering. Now that he understood the Demon Lord's motive for hunting the Deceitful Eye Judge, factoring in that mysterious person...
His expression suddenly turned grim. A chilling conjecture surfaced in his mind:
If the Demon Lord was a slave of the Deceitful Eye Judge, his identity information must have been recorded in the roster.
If... if that mysterious person was one of the Demon Lord's people, could the purpose of tearing out that page from the roster not have been to conceal Brother Bing's information, but because Brother Bing happened to be recorded on the same page as him?
"That shouldn't be possible. If the Demon Lord isn't dead, how did Brother Bing get his character card? Then again, Li Dongze once said that character cards are distributed by the Spirit Realm, yet mine was given to me by Brother Bing..."
Thinking of this, Zhang Yuanqing's scalp suddenly prickled.
"If it really was the Demon Lord, the reason he didn't kill me becomes terrifying to contemplate... No, I have to verify whether he is truly dead or not."
Zhang Yuanqing rubbed his face to steady his nerves, took out a notebook from the drawer, and wrote down:
"How can a Spirit Realm walker unbind a character card?"
"How can one obtain someone else's character card?"
*If I get answers to these two questions, I can probably deduce a lot. But I definitely can't ask the official organization—especially Fu Qingyang. He knows too much...* Twirling his ballpoint pen, Zhang Yuanqing locked onto a target in his mind.
Master Wuhen!
Master Wuhen belonged to an evil profession, part of a camp completely alienated from orthodox professions. Yet because he fell into the chaotic good alignment, he posed no malice or threat to Zhang Yuanqing. On top of that, Master Wuhen's level was high enough.
Asking him was better than asking the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter.
The Palace Master might belong to the orthodox faction, but there was no getting around the fact that she was a lunatic.
*Whether I have business or not, I can pop in on Master Wuhen, latch onto his coattails, and shamelessly beg for Dream-Traversing Jade Talismans—unless he explicitly tells me never to come back...*
Zhang Yuanqing had considerable confidence in his social skills and thick skin.
With his mind made up, he stowed the Cat King Speaker, pulled up the quilt, and fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Zhang Yuanqing woke up to his grandmother's repeated calls. Splayed out eagle-spread on the bed, he stretched his limbs.
After a night of rest, his condition had fully recovered.
Heading into the living room, he found his cousin, Chen Yuanjun, just finishing breakfast. Chen Yuanjun pulled out a tissue, wiped his mouth, nodded to his younger cousin, and said:
"Grandma, I'm heading to work."
Zhang Yuanqing paused. "Brother, today's Sunday."
Chen Yuanjun said resignedly, "Something happened over at the Third Primary School. We're responsible for cordoning off the area and maintaining order... An old man also died in a nearby residential compound. My colleagues said it was an accidental fall, but neighbors next door claimed people were fighting downstairs that night.
"The deceased's family believes he was murdered, and they've been raising hell at the Public Security Bureau since early this morning. There's a lot on our plate today..."
*He really was murdered. He let out a holler that stunned Hei Wuchang with curses, and I didn't even have time to save him...* Zhang Yuanqing sighed silently.
The elderly folks in Songhai were notorious for their fiery tempers; get on their bad side, and they'd point their fingers and curse out the Lord of Heaven Himself. It was just rotten luck that he had crossed someone as ruthless as Hei Wuchang.
Once Chen Yuanjun left for work, Zhang Yuanqing picked up a steamed bun, took a bite, and asked around his food, "Grandma, where's Auntie?"
"Still sleeping in her room. It's Sunday, so I can't be bothered to nag her." Grandma picked up a fried dough stick and put it on her grandson's plate, then pulled five hundred yuan in cash from her pocket. "Your living allowance for next week."
"Thanks, Grandma."
Zhang Yuanqing was a big shot sitting on a net worth of five hundred thousand now, but it wouldn't do to turn down living expenses from family. He could hardly say: *Your grandson licks blood off knife edges and kills for loot every day, so I'm rolling in cash now.*
After generously slapping down the five hundred bills, Grandma headed out to the balcony to water the flowers. Just then, Auntie, wearing pink pajamas emblazoned with a Pikachu across the chest, came padding out in her slippers.
Squinting listlessly, her messy hair draped across her shoulders, she radiated an aura of pure sluggishness.
Truth be told, while Auntie had a sweet and docile look, her figure was undeniably striking—stretching the Pikachu out a full size wider.
Jiang Yu'er sat down beside her nephew and yelled, "Mom, where's my congee?!"
"Can't you ladle it yourself from the kitchen?" Grandma scolded from the balcony.
Jiang Yu'er whined coquettishly, "Mom, don't you love me anymore?"
"Get lost!"
"..." She slunk into the kitchen in defeat.
When Auntie returned with a bowl of plain congee, Zhang Yuanqing asked, "We didn't play video games last night, so why'd you sleep in so late?"
"My period came!"
"Since when does your period come twice a month?"
"Nosy!" Auntie raised a hand and delivered a ferocious knifehand chop, thunking his skull. "Who gave a junior like you permission to yap in front of your aunt?"
No sooner had she asserted her authority than her nephew pinned both her arms behind her back, pressing her flat against the dining table.
Zhang Yuanqing glanced at his aunt's upturned rear, and an uncontrollable thought flashed through his mind: *Such a nice butt... what a shame it doesn't have a curly pig's tail attached.*
*Fuck!*
Cursing internally, he immediately released his aunt and sat up straight.
Jiang Yu'er, who had been about to call for her mother to witness how her nephew was bullying her, was taken aback. "Why'd you back off all of a sudden?"
Zhang Yuanqing sneered. "Woman, you no longer hold any attraction for me."
Then, he silently added in tears: *Sows are slowly entering my field of vision...*
"Wanna go shopping later?" Jiang Yu'er asked.
"Nope, I have things to do this morning. We'll see about the afternoon."
***
In a dim room, an orange desk lamp cast a faint glow.
In front of a brown solid-wood desk, a burly man popped the cork from a glass test tube with a plink and drank the pale gold liquid in one gulp.
He let out a contented sigh as the sword wounds and claw marks all over his body healed rapidly, leaving not a trace of scarring behind.
Afterward, the Fire Master looked toward the black-robed Great Protector standing by the window watching the rain, and said in a heavy voice, "I just received word. Hei Wuchang was killed, and the Holy Grail has fallen into the hands of the Songhai Branch. Great Protector, we have no chance left."
The Great Protector by the window quietly watched the rain. After a long silence, his raspy voice sounded: "Who killed Hei Wuchang?"
The Fire Master sneered. "Yuanshi Tianzun. The official database shows he was just awarded Grade A Merit. Heh, Grade A Merit... I remember that to become an Elder, besides being high enough in level, one must have at least one Grade A. If he didn't kill Hei Wuchang, what right does he have to get a Grade A?"
The Great Protector said, "Find a way to kill him. Furthermore, spread word that Hei Wuchang has been executed and that the roster has fallen into the Five Elements Alliance's hands. Give the Fallen on that roster a little nudge."
***
At 9:30 AM, Zhang Yuanqing, carrying a backpack and beaming with smiles, strolled into the lobby of Wuhen Hotel and headed straight for the front desk.
"Aunt Xiaoyuan, I'm back," Zhang Yuanqing said, leaning closer to the front desk.
Dressed in a wine-red blazer and a white blouse, the glamorous aunt glanced at him and said indifferently, "What is it this time?"
"I came to thank Aunt Xiaoyuan for your help last time. Hei Wuchang has been killed, and the Holy Grail incident is resolved." As Zhang Yuanqing spoke, he unzipped his backpack, pulled out a thick stack of banknotes, and placed it on the counter. "Here's a hundred thousand. The extra fifty thousand is a token of my personal appreciation."
"Hei Wuchang is dead?" Aunt Xiaoyuan raised a brow. A flash of surprise passed through her cool gaze, followed by wary respect.
The capability of the Five Elements Alliance had exceeded her expectations—to hunt down Hei Wuchang and eliminate him in such a short time.
Knitting her delicate brows, she said, "If I recall correctly, the one handling this matter was the Kangyang District Deacon, Fu Qingyang of the White Tiger Battalion."
Zhang Yuanqing: "That's him. Though in this incident, I was the primary contributor."
Xiaoyuan completely ignored his remark, her wariness of Fu Qingyang only deepening.
She then shifted her attention to the thick stack of cash, paused in silence, and accepted the hundred thousand.
For a group like theirs scraping by in the cracks, constrained by Morality Points and pursued by official walkers, income sources were extremely limited. Life wasn't destitute, but it was far from wealthy, and a lack of funds created serious inconveniences.
Maintaining channels, gathering intelligence, trading—all of it required money.
Even Spirit Realm walkers had to live.
Seeing Aunt Xiaoyuan take the money, Zhang Yuanqing immediately said, "Actually, I also have an impudent request."
Aunt Xiaoyuan's heart sank.
"I'd like to see Master Wuhen," Zhang Yuanqing said with utter sincerity.
Xiaoyuan looked down at the money in her hands, her eyelid twitching slightly. With a frosty face, she said, "Wait here! I can only ask on your behalf. Whether he sees you or not is up to Master Wuhen."
With that, she clicked toward the elevator in her high heels.
A few minutes later, the elevator descended. Aunt Xiaoyuan returned, nodding: "Go ahead!"
Zhang Yuanqing took the elevator to the fourth floor and stopped before the second door on the left—Room 404.
Taking hold of the handle, he twisted it open gently.
The scene before him rippled like water. The door vanished, and the hotel corridor transformed into a spacious, ancient hall. The red carpet underfoot turned into mottled stone slabs. Beneath a caisson ceiling painted with Buddhas and deities throughout the heavens, a colossal golden Buddha pinched a flower with downcast eyes, its expression compassionate yet majestic, stern yet serene.
Zhang Yuanqing pressed his palms together in greeting toward the back seated upon the prayer mat. "Master Wuhen."
"What is it?"
An ethereal, deep voice echoed, thick with endured pain.
"This junior has two doubts and wishes to seek Master's guidance," Zhang Yuanqing said. "How can a Spirit Realm walker unbind a character card without dying? And how can one obtain someone else's character card?"
Master Wuhen pondered for two or three seconds before speaking slowly: "For any Spirit Realm walker, only death can unbind a character card. Even the five Alliance Leaders of the Five Elements Alliance, or the supreme leaders of the evil organizations, are no exception.
"As for how to obtain another person's character card, I have never heard of such a method. Yet from what little I know, there must be a prerequisite: one must be inside the Spirit Realm."
*Not even the five Alliance Leaders can unbind a character card? Given Master Wuhen's level and status, if he says so, he must be certain.*
*So the Demon Lord really is dead?*
*As for only being able to obtain someone else's character card inside the Spirit Realm, that I can understand. When a walker dies, the Spirit Realm reclaims the character card. To 'intercept' it, one would naturally have to be inside the Spirit Realm.*
*Even Master Wuhen doesn't know how that's done, yet Brother Bing managed it...* Zhang Yuanqing pondered for a moment, then asked, "High-level Night Wanderers have immortal souls. Could there be a possibility of faking death?"
"A faked death cannot unbind a character card. If the character card is unbound, he is definitely dead," Master Wuhen said.
Hearing this, the conjectures in Zhang Yuanqing's heart wavered.
The Taiyi Sect Master had said the Demon Lord was dead, and Master Wuhen also said that the unbinding of a character card meant death. Was his deduction more reliable than the knowledge of these two big shots?
Clearly not!
*But if the mysterious person wasn't the Demon Lord, who on earth was he?*
Zhang Yuanqing sighed inwardly and said, "Thank you for clearing my doubts, Master."
Master Wuhen said indifferently, "You and I belong to different factions, and you are a member of the official organization. It is best that we do not associate in the future. The Five Elements Alliance's Grand Medical Examination is no mere formality. Do not bring ruin upon yourself."
*As expected, a thick pair of coattails isn't so easily clung to...* Zhang Yuanqing gave a wry smile. "Understood."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the hall began to blur with an illusory effect, finally dissipating.
He was back in front of Room 404.
*Sigh, Little Green Tea's Dream-Traversing Jade Talisman hasn't been used yet, and she isn't an official member either. If something comes up in the future, I can send her to scout the way. If she refuses, I've already thought of my excuse: 'Don't you feel bad for your big brother anymore?'*
Taking the elevator back down to the lobby, Zhang Yuanqing was about to take his leave when Aunt Xiaoyuan suddenly called out to him, "Has something happened to you recently?"
Zhang Yuanqing blinked. Delight stirred in his heart, though he kept his face impassive. "What makes you say that?"
Did Aunt Xiaoyuan notice something?
Xiaoyuan pondered for a moment and said, "The first time you saw me, you looked at my chest three times, my face twice, and my legs five times. The second time you saw me, you looked at my face once, my chest four times, and my legs six times..."
Zhang Yuanqing interrupted, aghast: "Auntie, I didn't! Don't slander me! Do you people from evil professions just love spitting venomous lies?"
Aunt Xiaoyuan said evenly, "Yet this time, you only looked at my face once.
"Your spirit body has been contaminated. Although it isn't deep, and the tainted portion won't alter your personality significantly, it corresponds to 'desire.'"
Zhang Yuanqing swallowed hard and probed, "And you are...?"
Aunt Xiaoyuan said calmly, "A Level 5 Witch Doctor."
Zhang Yuanqing's demeanor instantly shifted, like a chronically ill patient finally finding a miracle doctor. He spoke at breakneck speed: "It's like this, Aunt Xiaoyuan. Recently, I got an item belonging to the Witch Doctor profession. Its drawback gradually alters one's sexual orientation—no, wait, species orientation! Truth be told, when I looked at my aunt today, I actually thought it was a shame she wasn't a pig.
"But I didn't even use it! I just kept it inside my inventory!"
A look of pity entered Aunt Xiaoyuan's eyes. "The price of certain items is a slow, gradual influence that never ceases. The moment you place it in your inventory, it recognizes you as its master, and the influence begins.
"For some items, the cost is visible and direct—paid only after use, with nothing to worry about beforehand.
"The corruption of the Witch Doctor profession belongs to the former."
Hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing broke into a cold sweat and immediately offered, "Auntie, I'm willing to sell it to you dirt cheap!"
Aunt Xiaoyuan sneered. "What would I want it for? To slowly develop an interest in boars? Keep it for yourself."
Zhang Yuanqing wore a look of utter despair.
*What a treacherous piece of junk! Even more of a trap than the Heavenly Toad Censer that poisoned an entire tribe...* Leaving the hotel, Zhang Yuanqing felt a massive headache over what to do with the straw doll.
The item was undeniably potent; it could even defile and corrode the red dancing shoes. In a fight against peers of the same level, it was tantamount to a strategic weapon.
Yet the price was truly unbearable. Hei Wuchang was of an evil profession, rotten to the core, and couldn't care less about his species preference shifting. As for Aunt Xiaoyuan, she probably turned it down because she didn't consider herself evil and harbored a heart inclined toward goodness.
Thus, she would rather pass on an opportunity to grow stronger.
*I have a heart inclined toward goodness too!* Zhang Yuanqing made up his mind. *As expected, turning it over to the organization in exchange for other items is the right move.*
Just as the thought crossed his mind, his phone rang. It was Fu Qingyang.
"Hello, Centurion?" Zhang Yuanqing answered.
"Come over to my place. The branch's rewards for you have been finalized. Aside from merit and a cash bonus, the Elders have decided to reward you with two items, to be chosen from a pool of ten."
Fu Qingyang's voice was as cold as ever, yet in Zhang Yuanqing's ears, he sounded just like the Boy of Wealth.
"Right away, Centurion!" Zhang Yuanqing was overjoyed.
Chapter 110