"Yuanzi, Yuanzi, are you asleep? I'm coming in~ Your beautiful, lovely auntie is coming in~" Without knocking, Jiang Yu'er kept her voice low and spoke conspiratorially from outside the door.
Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath, suppressed his negative emotions, rubbed his face, and said in a low voice, "Come in."
The doorknob turned, opening a crack. His aunt tiptoed stealthily inside and quickly shut the door behind her.
Jiang Yu'er wore a white nightdress with a lace-trimmed collar. Beneath its knee-length hem showed a pair of calves fair as white jade. Her dainty, delicate feet were slipped into pink summer slippers, her toes rounded and exquisite, painted with bright red nail polish.
"Why are you being so sneaky?" Zhang Yuanqing said testily.
*If people didn't know better, they'd think you were meeting a secret lover,* he thought.
It was worth mentioning that after what had happened earlier that day, the clinic doctors on duty had all been granted a week of leave.
After returning home, his aunt had exaggerated the crisis she had endured. Clinging to Grandma, she had wept loudly, claiming that she had been a hair's breadth away from never seeing her mother again.
Grandma had been frightened out of her wits, and mother and daughter had held each other in tears.
As a result, his aunt earned Grandma's deep sympathy. Grandma's tolerance for her spiked dramatically, to the point where no matter how she acted up, Grandma couldn't bring herself to scold her.
Jiang Yu'er trotted over to the bedside in her slippers, smoothed her skirt over her hips, sat down, and asked in a secretive whisper, "Where did you go afterward? Once the police stormed in, I couldn't find you anywhere."
When the officers rescued the hostages, Zhang Yuanqing had already been sent away for medical treatment by Li Dongze and the others.
Zhang Yuanqing looked at his aunt. Her eyes were bright and sparkling, filled with anticipation and excitement, like a little girl who had uncovered a secret.
*What an innocent aunt...* Zhang Yuanqing sighed inwardly, putting on a solemn face. "It seems I can no longer hide my identity. To tell you the truth, I'm actually a member of the national superpowers special task force. We specialize in dealing with evildoers lurking in the dark. By day, I'm a student; by night, I roam the city streets, punishing evil and upholding justice."
"A superpowers special task force?" Jiang Yu'er covered her mouth with a small hand, letting out a soft gasp.
"Yes," Zhang Yuanqing continued. "In fact, there are many superpowered individuals in this world. For the sake of society's peace and stability, we must conceal our identities and serve as unsung heroes. I actually awakened a long time ago and joined the task force, becoming one of those unsung heroes. According to our organization's regulations, I'm forbidden from revealing my identity. But since you've discovered it, Auntie, I can only come clean with you. You must keep it an absolute secret."
His aunt nodded repeatedly. "I understand, I understand! I signed a non-disclosure agreement today!"
The more she thought about it, the more excited she became. But then her brows furrowed, showing concern. "Yuanzi, this superpowers special task force sounds really dangerous..."
"Don't worry!" Zhang Yuanqing scoffed lightly. "Don't judge me by my youth. I'm actually a high-ranking member. The entire Songhai superpowers special department has to respect my opinion and follow my orders. You saw it today, didn't you? I settled the whole thing single-handedly."
"You're that amazing?" Only then was his aunt reassured, her face filled with admiration.
It was as if she were seeing her nephew in an entirely new light.
Zhang Yuanqing kept a calm exterior, though inside he thoroughly enjoyed his aunt's hero worship.
"Then... can I awaken too?" Jiang Yu'er asked yearningly.
"Well..." Zhang Yuanqing shook his head. "Not to brag, but awakening depends on innate talent. Only people with extraordinary gifts like me can awaken. If you haven't awakened past the age of eighteen, you basically have no talent for it."
With that, he saw his aunt puff out her cheeks in disappointment.
"You're really something..." Jiang Yu'er said with deep admiration.
*She totally bought it. I can see the adoration and worship in her eyes! Haha, no wonder those charlatans can swindle money and sex so easily...* Zhang Yuanqing cleared his throat and said, "You must never let word slip. Our line of work is extremely perilous. We must always be on guard against retaliation from evil forces. Leaking my identity would endanger the family."
"Like an undercover narcotics cop?"
"Exactly."
His aunt chattered on with countless more questions, and Zhang Yuanqing answered each smoothly, handling her with ease. When his aunt asked him to demonstrate his superpowers, Zhang Yuanqing solemnly refused, saying, "A great figure once said: Superpowers are not a circus act. We only strike hard against evildoers."
*Mm, that great figure was me!*
"How's the pay and benefits?" Jiang Yu'er had asked about almost everything else, but realized she hadn't touched on salary, and hurriedly followed up.
At the mention of this, Zhang Yuanqing perked up. He had over two million in cash sitting in his pockets and had been aching for a chance to show off.
He deliberately adopted a slow, composed tone. "The income is decent enough. In just five short months this year, I made five million."
*Praise me! Worship me!* he chanted in his heart.
Sure enough, his aunt gasped. "Five million?! Then if you save for a few years, you'll be even richer than your aunt-in-law!"
Zhang Yuanqing declared with utmost righteousness, "In our line of work, money is secondary. The main thing is to serve the country and benefit the people."
His aunt said delightedly, "Then I can spend your money from now on! It's not like you have a girlfriend anyway."
*Woman, keep dreaming!* Zhang Yuanqing scoffed. "No way. My money is meant to benefit the people, not buy you clothes and handbags."
"Stingy!"
"Woman, watch your tone. You are sitting beside a multi-millionaire."
Jiang Yu'er stayed in his room until two in the morning before reluctantly taking her leave.
*Phew, finally got through that!* Having shown off before his aunt and reaped her admiration and envy, Zhang Yuanqing found his mood strangely lifted. The gloom lingering from today's bitter defeat had unconsciously dissipated, leaving him feeling completely at ease.
*Sure enough, a man has to show off once in a while. Flexing really relieves stress...* He pulled up the air-conditioning quilt and settled in to sleep.
*Tomorrow I'll go see the little green tea. Comforting people is her forte. Heh, I just don't know whether the Xie family will change their attitude toward me because of Li Xianzong.*
*I still have to go into work these next few days, but I must disguise my appearance. I need to learn combat arts from Guan Ya. I never had the time or motivation before, but I can't delay any longer...*
*Before the third instance opens, I must improve my combat skills. When I get back, I'll finish off Li Xianzong... Hopefully Elder Gou can bring back the red dancing shoes as soon as possible...*
With these drifting thoughts, he sank into a deep sleep.
***
In the early morning of Beijing, the first ray of sunlight spilled down. The scholar tree in the courtyard house unfurled in the morning light, its tender green leaves shimmering with a rainbow sheen.
A gentle breeze blew, rustling the branches and leaves, producing sounds like the giggles and playful chatter of children.
The rocking chair beneath the scholar tree was empty; its master had not napped under the tree for many days.
Suddenly, the scenery of the courtyard rippled and warped. Immediately afterward, a figure materialized out of thin air onto the rocking chair.
The man had white hair, wore a white undershirt and baggy shorts, looking no different from an ordinary Beijing old-timer.
Yet as soon as he appeared, the skin across his entire body cracked open. Searing golden beams burst from within him, spouting out of his pupils, mouth, and nostrils.
The old man's body rapidly carbonized, turning into a charred corpse within seconds.
The searing golden light scorched the scholar tree's leaves, causing the "children" hiding within the branches to let out flurried, terrified shrieks.
More than ten seconds later, the charred corpse opened its eyes. The carbonized skin flaked away piece by piece, revealing newly formed, tender red flesh.
The heart within his chest resumed beating. Elder Sun slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air and said, "Go fetch some clothes for this old man, you blind little brats."
A gust of Yin wind darted out of the treetops, pushed open a window, and shortly after, wobbled back out carrying an undershirt, underwear, and baggy shorts.
Elder Sun shook off the carbonized flesh, changed into clean clothes, and added, "Go find Little Wang."
The Yin wind that had brought the clothes did not leave, but returned to the treetops instead. From the lush foliage came the sound of childish bickering:
"You go, it's your turn."
"I'm not going."
"If you don't go, I'll beat you up..."
A few seconds later, one side conceded, turning into a Yin wind that drifted out of the courtyard.
Elder Sun reclined on the rocking chair, resting his eyes. His face was slightly pale, his eye bags swollen.
A few minutes later, hurried footsteps approached. Guided by the Yin wind, a middle-aged man in black clothes and trousers stepped over the threshold into the courtyard.
"Elder Sun, you're finally out!" Little Wang said in pleasant surprise.
Elder Sun grunted in acknowledgement. "Contact Elder Gou of the Songhai Branch. I have business with him."
Among the five major organizations of the Five Elements Alliance, Baihui and the Taiyi Sect were the closest, which was why Elder Gou and Elder Sun maintained friendly ties in everyday life.
"Elder Gou is right here in Beijing. He arrived yesterday and has been waiting for you."
Elder Sun opened his eyes. "He's in Beijing? Go invite him over."
The middle-aged man in black bowed and left. About half an hour later, a curly-haired poodle with an elegant stride and a proudly raised head arrived at the courtyard.
The middle-aged man followed behind, holding a silver tray with both hands. On it rested a pair of dull, faded red dancing shoes, looking like worn-out junk discarded by its owner for years.
"I calculated with my fingers that you'd be coming out of the Spirit Realm around these days." Elder Gou scrutinized him and let out a soft exclamation of surprise. "Quite heavily injured. Do you need my help to heal you?"
Elder Sun naturally wouldn't pass up an opportunity to use a healer. "Much obliged! Heh, although Night Wanderers possess decent self-healing capabilities, this injury of mine is somewhat unusual."
The poodle nodded slightly, paced over to the rocking chair, and placed a paw on Elder Sun's leg.
A bright yet gentle green light flared, casting a luminous green glow over the courtyard. Bathed in the green light, Elder Sun's complexion gradually turned ruddy, and his swollen eye bags receded.
"Phew..."
Elder Sun let out a refreshed exhale. "That's enough. Did you come to Beijing asking for a favor?"
Elder Gou lowered his paw and said casually, "Hardly a favor, just a small hand. Healing you just now counts as payment."
With that, he glanced back and signaled the middle-aged man over.
The man stepped forward with the tray. Elder Gou said, "This item was tainted by witchcraft."
Elder Sun stared at the red dancing shoes, finding them strangely familiar, though he couldn't put his finger on it.
"Easy enough!"
Without overthinking, Elder Sun reached out, hovering his palm over the red dancing shoes. Clear, scorching golden light surged forth. Under the golden radiance, the red dancing shoes twisted, and the dull, faded color covering their surface peeled away rapidly like washed-off grime.
Within seconds, they looked brand new again.
*Tap, tap, tap...*
The red dancing shoes leaped happily from the tray, hopping all over the courtyard.
*Quite lively. An item with its own consciousness...* Elder Sun initially thought they were expressing joy at being "freed," until he saw a line of text float above the shoes:
[Would you like to dance with me? If so, please march in place.]
[Huh, where is everyone?]
He suddenly realized that the shoes were looking for someone, but unable to locate their target, they were wandering aimlessly around the yard.
At the same time, Elder Sun finally realized why they seemed familiar: these were the rule-based item from Sheling Tunnel, matching the records in the old guide.
In other words, their owner was Yuanshi Tianzun!
Elder Sun withdrew his gaze, looked toward the poodle, and said in a deep voice, "These shoes belong to Yuanshi Tianzun?"
Elder Gou nodded.
"I was just about to contact your Five Elements Alliance..." Elder Sun phrased his words carefully. "In the Night Wanderer-exclusive Spirit Realm, I ran into Lady Sandao. She was the one who injured me."
Elder Gou twitched the fur above his eyes.
"That lady is extremely powerful. I almost didn't make it back, but I gained quite a harvest. I roughly know why she's looking for Yuanshi Tianzun." Elder Sun sighed with emotion. "That kid took Lady Sandao's yang soul. Without that portion of her yang soul, she cannot advance any further, let alone break out of the Spirit Realm."
Elder Gou's expression underwent a remarkably human transition: shock, astonishment, and wild joy.
*That kid actually holds the yang soul of an ancient Day Wanderer...*
This was something most rule-based items couldn't compare to.
Elder Sun coughed and got straight to the point. "Lady Sandao will definitely do everything in her power to retrieve her yang soul. Yuanshi Tianzun's level is too low to bear such karma. The Taiyi Sect is willing to trade for it. Name your terms."
Elder Gou fell silent.
Elder Sun frowned, somewhat surprised. "You're unwilling? The Five Elements Alliance has no Night Wanderers. Giving her yang soul to you is of little use; you won't even be able to meet her."
"It's useless to us, but useful to Yuanshi. Keeping Lady Sandao's yang soul will allow him to shoulder this karma once he becomes a Dominator in the future," Elder Gou said.
Elder Sun looked dumbfounded. "You have such high hopes for him? Do you have any idea how difficult it is to advance to Dominator?"
"Sigh!" Elder Gou lamented. "He's the Five Elements Alliance's primary focus for cultivation moving forward. As long as he passes the grand health check, we will nurture him at all costs."
"Why...?" Elder Sun found it incomprehensible.
Elder Gou said, "Because he cleared two S-tier Spirit Realms, and because just a few days ago, he was awarded Class A merit. Besides, with this karmic tie, he's even more worthy of grooming, isn't he?"
Elder Sun froze. He stared at Elder Gou. "Class A merit? You're not joking with me?"
Given the difficulty of Class A merit, it required slaying a Dominator-level evil professional, averting a massive crisis, or securing a vital item. Those capable of achieving such feats were exclusively fellow Dominator-level Elders.
How could a low-level walker possibly pull that off?
Elder Gou glanced at him and said with a touch of pity, "Old Sun, you're so foolish!"
*How am I foolish?* Elder Sun didn't understand, once again finding the phrase strangely familiar. Just as he was about to ask, the red dancing shoes tapped their way over, stopping right before the rocking chair.
A line of text surfaced:
[Would you like to dance with me? If so, please march in place.]
Elder Sun waved his hand in a shooing gesture, continuing the previous conversation. "If you can't make the call, I can have our Sect Master speak with the female Grand Marshal..."
Before the words had completely left his mouth, Elder Sun was left reeling from a massive slap to the face.
He turned his head in shock, looking at the red dancing shoes beside the rocking chair.
In this day and age, an item actually dared to slap him across the face?!
Elder Sun's shooing gesture had triggered the attack rule of the red dancing shoes. Against those who refused to dance with them, the shoes showed no mercy.
*Thump, thump, thump...* The red dancing shoes leaped onto Elder Sun, launching a relentless follow-up assault, stomping heavily blow after blow onto the elderly man.
Elder Gou's gaze was brimming with pity. "Did you forget the rules of those dancing shoes?"
"Kill anyone who doesn't dance with them..." Elder Sun remembered.
"Their pursuit ignores obstacles, cannot be escaped, and cannot be destroyed, unless you dance with them," Elder Gou added.
"..."
Elder Gou said teasingly, "To think I'd have the honor of admiring Elder Sun's dancing. I can grant you the time for a dance."
Elder Sun scoffed, "Crude rules."
He closed his eyes, letting the red dancing shoes stomp on him, and detached his spirit body from his physical form.
Elder Sun's aura vanished instantly, his heart ceased beating, and not a trace of life remained.
For a Night Wanderer, astral projection was standard practice. Once consciousness left the body, the physical vessel entered a state of suspended animation.
The stomping pace of the red dancing shoes slowed. They paused beside the rocking chair to observe for a few seconds, then suddenly kicked out another heavy slap, but Elder Sun showed no reaction.
Seeing that he was already dead, the red dancing shoes immediately pivoted, tapping their way over to Elder Gou. A line of text floated up:
[Would you like to dance with me? If so, please march in place.]
Elder Gou's dog face froze instantly.
Elder Sun's spirit body returned to his flesh. Opening his eyes, he teased, "To think I'd have the honor of admiring your dancing. I can grant you the time for a dance."
Elder Gou sneered, "As if I don't have means of my own. Can these dancing shoes harm me in the slightest? Fine, my business in Beijing is done, and it's time to head back to Songhai. As for Lady Sandao's yang soul, I will not agree to give it to you unless the Alliance Leaders consent."
Snorting coldly, he maintained an elegant gait, braved the relentless stomps raining down upon him, and made a swift departure.
Watching the poodle disappear beyond the courtyard gate, Elder Sun withdrew his gaze, furrowed his brows in thought for a moment, and suddenly asked:
"What happened while I was away? How did that Yuanshi Tianzun get awarded Class A merit?"
The middle-aged man in black, secretly relieved that the shoes hadn't targeted him, recounted recent events to Elder Sun.
"So that's how it is," Elder Sun murmured in realization, sighing. "That kid's growth rate truly surprises me. Not trying harder to recruit him back then was my mistake..."
He paused abruptly, suddenly understanding what Elder Gou had meant by "foolish."
After a brief silence, Elder Sun asked cautiously, "Have there been any rumors about me within the sect lately?"
The middle-aged man had a conflicted look on his face. Under Elder Sun's gaze, he had no choice but to pull out his phone, open the Night Wanderer official forum, and type into the search bar: *Elder Sun is so foolish!*
Then he handed the phone over carefully. "See for yourself..."
Elder Sun took the phone, half-puzzled and half-serious. Looking closely, he saw that on the forum, posts containing the phrase "Elder Sun is so foolish!" numbered more than two hundred.
The venerable Elder's hands began to tremble slightly.
He scrolled down, skimming rapidly through the posts. They were all criticizing Elder Sun for being foolish and missing out on a rare talent. Gradually, "Elder Sun is so foolish!" had become a catchphrase used by the Taiyi Sect's Night Wanderers to express deep sorrow.
Whenever someone was in a bad mood, felt heartbroken, or was enraged, they would toss out: *Elder Sun is so foolish!*
Elder Sun's hands trembled even more violently.
Scrolling further down, he discovered that the very first few dozen posts saying "Elder Sun is so foolish!" originated from the exact same person, bearing the exact same name:
Yuan Ting!
"How audacious! Those damn dogs actually dare to mock this old man on the forum!"
"Well, not just there..." the middle-aged man said.
"Hm?" Elder Sun glared at him.
"They mock you in the chat groups too."
"..." Elder Sun flew into a rage. "Summon Yuan Ting to me! If I don't see him tonight, I'll go to Songhai personally and break his dog legs!"
***
"Elder Sun is so foolish!"
In the Night Wanderer chat group, Yuan Ting habitually lamented, then continued the discussion:
"In my opinion, even though Yuanshi Tianzun nearly died at Li Xianzong's hands yesterday, that doesn't mean he lacks potential. We all know how vast the gap between Level 2 and Level 3 is, not to mention that Li Xianzong has been through far more Spirit Realms and possesses more items."
Jian Ji: [Yuan Ting, you should be careful too. If Li Xianzong can't find Yuanshi Tianzun, he might try hunting other Level 3 walkers. You're a Night Wanderer, so your bounty will be higher than other orthodox professions.]
Yuan Ting: [Heh, I'll let him know just how formidable a Level 3 Night Wanderer can be.]
While they were chatting, an incoming call screen replaced the group chat interface.
*Deacon Wang is calling me?*
Looking at the caller ID, Yuan Ting paused. Deacon Wang was Elder Sun's assistant and confidant, and had very little contact with him.
Although they had exchanged contact information, they wouldn't have a single call across an entire year.
Yuan Ting answered the phone. "Deacon Wang, what are your instructions?"
Deacon Wang's deep voice came through the speaker:
"Yuan Ting, Elder Sun has emerged. He found out about you guys badmouthing him, and he's furious. He specifically named you and wants to see you.
"Oh, you... What can I even say? Sigh, best of luck to you."
*Is it too late for me to write a will now...?* Yuan Ting felt himself turning to stone inch by inch, his face a portrait of utter despair.
Chapter 120