Queen quickly clicked into the post. The Songhai branch's announcement was exceptionally concise, consisting of just a few sentences:
"Following days of investigation, the Songhai branch successfully located the Lust Divine General and struck with lightning force, eliminating him. During this operation, Yuanshi Tianzun provided vital intelligence, making an outstanding contribution to the elimination of the Lust Divine General."
Official announcements had always been brief, often summing up major events in two or three sentences. Among seasoned official walkers, there was even a common joke: "The fewer the words, the bigger the incident."
Yet in this sparse announcement, praise for Yuanshi Tianzun took up half the space.
Even though it was glossed over with simple terms like "vital intelligence" and "outstanding contribution," official walkers were thoroughly experienced at reading between the lines. The Songhai branch was practically saying that taking down the Lust Divine General had rested entirely on Yuanshi Tianzun.
"Awesome! As expected of the potential stock I set my sights on!" Queen pumped her fist excitedly.
Previously, Queen had only heard of Yuanshi Tianzun's reputation on the forums without knowing much about him, nor had she cared all that much—they belonged to different branches, after all.
But after coming out of the Yin Yang Town instance and going through life and death alongside him, she knew that as long as Yuanshi Tianzun did not die young, he was bound to have boundless prospects.
Backing the right leader was immensely important. It affected not only one's future prospects, but could also make a critical difference in instances, such as providing item support.
She had been stuck at the Transcendent stage, hesitating to enter the killing trial because she lacked powerful items to protect herself, making the chances of death extremely high. Her previous supervisors had either been unable to help on that front or had made subtle hints about unspoken rules.
Yuanshi Tianzun was different. They had bonded through life and death. Besides, even if Yuanshi Tianzun did suggest unspoken rules, Queen felt she could probably give a bashful nod.
The kid was young and hadn't been dyed by society's grimy vat yet. He wasn't like those greasy, deceitful leaders who disgusted her.
Yuanshi was great. He was clean.
Queen scrolled down with her mouse, happily reading the comments:
[Little Sister Niu: I want to take a flight to Songhai to thank Yuanshi Tianzun, and thank the Songhai branch!! Ahhh~ Lust is finally dead! The female colleagues in our branch are all cheering! Party tonight! From now on, I'm a fan of Yuanshi Tianzun.]
[Moon Rabbit: Our branch chat group has completely exploded! Thank you, Yuanshi Tianzun, and thank you, Songhai branch, for ridding the northern branches of the Lust Divine General. *Sigh,* a peak Saint Bewitching Demon could only be dealt with by an elder, provided they could even locate him.]
[Moon Rabbit: The Songhai branch truly deserves its place in the top five. Just recently, they resolved the Holy Grail disaster and killed Black Impermanence, and now they've eliminated the Lust Divine General. Truly impressive.]
[Ice Banshee: That cancer known as the Lust Divine General has finally been excised. There will be far fewer unexplained missing persons cases in the north now. On behalf of all the women harmed by Lust, I thank the Songhai branch.]
[Sweet Cookie: Universal celebration, universal celebration! I love Yuanshi Tianzun to death. I apologize for my improper remarks a few days ago.]
[Quri Kuduo: *Tsk,* you women really have no reverence at all. Is Yuanshi Tianzun's name something you can just throw around? You should be addressing him as Lord Tianzun!]
[Wangfei: Hey, did you guys notice? Yuanshi Tianzun took part in both matters, and he claimed top credit in both. Wow, his operational competence is insane. I want to go to Songhai and join him too.]
[Milky White Breasts: Lord Tianzun is awesome!!]
*You'd better not come. You're not even as pretty as me, so why would you come to Songhai...* Queen couldn't help snarking inwardly at that.
In the comment section, the most impassioned responses came from female colleagues in the northern branches. To say their blood was boiling wouldn't be an exaggeration. Parties and celebratory banquets were small matters; some female colleagues even set off firecrackers at their branch offices.
It was clear that the northern branches had suffered under the Lust Divine General for far too long. Lust had only been in Songhai for a short time and had already stirred up so much turmoil, which showed just how arrogant and devastating he had been in the north.
Colleagues from other branches mostly watched the excitement, chiming in with cries of "666" and marveling that a peak Saint Divine General had fallen in Songhai, without feeling quite as deeply touched.
However, Wangfei's words suddenly made the various branches realize that Songhai's successive purges of high-level Saints had both involved Yuanshi Tianzun.
The conversation quickly shifted toward how Yuanshi Tianzun was the Songhai branch's lucky star for raking in merits.
Queen quietly exited the forum and sent Yuanshi Tianzun a message:
"Lord Tianzun, this humble girl can't survive in Pangxie City anymore. Please take me in~ [weeping]"
A dozen seconds later, Yuanshi Tianzun replied:
"My patrol team only takes experts of size D and above."
Queen froze for a moment, then replied:
"What do you mean?"
Yuanshi Tianzun: "Your comprehension is terrible. This Tianzun doesn't recruit teammates who lack comprehension. Whatever, for the sake of our life-and-death bond, I'll take you in as an alchemy virgin at my stirrups."
Queen let out a cheer, happily rolling around on the couch with her phone. Just as she finished a few rolls, she received another reply from Yuanshi Tianzun:
"*Ahem,* that was just a joke. Don't tell Guan Ya. Back in the Yin Yang Town instance, I didn't slap your backside on purpose at the river bottom. There's no need to bring that up with Guan Ya."
*Don't tell Guan Ya...* With a normal woman's sharp intuition, Queen sensed the unusual relationship between Yuanshi Tianzun and Guan Ya, and her heart sank at once.
*That Guan Ya, last time she claimed Yuanshi Tianzun was just so-so and that she could never be interested in a younger boy. Bah!* Queen thought indignantly.
"I definitely can't afford to buy an apartment in Songhai, so I'll have to rent. Ugh, housing prices over there are so exorbitant, that's another massive expense..." Queen began worrying about practical problems.
***
At sunset, Wuhen Hotel.
[Yuanshi Tianzun: The Lust Divine General has returned to the Spirit Realm!]
At the front desk, Xiao Yuan looked down at the message on her phone and silently exhaled, feeling an immense weight lift from her heart.
If the Lust Divine General didn't die, let alone the Songhai branch, even she wouldn't have been able to sleep or eat in peace. Although Master Wuhen offered protection, a thief could plot for a thousand days, but one could not guard against a thief for a thousand days.
There would always be moments of lowered vigilance or careless oversight, and the Lust Divine General was an old hand. If he didn't strike, so be it, but the moment he did, it would be meticulously planned.
Just like the ambush Yuanshi Tianzun had faced a few days ago.
If she hadn't arrived in time, Yuanshi Tianzun would very likely have met a grim end.
Xiao Yuan put down her phone. After a thought, she still replied to Yuanshi Tianzun:
"Alright!"
She immediately turned to Kou Beiyue, who was standing by the hotel entrance near the air conditioning vent wearing a doorman's uniform, and said, "Lust is dead."
Kou Beiyue, whose posture had been loose and slouching, snapped upright. A look of disbelief washed over his face as he strode over to the front desk. "Really? Does that mean I can go out and deliver food again?"
Terrified of being targeted by the Lust Divine General again, he had stayed well-behaved in the hotel these past few days, cutting off all contact with the outside world.
He had to admit that running a hotel was utterly dull. Cleaning every day, dealing with guests, and whenever someone checked in, he had to pinch his vocal cords and sing, "Welcome..."
It wasn't half as good as delivering takeout!
"Do you really love delivering takeout that much?" Xiao Yuan said exasperatedly, then nodded. "Yuanshi Tianzun just notified me."
"Incredible!" Having received confirmation, Kou Beiyue was overjoyed, not sparing any praise. "That son of a bitch Lust Divine General was a Bewitching Demon far stronger than me. The Songhai branch really has some moves."
Xiao Yuan gave him an affectionate, pitying look and managed a reluctant hum of agreement.
"Yuanshi Tianzun said he'd take revenge, and he actually did. How did he find the Lust Divine General?" In front of Xiao Yuan, Kou Beiyue completely abandoned his thinking capacity.
"How else? By finding a traitor!"
Xiao Yuan was exceptionally clever. Recalling their conversation before Yuanshi Tianzun left, she roughly guessed what had happened.
"Huh? Traitor? What traitor..." Kou Beiyue looked baffled.
Xiao Yuan sighed in frustration at his hopelessness. "With a brain like yours, how do you expect to compete with Yuanshi Tianzun? And you still wanted to pin him to the ground and beat him?"
Having been scolded out of nowhere, Kou Beiyue dared not voice his grievance, wearing a deeply wronged expression.
***
Logistics company, office.
Human Blood Bun sat in his office chair, staring blankly at the message on his phone:
"Latest news: that lecherous guy was taken down by the officials! Supposedly, he fell by Yuanshi Tianzun's hands."
The message subtly substituted "that lecherous guy" for "Lust Divine General," a standard phrasing evil organizations used when transmitting information.
*He actually fell to Yuanshi Tianzun?* Human Blood Bun stared in shock.
As for the outcome of the Lust Divine General returning to the Spirit Realm, Human Blood Bun had secretly anticipated it and considered it very likely, since President Gu King clearly harbored such intentions and would probably scheme in the dark.
Yet the news he received now was completely different from what he had envisioned.
Over the past few days, he had lain low, excitedly and eagerly awaiting the news of Yuanshi Tianzun being slaughtered by the Lust Divine General.
After all, he had personally handed over the bait that the Lust Divine General used to hunt Yuanshi Tianzun.
Who could have thought the news that arrived would be that Lust had been "taken down" by Yuanshi Tianzun instead?
*Terrifying. That fellow Yuanshi Tianzun is simply terrifying. Even a renowned Divine General couldn't kill him, and that was after setting a trap in advance... The freelancers in the southeast are going to have to lie low again.*
Human Blood Bun was gripped with dread. He felt exceedingly fortunate to have left Songhai, but then realized that Jinshan City was too close to Songhai, still falling under Yuanshi Tianzun's reach.
*Wait, did the Lust Divine General sell me out? I'm the one who leaked Kou Beiyue's location to him. Will... will Yuanshi Tianzun take revenge on me?!*
At that thought, Human Blood Bun's back snapped straight. Then he remembered an even more terrifying detail—Kou Beiyue knew that the logistics company was the black market he ran.
Instantly, panic surged through him, as if Yuanshi Tianzun might lead a team to storm the premises and purge the evil classes in the very next second.
*Ding!*
His phone chimed with the alert of an incoming text.
Human Blood Bun steadied his nerves and tapped to view it.
[Kou Beiyue: Bun, I've had stuff going on recently and didn't have time to contact you. Everything's wrapped up today. Let's deliver takeout together tomorrow. I'll come find you in the morning.]
*It's over. Beiyue is coming to kill me...* Human Blood Bun looked utterly terrified, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
***
A small city in the north.
Inside the study of a suburban villa, Wrath Divine General, who stood fully one meter ninety tall, leaned against the back of his chair, listening impassively to his subordinate's report.
"The Songhai branch issued an announcement today. The Lust Divine General is dead. Lord Wrath, you should keep an eye on the Mother Goddess's Womb, just in case Lust tries to gestate again from it."
The trusted subordinate cautioned quietly. He could tell that Wrath Divine General was in a rather good mood today, which was why he dared to probe for some "intelligence."
Under normal circumstances, he would never dare pry into high-level matters like this.
"No need to speculate. Aside from the Heavenly Kings, anyone who wants to use the Mother Goddess's Womb must exchange Grade A merit for it."
Wrath Divine General possessed an exceptionally rugged face—square jaw, crew cut, thick eyebrows flaring upward at the ends, and deep vertical furrows between his eyes. He wore a perpetual scowl, appearing as though he were permanently in a state of fury.
The Divine General sneered, "If he had managed to kill Yuanshi Tianzun, he might have traded that for a chance at resurrection. Unfortunately, he failed."
Grade A merit corresponded to a Dominator of the orthodox faction, which meant one had to kill an elder to earn it. Aside from that, only certain special merits would suffice—such as eliminating Yuanshi Tianzun, who possessed the caliber of an Alliance Leader.
The trusted subordinate nodded. "Lord Wrath, judging by how things played out, the one who contacted you that day was very likely Songhai's Yuanshi Tianzun."
Wrath Divine General nodded slightly. "We might as well keep his number. There will come a time when it proves useful."
With that, he stood up and said, "Alright, I'm off to pick a fight and argue with Silver Moon Heavenly King. While I'm at it, I'll have him deal with Fear Heavenly King."
Among the Eight Divine Generals, the two with the worst tempers were Silver Moon and Wrath, though their "bad tempers" were somewhat different. Silver Moon's temper was about flying off the handle—he was all smiles when nothing was wrong, but whenever trouble arose, blood rushed to his head, and in a rage he would even curse Fear Heavenly King.
Wrath Divine General's temper, on the other hand, was purely an infinite loss of emotional control, perpetually radiating fury.
And his best way to vent that anger was to go pick a fight with Silver Moon.
Of course, nowadays, it was mostly getting beaten up.
***
The next day, nine in the morning.
Zhang Yuanqing took a taxi to Fujia Bay and entered Fu Qingyang's study, handing a roster of team members to the Money Prince seated behind the desk.
Fu Qingyang glanced at the list and said, "Why are they all female members?"
There were only two members on the list: Please Call Me Queen and Xie Lingxi.
"Oh, there's another male member, but he said he wanted to consider it for a day. He's an unaffiliated walker. I'll submit his identification details later," Zhang Yuanqing said.
He had originally wanted to recruit Peony Fairy into the squad as well, but Peony was now a Saint and had gloriously become a deacon.
Although that mature, charming elder sister had persistently begged to join the patrol team, fully willing to become an alchemy mature woman serving under Yuanshi Tianzun, Zhang Yuanqing felt he shouldn't hinder her career prospects, so he declined.
As for Xie Lingxi, she was very eager to gain experience within the official ranks. When her family elders heard that she would be training under Yuanshi Tianzun, they readily agreed as well.
The process had gone smoothly without any hitches.
The unaffiliated walker who needed time to consider was Scholar Li Chunfeng. As an unaffiliated walker, getting a chance to enter the official organization—and as a member of a patrol team with considerable authority, no less—ought to have been an opportunity one couldn't ask for fast enough.
Zhang Yuanqing grew increasingly certain that the kid had something behind him, backed by a powerful organization, which was why he wasn't enthusiastic about joining the officials.
The big shot behind Li Chunfeng was most likely Lian Sanyue. Zhang Yuanqing's plan was to first recruit Li Chunfeng, make him one of their own, and then proceed step by step.
After all, he couldn't just walk up and say he had business with Lian Sanyue and ask for an introduction.
Unaffiliated walkers harbored strong wariness toward the officials. Just like when he had visited Wuhen Hotel to look for Master Wuhen, the moment Xiao Yuan heard about it, she unleashed the oppressive aura of a Saint, nearly scaring him and Xie Lingxi out of their wits.
"Huh? Is Jingwei going to train under Sister Guan Ya?"
Zhang Yuanqing noticed another application form on the desk. On it was written:
Captain: Guan Ya.
Member: Jiang Jingwei.
Just the two of them, no one else.
"Do you think Jingwei is fit to be a captain?" Fu Qingyang countered. "This was her family's wish."
"Then why didn't they let Jingwei follow a Fire Master?" Zhang Yuanqing asked casually.
Even as he asked, he had already thought of the answer. A team always needed someone level-headed. Otherwise, a situation would arise where the captain yelled, *"Lads, follow me! Let's take down Soldier Master Asura!"*
And the lads would shout, *"Charge! Charge!"*
Followed by a total team wipe.
From the looks of it, despite being hot-tempered and reckless, the Fire Masters still had some self-awareness. Zhang Yuanqing said, "Elder Fu, I'd like to receive my rewards now."
He was referring to the series of rewards for clearing the killing trial, breaking the score record, wiping out the evil faction, clearing the wanted list, and so on.
Aside from merit points, there was also a large sum of cash and items, all temporarily held in Fu Qingyang's safekeeping.
Fu Qingyang had mentioned that the headquarters had been exceptionally generous this time, awarding several very fine items.
Now that the team was being formed, Zhang Yuanqing wanted to get his hands on that cash and those items.
Fu Qingyang nodded slightly. "There is one more matter. Patrol teams do not have fixed office locations. For secrecy purposes, it's best if you rent a place yourself, or do as I do and use your residence as an office."
*I don't have a luxury villa like yours to use as an office...* Zhang Yuanqing grumbled inwardly, then had a sudden brainwave and said, "Guild Master, I'd like to apply to use my luxury flat."
Being allocated a luxury flat worth tens of millions in a tier-one or tier-two city was a benefit for White Tiger Guards members. Because he enjoyed the Guild Master's unique favor, he had been granted an apartment worth twenty million.
Currently, the flat was still on the White Tiger Guards' ledger and hadn't been claimed.
*I can totally use that place as an office. Queen and Little Green Tea don't have a place to stay in Songhai, so they can just live there. I can drop by and stay over occasionally too, heh!*
Chapter 313