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Another mission? I haven't even finished drawing my Evil-Dispelling Talismans! Zhang Yuanqing asked, "Boss, I haven't finished drawing my Evil-Dispelling Talismans..." "Only you and Guan Ya on the Songhai patrol team are free right now," Fu Qingyang cut off his excuse, then explained, "It isn't an emergency of utmost urgency. You can deal with it in two days. One of the main figures involved is one of your companions from the killing trial." A companion from the killing trial was his network and core team within the Five Elements Alliance. Zhang Yuanqing instantly stopped dodging and took the initiative to ask, "What's the situation specifically? Who ran into trouble?" Fu Qingyang replied, "'Long Live the White Tiger' from Jinghai City in Sanzhuang Province was assassinated the day before yesterday. He's heavily injured and comatose. Jinghai's municipal branch is short-staffed and hopes the Songhai patrol team can assist with the investigation and track down the culprit." *Long Live the White Tiger was assassinated?* Zhang Yuanqing frowned. He had a deep impression of the man. Among the official members who had followed him through the killing trial, Long Live the White Tiger was one of the elites. More importantly, the guy really knew how to suck up to him. Fu Qingyang continued, "According to the Jinghai branch's investigation, the attacker had been watching Long Live the White Tiger for a long time. His surrounding neighbors had been secretly influenced and turned into lookouts for the assailant. After the first attack failed, a second assassination attempt was carried out in the hospital soon after. This one almost killed Long Live the White Tiger, and he remains unconscious to this day. "I suspect there will be a third attempt. For now, under the pretext of an official assignment, I've dispatched two Songhai garrison teams to provide close protection at the hospital. But guarding against a thief is only a temporary fix, and the garrison teams can't leave their jurisdiction for too long. Once you finish crafting your Evil-Dispelling Talismans, head over as soon as possible." Zhang Yuanqing frowned. "Why haven't they asked the Xie City branch for reinforcements?" Jinghai was merely a prefecture-level city with a limited number of experts; being short on manpower was understandable. But Sanzhuang Province was a massive province, and the provincial capital's branch in Xie City was well-staffed. Things shouldn't have gotten this messy. Fu Qingyang said impassively, "The Jinghai City branch refuses to bow to the Xie City branch. They consider each other equals and believe requests for aid should be directed to a higher-ranking branch." "..." Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself, *I'm truly speechless.* He immediately recalled the organizational structure across the various branches of Sanzhuang Province. Normally, the branch located in a provincial capital commanded all official walkers across the entire province, overseeing every small prefecture-level branch. The capital branch served as their headquarters, housing the province's greatest concentration of experts. Sanzhuang Province, however, was different. Its capital was Pangxie City, but the overall strength of the Pangxie City branch was hardly any greater than the other small branches across the province. Official walkers in Sanzhuang Province were dispersed fairly evenly among the major prefecture-level cities, with comparable strength across the board. None of the local branches conceded superiority to any other, and all considered themselves on equal footing. "Understood." Zhang Yuanqing ended the call and turned back into the bedroom. *** At three thirty in the afternoon, Zhang Yuanqing received a call from Li Chunfeng. He immediately set down his writing brush, stepped over the discarded yellow talisman papers blanketing the floor, left the bedroom, and drove Queen's car toward the residential community's entrance. A few minutes later, the white compact car pulled up to the gate. Through the window, Zhang Yuanqing saw a frail-looking young man with black-rimmed glasses standing calmly beside the guard booth. His facial features were quite delicate and refined, making him look like a high school math teacher. It was indeed Li Chunfeng. *Beep beep~* Zhang Yuanqing tapped the horn, leaned out the window, and shouted to the security guard, "He's my friend. Please let him in; I forgot my access card." If anyone else had said that, the guard would have ignored them, but the moment he saw Zhang Yuanqing, he waved him right through. Ever since moving into the Fujia Bay villa, Zhang Yuanqing had bought and delivered fruit to the property management every few days. The guards received special treatment: he had stocked their booth with an entire carton of Chunghwa cigarettes. Now, whenever the guards changed shifts, the first thing they did was sit under the air conditioning and light up a Chunghwa, feeling just like office executives. The owners in Fujia Bay were all either filthy rich or powerful, but hardly anyone spent that kind of effort and money dealing with property management staff. When issues arose, they usually went straight to the management company's executives. Once Li Chunfeng entered the compound and pulled open the passenger door, Zhang Yuanqing asked, "You didn't drive?" Li Chunfeng asked back in a calm tone, "I'm working for you. Why should I use my own car? Shouldn't you provide one?" Zhang Yuanqing froze for a second. "Your work attitude is a lot like a former colleague of mine. We called him the anti-rat-race crusader." As he spoke, Zhang Yuanqing quietly opened his Star Eyes, inspecting Li Chunfeng's Life Palace. The Life Palace was the core and bedrock of the Twelve Palaces of Physiognomy, representing a person's fate—something ordinary methods could not alter. Just to be safe, he wanted to ensure Li Chunfeng had no ulterior problems; after all, this friend he had met in an instance was backed by a secret organization. *His Life Palace matches his physiognomy. No disguises, no shapeshifting, and he isn't some heavyweight who'd blind me with a single glance...* Zhang Yuanqing let out a silent breath of relief. At that moment, Li Chunfeng pushed up his glasses and said, "Congratulations on your promotion to Saint!" Zhang Yuanqing smiled. "Speaking of which, back in Yin-Yang Town, you were already Level 3 and had over fifty percent experience, right? Why didn't you enter the killing trial? I was actually hoping to see you there." Li Chunfeng replied with complete seriousness, "Because of you!" "Huh?" Before Zhang Yuanqing could process that, Li Chunfeng continued calmly, "I guessed you would take part in the killing trial, so I deliberately avoided it. For a genius like you, the evil organizations wouldn't let you advance smoothly; they were bound to plot a scheme. I spent two days building a model and calculated that your probability of clearing the trial alive was less than ten percent. That's why I chose to sit it out. Unfortunately, I got the answer wrong." *No, you weren't wrong. If I hadn't basically been using cheat codes, I probably really would have died in there...* Holding the steering wheel, Zhang Yuanqing bantered, "A genius like me can't be measured by data." Li Chunfeng nodded solemnly. "Indeed. I will refine my methodology in the future!" *So stiff, can't even take a joke. Things were too tense back in Yin-Yang Town—how did I never realize he was such a blockhead?* Zhang Yuanqing muttered inwardly. Before long, the white sedan pulled up outside the smaller villa. Zhang Yuanqing cut the engine, opened the door, and led Li Chunfeng toward the entrance while pointing next door. "That's Elder Fu Qingyang's residence. I managed to get a room for you over there. You'll be staying there from now on." Li Chunfeng looked over. The villa next door was extraordinarily grand: a three-story main building flanked by two auxiliary wings, linked together by covered walkways like a palace. The front courtyard was exceptionally spacious, landscaped with an array of expensive ornamental plants, with a fountain standing at the center. By comparison, the "luxury villa" Yuanshi Tianzun lived in seemed somewhat modest—though Li Chunfeng knew it must still cost a fortune. Such a grand mansion certainly had rooms to spare, but... "Are you joking? You want me to live with a Five Elements Alliance elder?" The calm expression on Li Chunfeng's face finally gave way to a sneer. "You've misjudged me." "Misjudged what?" "Misjudged my courage." The two stepped into the villa's main foyer. Zhang Yuanqing introduced him to the four female members waiting in the living room: "Li Chunfeng, Level 3 Scholar, our new teammate. In the future, if you have any academic or technical questions, feel free to consult him. Our team isn't lacking in combatants, but we sorely need a highly educated talent like him." He then turned to introduce the others to Li Chunfeng: "Jiang Jingwei, Xie Lingxi. Jingwei is Fire Demon. Xie Lingxi is a direct descendant of the Xie family." He did not introduce Queen and Guan Ya, as everyone was already well-acquainted. Guan Ya stepped forward, extended her hand, and smiled. "Long time no see!" Li Chunfeng quickly reached out, shook her hand, and nodded. "Long time no see. Congratulations on reaching Saint." He followed by shaking Queen's hand as well. Jiang Jingwei planted her hands on her hips and laughed heartily. "Li Chunfeng, right? From now on, just stick with me and I'll look out for you!" She walked over to Li Chunfeng's side and heartily slapped his arm. "Songhai is my turf. Whatever you need, just let me know. If Yuanshi Tianzun can't provide it, I will. My family is very rich." "Sure!" Li Chunfeng nodded, studying the red-haired girl with a hint of surprise. He had not expected this young Saint to take such an immediate liking to him. The joy radiating from the corners of her eyes and brow was definitely not mere bravado or polite formality; it came straight from the heart. As a Scout, Guan Ya's lips curved upward. "Don't get your hopes up too soon. She just thinks she found someone to do her homework." Li Chunfeng: "???" Zhang Yuanqing reprimanded her sternly, "Li Chunfeng is a Scholar. Please do not insult him with middle school homework." Just as Li Chunfeng's expression began to soften, Yuanshi Tianzun added, "I, on the other hand, wouldn't insult him. I'll only ask him to write my thesis papers." Li Chunfeng suddenly felt like resigning. *** Two days later, in Fu Qingyang's study. With dark circles under his eyes, Zhang Yuanqing placed a thick stack of Evil-Dispelling Talismans onto the desk. "All fifty are here. Mission accomplished." Fu Qingyang glanced at them and gave an approving nod. "A day earlier than expected. As I said, you are the type who surges forward all the more fiercely under pressure. Adversity brings out your potential, whereas an easy life will only dull your edge. Go handle the matter in Jinghai City." Leaving the study, Zhang Yuanqing turned around and knocked on Ling Jun's door. "Who is it?" "Me!" "No Yuanshi Tianzun or dogs allowed." "Teacher, I'm here on important business. Very important." Only then did Ling Jun open the door, grunting, "Fart whatever you've got to say." Without a word, Zhang Yuanqing pulled out a Peach Talisman and said, "Actually, I really did use a mystical craft that day. This is a Peach Talisman crafted with Spirit Talismans combined with Musician materials. Using it will attract romantic entanglements. It's my filial gift to you, Teacher." "Good brother, please come in!" Ling Jun said with sincere warmth, silently pulling open his pocket. Zhang Yuanqing tactfully slipped it inside, stepping into the room while saying, "Teacher, I slept in the same bed as Sister Guan Ya last night. I feel like saying goodbye to my virginity is only a matter of time now, but she's still a bit resistant, so I wanted to ask for advice." Ling Jun hurriedly erected a barrier and stared, dumbfounded. "You were already in her bed, and you still haven't made it to base?" Zhang Yuanqing said, "I wanted to, but she wasn't ready. We have to respect women." "If she wasn't willing, she wouldn't have let you into her bed in the first place! Women are reserved; she'll never say it directly! In moments like that, you have to coax her! You—you're a bloody idiot! Get the hell out, I don't have a disciple like you!" Having pocketed the talisman, Ling Jun immediately turned hostile. *** Jinghai City bordered Jinshan City, an hour and a half's drive from Songhai. At six in the evening, Zhang Yuanqing led his team as they arrived at Jinghai People's Hospital in a commercial van. Two captains from the Songhai garrison units and a captain from Jinghai City were already waiting outside the main building. The ones Fu Qingyang had dispatched to protect Long Live the White Tiger were Bailong and Tang Guoqiang, both familiar faces. "Wei Yuanzhou, Level 4 Plague God, captain of Jinghai City's Third Team," Bailong introduced. The Jinghai captain was around thirty years old, with sharp brows, a prominent nose, handsome and upright features, and a gentle, steady demeanor that made an excellent first impression. *A Level 4 Saint, and still just a captain? Uh, are you an anti-rat-race crusader too?* Zhang Yuanqing bantered inwardly, shaking his hand politely before asking, "How is Long Live the White Tiger?" "He was critically wounded. An item from a Transcendent-stage Wood Demon combined with medical procedures stabilized his condition, but he's still comatose," Tang Guoqiang said. "Why didn't you use Life Essence?" Zhang Yuanqing frowned. "He doesn't have the clearance," Wei Yuanzhou explained. "According to regulations, only Deacons can apply for and use Life Essence. Besides, his condition has already stabilized." *Not every leader is Fu Qingyang...* Zhang Yuanqing sighed inwardly. He was used to having organizational resources lavished upon him, receiving whatever he asked for; even if his qualifications fell short, Fu Qingyang would smooth things over. But that was hardly the norm. "If he's still being hunted by evil classes, every additional day he spends lying in this hospital is another day of danger. Take me to his ward at once." Zhang Yuanqing strode into the hospital building.