Six Days Have Passed

[Name: Reproduction Sapling] [Type: Plant] [Functions: Reproduction, Beast Taming] [Description: The sapling of a divine tree, inheriting a portion of its mother tree's power. Having parted from the mother tree, it longs to grow into a being as magnificent as the tree that bore it. As such, it harbors an obsessive fixation with reproduction and growth. Additionally, it can control the wild beasts of the forest. Procreation is an eternal pursuit. Reproduce! For the continuation of the species, for the birth of new life, cast aside all restraint and reproduce to your heart's content!] [Note 1: Those who refuse to reproduce do not deserve the gift of fertility.] [Note 2: Every twenty-four hours, it summons nearby living creatures to hold a grand sacrificial rite of procreation.] *A sapling? A sapling nearly two meters tall? Just how massive is the mother tree, then...?* Zhang Yuanqing marveled with a click of his tongue after scanning the item's attributes. The sapling was an item belonging to the Wood Demon class, possessing two major functions: Reproduction and Beast Taming. Beast Taming was self-explanatory and straightforward. Reproduction's specific effect, however, was that whenever this item was activated, all living creatures within a certain radius would fall into a frenzied urge to reproduce. At first glance, the effect seemed simple enough, but in reality, it was a terrifyingly potent debuff. Imagine being surrounded by a sea of enemies, only to brandish this sapling. Under the pervasive aura of reproduction, foes trying their absolute best to kill you one second might turn around and invite you into bed the next. If the opposition consisted of enchanting, seductive beauties, that would be wonderful. If it were a whole crowd of enchanting women, that would be even better. But if the opposition were a pack of burly, hulking brutes... Furthermore, the price was severe. The drawback in Note 1 mirrored that of the Mountain God Scepter: using the item aroused intense reproductive desire. Yet the sapling was far more tyrannical than the scepter. The scepter's penalty could still be resisted through sheer willpower, but the sapling outright stripped its wielder of their fertility. Naturally, for someone with a girlfriend, a wife, a female companion, or rather loose moral boundaries, that wouldn't pose much of a problem. What truly gave Zhang Yuanqing a headache was Note 2. He had no desire to turn everywhere he went into an open-air orgy. That was simply too unhinged. "This item can't be kept, and it certainly can't be used. I'll store it away for now, then melt it down in the furnace seven days from now." Abandoning any notion of keeping the item for long-term use, Zhang Yuanqing stowed the sapling into his inventory. Next, he glanced over at the more than thirty young students, still frozen in compromising postures with hollow, doll-like gazes, and dialed Queen's number. "Queen, I found an item at Songfu University..." After briefing her on the situation in the campus park, he said, "Notify the nearby official walkers and have them bring a Musician over to handle it. My recommendation is to hypnotize them so they forget everything that happened tonight and pretend none of this ever took place." Queen pondered for a moment. "For them, that really is the best course of action." This way, the students could continue their studies and return to their normal lives. Hanging up the phone, Zhang Yuanqing turned to Zhu Hanjing, pausing in thought. Although the official walkers would handle the matter discreetly, they would inevitably need cooperation from the police and the university administration. This girl had merely stumbled into the area by accident and hadn't taken part in the revelry. Leaving her here would ruin her reputation. After a brief consideration, he walked up to Zhu Hanjing, activated the flight ability of his Gale Gloves, and carried her out of the park. Gliding over the sports field, Zhang Yuanqing touched down beside a flower bed behind the teaching building. *Wearing a mask in this kind of situation is too terrifying, but taking it off will make me moody and unpredictable, like a lunatic with split personalities...* After weighing his options, Zhang Yuanqing decided to remove the mask. A moody eccentric was still far less frightening than a mask painted like a demon. With a gentle swipe of his hand, the insolent blue visage dispersed. He then snapped his fingers. The blank-eyed girl shuddered all over as if jolting awake from a dream, looking around in complete bewilderment. For a moment, she couldn't tell which side was reality and which was an illusion. Then, she caught sight of the unfamiliar young man standing before her. Her reason instantly flooded back, making it clear what was real and what had been a nightmare. "If you dare to scream, I'll teach you the true meaning of fear and agony." Before Zhu Hanjing could let out a shriek, the handsome young man cut her off, delivering the line in a chilling, sinister tone. ...Zhu Hanjing recoiled in terror, her voice trembling. "A-Are you human, or a ghost?" If he were a ghost, she would scream this instant. Zhang Yuanqing took several strides forward, cornering her against the wall. He reached out, tilted her pointed chin up, and curved his lips into an amused grin. "I've already felt the smooth, exquisite softness of your skin. I imagine you've felt the warmth of my fingertips as well." *???* Zhu Hanjing was left utterly baffled by his abrupt shift in demeanor. Her heart pounded violently as her back pressed against the wall. The terror within her actually subsided a little—the warmth of his fingers really was quite scorching. Yet a fresh anxiety surged in her chest. *This hot-and-cold freak isn't going to strip me naked and violate me, is he? Just like those people in the park...* "Who on earth are you?" she demanded. "You can think of me as a roaming spirit of the night, or perhaps an Eastern Batman. If you insist on asking my honorable name, it is—the Great Yuanshi Tianzun!" he declared. *A roaming spirit of the night? An Eastern Batman? The Great Yuanshi Tianzun...?* Zhu Hanjing stared blankly. Just as she was about to ask about the unspeakable scene in the park, the handsome peer suddenly turned dark-faced, his voice dropping into frigid detachment: "I've already notified the police station. People will arrive shortly to handle those in the park. I brought you here to tell you two things. First: whatever you saw tonight, do not breathe a word of it to anyone. Second: get back to your dorm immediately." With that, he shot her a cold, sideways glare. "Now get lost!" Zhu Hanjing shuddered in fright, spun around, and sprinted away. She ran all the way back to her dormitory in a single breath, burrowed under her covers, and stayed frozen beneath the blanket. Only after a long while did she poke her head out, gasping for air. "A roaming spirit of the night... the Great Yuanshi Tianzun..." she murmured to herself. Vaguely, she realized she had brushed against an entirely new world. A bizarre, dreamlike realm. And that handsome young man was her living proof of having crossed paths with that miraculous world. Her thoughts drifted, and she began to worry about Xiao Lan again. *He said he would resolve the matter. I hope he keeps his word...* *I wonder if I'll ever see him again. In romance novels, this is usually how the female lead meets the male lead...* Clinging to a tiny wisp of anticipation, Zhu Hanjing drifted into a deep sleep. *** Jiangbei Residential Area, atop a residential building. A figure descended onto the edge of the rooftop, gazing down at the silent neighborhood enveloped in the night. His pitch-black eyes scanned the residential buildings one by one, as though searching for something. "Huh, no aura of vengeful spirits. If any had appeared within the past twenty-four hours, I would've sensed their lingering trace. But there's nothing here..." Zhang Yuanqing retracted his gaze, wondering if there was no item here after all—perhaps Li Chunfeng's information had been flawed, or perhaps someone else had dealt with the vengeful spirit ahead of time. To be safe, he decided to double-check. Exhaling a breath of lunar energy, it condensed on the ground into an infant. With chubby cheeks, round dark eyes, and a tiny mouth, he looked no different from an ordinary baby, save for his slightly translucent form. Zhang Yuanqing leaned down, patted the infant spirit's head, and commanded: "Treasure Seeking!" Little Doubi understood his master's order. Letting out an "aba," he craned his neck, his head swiveling back and forth like an antenna searching for a signal. Moments later, seemingly locking onto a target, he paddled his limbs across the air and vanished into the darkness. *** Building 8, Unit 602. Inside the two-bedroom apartment, yellow paper talismans were plastered everywhere—on the walls, doorframes, and glass partitions... A Bagua mirror hung on the back of the security door. In the dim bedroom, a shrine rested beside the window. Incense was burning, candles were lit, and the offering table was laid with fruits and pastries. Yet what was enshrined was neither Buddha nor deity, but a miniature coffin twenty centimeters long. The coffin was pitch-black as ink, radiating a sinister, frigid aura. Though the size of a toy, it was far more chilling than a real coffin. Before the shrine knelt a figure, muttering under his breath, his words slurred and indistinct. Just then, a light chuckle echoed through the dim bedroom: "Stop worshipping it. A few more bows, and you won't have a life left to live." The voice sounded remarkably youthful. The man before the shrine shuddered, springing to his feet by sheer reflex as he turned toward the source of the sound. There, seated on the sofa beside the bed, sat a figure who hadn't been there moments ago. Dressed in a T-shirt and lightweight trousers, with a tall, upright posture, he was clearly a young man. "Who are you? How did you get in here? Are you tired of living?!" Having regained his composure, the middle-aged man showed no fear with the shrine at his back, barking out his demand. "Don't worry about how I got in. Take a look at your own face—so pale there isn't a drop of blood left in it. You're about to die. Of course, I can save you, provided you answer my questions honestly." Zhang Yuanqing leaned back languidly against the sofa. "The eerie knocking sounds in Jiangbei Residential Area were your doing, weren't they? Don't bother denying it. I even know how you pulled it off." He pointed toward the miniature coffin. "You're raising a ghost in there, aren't you?" The middle-aged man's face shifted drastically, and he snapped: "Who on earth are you?!" Before the words had even settled, a patch of gold lacquer ignited between the young man's brows, rapidly spreading to cover his entire face. A brilliant golden radiance illuminated the gloomy bedroom. Immediately after, strokes of black and red surged across that golden visage, sketching out a dignified, awe-inspiring mask. "Answer me!" the imposing golden face demanded in a deep, booming bark. The middle-aged man's heart spasmed violently, nearly skipping a beat. "Great Spirit, please reveal yourself and strike down the enemy!" The middle-aged man dropped heavily to his knees, kowtowing toward the coffin. Blackness welled in Zhang Yuanqing's eyes as he scrutinized the miniature box. "Great Spirit, please reveal yourself and strike down the enemy!" The middle-aged man kept knocking his head against the floor, his voice growing frantic. In the past, whenever he kowtowed, the "Great Spirit" inside the coffin would unfailingly appear to carry out his bidding. Yet today, for reasons unknown, the Great Spirit inside remained entirely silent. This had never happened before. "How awkward. It seems a bit afraid of me." Zhang Yuanqing fixed his eyes on him, his voice booming with undeniable authority: "Answer my questions, or die!" *He... he's like me, someone with supernatural abilities, and far stronger than I am...* The middle-aged man's mind raced. Weighing the pros and cons, he chose to cooperate: "What do you want to know?" "Where did you get the coffin?" Zhang Yuanqing glanced at the shrine. "I picked it up outside my door. About three days ago, I saw it sitting right there. I thought it was bad luck, so I kicked it away. But when night came, I heard someone knocking on the door. When I opened it, no one was there, and the coffin was back at my doorstep. I picked it up, intending to throw it into the trash can downstairs..." The middle-aged man spoke, his pale face a mixture of excitement and dread. "Yet the moment I picked it up, I suddenly felt it had a mind of its own. It could communicate with me, and all at once, I understood how to use it." "How to use it? Knocking on doors to scare people?" Zhang Yuanqing sneered. "No, knocking on doors was just an experiment! It's a magical treasure that can command spirits! You're one of my kind, so you should understand what I mean—I can drive it to do anything!" the middle-aged man retorted angrily, seemingly offended by any disparagement of the coffin. "It just takes time to worship it. The longer I worship it, the more I feel like I'm truly becoming its master." *No, you're just about to die.* "And after you gain full control of this magical treasure?" Zhang Yuanqing asked. "Then I'll do far more meaningful things, of course." Greed flickered across the middle-aged man's pale face, a streak of madness hiding in his eyes. *His mental state is already deteriorating, and his vitality has been severely drained. Three days at most, and he'll be dead...* Zhang Yuanqing snapped his fingers, and the middle-aged man instantly froze in place, lost in an illusion. Zhang Yuanqing rose, walked over to the shrine, and reached his hand toward the coffin. The miniature black coffin trembled violently, as though resisting, as though terrified, but in the end, it yielded, allowing this mighty Starlord to take hold of it. [Name: Evil Spirit Coffin] [Type: Coffin] [Function: Spirit Mastery] [Description: After a powerful Witch Doctor died, their remains were refined into a yin artifact and sealed within this coffin, becoming an evil spirit available to be commanded. By offering one's own vitality as a sacrifice and praying to it, the coffin will dispatch the evil spirit to fulfill the supplicant's wish.] [Note: It radiates malice at all times.] After reading the item information and understanding its function and drawback, Zhang Yuanqing instantly grasped the reason behind the middle-aged man's frail condition. The man wasn't a Spirit Realm walker and couldn't see the item's stat block. He could only experiment through the feedback he received as its wielder. The knocking was him testing the item's capabilities. But because each sacrifice left him utterly exhausted and in need of rest, he hadn't performed any tests today. That was why Zhang Yuanqing hadn't sensed any lingering trace of a vengeful spirit. *He was cautious enough not to immediately indulge his desires with the item. Too bad the artifact is far too sinister. An ordinary person who touches it will have their vitality drained dry and die within a week at most...* Zhang Yuanqing stowed the coffin into his inventory, then phoned Queen to clean up the aftermath. Only then did he dismiss the Military Soul Mask. For the time being, he would become a temperamental madman, so it was best to stay away from crowds. Over the following six days, Zhang Yuanqing relied on Little Doubi's Treasure Seeking ability while coordinating with intelligence supplied by the official organization, shuttling ceaselessly across Songhai, Sanzhuang Province, and Jiangnan Province. For this purpose, he commandeered Queen's car, navigating cities, hurtling along expressways, and bumping across rural paths twenty-four hours a day without pause. He scarcely dared to rest for a moment, rushing toward the next destination the second one incident was resolved. Across those six days, he collected 4 Saint-quality items and 8 Extraordinary-quality items, amassing a total of 12 artifacts. Such efficiency outstripped even the official walkers of the major branches. This was because his personal strength was formidable enough and his arsenal vast enough that while official squads—or even Deacons—had to cautiously verify and investigate incidents, he could simply bulldoze through them. On the other hand, he had the aid of Little Doubi's Treasure Seeking skill. As long as a treasure lay within several li, Little Doubi could pinpoint it. Spirit Realm walkers typically kept their items inside their inventories; only the lucky ordinary folk who happened upon lost artifacts carried them on their persons. The same was true for items that hadn't yet been picked up and remained buried in obscurity. Little Doubi hit the mark almost every single time. For his final stop, he drove into Jinshan City, pulling up outside the entrance of Wuhen Hotel. During those six days, Xiao Yuan hadn't provided him with any leads on items. That was only natural—as an unofficial walker, pinning down items within a few days was extraordinarily difficult. For one, the items that caused prominent commotions had already been collected. For another, her information channels were limited, and her sphere of activity was restricted to Jinshan City at best. Zhang Yuanqing had come to Wuhen Hotel mainly because he was passing by, intending to catch some sleep and visit Xiao Yuan while he was at it. Ever since the incident involving Uncle Zhang, he hadn't seen Xiao Yuan for quite some time. *** Inside an online conference room. The Elders of the Xie City Branch, the Songhai Branch, and the Hang City Branch convened a brief meeting regarding the item-collection operation.