The higher the level, the scarcer the numbers—this was true for both Spirit Walkers and items alike.
Zhang Yuanqing believed that a Dominator-level rule-based item would be semi-public knowledge within the circle of Spirit Walkers of that same tier.
The more high-level an object was, the more people knew of it. Conversely, few people ever paid attention to low-level things.
For instance, if someone wanted to find out who the previous owner of an Extraordinaire-grade item was, who would know?
Hearing his question, Lian Sanyue furrowed her brows. "If I remember correctly, Elder Dog of Songhai was originally from the Fu Province branch before being transferred to Songhai, where he has stayed ever since. Ever since I first learned of him, he has had that rule-based item under his control."
*My dad died when I had just entered primary school, which was at least fifteen or sixteen years ago. If my dad was the previous owner of the Zoo, then Elder Dog has held that item for over a decade. Back then, Lian Sanyue was probably just a little girl...*
Lian Sanyue continued, "Calculating by the timeline, the previous owner of the Zoo must have had it ten, twenty years ago—or perhaps even longer. It won't be difficult to investigate, though. Give me five days."
Zhang Yuanqing exhaled softly and smiled. "Thank you! Then what about the fee..."
"Five hundred thousand. Pay a deposit of two hundred and fifty thousand first, and settle the remainder in five days," Lian Sanyue said.
*Quite cheap. Then again, with her level and background, reaching veteran Dominators is effortless. It's just a matter of asking around...* Zhang Yuanqing immediately drew out three hundred thousand, kept one stack, and pushed the rest across to Lian Sanyue.
Having completed the transaction, he turned and left Wanbao House.
In the early hours of the morning, Zhang Yuanqing quietly slipped back to Songhai and slept at home for the night.
Early the next morning, he received a text message from Guan Ya. She had entered an instance: Spirit Realm No. 277, solo instance, difficulty Rank A, named "Uncanny Case of Lin'an."
Main Quest: Solve the case within five days.
Lying in bed, Zhang Yuanqing opened the database, logged into his "Yuanshi Tianzun" account, and searched for "Uncanny Case of Lin'an."
Due to his merit in collecting items, his clearance had been restored to Deacon rank, though the penalty preventing promotion for a year remained in place.
[Uncanny Case of Lin'an: During the Southern Song dynasty, bizarre occurrences plagued Lin'an. From princes and nobles to common folk, many perished in grotesque and inexplicable ways. Powerless to resolve the matter, the authorities issued an open invitation to renowned scholars and detectives across the realm to conduct a thorough investigation.]
Below the instance introduction was a walkthrough guide, but Zhang Yuanqing lacked the clearance to download it.
*The intro looks pretty good. It feels like stepping into ancient times to play a constable specializing in cracking bizarre cases. A solo instance for the Scout class sounds quite interesting...*
Seeing that a guide existed, Zhang Yuanqing felt relieved.
While a guide could not guarantee a hundred percent survival rate—since there were certain challenges where one might know the solution but still die from lacking the necessary strength—it at least eliminated the exploration phase.
Crossing the river by feeling for stones was always the most dangerous part.
Furthermore, an instance with an existing guide usually meant the "first-clear" rewards were gone; the hidden score after clearing would be lower, as would the experience points gained. Still, its greatest virtue was safety and stability.
*Sigh, I won't get to see my mixed-race girlfriend for at least five days...*
Zhang Yuanqing rubbed the golden cudgel standing proudly beneath the covers, feeling rather mournful.
Just then, the bedroom door was pushed open. His aunt bounded inside like a pouncing tiger and called out sweetly, "Stinky pig! Time to get up and eat!"
Zhang Yuanqing calmly withdrew his hand, yawned, and said, "Got it. Step out for a moment, I need to get dressed."
Saying so, he glanced down at his lower half, which had propped up the thin quilt into a steep tent.
His aunt's lively eyes instinctively darted toward it. Blushing slightly, she spat playfully, "It's Saturday today. You have to accompany me to the mall."
Zhang Yuanqing considered it and said, "Fine, but only for the morning. I have things to do in the afternoon."
His aunt instantly grew intrigued. Extremely excited, she lowered her voice and asked, "Are you going to catch bad guys again?"
"Sort of!" Zhang Yuanqing nodded.
"Then you have to tell me how it went. I want to hear it!" Jiang Yu'er gave a little hop.
"Alright, alright."
After finishing breakfast and freshening up, Zhang Yuanqing returned to his room while his aunt went to hers to do her makeup and change. Sitting at his desk, he pondered his plans for the upcoming period.
First and foremost were instances. As a Star Official, he had to review and memorize the relevant instance information daily, but since only a little over a week had passed since the Sea of Yashan, there was no immediate rush.
Next was hunting evil classes.
The purpose of Morality Points was to prevent accidentally killing ordinary people in battle and causing the score to hit zero, whereas Reputation was meant to ensure one's points did not zero out after killing Spirit Walkers from one's own camp.
If either dropped to zero, one would become wanted by the Spirit Realm.
His current Reputation was running low; he needed to hunt evil classes to replenish it.
After that, in three days, he had to make an offering to the old crone and ask her to bestow the Ghost Mirror upon him.
The old crone had said she would deliver the Ghost Mirror to him within ten days. The Demon-Subduing Pestle had already been returned, and since she had no desire to return to reality, he would have to summon her proactively.
*And five days from now, I need to make another trip to the capital to find out the connection between the Zoo and my father. That's about it...*
Just then, the bedroom door opened, and his aunt poked her head in. "Let's go!"
As the door swung open, Zhang Yuanqing took in her outfit. She wore a pair of slim-fitting capri pants that accentuated the shapely curves of her long legs, hugging her full, perky hips.
A black camisole paired with an off-the-shoulder T-shirt gave her a minimalist forest-chic style, tinged with a hint of mature, alluring charm.
On her feet were open-toed sandals, revealing dainty, adorable toes coated in glittering nail polish.
Her beautiful oval face was lightly powdered, with delicately drawn eyebrows and eyeliner that made her features look even more exquisite and her eyes bright and spirited.
Her lips were naturally bright and rosy, requiring no lipstick, so she had only applied lip balm, leaving them looking dewy and translucent.
Yet despite how lovely her lips were, Zhang Yuanqing could not help but think of the old crone. Hers were the most sensual lips he had ever seen.
Paired with her aloof, haughty temperament that seemed untainted by worldly dust, that luscious, pouty mouth was like the solitary trace of enchantment on an immortal fairy—exceptionally tantalizing.
"Let's go!" Zhang Yuanqing got up, slung an arm around his aunt's shoulders, and walked out.
The moment they reached the living room, a sharp, murderous glare from his grandmother landed on them. He promptly retracted his hand and obediently slipped out the door.
At noon, after lunch, Zhang Yuanqing escorted his aunt home and then headed to Fu Qingyang's study.
Browsing through documents, Money Prince spoke without looking up. "The mess stirred up by those three pieces of garbage has temporarily come to an end. You don't need to gather items anymore."
"They've all been recovered?" Zhang Yuanqing asked in surprise.
Before heading to Wanbao House yesterday to refine items, he had seen the spreadsheet. At that time, there were still over a dozen items scattered outside.
How could they have gathered them all in a single day?
"Last night, the Songhai branch and the Dionysus Club exchanged intelligence through the black market. The Dionysus Club recovered eight items during this period, and the remaining four or five will be dealt with soon," Fu Qingyang explained.
*Right, I almost forgot that the Dionysus Club was also striving to recover the items. After all, that boss doesn't want to be besieged by the world's demigods either...* Understanding dawned on Zhang Yuanqing, and he asked, "Have all the items ranked in the top fifteen been retrieved?"
Hearing this, Fu Qingyang's expression turned uncharacteristically grave. He shook his head. "Two are still unaccounted for. But if even the president of the Merchant Guild couldn't find them, no one else will."
"They must have been picked up by Spirit Walkers, then," Zhang Yuanqing deduced at once.
Fu Qingyang nodded slightly.
"In that case, it's actually not a problem. Spirit Walkers are bound by Morality Points, so the three demigods don't need to worry about their scores hitting zero. Still, if they fall into the hands of evil classes, it could very well be a disaster for low- and mid-tier orthodox classes," Zhang Yuanqing remarked, though he murmured inwardly: *No matter how powerful they are, they're nothing before my divine artifact.*
Not dwelling too much on the matter, he brought up his request. "Boss, I want to hunt evil classes to build up my Reputation. Do you have any leads?"
Fu Qingyang pondered briefly. "I will give you a list later. You can track them down using the addresses on it. In truth, the authorities have secretly gathered a substantial amount of information, addresses, and real identities of evil classes. But most of them are not eliminated immediately. Sometimes, keeping an eye on them is better than getting rid of them. Of course, another reason is that Dominators require a vast amount of Reputation every year between September and December."
*Just as I thought! That's how Blood Rose was handled back then. This is exactly what I wanted...* Zhang Yuanqing smoothly offered some flattery. "A headache for me is merely a trivial matter to you, Boss."
He then asked, "I've heard before that Dominators need to slaughter evil classes in bulk every year to rack up Reputation, but I don't know the specific reason."
He hoped to get an answer from Money Prince.
However, Fu Qingyang said indifferently, "You don't need to know. It is far too distant for you. Still, since the subject has come up, be careful. From September onward, it's best to keep a low profile."
If orthodox Dominators required vast amounts of Reputation, evil Dominators surely did as well.
And while orthodox Dominators gathered intelligence on evil classes in secret, evil Dominators would do the same against orthodox classes.
"Understood."
*From the looks of it, I'd better stay at Fujia Bay Villa full-time after September.*
Leaving the villa, he drove Queen's car toward Wuhen Hotel.
By the time he met Xiao Yuan, it was three-thirty in the afternoon. Business at the hotel was sluggish. Aunt Xiao Yuan stood obstinately behind the front desk, waiting for guests who might never arrive.
"You've been coming here more frequently, and you even brought gifts. Do you need something again?"
Xiao Yuan watched with calm eyes as Yuanshi Tianzun walked in grinning.
"Aunt Xiao Yuan, what are you saying? Can't I visit you just because nothing's wrong?" Zhang Yuanqing carried fruit he had bought, along with expensive skincare products pinched from Guan Ya and Little Green Tea.
"Though since you mentioned it, something did cross my mind. I've been wanting to hunt some evil classes lately. Do you have any leads, Aunt Xiao Yuan? Provide detailed info and an address for a Saint, and I'll pay two hundred thousand; for an Extraordinaire, fifty thousand."
"No!"
Xiao Yuan refused flatly, saying expressionlessly, "My channels were cut off long ago. Don't you know that?"
Meeting her cool gaze, Zhang Yuanqing felt a twinge of guilt. Both of Aunt Xiao Yuan's channels had been severed on his account.
He could only say sheepishly, "Aunt Xiao Yuan truly treats me with deep affection."
Xiao Yuan merely scoffed.
Although he didn't get the answer he wanted, Zhang Yuanqing stayed to chat with her for two hours, only leaving as the sun began to dip into the west.
Zhang Yuanqing realized that Xiao Yuan was somewhat hard for him to figure out. She was always blowing hot and cold—aloof one moment, tender the next.
*It's been a while since I had a casual chat with Lingjun. I should find some time to consult him.*
After he left, Xiao Yuan picked up her phone and sent a text to Kou Beiyue.
At nine-thirty in the evening, after the peak food delivery hours had passed, Kou Beiyue, accompanied by his minion, warmly hosted Human Blood Bun at an open-air food stall in the old district of Jinshan City.
"How come you're free to treat me to a meal today? Did you hit the jackpot?" Human Blood Bun was utterly astonished.
While Kou Beiyue was loyal and had a strong sense of brotherhood, he was also exceptionally stingy. Treating someone to milk tea was usually his absolute limit.
"Took on a big order." Kou Beiyue grabbed a skewer of grilled lamb and devoured it ravenously. Wiping his mouth, he patted Human Blood Bun on the shoulder with the swagger of a boss looking after his underling, grinning. "Bun, do you have any enemies you want to get rid of but can't touch?"
Human Blood Bun instantly grew wary. "What are you trying to do?"
"Help you take them down." Kou Beiyue raised his chin. "If you do, just tell me, but it has to come with detailed information and an address."
Human Blood Bun scrutinized him for a few moments, then lowered his voice. "Is this reliable?"
Kou Beiyue nodded slightly. "Name anyone below the Dominator level. Since when have you ever had to worry about how I, Kou Beiyue, handle things?"
*When have you ever done anything that didn't make people worry? This guy Beiyue has gotten more and more arrogant ever since he got a minion...* Human Blood Bun pondered for a moment and said, "I have an enemy named Bloody Mary. She used to be a subordinate of Deceitful Eye Judge, and after he died, she went over to Gu King. She once nearly killed me and thoroughly humiliated me... And after defecting to Gu King, she humiliated me again."
A flash of resentment crossed Human Blood Bun's eyes before he deflated. "But I'm no match for her. She's a Level 5 Saint. She was already Level 5 the year before last, so even if she isn't Level 6 by now, she's at the peak of Level 5."
"Tell me her hiding place, and I'll make sure she pays the price." Kou Beiyue patted his chest, projecting the heroic air of a brother ready to take a blade for a friend.
"I don't know where she lives. We independent practitioners are extremely cautious about that," Human Blood Bun said. "However, I know she likes keeping toy boys. One of them is a member of the Spirit Society whom she took in after joining Gu King. That guy used to be my subordinate, and I know where he lives. But I have no idea when Bloody Mary visits him."
"All you need to do is give me that underling's address. Don't worry about the rest," Kou Beiyue boasted grandly.
Human Blood Bun looked at him intently. "If you can actually deal with her, I'll acknowledge you as my boss too."
Ten o'clock that night, Fujia Bay Villa.
Zhang Yuanqing sat at his desk, scrutinizing the list displayed on his computer screen.
"Tsk, they're all Extraordinaires, barely any Saints. How much Reputation can this possibly fetch? Boss is truly stingy..."
He was not very satisfied with the evil classes on the list.
Killing an Extraordinaire would at most reward ten or twenty points of Reputation, perhaps a few dozen at best.
With a Saint, however, the higher the opponent's Reputation, the greater the bounty he could reap.
Slaying minor lackeys yielded vastly different Reputation from taking down mini-bosses.
Right then, his phone chimed with an incoming message from Aunt Xiao Yuan.
*A peak Level 5 Spirit Medium? Bloody Mary...* Zhang Yuanqing's eyes lit up, and he thought to himself, *Aunt Xiao Yuan truly dotes on me after all.*
Chapter 382