Scheming

Zhang Yuanqing took off the jacket with its burned sleeves, tossed it into the bicycle's front basket, and returned to the Public Security Bureau to have the clerical staff issue him a replacement SIM card. The SIM card tied to "Yuanshi Tianzun" could only be processed through his unit's civilian staff. His stated excuse was that his phone had accidentally dropped into a sewer drain and he couldn't be bothered to fish it out, so he intended to get a new one. He had no intention of telling Guan Ya or Li Dongze about what had happened. If word of the clash got out, and then an "accident" befell the other party right after the fight, standard investigative logic would dictate a routine inquiry into anyone who had recent friction with them, regardless of how strong the suspicion was. And those two knew he possessed a rule-based item. By the same token, Zhang Yuanqing wouldn't retaliate immediately; he had to bide his time. Once the replacement SIM card was processed, he took a trip to a nearby phone shop, bought a domestic smartphone priced around three thousand yuan, and used his national ID card to replace his personal SIM card as well. At an open-air table in a café not far from the Public Security Bureau, Zhang Yuanqing sipped an iced coffee while contemplating how to get back at Xiahou Tianyuan. Making an enemy of the Xiahou family had never been his intention, but in this situation, he had had no choice. The father and son's attitude had been unmistakable: cooperate nicely and you get perks; refuse, and they simply snatch the phone. In their eyes, a nobody had no right to choose. This wasn't surprising. A powerful family wielding immense resources, being turned down by a minor clerk, swallowing their anger and letting it go? That would truly be a fairy tale. Unless the matter was utterly beneath the great family's notice. *So this is the crushing weight of capital my mom always talks about. Never thought I’d experience it firsthand one day...* Zhang Yuanqing muttered under his breath. *I have Xiahou Tianyuan's blood in my hands. I could activate the red dancing shoes directly to hunt him down to the death. But that approach is too crude. The traces left by the red dancing shoes are far too obvious, and while few people know I possess them, it isn't zero.* *Besides, he comes from a Spirit Realm clan—a family specialized in crafting props. He isn't comparable to ordinary official or wild walkers. He might well have ways to resist or counter the red dancing shoes. Without knowing my enemy, I can't act rashly. I'll pry some intel on the Xiahou family out of Xie Lingxi later.* He took a sip of coffee and continued musing: *Right, isn't the Xiahou family looking for members of the Palace of Halting Slaughter? I can fish in troubled waters. That way, I'll have the Palace of Halting Slaughter as a shield while sabotaging the Xiahou family's operation—killing two birds with one stone.* *Wang Qian knows me, so intervening in my real identity isn't wise. Perhaps I can make use of the Disguise Ring...* A rough plan formed in his mind. First, he sent a text message to his cousin Chen Yuanjun: "Cousin, I need an unregistered burner SIM card. Remember to give it to me after you get off work." Chen Yuanjun didn't reply, but Zhang Yuanqing knew he would take care of it. Growing up, as long as a request wasn't unreasonable, his cousin never refused. His cousin felt immense sympathy for him, a younger cousin who had lost his father in childhood and lacked maternal affection. Next, Zhang Yuanqing dialed Xie Lingxi's phone number. Huayu Hotel, the 48th-floor swimming pool. Sunlight streamed in through gigantic floor-to-ceiling windows. In the rectangular pool, the azure water rippled gently, shattering the sparkling reflections into shimmering fragments. Xie Lingxi lay on a lounge chair with her eyes half-closed, relishing the post-swim relaxation. She wore a pink waterproof windbreaker that reached only to the base of her thighs. Her fair, tender legs were pressed close together, long and straight—in a few more years, they would mature into wonderfully shapely, long legs. Her female assistant sat off to the side, diligently slicing fruit. When the phone rang, Xie Lingxi had barely opened her eyes before the assistant had wiped her hands clean and respectfully brought the phone over. Seeing the caller ID displayed "Yuanshi Tianzun," Xie Lingxi perked up instantly. She hurriedly took the phone, cleared her throat, and accepted the call, speaking in a cloying, syrupy voice that made her assistant's hair stand on end: "Brother Yuanshi~" "I heard an expert from the Xiahou family clashed with the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter?" Zhang Yuanqing asked with feigned curiosity. "Brother Yuanshi, did you call me just to gossip about that?" Xie Lingxi said with a heartbroken pout. "Speak properly. Drop the weird tone. What's with your voice?" "That's just how my voice is~" "Huh, it seems my speakers are about to sing again." "*Cough, cough!*" Xie Lingxi cleared her throat and switched back to her normal, crisp adolescent voice: "Didn't I tell you yesterday morning? Big Sister Palace Master crippled the Xiahou family's direct heir, so of course the Xiahou family won't take that lying down... Brother Yuanshi, are you planning to help the Xiahou family capture members of the Palace of Halting Slaughter to flush out Big Sister Palace Master?" "No, I'm just curious. Do you know how many people the Xiahou family brought this time?" "I'm not sure of the exact head count. The one leading them is Xiahou Chi, Xiahou Tianwen's grandfather. He was already a Level 6 Scholar many years ago, though I don't know if he has leveled up since. Aside from Xiahou Chi, there are two other direct-line Xiahou members: Xiahou Xin and Xiahou Tianyuan, who are Xiahou Tianwen's father and younger brother respectively. Xiahou Tianwen is the guy Big Sister Palace Master crippled." *If that Palace Master could fight to a draw with a Level 6 Scholar, she must be at least that level as well...* Zhang Yuanqing asked, "Then how much do you know about the Xiahou family?" "A lot!" Xie Lingxi lay on the lounge chair, perking up her bottom slightly as she rubbed her long legs together. *What kind of posture is that?* The assistant frowned. Fortunately, the pool had been booked out entirely; otherwise, if outsiders saw the young miss of the Xie family in such an indecorous pose and word got back to the clan, she would have had to make amends. "The Xiahou family is an ancient Spirit Realm clan with a massive populace and complicated factions. If you want to understand the organizational structure of a Spirit Realm clan, let's set aside regular people and speak only of Spirit Realm walkers. "First, the Xiahou family has an old ancestor who's said to be among the very first generation of Spirit Realm walkers. I'm not clear on his level. Below the ancestor is the Council of Elders. The Xiahou family has three clan elders, all at the Dominator stage. Those three are the true rulers of the family. "Below them are the Disciplinary Squad and the provincial directors. The Disciplinary Squad's duty is to assist the officials in encircling and hunting down evil professions, as well as punishing clan members who break laws and regulations. The captain of the Disciplinary Squad happens to be Xiahou Chi. "As for the provincial directors, they're the walkers in charge of managing the Xiahou family's businesses across the country—like regional governors! They are usually Level 6 Spirit Realm walkers too. Our Xie family has a similar structure. My dad is the old ancestor's great-grandson and holds the seat of clan head. "Still, above him are the clan elders, and on the same rank as him are the provincial directors. My dad schemes against those uncles of mine every single day." *Little girl, don't you know you shouldn't air dirty laundry in public? You didn't need to tell me that...* Zhang Yuanqing complained inwardly, then asked, "What level is Xiahou Xin?" "Around Level 4, probably." Xie Lingxi chuckled slyly. "The infighting in the Xiahou family is fierce. Now that Xiahou Tianwen has been crippled by Big Sister Palace Master, who knows how many people in the family are gloating." "What's your Xie family's stance on this?" "Even though Xiahou Chi is from the Xiahou family's direct line, he can't fully represent the entire Xiahou family. Our Xie family isn't afraid of him. As for the Five Elements Alliance, well, the Xie family can't afford to offend the officials, so we just begged off, saying we don't want to get involved and won't meddle." *Able to opt out just because they don't want to get involved... In other words, to earn respect from others, you have to be strong yourself...* Zhang Yuanqing chatted with her for a few more moments before hanging up. At 7:30 p.m., at the dinner table. Zhang Yuanqing took a sip of soup and looked toward his aunt, whose complexion was rosy. "Auntie, Aunt Flo has left already? That quick?" "I still feel a bit uncomfortable..." Jiang Yu'er brushed him off. Seeing that she had no interest in bickering, Zhang Yuanqing turned listlessly to Chen Yuanjun. "Cousin, where's my SIM card?" "In my briefcase. I'll give it to you after dinner." Chen Yuanjun took a spoonful of soup, deep furrow lines forming on his brow. "Grandma, you put too much ginger in." After the quiet dinner concluded, Zhang Yuanqing received the SIM card. Impatient, he returned to his bedroom, opened the chat app on his phone, and sent a voice message to Wang Qian: "I already know about the Palace of Halting Slaughter and the Xiahou family. The Xiahou family came to me today hoping I'd help bait you out. I refused. That is the limit of what I can do. "I have an informant who is quite capable. If you need help, you can reach out to him. His phone number is..." After sending the message, Zhang Yuanqing waited for a long time, but no reply came from Wang Qian. *He's quite guarded...* he muttered to himself. The crux of Zhang Yuanqing's plan lay in the Disguise Ring and Wang Qian's trust. Under normal circumstances, Wang Qian certainly wouldn't trust someone easily. But if he was cornered by danger and left with no other choice, that would be a different story. Of course, if Wang Qian adamantly refused to seek help, Zhang Yuanqing could simply alter his plan, act alone, and eliminate Xiahou Tianyuan. It was just that, without Wang Qian, he wouldn't have the Palace of Halting Slaughter to use as a shield. Late at night, in a riverside apartment. A chilling wind blew open the hanging curtains, drifting into the pitch-black bedroom and swirling beside the bed. The sleeping figure on the bed jolted awake, opening amber slit pupils. "No need to be nervous!" At the center of the vortex of yin wind, a translucent figure coalesced. Its facial features were blurry and indistinct, and despite having no physical form, it produced a voice. The radiant glow of streetlights spilled through the open window into the room. In the dim light, the man on the bed had slanted eyes and sharp brows, his gaunt face carrying an innate gloom and ferocity. Unbridled stared at the spirit body beside the bed, secretly on guard as he asked, "You're finally here. Where is your leader?" The spirit body with indistinct features chuckled. "And where is Hei Wuchang? Trust is the foundation of cooperation. It seems neither of us trusts the other enough yet." Unbridled said in a deep voice, "I don't know where the boss is. No one does." After a moment of silence, he added, "Lately, the pressure on us has been immense. We've lost several brothers, and the boss was nearly cornered by Fu Qingyang." "Fu Qingyang is the most outstanding figure among the younger generation of the White Tiger Battalion. Below the Dominator Realm, few can defeat him. Once targeted by him, even Hei Wuchang might not escape. You cannot keep blindly hiding; you must fight back." "Hmph, easy for you to say," Unbridled said coldly. "Apart from the Five Elements Alliance, the Gu King's men are also searching for us. How are we supposed to fight back?" "Which is why I came to you," the specter smiled and said. "You have two options. The first is to wait for the Fallen on the roster to lose control one after another, dividing the Five Elements Alliance's attention. But those Fallen are scattered all across the country, while your enemy is the Songhai Branch. "The second option is to gather the Fallen near Songhai, control them, and launch counter-ambushes against the official walker squads, causing some trouble for the Five Elements Alliance branch. That will relieve the pressure on you." "Easier said than done..." Unbridled sneered. "A counter-ambush requires sufficient intelligence." The specter replied, "To demonstrate my sincerity, I will reveal the official walkers' deployments and operations to you." Unbridled felt tempted. "I need to report this to the boss!" The next day, Zhang Yuanqing woke up and instinctively grabbed his phone to check for messages. Wang Qian still hadn't replied. Disappointed, he got out of bed, washed up, had breakfast, and took a cab to work. He had just sat down and begun discussing matters of length and depth with the seasoned driver Guan Ya when Li Dongze emerged from his office, dressed formally in a white dress shirt and black vest. "Yuanshi, Guan Ya, come with me," he said, checking his wristwatch. "The Kangyang District Search Team has a nine o'clock meeting. We've discovered Unbridled's whereabouts." Zhang Yuanqing perked up.