Returning Home

*Smack!* Zhang Yuanqing slapped a sheet of ancient parchment onto the tabletop and said with a smile, "Well then, let's sign the agreement!" Lian Sanyue took a close look. Written in gold lettering across the parchment was a brief contract. Its general terms stipulated that from this day forth, Lian Sanyue was the head of Return of the Dead's Dark Division; she was forbidden from betraying the organization or slaughtering its members, and should she violate the agreement, she would return to the Spirit Realm on the spot! As an artisan, the moment Lian Sanyue's fingertips brushed against the parchment, she sensed the auras of two different professions: one belonged to the Void profession, while the other was upright, majestic, and awe-inspiringly righteous, somewhat reminiscent of a Knight from the First District. Seeing Lian Sanyue knit her brows, Zhang Yuanqing smiled. "When an employee joins a company, they have to sign an employment contract, don't they?" Lian Sanyue sneered. "Why didn't you bring a non-compete agreement while you're at it?" Zhang Yuanqing gave the parchment a flick. "Void plus Knight makes it both an employment contract and a non-compete agreement." The parchment was a Knight-profession item used to establish covenants, while the terms inscribed on it had been handwritten by his uncle, making it a transaction. As long as Lian Sanyue signed and pressed her fingerprint on the parchment, the covenant would be sealed; and by accepting the black iron box, the transaction would be concluded. His enemy was Ling Tuo, so there was no room for carelessness. The more cautious he was, the better; every possible loophole had to be plugged. Lian Sanyue was chaotic neutral and temperamental, and the two of them lacked any deep bond or life-and-death camaraderie. Precautions were mandatory. After a moment of thought, Lian Sanyue bit her fingertip and signed the covenant. The parchment flared with a pure bronze glow, and the rules were quietly established. Tucking away the black iron box with a beam, she asked with a smile, "Boss, what else do you require?" "Your next task is to help me gather intelligence on the Southern Sect—Transcendent, Saint, and Dominator alike," Zhang Yuanqing said. Lian Sanyue flicked her cigarette ash and smiled. "Just advanced to Dominator, and you already can't wait to seek vengeance on the Southern Sect?" She sat languidly with a cigarette between her fingers, her gaze appraising and exuding the full swagger of a mob boss. Anyone who didn't know better would have assumed she was the boss. Zhang Yuanqing made no attempt to hide it. "Do you have any suggestions?" Lian Sanyue's red lips gently pressed around the cigarette butt. Taking a slow drag and exhaling, an idea struck her. "When two nations go to war, what matters most?" "Provisions, troops, and weapons," Zhang Yuanqing said. Lian Sanyue curved her lips. "I'll host an auction and broadcast invitations far and wide. Powerhouses from both the evil and orderly factions will naturally flock here. When that happens, you can screen and lock onto targets on the spot, then strike after they leave Wanbao House." Stroking his chin, Zhang Yuanqing nodded appreciatively. "Good idea. Even if we don't lure in any big fish, we can still follow the trail from the small fry." Changing her tune, Lian Sanyue sighed wistfully. "Boss, my pockets are shallow. I don't have treasures that could draw in genuine powerhouses. On that front, my hands are truly tied." *This woman is already trying to fleece me right off the bat...* Zhang Yuanqing pondered for a moment and said, "I'll supply you with a batch of life essence, mechanical weapons, and mid- to high-grade materials. Mmh, and I'll throw in a low-quality Dominator-tier item." He added, "Of the proceeds from the auction, you take thirty percent, and seventy percent goes to the organization." He could ask the Palace Master for life essence. With the Demon Refining Flask by her side, the quality of her life essence surpassed that of the Musician clans. As for mechanical weapons, he could put Xiahou Aotian on the job. Return of the Dead had just been established and desperately needed funds; selling mechanical weapons to raise cash was completely understandable. If the Five Elements Alliance tried to hold them accountable, he would let Fu Qingyang deal with it. As for materials, he could get them on credit directly from Vice President Panxi. And for the Dominator-tier item, he would ask his uncle; so many treasures hung from the Myriad Treasures Tree—were they just for decoration? Lian Sanyue beamed from ear to ear. "Boss, I'm sticking with you for the rest of my life." "You can work with me all you want, as long as you don't try to screw me over," Zhang Yuanqing quipped with a double entendre. Then he continued, "That thirty-percent cut doesn't come for free. I have something I need you to do." With that, he pulled out the Craftsman Ring and slapped it onto the table. "Find a way to upgrade this item to the Dominator tier. It's originally a top-grade Saint-tier item and aligns with your profession, so it shouldn't be too difficult." He possessed many Dominator-tier items, and the cost of using each one was tremendous. The Craftsman Ring, which could mitigate the cost of using items, was nothing short of divine. However, it was merely Saint-grade and couldn't reduce the drawbacks of Dominator-tier items. Lian Sanyue sat up straight, picked up the ring to examine its properties, and nodded. "No problem. But at most, I can only forge it into a low-grade Dominator item. Don't even dream of mid- or high-grade—that's beyond my crafting abilities, and the failure rate is exorbitant. Just the cost of materials alone would force you into naked lending." *If I, Yuanshi Tianzun, took out a naked loan, every woman in the world would probably go broke trying to pay off my debt!* Zhang Yuanqing mused self-deprecatingly, then asked, "That's enough. When can it be finished?" "It's a Scholar-profession item. I have all the materials. If I work overtime, three days will do," Lian Sanyue said. Zhang Yuanqing nodded, took back the parchment, snapped his fingers with a crisp *snap*, and departed amidst rising starlight. *** The Zoo. A cat and a dog were staring at each other inside a room filled with pets. Lady JoJo crouched on a cyan circle outlined with vine-like incantations—the battle pet contract array. "I have only one requirement of you..." "I merely enjoy possessing dogs; I harbor no inappropriate desires toward cats or dogs," Elder Dog explained in a gentle tone. "That's not what I was going to say," Lady JoJo said, gracefully licking her paw. "I want you to help me investigate an organization called the Tongzhou Society." "The Tongzhou Society?" Elder Dog tilted his canine head. "I haven't heard of this organization." "Seems you aren't that old, then. The Tongzhou Society was a non-governmental organization in the Second District, founded during the War of Resistance. After the founding of New China, it vanished without a trace. According to Yuanshi Tianzun, many higher-ups in today's orderly organizations—especially among the first generation of Spirit Realm walkers—were members of the Tongzhou Society. By age, you should be calling me 'Senior.'" Upon hearing that Elder Dog didn't know of the Tongzhou Society, Lady JoJo immediately put on airs. Elder Dog automatically disregarded her final sentence and asked after careful consideration, "Why are you investigating the Tongzhou Society?" Of the first generation of Spirit Realm walkers still alive today, the lowest level among them was Level 8, and a select few had even become demigods. "To investigate an old matter," Lady JoJo said directly. "My previous owner's husband once wanted to return to the country to establish an official organization, so that the Spirit Realm walkers of the Second District could have a system as early as possible. He made three earnest attempts to communicate with the government, and on the fourth, the Chinese government agreed. But on his way back to China, he was ambushed and nearly lost his life..." She immediately recounted that piece of Huo Zhengkui's past to Elder Dog. Hearing this, Elder Dog sucked in a sharp breath and said in a heavy voice, "Your previous owner suspects the Tongzhou Society assassinated Huo Zhengkui? If that's the case, what did the Tongzhou Society stand to gain?" If the Tongzhou Society had wanted to become the Second District's official organization, the motive to assassinate Huo Zhengkui would make sense. But the fact was, it was the Five Elements Alliance and Taiyi Sect that became official organizations. "I don't know, which is why I need to investigate," Lady JoJo said. Elder Dog sighed. "My intuition tells me this is suicidal behavior. I can help, but strictly within limits." Lady JoJo nodded. "I wasn't counting on you to uncover the truth anyway; lending a hand is enough. Furthermore, I am a member of Return of the Dead tasked with intelligence gathering. So, most of the time, I won't be running errands for you—unless you are in danger or need to enter a dungeon." Elder Dog furrowed his brow. Reading his expression, Lady JoJo added, "Yuanshi Tianzun said you were a second father to his father, someone worthy of trust." Elder Dog sighed. "All right, then." *** At 10:00 AM, the Five Elements Alliance's official account posted a thread on the forum: #Roster for this Saint-Stage Slaughter Dungeon: Yuanshi Tianzun, Huang Taiji, Jiang Ju, Yin Ji, Xiahou Aotian, Xiao Yuan# The content briefly described the phenomenon of the two districts' dungeons merging due to a Spirit Realm glitch, with the main focus placed on announcing Yuanshi Tianzun's resurrection and return. The poster claimed that after Yuanshi Tianzun returned to the Spirit Realm during the tribunal, headquarters, recognizing that he had died an unjust death and unwilling to let such a prodigy fall, had secretly resurrected him. As for how he was resurrected, the post did not elaborate. After Yuanshi Tianzun's resurrection, it coincided with the onset of the faction war in the First District. Thus, headquarters had him disguise himself and travel across the ocean to fight against the evil faction. And true to expectations, Yuanshi Tianzun did not disappoint, racking up distinguished military achievements in New York County and single-handedly slaying several peak Saints of the Second District's evil faction. Subsequently, he wiped out the evil faction's Saints in the Slaughter Dungeon, leading Jiang Ju, Huang Taiji, and the others to secure the quotas and achieve Dominator status. Reading up to this point, the official members of the Five Elements Alliance were already boiling with excitement. The fallen hero had returned from death, and Jumang—the name on everyone's lips, the Saint who brought glory to the Second District—was actually Yuanshi Tianzun! To their astonishment, an even bigger bombshell followed: after official investigation and verification, the one who truly resolved the disappearance of Morality Points was Yuanshi Tianzun. However, the Five Elements Alliance did not mention how it had been resolved. This piece of news was like pouring oil on a fire, instantly driving the discussion to a crescendo. The Five Elements Alliance's official forum, work group chats, and private messages among official walkers were all buzzing about Yuanshi Tianzun. The official forum of the First District reposted the Five Elements Alliance's thread, sparking an equally fiery discussion. The trauma following the disaster should have dampened the morale of the orderly faction's Spirit Realm walkers, but these two pieces of earth-shattering, soul-stirring news gave morale a massive boost, alleviating the anxiety and unease among low- to mid-tier walkers. The more tumultuous the situation, the greater the need to establish heroes and role models—and the Five Elements Alliance were seasoned veterans at this game. Zhang Yuanqing cooperated by making a public appearance before Songhai's official walkers, allowing photos and videos to be taken to corroborate the official announcement. *** In the northwest, at the headquarters of the Soldier Master sect, Fear Heavenly King sat at an observation pavilion halfway up the mountain, holding grilled skewers in one hand and beer in the other, while an arm condensed from his back held a phone. On his phone, he browsed through the Soldier Master sect's intelligence summary regarding the reactions of official organizations like the Five Elements Alliance and Heaven's Punishment to Yuanshi Tianzun's resurrection. "What truly enviable renown. If the Divine General of Envy were still around, he'd probably be so pissed he'd return to the Spirit Realm on the spot," Fear Heavenly King remarked wistfully. "The Divine General of Envy has already returned to the Spirit Realm. It's just as well he can't see it," echoed Ghost Blade Heavenly King, who was dressed like an old man from the northwest. Between the two stood a folding table heaped with barbecue, with two crates of beer resting underneath. Around the table were four stools; Divine General Silver Moon had gone to invite Demon Eye. "Now that the Lunar sovereign has returned to its place, both demigods of the Night Wanderer profession are guarding against each other while waiting for the Sun dungeon to open. They probably won't have time to deal with Yuanshi Tianzun," Ghost Blade Heavenly King said with a troubled frown. "How can I get Yuanshi Tianzun to proactively send me a challenge?" "If he won't send you a challenge, then you send him one," Fear Heavenly King said. "I prefer people challenging me..." As they spoke, a figure soared through the air and crashed down onto the observation pavilion with a boom. It was Silver Moon, who had gone to call Demon Eye for drinks. His face was livid with rage as he clutched a sheet of paper and slammed it onto the table with a *smack*, roaring: "Fear, that bastard Demon Eye has defected!" The expressions of Heavenly Kings Fear and Ghost Blade darkened. Their eyes fell upon the paper, catching sight of a line of flamboyant handwriting: "I've gone to join Yuanshi Tianzun. Following Asura has no future! Next time we meet, I'll take you all down." Fear Heavenly King stared at it for a few seconds before pulling back his gaze. "Drink, drink." Divine General Silver Moon flew into a rage. "Drink? You can still drink? Shouldn't you fucking lead us to hunt Demon Eye down?!" "If he wants to leave, that's his freedom," Fear Heavenly King said nonchalantly. "Members of the Soldier Master sect are free. If someone wants to join, I welcome them; if they want to leave, I won't stop them." Veins bulged on Divine General Silver Moon's forehead. "I'm not wasting my breath on you. I'm going to see Asura." "Haven't you gotten sick of hearing Asura's 'Fine' yet?" Ghost Blade Heavenly King said exasperatedly. Divine General Silver Moon: "..." *** At 6:00 PM, wearing a face mask and a peaked cap, Zhang Yuanqing took the elevator to his maternal grandmother's home. *Beep, beep...* He entered the passcode and turned the handle of the security door. Pulling the door open, a rich, familiar aroma of cooked food drifted into his nostrils. Inhaling that scent gave him a sense of peace and contentment, as if he had arrived safely in harbor. Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath and roared, "Grandma, I'm home!!"