The ringtone rang for a long time before the call was answered. A voice with precise enunciation but cold tone came through:
"I'm reviewing Ou Xiangrong's file, trying to trace his movements. You have ten seconds."
Among the official Spirit Realm Walkers, squads handled most of the fieldwork. Deacons stayed behind the scenes, stepping in personally only for particularly difficult cases.
Centurion Fu must be under pressure... Li Dongze cleared his throat and reported in a deep, serious tone:
"Centurion Fu, we've neutralized Ou Xiangrong."
There was a pause on the other end. Silence reigned for a few seconds before Fu Qingyang spoke again—his voice no longer cold:
"Where did you find him?"
"At Songhai University. He was trying to interrogate Xu Yingying about the whereabouts of the Holy Grail and the roster. But Xu Yingying didn't know anything—she's just an ordinary college student. Your judgment was correct: Ou Xiangrong's already mentally unstable."
Fu Qingyang praised him. "Not bad, Li Dongze. Sharp instincts this time. You prevented a potential large-scale massacre. I'll put in a commendation for your team to the Elders. Any casualties?"
"No one was hurt," Li Dongze paused, then added, "But we weren't the ones who killed him."
"You didn't kill him?" Fu Qingyang's tone held a trace of confusion. Then as if recalling something, he muttered, "Ah, I almost forgot. There's an Elder from the Water God Palace stationed at Songhai University. Was it him? I'll have to pay a visit and offer my thanks."
There's an Elder at Songhai University? Li Dongze was momentarily stunned, then quickly realized Fu Qingyang misunderstood. He clarified:
"It was Primordial Supreme who took him down—the Night Wanderer I just recruited."
A level-1 Night Wanderer killed a level-3 Bewitching Demon?
Once again, the Centurion was silent on the phone. After a dozen seconds, Fu Qingyang finally said:
"Understood. Have him submit a report."
Then, with a hint of amusement in his tone, he added, "Well done."
After ending the call, Li Dongze gripped the steering wheel with bright eyes, unconsciously pressing down harder on the accelerator.
White Dragon opened his phone and added several squad captains to a group chat titled "Dying Jealous."
"Look at Li Dongze acting all smug—his mustache is practically flying up to his eyebrows."
Qingteng replied: "Their squad just earned a huge merit. If I had a subordinate like that, I'd be smug too."
In the official organization's regulations, team rewards were collective. When one member earned merit, the whole team shared in bonuses and performance points.
Before, the captains merely envied Li Dongze's new Night Wanderer recruit. Now? They were jealous enough to throw out the rulebook.
...
Kangyang District Security Bureau — Morgue.
Li Dongze shut the door, leaving the other captains outside. Standing next to Zhang Yuanqing, he gave him a deep, searching look.
"Night Wanderers can gain experience by devouring spirits. But the downside is mental corruption over time. If you've already tried it, you know what I'm talking about."
Zhang Yuanqing nodded.
"Have you tried using that item to cleanse the intrusive thoughts?" Li Dongze hinted. That was the method he had in mind.
Seeing Zhang Yuanqing frown and fall into thought, Li Dongze chuckled. "Guess the cost must be steep."
It was. Overuse led to anemia and weakened vitality… Suddenly, Zhang Yuanqing remembered something—he'd once found a spirit crystal in the Mountain God Empress's mouth.
Looking back, that crystal must've been the condensed soul of a dead Spirit Realm Walker from the Mountain God Temple.
Which explained why the item description called it the best supplement for a Night Wanderer.
The impurities in the spirit crystal were likely mental corruption, but they had been purified by the Empress. By that logic, the Subduing Demon Pestle could do the same.
With this realization, Zhang Yuanqing opened his inventory and took out the brass pestle engraved with intricate patterns and runes.
He briefly explained its effects and cost, then said:
"If I go berserk later, just stab me with this. In the thigh, preferably."
"Got it!" Li Dongze took the item.
Zhang Yuanqing walked up to Ou Xiangrong's corpse, placed a palm on his chest, and took a deep breath. A viscous, pitch-black energy welled up in his eyes as he awakened the remnant soul.
Pain bloomed in his forehead as his consciousness swelled. Something foreign surged into his mind.
...
In a blurry vision, Zhang Yuanqing saw himself—saw the underground parking garage, and the eerie red dancing shoes.
It was a replay of the earlier battle.
He silently waited for it to end. The scene shifted. Now a dimly lit room. Standing before Ou Xiangrong was a masked man holding an exquisite crystal goblet filled with crimson liquid.
"As a Bewitching Demon, your malice is pure. You've got potential. Drink the wine from this Holy Grail, and you'll become my servant."
"Every half month, you must drink from the Grail again. Or even gods won't be able to save you."
"Remember my name—Wicked Eye Judge."
...
In a shabby apartment, a man in a mask and baseball cap stood coldly in the living room:
"Wicked Eye Judge is dead. His confidant, Black Wuchang, has fled with the Fallen Grail and the roster. He's hiding in Songhai City. If you don't want the poison to kill you, find him. Spirit Energy Association won't treat you badly."
...
The vision changed again.
This time—blue skies. A group of students in school uniforms surrounded him, kicking and punching.
The abrupt shift left Zhang Yuanqing momentarily lost. After a few seconds, he realized—he was witnessing a school bullying scene.
This was Ou Xiangrong's memory? Who would've thought a ruthless killer had once been… a victim.
"No money? Ou Xiangrong, are you deaf? If your parents won't give you money, go steal it, trash."
"Beat him. Teach him a lesson. He won't learn otherwise."
"Light a cigarette. Burn his face."
"Move aside. I'm gonna piss on him."
Don't hit me… please don't… Zhang Yuanqing felt a wave of overwhelming fear. Ou Xiangrong curled up in terror.
They were just kids, but their malice was pure.
...
In a shabby office, a teacher with glasses scolded sternly:
"Why are you always the one being bullied? Ever thought the problem might be you? Learn to get along. Don't come tattling to the teacher every time—I'm busy too."
Zhang Yuanqing felt the bitterness and fury simmering in Ou Xiangrong's heart.
...
"Useless brat. Bullied again? Fight back next time! Why are you crying to me, huh? How did I end up with a son like you?"
A middle-aged man raged, spittle flying.
This time, Zhang Yuanqing sensed pure despair.
More fragmented memories flashed—beatings, humiliation, trauma.
Eventually, his mentality warped into violence and hatred.
Just then, a radiant golden light burst into his sea of consciousness. The malice and pain were swept away, replaced by warmth.
Zhang Yuanqing snapped his eyes open. Above him was a bright surgical light and a sterile white ceiling. Beside him—Li Dongze, bruised and rumpled.
"Squad Leader, are you okay?"
Zhang Yuanqing gasped. He touched his own face—tears.
"I'm fine." Li Dongze casually tossed the bloodied pestle aside, straightened his disheveled suit, and grumbled:
"I should've had Guan Ya come. She's better at close combat. That was not elegant at all."
Once he'd tidied himself, he asked eagerly, "Well? Did you find any clues? You look pretty shaken."
"I'm just… sad."
His experience bar had increased again—but this time, there was no joy.
Li Dongze nodded knowingly. "Ou Xiangrong's memories, huh?"
"Yeah."
Spirits only retained fragmented memories—usually those they couldn't let go of.
Even after all these years, Ou Xiangrong was still haunted by what happened during his school days. It shaped his entire life.
He was a criminal who deserved death. But Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help feeling grief.
Li Dongze sighed.
"I don't know what you saw, but I understand. Night Wanderers from the Taiyi Sect hate absorbing evil spirits most. You know why?"
He didn't press for clues yet. He wanted to teach him something first.
"In our battles, we've killed countless evil professionals. After compiling data from our Night Wanderers, we noticed a pattern: every evil professional we encountered… was already a villain in real life."
"In other words, the Spirit Realm chooses from among the already corrupt."
Zhang Yuanqing was stunned. "So… they didn't turn bad after becoming evil classes. They were already bad people."
"But their evil isn't always innate—it's often created by society," Li Dongze sighed again.
"The Spirit Realm doesn't foster evil on its own. Every evil class is born from humanity's own karma. It's a grim truth, not very uplifting—but it's the reality. Understand it, but don't go spreading it around."
Zhang Yuanqing nodded silently.
"One more thing. Since you killed Ou Xiangrong, you must've gained Prestige, right?"
"In fights between Spirit Realm Walkers, killing doesn't cost you moral points. But if you have Prestige, it'll deter others from your own faction. For example, if you have 10 Prestige, anyone from your faction who kills you loses 20 morality points. Orderly and good aren't the same."
He clapped Zhang Yuanqing's shoulder. "Alright. Let's get back to business. Don't waste time."
There are good, neutral, and chaotic people even in lawful professions? Then could there be reformed people among the evil classes...? Zhang Yuanqing shelved the thought, refocused, and said gravely:
"Squad Leader, I think I saw something big in Ou Xiangrong's memory."
"Something big?" Li Dongze chuckled. "He's just a level-3 Bewitching Demon. How 'big' could it be? I've seen all kinds of so-called 'big deals.' Let's hear it."
He wasn't being arrogant—just cautious. From his experience, rookies often misjudged situations.
"It's like this..." Zhang Yuanqing carefully relayed what he saw.
A few minutes later—
Li Dongze burst out of the morgue at a sprint, bellowing to the waiting captains:
"BIG TROUBLE!!"