A brilliant golden light poured into his sea of consciousness, instantly washing away Zhang Yuanqing's hostility and pulling him out of his spirit-invoking trance. He came to, seeing a disheveled Li Dongze nearby and simultaneously feeling a wave of searing pain through his body, as if he'd been brutally beaten.
"Every damn time I devour an evil class's spirit, the Night Wanderer goes berserk…"
Li Dongze tossed the Subduing Demon Pestle back to Zhang Yuanqing, straightened his clothes, and pulled a pack of wet wipes from his pocket, handing them over. "Wipe the nosebleed. Always maintain elegance."
Zhang Yuanqing accepted the wipes, cleaned up the blood, then opened his character panel: experience had increased by 5%. He was now at 52%.
Next, he reviewed the fragmented memories he'd absorbed.
The Eastern Division of the Spiritual Energy Association had two vice presidents: one was the Ghost-Eye Judge; the other was the superior of the "Outlaw."
These two had long vied for the presidency, fighting openly and covertly. Now, with the Ghost-Eye Judge dead, the other sought the Holy Grail and the registry to claim his rival's legacy and consolidate power over the Eastern Division.
He was also hunting Black Impermanence.
The Spiritual Energy Association is far more powerful than I thought. Just the Eastern Division alone has two high-ranking spiritual walkers... Zhang Yuanqing steadied his thoughts. "Team Leader, I found something major."
He then relayed the list he'd seen in the spirit's memory.
Li Dongze listened closely, nodding. When Zhang mentioned the names, his eyes lit up.
"Excellent. With this list, we can target our investigation rather than running blind. As expected—who understands the enemy better than the enemy himself?"
Zhang Yuanqing hesitated. "Something feels off. First Ou Xiangrong, now the Outlaw… it's like someone's feeding us clues."
Li Dongze smiled. "You've got a good mind. How about this—write me an analysis report. Consider it a test of your capabilities."
Elegance freak, you're about to lose me… Zhang Yuanqing's face froze.
"Li Yuanfang's team really lucked out this time," Li Dongze said with a hint of envy. He said no more, leaning on his cane and walking toward the door.
As he opened the iron gate, members of Team Two rushed over, looking to their stoic leader Li Yuanfang with anticipation.
"What's the verdict? Any leads?"
Li Dongze smiled. "We got a list of Black Impermanence's subordinates. Team Two, congratulations—you've earned a great merit."
A smile crept onto Li Yuanfang's cold face.
Team Two's members beamed with joy. A list like this could lead to a major breakthrough. The greater the intel, the bigger the reward—for the entire team.
"But we still need to verify its authenticity," Li Dongze added seriously.
Li Yuanfang nodded calmly. Then he looked past Li Dongze to Zhang Yuanqing.
"When the rewards come through, we'll give you 10% as compensation. Thanks…"
His tone was unusually gentle.
He then sighed with a hint of envy. "Captain Li really has all the luck."
The other team members looked at Zhang Yuanqing with goodwill and respect.
No one objected to Li Yuanfang's promise. They believed Zhang Yuanqing had earned it.
Dinner.
Zhang Yuanqing sat at the dinner table, enjoying his grandmother's home-cooked meal.
Across from him, Jiang Yuer—the pink-hoodied aunt with plush bunny ears on her hoodie—was scrolling through short videos as she ate.
He remembered that when his aunt was eighteen or nineteen, she loved collecting sheer stockings and miniskirts to flaunt her "mature charm." But after turning 25, her style took a sharp turn—now she fancied herself a cute little girl.
The older she gets, the more she tries to act young.
"No phones at the table," Grandma scolded.
"Just a little longer…" Auntie pouted. Chewing her food, she said, "Yuanzi, I saw a mixed-race babe at the hospital today—absolute bombshell, gorgeous face too. You know how old her husband was?"
Not only was she hot, she also knew how to drive... Zhang Yuanqing played along. "How old?"
"Still in college," Auntie said with disdain. "Now look at you—still single. No ambition at all."
"You're single too. What gives you the right to talk down to me?" Zhang Yuanqing shot her a sideways glance.
"You don't get it. I'm single by choice. You're single because you're a loser."
That blow could flatten Xiang Yu himself...
Grandma frowned at her daughter. "You've got some nerve lecturing Yuanzi. He's focused on his studies—what's wrong with that? 'Single by choice,' my foot. You want to be a saint or something? You're going to that blind date next week. I'm not asking you to marry the guy right away—just go meet him."
Auntie, trying to deflect, turned the fire elsewhere. "I haven't even gone full-time at work yet! I need to focus on my career. Besides, your precious grandson is thirty and still single!"
Grandma turned to Zhang Yuanqing's cousin, Chen Yuanjun, frowning. "Yuanjun, let Grandma set up another date for you. Last time, I showed your photo to a girl, and she said she wasn't into older men. No taste, that one… I'll have Yuer edit your picture to look younger."
Chen Yuanjun twitched slightly, his brow furrowing. "Whatever makes you happy, Grandma. But I think Yuanzi's been gaming every night and sleeping all day lately. He's not prioritizing his studies at all. College isn't the end—it's the beginning. With Aunt abroad, Grandma, it's your job to keep him in check. We should probably smash that PS5."
Grandma's face darkened. "All you do is play games! You little disappointment, are you forcing me to smash it myself?!"
Bro, you just threw me under the bus!
Zhang Yuanqing's scalp tingled. While Grandma ranted, he discreetly summoned Little Fatty and ordered him to climb onto Grandpa's head. After calming his own emotions, he personally swapped Grandpa's hearing with his own spell.
"Grandma, look at Grandpa—he does nothing around the house and leaves you to do everything. That's not fair."
Auntie and Cousin glanced at him in shock. This kid's got balls today…
Grandma scowled and turned to Grandpa. "Old Chen, say something! Old Chen? Old Chen?!"
Grandpa sat silently, Little Fatty perched on his bald head, eating quietly.
Zhang Yuanqing quickly dismissed Little Fatty. Grandpa suddenly lifted his head, frowning as if he had just heard something.
"What?"
"She's talking to you!" Grandma barked.
"I didn't hear."
"What's that supposed to mean—playing deaf now? You do nothing but stroll around, play chess, and watch TV all day. Am I your maid now? You don't care about your daughter, your grandson, or your grandson-in-law! Now I know who passed down that trash gene…"
Zhang Yuanqing quietly lowered his head and ate—achievements hidden, glory unsung.
Moss Pet Café.
The roller shutter was half-drawn, lights dim. A blend of orange lighting and elmwood flooring set a calming tone.
Eleven stewards from Fenghui, Kangyang, Jinjiang, and Puning Districts gathered around a round table, steaming coffee beside them.
It was clearly a high-level meeting. And for stewards to be summoned like this—only an elder could do it.
At the center of the table, under the warm pendant lamp, sat a curly-haired toy poodle, chest out, exuding authority. It spoke in human tongue:
"Everyone's here. I'll keep it brief. The Ghost-Eye Judge's death has major implications. What have you found?"
This was one of Hundred Flowers' elders and the official in charge of investigating the Judge's death. He oversaw all Spirit Walkers in the four districts and reported directly to the alliance leader.
No one spoke. Fenghui District's steward raised his hand and said in a deep voice:
"One of my teams killed a voodoo master today—definitely one of the Gu King's men. We retrieved a list from his spirit."
He read out the contents.
The poodle's beady eyes shone with approval.
"Well done. Voodoo spirits are notoriously unstable—asking a Night Wanderer from Taiyi to extract info is no easy feat. We'll ensure proper compensation."
The steward nodded. "Also, I believe the Ou Xiangrong case wasn't random. He was bait, released by the Gu King to tip us off. The voodoo master killed today was also one of his. He's trying to use us to hunt down Black Impermanence."
The Gu King was the other vice president of the Spiritual Energy Association's Eastern Division—a longtime rival of the Ghost-Eye Judge.
The two had always been at odds.
"When goals align, anyone can be an ally. But the Fallen Holy Grail is a time bomb. It must remain in official custody. It must not fall into the Gu King's hands," said the poodle, sweeping his gaze across the table.
"Anyone else have something to add?"
As everyone noted down the list, a female steward frowned. "Zhao Yingjun's case should be a warning. I suggest a complete screening of all Songhai Division personnel—including Taiyi's Night Wanderers. There may be infiltrators."
The poodle considered for a moment and nodded. "Then we'll need to invoke the 'Tiger Talisman.' I'll file the request with the Marshal."
With official business done, the poodle turned to a man in a white suit—silent throughout.
"I hear you've recruited a promising Night Wanderer—cleared the Sheling Tunnel?"
Fu Qingyang nodded slightly. "He also killed Ou Xiangrong."
The poodle said, "A few days ago, Elder Hongying from Taiyi reached out. She wants that Night Wanderer transferred to them. I know Elder Sun had said no, but staffing falls under Elder Hongying's purview. Sun doesn't have final say.
"What do you think, Qingyang?"
Fu Qingyang replied flatly, "Just turn her down. If it's inconvenient for you, I'll call her myself."
One of the Hundred Flowers stewards chuckled. "It's not a big deal—just one Night Wanderer. Trading him for Elder Hongying's goodwill might be smarter. Besides, each of our districts already has Taiyi's Night Wanderers—they've always cooperated well when needed, right, Old Zhang?"
Old Zhang was the Fenghui steward.
The others stayed silent—no one wanted to wade into sensitive territory.
Under their gaze, Old Zhang frowned. "Since he's Fu's man, I won't comment on personnel. But I have to say—there's a big difference between their Night Wanderer and ours.
"The voodoo master killed today? Their Night Wanderer refused to help, said he wasn't in the right state. I had to go through Kangyang's second team. They came without complaint—and their guy's only Level 1."
He added pointedly, "Ours and theirs—definitely not the same."
Fu Qingyang was momentarily stunned—he hadn't known about this.
The other stewards chimed in:
"Keep him. Taiyi isn't lacking one Night Wanderer."
"We're short on manpower. Better to rely on our own."
The Hundred Flowers steward shut up, looking awkward.
The poodle nodded. "Then he stays. I'll decline Elder Hongying on your behalf. Qingyang, Lingjun from Taiyi will arrive in Songhai soon to help hunt Black Impermanence. You're both Four Gentlemen—close colleagues. Go greet him."
Fu Qingyang nodded.