Saturday, 11 a.m.
Zhang Yuanqing yawned as he got up, still bleary-eyed. Ever since becoming the Night Wanderer, he couldn't sleep at night — instead, he spent whole nights gaming. This left him exhausted and drowsy during the day, constantly fighting off naps.
Two days had passed since he had consulted the spirits that night. Li Dongze and Guan Yafen had been frequently out on missions, involved in the search for Black Wuchang and his subordinates.
Because of this, Zhang Yuanqing's martial arts training was delayed.
Originally, per Li Dongze's plan, Guan Yafen was supposed to begin his combat training next. With the Night Wanderer's physical condition, picking up basic fighting skills quickly was easy enough.
But the Holy Grail and roster incidents forced a postponement — after all, the second team was short on personnel.
Zhang Yuanqing had asked Li Dongze about those teammates who had never shown up, but the squad leader's expression immediately turned awkward, as if hiding some secret.
Being understanding, Yuan Shi Tianzun didn't press further.
Meanwhile, Wang Qian from the Kill-Stop Sect had agreed to be his informant — surprisingly cooperative and quite conscious of the situation.
Due to the Ouxiangrong incident, Songhai University's administration suddenly tightened security. The school forbade boarding students from going out at night, so social events were put on hold.
After a quick wash, and with grandma's lunch still not ready, Zhang Yuanqing returned to his room to entertain the baby spirit.
Right now, he was preparing a "Zhua Zhou" (the traditional first birthday grabbing ceremony) for the little troublemaker. After crossing the 50% mark, the purity and thickness of the Taiyin (Greater Yin) energy had increased, and he noticed that baby spirits nourished by Taiyin energy had a slight boost in intelligence.
Zhang Yuanqing placed textbooks around the chubby, adorable baby spirit — math on the left, Chinese on the right, English and physics in front and behind.
"You're a genius like your master, well-read and talented. You can't fall behind. Pick one."
The little rascal blinked his bright eyes, tilted his head in thought for a long while, then finally understood Zhang Yuanqing's meaning. He quickly scrambled forward and crawled toward the physics book.
"Oh, a promising kid…"
Zhang Yuanqing's smile just began to bloom, when he saw the little one bypass the physics book and grab the PS5 game console instead. Unable to actually hold it, he tumbled down with a thud.
"You useless thing! Not like me at all!" Zhang Yuanqing scolded angrily.
"When I was your age, I could recite poems in seven steps."
Sighing in disappointment, he realized that to improve the baby spirit's intelligence and nurture talent, he had to master the Night Wanderer's spirit-raising techniques.
That meant he had to level up.
Looking at the time, the second Spirit Realm mission was approaching soon.
After lunch, Zhang Yuanqing walked into his bedroom and poured some warm water into a tea cup. Opening the bedside cabinet, he took out a white pill bottle.
"Damn, I've been so busy I forgot to take my medicine. It's already two days overdue…"
Muttering to himself, he tipped out a few small pills into his palm.
Suddenly, his expression froze.
Wait, it's been two days late, why hasn't the old illness relapsed?
My condition has been worsening, the attacks should be more frequent, there's no way it would delay like this.
Could it be because I became the Night Wanderer, and my body's constitution changed?
"Come to think of it, I haven't had a single attack since the promotion. Could it be cured?" He felt a flicker of hope but didn't dare confirm it. He decided to test.
Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and conjured the blurry image of his father in his mind.
Time passed.
His heart thumped loudly. His brain boiled. A flood of noises poured into his mind, shattered images awakened.
But at the next moment, the noise became orderly. The images stopped breaking apart.
No — it wasn't the sounds and images organizing, but his brain's ability to process information had improved.
He heard his uncle dancing in the living room, the background music was "Jianbing Guozi" (a silly, catchy tune).
His aunt was watching a drama in the bedroom, occasionally complaining: "It's too noisy, keep it down."
In the kitchen, his grandma was washing dishes.
Downstairs, the bed creaked — analyzing the sounds, Zhang Yuanqing confidently deduced the woman was lying prone.
His brain kept processing...
"Guan Yafen always carries a mysterious confidence, and the squad leader treats her rather politely, unlike with me or Wang Tai... When I mentioned those missing teammates, the squad leader's expression was awkward and helpless... The musician Wang Qian's attitude has shifted — he was disdainful toward me yesterday..."
"The little rascal is unusually close to Auntie, calling 'Auntie, Auntie'..."
Just then, the bedroom door suddenly swung open, shattering Zhang Yuanqing's trance.
"Let's go, come shopping with me," Jiang Yuer, his aunt, said in a sweet voice.
Today she wore a knee-length pleated skirt, white sneakers, and a loose pale blue top. Her cute, sweet appearance gave off a gentle, forest girl vibe — very obedient and adorable.
Jiang Yuer's coquettish look was a major reason she was in high demand in the matchmaking scene.
Confident men felt that beautiful and obedient women were easier to handle, while insecure men felt less pressure with such girls around.
Zhang Yuanqing stared blankly at his aunt. Suddenly, warm blood sprayed from his nostrils.
...
Songhai Airport.
In the underground parking garage, Fu Qingyang sat in a business van waiting impatiently, frowning as he called his assistant.
The call connected, and he asked in a low voice:
"Why haven't they come out yet?"
He had come to pick someone up. The flight had landed an hour ago, but the assistant still hadn't brought the person out.
Fu Bai, the Centurion, valued his time too much to waste on such trivial matters.
"Centurion, he..." the assistant whispered, "got hooked up with a beautiful woman and is refusing to leave, wants to talk about feelings…"
Fu Qingyang's forehead vein twitched.
"Tell him: either he comes out on his own, or I go in and drag him out myself."
The assistant responded with a "Yes," then hung up.
Minutes later, the assistant led a young man into the parking garage, walking toward the business van.
This young man wore loose cream-colored pants and a light blue top. His clothes fluttered with his steps, giving him an ethereal air. His features were handsome, his eyes half-closed in a lazy smile, exuding an innate nonchalance.
Friendly, lazy, harmless.
That was the impression he gave.
Fu Qingyang sneered coldly: "No wonder the playboy always has women throwing themselves at him wherever he goes."
This playboy was famous — his father was the Taiyi Sect leader, a prestigious family. Coupled with his outstanding talent, he was constantly surrounded by countless beauties.
If he were just lustful, he wouldn't be on par with Fu Qingyang. This guy was called a playboy because he truly understood women and had a good reputation in female circles.
Smirking, Ling Jun said, "Don't be so vulgar. Beautiful women are art. You have to savor and understand them slowly to discover their beauty. That's elegance."
Fu Qingyang frowned: "Your 'elegance' wasted me an hour and delayed serious business."
"Qingyang brother, life isn't just about career. There are many beautiful things worth discovering," Ling Jun smiled lazily. "I already know about the Phantom Eye Judge incident and will fully assist you. Father cares deeply about the death of the Ghost Eye Judge."
"Why?" Fu Qingyang asked.
"That person died close to the time the Demon Lord died. Father suspects a connection."
"Why is the Sect Leader so obsessed with the Demon Lord's death and finding his successor?"
"Because before dying, the Demon Lord left something very important on the character card."
"What?"
"All I can say is that thing represents the ultimate, the very essence of the Spirit Realm."
...
Runfa Mall, milk tea shop.
Zhang Yuanqing, carrying shopping bags, sat down and took a big sip of iced milk tea, letting out a satisfied sigh.
Instantly, he felt rejuvenated.
The most exhausting part of shopping with his aunt wasn't physical but mental torment.
Luckily, the beautiful young ladies eased his fatigue. Drinking his milk tea, his mood was quite good.
He confirmed one thing: his weird illness had improved significantly.
Besides less frequent attacks, it became easier to deliberately trigger the old illness. Most importantly, symptoms like headaches and nosebleeds lessened after attacks.
Maybe in the future, he could freely control his brain-boiling state. Then writing papers would be Wang Tai's problem. Hehe.
No, that's too pathetic... Zhang Yuanqing quickly banished that tempting thought.
"Sigh, this month's salary isn't enough," his aunt complained.
Zhang Yuanqing shot her a sideways glance, disdainful: "When have you ever had enough salary? You're just spending Grandpa and Grandma's money."
His aunt was still an intern doctor, salary was low, but she wasn't lacking in luxury goods. Most of her expenses came from Grandpa and Grandma.
They had considerable savings — the eldest daughter was successful in her career, the eldest son married a wealthy wife, so the savings were basically reserved for the youngest daughter to 'spoil.'
Jiang Yuer pouted, playing the pitiful card: "Yeah, yeah. Who asked your aunt to be useless and earn no money? So she's got to rely on Dad fully."
While chatting, Zhang Yuanqing pulled out his phone and habitually logged into the official forum to check for interesting posts.
The official forum served two purposes: first, to release important announcements and information; second, as a place for Spirit Realm travelers across regions to exchange info and intelligence.
To Zhang Yuanqing, the "water forum" was a quick way to broaden his horizons.
Soon, one post caught his attention:
Night Wanderer Profession Sees Large Emergence of New A- and S-Rank Spirit Realms; Official Night Wanderers Across Regions Report "Disappearances"