Buzz...
The Cat King Speaker crackled with static before falling silent.
Zhang Yuanqing sat frozen at his desk, his mind churning with a maelstrom of thoughts—a chaotic tangle of threads, each surging like a tidal wave.
After what felt like an eternity, he finally broke free from the emotional turmoil, pinching the bridge of his nose and sighing:
"So, even you were a servant of the Eerie Eye Judge."
Once the initial shock subsided, the scattered clues and details in Zhang Yuanqing's mind began to coalesce, gradually piecing together the truth.
The demon lord was a servant of the Eerie Eye Judge, controlled since his early days of weakness.
Past audio recordings testified to this: the demon lord had monthly missions to hunt Orderly Walkers. Who issued these missions?
Zhang Yuanqing hadn't understood before, but now it made perfect sense. The Eerie Eye Judge, a major player in the Evil Class faction, was inherently opposed to the Orderly Faction.
Arranging for his "servant" to suppress Orderly Walkers within his jurisdiction—the Eastern Branch of the Spiritual Energy Association—was perfectly logical.
Yuan Ting of the Taiyi Sect had said that the demon lord was capricious and arrogant, indiscriminately slaughtering both Orderly and Evil Class members. This was because Nightwalkers belonged to the Orderly Class, and killing fellow Orderly members would result in the demon lord losing Morality Value if the victims had high Reputation.
Therefore, the demon lord needed to hunt down Evil Class members to avoid being wanted by the Spirit Realm.
"When the demon lord was still weak, he was controlled by the Eerie Eye Judge. He struggled to survive, desperately searching for a way to break free from the Holy Grail's control. It wasn't until he was on the verge of reaching the pinnacle of power that he finally saw a glimmer of hope.
"Then, he allied with Bing Ge, another slave, to hunt down the Eerie Eye Judge. All the information I've gathered so far supports this theory. The motive and logic align perfectly."
Zhang Yuanqing continued to deduce. Now that he understood the demon lord's motive for hunting down the Eerie Eye Judge, he combined this with the information about the Mysterious Individual.
His expression suddenly darkened as a chilling realization surfaced in his mind:
If the demon lord was a slave of the Eerie Eye Judge, his identity must be recorded in the Roster.
If—if the Mysterious Individual was working for the demon lord, the reason he tore out a page from the Roster wasn't to conceal Bing Ge's identity, but rather because Bing Ge and the demon lord happened to be listed on the same page.
This doesn't make sense. If the demon lord is still alive, how did Bing Ge obtain his Character Card? Come to think of it, Li Dongze once said the Spirit Realm issues Character Cards, but Bing Ge gave me mine.
A chill ran down Zhang Yuanqing's spine.
If it really is the demon lord, the reason he spared me becomes terrifyingly clear. No, I need to confirm whether he's truly dead.
Zhang Yuanqing rubbed his face, steadied his nerves, and pulled out his notebook from the drawer. He wrote:
How does a Spirit Realm Walker relinquish their Character Card?
How does one obtain another's Character Card?
Answering these two questions should allow me to deduce a great deal. But I absolutely can't ask The Officials, especially Fu Qingyang. He knows too much.
Zhang Yuanqing twirled his pen, his mind locking onto a target.
Master Wuhen!
Master Wuhen belonged to the Evil Class, a faction completely separate from the Orderly Class. Moreover, since he was aligned with the Chaotic Good Alignment, he wouldn't harbor malice or pose a threat to Zhang Yuanqing. Plus, Master Wuhen's rank was high enough to possess the necessary knowledge.
Asking him would be far safer than approaching the Palace Master of Ceasing Slaughter.
Although the Palace Master belonged to the Orderly Faction, her eccentric and unpredictable nature made her difficult to deal with.
"Whether I have a reason or not, I should drop by Master Wuhen's place, cozy up to him, and shamelessly beg for a Dream-Entering Jade Talisman—unless he explicitly tells me to stay away."
Zhang Yuanqing remained confident in his social skills and thick skin.
Having made up his mind, he stowed the Cat King Speaker, pulled up the covers, and drifted into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Zhang Yuanqing woke to his grandmother's insistent calls. He stretched out on the bed, arching his back.
After a night's rest, he felt completely refreshed.
As he entered the living room, his cousin Chen Yuanjun was finishing breakfast. Wiping his mouth with a tissue, Chen Yuanjun nodded to his younger cousin and said, "Grandmother, I'm off to work."
Zhang Yuanqing blinked in surprise. "But Cousin, it's Sunday."
Chen Yuanjun sighed. "There's been an incident at Third Elementary School. We need to seal off the area and maintain order. Plus, an old man died in a nearby residential complex—my colleagues say it was an accidental fall, but neighbors claim they heard a fight downstairs that night.
"The deceased's family believes he was murdered and has been causing a scene at the Public Security Bureau since dawn. It's going to be a busy day."
He was indeed murdered. The old man's furious roar stunned the Black guard of Impermanence, leaving Zhang Yuanqing no time to intervene. He sighed silently.
The elderly residents of Songhai were notoriously hot-tempered. Provoke them, and they'd dare to curse even the Emperor of Heaven to his face. Unfortunately, they'd met their match in the unyielding Black guard of Impermanence.
After Chen Yuanjun left for work, Zhang Yuanqing picked up a steamed bun and took a bite, asking as he ate, "Grandmother, where's Aunt?"
"She's still asleep in her room. It's Sunday, so I'm letting her rest." Grandmother placed a fried dough stick on his plate and then pulled out five hundred yuan from her pocket. "Next week's allowance."
"Thank you, Grandmother."
Zhang Yuanqing was now a wealthy figure with assets worth half a million yuan. Still, he couldn't refuse his family's support. He couldn't exactly say, "Your grandson risks his life daily, walking a knife's edge between murder and theft. I'm hardly short on cash these days."
Grandmother slapped the five hundred yuan down with a flourish and headed to the balcony to water her plants. Just then, Aunt emerged from her room, wearing pink cotton pajamas with a Pikachu print on the chest and slippers that slapped against the floor with each step.
She squinted sleepily, her hair a tangled mess, radiating an air of languidness.
Despite her sweet and demure demeanor, Aunt Jiang Yu'er had a figure that could still turn heads—even Pikachu seemed to have gained weight.
Jiang Yu'er sat down next to her nephew and called out, "Mom, where's my porridge?"
"Can't you get it yourself from the kitchen?" Grandmother scolded.
Jiang Yu'er whined, "Mom, don't you love me anymore?"
"Get lost!"
"..." She slunk into the kitchen, defeated.
Zhang Yuanqing waited for his aunt to return with her white porridge before asking, "We didn't even play games last night. Why did you sleep so late?"
"My period came!"
"Does your period come twice a month?"
"Mind your own business!" Aunt Jiang Yu'er raised her hand and delivered a ferocious chop to her nephew's head. Duang! "When did a junior like you get the right to talk back to your aunt?"
The moment she finished her display of authority, Zhang Yuanqing grabbed her wrists, twisted her arms behind her back, and pinned her face-down on the dining table.
Zhang Yuanqing glanced at his aunt's upturned, shapely rear, and an uncontrollable thought flashed through his mind: Such a beautiful ass... it's a shame it doesn't have a long, curly pig's tail.
Fuck!
He cursed inwardly, immediately released his aunt, and sat up straight.
Jiang Yu'er, who had been about to call for her mother to witness her nephew's insolence, paused, surprised. "Why did you back down?"
Zhang Yuanqing sneered, "Woman, you no longer hold any appeal for me."
He added silently, tears welling up in his eyes: The sow is gradually coming into view.
"Want to go shopping later?" Jiang Yu'er asked.
"No, I have things to do this morning. I'll see about the afternoon."
In the dimly lit room, an orange desk lamp cast a weak glow.
Before a solid wood desk, a burly man popped the cork from a glass test tube with a pop and drained the pale golden liquid in one gulp.
He let out a satisfied sigh as the sword and claw marks covering his body rapidly healed, leaving no scars.
The Fire Master then turned to the Black Robe Grand Protector, who stood by the window watching the rain, and said in a deep voice:
"I just received word. The Black guard of Impermanence has been killed, and the Holy Grail has fallen into the hands of the Songhai Branch. Grand Protector, we've lost our chance."
The Grand Protector continued to gaze at the rain in silence for a long moment before speaking in a hoarse voice:
"Who killed the Black guard of Impermanence?"
The Fire Master scoffed. "Primordial Heavenly Venerable. The official records show he just earned A-Rank Merit Points. A-Rank Merit Points... I remember that to become a Miao, you need not only the required level but also at least one A-Rank Merit. If he didn't kill the Black guard of Impermanence, how else would he have earned A-Rank Merit Points?"
The Grand Protector said, "Find a way to kill him. Also, spread the word that the Black guard of Impermanence has been eliminated and the Roster has fallen into the hands of the Five Elements Alliance. This should provoke the Fallen Ones listed on the Roster."
At 9:30 AM, Zhang Yuanqing, wearing a backpack and a wide smile, strode into the lobby of the Wuhen Hotel and headed straight for the front desk.
"Auntie Xiao Yuan, I'm back!" Zhang Yuanqing leaned over the counter.
The flamboyant woman in a wine-red blazer and white blouse glanced at him. "What brings you here this time?" she asked coolly.
"I came to thank you for your help last time," Zhang Yuanqing said, unzipping his backpack and pulling out a stack of banknotes. He laid them on the counter. "This is 100,000 yuan. The extra 50,000 is a personal token of my gratitude."
"The Black guard of Impermanence is dead?" Auntie Xiao Yuan's eyebrows shot up, a flicker of surprise crossing her cold eyes, followed by wariness.
The Five Elements Alliance's capabilities had exceeded her expectations. They had managed to track down and eliminate the Black guard of Impermanence in such a short time.
She frowned, her delicate brows furrowing. "I recall that the Kangyang District Deacon, Fu Qingyang of the White Tiger Corps, was in charge of this matter."
"He was," Zhang Yuanqing replied, "but I deserve the primary credit for resolving the Holy Grail Incident."
Xiao Yuan completely ignored his words, her apprehension toward Fu Qingyang growing.
She then shifted her attention to the thick stack of cash, paused briefly, and accepted the hundred thousand.
For groups like theirs, who lived in the cracks of society, constrained by Morality Value limits and hunted by Official Walkers, income sources were severely limited. While their lives weren't exactly impoverished, they were far from wealthy, and a lack of funds could cause significant inconvenience.
Maintaining channels, gathering intelligence, and conducting transactions all required money.
Spirit Realm Walkers also needed to live.
Seeing Auntie Xiao Yuan accept the money, Zhang Yuanqing immediately added, "Actually, I have one more request."
Auntie Xiao Yuan's heart sank.
"I want to meet Master Wuhen," Zhang Yuanqing said earnestly.
Xiao Yuan glanced down at the money in her hand, her lips twitching. With a cold expression, she replied, "Wait here. I can only ask on your behalf. Whether Master Wuhen agrees to see you is his decision."
With that, she strode toward the elevator in her high heels.
A few minutes later, the elevator descended, and Auntie Xiao Yuan returned, nodding.
"Go ahead."
Zhang Yuanqing took the elevator to the fourth floor and stopped before the second door on the left, room 404.
He gripped the doorknob and gently twisted it open.
The scene before him distorted like rippling water. The hotel room vanished, and the corridor transformed into a grand, ancient hall. The red carpet beneath his feet became mottled stone tiles, and beneath a coffered ceiling painted with celestial deities and Buddhas, a massive golden Buddha sat cross-legged, holding a lotus flower, its gaze lowered in an expression that seemed both compassionate and stern, cold and severe.
Zhang Yuanqing clasped his hands together in a respectful bow toward the figure seated on the meditation cushion. "Master Wuhen."
"What is it?"
A faint, deep voice, tinged with suppressed pain, echoed through the hall.
"This junior has two questions for the Master," Zhang Yuanqing said. "How can a Spirit Realm Walker detach from their Character Card without dying? And how can one obtain another's Character Card?"
Master Wuhen paused for a few seconds before slowly replying, "No Spirit Realm Walker can detach from their Character Card except through death. Not even the Five Alliance Leaders of the Five Elements Alliance or the supreme leaders of evil organizations are exempt.
"As for obtaining another's Character Card, I have never heard of such a method. However, based on my limited understanding, it would require one prerequisite: being within the Spirit Realm."
Even the Five Alliance Leaders can't detach from their Character Cards? Given Master Wuhen's status and authority, his assertion must be true.
So the demon lord is truly dead?
"I understand that Character Cards can only be obtained within the Spirit Realm. When a Walker dies, the Spirit Realm reclaims their Character Card, so 'intercepting' one would naturally require being inside the Spirit Realm."
Even Master Wuhen was unaware of such methods, yet Bing Ge had managed it. After a moment's thought, Zhang Yuanqing asked, "High-level Nightwalkers possess immortal souls. Is it possible for them to feign death?"
"Feigning death wouldn't release the Character Card," Master Wuhen replied. "Once the Character Card is released, death is certain."
Hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing's earlier suspicions wavered.
The Taiyi Sect Lord had declared the demon lord dead, and Master Wuhen confirmed that releasing the Character Card meant death. Could his own deductions truly be more reliable than the insights of these two powerful figures?
Clearly not!
But if the Mysterious Individual wasn't the demon lord, then who was it?
Zhang Yuanqing sighed inwardly and said, "Thank you for clarifying this, Master."
Master Wuhen replied coolly, "Our factions differ, and you are a member of the Official Organization. It's best we avoid further contact. The Five Elements Alliance's Grand Inspection is no mere formality—don't jeopardize yourself."
As expected, clinging to powerful allies isn't so easy, Zhang Yuanqing thought with a wry smile. "Understood."
As the words faded, the hall's illusionary effects gradually dissolved, until only the door to Room 404 remained.
Sigh, the little green tea's Dream-Entering Jade Talisman went unused, and she's not an official member. Still, I can have her scout ahead sometime. If she refuses, I've already got my excuse ready: "Don't you care about your brother anymore?"
After taking the elevator back to the lobby, Zhang Yuanqing bid farewell and turned to leave when Auntie Xiao Yuan suddenly called out to him:
"Have you been going through something lately?"
Zhang Yuanqing froze, a flicker of delight rising in his heart, though he maintained a calm facade. "What makes you say that?"
Could Auntie Xiao Yuan have noticed something? he wondered.
Xiao Yuan paused thoughtfully before replying:
"The first time we met, you looked at my chest three times, my face twice, and my legs five times. The second time, you glanced at my face once, my chest four times, and my legs six times."
Zhang Yuanqing interrupted, his face paling in alarm: "Auntie, I didn't! Don't accuse me falsely! Do you Evil Classes just enjoy making baseless accusations?"
Auntie Xiao Yuan replied calmly:
"But this time, you only looked at my face once."
"Your Spectral Entity has been tainted, though not deeply. The affected portion won't drastically alter your personality, but it corresponds to 'desire.'"
Zhang Yuanqing swallowed hard, probing cautiously, "You are...?"
"A Level 5 Witchcraft Master," Auntie Xiao Yuan stated flatly.
Zhang Yuanqing's demeanor instantly shifted, like a chronically ill patient finally finding a skilled doctor. He spoke rapidly, his words tumbling over each other:
"Auntie Xiao Yuan, I recently acquired an Item for the Witchcraft Master Class. Its cost is a gradual shift in my sexual orientation—no, species orientation. To be honest, today I looked at my aunt and thought it was a real shame she wasn't a pig.
"But I haven't used it. I've just kept it in my Inventory."
Auntie Xiao Yuan's gaze softened with pity.
"Some Items have costs that slowly take effect but never stop. By storing it in your Inventory, you've already claimed it as yours, and the influence has begun.
"Other Items have visible, immediate costs that you pay after use. You don't need to worry about them beforehand.
"The Witchcraft Master Class's corruption falls into the former category."
Zhang Yuanqing listened, his heart pounding with dread. He immediately said, "Auntie, I'm willing to sell it to you at a bargain price."
Auntie Xiao Yuan scoffed. "What would I want it for? To gradually develop a sexual interest in male pigs?"
You can keep it yourself.
Zhang Yuanqing's face fell into despair.
This damn thing is even worse than the Heavenly Toad Incense Burner, which poisoned an entire tribe!
As Zhang Yuanqing left the Wuhen Hotel, he was deeply troubled about what to do with the "Scarecrow."
The Item was undoubtedly powerful, capable of corrupting even the Red Dancing Shoes. In combat against opponents of similar rank, it would be a strategic-level weapon.
But the price was unbearable. The Black Guard of Impermanence was an evil class, utterly depraved, caring nothing for altering a creature's nature. Auntie Xiao Yuan likely refused it because she didn't see herself as evil, harboring a heart that yearned for goodness.
Thus, she chose to forgo the opportunity to strengthen herself.
I have a heart that yearns for goodness too, Zhang Yuanqing resolved. I'll definitely turn it over to the Organization and exchange it for Items.
Just as he made up his mind, his phone rang. It was Fu Qingyang calling.
"Hello, Centurion?" Zhang Yuanqing answered.
"Come to my office. The Branch has finalized your rewards. In addition to Merit Points and a bonus, the elders have decided to grant you two Items. You may choose two from a selection of ten."
Fu Qingyang's voice remained cold and detached, but to Zhang Yuanqing, it sounded like the voice of a wealth-bestowing deity.
"Understood, Centurion!" Zhang Yuanqing replied, his heart soaring with joy.