At a café under the awning.
Zhang Yuanqing sat holding a steaming cup of coffee, eyes glazed as he stared at the street. Streetlights, headlights, storefront signs—interwoven into a dazzling, bustling nightscape.
After a long time, he took a big gulp and exhaled heavily, as if purging all the spiritual pollution from his chest with that breath.
"Devouring spirit bodies to grow stronger… seems like a dangerous, twisted path."
He finally understood why the Night Wanderers of Taiyi Palace refrained from consuming spirit bodies.
If the mortal world is a sea of suffering, then ordinary people are the little boats tossed upon it—plagued by sorrow and pain, each carrying their own misfortunes.
And those very misfortunes would be transferred to the Night Wanderer through the spirit body—even just a fraction of it. But accumulated over time, the resulting mental contamination was terrifying.
Given long enough, even schizophrenia would be a mild outcome.
Yet the benefits were immediate. His experience bar was now at 46%. Though his [Night Tour] skill duration hadn't changed—it remained at nine seconds—his physical strength had improved noticeably. Vitality and healing had also seen a significant boost.
It was a solid return, no doubt.
"Right, I still don't know how that queer died... No, wait—I don't want to know at all."
Shuddering at the thought, he took another sip of coffee.
…
Morning, at the villa.
Inside a spacious conference room large enough to seat thirty, Fu Qingyang stood at the head of the long table, his calm and deep gaze like thunderclouds silently building a storm.
He had a handsome face, carrying the air of nobility and arrogance typical of an elite family's scion. When expressionless, his presence was overwhelming, exerting immense psychological pressure.
"We deployed five team captains, over a dozen operatives, and several dozen public security officers—and still let the Enchanting Demon escape." Fu Qingyang's tone was cold. "I'm deeply disappointed in all of you."
On both sides of the long table sat the participants of the failed operation—five captains and twelve operatives. Li Dongze and Guan Ya were among them.
None of the captains dared speak under the weight of their superior's criticism, heads bowed low.
The muscle-bound brute hesitated, but couldn't hold back and muttered, "Captain Fu, Ou Xiangrong seemed corrupted by some evil force—he was stronger and more insane than before. That's why we failed. And the Enchanting Demon is a top-tier class to begin with…"
"Failure is failure," Fu Qingyang said coolly. "Any excuse is just a coward's way to dodge responsibility."
His sharp eyes swept across the room. None dared meet his gaze—except Guan Ya.
She was busy fiddling with her nails, clearly absentminded.
Fu Qingyang continued, "Because of your failure, the situation has escalated. A severely wounded and corrupted Enchanting Demon can easily spiral out of control. Given how cruel they are, massive casualties are inevitable.
"Now, all Spirit Realm teams in Songhai City are engaged in the search. If Ou Xiangrong isn't neutralized within three days, you'll all be sent back to training camp."
The captains—Li Dongze, Qingteng, Tang Guoqiang—exchanged grim looks.
Fu Qingyang sneered. "Of course, I've failed in this too. I overestimated your capabilities. For the next three days, I'll personally oversee the manhunt. Since Ou Xiangrong is after the ledger and the Holy Grail, his next target will likely be Zhao Yingjun's family or close associates. Follow that lead."
After a round of nods, he checked his expensive watch. "Time's running out. Dismissed. Guan Ya, stay."
The long meeting finally came to an end. It was well past mealtime.
Dispirited, the Spirit Realm Walkers stood and bowed before leaving the room in an orderly fashion.
The five captains led the way. The brawny captain grumbled under his breath, "I'm not denying we failed, but Captain Fu is way too arrogant. He wasn't even on site—he has no idea how strong Ou Xiangrong was."
He brushed his fingers over the blood-stained gash on his chest and snorted, "While we were out there fighting for our lives, he was lounging on a handmade sofa, sipping fine wine, smoking cigars, and being served by bunny girls."
As if on cue, three bunny girls carrying desserts entered the conference room.
The entire villa's staff were beautiful, long-legged bunny girls.
White Dragon gave one a gentle slap on the rear and whispered, "I heard Captain Fu is extremely popular within the White Tiger Soldiers. He's the only one among the Four Young Lords who can rival the Red Fire Gang's prince."
Fu Qingyang had been transferred from the capital to Songhai late last year—allegedly to build experience before returning to the capital to be prepped for Elder Council candidacy.
Hearing that, the brawny captain snorted. "Rumors. Our young master is the most outstanding talent in the Five Elements Alliance."
Qingteng glanced at Li Dongze. "What do you think, Chief Li?"
Li Dongze stuck a cigarette in his mouth and scoffed, "It's all because of money—don't you think?"
The others looked at him, half in agreement.
"Idiots."
He tapped his head. "Use those pea-sized brains of yours. If things really go south, someone's going to take the fall, right? An incident this serious—and we just get sent back to training camp?"
"What that really means is: if the worst-case scenario happens, Captain Fu is the one shouldering the blame. We won't lose our jobs, won't be held accountable—just sit in the training camp for three months and wait it out. Even if we messed up this badly."
He flicked his lighter and lit the cigarette. "Alright, get moving. Let's dig that bastard Ou Xiangrong out of his hole."
…
Back in the conference room, Fu Qingyang eyed the nail-filing woman with a frown.
"Li Dongze told me you were injured?"
Blowing on her nails, Guan Ya pulled out a compact mirror and began touching up her makeup. "If you've got something to say, spit it out. I've got work to do."
Fu Qingyang's stern face softened slightly. "Aunt called me. She wants you to return home next month and meet your arranged fiancé."
"I already told her when I came back—I won't do a political marriage. Just because she's willing to be the family's sacrificial pawn doesn't mean I am."
Snap! She shut her compact mirror. "The Fu family is so boring. Qingyang, hurry up and seize power. Let the old farts retire."
Fu Qingyang's voice dropped to a serious tone. "If you don't want an arranged marriage, prove yourself. Stop slacking off and wasting your talent. The elders only respect strength—people like me, and her."
He paused. "How about I transfer you to another team? Team Three in Changtai District performs well. They rack up a few second-class merits every year. Spend some time there building your resume. That way, I'll have grounds to refuse Aunt's request.
"Li Dongze's Team Two doesn't have the personnel to earn merits."
Guan Ya frowned, then sighed. "Team Two is indeed underwhelming—it's hard to justify turning this down. But… we've just had a new guy join. He's kind of fun. Let me observe him a bit longer."
She packed up her mirror, slung her purse over her shoulder, and strolled toward the door.
"You should worry about yourself," she said, smiling. "If Ou Xiangrong goes on a killing spree in Songhai, that stain will be on your record forever. The elders will stop at nothing to block your Elder Council promotion."
"Cousin's leaving. Bye~"
…
Morning again. Zhang Yuanqing, with his backpack, walked toward the main campus building.
His schedule today was simple: morning classes, then lunch and afternoon "social bonding" with his older coworkers—strictly for emotional intelligence practice, of course.
A few groups of students trickled toward the building. Just as he reached the entrance, he heard someone call his name.
It was Li Lesheng and a few male classmates jogging over.
"Hey, we're organizing a mixer with a few girls this weekend—interested?" Lesheng asked, looking hopeful. "I heard you're a local."
A mixer? That's the day after tomorrow…
Zhang Yuanqing thought for a moment and replied, "Sure."
The group visibly relaxed, smiling. "Let's add each other, then. With you there, the girls are more likely to come."
"Yeah, add me too."
"Me too." The rest all pulled out their phones.
After exchanging contacts, they walked into the building together.
Lesheng smiled. "One of the girls I know said the security officers came looking for Xu Yingying yesterday. She ended up crying in her dorm."
"Security? What happened?"
The others were stunned—security officers were far removed from ordinary students' lives.
"I heard the rich guy who was sponsoring her ran into trouble," Lesheng said. "They questioned her about him."
"Maybe he ran off with the money? The economy's terrible right now—plenty of rich guys are going bankrupt."
As they gossiped, Zhang Yuanqing scanned the students passing by—then his gaze froze on a familiar figure.
A beautiful girl in a white dress, with straight black hair and light makeup—Xu Yingying, the very subject of their discussion.
She clung to a man's side like a little bird, the man wearing a mask, buzz-cut hair, sparse eyebrows, and a scar just visible above the mask.
Zhang Yuanqing's pupils contracted.
Ou Xiangrong?!
Looking closer at Xu Yingying, he noticed something off—her expression was stiff. She wasn't clinging to the man so much as being held against her will.