Leaving the conference room, Yuan Ting exhaled deeply, feeling the pressure lift from his shoulders.
The Fu family's young master was an untouchable figure, both in terms of his personal status and his illustrious lineage. When facing him, one often felt the weight of authority rather than seeing him as just another rich second-generation heir.
Yuan Ting's gaze swept over two bunny girls as they passed by. In their early twenties, with curvaceous figures and delicate features, they were among the seven or eight beauties who graced the villa.
Despite being surrounded by such stunning women, Yuan Ting knew that this scion of wealth showed no interest in romantic entanglements.
Since his arrival, the villa's bunny girls had been replaced twice. The newly recruited girls, believing they had a chance to rise above their station and become phoenixes, couldn't suppress their restless hearts and attempted to seduce the Fu family's young master.
All were promptly dismissed.
The girls remaining in the villa now were remarkably docile, obediently performing their duties without harboring any unrealistic ambitions.
The bunny girls in the villa seemed to serve as either a status symbol or a personal indulgence for Fu Qingyang.
Leaving the villa, Yuan Ting climbed into his private car, replaying the day's meeting in his mind. He first reported the critical intelligence—the Eerie Eye Judge's demise and other key details—to the Taiyi Sect.
With official business concluded, he sent a message to his friend Jian Ji:
"Major incident in Songhai. The Eerie Eye Judge is dead, and his trusted Black guard of Impermanence has fled with the Holy Grail and the Roster."
Jian Ji: "I'm speechless. The Eerie Eye Judge just... died? It's like waking up to find an entire country erased from the map."
After exchanging mutual lamentations, they began fretting over what would happen if the Fallen Ones listed in the Roster collectively lost control.
Jian Ji: "Anything else?"
Yes, there is. The Nightwalker who cleared the She Ling Tunnel had just slain a Level 3 Seductive Demon. But I can't tell him that. If Elder Sun finds out, he'll kill me.
Yuan Ting's expression twisted slightly as he typed:
"There's one more thing, but keep it to yourself. Elder Sun's gone senile. He rejected that Nightwalker he didn't want..."
Songhai, in a dimly lit bedroom.
The lights were off, the only illumination coming from three candles arranged in a triangle on the table. At the center stood a crimson-lacquered box, its lid adorned with a bizarre insect relief.
A figure wearing a silver mask knelt beside the table, using a small knife to slice open their fingertip. Crimson blood welled up.
They pressed the bloodied finger to the mouth of the insect relief on the wooden box. The insect came to life, greedily sucking the blood, and the box's lacquer deepened to a lurid crimson.
A sudden gust of wind howled, the candle flames turned blood-red, and scarlet flames surged upward, forming a crimson vortex above the wooden box.
"What is it?"
A cold, authoritative voice echoed from within the swirling red flames.
"Your subordinate has deployed the bait as instructed. The Five Elements Alliance will search for the Black guard of Impermanence relentlessly. However, I cannot guarantee he will remain hidden in Songhai."
The authoritative voice replied slowly, "My divination indicates the Black guard of Impermanence is indeed in Songhai. His presence here must serve a purpose, though the exact reason remains to be verified."
"Do you require further assistance?"
"Secretly cooperate with the Five Elements Alliance's search for the Black guard of Impermanence. Notify me immediately of any developments. I will be in the Spirit Realm during this time and may not respond promptly."
"You have a mission?"
"No, I am searching for the site of the Eerie Eye Judge's demise. Coincidentally, I encountered that one from the Taiyi Sect. Hah, the Eerie Eye Judge's death clearly conceals deeper secrets."
The voice gradually faded, and the vortex of crimson flames extinguished.
Knock, knock.
Two knocks sounded on the door, followed by Grandmother's voice: "Yuanzi, dinner's ready."
Her tone was light and cheerful, as if she were in good spirits.
Zhang Yuanqing opened his eyes. The bedroom was pitch-black, the curtains blocking out the streetlights.
Ah, that feels good. He'd finally recovered from the day's exhaustion. Too bad the moon is rarely visible in Songhai. A moonbath would have made this perfect. Yawning, he slipped into his slippers, turned the doorknob, and stepped into the living room.
A rich aroma filled his nostrils. The dining table was laden with dishes: sweet and sour pork, braised pork belly, roast duck, black-boned chicken soup, asparagus, bamboo shoots, and more.
Grandmother, wearing an apron, bustled between the living room and the kitchen.
His cousin was helping in the kitchen.
Grandfather, his hair now silver, sat ramrod straight on the living room sofa, his gaze fixed intently on the television.
A middle-aged couple sat at the dining table—Zhang Yuanqing's uncle and aunt.
His aunt had delicate features and fair skin. Though past her prime, she maintained her appearance well. She wore a fitted white dress that accentuated her waist, her wavy hair cascading loosely around her shoulders, a hint of pampered elegance in her eyes.
The man beside Aunt bore a striking resemblance to Chen Yuanjun, dressed in a purple suit, slim-fit purple pants, and a rose-colored shirt. He looked as flamboyant as a nightclub gigolo—no, a nightclub patron.
Zhang Yuanqing's uncle was a feckless man. In his youth, he had played in a band, claiming to chase his dreams and yearn for poetry and distant horizons. So, he packed his bags, donned bell-bottoms, and ran away from home with a few "like-minded" friends to become a wandering singer.
Years later, his dreams remained elusive. Beaten and bruised by the harsh realities of life, he returned home, refusing to find work. Instead, he carried around a boombox, dancing wherever he went, spending his days either singing karaoke or carousing with his shady friends.
Of course, that was typical for young people in the city back then—just drifting aimlessly.
Because of his good looks and smooth talk, he managed to marry Aunt, who came from a wealthy family. He actually settled down for a few years after their marriage, but after Aunt gave birth to Cousin, his true nature quickly resurfaced.
He spent his days idling around, refusing to work and indulging in endless leisure.
"Yuanzi, have you missed your uncle?" Uncle beamed at his heir apparent, clearly delighted.
Uncle loved to sing, dance, and rap. His favorite song was "Yo yo check it out, Jianbing Guozi, get a set!" which he would perform with his own improvised dance moves.
Apart from Zhang Yuanqing, no one in the family was willing to join him in his awkward rap battles and dance-offs.
That's why Uncle valued Zhang Yuanqing so highly, seeing him as his heir apparent.
"Aunt!" Zhang Yuanqing greeted, then gave his uncle a perfunctory nod.
"I brought you a gift from my trip," Uncle announced.
"Oh, my dear Uncle, you're finally back! Why didn't you tell me earlier? If you had, I would have picked you up at the airport. God is my witness!" Zhang Yuanqing's attitude shifted dramatically, expressing exaggerated enthusiasm.
The uncle and nephew laughed heartily, shook hands, bumped shoulders, and Uncle draped his arm around his heir apparent's shoulder as they sat down.
"Yuanzi, I've been traveling abroad lately and even learned some rapping techniques from chimpanzees. We should add tongue clicks and lip trills to our songs—it'll make them sound way more impressive!"
Tongue clicks I know, but what the hell are lip trills? Zhang Yuanqing stared in disbelief. "Amazing! You truly are my uncle, a natural talent! By the way, I'm running low on pocket money."
"No problem. Your aunt's got plenty. I'll ask her to give you some later."
Soon, Cousin and Grandmother brought out the last few dishes and called everyone to the table.
"Where's Aunt?" Zhang Yuanqing asked.
"She said there was something at the hospital and she'd be back later," Grandmother replied.
Uncle raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Something at the hospital? Is she meeting her boyfriend?"
Grandmother scoffed. "Thank goodness for that! Judging by her attitude, she won't get married before she's thirty. What's wrong with young people these days? None of them want to settle down."
Grandmother was deeply dissatisfied with the state of the world.
Uncle retorted, "Speaking of which, Yuanjun is still single too. Yuanjun, why don't you bring your boyfriend home for Dad to meet sometime?"
Cousin, usually so serious and composed, froze in surprise. "What?"
Uncle shrugged. "You're thirty and still don't have a girlfriend. Dad's only hope now is a boyfriend."
Before he could finish, Grandmother rolled up her sleeves, ready to personally execute her son.
"Mom, Mom, I'm just joking!" Uncle quickly protested. "Why can't you take a joke? Male couples are all the rage now—young people love that stuff!"
Aunt kept her head down, eating in silence.
Her relationship with her mother-in-law was strained, as is often the case between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law.
Grandmother had a fiery temper, while Aunt was equally strong-willed. One resented her daughter-in-law's lack of domestic skills, while the other resented her mother-in-law's meddling.
When Zhang Yuanqing was little, Aunt and Grandmother frequently argued. Whenever their clashes erupted, Aunt would sit nearby, cracking melon seeds and watching the drama unfold.
Zhang Yuanqing tried to mediate, saying, "Don't argue anymore," while taking sunflower seeds from his aunt.
His cousin usually did homework while snacking on his aunt's sunflower seeds.
Now that Aunt had mellowed with age, she no longer bothered to quarrel with her mother-in-law, though their relationship remained lukewarm.
At that moment, his cousin looked up and asked, "Did something happen at your school today?"
"Huh? I don't know. I came home early to sleep," Zhang Yuanqing feigned ignorance.
Grandmother immediately pressed for details. Chen Yuanjun briefly explained that criminals had infiltrated the school, further fueling her discontent with the state of the world.
As they spoke, the security door beeped, and the handle turned.
Sitting at the end of the table near the entrance, Zhang Yuanqing glanced over and saw his aunt had returned.
She was wearing a one-shoulder sweater with cutouts that revealed her smooth, pale shoulder, paired with a black tank top, light-colored spring/summer jeans, and white sneakers.
Zhang Yuanqing's gaze lingered on her lower leg, his eyes suddenly narrowing.
A small, round baby was clinging to Jiang Yu'er's calf.