Chapter 19: The Phone Call
Holy shit, that scared me to death, Zhang Yuanqing thought as he collapsed onto the edge of his bed, his heart beating haphazardly within his chest.
[TL Note: Me too son... me too]
He suspected that if his return had been delayed even one more second, what returned might have been nothing more than a mangled corpse.
After finally managing to calm his emotions, he caught sight of the Red Dancing Shoes on his feet and nearly had another heart attack.
Dismiss, dismiss... he thought rapidly.
The Red Dancing Shoes dissolved into red light and vanished.
He let out a sigh of relief that he did not have to end up tap-dancing forever. Finally, he stood up and walked to the window. Gazing at the high rise buildings outside, watching the lush green leaves reflecting sunlight like prisms, and listening to the chatter of elderly residents in the complex and the distant hum of traffic, he felt himself completely relax.
It was dinner time. Delivery drivers in blue uniforms rode their electric scooters swiftly through the residential area.
From the windows of neighboring apartment buildings came the explosive sizzle of vegetables hitting hot oil and the clang and clatter of spatulas stir-frying.
The human world is so good, he thought to himself. The big city is so good.
After standing there for several minutes, he finally felt he had completely shaken off the horror within himself.
After calming down, he eagerly walked to the mirror to test his skills.
Settling his emotions and quieting his mind, he silently communicated with the power of the Dark Moon within his body.
Zhang Yuanqing watched his reflection in the mirror as his body was erased inch by inch, vanishing into thin air.
He really could turn invisible! He snickered quietly in his mind.
Nine seconds later, his body slowly faded back into existence, appearing in the mirror once more.
Hmm, it feels a little tiring, like running a few laps around the track, he thought.
Next, he tested his physical strength, and easily dented a battery with his fingers. Then, he used a box cutter to make a small cut on the back of his hand. In less than five minutes, it had completely healed.
Setting aside supernatural abilities, the increase in muscular strength alone proved he had already transcended ordinary human limits.
As for his other active skill, Soul Devouring, he did not have a chance to use it yet since there were no spirits nearby.
Now that I have such a powerful physique, I wonder if my body will be able to withstand the overloaded state triggered by my old condition for a longer period of time, he wondered. No wait, what I should be thinking about is whether there are any doctors among the Spirit Realm Walkers. I need to find someone to examine this strange illness of mine.
Zhang Yuanqing then opened his Inventory to admire his items, but didn't take them out.
The Demon-subduing Awl was one thing, but if he took out the Red Dancing Shoes, what if they demanded he dance awkwardly with them?
Staring at the Demon-subduing Awl, he fell into contemplation.
If I remember correctly, the banyan tree spirit said the Demon-subduing Awl contains the sealed yang soul of the Three Paths Mountain Goddess, he recalled with some trepidation. Will she come looking for me?
Just thinking about it made him feel afraid.
NPCs from the Spirit Realm shouldn't be able to appear in the real world, right? The chances of me entering the mountain temple again aren't very high either. That little temple has been completely explored. It couldn't possibly be the location for a whole other quest.
Despite that thought, he still felt uncertain. The unsettling smile of the Three Paths Mountain Goddess kept replaying in his mind.
I'll head to the office later and ask Old Driver and Translation Freak about it.
Just then, someone outside tried turning his door handle several times, but since Zhang Yuanqing had locked his door beforehand, the person outside couldn't get in.
"Zhang Yuanqing, why did you lock the door? Are you secretly doing something bad?"
It was Jiang Yu'er's clear and charming voice.
"Time for dinner," she said, humming.
Only then did Zhang Yuanqing realize he was ravenously hungry. He reacted immediately, quickly putting away the Demon-subduing Awl, stripping off his dusty, bloodstained clothes and hiding them away, then changing into a spring baseball jacket and black sweatpants.
Only after all that did he walk to the door and unlock it.
His little aunt stood outside, peering into the room with her round, pretty oval face.
"Why did you lock the door?" she asked suspiciously.
"I was practicing the divine arts," he replied.
"What divine arts?"
"The great technique of learning foreign methods to master oneself."
Jiang Yu'er glared fiercely at him. Her large, round eyes were bright, lively, and full of charm, without a trace of redness or cloudiness. These were exactly the sort of eyes that classical texts described as being like clear water on an autumn day.
"You little brat! Are you looking for a beating?"
At the dining table, Zhang Yuanqing devoured everything like a whirlwind. His appetite seemed greatly increased. Grandmother was pleased with her improved cooking skills, but also worried that she hadn't prepared enough food.
"You start school again tomorrow. Go to bed early tonight so I don't have trouble waking you up," Grandmother warned.
"If Auntie doesn't come to my room to play video games tonight, I'll surely be able to sleep early," Zhang Yuanqing replied, immediately shifting the blame.
His reward was being kicked in the shin under the table.
"She has to work too," Grandmother said, turning to her daughter. "If you have to work overtime tomorrow, call me ahead of time."
Jiang Yu'er was an gynecology and obstetrics intern at a public tertiary hospital. When things were slow, she had plenty of idle time, but when things were busy, she would come home more exhausted than any corporate drone.
"You should interact more with your male colleagues. There must be many male doctors pursuing you at the hospital," Grandmother probed.
"Mom, you're too narrow minded. Even married men coming for prenatal checkups often secretly ask for my contact information," Jiang Yu'er said proudly, hands on her hips.
Grandmother raised her palm, and her daughter quickly ducked and continued to eat silently.
While mother and daughter bickered, Zhang Yuanqing's thoughts drifted to what he needed to do that afternoon.
After eating, I'll contact Guan Ya to tell the officials I successfully cleared the dungeon. I also need to write a dungeon report. I wonder if a first detailed report is worth anything, and how much recognition I will be awarded.
I also need to mention the Three Paths Mountain Goddess awakening at the end. I can't forget that. It definitely feels like a hidden quest.
After finishing his meal and satisfying his hunger, Zhang Yuanqing returned to his room and discovered his phone was dead.
With all the running around and worrying about Spirit Realm matters, he'd forgotten to charge it.
When he plugged it in and turned it back on, he saw notifications for several missed calls. The caller ID recognized them as coming from Guan Ya.
Two of them were from an hour ago, while he had still been in the Spirit Realm. The remaining three were from two minutes ago.
Are they so eager to confirm whether I'm dead or not? Zhang Yuanqing thought sarcastically as he tapped on the notification to return Guan Ya's calls.
***
Inside the two-storey building with glass walls that reflected sunlight, in a spacious, luxurious office, Li Dongze finished his simple lunch, glanced at his watch, and walked over to the common workspace with the aid of his cane.
"Guan Ya, any news from Yuanshi?"
It was already the third time that day he'd asked the same question.
Though he didn't hold much hope, the situation kept weighing on his mind, and would continue to do so until it was finally settled.
Li Dongze had already written his apology letter, and was just waiting for the final result so he could admit his mistake to the centurion. He'd been careless this time, which went against the professional qualities of a Scout.
As for that kid Yuanshi Tianzun, though he felt it was a pity, trial missions activated by Character Cards were beyond human control.
Guan Ya shook her head and replied, "His phone is off. I've already called him five or six times."
It seemed they couldn't reach him. Li Dongze seemed to have expected this and let out a quiet exhale. "Let's wait a bit more. Just a bit more."
"Yes, Squad Leader."
Guan Ya brushed back her hair, and let a smile play across her lips as she comforted, "Before the final results are out, anything is possible. Just like Schrödinger's cat. Until you open the box, you never know if it's alive or dead."
Wang Tai beside them couldn't help but speak up. "That's not how Schrödinger's cat works. Anyway, from a probability standpoint, without any special methods or assistance, his chances of clearing Sheling Tunnel are practically zero."
Both Guan Ya and Li Dongze's faces darkened.
"Shut up!" they yelled in unison.
Wang Tai silently lowered his head.
Did I say something wrong again? he wondered.
This socially incompetent fool! Li Dongze and Guan Ya both scolded him inwardly.
Having worked together for so long, they'd long given up trying to level up Wang Tai's emotional intelligence.
Guan Ya thought the contrast between interesting and boring souls was immediately apparent.
Look at that Yuanshi kid, she thought. So handsome and well spoken. If he had managed to become a colleague, work wouldn't be so dull and boring anymore.
Too bad his luck ran out.
If they still couldn't reach him by the end of the work day, there would be no hope left. Guan Ya sighed as she leaned back languidly in her soft chair.
"Report to me immediately if there's any news," ordered Li Dongze.
Just as he was about to turn around and leave, Guan Ya's phone, which was on the desk, suddenly rang.
Li Dongze stopped in his tracks, his gaze fixed on her phone.
Caller ID: Yuanshi Tianzun
Li Dongze's breathing quickened.
Guan Ya shot up from her chair with such force that she crashed into the desk with a clang, scattering office supplies everywhere. Her eyes widened, her face wild with both shock and joy.
She grabbed her phone as she looked up at Li Dongze. His face was tense.
"Speakerphone!" he commanded, his voice low and serious.
Both of them wore grave expressions, as though they were handling a kidnapper's ransom call.
Guan Ya suppressed her joy as she answered with anticipation, "Yuanshi?"
Zhang Yuanqing's voice came through the speaker.
—I cleared the trial mission and came out of the mountain temple.
Guan Ya and Li Dongze both froze. Wang Tai, who had been oblivious to everything around him, suddenly looked up. There was both shock and bewilderment on the data-obsessed Scholar's face.
After several seconds of stunned silence, Li Dongze's mustache began to visibly dance as he exclaimed, "Oh, God! Did you hear my prayers? This is incredible. Oh my goodness, I can't believe this is real!"
Immediately realizing his loss of composure, he quickly collected himself. "Elegance," he muttered under his breath. "I must maintain my elegant demeanor..."
Li Dongze knew what clearing Sheling Tunnel meant. An S-rank Spirit Realm that even the Taiyi Sect had deemed impossible to clear had been conquered, which would inevitably draw intense attention. Though Yuanshi was a newcomer, it was easy to foresee that he would become an overnight sensation, a well-known Spirit Realm Walker.
Moreover, the information and items contained in S-rank Spirit Realms would inevitably be substantial and tangible gains.
All organizations, official or civilian, were eager to conquer Spirit Realms of high difficulty, and especially to perform the first clears of such dungeons, since that was the most direct and effective way to strengthen an organization.
Most importantly, in the Songhai region there were only so many Nocturnal Specter trial Spirit Realms, and the anomalous existence that was Sheling Tunnel had caused official organizations to lose countless potential Nocturnal Specters.
If they possessed a detailed strategy guide, the number of new Nocturnal Specters to join their ranks moving forward would increase.
Although subsequent rewards for clearing the same Spirit Realm couldn't possibly be as rich as those claimed during the first clear, what the official organizations valued most was the future increase in Nocturnal Specter numbers.
This would be enough to attract the attention of the Five Elements Alliance's Council of Elders.
"How did you do it?" Guan Ya murmured.
—There was nothing difficult about it. I cleared it easily. Heh, anyone with legs could pass it.
His voice was full of boasting, and the words were truly befitting of his "Yuanshi Tianzun" username.
Guan Ya was momentarily speechless, not quite able to tell if he was joking or humble-bragging like a top student. From her impression of him, Zhang Yuanqing was a smart college student skilled at socializing, but she definitely couldn't say he was extraordinarily special.
Her fondness for this new colleague was limited to his pleasant way of speaking and humorous wit, and certainly did not extend to recognition of his abilities.
Moving forward, she needed to reassess this newly-minted Nocturnal Specter.
"Very good, excellent work," Li Dongze said with some urgency as he tapped his cane excitedly. "Come to the office right away. Immediately."
—Alright.
After ending the call, Wang Tai couldn't help but say, "He has abilities that surpass an ordinary person. In what aspect, that is currently unknown, but it’s definitely there. Squad Leader, it seems you've picked up a freak."
Hearing this, Li Dongze's smile spread irrepressibly across his face. He coughed once and said with feigned displeasure, "What do you mean by 'freak?' This person is a genius!"
With that, he hurriedly walked toward his office, as though he had urgent business to attend to.
Li Dongze thought the title of his apology letter should be changed to something more elegant, like: "My Apologies, Centurion. I Accidentally Picked Up a Freak."
He could hardly contain his eagerness.
