Realm Walker

Chapter 89: A Matter Settled

It was only five in the morning, but intelligence this critical had to reach his superiors immediately. Delay bred complications, and long nights bred unwanted dreams.

Come to think of it, Centurion Fu's search for Black Wuchang had been stalled for quite some time now, thought Zhang Yuanqing as he put the phone to his ear.

The line rang for a full thirty seconds before the call finally connected, and Fu Qingyang's cold, emotionless voice came through.

—I assume you're calling me at this hour because of something important.

The centurion sounded like he was suppressing the fury of being woken up. Zhang Yuanqing cleared his throat. "Centurion, I just met with the Palace Master of Slaughter Cessation Palace."

Fu Qingyang paused.

—At her request?

"Yes," Zhang Yuanqing continued. "She invited me to meet and discussed some things regarding the Xiahou family."

The moment he finished speaking, Zhang Yuanqing heard the distinct sound of someone violently throwing off their covers and sitting bolt upright. When Fu Qingyang spoke again, his tone was deadly serious.

—Did she mention the reason why she nearly killed Xiahou Tianwen?

Sure enough, the centurion had also sensed something unusual. It made sense. If Guan Ya could pick up on it, then Fu Qingyang, a fellow Scout, would be even sharper.

Zhang Yuanqing didn't beat around the bush. "The Palace Master says that Xiahou Chi's branch of the family are members of Dark Rose."

There was silence on the other end of the line. Five or six seconds passed before Fu Qingyang spoke again, and this time his voice carried a gravity unlike anything Zhang Yuanqing had heard before.

—You're certain?

Zhang Yuanqing relayed everything the Palace Master had told him, word for word.

"That's what she said, but I can't confirm whether it's true or not. That's why I'm calling to report it to you."

Fu Qingyang spoke slowly and deliberately.

—There were indeed traces of Dark Rose behind the destruction of the Chu family. During that upheaval, the Bing Zhu Sect's target was a rule-type item belonging to the Musician class. When the ensuing battle broke out, the authorities were a step too slow to respond. Someone had interfered with the flow of information, and the only people capable of doing that were insiders within the Five Elements Alliance, ones who held considerable power.

After discovering Black Wuchang's secret contact with Dark Rose, Fu Qingyang had called the Fu family's Council of Elders and learned the broad strokes of what had happened all those years ago.

Following the Chu family's destruction, the Five Elements Alliance had taken notice of Dark Rose's existence and conducted a covert internal purge. But the affair was a stain on the organization's reputation, so it was buried, and all discussion of it was forbidden. Twenty one years following that incident, the new generation of official Walkers knew virtually nothing about it.

"So Dark Rose wasn't just connected to Black Wuchang. They also joined forces with the Bing Zhu Sect to destroy the Chu family," Zhang Yuanqing muttered in realization, his brow furrowed tightly. "This organization has serious ambitions."

An organization that wielded terrifying influence, capable of infiltrating both noble Spirit Realm families and official institutions. And yet they had remained hidden in the shadows all this time, which meant whatever they were plotting had to be beyond imagination.

Fu Qingyang gave a low grunt of agreement, and his tone grew serious.

—Who else have you told about this besides me?

"I called to report to you the moment I received the information," Zhang Yuanqing answered.

—This information is not to be leaked to anyone.

Judging by the centurion's tone, he was extremely pleased with his answer.

"Understood!" Zhang Yuanqing acknowledged, before pressing further, "What do you plan to do about Xiahou Chi's branch?"

Fu Qingyang let out a cold laugh.

—If you were a senior member of Dark Rose and learned that Xiahou Tianyuan had been imprisoned, what would you do?

Zhang Yuanqing thought the matter through. "Monitor the situation closely. If there's any risk of exposure, find a way to silence him."

—I'll hold Xiahou Tianyuan on charges of endangering public security, keeping him firmly in my grasp while casting a long line to catch the bigger fish. Until then, I won't do anything to startle the snake from its grass.

The centurion's voice lost its usual chill and turned almost gentle.

—Don't worry. As long as I have Xiahou Tianyuan in hand, Xiahou Chi and Xiahou Xin won't dare take any retaliatory actions against you. And by the time I reel in the net, they won't have the chance.

Zhang Yuanqing let out a long breath of relief. With that, the Xiahou family situation was, for the time being, settled.

—There's no rush to close the net right now. The full inspection is coming up in a few days, and I plan to run a screening first to see how the official Walkers react.

"Full inspection?" Zhang Yuanqing asked.

His heart sank as the Demon Lord's words echoed through his mind. "I can't pass the full inspection!"

Sensing his confusion, Fu Qingyang explained the situation to him.

—The full inspection is both a form of welfare and a form of oversight that the higher ups provide to organization members. On the welfare side, it can detect and treat physical ailments. On the oversight side, it is a way of assessing mental states and moral character. For the Fallen Ones, it's a mirror that will reveal their inner demon and leave them nowhere to hide. Those with guilty consciences will surely show cracks.

A herd of ten thousand alpacas stampeded through Zhang Yuanqing's mind. What if they don't catch any Dark Rose agents but instead drag out the Demon Lord's successor?

His first instinct was, time for you to step up again, Little Goofball! But on second thought, was the full inspection really that easy to circumvent?

He made a mental note to ask Guan Ya about the inspection later, then posed another question. "Centurion, have any large-scale slaughter dungeons opened recently?"

—Large-scale slaughter dungeons are concentrated around the mid-year and year's end. None should appear anytime soon.

Strange. Then how did the Palace Master advance to the Sovereign tier? She has no reason to lie to me. Zhang Yuanqing pondered the matter for a few seconds before saying, "Centurion, I have no further questions."

—Go get some rest.

It was a rare expression of concern from the young master of the Fu family to his subordinate.

***

It was morning. In Fu Qingyang's luxurious villa, three bunny girls bustled about arranging breakfast on the dining table. Ling Jun strolled into the dining area with a yawn and took his seat, greeting Fu Qingyang across the table.

"Morning~" His gaze swept across the centurion's chiseled features, then doubled back for a closer look. "You seem to be in a good mood."

The corner of Fu Qingyang's mouth curved upward ever so slightly. "That's because I've discovered that winning people over through virtue is far more effective than giving them a raise."

***

That same morning, in a presidential suite of the hotel, the female assistant woke up on schedule, washed up, dressed neatly, and walked over to the master bedroom door to rouse her young miss.

There was a click as she turned the door handle, and the instant the door cracked open, she felt as though she had shattered some kind of barrier. An invisible wind rippled through the room. As the door swung wide, the scene inside the master bedroom came into view.

Her young mistress was dangling from the crystal chandelier by a red cord that was faintly shimmering. She wore nothing but a pair of girlish panties and a modestly sized bra, and her pale, delicate body was a truly dazzling sight. At that moment, she was staring teary eyed at the assistant who had just walked in.

The assistant's face drained of color, and she let out a shriek. "Miss!"

She rushed forward and untied the cord, thin as a strand of hair, as she raged, "Who did this? Who did this?!"

Xie Lingxi sniffled pitifully, tears streaming down her face. "The Palace Master came by. This is all Bro Yuanshi's fault! Waaah~"

The young miss gave her account of events, interrupted by bouts of sobbing, which allowed the assistant to piece together what had happened. At dawn, the Palace Master of Slaughter Cessation Palace had paid her a visit. Furious that the young lady had leaked details of her background to outsiders, she had strung the girl up and given her a thorough thrashing.

Thank goodness, the assistant thought. It was only a beating.

When she had first seen the young mistress stripped nearly naked, she had feared some stalker had snuck into the hotel and stolen her lady's virtue. If the family held an inquiry over something like that, she would have had to disembowel herself in atonement.

***

In a room in the Good Music Hotel, Wang Qian gazed down imperiously at his three companions from above, his voice solemn. "You all look quite good from this angle."

His three companions stared up at him with eyes full of pity.

Wang Qian fell silent for a moment, then ventured cautiously, "The Palace Master has already left. Could you let me down now?"

His companions looked up, then shook their heads in unison. "We think you look pretty good from this angle too."

"..."

***

After returning home, Zhang Yuanqing took a brief nap before Grandma's knocking jolted him awake. He slipped on his shoes and shuffled into the living room, where he found his listless cousin and equally exhausted little aunt. The two night-shift workers had returned and were sitting at the dining table, waiting to be fed like baby birds.

Chen Yuanjun pinched the bridge of his nose and eyed his equally-haggard younger cousin with a shake of his head. "Stayed up all night playing games again, didn't you? I'm the one who wants to sleep but can't, and you're the one who can sleep but won't."

No, I also wanted to sleep but couldn't. The sun is shining brightly outside, which makes it the perfect time for bed. Zhang Yuanqing let out a sigh. He was already a creature of the night, yet he was forced to operate during the day.

His little aunt seized the opportunity to tattle, her voice playfully sweet. "Mom, your grandson was up all night playing games. Come give him a good smack!"

Rotten woman, what did I ever do to you! Zhang Yuanqing thought as he fired back, "Grandma, your daughter says she wants to pull an all-nighter playing games with me tonight!"

Grandma ignored them both.

After breakfast, Zhang Yuanqing returned to his room and summoned Little Goofball, letting the infant spirit crawl around freely as he gathered his thoughts.

The business regarding the Xiahou family is settled for now, so I don't need to worry about that. But this full inspection has me on edge. On another note, it's time to start developing Little Goofball. Spirit servants and jiangshi are crucial combat tools for a Nocturnal Specter when they reach the later levels, and my Spirit Talisman skill isn't advanced enough to refine jiangshi yet. Strengthening Little Goofball comes first.

Training his spirit servant was a necessity, not just to raise its intelligence but also to boost its overall power. He had limited options for increasing his own strength before his third dungeon run. Devouring spiritual entities barely yielded any experience anymore, and hunting down Evil-class Walkers just for the sake of leveling up was obviously unrealistic. That left cultivating his spirit servant as the only viable path to getting stronger.

He glanced at the infant spirit crawling in circles around the game console and frowned. The problem is, I don't have any materials for refining a spirit servant.

Simply nurturing a spirit with the Power of the Dark Moon was a painfully slow process, and it would have no effect on the spirit's quality. Therefore, refining materials were essential. Different classes of materials would grant the spirit different properties, and the purpose of the Spirit Talisman was to strip the spiritual essence from those materials and imbue it into the spirit.

However, not just any type of material would work. There were two restrictions: the material had to possess yin properties, and it had to be compatible with the spirit itself. The first condition was easy enough to verify. As for the second, only the spirit itself would know.

Little Goofball had become a spirit servant through the influence of a Musician-class item. Logically, his future development would likely lean in that direction.

I wonder what kind of materials suit Little Goofball's constitution, and what abilities he'd gain. If he turns out to be one of those limitless potential types, he could totally fight in his father's stead someday.

That thought filled Zhang Yuanqing with gleeful anticipation, but the problem remained. He had no materials and no idea where to find any.

"Guess I'll go ask Guan Ya after all," he muttered to himself. "She knows more than anyone."

Since becoming an official Walker, Zhang Yuanqing had developed a habit: when he needed something, she was Sis Guan Ya, but when he didn't, she was the open-minded lady. She had consistently played the role of his teacher, showing him how to write reports, educating him on common knowledge of the Spirit Realm, and more.

So far, aside from refusing to teach him deep squats or demonstrating how to restrain a chicken, Guan Ya had been a remarkably competent mentor.

He put on a face mask and a baseball cap, slipped quietly out of the house, and took a taxi to the Kangyang District Public Security Bureau. He circled past the administrative building and made his way to the two-storey glass structure behind it.

Since the Vision Ward Squad Leader was recovering at home, only Guan Ya and Wang Tai were on the second floor. Zhang Yuanqing greeted Wang Tai with his usual tireless enthusiasm, then pulled over an office chair and planted himself beside Guan Ya.

One look at his posture and she knew he wanted something. She swiveled to face him, a smile playing on her lips. "Move your eyes off my chest first, then tell me what you need."

Zhang Yuanqing opened with the kind of banter the open-minded lady preferred. "They say women with big chests have no brains. I'm curious how you managed to have both."

"How do you know these aren't fake?" Guan Ya shot back with impressive self-deprecating humor.

"If they are, then you're in trouble!"

"Hmm?"

"When your kid is born someday, he's going to look up at you and cry, 'Mom, is there any trustworthy milk left in this world?'"

"Hahaha!" Guan Ya burst out laughing, her chest shaking with the effort.

Having satisfied the open-minded lady's particular tastes, Zhang Yuanqing got down to business. "I heard there's a full inspection coming up in a few days. I've never been through one before. What kind of tests are there? And please don't tell me it's a full-service package. We're talking serious business here."

In his estimation, if you divided official Walkers into simple categories of good and bad, at least half of them would have something to hide.

Guan Ya began her explanation. "There are two main tests. First is the physical examination, and second is the mental evaluation. The physical exam can detect bodily illnesses and whether someone is being controlled by another person. The mental evaluation is more complex, and can be broken down further.

"The first step is an evaluation of your psyche to determine if you're normal, and screening for any mental disorders. This is done using specialized items. Next is a lie detector test, and the content varies each time. Sometimes they ask about your Morality or Reputation. Other times, they ask point blank whether you've betrayed the organization. Finally, there's a face to face Q&A session conducted by a high-ranking Scout. They'll pose questions and analyze you based on your responses."

Zhang Yuanqing took some time to digest that information. The lie detector test I should be able to pass. The mental screening probably won't be an issue either, since there's nothing wrong with my head. But the interview with the high-ranking Scout is a headache. There's no telling whether it'll be a steward or an elder.

He moved on to his next question. "Now that I've reached Level 2, I want to collect some yin materials for experiments, but I don't know how to get them."

Guan Ya answered without a moment's hesitation. "You have two options. First, you can submit an application to the organization and pick from their stockpile. Depending on your merit and rank, you can get a decent discount. It's very cost effective. The other option is to check out the black market. There are several of them operating in Songhai, set up by civilian organizations and freelance Spirit Realm Walkers. Official Walkers drop by sometimes too."

"Our branch allows these black markets to operate?" Zhang Yuanqing asked.

"It doesn't allow them, but it tacitly permits their existence. Black markets are like that—as long as there's demand, they'll appear, and you can never fully stamp them out. Drugs and human trafficking are classic examples. Therefore, the branch tacitly accepts the black markets, but do their best to control it by allowing only people with certain official connections or backgrounds to operate them. Captain Champion Fist of our very own Kangyang District is the person in charge of this area's black market."

Zhang Yuanqing nodded and turned the information over in his mind before deciding to pay the black market a visit. Sourcing materials from the branch's stockpile would get him a discount and save money, but every item withdrawn would be logged. Anyone who knew their stuff would take one look at his selections and immediately realize he was refining a spirit servant. He wasn't ready for anyone to know he had one, especially since Yuan Ting's interrogation had been barely twenty days ago.

"I want to go to the black market," he declared.

"I'll take you there after work," Guan Ya said.

This open-minded lady is the best, Zhang Yuanqing decided, nodding gratefully to her.

Guan Ya cleared her throat and adopted a serious expression. "By the way, the acting Squad Leader and another colleague will be coming by shortly."

"That fast?" Zhang Yuanqing blinked in surprise. "Didn't the Squad Leader say it would only be tomorrow?"

Guan Ya gave him a sidelong look and a sly smile. "They heard about how you didn't hesitate to offend the Xiahou family in order to rescue the hostage. They admire you quite a bit, so they decided to drop by early."