To his relief, after leaving Xiu'er's chamber, the "connection" resumed—he once again sensed the presence of the little comic. He calmed his emotions and allowed his consciousness to follow the bond between host and spirit servant, settling within the body of the little comic. Zhang Yuanqing "opened" his eyes, only to be momentarily stunned. The vision before him was distorted and dim, with turbulent currents and countless impurities swirling and drifting. Water? How could the little comic be in water? He pondered for several seconds, then decided to take over, to assume control of the body. Yet, upon attempting it, he failed. For the little comic was in an unusually altered state—he was actively engaged in the activation of his treasure-hunting skill, instinctively guiding his body and resisting any external influence. This same situation had occurred the night they had confronted Hei Wúcháng. Was there a treasure hidden in the water? A thought flashed through Zhang Yuanqing's mind, but he did not stop trying. Instead, he gently exerted his influence, attempting to disrupt the little comic's current state. The young, whimsical spirit had just begun to develop awareness and self-control, yet struggled to suppress his instincts—though, as the master, he was capable of doing so. Previously, at Songhai Elementary School, he had refrained from disturbing his servant, hoping to observe what treasures he might have discovered. Now, with both Guan Ya and the Queen in peril, he could no longer allow the young spirit to lose control. After just a few seconds, Zhang Yuanqing fully regained command, pulling the young spirit’s head out of the water. At that moment, the queen sighed, "Five minutes have already passed. It seems the Yuanshi won't come to save us now. They might be in peril themselves. I still hoped he would come to our aid..." Zhang Yuanqing moved his limbs, turned around, and faced the source of the sound. Guan Ya's calf was wrapped in a single gown she had taken off. Surrounding them were a total of six infant spirits, probing and attacking like a hyena hunting prey. So many infant spirits—how come they were infants? Zhang Yuanqing quickly changed his mind, returned the initiative, and issued clear instructions to Xiao Doushi: "Fight!" This was precisely the ideal moment to train Xiao Doushi's combat skills. "Bang!" Guan Ya triggered her weapon, pushing back the infant spirit clinging to the queen's ankle, sending it shrieking in pain, its form distorting. The queen shivered, her energy gradually draining, and finally could no longer hold on, sinking softly into a seated position with a pale face: "I... I can't hold on anymore..." Even more devastating was the infant spirit that had been washing its head by the river—now gone without her noticing, steadily approaching them, as if preparing to join the assault. And perhaps it was just an illusion—Queen Zhang felt that the eyes of the dead child had been fixed steadily on her chest all along. The round, endearing infant spirit moved with remarkable speed, and in the blink of an eye, had crawled close to them. Guan Ya, as if facing a formidable opponent, turned her attention sharply toward the lively, cheerful spirit. Her expression was serious, observing that this infant's strength and agility far surpassed those of the surrounding dark-green spirits. At that moment, the round, endearing infant suddenly adopted a fierce demeanor, opened its mouth with a loud "aaah," and launched itself, knocking over the dark-skinned infant ahead. Guan Ya's fingers, pressed firmly on the trigger, suddenly released, her eyes widening in surprise. It seemed the little one wasn't heading toward them at all. "They've been fighting among themselves..." The once-desperate queen, witnessing this scene, saw a brilliant resurgence of hope spark in her weary eyes. In the span of a moment, the cheerful spirit had already firmly pinned the dark-green infant to the ground, no matter how hard the latter struggled, it could not break free from the pressure. The little one lowered its head, bit down gently on the dark-skinned infant's neck, and with a soft breath, drew a stream of black mist into its mouth and nose. The little comic suddenly swelled in size, his aura growing stronger. Having tasted success, he no longer needed Zhang Yuanqing's guidance and, with a spontaneous "ahh!", charged toward the remaining five infant spirits. The dark and green infant spirits, bold in the face of powerful foes, fought valiantly—yet when confronted with equally powerful companions, they seemed overwhelmed, scattering instantly. The little comic pursued them, soon vanishing from sight. "What's going on? Why did that little infant spirit save us?" The Queen was both astonished and puzzled. Guan Ya looked somewhat bewildered and doubtful, gently shaking her head in confusion, saying, "Regardless, we're safe now—no need for that smelly man to rescue us." "That's true. We've finally weathered the crisis." The graceful and vibrant woman slumped to the ground, leaning against the wall, her chest heaving with heavy breaths. As they spoke, both of them heard a hurried footfall approaching from afar. With Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn's voice calling out, "Guan Ya! Queen!" The queen’s face paled slightly, her weary body strained as she urgently urged, “Clothes! Clothes!” Though her style favored a mature, composed elegance, she had not yet gone so far as to wear only her lingerie in front of men. Hastening to unfasten her robe, she pressed against the wall and slipped into the narrow alley, ignoring the thick streaks of blood, quickly donning the garments. When she was dressed, her teammates had just arrived. Before the queen could speak, the men, seeing her wan and drained, all exclaimed in unison, “You’ve also been harvested?” “…What nonsense is this!” she scoffed. Then, catching sight of the man from the Fire Star Army bearing the lotus root, she stared in surprise, “Who is he?” “Lotus root!” “How is it possible that he’s so thin—how did he manage to shrink to this state within just half an hour?” The queen was both stunned and somewhat envious. While they were conversing, Zhang Yuanqing knelt at the old official’s feet, carefully removing the shrapnel from her. "Your injuries are severe—you've lost too much blood and can no longer fight," Zhang Yuanqing frowned. Guan Ya looked down, noticing the tender, concerned expression on his face, and gave a slight upward curve to her lips. "An experienced driver always keeps a backup route." With a look of bewilderment, Guan Ya opened her inventory and produced a syringe. "Did you really still have diluted life essence left?" the Queen exclaimed, surprised. Fu Qingyang is truly generous—strategic-grade supplies are handed over to her like they're free. No way, I'll have to work hard to earn his favor when I return to the real world," Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself. "The last one—I've reserved it for my own survival," Guan Ya inserted the needle into her wrist vein, injecting one-third, then administered another third to the Queen. The Queen looked radiant, her skin now smooth and hydrated, and softly asked, "Guan Ya, are you the daughter of one of the senior elders?" Strategic-grade supplies can only be requested and allocated by stewards; second-tier scouts have no access rights. Guan Ya shook her head. The queen's expression changed, hesitating, "The young wife, you mean?" Zhang Yuanqing didn't want to take credit for himself—after all, if he claimed that everyone else was dull while he alone was awake, he’d surely face a wave of criticism from the others. At the beginning, he hadn’t managed to hold his ground and had indeed accumulated some flaws. Rather than risk four defeats, it was better to let Cheng Lu stand out as a contrast, highlighting the others’ integrity. The Fire-Star Army and Li Chunfeng nodded in agreement: “Being aware of the truth is like having a blade of hot steel cutting through flesh.” Cheng Lu turned crimson, deeply embarrassed, and wished she could vanish into the ground. Guan Ya’s complexion was slightly pale, yet she became animated whenever the topic came up, smiling warmly and asking, “What a fortunate man Xiao Xiu must be! Is she as moist and pleasing as she seems? Does she differ from real-life women? Share your experiences with us, please.” … Cheng Lu pleaded, “Please, don’t say it anymore… Don’t say it anymore!” Don’t say it—face it! The Queen glanced at the other four, smiling, “Have any of you four actually had physical relations with Xiao Xiu?” “No, no!” the four men "What have you two encountered again, and why are you so disheveled?" Li Chunfeng successfully shifted the topic. The queen then recounted her personal experience of being besieged by restless spirits. After finishing, she furrowed her brows, expressing doubt: "Later on, that strange infant spirit suddenly drove the other restless spirits away." The Fire Star Army expressed their confusion: "Did the infant spirits of Xu's widow experience internal conflict, or did that particular special infant spirit deliberately rescue you both?" The queen shook her head slightly, "I'm not certain." She glared at Zhang Yuanqing, then huffed: "You, the night-wanderer, are useless when you're needed—had it not been for that little infant spirit suddenly going berserk and driving off its companions, I and Guan Ya would have been in serious trouble." Guan Ya glanced at Zhang Yuanqing, paused in silence, then changed the subject: "Was that little infant spirit your spiritual servant?" Huh? The queen suddenly turned around, her silver rings at her earlobe gently jingling; she stared at Zhang Yuanqing, wide-eyed. Zhang Yuanqing raised his hand and snapped his fingers. A few seconds later, he turned toward the narrow alley behind the group. The Queen turned as well, but there was nothing there. "Ah!" Zhang Yuanqing exhaled a stream of Tai Yin energy directly into the eyes of his companions. Immediately, the eyes felt a sharp, piercing ache. Then, the group saw a round, endearing infant appear in the alley—sparse downy hair, black, glossy eyes like black buttons. The baby's belly was swollen, and it pushed its limbs with a soft, labored motion, crawling toward Zhang Yuanqing. How could that be...? As the Queen prepared to examine it closely, the sharp ache in her eyes faded, and the infant spirit vanished. It wasn't gone—it was simply no longer visible. It had always been there, a spiritual servant of Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun. Indeed, the servant had been stationed beside him and Guan Ya from the very beginning, precisely for the purpose of being ready to save them when needed. The Queen's subtle frustration at this point dissolved completely. Immediately, she thought of something, her face turning slightly embarrassed. He just witnessed her commanding her spiritual servants, didn't he? The queen felt a bit awkward—she had caught on… yes, besides the awkwardness, there was also a subtle confidence, clearly indicating that she was quite satisfied with her bust. To be seen by Yuan Shi only in her underwear—such a reaction meant that she didn’t mind him at all, and perhaps even held a favorable impression. Guan Ya silently glanced at the queen and instantly deciphered her inner thoughts. Zhang Yuanqing was unaware of the rich inner dialogue between the two women, and said: "Your Majesty, I'd like to ask you to do one thing." "What is it?" she replied with natural caution, nearly covering her full, impressive chest. "Could you go down to the river and have a look? I suspect there's something down there," Zhang Yuanqing pointed to the river surface. The queen was momentarily startled, then exhaled in relief, and readily agreed, "Just a moment." It was perfect timing—she had just needed to wash the bloodstains off her clothes. She approached the shore, leapt into the river, and splashed in with a splash, sending ripples all Zhang Yuanqing arrived at the bank, waiting until the riverbed surged with turbid water and the queen emerged from the surface, completely dry. "I checked the riverbed thoroughly, even blowing away the silt at the bottom," she lightly tapped her earlobe silver ring. Nothing? That couldn't be right—Zhang Yuanqing's treasure-hunting instincts never fail. After a moment's pause, he formed a clear idea. The trigger conditions between the young, lively adventurer and the queen had not been met. Thus, the former remained at the bank, crouching low, searching intently—he sensed treasures beneath the water but couldn't locate them. The latter had searched tirelessly, yet found nothing. "What lies hidden at the riverbed? Is it an item related to a hidden quest, or has a new subplot been unlocked? Given the information presented in this scenario, there can't be any additional subplots. If it's a hidden quest, the treasures in the river are most likely the tools left behind by the Yin-Yang Hermit—the very items the Demon King once regretted missing. With this thought, Zhang Yuanqing felt a spark of excitement and said, "I'll go down myself." "You'll find the same thing down there—nothing is nothing," the queen said, rolling her eyes. Plunging into the murky river, Zhang Yuanqing kicked and swam toward the riverbed, summoning his little comic relief to aid with the questing skill. The comic relief materialized at the riverbed, swerving left and right like a headless fly, aimlessly circling. After taking several breaths and surfacing twice, Zhang Yuanqing finally gave up in resignation. Indeed, there was nothing at the riverbed. That couldn't be right. If this were related to a hidden quest, I've already collected all the jade pendants—by rights, the story should have triggered already... So my initial assumption must be wrong. The jade pendants aren't the key, then? Rapidly thinking through the situation, he quickly shed his clothes and wrung out the water. As droplets fell steadily, an idea struck him—clearing up the issue. "One aspect of the hidden quest remains unfulfilled. I haven't fully unraveled the storyline of the Yin-Yang Town quest either. From the quest's perspective, it's still incomplete." Then the next goal is to complete the final step—unlocking the subplot of the副本. Once that's done, we'll return to review it. He went back to where the group was resting and said, "Everyone, let's think about what lies ahead." Queen Mo stroked the silver ring. "There are only six people in the town, and we've already defeated three. By logic, the storyline should now be complete." Guan Ya shook her head. "No—that's incorrect. While there are six people in the town, the story of the old woman and the cat corpse counts as one storyline. Therefore, Yin-Yang Town has only five story arcs. We've already cleared the curses of the cat and the widow Xu Xiuer. If the evil faction moves quickly and also completes their two arcs, then the final storyline will likely have to be contested by both sides." Zhang Yuanqing said solemnly, "The final character is a wizard, hired by Zhao the landowner." ... At Zhao's residence. A thick fog enveloped the entire courtyard, the mist light and delicate, drifting gently. Suddenly, the gray mist trembled, as if a floodgate had been opened, flowing toward a specific direction. The mist thinned out, growing increasingly clear. Li Xianzong's figure gradually emerged—holding a butterfly knife in his mouth, a fierce head in his left hand, and a carved wooden box dragged in his right palm. The lid of the box was lifted, and the thick mist rushed in like fish returning to their nest. In a short while, the mist completely dispersed, revealing five companions lying in the inner chamber: four unconscious, one with his heart and liver removed. During the battle, they had also lost one more companion. Had it not been for Li Xianzong's swift adaptation and timely use of this item, which had trapped his companions and Zhao Yuanwai within the mist and then defeated them one by one, the group would have suffered devastating losses. The five survivors are now: Li Xianzong, a young man missing his left ear, a thin middle-aged man, a well-dressed man, and a quiet man with a short, neat haircut. Their corresponding roles are: the Enchanted Spirit, the Wuzhu Master, the Wuzhu Master, the Enchanted Spirit, and "This pointless quest—we haven't even begun the final battle, and two people are already dead." Li Xianzong tossed Zhao Yuanwai's head toward the Golden Mountain, then walked over to his companions, kicking each of them awake. "You lot are complete waste—more failures than successes." Li Xianzong snapped angrily. The teammates groaned but dared not object. "Did the monster take them?" the thin middle-aged man asked, looking around anxiously. "Shall I fetch your head and send it to be boiled into soup?" Li Xianzong said coldly, sarcastically. "Hey, I'll be sure to taste that with you," the thin man replied with a broad smile. "What I'd like to know is—what's our next objective? I hope we don't lose more people. Otherwise, by the time we reach the final battle, half our team will be dead or wounded—how will we fight then?" "Do you think the Lawful faction doesn't lose people too?" the young man with a missing ear replied calmly. Li Xianzong was about to speak when a voice from the spiritual realm echoed in his ears: 【Ping! You have successfully defeated Zhao Yuanwai. Please proceed immediately to the central square of the town and defeat the evil wizard to initiate the grand battle.】 ... At the riverbank, Zhang Yuanqing and the others also heard the same voice from the spiritual realm: 【Ping! You have successfully overcome the allure of beauty. Please proceed immediately to the central square of the town and defeat the evil wizard to initiate the grand battle.】