In the early morning, the weather was overcast. Zhang Yuanqing dressed neatly, pulled open the curtains, and glanced at the sky, veiled in light gray clouds. It should rain today—though if it weren't for the high cost of the Great Luo Star Chart, he would have taken out his props to verify. In the living room, the family sat neatly at the dining table, enjoying their first meal of the day. Grandma served Zhang Yuanqing a bowl of porridge and went on talking nonstop about last night's incident—how a young lady had come to their home for dinner but left looking crestfallen. It was clear that the Chen family had not treated her well, and she hoped that Yuanzi would take her back again next weekend. Then, Grandma would surely treat her with great care. The couple were very dignified and, upon learning the truth, felt deeply sorry for Guan Ya, sincerely regretful and eager to make things right. "Yes, Grandma," Zhang Yuanqing replied, "we'll discuss it when the opportunity arises." Zhang Yuanqing gave a casual, half-hearted reply, thinking to himself: "I've already compensated the family for your grandson. When they left, they were full of joy, nibbling on fresh grass for half an hour, completely unbothered." "Uncle Chen, are you going to work today?" Zhang Yuanqing looked at Chen Yuanjun, who seemed so mature for his age. Chen Yuanjun hesitated slightly before saying, "I have weekends off, but I should be going to the Public Security Bureau to check on the progress of the missing persons case." Upon hearing this, Grandma furrowed her brows deeply: "You said just two days ago that you were feeling weak in your waist and knees, unwell. Yuanjun, health is the foundation of life—especially since you haven't married yet. Don't let work drain your health." To be precise, you haven't even met a girlfriend yet... Zhang Yuanqing, who felt confident and superior in his own mind, quietly chided himself internally. Uncle Chen took a sip of porridge, listening to Grandma's concerns, and furrowed his forehead with deep creases, "My health is fine. I might have caught a cold the After yesterday's morning run, Zhang Yuanqing no longer felt any stiffness in his waist or knees throughout the day. While his uncles and grandmother were chatting, Zhang Yuanqing quietly opened his "star eyes" to observe his uncle closely. The blood-related disaster still persisted, but it hadn't worsened—indicating that everything was unfolding as per destiny, and it would manifest precisely when his uncle carried out the arrest, rather than due to any sudden mishap. As a star official, Zhang Yuanqing silently interpreted this. He was scheduled to meet Fu Qingyang today, so he decided to have Bai Lan guard his uncle afterward for safety. Closing his star eyes, Zhang Yuanqing gently nudged his aunt's arm with his elbow and asked, "Shall we go shopping in the afternoon?" The aunt replied coldly, "No! Even if I go, I won't go with you." Her sweet, gentle round face, adorned with a graceful tear-shaped mole, often lacked authority when she was annoyed. "Come on, come on!" Zhang Yuanqing insisted. After a moment's thought, the aunt huffed, "Then you'll have to ask me." "I'll ask you again and again!" Zhang Yuanqing readily agreed. The aunt immediately beamed, her eyes crinkling into crescents, and tapped her nephew's head: "Well then, since you've agreed, I'll have to make do and let you accompany me shopping." After breakfast, Zhang Yuanqing summoned Bai Lan and issued the command to protect his cousin. Then he returned to his room to fetch his phone, preparing to take a taxi to Fu Family Village. As he reached for the phone, as a Star Official, he suddenly felt an intuitive impulse: Let me check my fortune for today! This thought had come entirely spontaneously, a natural instinct of a Star Official. The instinct urged him to check his daily fortune. Hmm. I've told Yuan Ting about the Chu family's entire family tragedy—this is a secret that must not be disclosed—and the Dog Elder will surely reprimand me... While pondering the origin of this spontaneous thought, Zhang Yuanqing walked toward the full-length mirror by the window. Gazing into his reflection, a shimmer of starlight glowed in his eyes, coalescing into a brilliant river of stars. The next instant, Zhang Yuanqing drew in a sharp breath. In the mirror, the man's eyes were shrouded in dark mist; the corners of his eyes were darkened; and a surge of red light pulsed beneath his lips. These represented the three major celestial sectors—"Misfortune," "Fate," and "Labor." Truly, he looked worn and frail. Zhang Yuanqing gritted his teeth as he began to interpret: "The dark mist in the Misfortune sector indicates that I will face danger in the near future, though not life-threatening—no bloodshed, no serious injury, merely some physical harm." "The dark mist in the Fate sector suggests that I will not encounter any issues related to marriage, contracts, trade, or legal disputes. My relationship with Guan Ya is already solid and stable, and it will not suddenly deteriorate. That leaves social interactions—so I will likely face difficulties in my social engagements in the coming period." "The surge of red light in the Labor sector signals that I will be promoted and receive a salary increase, with a growing number of servants. Indeed, this aligns perfectly with Fu Qingyang's purpose in seeking me out." Zhang Yuanqing exhaled sharply, a deep sense of intuition guiding him—these recent misfortunes, he felt, There are many ways to resolve misfortunes—such as avoiding them, seeking external aid, or making concessions—each requiring adaptation based on specific circumstances. For instance, with his cousin’s blood-related calamity, the most effective approach was actually avoidance—by simply stepping back from investigating the matter, the disaster could often be averted. However, Zhang Yuanqing’s misfortune cannot be avoided, as it stems from both Fu Qingyang and the Dog Elder. You may evade it temporarily, but not for long-term. The right course of action is to actively confront and resolve it. “The Dog Elder wants to punish me, and I can understand that. But why is Fu Qingyang targeting me? Did he discover that I secretly consulted my life mentor about my pursuit of Guan Ya? That’s precisely why the Yuan Palace has encountered difficulties?” After some hesitation, Zhang Yuanqing ultimately decided to face the challenges head-on. The Star Official’s intuition confirmed that this was the correct choice. Puts the phone into his pocket and strides toward the bedroom door. At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing hears a faint buzzing sound coming from the desk, followed by the audio from the Cat King speaker: "The weather is so wonderful, let me keep running swiftly!" Does it want to go out and play? Zhang Yuanqing stops. To be honest, the Cat King speaker hasn't been taken out with him for a long time—its last outing was when Old Banging came to life and it was too afraid to stay in the room. "Stay here," he says. This thing always interrupts the atmosphere with its random remarks, often making people feel awkward. He doesn't want to bring it along. The Cat King speaker immediately grows anxious, emitting a series of buzzing sounds, then a lively, urgent voice: "When I used to accompany you to watch the moon, I was called Little Sweet! Now, the new generation has surpassed the old—call her Mrs. Cow!" A voice from the living room calls out, "Yuanzi, please turn the TV volume down a bit." "...Zhang Yuanqing’s mouth twitched slightly, and he walked over to the desk, opened the drawer, slipped the King Cat speaker into his waistbag, zipped it closed, and fastened it around his waist, then decisively stepped out. He was worried that if he startled the King Cat speaker, it might play the audio of the magical king laboring intently, his juices gushing out. ... 'Plip-plip-plip~' Half an hour later, Zhang Yuanqing arrived at Fu Family Village’s villa. At that moment, heavy rain began to fall, pouring down on the city like a steel forest. The streets quickly became damp, and as car wheels rolled past, they splashed up misty water droplets. Songhai, a coastal city located at the river and sea confluence, is prone to wind when it rains—'gusty and rainy' seems to have been invented specifically for this city. Amid the gusty winds and relentless rain, Zhang Yuanqing spotted the rabbit maidens standing tall and graceful under her umbrella, clearly visible in the downpour—exactly the one who had guided him when he first arrived at Fu Family Village." The taxi pulled up slowly. Before Zhang Yuanqing opened the door, the rabbit-dressed lady in high heels gracefully hurried over, stepping in front of him to shield him from the falling rain. "The lord said you wouldn't be carrying an umbrella, so I came out to meet you at the entrance," she smiled warmly. Behind Fu Qingyang stood Gu Ya, Li Dongze, Bai Long, Qing Ting, Da Ji Ba, Tang Guoqiang, and eleven others—twelve official attendants in total. These official attendants were all direct subordinates of Fu Qingyang. The Dog Elder turned to look at them, speaking gently, “Master Yuanshen has arrived. Please sit.” Zhang Yuancheng nodded to the group and walked toward Gu Ya, who was wearing exercise attire. He settled beside her, sitting close, their knees gently touching. The Dog Elder kept his button eyes fixed on Zhang Yuancheng and said, “Regarding your rewards from clearing the Killing Quest, headquarters has issued an official document. The detailed contents will be available for you to review at your convenience. I’ll mainly focus on the changes in your positions.” Zhang Yuancheng perked up, saying, “Elder, I don’t wish to leave Songhai. If there’s no vacancy for the steward position here, I’d be willing to wait.” He still didn’t want to leave Songhai—neither had he yet developed the resolve to uproot himself nor did he wish to part from Gu Ya at this moment. With a mentor guiding him, perhaps he would soon be living in Guan Ya’s home. To leave Songhai at this crucial moment would seem like a complete waste of effort. Dog Elder remained silent, and Fu Qingyang spoke first: “Your request, Li Dongze has already informed me. The headquarters’ intention is to assign Tianxia Guihuo to Songhai, taking over my position. I will remain in Songhai, serving as the Patrol Elder of Songhai City, in charge of leading the city’s patrol forces. You may choose to become a steward within the patrol force, leading one of the squads. Alternatively, you may continue serving in the Kangyang District’s Second Squad, reporting directly to Tianxia Guihuo.” The patrol forces and the garrison units represent two contrasting concepts within the official mid-to-lower levels—commonly grouped broadly under the categories of “patrol” and “garrison.” By “garrison,” we mean serving in a fixed urban location, engaging in regular activities, and responsible for regional security and handling incidents involving the spiritual travelers. The colleagues Zhang Yuanqing currently interacts with belong to the garrison force. The patrol teams, however, have no fixed office locations. Their work involves patrolling and providing support among the key cities they are primarily responsible for, as well as cross-provincial and cross-city pursuits. This is because the number of Lingjing Xingzhe is limited, and even more so the number of high-level experts such as Shengzhe and Zhuanzhi. For instance, in first-tier megacities like Songhai, five senior monks are stationed. Provincial capitals have at least one senior monk. In smaller county towns and more remote cities, however, the number of official Xingzhe is scarce, let alone high-level experts. To strengthen control over these cities and prevent remote areas from becoming fertile ground for evil organizations to grow and thrive, patrol teams have been established. ——Of course, some less developed and less significant cities remain ideal havens for evil organizations. Fu Qingyang continued: "The jurisdiction of the Songhai Patrol Team covers Jiangnan Province, Sanzhuang Province, and Jianghuai Province. When necessary, it can extend its reach nationwide." Each year, the patrol unit needs three months of field patrol records, and most of the time, they can still remain in Songhai. "But this is normal. If any branch within the jurisdiction requests assistance, they must respond immediately. Yuan Shi, you decide how to choose." Zhang Yuanqing pondered for a few seconds, then looked at Guan Ya. "Guan Ya, what about you?" Under her brother's gaze, Guan Ya looked straight ahead, maintaining the appearance of being just a regular colleague of Yuan Shi, and said, "I have decided to join the patrol unit." Zhang Yuanqing then stated, "Commander, then I too will join the patrol unit." With the position of steward still occupied, joining the patrol unit offers several advantages: first, it allows him to stay in Songhai, which alleviates his concerns, though it means more frequent travel. Second, he will have more opportunities to observe the stars. Third, he can more conveniently investigate the case of his comrade-in-arms, no longer confined to Songhai and daily office duties. Fourth, it opens up opportunities for promotion and salary increases. And if he stays in Songhai, remains with the Second Team, he will become a subordinate of Tian Guo Huo. How could Yuan Shishen, the Prime Immortal, be content to serve under someone unless that person is a master of virtue—someone like the money-tempered Mr. Qian? Fu Qingyang nodded in satisfaction, saying, "Each patrol team leader has the authority to command ten Level-3 Wayfarers. You may recruit independent, wandering practitioners on your own, or have the headquarters assign them to you, or apply directly to the organization for specific individuals you wish to bring in." Level-3 Wayfarers is the minimum standard for joining a patrol team, and in terms of elite quality, they far surpass those stationed in the garrison units. Ten spots? I could bring in Xiao Green Tea, Queen Li, and then think of a few more beautiful acquaintances... Zhang Yuanqing's mind expanded, and suddenly he felt a growing sense of anticipation. At this moment, Fu Qingyang stood up, looking down at Zhang Yuanqing with an air of authority, and said, "The official matters are concluded. Now, let's move on to some personal matters." As he spoke, Fu Qingyang reached out, grasping at the air and pulling forth a bundle of rusted Han-Baofang ancient swords, then said calmly: "I've heard you broke the record on the Transcendent Realm scoreboard. Please, Master Primordial Heavens, who set the record, offer me a word of guidance—this arrogant, outspoken, unfiltered young man here, who dares to criticize the Marshal as nothing but trash." Zhang Yuanqing: "...?" Outside, the rain poured down in torrents; inside, the money-son's eyes glowed with fierce determination. "Zzzz... zzzz..." At just the right moment, the audio from the King of Cats speaker in his waistband chimed in: "The rain keeps falling—mood isn't exactly warm." Zhang Yuanqing gave the speaker a solid slap and immediately turned to the dog elder, hoping the respected elder would intervene and stop the money-son's undignified act of bullying. The dog elder didn't disappoint—saying firmly, "Fu Elder, blades have no eyes. In sparring, we use our weapons—there's no need to act so wildly." Just as Zhang Yuan The very next moment, two wooden poles, each half a meter long, appeared out of nowhere, covered with sharp, backward-pointing spines. The Dog Elder smiled warmly and said, "Use them—I've already prepared everything!" Zhang Yuanqing: "????" Everyone in the room looked at Yuan Shi Tian Zun with pity, and silently pulled out their phones. Zhang Yuanqing suddenly realized: the rising black mist from the E Palace signaled that he was about to get hit; the rising black mist from the Yuan Palace signaled that he was about to be completely wiped out. The majestic and radiant image of Yuan Shi Tian Zun would be utterly destroyed by the screens of these people's phones.