Found it? Found him! Found Master Yuan-Shi! The eyes beneath the baseball cap blaze with intense frenzy and hatred. The Master of Pure Yang nearly loses control; he takes a deep breath, calming his turbulent emotions and projecting a composed joy, then asks, "What's his name?" "I remember he goes by the surname Zhang..." the old man furrows his brow, striving to recall, "What's the full name? I need to think... I need to think... It's been several years now..." The Master of Pure Yang patiently waits—now, instead of rushing, he grows more composed. If the old man can remember, then he will proceed to take over his consciousness and examine his memories. Unlike spirit-consuming, which reveals fragmented memories after death, consciousness-taking allows one to directly absorb the living soul and access the complete, lived memories of the person. After perhaps a dozen seconds, the old man finally remembers, striking his palm with a sudden burst of clarity, "It's coming to me now—Zhang Yuanqing. That's it. His name is Zhang Yuanqing. That must be it." "Zhang Yuanqing... The Master of Pure Yang bit his teeth and recited the name several times, his eyes filled with growing resentment, his voice growing slightly colder: "Do you still have his home address?" "No," the old man replied without hesitation, shaking his head. "I teach mathematics to his class, not as the homeroom teacher, so I'm not familiar with his exact address. However, our school gives priority to students from Kangyang District, and there's a strict requirement—no less than 70% of our student body must come from this district. Therefore, his address should be within Kangyang District." Name: Zhang Yuanqing, Address: Kangyang District... The Master of Pure Yang quickly calculated. With both the name and the district now known, it was now straightforward to pinpoint the Master of the Primordial Origin's residence. Public institutions such as the police department, hospitals, and schools often yield little information. Yet, having lived in Kangyang District for over twenty years, the Master of the Primordial Origin's daily life patterns have been as consistent and well-documented as the strokes of a pen, fully tracing and mapping the entire district. The Five Elements Scroll can "erase" information from the internet and can remove memories of people close to him, yet it cannot erase his decades-long interpersonal relationships—this surpasses the limits of human capability. Unless a high-level rule-based artifact is employed, it is impossible to completely erase a person's traces from the world. The Master of Pure Yang swiftly formulated several investigative approaches: First, he sought out the home addresses of Yuan Shishen’s classmates from his time at the original academy—these individuals, scattered across Songhai and nationwide, are beyond the reach of the Songhai branch. Second, he borrowed a celestial observation artifact from the Night Rose to examine Yuan Shishen’s connections and karmic ties, which would surely yield insights through celestial observation. Third, he directly sold Yuan Shishen’s true name and residential neighborhood to both the Night Rose and the evil faction—then, the young man would surely perish, and his entire family would follow. As the Master of Pure Yang pondered these thoughts, he noticed the retired teacher across the table hesitating slightly, then cautiously asked: "Could you kindly inquire, sir, what offense has he committed?" "Theft!" "Master of Pure Yang spoke coldly, 'I've already mentioned this.' 'What exactly did he steal? Is the matter serious? What damage has it caused? If caught, what penalty would he face?' The retired teacher pressed on. In the city, a high-end apartment building, a spacious 310-square-meter floor plan. Zhang Yuanqing was directing the slightly stocky young man and Kou Beiyue, moving large and small furniture and appliances to build up this newly furnished home that had previously lacked furnishings. Xiao Yuan and Zhao Xintong were busy cutting through furniture and appliances with paper knives—high-end refrigerators, automated washing machines, smart desk lamps, single-seat sofas, tea sets, and more. The landlord had already removed all his personal belongings yesterday, and now this spacious floor plan belonged entirely to Xie Lingxi. Zhang Yuanqing had purchased it under Xie Lingxi's name and gifted it to Xiao Yuan. After careful consideration, Zhang Yuanqing found that his own identity as well as that of Yuan Shishen were not quite suitable—Guan Ya's connections were well known to everyone, so that didn't work either. Only Xie Lingxi was both safe and reliable. Xiao Yuan, the elegant young lady from the Xie family, was simply acquiring property in a way that was entirely ordinary—no one would pay special attention to it. Zhang Yuanqing was very satisfied with the house. Located in the city center, it features four bedrooms, two living rooms, three bathrooms, and two well-lit balconies, at a price that's quite reasonable—14 million. In Songhai, a large, central-floor unit of 300 square meters would require at least 50 million. Originally, installing surveillance systems, smart furniture, central air conditioning, and other electrical fixtures would have required professional personnel. However, Zhang Yuanqing had borrowed from Li Chunfeng the bachelor's occupational gloves and glasses—one for Kou Beiyue, one for the younger, plump one. The crude fire specialist, no, the crude spirit-influencing demon, instantly gained insight and managed to complete the drilling and wiring work himself. Seeing this, Xiao Yuan felt a great sense of relief, truly believing her son had grown up and could now handle things independently. She gently inquired whether Zhang Yuanqing would sell the two bachelor's tools. But Zhang Yuanqing explained that the glasses came at a cost—intellectual capacity was being drained. The principle of intellectual conservation held: Kou Beiyue’s intelligence hadn’t increased; it had simply been extracted. After extraction, intelligence drops significantly for several days. If worn long-term, cognitive decline becomes irreversible. The gloves possess a faint self-awareness and dislike low-intelligence individuals. If the owner is intellectually underwhelming, the gloves curse him, transforming him into a person with intellectual disability. This curse deepens with each use, eventually leading to permanent cognitive impairment. After listening to this, Xiao Yuan chose to give up with sadness—her son had always been intellectually modest, and she could no longer afford to burden him with two more items. While Kou Beiyue and the young fat man were busy in the living room, Zhao Xintong assisted from the side. Xiao Yuan gave Zhang Yuanqing a quiet glance and then walked toward the master bedroom. Zhang Yuanqing followed silently, closing the door behind him. The master bedroom was spacious, featuring an independent bathroom and a well-lit balcony. In the evenings, one could sit on the balcony, enjoy the cityscape, and sip a glass of wine while enjoying the gentle evening breeze. Then, one could either casually ignite a spark on the single sofa by the balcony, or return to the bedroom for a romantic night together. Xiao Yuan arrived at the balcony, leaning against the railing with both hands resting on her chest, and said softly, "So you're planning to keep me here, living in a golden pavilion, as your beloved mistress?" Zhang Yuanqing immediately sensed her misunderstanding—she thought he had purchased the house specifically to house her as his mistress. In truth, his intention was simply to spend money. After his mother-in-law arrived in Songhai, she had managed to secure the headquarters' cooperation within just three days. She then flew directly to Beijing, where she confronted the head of the weapons supply department, stating, "If the headquarters is unwilling to partner with us, then we can always choose the Heavenly Punishment at this very moment." The department head remained calm at first, pointing out that their company had signed an agreement with the headquarters, which stipulated that they could not sell their mechanical technology to any organization outside the Five Elements Alliance. The mother-in-law smiled coldly, snapped a contract onto the table, and said, "But it doesn't say anything about joint research, does it?" The manager had hoped to negotiate a bit longer, but at that moment, the mother-in-law smiled gracefully, placed her hands on the table, and leaned in close, saying: "If we settle the final payment within three days, I'll return you 0.5 percentage points, directly transferred to your overseas account." The payment was made the very next day. The first order amounted to ten billion yuan; after deducting costs, the company's net profit was five billion yuan—this figure doesn't even include future "maintenance fees." Zhang Yuanqing held a 5% stake, earning 25 million yuan in profit. Plus, the 5% operational fund from the faction that Fu Qingyang had extracted from Xiahou's main character, Zhang Yuanqing now realized a total profit of 50 million yuan. The operational fund, naturally, would be managed by the faction head, effectively becoming Zhang Yuanqing's personal reserve fund. Facing Xiao Yuan's misunderstanding, Zhang Yuanqing smoothly added, "Unfortunately, there were three rather obtrusive light bulbs in the way." He then walked to the balcony, firmly wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her into his arms. Xiao Yuan slightly furrowed her brows and pushed gently, but seeing it This was equivalent to sending a signal to Zhang Yuancheng: I am willing to stay here, as a mistress. I don't care about my status, because this was never meant to be mine—after all, I am merely a woman of an unseemly profession, destined never to stand in the spotlight. Zhang Yuancheng, too, could never bring her into the spotlight, not even in the long stretch of time ahead. Thus, their relationship would remain hidden—both from the political factions and from the third-party sentiments. Neither spoke, yet both understood perfectly well. Zhang Yuancheng lowered her head. Under the sunlight and the warm breeze, her radiant face wore a soft, natural makeup—no longer the clear, youthful grace of a maiden, but the refined elegance and understated charm of a mature woman. She gently bit into the smooth, fair cheeks. Xiao Yuan scowled at her. Zhang Yuancheng then bit gently at the elegant, slender bridge of her nose. Xiao Yuan scowled again. Only when Zhang Yuancheng cupped her moist, sensuous lips did Xiao Yuan feel satisfied, and she closed her eyes, leaning into his arms. The two of them embraced and kissed deeply in the cool autumn breeze, their hearts racing and breaths growing rapid. Zhang Yuanqing lifted the older woman over his shoulder and carried her toward the large bed. Five minutes later, the bedroom door was struck with firm knocks, and Kou Beiyue's voice came from outside: "Xiao Yuan, Xiao Yuan! The home appliances are nearly installed—come out and take a look!" "Don't bother! Get out!" "Master Yuan-Shi, I didn't ask you to come! I asked Xiao Yuan!" "Xiao Yuan won't either—get out!" Kou Beiyue fell silent, yet the knocking grew more urgent. Ah, well... Zhang Yuanqing could only sit up and interrupt their intimacy. At that moment, Xiao Yuan's T-shirt was pulled up to her neck, revealing her slender abdomen with a delicate waist curve that gave him a strong visual impact. One corner of her home cotton pants had been lifted, exposing a black lace trim. Her cheeks were flushed like she'd just been drinking, her eyes soft and dreamy, her lips gently touched and moist, glowing with freshness. Xiao Yuan pushed him aside, straightened her clothes, wiped the dampness from her lips, took a deep breath, and opened the door. Kou Bei Yue keenly sensed her anomaly. "She has entered a trance," said the plump young man, his expression profoundly serious. The words sent a ripple of shock through the group—had the Southern Sect come calling? At that moment, Xiao Yuan's pupils regained focus, her face filled with astonishment and joy. "Master Wuhen has returned!" ... In the tightly drawn, light-proof study, the Night Rose Grand Master seated behind the desk heard a soft chime from his phone—new messages had arrived. He picked up the phone to read them. "Come quickly to Songhai—I've uncovered a stunning secret." The message came from an unfamiliar number. The Grand Master immediately recognized it as coming from the Pure Yang Master, since the text was in traditional Chinese—only he used traditional characters. What a stunning secret? The Grand Master stared at the message, lost in thought. After the failed mission to hunt down the Primordial Sovereign, the Pure Yang Master had stepped aside, acting independently of the three Grand Masters. This increasingly erratic ancient master, it seemed, had finally plunged into complete madness during his latest rebirth. The Night Rose no longer bothered to pay attention to him. At this moment, when she sent a message, the first thought that came to the Grand Protector's mind was whether the Five Elements Alliance had set a trap to lure out the snake. The Master of Pure Yang might have already been killed by the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign. The person sending messages on the phone might very well be that young man—he just slew the head of the Southern Sect and now sought revenge against the Night Rose. As he pondered, the second message arrived: "Help!" Then came the third: "Come quickly to Songhai—I've discovered a stunning secret." Then the fourth: "Help!" The sound of notifications rang continuously, the two messages alternating back and forth. This... as he watched the messages pouring in, a cold sense of unease began to rise in the Grand Elder's heart.