Master Tian: Good! Zhang Yuanqing replied to the message, full of anticipation. A few seconds later, his phone chimed, and the file arrived. He opened the file immediately and first saw a one-inch photo. The woman in the photo was in her forties, elegant and refined, neither graceful nor delicate, exuding a clear, strong, and decisive presence. Yet, she was not Chen Shu. Zhang Yuanqing’s first thought was that maybe Shunoya Reo had made a mistake—according to the records, Chen Shu was not his mother, merely someone with the same name. “Not quite—her facial features are different, but her aura is so similar. Chen Shu is always so pretentious, believing herself a strong, independent woman and a little princess, always moving with firm determination and assertiveness.” She must have undergone a change of appearance. But would a regular person need to undergo such a transformation? Even if she had some connection with the Spirit Realm Travelers, she was only a peripheral figure. Zhang Yuanqing continued reading, and suddenly understood. Records show that Chen Shu is the professional manager and publicly recognized leader of the Jishi Society, overseeing nearly all of its external communications and business operations. Tianfa believes Chen Shu is merely a figurehead, as she is not a Lingjing Xingzhe; however, Tianfa has not yet uncovered the underlying power structures or stronger forces behind her. Regarding the Jishi Society, two confirmed masters have been identified, along with fourteen Saints and several extraordinary individuals. Even just their visible strength constitutes an A-tier power. ——Within the Free Federation, civil organizations are categorized into four tiers: A, B, C, and D. D-tier organizations consist of groups with two or more extraordinary individuals, primarily consisting of mafia groups. C-tier organizations have two or more Saints and are mostly well-performing companies. B-tier organizations feature one Saint at the sixth level and multiple Saints at the fourth and fifth levels, commonly found among smaller capital groups and conglomerates. A-tier organizations are those that possess one or more masters. Zhang Yuanqing kept going through the materials, one thought echoing in his mind: Is this my mother? Really my mother? It's no surprise—they share the same name and surname. My mother couldn't possibly be this accomplished! Fortunately, Zhang Yuanqing had always remained calm under pressure—he was a seasoned driver who could handle things step by step. He quickly stabilized his emotions and began drawing connections. "Chen Shu must be an ordinary person. That’s certain. If she were a cultivator from the Spiritual Realm, the Palace Master wouldn’t have kept it from me, and Tianfa wouldn’t be a fool. The official assessment of Tianfa’s findings is quite accurate." "A mere ordinary person couldn’t possibly build a large-scale organization on her own. There must be someone behind the scenes supporting her. To establish an A-level organization, that support would have to come from either the official side or the evil faction. So, what connections does Chen Shu have abroad?" "...Ah, now it clicks. It’s you, Mr. Chairman." This conclusion was straightforward and easily deduced. Mr. Chairman nearly met every criterion—he was clearly the powerful force behind Chen Shu, and Chen Shu herself was merely his representative. Additionally, Zhang Yuanqing recalled something else: Fu Xue had once mentioned that the civilian organization Jishishe of the Free Federation had planned to fund him, but Zhang had firmly declined. Was it the housekeeper who wanted to give him some pocket money? Fu Xue and the housekeeper actually knew each other—what a small world! Zhang Yuanqing exited the chat app and then opened the Bounty Hunter app, browsing through the silver and bronze-tier bounty lists for any tasks related to Ji Shi Society. Unfortunately, the organization was quite understated; after searching for a while, he couldn’t find any relevant assignments. Instead, he unexpectedly came across a bounty tied to himself: #Investigate the Murder Case at Xiong Ji Bar#. Was this issued by Tianfa or by the Bio-Alchemy Guild? Regrettably, as a silver-tier task, I’m currently unable to accept it—otherwise, I could play a nice self-vs.-wolf strategy. Zhang Yuanqing put down his phone and stood up, walking toward the register: “Let me pay.” That afternoon, he accepted two tasks: one to collect debts and another to eliminate a local gang’s influence in the Queens district. After eliminating several gang members, Zhang Yuanqing had his moral points deducted by the Ling Jing system by two hundred. By five in the afternoon, his taxi was stuck in traffic during the peak commuting hours. It's so congested—more crowded than Songhai! I should've taken the taxi instead. Five kilometers took me half an hour. The new Yu County office workers must have excellent bladder health... Zhang Yuan thought, relieved that his own bladder is up to par. The corpse on the stretcher was filled with lingering resentment, its negative energy stagnating within the flesh and blood. Without removing the resentment and dissipating the negative energy, it would transform into a shade corpse within three days. Are there any practitioners in the Chinese-American community who specialize in cultivating shade corpses? The ambulance and police cars gradually fell behind, and Zhang Yuanqing turned his gaze away, no longer paying attention. Indeed, Zhang Yuanqing resisted her allure, maintaining the poised demeanor of a top executive and said, "Annie, pick a charity tomorrow and donate one million federal coins for me. Today, I've dealt with a whole gang of underworld figures—two hundred moral points, and they're gone as if they never existed." After speaking, he entered the bedroom, locked the door, and closed the window. Zhang Yuanqing told him about his recent experiences, talking about the bounty hunter's mission, the landlord's wife and her family, chatting for half an hour before Guan Ya hung up to take a shower. While his official girlfriend was taking a bath, Zhang Yuanqing called his magical aunt on video. "How are you doing abroad?" Xiao Yuan wasn't quite Guan Ya, so she couldn't match him in speed and enthusiasm. Zhang Yuanqing simply repeated the everyday details he'd just shared. Xiao Yuan listened patiently, and after he finished, she told her lover about her own recent life—she and Kou Beiyue now reside in Songhai, serving as Fu Qingyang's informants. They are now the covert avengers, pursuing the traces of the Southern School and the Night Rose. "Beiyue has become much more composed and quiet—quite a transformation. I'm truly delighted to see him grow, even if it's in this quiet, steady way," Xiao Yuan murmured softly. The conversation lasted about fifteen minutes, concluding with Zhang Yuanqing's heartfelt and tender declaration. Finally, he dialed the video call to the Master of Zhishi Palace. Unlike Guan Ya and Xiao Yuan, who were promptly answered, Zhang Yuanqing saw a red dress appear on the screen, the palace master resting her chin, gazing softly at the camera. "Oh! I was just about to call you—I'd say we're truly in sync, wouldn't you agree?" Zhang Yuanqing glanced at the crescent moon beneath the mask, hmmed, "Lady of the Palace, we don't need to beat around the bush..." "I know you want to sleep with me." "??" Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath, growled, "Stop with your silly banter—I have business to attend to." Before the Lady could continue her teasing, he asked, "Was the scroll you're carrying given to you by the half-god chairman of the Merchant Guild?" "No—it was given to me by your mother." The Lady answered with grace. "My mother gave it to me... Honestly, who even is she, really? Who is she supposed to be??" Zhang Yuanqing said, his voice steady. "I've been investigating Chen Shu recently and have gathered some leads. I'd like to ask you—when I first fell ill, and Chen Shu took me abroad for treatment, did she reach out to the Merchant Guild for help?" The Lady smiled, "You already have your answer." Zhang Yuanqing thought for a moment, then said, "So, the Merchant Guild chairman is actually the silent backer behind Chen Shu's Ji Shi Society." The Lady nodded. Therefore, Mrs. Li came to know Mr. Bill of the Merchant's Guild, and Mr. Bill has always held a kind and favorable attitude toward him, even purchasing the perfect human skin from him. Now that one reflects on it, it indeed seems illogical—though he had already begun to gain recognition, he was still only at the Transcendent level. Even if the Merchant's Guild wished to invest in him, they could hardly directly invest in a cause-based artifact. Moreover, the Guild President was not only an old acquaintance of Zhang Zizhen but also the employer of Chen Shu. Thus, the Merchant's Guild's connection with the family ran deeper than one might have imagined. This is the fourth time Zhang Yuanqing has witnessed the landlord’s wife arguing with her neighbors. At first, he paid attention to the reasons behind the arguments, but soon realized that the landlord’s wife often argued simply because she was in a bad mood—no real cause needed. Gao Chao and Gao Qianxiu, dressed in school uniforms, stood by, eating the scene, watching their mother command the room. Occasionally, Nick would pass by, stop for a moment, and add a few rap verses to liven up the atmosphere. At that moment, Gao Qianxiu looked up and caught Zhang Yuanqing’s eye. She then lowered her head, pulled out her phone, and began typing. A few seconds later, her message chimed on Zhang Yuanqing’s phone. He returned to the bed, picked it up, and read it. [Gao Qianxiu: Tonight at 8, I’ll take you on a trial mission. If you pass the assessment, you’ll officially become a member of the Anti-Black-and-White Alliance. Please reschedule all your other commitments—details about the assessment will be shared with you once I return from school.]