The president, wearing a silver mask, gazed silently at Zhang Yuanqing. The gaze beneath the mask was deep and still as a pond. Zhang Yuanqing met his gaze without changing expression. The room fell into a long silence; no one spoke. Occasional sounds of outside bustle and horns filtered through the windows, and the two continued to stare at each other in quiet contemplation. Suddenly, the president smiled gently. "How do you think I am your uncle, though he is quite remarkable?" Besides the family's own disgrace, who else could say such an unashamed thing! Zhang Yuanqing rolled his eyes. "When you invited me to meet at my grandmother's house, I began to suspect something. Master Zhang, who even guards against members of the Xiao Yao organization and keeps his real identity hidden, knew so much about your wife and children—where your mother-in-law lives, for instance—this doesn't make sense. How could he trust you? But if you are indeed his uncle, then it all makes sense." The president countered, "Stupid—you forgot about the dog in Songhai, didn't you?" Zhang Yuanqing said, "Indeed, you might have learned of Zhang Tian Shi's identity for reasons other than mine. As for my mother—how could such a principled, independent woman, Chen Shu, take my father's avatar abroad and work for me as a mere employee? What gives her unconditional trust in you? And yet, the organization you've worked so hard to build, the Jishishe, you've entrusted entirely to an ordinary woman. During the Light Compass competition, you poured your entire family's resources into securing the core fragments—only to hand them over to my father. I simply don't believe there's any special connection between you two." The chairman didn't respond, merely said, "Go on." "I've always been deeply puzzled as to why Xiao Doubi is so fond of stealing your wallets. He possesses the ability to locate treasures, and at first I thought he was after the money—when I first became a spiritual realm traveler, I wasn't very familiar with the treasure-hunting mechanisms. Later, however, I realized he's actually not particularly sensitive to money, but rather to the items belonging to spiritual realm travelers. "You've revealed far more than that. The chairman of the Merchant's Guild is Chinese. I remember when you were young, your uncle used to dream of riding on horseback, leaving home and wandering far away for several years—yet you've never spoken of those experiences. You sent me the precious, flawless human skin through Mr. Bill, intending to help me become the Sun Sovereign. Besides seeing me as your successor, I can't think of anyone else who would show such deep affection for me. During my time in the New Covenant County, though you've tried to conceal it, your demeanor has been so much like that of a family outcast—your taste in clothing too, has been equally so." Zhang Yuanqing poured out all the words he'd been holding in for a long time: "When I was young, the whole family found it strange—how could such a sharp, capable aunt-in-law have chosen someone so clearly an outcast? She even endured her mother-in-law's difficulties for you. It simply couldn't be because you were merely a decent, but not outstanding, rapper." The Chairman expressed his displeasure: "Don't speak of your uncle in such a way. I believe he is an excellent rapper." "It doesn't matter what kind of rap I have—there's still an important piece of evidence I have." Zhang Yuanqing hummed. "After realizing you might be a family liability, I finally remembered why Diana seemed familiar. When I was young, while we used to hang out with Bing at the Red Light Street, I saw her—right there, watching you walk into your hair salon. Now, I'm going to tell my aunt." "Alright, you win—I'm not playing anymore," the chairman conceded. "Yuanzi, I and Diana are completely clear. She was a foreign affairs officer posted abroad to gather intelligence in our country, just like Anne. During my travels overseas, I saved her twice. After she arrived here, she reached out to me. It was through this connection that I began to deepen my ties with the Goddess Association, eventually forming an alliance with them." As he spoke, he removed his mask, revealing a handsome, effortlessly stylish face with fine, delicate frown lines at the corners of his eyes. None other than his own uncle—the very family liability. Uncle reached out his hand, and Zhang Yuanqing responded by extending his own. The two bumped shoulders, establishing mutual understanding. During his stay in the New Covenant County, as his interactions with the President deepened, Zhang Yuanqing gradually revealed his identity. In truth, Uncle hadn't been overly secretive—he had consistently sent subtle signals: matching clothing tastes, arranging a home meeting on a particular day, and tolerating Zhang's clumsy antics, such as stealing his wallet. These were all clear indications. Otherwise, given Uncle's status as a Void Half-Deity and his capabilities, Zhang simply couldn't have succeeded in stealing his wallet, nor could he have maintained such subtle differences in demeanor and style. Yet Uncle never explicitly stated it. Zhang had always pretended not to notice. At that time, Zhang was still a Saint, and Uncle could easily explain his silence by citing his lower rank. Now, having ascended to the status of Sovereign, Zhang had the standing to participate in higher-level strategic games—there was no longer any reason for Uncle to withhold information. Thus, Zhang no longer wished to pretend and chose to make his case. Uncle leaned back on the sofa, one leg crossed over the other, and plucked a high-footed cup from thin air, saying, "You should have guessed the identity of the Lady of the Palace by now, shouldn't you?" Zhang Yuanqing rolled his eyes. "Jiang Yu E, I've known all along." Auntie revealed herself earlier—little comic, stealing her underwear, fond of holding her legs, the Lady's unreasonable favoritism toward him, and all the little coincidences. Zhang Yuanqing had suspected the Lady was actually Auntie during the Little Red Cap incident, but at that time he was still a newcomer and didn't know that musicians could create physical duplicates. Seeing both the Lady and Auntie appear simultaneously, he was genuinely taken aback. "In fact, once I figured out Auntie's identity, I became even more suspicious of you. Auntie has used the teleportation device multiple times—indeed, a reusable one. The Lady of the Palace and the Merchant Guild's head have no overlapping connections, yet Jiang Yu E and the family's disgraced relative are sisters." The little comic relief is also proof that you two have been hiding something—a young spirit child, how could that possibly align with the虚空 (void) profession's treasure-hunting skill?" Zhang Yuanqing spoke with confidence. Uncle immediately launched into a rap: "Stupid Yuanzi, don't underestimate that kid—he's a great uncle, a gift from me to your child." How long has he been single-押ing (single-stressed) all these years, and now he's suddenly mastering double-押ing? While chuckling at his uncle, Zhang Yuanqing asked, "Wasn't it Auntie who gave him to you?" "He's also hers in a way—she was the one who delivered him, but he passed away shortly after birth. Yu'er noticed his strong spiritual energy, perfect for serving as a spiritual attendant, so she couldn't bear to see him fade away. She asked me to bestow special qualities upon him and brought him home as a gift to celebrate your becoming the Night-Wanderer." Seriously, you've been playing me all along! Zhang Yuanqing muttered internally, then asked, "Does Grandma know Auntie's background?" "Of course she does. Yu'er wasn't born However, when Master Zhang first placed her with your grandmother's family, he only mentioned that she was a friend's child, whose parents had died in a car accident and who had no relatives left. Since your grandparents were not practitioners of the Lingjing Sect, he never mentioned the Chu family. "That makes sense," Uncle Zhang replied. "I see now why your grandmother has been so persistent in pushing Aunt Li to get married—she knows Aunt Li is actually 27, not 25." Zhang Yuanqing suddenly understood. The age mismatch between the Palace Master and Aunt Li had initially puzzled him. Now he realized that, in order to conceal her true identity, Aunt Li's age had been slightly reduced, but your grandmother was aware of her real age, which is why she was so eager to see her married. At 27, without a boyfriend, it was quite remarkable—especially in a city as large and dynamic as Songhai. Moreover, when the Xiahou family came to Songhai to seek justice on behalf of the Palace Master, they had leveraged their connections with the Public Security Bureau to investigate the household records of eligible women in Songhai by age. They found no match for the Palace Master. Now that I think about it, it makes sense that they couldn’t find anything—Grandfather used to be the head of the security team, so updating the household registration would have been a breeze. “In fact, your mother originally intended to raise Yu'er as a child bride, constantly shaping her mindset, telling her that if a son was born, she’d marry you, thus making the family truly one unit. Yu'er really bought into that, since she’d lost her entire family at a young age and longed for close family ties,” Uncle remarked, shaking his head. “But your father passed away young, so she had to move abroad. Yu'er stayed with your grandmother. For over twenty years, your grandmother treated her like her own daughter. How could a daughter-in-law feel comfortable with her own granddaughter? She found it deeply uncomfortable and therefore always stayed vigilant—whenever Yu'er grew close to you, she’d get upset.” I suddenly understood why Chen Shu was so unreasonable in her dislike of Guan Ya. Zhang Yuan thought to himself. At the same time, I also understood why your grandmother had been so delighted when she learned that you had a girlfriend, and even encouraged you to live together. "Chen Shu carried Zhang Tianshi's duplicate abroad, didn't she, Uncle? Do you know where Chu Shang and Master Wuhen's duplicates are?" Zhang Yuanqing asked with eager anticipation. The four members of the "Immortal Ease" group had entered the realm with the determination to die, hoping to uncover the secrets of the spiritual realm. They had each left behind duplicates in the real world—should either of them perish, the Chu family could revive them using the Mother Goddess's womb. Now, aside from Zhang Tianshi's duplicate being taken abroad by Chen Shu, the duplicates of Chu Shang and Master Wuhen have vanished. Chu Shang died twenty years ago, and Master Wuhen passed away this year. "I don't know. I'm not particularly close to them," the uncle replied with some irritation, then shifted tone: "But your father certainly does. As long as you revive your father, you can revive both Chu Shang and Zhang Tianshi. However, the Mother Goddess's womb is located in the Commander's Monastery, so reviving your father there is nearly impossible." "Then why not just go to the Eye of the Demon?" Zhang Yuanqing said naturally. Uncle shook his head slightly: "Master Zhang is at the peak of dominion. As long as he revives in the northwest, the War Lord will instantly sense it. The reason you succeeded last time was because, in the War Lord's eyes, you were merely a mere insect. Would he care if a small insect crawled past you while you slept?" Though it slightly hurt his pride, Zhang Yuanqing couldn't refute it. "Then we'll have to find another opportunity. Perhaps we can have the Magi-Eye King steal the Mother Goddess's womb—let's discuss that later. By the way, is your cousin a Traveler of the Spiritual Realm?" He asked with genuine anticipation. "He's the successor of your grandfather, not mine," Uncle shrugged. "Yuan Jun is just an ordinary, unambitious mortal." "You're a half-god, and yet your only heir isn't a Traveler of the Spiritual Realm?" Zhang Yuanqing expressed some disappointment, looking sideways at his uncle. "Will half-gods necessarily produce spiritual realm travelers? Master of the Taiyuan Sect has many offspring, yet spiritual realm travelers make up less than one-tenth of them. How many spiritual realm travelers have half-gods from noble families—long serving as stallions for a century—actually produced?" Uncle sipped his red wine, hummed, and said, "Besides, Yuanjun isn't a spiritual realm traveler now. He might very well become one in a few years. You only recently obtained your character card this year, didn't you? And I went to great lengths to secure it from the Demon King himself." Zhang Yuanqing was struck by this. "Speaking of the Demon King, Uncle, I'd like to tell you—He has appeared in the slaughter quest. More precisely, it's his lingering devotion. He summoned the sun through my body, breaking the concealment of the Yin, thus restoring the moral value." "What?!" Uncle leapt straight off the sofa, his expression utterly uncharacteristically agitated, "That's impossible. The Demon King cannot have any lingering devotion."