See me? This response caught Zhang Yuanqing off guard. He had assumed that the Master of Zhishake Palace would reach out to him via a phone call. And even if it was a phone call, Zhang Yuanqing had been deeply apprehensive—let alone an in-person meeting. The staff at Zhishake Palace were all passionate and intense… the palace master herself was truly eccentric—a peak Sage-level cultivator. As her words formed in his mind, Zhang Yuanqing immediately replied: "No—not according to protocol! "I don't wish to meet with your palace master personally. Maintaining a distance will benefit everyone." What exactly does "eclectic" mean? It's like one moment she says she loves her brother most, and the next she pulls out a chopping blade and cuts off his head—then they sail across oceans together. Zhang Yuanqing considered himself skilled at social interactions, yet he struggled with emotionally intense individuals such as obsessive types or eccentric personalities. His instinct was simply to avoid such people. After a moment of hesitation, the Sage in Delicate Calm added: "The palace master has informed me: if you wish to learn about the Xiaohou family's secrets, you must meet her personally. She will not disclose them over the phone nor through information messages. Furthermore, it must be you alone attending." The secret related to the Xiaohou family—and a personal meeting—meant this was truly significant! Zhang Yuanqing sat silent, pondering. Noticing Yuan Shi Tian Zun's silence, the Sage in Delicate Calm supplemented: "The palace master has heard of your accomplishments and greatly admires you." Being admired by an eccentric wasn’t exactly a positive development—Zhang Yuanqing muttered to himself internally. After weighing his options carefully, he said: "Very well. When and where?" The Sage in Delicate Calm breathed a sigh of relief and promptly replied: "Your palace master has specified the location—the café across from the Kangyang District Public Security Bureau." This is clearly an expression of goodwill! Zhang Yuanqing responded: "Understood." At this moment, he urgently needed leverage over the Xiaohou family—missing this opportunity would be a great loss. Though he still had reservations about how eccentric the Master of Zhishake Palace was, Zhang Yuanqing believed that for now, Zhishake Palace was a friendly force rather than an adversary. He still owed them gratitude from the Wang Qian incident. ... At 4:30 in the morning, the streets were quiet and cold, with golden duck-down streetlights stretching out along the road into the distance. Near the Public Security Bureau of Kangyang District, Zhang Yuanqing pulled out his Smartphone, using its screen as a mirror to examine his appearance under the streetlight. His features were ordinary, slightly reserved. He had transformed himself into Wang Tai—still, Wang Tai’s presence gave him a sense of security. His own face was too elegant and striking… Zhang Yuanqing folded his smartphone and walked toward the Public Security Bureau. The steady rhythm of his footsteps echoed through the quiet streets. Three minutes later, he spotted the café across from the bureau—the door was open, with a soft glow of light emanating from within. Zhang Yuanqing hesitated at the entrance before entering the café decisively. Inside, it was empty—no one in sight. Where were they? Hadn’t they arrived yet? Zhang Yuanqing looked around and selected a seat at random. As he settled down, he heard a gentle silver chime of laughter from just behind him: "Wang Qian said you looked quite good, but I thought you were rather ordinary—she deceived me. When she returns, she'll hang him up by his ears." Zhang Yuanqing's spine tensed instantly, then slowly relaxed as he turned to look. Across two tables, a figure in a vibrant crimson gown had taken a seat—her outfit was richly adorned with golden embroidery. The red base of the dress featured cloud motifs and dragon patterns embroidered along her chest, sleeves, and hem. The hem flared at the calf, where it opened elegantly. She leaned lazily against the chair back, one leg crossed over the other, barefoot—her snow-white feet perfectly shaped, adorned with golden anklets. She wore a silver mask, her bright eyes beneath the mask observing Zhang Yuanqing attentively. Ethereal, unrestrained, noble, dignified—just that one glance, Zhang Yuanqing sensed many qualities within her. And those legs were quite lovely! Zhang Yuanqing glanced at them several times before he could help himself, then gently asked: "Is this your palace master?" The corner of the mask smiled slightly in response. "I’ve heard of your story and am grateful for your assistance to Zhishake Palace. As long as it does not compromise any principles or exceed what is feasible, I’d like to make one request." She rested her chin on her hand, smiling warmly. Three requests? Zhang Yuanqing nodded calmly: "Thank you! As the Sage in Delicate Calm mentioned, your palace master has been out on several instances recently—so she hasn’t been attending to matters concerning the Xiaohou family?" The red-dressed palace master nodded slightly: "I have now reached the level of Master-Emperor." Wow—Master-Emperor? Zhang Yuanqing quickly offered his goodwill: "Would you like me to say, 'Your majesty shall reign forever and unify the realm'?" The woman laughed softly, lightly: "Actually, I’d prefer to peel off your face and see what you look like underneath." She noticed I had disguised myself! Peeling my skin off—indeed, she’s truly eccentric. In ordinary circumstances, he would have said: “This is truly an honor.” But now, he hesitated—he feared this woman might actually act on her word. Zhang Yuanqing then said formally: "Xiaohou Tianyuan has already been dealt with. However, Xiaohou Xin and Xiaohou Chi are still active. What can I do for your palace?" Speech is an art form. After a few seconds of contemplation, the Master of Zhishake Palace said softly: "You're close to Xie Lingxi—shouldn’t you know my identity by now?" Zhang Yuanqing nodded. The palace master smiled slightly and then added: "Ah—she’s actually told outsiders about my background. I’ll have her stripped bare and hung up for it." Oh—that's unexpected! Zhang Yuanqing was momentarily stunned, completely unprepared for the topic to shift this way. He found himself struggling to keep pace with the palace master’s thinking rhythm. The palace master continued in a clear, melodic tone: "Twenty-one years ago, the Chu family among the three musical clans of 'Musician Skill' was attacked by the 'Army Master Sect,' resulting in the loss of its core members—only ordinary clan members managed to survive. I was still young then and had not yet become a Realm Walker, and under the protection of my fellow clan members, I survived. "The reasons behind the Chu family’s collapse were quite complex—I will not go into detail here. Eventually, I was settled in Longhai with the clan, and after maturing, I received a Character Card and became a Realm Walker. "I began investigating the truth behind that incident over several years of effort. Through persistent work, I uncovered certain truths—what struck me was that there was one powerful force quietly orchestrating everything." "What kind of force?" Zhang Yuanqing asked curiously. "Have you heard of Dark Night Rose?" Dark Night Rose?! Zhang Yuanqing’s heart leapt: "Yes—I have." A look of surprise flickered across the silver mask, then settled into a smile: "You know more than expected—like a seasoned veteran." Indeed, geniuses are always unique! Zhang Yuanqing silently commended himself, yet he refrained from adding further comments—what if she said: “I admire geniuses—and thus I intend to peel off your face!”? The palace master then smoothed her expression and glanced toward the register counter, speaking calmly: "Dark Night Rose is a discreet organization—known only by a few. Through my investigation, however, I found that it deeply permeates major Spirit Realm families and official organizations. Many high-ranking officials within these institutions are actually members of Dark Night Rose. "Specifically, the Xiaohou Chi lineage. The information I’ve gathered ends with Xiaohou Chi—whether the clan elders have any connection to Dark Night Rose remains unknown." At this point, Zhang Yuanqing’s mind sparked with clarity—he finally connected all the dots and understood the full picture. "You nearly killed Xiaohou Tianwen specifically to investigate Dark Night Rose—and Xiaohou Chi came all the way from here, ostensibly seeking justice for her grandson, but in reality, aiming to eliminate you as a means of silencing?" That explained why the Xiaohou family had shown such strong and assertive behavior during the Zhishake Palace incident. The palace master nodded: "Indeed—very astute." "And then why not report this matter to the Five Elements Alliance?" "I don’t trust official institutions," she shook her head. "How do you know that your trusted individuals aren't actually members of Dark Night Rose? Unless you can personally meet with the five senior elders in Longhai, I have no access to them. Xiaohou Chi is manageable—I must remain vigilant, as Dark Night Rose might intervene at any time to eliminate me." Zhang Yuanqing paused and then said: "So now you’re sharing this information with me—so that I can report it upward?" The palace master smiled: "You're a newcomer—your background is clean. So I've shared the information with you. As for how you choose to act upon receiving this news—that’s entirely your responsibility. I don’t need you to eliminate the Xiaohou family—I can eradicate Xiaohou Chi at my fingertips right now." Zhang Yuanqing cautiously inquired: "Have you heard of Fu Qingyang?" "Not personally," the silver mask’s gaze shifted toward him. "Would you like me to share this with him?" After a few seconds, she replied: "Most of Fu’s personnel are abroad—Fu Qingyang grew up overseas as well." She trusted Fu Qingyang more than anyone else… Zhang Yuanqing nodded thoughtfully—he now realized that the palace master was also investigating Dark Night Rose—and that Dark Night Rose was preparing to meet with Black Unchanging. If he could develop this palace master into an informant, his plan to locate Black Unchanging and obtain the skill list would be significantly strengthened. After a brief pause, Zhang Yuanqing said: "I have some information about Dark Night Rose—would you be interested?" At this, the palace master suddenly sat upright, her posture firm, eyes sharply focused on him: "What kind of information?" "Recently, I participated in an operation to eliminate the subordinates of Black Unchanging—the case you may know as the Black Unchanging incident." Noticing a nod from the palace master, he continued: "From the memory of one of the Wu Gu Masters involved, I discovered that Black Unchanging had been stationed in Longhai specifically to await the arrival of the leader of Dark Night Rose." Upon saying this, Zhang Yuanqing sensed a subtle quickening of the palace master’s breath. "Will the leader of Dark Night Rose come to Longhai?" Her voice remained neutral—without clear emotion. "Yes," Zhang Yuanqing pressed on: "We can work together." The palace master took a deep breath and then spoke calmly: "Agreed. I will investigate the Wu Gu Masters at the Spirit Energy Association, and notify you when updates are available. If you discover any leads about Dark Night Rose, please contact Wang Qian." "Understood," Zhang Yuanqing smiled. After a while, the palace master broke the quiet silence: "Unless there’s anything further to discuss, that concludes our meeting today." Zhang Yuanqing stood and thanked her. As he walked away from the café, he took a few steps before turning back to look. The café door was locked—within the floor-to-ceiling window, it was pitch black. Clearly, no one had opened the doors for business. Everything that just transpired felt like a dream. In an urban fantasy novel, this would be nothing short of ghostly! Zhang Yuanqing muttered under his breath. Fortunately, though the palace master’s personality was somewhat eccentric, she wasn’t as over-the-top obsessive or wildly erratic as the legends suggested. Yes—he hoped he hadn't disappointed her expectations. He continued walking and went through the entire conversation again in his mind. Ah—so the Xiaohou Chi lineage had quietly coordinated with Dark Night Rose—this would now allow him to bring down both the Xiaohou father and son. Moreover, they were undoubtedly aware of certain details about Dark Night Rose—including its members and structure. Black Unchanging had been hiding in Longhai like a turtle—difficult to locate. But if he could trace this line through Dark Night Rose, perhaps he’d find a breakthrough. He needed to inform Fu Qingyang of this development. Zhang Yuanqing trusted him—not only because during the Unimpeded incident, he already knew about the existence of Dark Night Rose; if Fu Qingyang were part of that organization, he would not have helped Xiaohou Tianyuan in that matter. Instead, he must have been actively working to eliminate an aware subordinate. Therefore, he could reasonably deduce that Fu Qingyang was being used as a means to strengthen the awareness of Dark Night Rose within the group. Moreover, among all the leaders he had access to, only Fu Qingyang—the Hundred-man Commander—was at the highest level. There was no alternative. With this realization, Zhang Yuanqing looked around—no one else nearby. He quietly pulled out his Smartphone and dialed Fu Qingyang’s number. ...