Though it’s still around four or five in the morning now, such crucial information absolutely has to be reported to superiors immediately—delaying risks everything changing, and the longer you wait, the more complicated things get.
As for Fu Bai Fu Chang’s progress in tracking Black Uncommonness, it's been stuck for quite some time now.
“Ding-ding-ding~”
The bell rang for nearly half a minute before finally connecting. A cold, composed voice came through—Fu Qingyang’s:
“Calling me at this hour must be something important.”
It seemed as though he was actively suppressing his morning grogginess. Zhang Yuanqing said, “Bai Fu Chang, I just met with the Master of Zhishake Palace.”
Fuyingyang paused. “She requested it?”
“Yes!” Zhang Yuanqing replied. “She invited me to talk about something—specifically, concerning the Xiaohou family.”
Then she heard a sharp sound—the subtle rustle of someone tossing back their blanket and sitting up—followed by Fu Qingyang’s serious tone:
“What exactly was her reason for nearly killing Xiaohou Tianwen?”
Indeed, Fu Qingyang had sensed something unusual too. After all, Guan Ya could already sense it—being an explorer in the same profession as Fu Qingyang, she would naturally be more attuned to such subtleties. Zhang Yuanqing didn’t hesitate:
“The Master of Zhishake Palace said that the Xiaohou lineage is a member of the Dark Night Rose.”
There was silence on the other end—the phone went quiet for about five or six seconds—before Fu Qingyang finally spoke, his voice now deeply weighty:
“Are you absolutely sure?”
Zhang Yuanqing then recounted exactly what the Master had said.
“She stated this clearly, but I can’t be certain of its truth. That’s why I’m calling you to report it.”
Fu Qingyang slowly replied:
“There is indeed a strong connection between the Dark Night Rose and the fall of the Chu family—the unrest during that time was directly targeted at a specific rule-type prop held by the Musician Skill profession in the Army Command. The official response lagged behind—someone interfered with communication—and only members within the Five Elements Alliance had such influence and power.”
After noticing the secret connection between Black Uncommonness and the Dark Night Rose, Fu Qingyang immediately contacted the elder council of the Fu family to learn more about that historical incident.
Following Chu’s downfall, the Five Elements Alliance became aware of the existence of the Dark Night Rose and conducted an internal purge. However, this event was deemed embarrassing for the official face—and thus remained unspoken, suppressed entirely. Over twenty-one years later, most current generation official Pilgrims were completely unaware of this history.
“So it seems,” Zhang Yuanqing frowned, “the Dark Night Rose is not only connected to Black Uncommonness, but also collaborated with the Army Command back then in destroying the Chu family. That’s quite a significant move.”
Being able to infiltrate noble families and official organizations—the energy behind the Dark Night Rose must be immense.
With such powerful capabilities yet staying hidden for so long—what could their ultimate intentions possibly be?
Fu Qingyang nodded, affirming Zhang Yuanqing's assessment, then said in a steady tone:
“Besides me, have you told anyone else?”
“I just found out and immediately reported it to you,” Zhang Yuanqing answered.
Fu Qingyang then instructed: “This matter must not be disclosed.”
From the way he spoke, it was clear that he was thoroughly satisfied with Zhang Yuanqing’s response.
“I understand!” Zhang Yuanqing asked next. “What do you plan to do about the Xiaohou lineage?”
Fu Qingyang gave a cold smile and said:
“If you were at the upper level of the Dark Night Rose, and learned that Xiaohou Tianwen had been imprisoned—what would you do?”
“Closely monitor them,” Zhang Yuanqing thought. “If there’s any risk of exposure, take steps to eliminate them.”
“I will hold Xiaohou Tianwen accountable under charges of public security disturbance,” Fu Qingyang said. “Then I’ll use this as a long-term strategy—keeping the pressure on without causing alarm at first. Until then, I won’t stir up the existing situation.” With these words, his tone softened from its earlier coldness.
“Rest assured,” he added, “as long as I maintain control of Xiaohou Tianwen, neither the Xiaohou family nor Xiaohou Xin will dare to retaliate against you. Once I’m ready to act, they won’t have a chance to respond.”
Phew! Zhang Yuanqing exhaled deeply—thus, matters concerning the Xiaohou family were now settled.
Fu Qingyang then said:
“We don’t need to act immediately yet—we’ll wait until the upcoming large health check-up. I plan to screen several official Pilgrims first and assess their reactions.”
“What is the Large Health Check-up?”
Zhang Yuanqing felt his heart sink—remembering what the Demon King had said: *I won’t make it through the Large Health Check-up!*
Fu Qingyang explained:
“The Large Health Check-up is both a welfare initiative for senior officials and a form of oversight. On one hand, physical health issues are examined and treated; on the other, mental states and character traits are evaluated. For the fallen ones—those who have lost their former selves—it acts as a mirror, revealing their true condition. Anyone with hidden concerns will inevitably show signs.”
What if they didn’t uncover the Dark Night Rose’s influence—and instead unearthed a Demon King heir? Zhang Yuanqing's mind raced like a thousand horses galloping through fields of grass and mud.
His instinctive thought was: *It’s finally your turn, Little Comedian!*
But then he questioned himself—wasn’t the Large Health Check-up actually that difficult to avoid?
He turned right away and asked Guan Ya about it.
“Bai Fu Chang,” Zhang Yuanqing asked, “has there been any major killing instance recently?”
Fu Qingyang shook his head: “The large-scale killing instances occur mostly during mid-year and late-year periods—nothing significant has happened lately.”
That was odd—how then did the Master of Zhishake Palace rise to become a Grandmaster? After all, she had no reason to deceive him.
After thinking for several seconds, Zhang Yuanqing said: “I’m good with this matter now.”
“Go rest!”
Fu Qingyang expressed such rare concern for his subordinates.
…
The next morning, at the large villa.
Three Rabbit Dancers were busy setting up breakfast tables. Ling Jun walked in, yawning, and greeted Fu Qingyang across from him:
“Good morning!”
His gaze swept over Fu Qingyang’s serious face before returning to examine him more closely: “You seem in a good mood.”
Fu Qingyang gave a slight upward curl of his lips: “Because I’ve realized that leading by virtue is far more persuasive than simply increasing salaries.”
…
At the same time, in the presidential suite, the assistant rose at her usual time, washed and dressed herself, then turned the handle on the master bedroom door and called out to wake the lady.
“Click!”
As the lock released, she sensed—as though breaking through an invisible barrier—a soft breeze stirred within the room.
When the door opened, the scene inside revealed:
The young lady was suspended gently beneath a crystal chandelier, her body only dressed in a slender set of female undergarments—small-sized bra and sheer underwear—her delicate form quite striking.
She was wiping tears as she watched the assistant enter.
The assistant gasped, exclaiming, “Miss! What happened?”
She rushed over to carefully untie the thin red cord that seemed woven like a single strand of hair.
“Who did this? Who did this?” the assistant demanded.
Shen Lingxi wept softly, saying: “Master of Zhishake Palace came by—Master Brother Yuan Shi hurt me. W-w-w-w…”
As she continued to speak in fragmented sentences, the assistant pieced together that at dawn, the Master had visited and, apparently, scolded her for revealing her background to outsiders—therefore suspending her from the room.
The assistant reassured herself: it was only a scolding—not something severe.
When she first saw Miss completely undressed, she thought someone might have broken in during the night to assault her virtue. Should the family press charges, she’d be required to offer her life—by slicing herself open.
…
At Good Music Hotel.
Wang Qian stood above his three companions with a calm, composed tone: “From this perspective, you all look really excellent.”
The trio looked at him with sympathetic eyes.
Wang Qian paused and gently asked: “Has the Master already left? Can you now release me from this view?”
His companions looked up, shaking their heads in unison. “We actually think that this angle of you is quite lovely too.”
“…”
…
After returning home, Zhang Yuanqing slept for a while before being awakened by his grandmother’s knock at the door.
He dressed and went to the living room—there sat his uncle and aunt, both who had just returned from night shifts.
Chen Yuanjun pinched her brow, observing his nephew with a concerned look: “You must’ve stayed up all night playing games again—you couldn’t sleep, I could barely find rest.”
No—I also wanted to sleep but couldn’t—outside the sunlight was bright, and it should have been bedtime… Zhang Yuanqing sighed. He had long since become a nocturnal spirit, yet he was now being expected to be active during daytime.
Just then, the aunt seized her opportunity to complain: “Mom, your grandson stayed up all night playing games last night! Come on—give him a good scolding!”
Stupid woman—I didn’t even do anything to provoke you! Zhang Yuanqing shouted. “Mom, your daughter said she’ll stay up all night with me tonight to play games.”
The grandmother remained unmoved.
After breakfast, Zhang Yuanqing returned to his room and summoned Little Comedian—asking him to climb around the game console by himself.
“Now that matters concerning the Xiaohou family have been settled, I won’t need to attend to them anymore. But this Large Health Check-up is making me nervous…”
“And I believe it’s time we begin cultivating Little Comedian,” Zhang Yuanqing added. “Spirit Servants and Zombies are vital combat tools in the later stages of Night Wandering Deity—right now, I still haven't been able to produce any zombies using my Spirit Scrolls. So I’d like to strengthen Little Comedian.”
He felt that developing Little Comedian was essential—not only for enhancing the intelligence of Spirit Servants but also for improving overall strength.
Before the third instance, his options for gaining experience were limited—he could hardly grow further by merely consuming Spirit Bodies—and attempting to fight Evil Organizations for level-ups seemed impractical.
Thus, cultivating Spirit Servants became his primary method to enhance strength.
Looking at Little Comedian weaving in and out around the game console, Zhang Yuanqing felt a bit stuck: “The issue is—what materials do I have available to craft Spirit Servants?”
Simply nourishing Spirit Bodies with the Power of the Moon leads to slow growth and no changes in quality.
Therefore, different material types grant distinct characteristics to Spirit Bodies—and the purpose of Spirit Scrolls is precisely to extract the inherent spirit from these materials and imbue it into the bodies.
However, not all materials can be used for crafting Spirit Servants—two conditions must be met: first, materials that belong to Yin; second, materials that are inherently compatible with the Spirit Body.
The former is easy to identify—the latter, however, only becomes clear once the Spirit Body itself experiences it.
Little Comedian became a Spirit Servant due to influence from a Musician Skill-related Prop—so logically, future development may lean toward that profession.
“Wondering whether Little Comedian’s ‘constitution’ will match certain materials and thus develop unique abilities. If he’s truly outstanding in potential, then one day, Little Comedian could fully take over his father's role…”
With this thought, Zhang Yuanqing felt a sense of anticipation grow within him.
Yet the problem remained—he had no materials at all, nor any idea where to find them.
“Indeed,” he concluded, “I must go see Guan Ya—it’s clear she knows more.”
Since becoming an official Pilgrim, Zhang Yuanqing has developed the habit of consulting Guan Ya whenever there's anything important—she consistently acts as his mentor, teaching him how to write reports and explaining various concepts related to Spirit Realms.
So far, aside from refusing to teach him deep squats or demonstrate her chicken-lift skill, Guan Ya has fulfilled her role admirably.
Wearing a mask and a baseball cap, Zhang Yuanqing quietly stepped out, took a taxi, and arrived at the Public Security Bureau in Kangyang District. After bypassing the administrative building, he reached the second-floor glass building behind it.
True Eye Chief was resting at home—on the second floor, only Guan Ya and Wang Tai were present.
Zhang Yuanqing greeted Wang Tai with enthusiasm before taking a chair beside Guan Ya.
Guan Ya immediately sensed something was up, shifted her body slightly, and faced him directly, smiling:
“Move your gaze away from my chest—now tell me what’s on your mind.”
“You often say that women with large chests lack intelligence,” Zhang Yuanqing said in his favorite tone. “How do you manage to balance both?”
“How do I know this isn’t just a pretense?” Guan Ya hummed, showing her self-deprecating spirit.
“Then you’re done!”
“What’s that?”
“If your child is born someday and asks: ‘Mom, are there still any truly reliable milk bottles in the world?’—you’ll be furious.”
“Haha…!” Guan Ya laughed so hard her chest shook.
Having satisfied the preferences of the Old Si Ji, Zhang Yuanqing moved on to the main topic:
“It’s said that a large health check-up is scheduled for a few days from now. I haven’t experienced such an activity before—what are the programs involved? Please don’t just go through the motions—I’d like to know what exactly it involves.”
He believed that, given the challenges official Pilgrims might face, at least fifty percent of them would likely have some underlying issues.
Guan Ya explained:
“It’s divided into two main categories: one for physical health checks and another for mental evaluations.
“The first identifies bodily illnesses as well as signs of external control. The second is more complex—it begins with assessing whether the person's mental condition is normal or if they suffer from any psychiatric conditions, which is accomplished using specific props.
“Then comes the truth-testing phase—various content areas are examined. Sometimes it involves questions about moral standing and reputation; at other times, it’s a direct inquiry into possible betrayals of organizational loyalty.”
“The final segment was a Q&A session, with a high-level scout posing questions and engaging in face-to-face dialogue. He would analyze your responses to gain insights into your performance.”
As for the lie-detection test—I should be able to pass it; my mental condition is sound, so there’s little doubt about that. The senior scout, however, seemed somewhat puzzled—whether to approach the organization or the elders… Zhang Yuanqing then asked:
“I’ve advanced to level 2 and would like to collect some neutral-grade materials for experiments, but I’m unsure how to obtain them.”
Guan Ya replied without hesitation:
“There are two options. First, submit an application to the organization and select materials from their inventory. Based on your merit points and rank, you’ll receive certain discounts—this is quite convenient.
Secondly, head over to the black market. There are several such markets in Place, formed by civilian organizations and wild Realm Walkers. Official scouts sometimes also visit.”
“Does our branch allow access to black markets?” Zhang Yuanqing asked.
“It doesn’t formally permit it, but it tacitly acknowledges their existence. Markets naturally emerge whenever there’s trade—think of drugs or human trafficking as prime examples.” Guan Ya explained:
“So while the branch does not officially endorse them, it allows black markets to operate as long as they’re established by individuals with official affiliations or connections, keeping them under control. Our ‘Punch Champion’ team leader in this area serves as the primary market coordinator.”
Zhang Yuanqing nodded and pondered carefully before deciding to visit the black market himself.
While selecting materials from the branch inventory offers certain discounts and is cost-effective, it means that every item withdrawn will be officially recorded.
Anyone who knows what they’re looking for would immediately notice he’s preparing to create Spirit Servants—something Zhang Yuanqing didn’t want exposed just yet, especially since Yuan Ting had only recently asked him questions about his background less than twenty days ago.
“I’ll go to the black market,” he said.
“Then I’ll accompany you after work,” Guan Ya added.
How kind Lao Si Ji really is… Zhang Yuanqing nodded again, then coughed lightly and said seriously:
“Shortly thereafter, the deputy Chief and another colleague will be joining us.”
“How quickly?” Zhang Yuanqing was surprised. “Didn’t the Chief say they’d come tomorrow?”
Guan Ya smiled with a sideways glance. “They’ve heard about your initiative—how you went against the Xiaohou Family to rescue the hostages—and are truly impressed. They’ve decided to visit earlier than scheduled.”
…