The back yard of the blacksmith's shop features two large buildings. The one on the right is the blacksmith’s living quarters, while the building to his left serves as a warehouse for storing iron tools. An elderly, thin man leads Li Xianzong and the others to this warehouse filled with an abundance of tools. After pushing open the dusty door that has long remained sealed, a musty, rusted scent immediately envelops them. Li Xianzong steps over the threshold into the warehouse and calmly surveys its contents. There, various instruments of punishment are arranged throughout—the items include scalpels, steel needles, clamps, hot irons, upright restraints, tiger stools, and more. Li Xianzong squints slightly. This is distinctly different from the “punishment tools” of Yuchuan’s eccentric woman—these tools here are truly used to torment people, actual instruments of torture. Most have accumulated dust and rust, with some appearing remarkably fresh as though newly crafted. “Why does a blacksmith possess so many such tools?” The question is asked by a solid-built young man whose ordinary features convey an outspoken, combative spirit—someone clearly not easygoing. He fits the profile of a youthful warrior inclined to fight for what he believes in. However, within the context of the Evil Organization, this kind of demeanor is rather unremarkable. His only distinctive trait is the missing left ear, seemingly severed by a sharp blade. The thin man replies: “Not only that—but observe carefully. These tools vary from old to new. The blacksmith continues forging them constantly.” He picks up two scalpels—one heavily rusted and one with a gleaming edge. “At this point,” Li Xianzong declares with finality, “he is repeatedly and meaninglessly forging punishment instruments!” The young man with the missing left ear frowns. “What is the behavioral logic behind this NPC? Or is this simply an arbitrary setting that we can disregard?” At that moment, a well-dressed man exclaims in surprise: “Look! I’ve noticed something.” Everyone turns to him. In his hand he holds a steel pin of a deep crimson hue, approximately two inches long—its red color bearing the dried residue of blood. Li Xianzong’s gaze flickers as he takes the pin from him. After a few seconds, an information display appears: [Name: Pin of Curse] [Type: Consumable Item] [Function: Erodes Spirit] [Description: This steel pin once pierced the heart of a powerful individual who died. Her lingering resentment has bound itself to the pin, forming a curse. Anyone wounded by this pin will suffer spiritual decay and eventually perish.] [Note: I curse you—may your death be as tragic as mine.] “A strong consumable item,” Li Xianzong chuckles. “Doesn’t that make sense? After defeating a powerful elite monster, we should certainly replenish ourselves with such potent items.” He turns to the group and says: “I’ll take responsibility for this item—any objections?” The team members nod. Within the Evil Organization, strength is revered; once one establishes identity, they secure firm authority. Those who resist can challenge them—but at the cost of their lives. In contrast, in the Orderly Profession, decisions require voting or negotiation and must be approved by the individual discovering the item. Next, Li Xianzong and his team carefully inspect every tool and piece of iron machinery in the warehouse—finding no props or consumables among them. Then, they proceed from the warehouse to the residence of Blacksmith Wang. “Creak… creak…” Li Xianzong opens the wooden door and closely examines the room’s layout. A bed constructed from stacked blue bricks is positioned near the window. A square table lies at its center, facing directly opposite the wardrobe. After a thorough search in the wooden chests holding clothing, they discover an account book. As the team leader, Li Xianzong opens the bound volume and scans briefly before turning to his teammates: “Who recognizes classical Chinese characters?” The book is written in classical style with uneven, unrefined script—Li Xianzong finds that his own cultural background falls short of enabling full comprehension. Classical characters… The members from the Evil Organization exchange glances, momentarily falling silent. A well-dressed man steps forward and says: “May I take a look?” Li Xianzong exhales slightly and hands over the book. After carefully reviewing it for some time, he smiles. “This is the detailed financial record of the blacksmith’s shop. I now understand who these instruments are being sold to—a man named Zhao.” He adds: “But the figures recorded in this ledger don’t align with what we’ve seen—the number of tools stored in the warehouse greatly exceeds Zhao’s stated orders.” The numbers don’t match… Li Xianzong frowns. He senses now that this is a clue—information being conveyed to the Realm Walkers through the instance. Li Xianzong has completed one A-level instance, which explains his status as a prodigy. Higher-difficulty instances demand more refined abilities from the Realm Walkers. Often, such information must be unearthed independently. He shares this insight with his teammates. After a moment of thought, the thin man hesitates and offers: “I have a hypothesis—but I’m not certain. Blacksmith Wang seems to be under a curse. I can detect a faint aura of it emanating from him.” The thin man explains: “The curse is a Sage-level ability of a Wu Gu Master. Since I haven’t yet reached that stage, I cannot confirm its presence. Moreover, this is an instance set against the organization—so having a curse is entirely natural and expected.” “Curse…” Li Xianzong reflects on the information and concludes: “Does it mean he is perpetually forging these tools?” He doesn’t dwell long over this thought and announces: “We should leave here and seek out Zhao. He must be our next target. We need to complete the side quests before the Orderly Organization does.” … “Xiu'er! Xiu'er!” Zhang Yuanqing walks through the western streets of the town, calling out loudly into the air, “Where is my Xiu'er? Where are you?” Guan Ya and her companions quietly follow behind. As the queen observes the surroundings, she gently asks the mixed-race beauty beside her: “Has he always been this outspoken?” Regarding the legendary Yuan Shi Tian Zun, she has held strong curiosity since their initial encounters. After brief interactions, she discovers that this renowned figure lacks the lofty demeanor of a celestial heir—neither coldly aloof nor humble and kind. Instead, he is talkative, lively, always able to engage in conversation with anyone—he’s charismatic and easygoing. And she finds such a personality quite appealing. Guan Ya gives a light exhalation: “Since joining the Five Elements Alliance just one week ago, Zhang Yuanqing has already become very familiar with the team members. Do you know Fu Qingyang?” “Of course,” replies the queen, touching her silver earring at the earlobe. “He’s truly a prodigy—famous for his handsome appearance and aloofness; he’s difficult to get along with. His female colleagues who admire him are not as numerous as those from Taiyi Gate—but all of them are deeply loyal.” Guan Ya turns to glance at her colleague, Fu Qingyang—the one known for her radiant, commanding presence. “Even Fu Qingyang has grown fond of him. Whenever Yuan Shi is present, Fu Qingyang speaks more frequently.” The queen is startled and remarks in admiration: “Ah—that’s what is meant by the 'appreciation between talents.'” “No,” Zhang Yuanqing corrects. “Fu Qingyang merely enjoys hearing Yuan Shi praise himself.” “…Hmm.” At this moment, Xu De Xingjun expresses irritation: “Is it really true that Xu Luowu resides nearby? Could it be that Wang Po is simply deceiving us?” They have searched for over half an hour—Zhang Yuanqing’s voice is nearly worn out—but the legendary Xu Luowu has not yet appeared. Failure to find her means the task cannot progress. Now, under a scorching sun, the ancient town radiates intense heat. After walking for thirty minutes, everyone is drenched in sweat and must take temporary refuge in a shaded alley. Li Chunfeng leans against an old white wall, fans himself with his hand and remarks: “Do we have any information that we’ve missed?” Missed information? Zhang Yuanqing thinks back through the details—nothing seems to be overlooked. Ah, if it weren’t for the current discomfort, I’d probably recall all of it—but this would be a rather poor investment of effort… Guan Ya leans beside Zhang Yuanqing and after a few seconds says: “No—we haven’t missed any important clues. The information about Xu Luowu has appeared only twice—once when Wang Po mentioned her address, and again with the artifact—the straw man. “But this detail doesn’t yet connect directly to our current predicament.” The round-faced young man, named Chuang Ong, furrows his brows: “It’s quite hot today—it’s making me restless. I’m thirsty—what about you?” I’m also thirsty… Zhang Yuanqing turns to the queen and smiles: “Your Majesty, may I have some juice, please?” “What kind of juice is that? Your words sound odd.” The queen murmurs. If you were Guan Ya, I’d be staring at your chest for a long time! That’s what Zhang Yuanqing thinks in private. Companionship with Guan Ya suits his preferences—she enjoys car rides and drinks; Lao Si Ji is especially fond of such moments. But when it comes to others, he finds himself awkward. This queen appears to be a graceful, mature woman—a stylish lady with elegant earrings, smoky makeup, summer attire in a loose dress and seven-seam pants that accentuate her full figure. Unlike Guan Ya—who enjoys car rides—she is somewhat “clumsy” when it comes to driving. “A water spirit can wield water—but cannot conjure it out of thin air,” she notes, seeing the team’s discomfort. “I’ll go fetch some water from the river—any water, even if it’s muddy, I will purify and serve directly.” Guan Ya adds: “Don’t go too far.” The queen turns without looking back: “Rest assured—we won’t encounter any members of the Evil Organization before we complete our subplots.” Zhang Yuanqing watches her graceful figure recede into the distance and then says: “I believe that to find Xu Xiu'er, a specific method must be triggered. But currently, the information provided is too limited—making it difficult to deduce how this trigger might work.” Guan Ya suggests: “Perhaps we should begin with character backgrounds.” “Character background…?” Li Chunfeng murmurs. “She’s a widow—possibly cursed to have affected Wang Po’s son. Perhaps she is a Wu Gu Master? Wang Po’s son may have injured her during an unexpected nighttime intrusion into the widow's home.” “But there’s a logical inconsistency—if she’s a Wu Gu Master, how could she be harmed by a regular man?” “Of course,” Li Chunfeng adds, “we can’t confirm whether Wang Po’s son is indeed an ordinary man. And while this point holds significance for our story, it doesn't yet explain the current challenge.” “What are you talking about? You’ve analyzed so much—yet there seems to be no clear focus. It's typical of scholars to overthink,” Xu De Xingjun complains. “It’s actually quite simple,” she responds. “Wang Po’s son slept with her. So, she curses him—and thus dislikes men.” “That makes sense—so she avoids us? That’s plausible…” Chuang Ong nods. “But what about the rest of it?” Lili Yuan Xiang says calmly. “Doesn’t this imply that previous Realm Walkers never encountered such a scenario? Did none of them have male characters involved?” “Hmm…” Chuang Ong seems uncertain. Guan Ya reflects: “Actually, I believe Xu De Xingjun’s insight is valid. I wonder—if this episode requires a female Realm Walker to activate it—what if that is the case?” Her words cause a noticeable shift in expression among those present. The queen has now departed!