Spirit Realm Walker

”When interrogating Rampaging Recklessly’s spirit, I saw the one who had passed him the information, but it was a spirit servant,” said Zhang Yuanqing.

He continued to recount what he’d seen throughout the entire spirit interrogation to Fu Qingyang in detail.

The frown on the centurion’s chiseled, handsome features deepened considerably as he listened, his expression growing heavier by the second.

When Zhang Yuanqing finished, he looked up at that striking face. ”Centurion, do you know anything about Dark Rose?”

Fu Qingyang shook his head. ”I’ve never heard of them. There are only two possibilities. Either Dark Rose is some obscure civilian organization, or my clearance level isn’t high enough to know about them. But any group capable of working with Black Wuchang, one that even he treats with caution, can’t possibly be a nobody.”

So Dark Rose’s classification level was so high that even Fu Qingyang, a centurion, didn’t have access? Zhang Yuanqing sank into thought.

The centurion glanced at him. ”What’s your take on all this? I’d like to hear your thoughts.”

Zhang Yuanqing hesitated. ”Could you uncuff me first?”

Fu Qingyang blinked. ”My apologies!”

He circled behind the high backed chair and freed Zhang Yuanqing from his restraints.

Zhang Yuanqing rolled his wrists a few times, then spoke. ”First, based on this spirit memory, we can confirm why Black Wuchang has been hiding in Songhai. He’s waiting for Dark Rose’s leader. But the two sides don’t trust each other and haven’t made contact yet. For us, that’s an opportunity.”

Fu Qingyang gave a low grunt of agreement. ”Then what do you think Black Wuchang and Dark Rose are scheming?”

How would I know? Probably trying to destroy the world? Zhang Yuanqing silently cracked the joke to himself. As he did so, he felt something stir in his mind. A detail from the memory surfaced.

”For the Fallen Holy Grail,” he said slowly.

Rampaging Recklessly’s reason for urging Black Wuchang to meet with Dark Rose’s leader as soon as possible had been simple: seizing control of the Fallen Holy Grail was the key.

Fu Qingyang nodded approvingly.

”But isn’t that rule-type item already in Black Wuchang’s hands? What does Dark Rose have to do with it?” Zhang Yuanqing asked, confused.

”I’m not sure. But did you notice how Rampaging Recklessly phrased his persuasion?”

”Meet with Dark Rose’s leader, and then take control of the Fallen Holy Grail…” Zhang Yuanqing’s eyes widened. ”Oh. Black Wuchang doesn’t control the Fallen Holy Grail.”

”Correct. But in theory, that should be impossible. Once an item enters your Inventory, it automatically binds to the owner, and rule-type items are no exception. So why hasn’t Black Wuchang taken control of the Grail?”

Zhang Yuanqing furrowed his brow, thought for a moment, and then it clicked. ”What if there’s something wrong with the Fallen Holy Grail? He obtained the item, but can’t actually control it.”

Fu Qingyang nodded. ”Following that line of reasoning, we can deduce that Dark Rose’s leader has the means or method to fix the problem.”

”Exactly. That would explain why Black Wuchang didn’t flee to the ends of the earth after getting the Grail. Instead he’s been lurking in Songhai. Without resolving the issue with the Grail, he can’t claim Ghost Eye Judge’s legacy. A rule-type item really is worth more than one’s life,” Zhang Yuanqing said.

Fu Qingyang spoke in measured, precise tones. ”So the chain of events is becoming clearer. Ghost Eye Judge died under mysterious circumstances, and the Fallen Holy Grail fell into Black Wuchang’s hands, but for some reason, the Grail malfunctioned and can’t be controlled. With no other options, Black Wuchang sought out Dark Rose. The two sides arranged to meet in Songhai, but neither one trusts the other. Both fear betrayal, so they’ve been testing each other.”

He paused. ”To understand the Grail’s current state, we’d need to start with Ghost Eye Judge’s death. And his death is connected to the Demon Lord. Well, allegedly, at least.”

The Demon Lord’s own successor felt a wave of guilt wash over him, mingled with an overwhelming curiosity. Both Demon Lord and Ghost Eye Judge perished around the same time. Bro Bing hadn’t just predicted Judge’s death—he’d been certain of it. Could Demon Lord have killed Ghost Eye Judge? Did Bro Bing witness the whole thing?

Yes, he had to have witnessed it. That was the only way he could have obtained the Demon Lord’s Character Card, and why he could be so absolutely certain that Ghost Eye Judge was dead.

Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath. ”I have a theory. What if Ghost Eye Judge was killed by Demon Lord? Or what if the two of them somehow took each other out?”

Fu Qingyang seemed inspired by this. ”Good thinking. Keep going.”

Zhang Yuanqing nodded. ”In Rampaging Recklessly’s memory, the person from Dark Rose sent a spirit servant to meet with him. That means they’re a Nocturnal Specter. Demon Lord was also a Nocturnal Specter. Is that a coincidence?”

Fu Qingyang shook his head with conviction. ”It’s no coincidence! The Fallen Holy Grail malfunctioned because of Demon Lord, and whatever the problem is, only a Nocturnal Specter can fix it. The largest Nocturnal Specter sect is Taiyi Sect, but they’d obviously never cooperate with Black Wuchang, so his only option was Dark Rose. Those two characters alone tell us a great deal.”

Zhang Yuanqing jumped in eagerly. ”Centurion Fu, your insight is razor sharp. Truly worthy of a Scout, the most perfect class.”

Fu Qingyang gave him a look. ”You’re not bad yourself.”

”Thank you for the praise, Centurion. My childhood dream was always to become an excellent detective.”

”I was referring to your skill at flattery.”

”…”

Fu Qingyang cracked a faint smile. ”Of course, I don’t mind. Being good with people is a strength.”

After a beat, he added, ”But being a lecher is not.”

I’m really not a lecher! That wretched woman Guan Ya, always badmouthing me!  

Zhang Yuanqing kept up a warm, pleasant smile, without a trace of embarrassment.

Fu Qingyang didn’t dwell on the topic and shifted gears. ”Did you leave anything out in your report on clearing Sheling Tunnel?”

At those words, Zhang Yuanqing’s heart sank.

”People from the Taiyi Sect will come looking for you soon. Prepare yourself.” As Fu Qingyang spoke, he fished a business card from the pocket of his white dress trousers and said casually, ”My card. From now on, you can call me directly if anything comes up. This is a privilege reserved for team leaders.”

His expression was neutral yet intensely serious, like a young and capable sovereign bestowing a reward upon a worthy minister.

Having someone in your corner feels amazing! Zhang Yuanqing thought excitedly as he immediately took the card and made a deliberate show of tucking it away with great care, right in front of the centurion.

Fu Qingyang continued. ”You saved a lot of colleagues tonight. That’s no small contribution. I’ll report this to the elder in charge of the Black Wuchang case.”

Could he be pulling strings to get him a backer? Zhang Yuanqing beamed. ”Thank you, Centurion. I hear Guan Ya mention you all the time. If I hadn’t seen you with my own eyes, I really would have been fooled by her.”

”Fooled?” Fu Qingyang paused. ”What does she say about me?”

”That you’re rich but dumb.”

Fu Qingyang’s sculpted, handsome face twitched ever so slightly.

***

The two of them left the villa. Black SUVs lined the driveway outside. Apart from the three severely wounded Fire Sages who had already been taken away, the rest of the team stood quietly by the cars, waiting.

The most relaxed of the bunch were Guan Ya and Ling Jun. She leaned against the hood of a car with her arms crossed, while he crouched by the roadside with a cigarette pinched between his fingers.

”Guan Ya, come here for a moment!” Fu Qingyang called out as he walked off to the side, his expression cold.

Guan Ya followed in bewilderment. If she wasn’t mistaken, her cousin had just shot her a murderous glare.

A few young women from the support team fixed their bright eyes on Zhang Yuanqing, looking him up and down with keen interest. They whispered to each other with barely concealed delight.

”He’s more handsome than I imagined.”

”He’s just too young though. He looks like he just started college.”

”Young is good. Young ones are easier to trick.”

Ling Jun flicked the butt of his cigarette away and sauntered over to Zhang Yuanqing with a squinty-eyed grin. ”Yuanshi Tianzun?”

Zhang Yuanqing sized him up. The man wore a loose-fitting pale blue shirt, baggy casual pants, and sneakers. His hair, which fell just below his ears, was slightly disheveled, and when he smiled with those narrowed eyes, he gave off an easygoing, approachable impression.

”You are?”

”Ling Jun. Taiyi Sect.”

Zhang Yuanqing’s heart jolted. Taiyi Sect has already shown up to question me? I haven’t even come up with an excuse yet.

”I hear you’re a player.”

”Huh?” Zhang Yuanqing blinked, stunned. Since when am I a player? How can you just slander people like that?

”Ah, Elder Sun really was foolish.” Ling Jun let out a sigh, then grinned with the easy familiarity of someone who’d known you for years. ”You should’ve been one of Taiyi Sect’s talents. Want to join us? I’m sure the single ladies there would be more than happy to get to know you.”

When it came to social skills, Zhang Yuanqing feared no one. 

He raised an eyebrow. ”Are we talking about devastatingly attractive single ladies?”

Ling Jun froze for a second, then burst out laughing. ”You’re an interesting kid. I like making friends with interesting people. If you ever want to join Taiyi Sect, come find me anytime. If not, that’s fine too. I wasn’t the one who was foolish.”

After a short exchange, the two hit it off immediately and even swapped contact information.

Ling Jun pocketed his phone, lit another cigarette, and smiled the same smile that caused his eyes to narrow.

”I’ve run so many dungeons, and have never once encountered an S-rank Spirit Realm. But you’ve cleared two.” He exhaled a slow stream of smoke, his smile warm and friendly. ”That’s truly worthy of the Demon Lord’s successor.”