Spirit Realm Wanderer

Chapter 28: My Cousin

At a café, under the awning. Holding a steaming cup of coffee, Zhang Yuanqing stared blankly at the street, where streetlights, car headlights, and shop lights intertwined to form a dazzling, bustling night scene. After a long while, he took a big gulp, then exhaled a sigh—as if expelling all the spiritual pollution from his chest. “Devouring spirit bodies to increase one’s power—it seems like a deviant path.” He finally understood why the Night Wanderers of the Taiyi Sect were unwilling to devour spirit bodies. If one were to compare the world to a sea of suffering, mortals would be the small boats bobbing upon it, beset by sorrow—each person bearing their own misfortune and pain. These sufferings would be transferred to the Night Wanderers along with the spirit bodies. Even if only a small portion were transferred, once the quantity accumulated to a certain extent, the resulting spiritual pollution would be utterly terrifying. In the long run, schizophrenia would be the least of one’s worries. But the benefits were indeed immediate: his current experience level was 46%. The duration of the “Night Wanderer” skill hadn’t increased—it was still nine seconds—but his physical attributes had improved noticeably, and his vitality and healing power had also grown. These are tangible gains. “Come to think of it, I still don’t know how that faggot died… No, I don’t want to know at all.” Still shaken, he took a sip of coffee. Early morning, at the villa. In the large conference room, which could accommodate thirty people, Fu Qingyang scanned both sides of the long table. His gaze was calm yet profound, like storm clouds gathering. Handsome, he possessed the nobility and arrogance of a scion from a distinguished family; when expressionless, his aura was overwhelming, exerting intense psychological pressure on those around him. “We deployed five team leaders, over a dozen team members, and dozens of security officers, yet we still let the Bewitching Demon escape,” Fu Qingyang said coldly. “I am deeply disappointed in you all.” Seated on both sides of the long conference table were the participants in this operation: five squad leaders and twelve squad members, including Li Dongze and Guan Ya. Faced with criticism from their steward-level superior, the squad leaders kept their heads down, not daring to speak. Big Muscle hesitated, then couldn’t hold back any longer and whispered “Centurion Fu, Ou Xiangrong seems to have been corrupted by some evil force, becoming exceptionally powerful and utterly frenzied. That’s why we failed. Besides, the Bewitching Demon is already a top-tier professional...” Fu Qingyang replied coolly, “Failure is failure. Any excuse is just a coward’s way of refusing to admit defeat.” His sharp gaze swept across the group; none of the Spirit Realm Walkers at the table dared to meet his eyes—except for Guan Ya. Guan Ya was looking down, idly playing with her fingernails, her mind elsewhere. Fu Qingyang continued “Because of your failure, the situation has escalated. A severely injured Bewitchment Demon—one tainted by evil forces—can easily spiral completely out of control. Given the Bewitchment Demon’s cruelty, it will inevitably cause massive casualties. “Right now, every Spirit Realm Practitioner squad in Songhai City is fully engaged in the search. If you can’t take out Ou Xiangrong within three days, you’ll all be sent back to the training camp.” Team leaders Li Dongze, Qing Teng, Tang Guoqiang, and others exchanged glances, their faces dark with dismay. Fu Qingyang scoffed “Of course, I’ve also failed in this matter, because I placed the wrong expectations on you and overestimated your abilities. So, for the next three days, I’ll personally take part in the manhunt. Since Ou Xiangrong is searching for the roster and the Holy Grail, his target will surely shift to Zhao Yingjun’s family or a woman with whom he has a close relationship. Follow that lead in your search.” After his subordinates nodded, he glanced at his expensive wristwatch and said “You don’t have much time left. Dismissed! Guan Ya, stay behind.” The long meeting finally came to an end; it was already past dinnertime. The Spirit Realm Walkers rose with a sense of dejection, bowed toward the far end of the long table, and filed out of the conference room in an orderly fashion. The five squad leaders led the way. The muscular giant, standing 1. 9 meters tall, lowered his voice and said angrily “I don’t deny my failure, but Centurion Fu is far too arrogant. He wasn’t even there—he has no idea how powerful Ou Xiangrong is.” Wearing a tight-fitting bodysuit, he touched the knife wound on his chest that was oozing blood and snorted “While we were fighting it out there, he was sitting on a handmade sofa in his villa, sipping fine wine, smoking a cigar, and enjoying the company of bunny girls.” Just then, three bunny girls carrying pastries came upstairs and entered the conference room. All the staff at the villa were young, slender bunny girls with stunning figures and beautiful faces. Bai Long gave one of the bunny girls a light pat on her pert behind and lowered his voice “I’ve heard that Captain Fu is extremely popular among the White Tiger troops. He’s the only one of the Four Young Masters who can go head-to-head with that young master from the Red Fire Gang.” Fu Qingyang had been transferred from the capital to Songhai late last year. It was said he was sent here to gain experience for a few years; once he’d built up his credentials, he’d return to the capital as a candidate for the Council of Elders. Upon hearing this, Big Muscle snorted, “Just rumors. Our young master is the most outstanding among the younger generation of the Five Elements Alliance.” Qing Teng turned to Li Dongze. “What do you think, Squad Leader Li?” Li Dongze put a cigarette between his lips and snorted “Of course it’s because he’s rich—that’s what you’re all thinking, isn’t it?” Isn’t that the case? The other squad leaders exchanged glances. “Stupid!” Li Dongze pointed to his own head “Use your not-so-bright brains and think this through. If it really comes to what Centurion Fu said—with such a terrible incident—someone’s got to take the blame, right? For something that big, do you really think we can just go back to the training camp?” “When Centurion Fu told us to get the hell back to the training camp, what he really meant was this: if the worst-case scenario happens, he’ll take all the blame. We won’t get fired, and we won’t face any repercussions—we’ll just have to spend three months at the training camp, even if we screw up this badly.” He pulled out his lighter and lit a cigarette, shrugging. “All right, let’s get to work. Let’s track down that bastard Ou Xiangrong as soon as possible.” In the conference room, Fu Qingyang stared at the woman getting her nails done and frowned “Li Dongze said you were injured?” Guan Ya blew on her nails, then pulled a compact mirror from her purse. As she touched up her makeup, she said “Spit it out already. I’ve got work to get back to.” A hint of resignation flashed across Fu Qingyang’s stern face: “My aunt called me. She wants you to come back to China next month to meet the fiancé she’s arranged for you.” “When I came back, I made it very clear to her that I wouldn’t enter into a marriage for the sake of the family. Just because she’s willing to be a sacrificial lamb for the family doesn’t mean I am.” Guan Ya snapped her compact shut and said, “You Fu family members are really no fun. Qingyang, take charge sooner rather than later and let those old fools retire.” Fu Qingyang said in a deep voice “If you don’t want an arranged marriage, then prove yourself. Don’t just loaf around all day, wasting your talent. The family elders only respect the strong—people like me, and like her. “Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll transfer you to another unit. The Third Squad in Changtai District is excellent—they earn several collective second-class meritorious service awards every year. You can polish your resume there, and it’ll give me a good reason to turn down Auntie. “Li Dongze’s Second Squad has too few talented members; it’s hard for them to earn merits.” Guan Ya frowned and sighed: “Team 2 really isn’t up to par; it’s hard for me to refuse… But let’s see. We’ve got a young guy on our team—he’s quite interesting. Let me observe him a bit longer.” She put away her makeup mirror, picked up her handbag, and walked toward the door, smiling as she said “You’d better worry about yourself first. If Ou Xiangrong goes on a killing spree at Songhai University, it’ll be an indelible stain on your record, and they’ll do everything in their power to block your entry into the Council of Elders. “Cousin, I’m off—bye!” Early in the morning, Zhang Yuanqing, carrying a backpack, headed toward the main building. His schedule for the day was as follows: major courses in the morning, and spending the afternoon chatting with Lao Siji—no, building rapport with colleagues, fostering friendships, and expanding his social circle. Small groups of people were streaming toward the General Studies Building. Just as he reached the bottom of the stairs, Zhang Yuanqing heard someone calling his name. Turning his head, he saw Li Lesheng and a few classmates. Li Lesheng and a few other guys caught up with him, their faces full of anticipation as they extended an invitation: “We’re planning a mixer with some girls this weekend. Want to join us? I heard you’re from Songhai.” A mixer? If it’s this weekend, that’s the day after tomorrow... Zhang Yuanqing paused for a moment, then said, “Sure.” Li Lesheng and the other guys breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. “Then let’s add each other on social media. Hey, with you there, I’m sure the girls will be willing to come out and have some fun.” “Let’s add each other as friends, too.” “Let’s add each other, too.” The other guys pulled out their phones one after another. After Zhang Yuanqing and his classmates added each other as friends, the group headed toward the multipurpose building together. Li Lesheng chuckled, “I heard from a girl from my hometown that a security guard came looking for Xu Yingying yesterday, and then she had a good cry in her dorm room.” “Security guard? What happened?” The boys were taken aback; after all, for college students, security officers were a world away. Li Lesheng explained, “I heard that the wealthy man who was supporting Xu Yingying got into trouble, but the exact details aren’t clear. The security officer was looking for her to find out about that guy.” “He didn’t run off with the money, did he? With the economy in a slump these days, there are plenty of examples of wealthy people going bust,” someone speculated. Zhang Yuanqing listened to his classmates’ gossip while glancing at the students coming and going. In the not-too-crowded crowd, he spotted a familiar figure. It was a pretty girl in a white long dress, her long, straight black hair flowing freely, wearing subtle, elegant makeup—none other than Xu Yingying, the very subject of their recent conversation. She was nestled against a man like a little bird; he wore a mask, had short hair, sparse eyebrows, and a small scar peeking out from the top of his mask. Zhang Yuanqing’s pupils suddenly contracted. Ou Xiangrong?! He looked at Xu Yingying again, observing her closely, and only then did he notice something amiss. Xu Yingying’s expression was stiff; though she appeared to be nestled in Ou Xiangrong’s arms, it looked more as if he were holding her by the shoulders and forcing her to stay.