Spirit Realm Wanderer

Chapter 39: Him

That little rascal—why is he heading straight for his aunt again...? Zhang Yuanqing wanted to curse under his breath. He pulled the brim of his cap down even further, tracking the little rascal out of the corner of his eye. The infant spirit’s crawling was clumsy yet nimble as it quickly closed in on Jiang Yuerr, then spread its arms wide to wrap around her calf, hanging onto her. W-what... why does it like Auntie so much... Zhang Yuanqing froze for a moment, his expression gradually growing complex. Jiang Yuerr was completely oblivious, chatting animatedly with Guan Ya. “Didn’t your husband come with you?” “He’s still in college.” “Oh, a college student? My nephew is in college too, but he still doesn’t have a girlfriend.” “Really?” “Yeah, yeah—it’s so embarrassing.” ... Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself, “You’ve been out of college and working for two years now, and you’re still single—who do you think you’re looking down on?” Just then, he saw the little rascal slide down from his aunt’s lap on its own, lie on the floor with its head tilted up, as if trying to make out something, and then quickly crawl toward the far end of the hallway, heading for one of the outpatient offices. Zhang Yuanqing’s interest was piqued. Without giving anything away, he set off and quietly followed. After the little rascal crawled into the office—about ten seconds later—Zhang Yuanqing strolled over nonchalantly, pretending to be just passing by. The door to the office was ajar. Seated at the desk was a young doctor in a white coat; he had soft, gentle features and exuded a comforting, scholarly air. At that moment, he was sitting up straight, intently sensing something. The little rascal crawled onto the desk and began playing by himself. It was him... As its master, Zhang Yuanqing sensed that the little rascal felt a special affinity toward this man. Combined with the young doctor’s subtle body language, he tentatively concluded that the doctor in the room was the Spirit Realm practitioner secretly cultivating a spirit servant. Zhang Yuanqing didn’t disturb the other person; he turned and left, heading to the waiting room, where he dialed Guan Ya’s number. The phone rang twice before Guan Ya hung up. A moment later, the mixed-race, sophisticated woman strode out, her long legs striding confidently. “I’ve looked into it. The rumors of a haunting started half a month ago, and there aren’t too many cases. Let’s pull up the outpatient records first, then get a list of the OB-GYN staff...” Zhang Yuanqing whispered, “I’ve pinpointed the target.” “That fast?” Guan Ya’s expression instantly turned grave. “Who is it?” “It’s an OB-GYN. The name on his name tag is Wang Qian. He’s in the fourth outpatient office on the right side of the hallway.” Zhang Yuanqing asked “What do we do next?” Guan Ya paused for a few seconds before saying, “I’ll go check him out first to gauge his capabilities, then decide whether to call Squad Leader Shi for backup.” Zhang Yuanqing asked curiously, “How do you plan to test his limits?” “I can’t help but feel there’s something off about what you’re saying...” Lao Siji chuckled, then a faint white light flashed in her eyes as she scrutinized Zhang Yuanqing and said “You’re in good physical condition, with abundant vital energy and blood, and your Taiyin energy is fairly robust—roughly equivalent to the mid-Level 1 standard. Right now, you’re feeling curiosity, wariness, and a faint sense of hostility—but not toward me....” Seeing Zhang Yuanqing’s mouth gradually drop open, Guan Ya laughed: “Insight is a skill of a Level 1 Scout. I can gauge an opponent’s general level, but only within the Transcendent Realm.” “If I don’t come out within ten seconds, follow me. If I do come out within ten seconds, we’ll call for backup.” She put on her sunglasses, swayed her hips, and headed back toward the obstetrics and gynecology department. Zhang Yuanqing watched her enter the outpatient clinic, silently counted to ten, and when Guan Ya still hadn’t emerged, he immediately pulled down the brim of his cap and set off. When he returned to the consultation room, Guan Ya was sitting across from a young doctor, discussing basic information about preparing for pregnancy. “You two…” Seeing Zhang Yuanqing return and close the door to the consultation room, the young doctor furrowed his brow. Guan Ya crossed her arms and smiled “We’re from the Five Elements Alliance, Second Squad of the Kangyang District Spirit Realm Walkers. You’re suspected of illegally crafting a spirit servant. Please cooperate with the investigation.” The young doctor’s face darkened as his gaze swept over the two of them, and he said loudly “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Please don’t interfere with my work, or I’ll consider calling the police.” As he spoke, he stood up and walked toward the door, calling out, “Don’t block the door—I still have patients to see.” Seeing him walking toward them, Zhang Yuanqing quietly tensed his muscles, ready to enter “Night Stroll” mode at any moment. He wasn’t panicking. Since Guan Ya had stayed behind, it meant she’d assessed that the man wasn’t particularly strong—they could handle him on their own. Zhang Yuanqing was already bracing himself for the man’s resistance... but just then, he saw the young doctor’s face cloud over with sadness as he began to sing in a low, sorrowful voice “Think back on all the twists and turns we’ve been through—only the two of us can understand them. You said you’re tired—can you let me go...” Listening to the sorrowful song, Zhang Yuanqing felt an indescribable mix of melancholy, exhaustion, helplessness, and a sense of disillusionment welling up inside him. What was the point of this agonizing struggle? Better to let go. So he silently stepped aside, no longer blocking the doorway. Guan Ya, sitting at her desk, sprang to her feet, twisted her waist, spun around, and swept her leg out, her high heels clicking “tap-tap.” Bam! Just as the young doctor was about to flee, a whipping kick cut through the air and struck him hard in the side. He flew backward with a muffled groan, slamming into the wall. Pale-faced, he clutched his ribs and slumped to the floor. Zhang Yuanqing snapped out of it, shaking off his sadness and exhaustion. What was I thinking? Why would I grow tired of a man and lose all affection for him? He looked utterly bewildered. “So you’re a musician, are you?” Guan Ya said with a forced smile. “Not only are you suspected of illegally creating spirit servants, but you also resisted arrest and used psychic abilities against official Spirit Realm practitioners....” She glanced at Zhang Yuanqing and added, “You’ve caused immense psychological trauma to our official personnel. You are now formally under arrest.” The young doctor clutched his ribs, which were throbbing with pain, his face pale. “You can’t arrest me. I’m a member of the Palace of Ceasing Killing. The Palace of Ceasing Killing and the Five Elements Alliance don’t interfere with each other’s affairs—you can’t just arrest me on a whim.” Guan Yaxiu furrowed her delicate brows, her expression turning grave. Zhang Yuanqing asked in a low voice “The Palace of Ceasing Killing?” “The Palace of Ceasing Killing is a local organization of Spirit Realm practitioners in Songhai. It’s unofficial, and its Palace Master is a high-level Spirit Realm practitioner,” Guan Ya explained. “The Palace Master of that organization is a high-level Spirit Realm practitioner who has signed a non-aggression pact with our branch. The Five Elements Alliance cannot arbitrarily arrest or take action against members of the Palace of Ceasing Killing. The members of this organization have very extreme views; they constantly chant the slogan ‘End war through war; end killing through killing.’ The Palace Master is a complete lunatic, so as long as they keep to themselves, the higher-ups in our branch are willing to take a step back and coexist peacefully.” “You can’t insult our Palace Master,” the young doctor said, his voice tinged with anger. “The non-aggression pact is contingent on you behaving yourselves. Since you’ve committed a crime, no one can save you.” Guan Ya’s pretty face was as cold as frost, her gaze sharp. At that moment, she was no longer just Lao Siji, the driver—she was a stern and ruthless enforcer. “No, I haven’t broken the law—I haven’t created a spirit servant,” Wang Qian said in a low voice, defending himself. He slumped to the ground and made no attempt to get up, fearing he might provoke rough treatment from the two official Spirit Realm practitioners. “Do you need a hint? That child...” Zhang Yuan said with a cold laugh. He was weighing in his mind how to deal with this man. If he were a Spirit Realm practitioner who had committed countless evil deeds, then naturally, the evil must be eradicated completely. If it was merely a matter of crafting a spirit servant, then he would handle it strictly by the book, following the Five Elements Alliance’s regulations, and do his best to resolve the matter himself. But a question lingered in his mind: from his “chance” observation just now, this man seemed able to sense infant spirits, yet couldn’t actually see them. Upon hearing the word “child,” Wang Qian’s expression suddenly changed, and he exclaimed in realization “So it’s because of this… You’ve misunderstood. I haven’t created any spirit servants; I’m just a musician and lack the ability to do so. That child was an accident.” “An accident?” “Yes, he… he was my sister’s stillborn child.” Zhang Yuanqing and Guan Ya exchanged glances. The former flew into a rage: “You wouldn’t even spare your own nephew?” Zhang Yuanqing’s words seemed to enrage Wang Qian, and he said, somewhat agitatedly, “No, I told you—it was an accident.” “A little over half a month ago, my sister fell at home. Her water broke, she started bleeding, and the fetus in her womb was injured in the fall. She was already seven months pregnant at the time. The hospital immediately performed a C-section, but the child’s condition wasn’t looking good... “To save the child, I requested a prop from the organization, hoping to use its power to save my unborn nephew, but in the end, he still died. “By a twist of fate, that artifact imbued him with spiritual power, turning him into a special spirit.” Lacking experience and insight, Zhang Yuanqing turned his head to glance at Guan Ya. The mixed-race beauty thought for a moment, then murmured, “Hmm.” “The profession of musician does indeed seem to possess the ability to nurture life—I’ve read about it in the records before—though it’s not a Transcendent-level skill.” So that’s why this guy applied to the organization for an artifact—because it wasn’t a supernaturally-level ability? Zhang Yuanqing mused to himself. The young doctor whispered, “You came here because you heard the rumors about a haunting, didn’t you? Because of that artifact, it hasn’t dissipated—it’s been wandering the hospital day after day. “He’s still young and doesn’t understand anything—he doesn’t even know he’s a spirit. He longs for someone to notice him, so he instinctively draws close to older women. That’s why people with deficient vital energy occasionally sense his presence.” Zhang Yuanqing said, “So, you’re just going to ignore it?” “How could I handle it? My profession as a musician has endowed me with a highly developed spiritual sensitivity—I can sense him. But I can’t make physical contact with spirits the way a Night Wanderer can, nor can I communicate with him. All I can do is stay with him until his spiritual energy is exhausted and he vanishes completely.” As he spoke these words, a hint of sadness flashed across Wang Qian’s eyes. Zhang Yuanqing couldn’t help but cast a subtle glance at the little rascal entertaining himself on the desk. No one could see it, no one paid it any mind—had it been passing the time in this way, alone, all these days? As he carefully mulled over Wang Tai’s words, Zhang Yuanqing realized that it all made perfect sense. That was precisely why the hospital was haunted, and why the infant spirit had followed his aunt—who had been tainted by the Night Wanderer’s aura—back home. It was inherently ownerless, and Uncle Yueshi was unable to control the spirit. Zhang Yuanqing looked at Guan Ya and asked for her opinion. Guan Ya nodded slightly. A scout can see through some clumsy lies, but what Wang Qian said had no flaws—he wasn’t lying. Guan Ya asked, “What’s your sister’s name?” “Wang Qian.” “Show me your ID.” After verifying his ID, Guan Ya handed it back to Wang Qian and said “We’ll verify your sister’s situation and report it to the organization. The organization will contact the Palace of Ceasefire to confirm your story. We’ll call you again within 24 hours. Until then, please do not leave Songhai.” Wang Qian breathed a sigh of relief and nodded slightly. Guan Ya immediately asked for her phone number, then left with Zhang Yuanqing. Zhang Yuanqing secretly guided the little rascal to follow them. Once they were out of the obstetrics and gynecology ward, he used the excuse of going to the restroom to... no, to pull him back into his body. The two-story glass building, office area. Zhang Yuanqing and Guan Ya went up to the second floor and found that Li Dongze wasn’t there. Lao Siji called out, “Wang Tai, where’s the squad leader?” Without looking up, Wang Tai replied “Not long after you left, the squad leader went out. They’ve detected a witch doctor’s whereabouts in Fenghui District and are organizing a manhunt. The squad leader was invited to go over and help.” A witch doctor... a member of the Psychic Association? Is this a follow-up to the “Eyes of the Underworld” incident? Zhang Yuanqing let out a sigh of relief and said cheerfully “Sister Guan Ya, let me write the mission report.” With the squad leader away, there was no need for a face-to-face briefing, and a written report offered much more flexibility. “You’re quite sensible,” Guan Ya said cheerfully. “Wang Tai, pull up the records on the registered members of the Palace of Cease-Killing for me.” A few minutes later, Zhang Yuanqing was tapping away at the keyboard. Having learned much about the essence of report writing from Guan Ya, he was well-versed in the writing techniques of skirting the important issues and filling the text with fluff. Li Dongze, the custodian, gave it a cursory glance and lost all desire to read it in detail. Enslaving spirit entities is illegal, but the little rascal possessed a certain level of intelligence—unlike those dull spirit entities with only residual mental energy. To extinguish it would be like extinguishing a life. Zhang Yuanqing decided to keep the infant spirit and nurture it properly. Zhang Yuanqing spent the entire afternoon studying the Spirit Realm, the characteristics of various professions, and introductions to both evil and official organizations. During that time, he kept Guan Ya company as she chattered away; the veteran spirit maiden seemed quite happy, since Yuan Shi wasn’t as boring as Wang Tai. Wang Tai, on the other hand, was quite unhappy because they were so noisy. As the workday drew to a close, Zhang Yuanqing received a call from Li Dongze. “Team Leader? The matter at Pingtai Hospital has been resolved. I’ve already sent the mission report to your email.” “Are you at the office?” Li Dongze skipped right over the mission report. “Yes, I’m just about to clock out.” “Stay a little longer. I’ll send a driver to pick you up—I need your help with something.”