Although it’s currently around four or five in the morning, such critical intelligence must be reported to the superiors immediately. Any delay could lead to changes, as the night brings many dreams.
Speaking of which, Fu Centurion’s progress in searching for the Black Guards of Impermanence had been stalled for quite some time.
“Doo-doo-doo~”
The ringing lasted for a full half-minute before finally being picked up, and then came Fu Qingyang’s cold and ruthless voice:
“Calling me at this hour, it must be something important.”
Zhang Yuanqing, suppressing his irritation from being woken up, said, “Centurion, I have just met with the Palace Master of the Ending Killing Sect.”
Fu Qingyang was taken aback, “Her request?”
“Yes!” Zhang Yuanqing said, “She invited me to meet and talked about some matters concerning the Xiahou Family.”
After he finished, Zhang Yuanqing heard the faint sound of the other party throwing off the covers and sitting up, followed by Fu Qingyang’s serious tone:
“The reason she almost killed Xiahou Tianwen?”
Indeed, Fu Qingyang had also picked up on the unusual situation. After all, if Guan Ya could sense it, Fu Qingyang, who was also of the Scout Class, would only be more acute. Zhang Yuanqing didn’t beat around the bush and said:
“The Palace Master said that the lineage of Xiahou Chi is part of the Dark Rose.”
There was silence on the other end of the phone for about five or six seconds before Fu Qingyang spoke, his voice much more grave:
“Are you certain?”
Zhang Yuanqing then relayed the situation as told by the Palace Master of the Ending Killing Sect to Fu Qingyang in detail.
“That’s what she said, but I can’t be sure of its veracity, so I’m reporting it to you.”
Fu Qingyang slowly said:
“The fall of the Chu Family indeed had the shadow of Dark Rose behind it. The turmoil back then was aimed at a Rule-type Item belonging to the Musician Class. In that battle, the official response was a beat too slow, and someone interfered with the transmission of information. Only someone from inside the Five Elements Alliance with considerable power could have done that.”
After sensing the private connection between the Black Guards of Impermanence and Dark Rose, Fu Qingyang had called the Fu Family’s Council of Elders to understand the outline of the events of that year.
After the collapse of the Chu Family, the Five Elements Alliance took notice of Dark Rose’s existence and conducted a secretive purge within its ranks.
But this matter was detrimental to the official face, so it was kept secret and discussions were forbidden. Twenty-one years have passed, and the new generation of Official Walkers is basically unaware of this past event.
“Looking at it this way, not only is Dark Rose involved with the Black Guards of Impermanence, but they also collaborated with the Bingzhu Cult to eradicate the Chu Family,” Zhang Yuanqing furrowed his brow. “This organization has no small ambition.”
Given the strength to infiltrate Spirit Realm Families and Official Organizations, the power of “Dark Rose” can only be imagined.
With such formidable strength, yet always hidden in the dark, their objectives must be unimaginable.
Fu Qingyang hummed in agreement, affirming his subordinate’s statement, and said in a deep voice:
“Besides me, who else have you told?”
“I reported to you as soon as I got the news,” Zhang Yuanqing replied.
Fu Qingyang immediately said, “This matter must not be leaked.”
Judging from his tone, it seemed he was very satisfied with Zhang Yuanqing’s answer.
“I understand!” Zhang Yuanqing then asked, “Centurion, how do you plan to deal with the lineage of Xiahou Chi?”
Fu Qingyang gave a cold smile and said, “If you were a high-ranking member of Dark Rose and you learned that Xiahou Tianyuan was imprisoned, what would you do?”
“I would closely monitor the situation and, if there was any risk of my identity being exposed, find a way to silence him,” Zhang Yuanqing thoughtfully said.
“I plan to charge Xiahou Tianyuan with a public order offense, keeping him under control, and then cast a long line to catch a big fish. Before that happens, I won’t stir the grass and startle the snake,” said the Centurion, his tone shifting from icy to warm.
“Don’t worry, as long as we have Xiahou Tianyuan in our hands, Xiahou Chi and Xiahou Xin wouldn’t dare retaliate against you. By the time I close the net, they won’t have the chance to retaliate either.”
Phew! Zhang Yuanqing let out a breath of relief. With this, the issues with the Xiahou Family seemed to be coming to an end.
“Now’s not the time to close the net. The Grand Physical Examination is coming up in a few days, and I plan to first screen through it to see the reaction of the Official Walkers,” Fu Qingyang said.
“The Grand Physical Examination?”
Zhang Yuanqing felt a sinking feeling, remembering the words of the Successor of the Demon Lord: I won’t pass the Grand Physical Examination!
Fu Qingyang explained, “The Grand Physical Examination is a benefit provided by the upper echelons to organization members, as well as a form of supervision. The former can check and treat physical problems, while the latter can detect mental states and character. For the Fallen, it’s like a mirror that reveals monsters, leaving them nowhere to hide.
“People with guilty consciences will show signs.”
The last thing Zhang Yuanqing wanted was for the Dark Rose members to go undetected, only to end up revealing a Successor of the Demon Lord instead. His mind was racing with a stampede of thoughts.
His first instinct was: It’s time for you to make a move, little goof!
On second thought, was the Grand Physical Examination really that easy to avoid?
He decided to ask Guan Ya for more information about the Grand Physical Examination. Zhang Yuanqing then inquired, “Centurion, have there been any Large-Scale Slaughter Instances initiated recently?”
Fu Qingyang shook his head, “Large-Scale Slaughter Instances are concentrated in the middle and the end of the year; there won’t be any coming up soon.”
Strange, how did the Palace Master of the Ending Killing Sect advance to Sovereign? She has no reason to lie to me. After pondering for a few seconds, Zhang Yuanqing said, “Centurion, I have no more questions.”
“Go back and rest!”
It was rare for Fu Qingyang to express such concern for a subordinate.
The next morning, at the grand villa.
Three Playboy bunnies were busy setting breakfast on the table as Ling Jun yawned and took a seat, greeting Fu Qingyang across from him:
“Good morning~”
His gaze swept over Fu Qingyang’s stern face and then moved back, scrutinizing him, “You seem to be in a good mood.”
Fu Qingyang’s lips curled slightly, “Because I’ve found that winning people over with virtue is more convincing than raising their salary.”
Meanwhile, in the presidential suite that same morning, the female assistant woke up on time, got dressed after her morning routine, and turned the doorknob to the main bedroom to wake up the young lady.
“Click!”
The moment the door unlocked, she felt as if she had broken some barrier, and an invisible breeze stirred in the room.
As the bedroom door opened, the scene inside came into view.
The young lady was hanging from the crystal chandelier by a barely visible red rope, wearing only a pair of girl’s panties and a small-sized bra, her delicate body shockingly exposed.
At that moment, she was tearfully looking at the female assistant who had just entered the room.
The assistant’s face turned pale, and she cried out in alarm, “Miss.”
Racing forward, she untied the slender red string as thin as a hair.
“Who did this? Who did this?” the female assistant raged.
Xie Lingxi’s eyes brimmed with tears as she cried, “Palace Master sister visited, and Primordial brother harmed me, wuu wuu~”
Through her intermittent sobs, the female assistant understood. At dawn, the Palace Master of the Ending Killing Sect had been here. Apparently, because the young lady had revealed her identity to outsiders, she was hung up and beaten.
The female assistant thought to herself that it was a relief it was only a beating.
Just moments ago, when she saw the young lady stripped bare, she feared that a flower thief had infiltrated the inn and taken the young lady’s chastity. If the family sought accountability, she would have to commit seppuku as an apology.
Melody Inn.
From his elevated position, Wang Qian looked down at his three companions and said in a deep voice, “You guys actually look pretty good from this angle.”
His three companions looked at him with pity.
Wang Qian fell silent for a moment, then tentatively asked, “The Palace Master has left, can you let me down now?”
His companions looked up at him and shook their heads one after another, “We think you look quite good from this angle too.”
“.”
After returning home, Zhang Yuanqing took a short nap until his grandmother’s knocking on the door woke him up.
He put on his shoes and went to the living room, where he saw his older male cousin and Jiang Yuer looking listless, having just returned from their night shifts, sitting at the dining table hungrily waiting for food.
Chen Yuanjun pinched the bridge of his nose, looking at the lackluster Zhang Yuanqing, and shook his head:
“You stayed up playing games again last night, didn’t you? I want to sleep but can’t, and you could sleep but don’t.”
No, I want to sleep but can’t either, Zhang Yuanqing sighed. The outside was bathed in brilliant sunshine, perfect for sleep, yet he, a creature of the night, was forced to be active during the day.
Taking advantage of the moment, Jiang Yuer tattled in a soft voice, “Mom, your grandson stayed up all night playing games, you should come and beat him.”
Damn woman, what have I done to you! Zhang Yuanqing shouted, “Mom, your daughter says she’ll stay up all night playing games with me tonight.”
Grandmother ignored them.
After breakfast, Zhang Yuanqing returned to his room and summoned Little goof to let him crawl around the room on his own.
“The Xiahou Family’s matter is settled for now; I don’t need to worry about it. But this Grand Physical Examination has me a bit anxious.”
“Also, it’s time to train Little goof. Spirit servants and Zombies are important means for the Night Wandering Deity to defeat enemies in the later stages. The Spirit Scrolls I control can’t yet create Zombies, so I need to strengthen Little goof first.”
He believed it was necessary to train Little goof, partly to increase the spirit servant’s intelligence and partly to enhance its strength.
Before the third instance, his ways to increase strength were limited. Devouring Spirit Bodies was no longer an efficient means to gain Experience Points, and hunting Evil Classes for leveling up was clearly not practical.
The only option left was to strengthen his power by training spirit servants.
Glancing at the Infant Spirit crawling around the gaming console, Zhang Yuanqing felt troubled, “The problem is, I don’t have the Material to create spirit servants.”
Simply nurturing a spirit body with Lunar Power was a slow process, and the quality of the spirit would not change.
Therefore, Materials were needed. Different professions’ Materials would endow the spirit body with various characteristics, and the purpose of the Spirit Scroll was to extract the Spirituality from the Materials and bestow it upon the spirit body.
However, not just any Material can be used to refine a Spirit servant; there are two constraints: one is that the Material must be Yin in nature, and the other is that it must be compatible with the Spirit Body.
The former is not difficult to discern, while the latter can only be known by the Spirit Body itself.
Little goof became a Spirit servant under the influence of an Item from the Musician Class. Logically, its subsequent training direction might lean towards this Class.
“I wonder what Material Little goof’s ‘constitution’ is compatible with and what abilities it would gain. If it’s the kind with unlimited potential, then in the future, Little goof could completely take my place in battle.”
With this thought, Zhang Yuanqing couldn’t help but look forward to it.
But the problem was that he had no Material, nor did he know where to find any.
“Indeed, I should go find Guan Ya; she knows a lot.”
After becoming an Official Walker, Zhang Yuanqing developed the habit of turning to sister Guan Ya for matters and to the Old driver for leisure. Guan Ya has always played the role of a “teacher,” instructing him on how to write reports and educating him on the common knowledge of the spirit realm, among other things.
So far, apart from her unwillingness to teach him how to squat properly and demonstrate the power of binding chickens, Guan Ya has been a very competent teacher.
He put on a mask and a duckbill cap, quietly left the house, and took a taxi to the Public Security Bureau in Kangyang District. He bypassed the administrative building and arrived at the two-story Glass Building at the back.
Decurion Wang Tai was home convalescing, so only Guan Ya and Wang Tai were on the second floor.
Zhang Yuanqing tirelessly greeted Wang Tai, then pulled over an office chair and sat next to Guan Ya.
Seeing his posture, Guan Ya knew he was there for a reason. She turned her body to face him and smiled:
“Move your gaze away from my chest, and speak, what’s the matter?”
“People say women with large breasts don’t have brains, but I’m curious how you manage to have both,” Zhang Yuanqing started with the kind of banter that the Old driver liked.
“How do you know these aren’t fake?” Guan Ya retorted with self-deprecating humor.
“Then you’re doomed!”
“Huh?”
“In the future, your child will be born and angrily ask: ‘Mom, is there such a thing as trustworthy milk in this world?'”
Guan Ya laughed heartily, her chest heaving with mirth.
Having satisfied the Old driver’s fancy, Zhang Yuanqing got to the point:
“I heard that the Grand Physical Examination is coming up in a few days? I’ve never been involved in this kind of event before. What does it involve? Please don’t tell me it’s all-inclusive; let’s talk serious business.”
He believed that, given the potential issues with Official Walkers, if people were simply divided into good and bad, at least more than half would have problems.
Guan Ya explained:
“It’s divided into two main categories: one is the physical examination, and the other is the mental assessment.
“The former can detect physical diseases and whether one is being controlled by someone else. The latter is a bit more complex. To break it down, the first step is to check if the spirit is normal and if there are any mental illnesses, which is done with an Item.
“Next is the lie detection test. The content of the lie detection varies; sometimes it involves inquiring about Moral Values and Reputation Points, and other times it’s a straightforward questioning of whether there’s been any betrayal of the organization.
“The last part is a Q&A session, conducted by a high-level Scout, who will ask questions face-to-face. Based on your responses, they will analyze you.”
Regarding the lie detector test, I should be able to pass. I don’t expect any issues with the mental assessment either, as there’s nothing wrong with my mind. The only concern is the high-level Scout’s questioning. I’m not sure if it will be a Director or an Elder who will conduct it. Zhang Yuanqing then asked:
“After I got promoted to Level 2, I wanted to collect some Yin materials for experimentation, but I’m not sure how to obtain them.”
Without hesitation, Guan Ya provided an answer:
“There are two ways. One is to submit a request to the organization and choose from the organization’s inventory. Depending on your Merit and Position, you can enjoy certain discounts, which can be very cost-effective.
“The second way is to check out the Black Market. There are a few Black Markets in Songhai that are gatherings of civilian organizations and wild spirit realm walkers. Even Official Walkers sometimes go there.”
“Do our Branches allow Black Markets?” Zhang Yuanqing asked.
“They don’t permit them, but they turn a blind eye to their existence. Markets are such that as long as there is trade, they will inevitably appear and are impossible to completely eradicate. Typical examples are drugs and human trafficking.” Guan Ya continued:
“Therefore, the Branches tacitly allow the existence of Black Markets, but they can only be operated by individuals with certain official backgrounds or connections, to keep them under control as much as possible. The Captain of the ‘Boxing King’ in Kangyang District is in charge of the local Black Market.”
Zhang Yuanqing nodded thoughtfully and decided to take a look at the Black Market.
Although getting materials from the Branch inventory would be cheaper due to the discounts, the materials checked out would be recorded. Anyone knowledgeable could tell by the materials he chose that he was refining a Spirit servant, and Zhang Yuanqing was not ready to let others know he had a Spirit servant, especially since it had only been a little over twenty days since Yuan Ting’s questioning.
“I’m going to the Black Market.”
“I’ll take you there after work,” said Guan Ya.
The Old driver is really great. Zhang Yuanqing nodded, then heard Guan Ya cough and say seriously:
“In a bit, the Acting Decurion and another colleague will come over.”
“That soon?” Zhang Yuanqing was surprised. “Isn’t the Decurion coming tomorrow?”
Guan Ya smiled slyly: “They heard about how you didn’t hesitate to offend the Xiahou Family to rescue the hostages and admired you for it. They decided to come over ahead of schedule.”
Although it’s currently around four or five in the morning, such critical intelligence must be reported to the superiors immediately. Any delay could lead to changes, as the night brings many dreams.
Speaking of which, Fu Centurion’s progress in searching for the Black Guards of Impermanence had been stalled for quite some time.
“Doo-doo-doo~”
The ringing lasted for a full half-minute before finally being picked up, and then came Fu Qingyang’s cold and ruthless voice:
“Calling me at this hour, it must be something important.”
Zhang Yuanqing, suppressing his irritation from being woken up, said, “Centurion, I have just met with the Palace Master of the Ending Killing Sect.”
Fu Qingyang was taken aback, “Her request?”
“Yes!” Zhang Yuanqing said, “She invited me to meet and talked about some matters concerning the Xiahou Family.”
After he finished, Zhang Yuanqing heard the faint sound of the other party throwing off the covers and sitting up, followed by Fu Qingyang’s serious tone:
“The reason she almost killed Xiahou Tianwen?”
Indeed, Fu Qingyang had also picked up on the unusual situation. After all, if Guan Ya could sense it, Fu Qingyang, who was also of the Scout Class, would only be more acute. Zhang Yuanqing didn’t beat around the bush and said:
“The Palace Master said that the lineage of Xiahou Chi is part of the Dark Rose.”
There was silence on the other end of the phone for about five or six seconds before Fu Qingyang spoke, his voice much more grave:
“Are you certain?”
Zhang Yuanqing then relayed the situation as told by the Palace Master of the Ending Killing Sect to Fu Qingyang in detail.
“That’s what she said, but I can’t be sure of its veracity, so I’m reporting it to you.”
Fu Qingyang slowly said:
“The fall of the Chu Family indeed had the shadow of Dark Rose behind it. The turmoil back then was aimed at a Rule-type Item belonging to the Musician Class. In that battle, the official response was a beat too slow, and someone interfered with the transmission of information. Only someone from inside the Five Elements Alliance with considerable power could have done that.”
After sensing the private connection between the Black Guards of Impermanence and Dark Rose, Fu Qingyang had called the Fu Family’s Council of Elders to understand the outline of the events of that year.
After the collapse of the Chu Family, the Five Elements Alliance took notice of Dark Rose’s existence and conducted a secretive purge within its ranks.
But this matter was detrimental to the official face, so it was kept secret and discussions were forbidden. Twenty-one years have passed, and the new generation of Official Walkers is basically unaware of this past event.
“Looking at it this way, not only is Dark Rose involved with the Black Guards of Impermanence, but they also collaborated with the Bingzhu Cult to eradicate the Chu Family,” Zhang Yuanqing furrowed his brow. “This organization has no small ambition.”
Given the strength to infiltrate Spirit Realm Families and Official Organizations, the power of “Dark Rose” can only be imagined.
With such formidable strength, yet always hidden in the dark, their objectives must be unimaginable.
Fu Qingyang hummed in agreement, affirming his subordinate’s statement, and said in a deep voice:
“Besides me, who else have you told?”
“I reported to you as soon as I got the news,” Zhang Yuanqing replied.
Fu Qingyang immediately said, “This matter must not be leaked.”
Judging from his tone, it seemed he was very satisfied with Zhang Yuanqing’s answer.
“I understand!” Zhang Yuanqing then asked, “Centurion, how do you plan to deal with the lineage of Xiahou Chi?”
Fu Qingyang gave a cold smile and said, “If you were a high-ranking member of Dark Rose and you learned that Xiahou Tianyuan was imprisoned, what would you do?”
“I would closely monitor the situation and, if there was any risk of my identity being exposed, find a way to silence him,” Zhang Yuanqing thoughtfully said.
“I plan to charge Xiahou Tianyuan with a public order offense, keeping him under control, and then cast a long line to catch a big fish. Before that happens, I won’t stir the grass and startle the snake,” said the Centurion, his tone shifting from icy to warm.
“Don’t worry, as long as we have Xiahou Tianyuan in our hands, Xiahou Chi and Xiahou Xin wouldn’t dare retaliate against you. By the time I close the net, they won’t have the chance to retaliate either.”
Phew! Zhang Yuanqing let out a breath of relief. With this, the issues with the Xiahou Family seemed to be coming to an end.
“Now’s not the time to close the net. The Grand Physical Examination is coming up in a few days, and I plan to first screen through it to see the reaction of the Official Walkers,” Fu Qingyang said.
“The Grand Physical Examination?”
Zhang Yuanqing felt a sinking feeling, remembering the words of the Successor of the Demon Lord: I won’t pass the Grand Physical Examination!
Fu Qingyang explained, “The Grand Physical Examination is a benefit provided by the upper echelons to organization members, as well as a form of supervision. The former can check and treat physical problems, while the latter can detect mental states and character. For the Fallen, it’s like a mirror that reveals monsters, leaving them nowhere to hide.
“People with guilty consciences will show signs.”
The last thing Zhang Yuanqing wanted was for the Dark Rose members to go undetected, only to end up revealing a Successor of the Demon Lord instead. His mind was racing with a stampede of thoughts.
His first instinct was: It’s time for you to make a move, little goof!
On second thought, was the Grand Physical Examination really that easy to avoid?
He decided to ask Guan Ya for more information about the Grand Physical Examination. Zhang Yuanqing then inquired, “Centurion, have there been any Large-Scale Slaughter Instances initiated recently?”
Fu Qingyang shook his head, “Large-Scale Slaughter Instances are concentrated in the middle and the end of the year; there won’t be any coming up soon.”
Strange, how did the Palace Master of the Ending Killing Sect advance to Sovereign? She has no reason to lie to me. After pondering for a few seconds, Zhang Yuanqing said, “Centurion, I have no more questions.”
“Go back and rest!”
It was rare for Fu Qingyang to express such concern for a subordinate.
The next morning, at the grand villa.
Three Playboy bunnies were busy setting breakfast on the table as Ling Jun yawned and took a seat, greeting Fu Qingyang across from him:
“Good morning~”
His gaze swept over Fu Qingyang’s stern face and then moved back, scrutinizing him, “You seem to be in a good mood.”
Fu Qingyang’s lips curled slightly, “Because I’ve found that winning people over with virtue is more convincing than raising their salary.”
Meanwhile, in the presidential suite that same morning, the female assistant woke up on time, got dressed after her morning routine, and turned the doorknob to the main bedroom to wake up the young lady.
“Click!”
The moment the door unlocked, she felt as if she had broken some barrier, and an invisible breeze stirred in the room.
As the bedroom door opened, the scene inside came into view.
The young lady was hanging from the crystal chandelier by a barely visible red rope, wearing only a pair of girl’s panties and a small-sized bra, her delicate body shockingly exposed.
At that moment, she was tearfully looking at the female assistant who had just entered the room.
The assistant’s face turned pale, and she cried out in alarm, “Miss.”
Racing forward, she untied the slender red string as thin as a hair.
“Who did this? Who did this?” the female assistant raged.
Xie Lingxi’s eyes brimmed with tears as she cried, “Palace Master sister visited, and Primordial brother harmed me, wuu wuu~”
Through her intermittent sobs, the female assistant understood. At dawn, the Palace Master of the Ending Killing Sect had been here. Apparently, because the young lady had revealed her identity to outsiders, she was hung up and beaten.
The female assistant thought to herself that it was a relief it was only a beating.
Just moments ago, when she saw the young lady stripped bare, she feared that a flower thief had infiltrated the inn and taken the young lady’s chastity. If the family sought accountability, she would have to commit seppuku as an apology.
Melody Inn.
From his elevated position, Wang Qian looked down at his three companions and said in a deep voice, “You guys actually look pretty good from this angle.”
His three companions looked at him with pity.
Wang Qian fell silent for a moment, then tentatively asked, “The Palace Master has left, can you let me down now?”
His companions looked up at him and shook their heads one after another, “We think you look quite good from this angle too.”
“.”
After returning home, Zhang Yuanqing took a short nap until his grandmother’s knocking on the door woke him up.
He put on his shoes and went to the living room, where he saw his older male cousin and Jiang Yuer looking listless, having just returned from their night shifts, sitting at the dining table hungrily waiting for food.
Chen Yuanjun pinched the bridge of his nose, looking at the lackluster Zhang Yuanqing, and shook his head:
“You stayed up playing games again last night, didn’t you? I want to sleep but can’t, and you could sleep but don’t.”
No, I want to sleep but can’t either, Zhang Yuanqing sighed. The outside was bathed in brilliant sunshine, perfect for sleep, yet he, a creature of the night, was forced to be active during the day.
Taking advantage of the moment, Jiang Yuer tattled in a soft voice, “Mom, your grandson stayed up all night playing games, you should come and beat him.”
Damn woman, what have I done to you! Zhang Yuanqing shouted, “Mom, your daughter says she’ll stay up all night playing games with me tonight.”
Grandmother ignored them.
After breakfast, Zhang Yuanqing returned to his room and summoned Little goof to let him crawl around the room on his own.
“The Xiahou Family’s matter is settled for now; I don’t need to worry about it. But this Grand Physical Examination has me a bit anxious.”
“Also, it’s time to train Little goof. Spirit servants and Zombies are important means for the Night Wandering Deity to defeat enemies in the later stages. The Spirit Scrolls I control can’t yet create Zombies, so I need to strengthen Little goof first.”
He believed it was necessary to train Little goof, partly to increase the spirit servant’s intelligence and partly to enhance its strength.
Before the third instance, his ways to increase strength were limited. Devouring Spirit Bodies was no longer an efficient means to gain Experience Points, and hunting Evil Classes for leveling up was clearly not practical.
The only option left was to strengthen his power by training spirit servants.
Glancing at the Infant Spirit crawling around the gaming console, Zhang Yuanqing felt troubled, “The problem is, I don’t have the Material to create spirit servants.”
Simply nurturing a spirit body with Lunar Power was a slow process, and the quality of the spirit would not change.
Therefore, Materials were needed. Different professions’ Materials would endow the spirit body with various characteristics, and the purpose of the Spirit Scroll was to extract the Spirituality from the Materials and bestow it upon the spirit body.
However, not just any Material can be used to refine a Spirit servant; there are two constraints: one is that the Material must be Yin in nature, and the other is that it must be compatible with the Spirit Body.
The former is not difficult to discern, while the latter can only be known by the Spirit Body itself.
Little goof became a Spirit servant under the influence of an Item from the Musician Class. Logically, its subsequent training direction might lean towards this Class.
“I wonder what Material Little goof’s ‘constitution’ is compatible with and what abilities it would gain. If it’s the kind with unlimited potential, then in the future, Little goof could completely take my place in battle.”
With this thought, Zhang Yuanqing couldn’t help but look forward to it.
But the problem was that he had no Material, nor did he know where to find any.
“Indeed, I should go find Guan Ya; she knows a lot.”
After becoming an Official Walker, Zhang Yuanqing developed the habit of turning to sister Guan Ya for matters and to the Old driver for leisure. Guan Ya has always played the role of a “teacher,” instructing him on how to write reports and educating him on the common knowledge of the spirit realm, among other things.
So far, apart from her unwillingness to teach him how to squat properly and demonstrate the power of binding chickens, Guan Ya has been a very competent teacher.
He put on a mask and a duckbill cap, quietly left the house, and took a taxi to the Public Security Bureau in Kangyang District. He bypassed the administrative building and arrived at the two-story Glass Building at the back.
Decurion Wang Tai was home convalescing, so only Guan Ya and Wang Tai were on the second floor.
Zhang Yuanqing tirelessly greeted Wang Tai, then pulled over an office chair and sat next to Guan Ya.
Seeing his posture, Guan Ya knew he was there for a reason. She turned her body to face him and smiled:
“Move your gaze away from my chest, and speak, what’s the matter?”
“People say women with large breasts don’t have brains, but I’m curious how you manage to have both,” Zhang Yuanqing started with the kind of banter that the Old driver liked.
“How do you know these aren’t fake?” Guan Ya retorted with self-deprecating humor.
“Then you’re doomed!”
“Huh?”
“In the future, your child will be born and angrily ask: ‘Mom, is there such a thing as trustworthy milk in this world?'”
Guan Ya laughed heartily, her chest heaving with mirth.
Having satisfied the Old driver’s fancy, Zhang Yuanqing got to the point:
“I heard that the Grand Physical Examination is coming up in a few days? I’ve never been involved in this kind of event before. What does it involve? Please don’t tell me it’s all-inclusive; let’s talk serious business.”
He believed that, given the potential issues with Official Walkers, if people were simply divided into good and bad, at least more than half would have problems.
Guan Ya explained:
“It’s divided into two main categories: one is the physical examination, and the other is the mental assessment.
“The former can detect physical diseases and whether one is being controlled by someone else. The latter is a bit more complex. To break it down, the first step is to check if the spirit is normal and if there are any mental illnesses, which is done with an Item.
“Next is the lie detection test. The content of the lie detection varies; sometimes it involves inquiring about Moral Values and Reputation Points, and other times it’s a straightforward questioning of whether there’s been any betrayal of the organization.
“The last part is a Q&A session, conducted by a high-level Scout, who will ask questions face-to-face. Based on your responses, they will analyze you.”
Regarding the lie detector test, I should be able to pass. I don’t expect any issues with the mental assessment either, as there’s nothing wrong with my mind. The only concern is the high-level Scout’s questioning. I’m not sure if it will be a Director or an Elder who will conduct it. Zhang Yuanqing then asked:
“After I got promoted to Level 2, I wanted to collect some Yin materials for experimentation, but I’m not sure how to obtain them.”
Without hesitation, Guan Ya provided an answer:
“There are two ways. One is to submit a request to the organization and choose from the organization’s inventory. Depending on your Merit and Position, you can enjoy certain discounts, which can be very cost-effective.
“The second way is to check out the Black Market. There are a few Black Markets in Songhai that are gatherings of civilian organizations and wild spirit realm walkers. Even Official Walkers sometimes go there.”
“Do our Branches allow Black Markets?” Zhang Yuanqing asked.
“They don’t permit them, but they turn a blind eye to their existence. Markets are such that as long as there is trade, they will inevitably appear and are impossible to completely eradicate. Typical examples are drugs and human trafficking.” Guan Ya continued:
“Therefore, the Branches tacitly allow the existence of Black Markets, but they can only be operated by individuals with certain official backgrounds or connections, to keep them under control as much as possible. The Captain of the ‘Boxing King’ in Kangyang District is in charge of the local Black Market.”
Zhang Yuanqing nodded thoughtfully and decided to take a look at the Black Market.
Although getting materials from the Branch inventory would be cheaper due to the discounts, the materials checked out would be recorded. Anyone knowledgeable could tell by the materials he chose that he was refining a Spirit servant, and Zhang Yuanqing was not ready to let others know he had a Spirit servant, especially since it had only been a little over twenty days since Yuan Ting’s questioning.
“I’m going to the Black Market.”
“I’ll take you there after work,” said Guan Ya.
The Old driver is really great. Zhang Yuanqing nodded, then heard Guan Ya cough and say seriously:
“In a bit, the Acting Decurion and another colleague will come over.”
“That soon?” Zhang Yuanqing was surprised. “Isn’t the Decurion coming tomorrow?”
Guan Ya smiled slyly: “They heard about how you didn’t hesitate to offend the Xiahou Family to rescue the hostages and admired you for it. They decided to come over ahead of schedule.”
