Stepping out of the conference room, Yuan Ting let out a long breath, the heavy pressure finally lifting from his shoulders.
The young master of the Fu family—whether it be his personal level or his prominent family background—was someone far beyond his reach. Standing before him always invoked the oppressive sense of facing a superior, rather than the usual disdain one might feel toward a typical second-generation rich kid.
As he walked through the villa, Yuan Ting's eyes briefly swept over two bunny girls passing by. They were in their early twenties, curvaceous with beautiful faces. The villa housed seven or eight such girls, each a stunner in her own right.
Despite being surrounded by beauty, Yuan Ting knew that this young master from a prestigious family showed no interest in women.
Compared to when he first arrived, the lineup of bunny girls in the villa had already changed twice. Those girls who were hired early on had mistakenly assumed they'd landed a golden opportunity and eagerly tried to cozy up to the young Fu heir.
All of them had been politely dismissed.
The ones remaining now were well-behaved, focused solely on their duties, with no delusions of grandeur.
In this place, the bunny girls were more like a status symbol—either that or a personal quirk of Fu Qingyang.
Leaving the villa and slipping into his private car, Yuan Ting mentally replayed the contents of today's meeting. First, he reported the death of the Eye of Deception Judge and the flight of his confidant, Black Impermanence, with the Holy Grail and the registry, to Taiyi Sect.
Once that business was handled, he texted his friend Jian Ji:
"Something big just happened in Songhai. Eye of Deception Judge is dead, and his right-hand man, Black Impermanence, has gone to ground with the Holy Grail and the registry…"
Jian Ji replied:
"I'm speechless. The Eye of Deception Judge is just... gone? That's like waking up one day to find a whole country erased from the map."
The two marveled at the scale of it all before diving into speculation on what might happen if the corrupted individuals listed in the registry all decided to converge in one time and place.
Jian Ji:
"Anything else?"
Plenty. Like how that Night Wanderer who cleared the Sheling Tunnel just took out a Level 3 Bewitching Demon…
But that he couldn't say. If that leaked, Elder Sun would have his head.
Yuan Ting's expression twisted as he typed:
"One more thing. Just listen, don't repeat it. Elder Sun really screwed up. That Night Wanderer he didn't want…"
In a dim bedroom somewhere in Songhai...
The lights were off. The only illumination came from three candles arranged in a triangle on the table. In their center sat a red lacquered box, with an odd, insect-shaped relief carved into its lid.
A silver-masked figure knelt beside the table, slicing open a fingertip with a small blade. Blood welled up immediately.
He brought the bleeding finger to the mouth of the carved insect. The thing came to life, greedily slurping the blood. The lacquer box turned an even darker crimson.
Suddenly, a wailing wind swept through the room. The candles flared red, their flames stretching high into the air, forming a bloody vortex above the box.
A cold, majestic voice echoed from within the swirling fire:
"What is it?"
The masked man bowed his head. "Per your instructions, I've released the bait. The Five Elements Alliance will spare no effort hunting Black Impermanence. But... I can't guarantee he'll stay hidden in Songhai."
The majestic voice responded slowly, "My divination confirms he's still in Songhai. He must have a reason to remain. The specifics are still unclear."
"Do you need anything else from me?"
"Assist the Five Elements Alliance in their search for Black Impermanence—discreetly. Report to me the moment there's any news. I'll be in the Spirit Realm for some time and may not respond promptly."
"You have a mission?"
"No. I'm looking for the site of the Eye of Deception Judge's death. Interestingly enough, I've encountered a certain Taiyi Sect elder. Hmph. As expected, the Judge's death is far more complicated than it appears…"
The voice faded, and the vortex of blood-red flames dissolved into darkness.
Knock knock…
Two soft knocks on the bedroom door. His grandma's voice followed, warm and cheerful:
"Yuanzai, dinner's ready."
She sounded in a good mood.
Zhang Yuanqing opened his eyes. The room was pitch dark, curtains shutting out the city lights.
That nap hit the spot... finally recharged from today's drain. Too bad Songhai's skies are too murky—some moonlight would've been perfect...
Yawning, he slipped on his cotton slippers, opened the bedroom door, and walked into the living room.
A rich aroma greeted him. The table was covered in dishes: sweet and sour pork, braised pork, roast duck, black chicken soup, asparagus, spring bamboo shoots…
His grandma, wearing an apron, bustled between the kitchen and the living room.
His cousin was helping in the kitchen.
On the couch sat his grandfather, upright and dignified as ever, eyes fixed on the TV.
At the dinner table sat a middle-aged couple—his aunt and uncle.
His aunt had delicate features and pale skin. Though clearly past her prime, she was still very well-maintained. Wearing a fitted white dress, her wavy hair cascading around her shoulders, she had an air of pampered elegance.
His uncle, sitting beside her, bore a strong resemblance to Chen Yuanjun. He was dressed in a purple suit, tight purple pants, and a rose-colored shirt—looking more like a nightclub "host" than a family man.
Zhang Yuanqing's uncle was a notorious layabout. In his youth, he chased dreams of being a musician, running off in flared jeans with a ragtag band of friends, proclaiming his love for poetry and distant lands.
Several years later, he returned—battered by reality, dreams crushed. But instead of getting a job, he wandered around with a boombox, dancing and singing karaoke wherever he went.
Back then, that kind of behavior wasn't uncommon among city youth—many were just drifting.
Thanks to his good looks and smooth talk, he somehow managed to marry into wealth, landing his well-off wife. For a few years, he settled down. But after she gave birth to their son, his true colors returned.
He spent his days idling, never holding a proper job.
"Yuanzai! Did you miss your uncle?"
Seeing his musical heir, Uncle lit up with joy.
He loved rap and dance, and his favorite song was the infamous "Yo yo check it out, jianbing guozi, one full set!" complete with self-choreographed moves.
No one in the family ever humored him—except for Zhang Yuanqing, whom he saw as his spiritual successor.
"Auntie." Zhang Yuanqing greeted politely, then gave his uncle a perfunctory nod.
"I brought you a gift!" his uncle announced proudly.
"Oh my dear uncle, you've finally returned. Why didn't you tell me in advance? If you had, I'd have gone to the airport myself. May the Lord bear witness!"
He suddenly switched tone, putting on an exaggerated display of enthusiasm.
The two men burst out laughing, doing their handshake and shoulder bump routine. His uncle slung an arm around him and guided him to a seat.
"Yuanzai, I've been abroad lately. Went all the way to hang out with chimpanzees and learn some real rap techniques. You know, we should add tongue rolls and lip flutters to our flow—makes it more powerful!"
I know what a tongue roll is, but what the hell is a lip flutter? Zhang Yuanqing was stunned. "Amazing, truly worthy of being my uncle. By the way, I'm kinda broke lately…"
"No worries. Your aunt has money. I'll tell her to give you some."
Soon, his cousin and grandma brought over the last few dishes and called everyone to eat.
"Where's Auntie?" Zhang Yuanqing asked.
"Said there's something at the hospital. She'll be back later," Grandma replied.
"Something at the hospital?" Uncle raised a brow. "Sounds more like a date."
"If only that were true," Grandma scoffed. "From the looks of her, she won't get married until she's thirty. What's with young people nowadays? None of them want to settle down."
She clearly disapproved of modern values.
Uncle added, "Speaking of which, Yuanjun is still single too. Yuanjun, when are you going to bring your boyfriend home to meet Dad?"
The usually composed cousin froze. "What?"
Uncle shrugged. "You're thirty and still don't have a girlfriend. At this point, we can only hope for a boyfriend."
Before he could finish, Grandma rolled up her sleeves, ready to whack him.
"Okay okay! Just a joke!" Uncle waved her off. "No sense of humor, seriously. It's trendy now—boy-boy CPs are all the rage among young people."
Auntie kept her head down, silently eating.
She and Grandma never got along. Few mother-in-law and daughter-in-law pairs did. Grandma was hot-tempered; Auntie was strong-willed. One complained her daughter-in-law didn't do housework, the other thought the old woman was too nosy.
Back when Zhang Yuanqing was a kid, the two often fought. When they did, his aunt would quietly shell sunflower seeds while watching the drama. Zhang Yuanqing would pretend to mediate—"Don't fight, don't fight"—while sneakily grabbing seeds from his aunt's hand.
His cousin would do homework and eat seeds at the same time.
Now that Auntie had mellowed with age, she no longer argued, but the tension still lingered.
At that moment, his cousin looked over. "I heard something happened at your school today?"
"Huh? I dunno. I came home early and went straight to bed…" Zhang Yuanqing feigned ignorance.
Grandma quickly asked what had happened. Chen Yuanjun gave a brief explanation. When she heard a criminal had snuck into the school, Grandma became even more fed up with the state of the world.
Just then, the electronic lock on the door beeped.
Sitting closest to the entrance, Zhang Yuanqing turned his head—it was his aunt returning home.
Tonight, she wore an off-shoulder knit sweater revealing smooth, porcelain skin, paired with a black crop top and light-colored spring jeans, finished with white sneakers.
Zhang Yuanqing's gaze dropped to her calves—and his eyes instantly narrowed.
Dangling from Jiang Yuer's leg… was a round, chubby baby.