Realm Walker

Li Xianzong dragged a high-backed chair into the center of the living room of the suburban villa and sat down with his legs crossed. On the plush sofa across from him, a mature, intellectual woman lay on her side in a languid sprawl, a pair of black-framed glasses perched on her nose. She had coldly stunning features, and her demeanor was as severe and aloof as a head teacher's, yet beneath the sheer gauze-like fabric of her dress, the contours of her figure stood in stark contrast to that icy composure.

For any ordinary man, a temptress this bewitching would have been enough to dry his mouth and set his pulse racing, and he would be willing to throw himself into the fray no matter how many rivals stood in line. But Li Xianzong was utterly unmoved by beauty.

He stated his purpose plainly. "I need an item that can counter high-level spirits. Saint-tier at the minimum."

Yi Chuanmei remained on her side, one pale arm propping up her chin, her voice cool as frost. "Twenty million in cash, or items and materials of equivalent grade."

Li Xianzong grimaced. "I don't have that kind of money."

For an Enchanting Demon unconcerned with Morality, the fastest way to earn money was to establish a cult. They could easily bewitch masses of followers into offering tribute, and thus amass a fortune in short order.

A more practical route was to bewitch civilians, gather devotees, then incorporate a company and earn revenue through legal means. But that carried the risk of drawing official scrutiny, potentially flushing years of effort down the drain. And frankly, most Enchanting Demons lacked the patience, interest, and business acumen to run a company.

Yi Chuanmei had anticipated this. She let out a mocking laugh. "Of the three major evil organizations, your Bing Zhu Sect always remains the poorest. All you ever think about is killing and destruction."

Right in front of him, she slipped her hand into the pale valley of her neckline and produced a small case. Inside lay three jet-black needles, fine as threads.

"I'd suggest you go with consumables instead. Here are three Soul-Shattering Needles. Three million in cash, or the equivalent value in items and materials. They can critically wound a Level 4 spirit, and even a Level 5 spirit will take serious damage. As for Level 6 spirits, well..."

She smiled lightly. "I trust you're smart enough not to provoke enemies at that tier."

"Deal. You'll have it within three days," Li Xianzong said.

"No, no, no," Yi Chuanmei admonished with a waggle of her finger. "You still owe me ten able-bodied Lawful-class Walkers. That was your promise. Once you deliver them, then we can discuss the next transaction."

She shifted about, a flush creeping across her face. "Keeping Fu Qingyang occupied for you cost me dearly. He truly deserves his reputation as one of the strongest young talents in the Five Elements Alliance."

At that, her cheeks flushed deeper. She pressed her thighs together, her expression turning almost rapturous. "His swordwork was unstoppable, like a mountain collapsing, like a tidal wave crashing down. It was exquisite. That is what a peak experience feels like..."

Freak, Li Xianzong cursed silently as he watched her expression twist. "Fine. I'll have ten Lawful Walkers for you within half a month."

He had to get his hands on items that were effective against high-level spirits, even if they were consumables. It was the only way to counter Yuanshi Tianzun's hidden cards. He needed to strengthen himself as much as possible before the large-scale slaughter dungeon opened.

Hunting down Yuanshi Tianzun served multiple purposes. First, it would temper him through combat and accelerate his growth. Second, the bounty was generous, and both the prize money and item rewards were extremely attractive. Finally, the kid himself was loaded with items, and practically dripping with loot.

Even if there was no trial going on, Li Xianzong would have gone after Yuanshi Tianzun regardless.

***

Xie Lingxi sat beneath a wide parasol on the open-air terrace of the Huayu Hotel cafe, a silver spoon pinched between her delicate fingers. The ice cubes inside her iced coffee moved about as she stirred, clinking against the glass in a crisp, crystalline rhythm.

"Bro Yuanshi, you haven't contacted me in so long," she complained with a pout, her voice thick with grievance. "I stayed in Songhai just for you, you know. So why do you keep ignoring me?"

Across the small table, Zhang Yuanqing had an epiphany. "Oh, is that so? That's my fault then. I shouldn't have neglected you. Come on, let me take you back to the room so you can find out just how passionate your Bro Yuanshi can be."

"Oh stop it!" The little green tea princess exclaimed as she covered her mouth and giggled, then wrinkled her nose. "Bro Yuanshi, you're really not handsome at all when you're like this. I much prefer your real face."

Zhang Yuanqing had disguised himself as Wang Tai again, with his unremarkable features and the wooden expression of someone who had never learned small talk.

He took a sip of coffee. "Better safe than sorry. You know Li Xianzong has his sights on me."

"Bro Yuanshi, I heard you charged into that hospital all by yourself yesterday," Xie Lingxi gushed,"took down the criminals single handedly, held off Li Xianzong, and made a huge contribution to the official hostage rescue. That's so amazing!"

See? This is the beauty of a green tea princess. Zhang Yuanqing sighed. "Regardless, I still got schooled. The gap between me and Li Xianzong is enormous."

Xie Lingxi rested her chin on one hand while idly stirring her coffee with the other. Beneath her long, sweeping lashes, her eyes shone, bright and dewy. "That's only because you haven't reached Level 3 yet. Once you come back from your next Spirit Realm run, you'll beat Li Xianzong easily. I've always believed in you, Bro Yuanshi."

Something warm and inexplicably comfortable settled in Zhang Yuanqing's chest. "Did you just use Soothe on me?"

"Of course not! Everything I said is from the heart!"

Cup by cup, amidst Xie Lingxi's steady stream of flattery, the coffee had disappeared, and Zhang Yuanqing's mood had slowly but surely brightened. The gloom and heaviness that had settled over him before were gone without a trace.

He examined his own feelings. Every shadow had been swept clean. The Musician's Soothe ability really is something. But the cost is that my favor toward Xie Lingxi went up by quite a bit.

Just then, Xie Lingxi picked up the elegant clutch bag resting by her side, unzipped it, and produced a black stone that shimmered with a deep, dreamlike iridescence.

"Bro Yuanshi, this is my gift to you."

Zhang Yuanqing blinked. "You want to give this to me?"

Xie Lingxi beamed sweetly. "It's not like I have any use for it. I'm just a delicate, adorable little girl who stays far away from conflict. This Jade Talisman would be wasted on me. Better to give it to you."

This gift is way too expensive, Zhang Yuanqing protested inwardly. He had admittedly entertained idle fantasies about how he might finagle her Jade Talisman away from her, but they had been just that—idle fantasies. He had never actually intended to follow through.

She must be worried about Li Xianzong assassinating me too. No matter what she says, the gap in strength is real.

As things stood, no one—other official Walkers, his friends, and even random Freelance Walkers with no stake in the matter—considered him a match for Li Xianzong. Everyone agreed that Yuanshi Tianzun had landed himself in serious trouble.

"Keep it," he insisted. "I'm not desperate enough for that yet."

He pushed the Jade Talisman back across the table. He was afraid that accepting it would erode his resolve and blunt the determination and grit he needed to train relentlessly in hand to hand combat.

Xie Lingxi didn't press the matter. She slipped the talisman back into her bag and said softly, "Bro Yuanshi, the palace master is here at the hotel too. She wants to see you."

Zhang Yuanqing nearly choked. "Hm? That craz—That breathtakingly beautiful big sister is here at the hotel?"

Thank god I came wearing Wang Tai's face. If I'd shown up looking like myself, that gorgeous lunatic would have her blood up in an instant. She'd drag me off to be her boy toy and that would be the end of me.

Xie Lingxi stood, hooked her arm through his, and led him away from the cafe and back into the hotel. When they reached the door of the presidential suite, she pressed the key card into his palm and whispered, "Go on in."

Zhang Yuanqing noticed she had no intention of following. "You're not coming in?"

Xie Lingxi shook her head vigorously and backed away as if retreating from a live grenade.

Girl, the way you're acting is making me seriously nervous, Zhang Yuanqing thought as he watched the little green tea princess scurry off down the hall. He didn't swipe the card across the reader right away. Instead, he took out the Eye of the Observer.

Come to think of it, he had never had a proper opportunity to use this item to peer into the inner thoughts of a truly powerful figure. This was the perfect chance to gauge the Palace Master's real attitude toward him, and just how unhinged she really was beneath that mask.

Zhang Yuanqing slid the dark glasses onto his face and swiped the card against the reader.

With a beep, the door opened and swung inward. He stepped through the foyer, and there, behind a writing desk directly facing the entrance, sat the palace master of Slaughter Cessation Palace. She wore a flowing crimson gown in an ancient style, its bodice and sleeves embroidered with cloud and dragon motifs in gleaming gold thread. She looked magnificent, and rich with old world elegance.

"You wanted to see me, Palace Master?" Zhang Yuanqing said as he offered a polite nod.

Sharp and luminous eyes appraised him from behind the mask, and the palace master let out a soft laugh. "You took quite the beating from Li Xianzong, but your spirits seem intact. I expected you to mope about for at least a few days."

Zhang Yuanqing shrugged. "That's why I came to see Xie Lingxi—for a therapy session. The girl's a natural at cheering people up. Being around her just makes one feel inexplicably happy."

As the words left his mouth, he studied her through the enchanted lenses and caught a subtle shift.

Her eyes are telling me she's not pleased, and the displeasure is directed at me. But I haven't done anything to offend her...

The Palace Master sat poised behind the desk, toying idly with one flowing sleeve. Her voice was silk. "I'll be leaving Songhai soon, and heading north on business. Before I go, would you like me to kill Li Xianzong for you? I'd hate to come back and hear that you died at his hands. After all, you are my personally-appointed boy toy."

She paused, then added warmly, "Xie Lingxi is a little sister I'm quite fond of. You should spend more time with her."

Her concern is genuine, not teasing. But there's something complicated underneath. It's almost like she doesn't want me to actually say yes. And when she said to get closer to Xie Lingxi, there seemed to be a hint of warning in her voice and in her eyes...

Zhang Yuanqing's eyes lit up. "You'd really help me?"

The Palace Master inclined her head slightly. "Five million, and I'll kill him for you."

Five million? I couldn't scrape together five million even if I sold myself... Wait, why did she feel a flash of vindictive satisfaction when she named that price?

Zhang Yuanqing studied her through the lenses and parsed another layer of her thoughts. She keeps staring at my glasses. Her gaze is growing more dangerous by the second. This is bad. She wants to hit me. She's figured out I'm reading her.

A jolt of alarm shot through him. Without betraying anything, he casually removed the glasses and tucked them away. "That won't be necessary. My problems are my own. I'll handle them myself."

At his words, the Palace Master's eyes curved into crescents of genuine delight, as though his answer had been precisely what she wanted to hear. "If you want to become a force to be reckoned with, you can't always rely on others. The path to the summit is one you have to walk with your own two feet. Li Xianzong is a formidable enemy, but not an invincible one."

Her voice softened, and she sounded almost like a mentor. "If the beating at the hospital had left you so frightened that you took my offer, I would have been deeply disappointed."

So it was a test after all, Zhang Yuanqing realized.

The Palace Master waved a hand dismissively. "You may go. Send the little brat in on your way out."

I don't need the glasses to read the "malice" behind that one. Poor little green tea princess.

Zhang Yuanqing nodded and left the room. He had barely stepped into the corridor and rounded the corner toward the elevators when he spotted Xie Lingxi waiting there, her face alight with mischievous anticipation.

"Oh? You're out already, Bro Yuanshi?" Disappointment washed over her features, followed by stubborn defiance. "The palace master didn't bully you?"

"Why would she bully me?"

"Because that's what she does! She loves picking on people. She'll just hang someone up for no reason at all—" Xie Lingxi cut herself off and puffed out her cheeks. "I was all ready to charge in and rescue you!"

"She picks on you often?"

"All the time! Whenever she's in a bad mood, she takes it out on me. And every time she's about to start, she calls me 'little brat.'"

"Ah. So 'little brat' refers to you."

The smile on Xie Lingxi's face slowly faded. "Bro Yuanshi... what do you mean by that?"

Zhang Yuanqing gave her a look of pure pity. "The palace master just told me to send the 'little brat' in."

The color drained from Xie Lingxi's face.

***

Zhang Yuanqing left the Huayu Hotel, pulled on a baseball cap and mask, and glanced left and right. Satisfied that no one was tailing him, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and set off along the street.

He planned to spend the afternoon training with Guan Ya. They had arranged it that morning. Their training venue was at Fu Family Bay, which had a dedicated combat training facility. More importantly, it was right under the centurion's nose, so there was no need to worry about ambushes or assassination attempts.

He barely dared visit the Public Security Bureau these days.

Zhang Yuanqing was confident that with his physical attributes, picking up the fundamentals of hand to hand combat wouldn't be difficult. And with the open-minded lady, a certified combat genius, as his personal instructor, it was entirely possible to make a rapid improvement in close quarters combat within a short period of time, as long as he put in the work.

Once I've leveled up my fighting skills, the next goal is to wait for the Spirit Realm to open—

As the thought formed, the phone in his pocket buzzed. It was Fu Qingyang calling.

Zhang Yuanqing answered. "Centurion, I was just on my way over."

Fu Qingyang's voice came through, brisk and direct.

—Elder Teddy is back from the capital. Get over here immediately.

Zhang Yuanqing could barely contain his excitement. "The situation regarding my item has been resolved?"

Fu Qingyang gave a short affirmative grunt, though his tone carried a peculiar edge.

—Get here as fast as you can. Don't keep the elder waiting.

Don't keep the elder waiting? What's that supposed to mean? Zhang Yuanqing didn't understand. Since when did a minor matter like this require an elder to personally sit around, waiting for him to show up?