Realm Walker

Jiang Yu'er didn't bother knocking. Instead, she kept her voice low and whispered conspiratorially from the other side of the door, "Yuanzi, Yuanzi, are you asleep? I'm coming in. Your beautiful, adorable aunt is coming in..."

Zhang Yuanqing drew a deep breath, pushing his dark emotions down where they couldn't be seen on his face, then rubbed his eyes and muttered, "Come in."

The handle turned and the door cracked open just wide enough for his aunt to slip through on tiptoe. Once she entered, she quickly shut the door behind her. She wore a white nightgown with lace trimming at the collar, the hem falling just past her knees and leaving her porcelain calves uncovered. Her pink slippers padded softly against the floor, the open front exposing her dainty toes that were painted a vivid red.

"You look like you're sneaking off to meet a secret lover," Zhang Yuanqing said flatly.

Every doctor who had been on duty during the daytime incident at Pingtai Hospital had been granted a full week of leave. After getting home, his little aunt had given Grandma a wildly embellished account of the crisis, throwing herself into the old woman's arms and wailing that she'd been one step away from never seeing her mother again. Grandma had been so frightened as the two of them dissolved into tears together. The performance had earned Jiang Yu'er a surge of maternal sympathy, raising Grandma's tolerance for her antics to unprecedented heights.

Jiang Yu'er puttered over to the bed in her slippers and sat down, smoothing her nightgown beneath her.

Once settled, she leaned in and said in a conspiratorial whisper, "Where did you disappear to afterward? The security officers rushed in, and I couldn't find you anywhere after that."

By the time the officers had entered to rescue the hostages, Li Dongze and the others had already whisked Zhang Yuanqing away for treatment.

Zhang Yuanqing silently studied his aunt. Her eyes glittered, her expression brimming with anticipation and excitement, like a little girl who'd stumbled onto a secret.

What a naive little aunt.

Zhang Yuanqing sighed inwardly, then arranged his face into a mask of gravity. "I suppose there's no point hiding it from you anymore. I'll tell you the truth. I'm actually a member of a national superpowered task force. We deal with evildoers lurking in the shadows. By day I'm a student. By night I patrol the city streets, punishing evil and protecting the innocent."

Jiang Yu'er clapped a hand over her mouth, stifling a gasp. "A superpowered task force?"

"That's right. There are actually many people with superpowers in this world. For the sake of social harmony and stability, we have to conceal our identities and serve as unsung heroes. I awakened my abilities a long time ago and joined the task force. Technically, I'm not allowed to reveal my identity, but since you've already figured it out, I might as well come clean. You absolutely must keep this secret."

His aunt nodded vigorously. "I understand, I understand! I had to sign a confidentiality agreement earlier today."

The more she thought about it, the more excited she became, but then her brow creased with worry. "Yuanzi, this superpowered task force sounds really dangerous..."

"Don't worry!" Zhang Yuanqing scoffed. "I know I look young, but I'm actually a very high-ranking member on the force. The entire Songhai superpowered division has to respect my judgment and follow my commands. You saw it yourself today. I handled the whole thing single-handedly."

"Are you really that amazing?"

Relief washed over her aunt's face, replaced by pure adoration. It was as though she were seeing her nephew for the very first time. Zhang Yuanqing maintained an air of calm indifference, though inwardly he was basking in every ray of her worship.

"Could I awaken too?" Jiang Yu'er asked, longing in her voice.

"Well..." Zhang Yuanqing shook his head. "Not to brag, but it requires natural talent in order to awaken. Only someone with extraordinary gifts like me can awaken. And if you haven't awakened by eighteen, you basically don't have the aptitude."

Her cheeks puffed out in disappointment.

"You really are incredible," she still said in a tone of utter admiration.

She bought every word of it. He could see the worship in her eyes, the reverence. No wonder cult leaders can swindle people out of their money and their dignity...

Zhang Yuanqing cleared his throat. "You absolutely cannot let this slip. Our line of work is extremely dangerous. We're constantly on guard against retaliation from evildoers. If my identity gets exposed, it could endanger the whole family."

"Just like undercover narcotics officers?"

"Exactly."

His aunt peppered him with more questions, and Zhang Yuanqing fielded them all with practiced ease. When she demanded a demonstration of his superpowers, he refused with exaggerated solemnity.

"A great man once said, superpowers are not a circus act. We only unleash our full force against evildoers," he declared.

That great man, of course, was himself.

Having exhausted her other questions, his aunt suddenly remembered a crucial detail. "What about the pay?"

This was where Zhang Yuanqing truly came alive. He'd been sitting on over two million yuan with no one to show off to.

He adopted a deliberately measured tone. "The income is quite decent. In just five short months this year, I've earned five million yuan."

Praise me. Worship me! he screamed internally.

His aunt gasped on cue. "Five million? Save up for a few years, and you'll be richer than Auntie!"

Zhang Yuanqing drew himself up with righteous dignity. "In our line of work, money is secondary. What matters is serving the nation for the benefit of the people."

"Then I can spend your money from now on," his aunt said cheerfully. "It's not like you have a girlfriend."

Dream on, woman! Zhang Yuanqing scoffed inwardly, then snorted. "Absolutely not. My money is meant for the benefit of the people, not buying you clothes and handbags."

"Cheapskate!"

"Woman, mind your tone. You're sitting next to a millionaire."

Jiang Yu'er lingered in his room until two in the morning before reluctantly taking her leave.

Zhang Yuanqing heaved a sigh of relief. He had put on quite the show, and the worship and admiration he'd harvested had inexplicably lifted his spirits. The bitter knot left by the day's crushing defeat had dissolved without him even noticing, leaving him feeling light and unburdened. It seemed showing off really was the cure for misery.

He pulled his cooling quilt over himself and let sleep creep in. He'd go see the little green tea princess the next day. This sort of "comforting" was her specialty. The question was whether the Xie family would change their attitude toward him because of the Li Xianzong situation.

He still needed to report to the bureau over the next few days, but only in disguise. He had to learn hand-to-hand combat from Guan Ya. He'd been putting it off for a while, lacking both time and motivation, but he couldn't delay any longer.

He absolutely had to improve his combat skills before his third dungeon opened. When he came back, he'd deal with Li Xianzong for good. Hopefully Elder Teddy would return with his Red Dancing Shoes soon...

With those thoughts swirling about in his mind, he drifted off into a deep sleep.

***

The first rays of morning light fell across the capital. Inside a traditional courtyard, the old scholar tree stretched out its branches in the dawn glow, its tender green leaves shimmering with iridescent halos. A gentle breeze stirred the branches, and from within the foliage came sounds like children laughing and roughhousing. The reclining chair beneath the tree sat empty. Its owner had not rested there in many days.

Without warning, the air around the courtyard warped and rippled like the surface of a calm lake disturbed by a stone, and a figure materialized on the chair out of thin air.

The man had salt-and-pepper hair and wore a white undershirt with loose shorts, looking no different from any ordinary old gentleman in the capital. But the moment he appeared, the skin across his entire body split open. Searing golden light erupted from within, pouring from his pupils, his mouth, his nostrils. His body carbonized in seconds, transforming into a charred husk. The blazing radiance scorched the leaves of the scholar tree and caused the "children" hidden among its branches to burst into shrill, panicked wailing.

A dozen seconds later, the charred corpse opened its eyes. Blackened skin flaked away piece by piece, revealing raw, newborn flesh beneath. The heart in his chest began to beat once more.

Elder Sun slowly exhaled a turbid breath. "Go fetch me some clothes, you useless little brats."

A gust of spectral wind shot from the treetop and pushed open a window. Moments later, it came drifting back, carrying with it an undershirt, underwear, and a pair of shorts that drifted unsteadily through the air.

Elder Sun brushed away the carbonized remnants and changed into the fresh clothes. "Go find Steward Wang."

The spectral gust that had brought the clothes did not move. Instead, it retreated into the canopy of the scholar tree, and from amid the dense foliage came a childish argument.

"You go. It's your turn."

"I'm not going."

"Go or I'll beat you up!"

A few seconds later, one of them caved, and a wisp of spectral wind drifted out of the traditional courtyard. Elder Sun reclined in his rocking chair, eyes closed, resting. His complexion was slightly pale, and the bags under his eyes were swollen.

Minutes later, hurried footsteps approached. A middle-aged man dressed in black, guided by the spectral wind, stepped over the threshold and into the courtyard.

"Elder Sun, you're finally out!" Steward Wang exclaimed.

Elder Sun grunted. "Contact Elder Teddy at the Songhai Branch. I need to speak with him."

Among the five organizations that made up the Five Elements Alliance, the Hundred Flowers Society and the Taiyi Sect shared the closest ties, so Elder Teddy and Elder Sun had always been on friendly terms.

"Elder Teddy is actually here in the capital," Steward Wang replied. "He arrived yesterday, and has been waiting for you."

Elder Sun's eyes opened. "He's in the capital? Go invite him over."

The man in black departed.