Realm Walker

Yuanshi Tianzun. That name seemed to sever Call Me Queen's vocal cords entirely. Astonishment flooded her striking features as she looked Zhang Yuanqing up and down, twice, as though confirming he was real.

As a veteran lurker on the official forums, she knew the Songhai Branch's prodigy by reputation. She had even participated enthusiastically in discussions about him. He was only a Level 2 Nocturnal Specter, yet his name carried the weight of a celebrity. She never expected to be matched with that very celebrity inside the Spirit Realm.

Queen's face lit up with excitement, her gaze bouncing between Zhang Yuanqing and Guan Ya. "Yuanshi Tianzun, is it really you? Is it really you?"

Guan Ya gave a slight nod. "It's him."

With confirmation from a fellow Songhai Branch colleague, Queen grew even more animated. "I've actually been matched into the same team as you! When we get back to reality, I am absolutely going to brag about it on the forums. I'll tell everyone I got matched with Yuanshi Tianzun."

"Yuanshi Tianzun?" Fire Virtue's eyes brightened, a flicker of excitement crossing his face. "The Yuanshi Tianzun from the Songhai Branch?"

Without even realizing it, he'd become one of the top names at the Transcendent tier, a real celebrity.

Zhang Yuanqing allowed himself a small smile. "I'd like to think there's only one Yuanshi Tianzun in the entire Spirit Realm."

The round faced, slightly pudgy young man known as Lotus Eater looked puzzled. "Yuanshi Tianzun, bro, are you famous or something?"

He was a Freelance Walker with no access to the Five Elements Alliance's official forums, and his information network was practically nonexistent, so he had never heard the name.

Queen jumped in immediately. "He's our organization's golden boy, and cleared two S-rank dungeons back to back. At Level 1, he solo killed a Level 3 Enchanting Demon. At Level 2, he single handedly took down a Level 6 Hex Master. And just recently, he fought Li Xianzong one on one, nearly got killed, but somehow survived."

Well, that last part really didn't need mentioning, Zhang Yuanqing thought sourly, his face stiffening. He had been quietly basking in the praise until that final detail.

But Lotus Eater heard it all very differently. His mouth fell open wider with each revelation, his expression growing increasingly theatrical, until he stared at Zhang Yuanqing the way one might gaze up at an untouchable titan. I've been matched with someone like that?

Even Grass Upon the Plains, who was melancholy and reserved, couldn't help stealing repeated glances at Zhang Yuanqing. No matter how indifferent he was toward strangers, a combat record so terrifying and a resume that stacked made it impossible to ignore, especially since he was someone barely older than himself.

Two S-rank dungeon clears, and a Nocturnal Specter who is able to kill other Walkers above his level... Li Chunfeng immediately shed his pessimism, delight breaking across his face. "So we had a legend hiding in our ranks all along. This changes everything. We can actually win this."

Unbeknownst to them, there was another powerhouse in the group too. Guan Ya had been deliberately tanking her rating, losing every non-death dungeon she could. Her matchmaking rating wasn't high, but her combat skills were absurdly strong.

Zhang Yuanqing seized the momentum and said, "Let me serve as captain. I promise I'll lead everyone through Yin Yang Town."

Nobody protested. To most of them, a captain existed to improve efficiency and reduce pointless arguments. The person who ultimately filled the role didn't matter much. But since there was a genuine legend among them, giving him the reins made perfect sense. He was the one they could rally behind.

Call Me Queen pressed her lips together and huffed. "Fine, let's see what you've got. One bad call and I'm staging a coup."

She didn't push the matter further.

I wonder how well I need to perform to earn that Guild Token reward, Zhang Yuanqing mused as he turned toward the town behind them. "We're burning daylight. Let's move."

The group passed through the memorial archway and entered the ancient town.

***

At the town's opposite entrance, Li Xianzong glanced down at the two teammates sprawled on the ground, then surveyed the four still standing in sullen silence.

His face split into a grin. "I'll be captain. Any objections?"

One of the others, a bald, heavyset man, snorted. "If you'd said you were Li Xianzong from the start, who would've argued?"

Another, a gaunt middle-aged man chuckled. "That said, we've got two Level 3s on our side, and one of them is Li Xianzong. Going by the matching algorithm, the Lawful team probably has some serious firepower too."

Li Xianzong lifted his chin in arrogance. "That's what makes it fun. I hope there's someone ranked within the top ten Transcendent-tier official Walkers. Kill one here in the Spirit Realm, then butcher Yuanshi Tianzun after I get back. I'll wrap up this trial mission early and start preparing for the midyear dungeon."

If everything went smoothly, he stood to accumulate considerable wealth.

The gaunt man's face twisted into a lewd grin. "All I'm hoping for is a pretty woman on the Lawful side. Nothing gets the blood pumping like humiliating them."

He had done exactly that in several previous multiplayer dungeons.

"Enough chatter. Follow me!"

Li Xianzong led his team through the archway and into the town. The seven of them strode along the broad flagstone road, and before long, a notification chime sounded in their ears.

【Please find Blacksmith Wang's shop within ten minutes.】

***

Fire Virtue was always one to ask questions when he was confused. "Granny Wang? How are we supposed to find her? We saw a cowherd outside earlier, but now that we're in the town, there's not a soul in sight. Is this place deserted?"

The Lawful team's prompt had been to find Granny Wang's house within ten minutes.

They walked through streets steeped in silence. No birdsong, no barking dogs. The doors of every house flanking the road were shut tight. They might well have been the only living people within that ancient town.

"If it were truly deserted, why would the Spirit Realm send us to find Granny Wang?" Li Chunfeng retorted, correcting the Fire Sage with scholarly precision.

Fire Virtue couldn't be bothered to think it through, so he pivoted. "Then where is she? This town is huge. Who knows where she's hiding? We've only got ten minutes. Hey, Queen, didn't you say you read the strategy guides?"

Call Me Queen scanned their surroundings as she spoke. "Oh right, I forgot to mention it. Yin Yang Town is a dungeon that changes every instance. The core conflict between Lawful and Evil factions stays the same, but the tasks assigned always changes. In the guides I read, some teams had to find Blacksmith Wang, while others had to solve a murder in town, or run a maze. And the scariest version was the midnight dungeon."

"Midnight dungeon?" Lotus Eater's round face perked with curiosity. "Why is that one the scariest?"

"If you are ported in during the dead of night, the dungeon forces you to stay at an inn. One person will die each night, and you have to find the killer before you can leave. No skills allowed."

Queen spoke with the easy confidence of someone who had studied the material thoroughly.

Li Chunfeng ran the numbers and raised an eyebrow. "How long would that even take? And the Lawful team still didn't lose?"

"The Evil team probably ran into something even worse," Queen replied. "But the core mechanic never changes. You solve whatever problem the dungeon throws at you, collect the right items, then you can leave the area. Otherwise, you're trapped inside forever. I have no idea what our specific challenge will be. We probably won't know until we meet Granny Wang."

She tilted her head toward Zhang Yuanqing, her smile coy and alluring. "So, Your Eminence, any brilliant insights? We need to find Granny Wang in ten minutes, and we've already burned through four."

All eyes turned to him.

Zhang Yuanqing looked as though he had been waiting for them to finish. "It's not that hard. I've had an idea since the start. I was just waiting for you all to stop chatting."

With that, he drew a deep breath and bellowed, "Granny Wang! Where are you?!"

He roared five or six times, each shout carrying further than the last.

His companions stared at him in stunned silence, exchanging bewildered glances. Has he lost his mind? Is that really how you search for someone?

Then, from a narrow alley to their left, an old woman shuffled into view. Her hair was pure silver and she wore plain cotton garments, a wooden cane trembling in her grip. She was stooped with age, her face a map of deep wrinkles, and her voice came out cracked and ancient.

"Who are you people? What business do you have with this old woman?"

The team was dumbfounded. That actually worked?!

"How did you know she'd come if you called?" Fire Virtue blurted out.

Zhang Yuanqing chuckled softly. "I didn't. I just tried. The town is enormous. Wandering around aimlessly, hoping to stumble across one old woman in ten minutes? That's impossible. The Spirit Realm won't throw guaranteed death sentences at you right from the start."

Fire Virtue's face lit up with understanding. "No wonder you've managed to clear two S-rank dungeons."

Zhang Yuanqing led the group toward the old woman. He waited a few seconds for a system prompt, but none was forthcoming. In the absence of guidance, the player typically had to move the story along on their own.

"Ma'am, we're travelers from out of town, and just passing through. Could we trouble you for some water? We're also quite hungry. We'd be happy to pay."

Granny Wang's slightly clouded eyes swept over the group, and she said slowly, "Travelers, eh? Guests from afar should be welcomed. Follow me. There's no need for payment."

She turned and shuffled back into the alley with trembling steps, leaning on her cane all the while.

Zhang Yuanqing and the others followed at once. The alley floor was laid with cobblestones, and only wide enough to accommodate two people abreast. The damp walls, starved of sunlight year round, were choked with moss.

Similar alleys weaved their way through the town in every direction, dense as a spider's web.

Guan Ya quickened her pace and murmured near Zhang Yuanqing's ear, "Have you noticed? She's not wearing modern clothing. I'm not great with ancient history, so I can't pin down the dynasty."

She had grown up abroad as a child.

Zhang Yuanqing wasn't entirely sure either. "It could be from the Song Dynasty, or perhaps the Tang Dynasty."

Behind them, Li Chunfeng spoke up. "It's early Ming. Ming Dynasty clothing changed dramatically between the early, middle, and late periods. Early Ming Dynasty commoner dress imitated Tang Dynasty styles, but with subtle differences that make it easy to identify. Also, the architectural style of this town is quite typically Ming Dynasty. It's definitely not Tang or Song Dynasty."

As expected of a Scholar, Zhang Yuanqing thought approvingly. He's a walking encyclopedia.

He quickly turned to Guan Ya. "That's exactly what I was about to say. Early Ming."

Guan Ya rewarded him with an eye roll, then lowered her voice. "So the Yin Yang Hermit was active in the early Ming period? That matches the Three Paths Mountain Goddess's era."

Before Zhang Yuanqing could respond, Li Chunfeng continued, "Dungeons at the Transcendent tier are always set in either the modern era or the Ming Dynasty, and nowhere else. But from what I know, Saint-tier dungeons can feature places from the Song Dynasty. As for why, I'm not entirely sure."

Transcendent-tier dungeons only use modern or Ming Dynasty settings, while the Saint tier introduces the Song Dynasty. Zhang Yuanqing's mind drifted. Back at the Temple of the Three Paths Mountain Goddess, the temple keeper mentioned wanting to tell the journal's owner a secret regarding a thousand years of upheaval.

Was that just bait to reel in disciples, or was there real substance behind it? The Yin Yang Hermit lived in the same era as that old bat. Maybe he left some clues here. And Demon Lord mentioned a hidden mission I need to look out for as well. But there's been no trace of it yet.

While he mulled this over, Granny Wang led them to a dilapidated courtyard. The gate was half-rotted, and secured with a copper lock. The door knocker was caked in rust. The old woman fumbled around for a while before producing a key and unlocking the gate.

The courtyard was built in the style of a classic skywell house. There were rooms along three sides, with an open space in the center. The eaves of the three wings converged to frame a square patch of sky overhead.

The courtyard left an overwhelming impression of gloom and shadow. Years of neglect had left their mark on the all-timber structure, every surface coated in a patina of grey decay that only deepened the atmosphere of creeping dread.

Granny Wang leaned on her cane, stepped over the threshold, and turned to face them from the shadows. "Come inside."

Zhang Yuanqing hesitated briefly, but Fire Virtue barreled through the doorway without a second thought.

The rest of the group filed into the house and gathered beneath the skywell. To the left was a spacious parlor containing a round table and several stools, all thick with dust, as though the room had sat abandoned for years.

"It's been many years since anyone visited. These old legs don't support me so well, and the housekeeping has suffered as a result." Granny Wang wiped the dust off a stool with her sleeve. "Make do as best you can. I'll fetch some tea."

She hobbled away on her cane, her hunched silhouette disappearing into the room on the right side of the skywell.

The moment she was gone, Guan Ya's voice dropped low. "Look up."

Up? Fire Virtue reflexively glanced at the ceiling and sucked in a sharp breath.

Dangling from the rafters above their heads were skinned cats, dozens of them, strung up like a grotesque meat forest. Their lidless eyes bulged wide, staring down at the group in silent, glistening horror.

Zhang Yuanqing immediately found himself on guard. What is Granny Wang doing with all these cats? Making jerky?

"Did anyone else notice?" Guan Ya continued. "The front door was locked."

"What's wrong with that?" Lotus Eater asked, his round face puzzled.

Guan Ya shook her head. "Locking a door isn't unusual by itself. But on the way here, I estimated the distance from the main street. It's only fifty or sixty meters away. If so, why bother locking up?"

In a town like this, there was no concept of burglary prevention, and Granny Wang could barely walk. If she was only going such a short distance, why go through the trouble of locking the door?

Call Me Queen caught the implication and frowned in thought. "She could be afraid someone might sneak in while she's away. Or... She's afraid something inside might sneak out."