Chapter 146: The Palace Master Returns

No words could capture what Zhang Yuanqing felt at that moment. If he had to pick one, it would be a single, emphatic "Shit!"

The Taiyi Sect still hadn't given up their hunt for Demon Lord's successor. Were they really that determined?

What was he supposed to do? Offload the white tiger from his mind onto Little Goofball? No, his spirit servant couldn't withstand that kind of pressure. He'd disintegrate on the spot. Come clean, then? Bet everything on whatever bond Fu Qingyang felt toward him? If Guan Ya had been the one sitting across that table, maybe. But the centurion?

Fu Qingyang had probably grown suspicious back during the Heaven's Injustice operation. He'd kept quiet at the time, holding his trump card, waiting for the Tiger Seal to arrive. Then again, that didn't quite add up either. With his keen eyes and arsenal of items, he could have forced the truth out of him, even without the Seal.

Zhang Yuanqing hadn't expected things to come to this. Reality never did follow the script you wrote for it. His whole body trembled violently, like a quail paralyzed by terror. But the shaking wasn't from fear alone. Inside his sea of consciousness, he was locked in a standoff with the blazing amber-eyed white tiger, fighting with everything he had just to buy a few more seconds before the truth spilled out.

Finally, his mouth opened. A single syllable escaped. "I—"

Fat beads of sweat rolled down his forehead and splattered against the armrest.

Fu Qingyang's gaze was unfathomable. "You what?"

In his sea of consciousness, the great white tiger rose slowly to its feet, as if preparing to devour him whole.

Terror exploded through Zhang Yuanqing's core. His spiritual body shuddered uncontrollably. He was on the verge of confessing, the words "I am Demon Lord's successor" a heartbeat from leaving his lips, when something stirred in the deepest reaches of his consciousness.

A surge of pure yin energy, dark and absolute, came roaring out like floodwaters bursting through a dam. It crashed over his spiritual body, washing through every fiber of his being, then coalesced deep within his sea of consciousness into a colossal black moon.

Hazy, ethereal moonlight cascaded down upon him, enveloping his spiritual form. A sensation unlike anything he had ever experienced washed over him—a comfort so profound it felt like returning to the womb.

Something miraculous happened. When Zhang Yuanqing turned to face the blazing amber-eyed white tiger again, the animal still radiated the same imposing majesty, drawing forth the same primal terror. But the soul-crushing pressure, the force that had set his very spirit trembling, was gone.

No—not gone. He was being shielded. The black moon's radiance had formed a barrier around him, blocking the Tiger Seal's oppressive power entirely.

Zhang Yuanqing gazed up at the dark moon, pouring its lunar glow down from above. Drawing on a Nocturnal Specter's innate instincts, understanding came to him in a flash of insight. He grasped the black moon's true nature. It symbolized yin. It symbolized concealment.

Astonishment rippled through him. So this is the Character Card's power? A force that can stand against a rule-type item? This really isn't just a simple dungeon reward. The Taiyi Sect went to enormous lengths to search for Demon Lord's successor, and now I'm starting to see why. There's something deeper here, something I still don't understand.

He had broken free of the Tiger Seal's hold completely, but on the surface, he kept up the performance, trembling with apparent dread, teetering on the edge of an abyss.

Under Fu Qingyang's increasingly sharp gaze, Zhang Yuanqing let his voice quake and stammer. "I... am not... Demon Lord's... successor..."

As the words left his mouth, he turned his inner sight toward the blazing amber-eyed white tiger with his heart in his throat.

It held its regal posture, utterly motionless.

It... It worked? Zhang Yuanqing nearly let out a sigh of relief, but caught himself. Fu Qingyang hadn't dismissed the Tiger Seal yet. He held his breath and kept his expression strained.

Fu Qingyang waited the customary few seconds. When nothing happened, the cold severity in his features softened at once. He closed his fist, and the Tiger Seal vanished back into his Inventory.

Only then did Zhang Yuanqing allow himself to slump backward, collapsing into the high backed chair with ragged, heaving gasps. Fu Qingyang stood, walked over to the recording device, and switched it off.

When he returned to his seat, he gave Zhang Yuanqing several minutes to collect himself. When the younger man's breathing had steadied and the color had returned to his face, Fu Qingyang spoke again.

"From here on, this is between you and me. Yuanshi, I'd like to invite you to join the White Tiger Guard."

Zhang Yuanqing stayed slumped against the chair. "The White Tiger Guard? That guild you created, Centurion?"

He recalled Ling Jun mentioning it.

Fu Qingyang nodded. "Yes. The White Tiger Guard is currently a Level 3 guild, with room for twenty members. I've recruited fifteen so far. The sixteenth seat, I'm offering to you."

Zhang Yuanqing hesitated.

"The White Tiger Guard is my personal organization, with its own set of benefits. A monthly salary of a hundred thousand yuan. A house in a prime location in a first- or second-tier city, valued at no less than twenty million.

"On top of that, a private club exists solely to serve members of the Guard. Any need you have, they can handle. Luxury goods, sports cars, anything requiring special credentials or connections, they'll take care of it. Including your apparent preference for women in black stockings. The club can line up as many as you'd like."

As Zhang Yuanqing listened, his jaw slowly fell open until it was practically on the floor. When that last line landed, he couldn't help but feel the centurion's impression of him was both stubbornly fixed and deeply unfair.

Am I really that kind of person? he wondered.

"There is only one thing I require from the members of my guild," Fu Qingyang said, his tone level. "My orders take priority over those from the Five Elements Alliance. In the old days, the White Tiger Guard would have been my sworn brotherhood and my private army. Officially, of course, we operate as a subsidiary faction of the White Tiger Legion."

The offer was absurdly generous. Zhang Yuanqing's hesitation evaporated.

He sat up straight and declared, "I'd lay down my life for you, Centurion!"

It was obvious what Fu Qingyang was doing. He was building his inner circle, assembling a power base to climb the ladder of the official hierarchy. Individual prowess only went so far. This young scion might be cold and aloof, but he was every inch the product of a great house. He knew how the game was played.

Zhang Yuanqing kept that analysis to himself, but he still asked the obvious question. "Centurion, what made you want to recruit me?"

"I've wanted to bring you into the White Tiger Guard for some time, but Elder Sun insisted you had to pass the full inspection first."

Fu Qingyang paused for a moment, then said, "That was my intuition as well. I've been waiting for the screening to conclude. Among all the talents I've been observing, you're the one I find most impressive."

The Fu family heir's expression turned imperious, like a young king surveying his domain.

"The world is full of talented people, but in my eyes, most of them are garbage. Ling Jun is talented, but too lazy. You can't polish mud into a mirror. Guan Ya is talented, but she lacks the heart of a true powerhouse. She drifts wherever the current takes her, so she's garbage too. Jiang Jingwei has extraordinary aptitude, but all she thinks about is fighting. She grows stronger because she likes to brawl, not because she wants to improve. Garbage. The Female Marshal of the White Tiger Legion has talent so overwhelming it almost induces despair, but her effort doesn't match her gifts. Also garbage."

Zhang Yuanqing listened with mounting alarm. Centurion, you really can't go around saying things like that. If word got back to the wrong ears, heads would roll.

But the man across the desk radiated absolute authority, as though he alone stood above all others.

"Yuanshi, you're different from all of them. You have a depth that goes beyond your years, a smoother exterior, and a harder work ethic. That's the conclusion I've drawn from careful observation. Your two S-rank dungeon reports showed me something else: a resilience that only grows stronger under pressure. In that respect, you remind me of myself. Qualities like that matter more than raw talent."

Remind you of yourself? Good lord. Thank you for the Imperial favor, Your Majesty, Zhang Yuanqing barely suppressed the urge to quip.

Then, he remembered something Guan Ya had once told him. In his younger years, Fu Qingyang's talent had been abysmal. His family's elders overlooked him, and the children his age looked down on him.

When he connected that history to the words he'd just heard, and to Fu Qingyang's meteoric rise since then, Zhang Yuanqing understood why this proud young lord had taken such a liking to him.

"Thank you for believing in me, Centurion," he replied, serving up his gratitude with a generous side of flattery.

***

After leaving Tang Hospital, Zhang Yuanqing did not ride back to the Bureau in Li Dongze's car. He made an excuse about having classes and left on his own. He walked along the busy street, traffic rushing past, two questions cycling through his mind.

First, the black moon. I remember Yuan Ting saying that when a Spirit Realm Walker dies, the Spirit Realm formats their Character Card. But when it comes to high-level Walkers, the wipe is never complete, and some special traces remain.

Still, this power seems almost too much. A power that can block a high-level rule-type item has to be incredibly advanced. There's no way something like that should have survived the formatting process. Unless... that's exactly why the Taiyi Sect has been so desperate to find Demon Lord's successor.Or perhaps it's only part of the reason?

Still, it's a good thing. Peeling back the Character Card's secrets one layer at a time beats being completely in the dark. The problem is that I can't control the power. I can't even sense it's there, though my Nocturnal Specter instincts tell me it's the wellspring of the Dark Moon, the embodiment of concealment.

The second issue was his old headache. The full inspection had made him realize his chronic pain was anything but ordinary. He'd never dug too deeply into it before. He'd been a regular college student with limited means. What could he have done?

After becoming a Spirit Realm Walker, he'd wondered whether something like a "doctor" class existed in the Spirit Realm, but his rank had been too low, and his clearance too limited. And since the episodes had grown less frequent, the urgency had faded.

I need to ask Mom where she got that medicine.

With that thought, he opened his contacts and dialed a number he hadn't called in over half a year. His mother's.

The phone had barely begun ringing before the line connected. His mother's voice came through the speaker, soft and lovely but carrying a businesslike edge.

—Yuanzi? What is it? I have a meeting in a few minutes.

"Mom, that special medicine you got me. Where did you buy it?" Zhang Yuanqing asked.

—Why are you suddenly asking about that? Are you out of pills?

He couldn't see her face, but her tone alone was enough for him to picture the slight furrow of her brow, the faint impatience in her expression.

"I still have some. I just want to know." His voice was flat, expressionless, with none of his usual warmth or energy.

—I got it through a business partner overseas. I told you this before. The drug hasn't hit the market yet. It's still in the R&D phase. If your condition hadn't been getting worse and worse, I never would have let you take something like that. Turned out it actually worked, though.

"Which company overseas?" he pressed her.

—Don't ask so many questions. And don't tell anyone this medicine exists. It's proprietary.

Her tone sharpened with impatience before she caught herself and she softened it again.

—Mommy will be home for New Year's. What do you want for a gift?

Zhang Yuanqing's reply was curt. "Nothing."

A beat of silence on the other end. Then, a small concession.

—I believe that friend of mine is visiting the mainland this year to scout the market. If you really want to know more, you can ask him directly. I'll put in a word for you.

"Mm." A nasal grunt was all she got.

—If that's everything, I'll hang up. Mommy has a meeting.

She was always like that. Always busy, always somewhere else, always allergic to inefficiency. Every person, every thing, including her own child, ranked below her career.

Zhang Yuanqing ended the call.

He slipped the phone back into his pocket and walked on in a sour mood. A few moments later, it rang again.

He snatched it up. It was Xie Lingxi.

The flicker of hope in his eyes died instantly. When he answered, there was an edge in his voice.

"You've got thirty seconds. I'm surrounded by long legged beauties in black stockings over here, and I don't have time for your nonsense."

Xie Lingxi's voice was dripping with honeyed sweetness.

—Bro Yuanshi likes black stockings? I can wear some for you too, you know.

Zhang Yuanqing considered that for a moment, then shook his head. "No, you don't need to. You'd look better in a sailor uniform... Ahem. Forget it. I don't want to see you in a sailor uniform. Just tell me what's going on."

—Sis Palace Master is back. She wants to see you.

Xie Lingxi's voice dropped to almost a whisper.

—Something's off about her. I can't say more over the phone. Just come.

That maniac's back? Hmm, she went up north almost ten days ago.

Zhang Yuanqing stopped at the curb and flagged down a passing taxi.

***

Inside Tang Hospital, Fu Qingyang stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, his phone pressed to his ear.

"Every member in Kangyang District has been screened. We found no Dark Rose operatives, and no one compromised or controlled by any evil organization."

On the other end of the line, Elder Sun’s voice was low and measured.

—Mm. Better than yesterday.

The previous day's screening of Jinjiang District official Walkers had turned up two Dark Rose members. They'd been detained on the spot and interrogated, but the only intelligence they extracted was that their handler might be someone at the steward level within the official ranks. Who exactly, the two operatives hadn't known.

Before the rank-and-file screenings had even begun, however, Elder Sun had already taken precautions, summoning every steward in the Songhai Branch for an advance examination.

All had passed.

Fu Qingyang's tone turned contemplative. "Dark Rose has the means to evade the Tiger Seal's detection. That in itself is a clue, Elder."

Elder Sun grunted in acknowledgment.

—There aren't many methods capable of blocking the Tiger Seal. Given that the leader of Dark Rose is a Nocturnal Specter, I have a rough idea of what level he's operating at. He's someone who has pushed the Power of the Dark Moon to its absolute limit, putting him on the same tier as the Five Alliance Chiefs. There are two core aspects to the Dark Moon: yin force and concealment.

In truth, the Transcendent-tier skills, Soul Devouring and Night Wandering, already revealed these two aspects of the Nocturnal Specter's power.

Elder Sun shifted topics.

—How did Yuanshi's evaluation go?

Fu Qingyang reported his findings faithfully. "Steward Sun's recommendation is that he shouldn't be given any critical postings for now. He still needs tempering, and needs to internalize what it truly means to be a keeper of the law. As for my end, I did learn that he's had contact with an Evil-class Walker. But it was a passing encounter, nothing more. I believe he's a principled young man with a strong sense of justice. It shouldn't be held against him."

—Which faction was the contact with?

Elder Sun's voice carried no judgment.

"He said the individual called himself Master Wuhen."

Elder Sun's tone brightened noticeably.

—Oh, him? Never mind, then. By the way, the question the Taiyi Sect asked you to put to him. Did you?

"He isn't Demon Lord's successor."

Elder Sun finally laughed.

—Excellent!

***

Inside Fu Qingyang's villa, Ling Jun hung up the phone before muttering to himself, "So he really isn't the Demon Lord's successor. Displaying that kind of monstrous talent without any inheritance... Elder Sun is probably even more confused now."

Regardless, Yuanshi's identity was no longer in question. The Taiyi Sect could redirect its search.

He typed out a message and sent a notification to Elder Sun's assistant.

***

At the Huayu Hotel, a female assistant escorted Zhang Yuanqing into the elevator and up to the floor housing the presidential suite. The moment the doors slid open, he spotted Xie Lingxi standing primly at the elevator landing. She'd clearly been waiting for some time.

"Bro Yuanshi!" she greeted him as he stepped out.

The little green tea princess trotted forward, nudged her assistant aside, and latched onto his arm with the picture perfect poise of a sweet, obedient little sister.

"What does the Palace Master want with me?" he asked in a low voice.

Xie Lingxi shook her head slightly. "Sis Palace Master is hurt pretty badly. She's in my room and says she needs to see you right away. Go, quick."

He frowned. Hurt pretty badly?Isn't the Musician class basically the Spirit Realm's healer class? They can produce Life Essence. How badly wounded does she have to be for that not to be enough? What level of Enchanting Demon did this to her?And why does she need to see me so urgently even while injured?

Zhang Yuanqing gave Xie Lingxi a small nod. "Hand me the room key."