Spirit Realm Walker

Within the Zoo, a white lion paced with elegant, imposing strides, its head tilted to one side as it studied the human locked behind the iron bars.

Beyond the bars lay a prison cell, and inside it grew a camphor tree with a gnarled, twisted trunk and a lush canopy, vines thick as a man’s forearm hanging from it in heavy curtains. Those vines were wrapped around a young man with a sports headband wound around his forehead. Half his body had been absorbed into the tree itself, leaving only his chest and head exposed.

A curly-haired poodle with stern button eyes sat before the tree.

”Where is the Bing Zhu Sect’s headquarters?” the poodle demanded sternly.

The Demon Eye Heavenly King, still wearing his sports headband, stared blankly into space, utterly indifferent to Elder Teddy’s interrogation. After a long silence, the Heavenly King finally stirred. He looked haggard and his aura was feeble, but the smile on his face hadn’t faded one bit.

”Even if I told you where the headquarters is, would your Five Elements Alliance actually dare to go?” he retorted. ”Ugh, this is rather unpleasant. This feeling of having no freedom is awful. If it were Fear trapped in here, he’d probably kill himself on the spot. He’s always going on about freedom.”

He paused, then added, ”Hmm, I suppose suicide isn’t really possible in here either…”

”Mind your arrogance,” Elder Teddy replied flatly. ”Do you think your Asura can fight all five Alliance Chiefs alone?”

”If your Alliance Chiefs could kill Asura, they’d have done it already,” the Demon Eye replied, waving the point away with casual disinterest. ”But none of that matters anymore. Who cares? That old bastard Asura never helped me cleanse the world anyway. I’ll tell you where the headquarters is, but you have to do something for me first.”

Elder Teddy gave a slight nod. ”What is it?”

”I have a list. Names of every powerful figure involved in the Bronze Sparrow Tower case. Help me kill every last one of them. I just can’t seem to settle my nerves until that’s done.”

”Impossible!” Elder Teddy’s voice hardened. ”They will be punished by the law.”

”Well then, I suppose we have nothing to discuss.” The Demon Eye tried to shrug, only to find he couldn’t move.

Elder Teddy didn’t press the issue of the Bing Zhu headquarters. Instead, he moved onto a different line of questioning.

”Why did the Bing Zhu Sect destroy the Chu family all those years ago? Don’t tell me it was just for the rule-type item. I’ve reviewed the full case records. The sect deployed at least two Heavenly Kings, four Protectors, and dozens of followers. The Chu family alone wouldn’t have warranted that kind of force. Also, that rule-type item had been in their possession for decades. If you’d wanted to take it, you could have done so long ago.”

The Demon Eye smiled despite his weakened state. ”I have another list too. Names of corrupt officials colluding with criminals in Gotham City. I came to Songhai in a rush this time. My plan was to deal with the palace master first, and then use that list to clean house. But it seems I won’t be going back anytime soon. Help me take care of them.”

Elder Teddy didn’t even dignify that with a response.

The Demon Eye mulled it over. ”Fine, a different condition then. Allow Yuanshi Tianzun to come see me, and I’ll tell you the truth.”

Elder Teddy rejected it outright. ”Impossible!”

”Don’t be so hasty. Let me tell you something first. Hear me out, then decide.” The Demon Eye’s smile widened. ”Before the Chu family was destroyed, Dark Rose had no leader.”

Before the Chu family massacre, Dark Rose had no leader…? A strange light flared in Elder Teddy’s button eyes, and his breathing quickened.

”What do you mean?” he pressed.

The Demon Eye simply smiled. ”Bring Yuanshi Tianzun to see me.”

Elder Teddy took a deep breath, and his stance softened, just slightly. ”I’ll consider it.”

***

It was early morning when Zhang Yuanqing heard a rap on the bedroom door, followed by Jiang Yu’er’s sweet voice.

”Stinky pig, get up! Breakfast is ready.”

”I’m not getting up! Go away!” Zhang Yuanqing called out as he clung to the comfort of his blankets, savoring the lazy bliss of sleep, rolling over to ignore her.

”I’m coming in!” his aunt announced as she twisted the doorknob and barged into the room, hollering, ”How are you still in bed? The sun’s practically burning your butt!”

Zhang Yuanqing burrowed deeper into the covers, grumbling, ”I was up late last night and didn’t sleep well. Let me rest a bit longer.”

After days of living on edge, the threat of the Demon Eye had finally been dealt with. He’d earned a morning of sleeping in, a chance to let both body and mind decompress.

The words had barely left his mouth when he heard Jiang Yu’er’s voice go dangerously quiet.

”So, you were doing naughty things with my underwear again last night.”

The air went still. Beneath his blankets, Zhang Yuanqing froze. Jiang Yu’er stood motionless at the head of the bed. Time itself seemed to pause.

Abruptly, Zhang Yuanqing launched himself upright like a spring and blurted out a defense. ”No! I absolutely did not do anything with your underwear! If you don’t believe me, smell it yourself and…”

He trailed off mid-sentence, lowered his head with a sigh, and scratched at his hair. ”Alright. I’m sorry.”

It had suddenly occurred to him that there was no way to explain to his aunt that her bra had been stolen by a baby ghost. This was a crime he’d have to take the fall for, whether he liked it or not.

Jiang Yu’er stared at him with a complicated expression, then let out a sigh that was equal parts disappointment and exasperation.

”You need a girlfriend,” she declared. ”A perfectly good young man turning into a pervert? What did I say the last time? If you steal my underwear again, I’m telling Grandma.”

Zhang Yuanqing dropped to his knees in an instant. ”Auntie, I was wrong! Name your terms. Anything. Just have mercy.”

His aunt laughed and ruffled his head like he was a puppy. ”How much money have you saved up?”

”Fifty or sixty thousand, I guess.”

”Didn’t you say you made five million this year?”

”That was just me bragging.”

”Mom! Your grandson stole my under—mmph mmph…”

”Six or seven million! Six or seven million! And I’m willing to give you fifty thousand as a tribute to your esteemed self.”

”Good boy!”

***

Zhang Yuanqing shuffled into the living room in his cotton slippers. The family of five was gathered around the dining table for breakfast. His cousin Chen Yuanjun sat at the table with his brows knotted together, eating a pork bun in brooding silence, clearly weighed down by something.

Zhang Yuanqing grabbed a fried dough stick, clamped it between his teeth, and dropped into the seat beside Jiang Yu’er. A bowl of congee that Grandma had already prepared sat waiting for him.

He nudged his aunt’s shoulder with his elbow. ”Share some of that salted duck egg.”

”Here!” she said, passing him the egg.

Zhang Yuanqing took it, looked down, and immediately erupted. ”You absolute thief! You scooped out all the yolk! How is anyone supposed to eat this?”

He lunged with his chopsticks toward the golden yolk sitting in her congee, but Jiang Yu’er was faster. She slurped the yolk into her mouth in one swift motion, cheeks puffing out round as a chipmunk’s, and shot him a triumphant look.

Zhang Yuanqing’s fury boiled over. He clapped both hands against her cheeks, and the yolk went flying out of her mouth with a soft puff of air.

”Mom! He’s bullying me! Hit him for me!” Jiang Yu’er wailed.

Grandpa set down his chopsticks with a heavy clack, his expression severe. ”That’s enough, both of you! The elder acts nothing like an elder, and the younger acts nothing like the way a younger one should. Fooling around every single day. A bunch of good-for-nothing troublemakers!”

Zhang Yuanqing and Jiang Yu’er both flinched, quietly tucking their heads down and focusing on their food. But the interaction had caused Grandpa to lose his appetite. He pushed himself away from the table and left the apartment to go on a walk.

The moment the security door clicked shut, Zhang Yuanqing turned to Grandma.

”What’s wrong?” he inquired. ”Is Grandpa going through menopause too?”

Grandma reached over and smacked the back of his head.

”It’s nothing,” Chen Yuanjun said, still eating his pork bun. ”The promotion fell through, that’s all. The contact Grandpa found said Songhai’s Public Security Bureau is about to crack down hard on disciplinary issues. Things are too tense right now, and nobody wants to stick their neck out to grant a small favor at a time like this. Everyone’s afraid of walking into the crosshairs.”

He paused, then added, ”Part of it is that the person we asked doesn’t hold a high enough position. Making things happen at their level will cost gifts and favors. If it were someone with real authority who wanted to promote me, they would just say the word and it would be done.”

His tone was calm and his demeanor steady as always, but the deep furrow between his brows had settled into its habitual position.

Chen Yuanjun was ambitious and driven, so of course he wanted to climb higher. But the disappointment and frustration churning inside him didn’t need to be put on display in front of his aunt and his cousin. There was no sense burdening them with it.

Zhang Yuanqing finally understood why his grandfather was in such a foul mood. As his uncle liked to say, ”My son is my father’s successor, and my nephew is my successor. The nephew is bound to outshine the son.”

Grandpa’s stubborn, unyielding temperament had limited his own career. He’d topped out at police chief and stayed there for decades without advancing an inch. As such, he pinned all his unfulfilled ambitions on his grandson Chen Yuanjun, regarding him as the true inheritor of his legacy.

Now that his cousin had missed this golden opportunity for promotion, the next one might not come for five years, maybe longer.

From Grandpa’s experience, if one couldn’t make police chief before thirty, then the deputy director’s chair was essentially out of reach. If one didn’t become deputy director by forty, the door to the Songhai Public Security Bureau headquarters would never open.

Zhang Yuanqing thought it over, then spoke up. ”I know a friend who has a friend working at the Bureau headquarters. Want me to see if I can pull some strings?”

Chen Yuanjun let out a helpless laugh. ”Yuanzi, this isn’t a dinner invitation. You can’t just say a few words and make it happen.”

A college student’s connections rarely involved real stakes, and without real stakes, the relationships were shallow, too shallow for something this big.

Grandma tapped Zhang Yuanqing’s bowl with her chopsticks and said bluntly, ”Eat your food and stop worrying about things that aren’t your business.”

Her tone softened slightly. ”When you have time, go visit your aunt. She’s been feeling down. She’ll cheer up when she sees you.”

Zhang Yuanqing’s talent for coaxing people out of a slump was something Grandma had full confidence in.

He didn’t say anything more. After finishing breakfast, he hailed a cab to the Kangyang District Public Security Bureau. In the back seat, he juggled two chat conversations at once, flirting with Guan Ya while messaging Xiao Yuan.

Yuanshi Tianzun: Auntie Xiao Yuan, the Tournament is about to start. I want to hunt down a Level 3 Enchanting Demon.

Yuanshi Tianzun: You heard the news, right? The Demon Eye Heavenly King has been locked up by the Council of Elders. We can finally move around openly. Sis Guan Ya, let’s have dinner tonight~

Magic Auntie Xiao Yuan: Won’t a Hex Master or Illusionist work?

Yuanshi Tianzun: You’ve got big boobs, so whatever you say goes. Tonight the whole squad is going out to eat, my treat. Want to get a room afterward and learn some techniques from each other? Hehe.

Magic Auntie Xiao Yuan: ???

[Yuanshi Tianzun recalled a message]

Yuanshi Tianzun: Sorry, sorry, I sent that to the wrong person. Auntie Xiao Yuan, I’ve done some research. Among the three evil classes, the Enchanting Demon is best suited for crafting Yin corpses, while an Illusionist is better suited to being refined into a spirit servant. The Hex Master is an average catch, decent for both, but not outstanding for either.

Magic Auntie Xiao Yuan: Who were you chatting with? An older woman?

Yuanshi Tianzun: No no no, just joking around with a coworker.

Magic Auntie Xiao Yuan: A Level 3 Enchanting Demon, is it? Come pick up the corpse from Wuhen Inn in three days. Don’t bother me until then.

Xiao Yuan signed off with a disappointed-look emoji. Zhang Yuanqing was about to type something to salvage his dignity when he noticed a new message in the White Tiger Guard group chat that Fu Qingyang had posted.

Fu Qingyang: @Ling Jun, I’ve borrowed a Knight-class item. You can try making contact with Annie soon.

Ling Jun: I expected nothing less from you. That’s fast work. But how am I supposed to get Annie to sign this kind of contract willingly? There’s no way she’d agree to sign a contract with me.

Fu Qingyang: I’ve accounted for that. I specifically chose an item with a subtle mechanism. You only need to hold the item and sweet-talk her into making a verbal promise. The item will witness it and make the agreement binding. The downside is that the binding force will be weaker than a contract both parties knowingly enter into.

Shichiro: Tsk tsk, someone’s eager, aren’t we, Ling Jun?

Ling Jun: I’m sacrificing myself for the organization. You shouldn’t mock me. You should pity me. Send me a red envelope while you’re at it.

While those two bantered, Zhang Yuanqing typed a message.

Yuanshi Tianzun: @Fu Qingyang Centurion, why are you so fixated on the Aphrodite Society’s reasons for coming to the mainland? Demon Lord is dead, and it’s not really our concern. Isn’t investigating the mysterious president more important?

Fu Qingyang: There’s no point investigating a high-level Void Walker. It’s guaranteed to lead nowhere. As for Demon Lord, the Aphrodite Society sent someone across the ocean to investigate even though they already knew he was dead. I suspect there’s more to the story. Even if the White Tiger Guard doesn’t get involved directly, we should keep our ears to the ground and stay informed about what’s happening in the world.

That was the hallmark of an elite organization.

It makes sense, Zhang Yuanqing thought. Why would the Aphrodite Society send someone to investigate Demon Lord’s death?

Ling Jun: Speaking of which, Demon Lord and the Aphrodite Society’s president were lovers. And that’s not all. According to the intel I’ve gathered within the Taiyi Sect, Demon Lord had two great temptations: lust and bloodlust. His lovers were spread across the globe. The reason I initially suspected Yuanshi of being Demon Lord’s successor was because Yuanshi is also quite lecherous.

Yuanshi Tianzun: Does the fact that your father is Taiyi Sect Master mean you can slander people? The fact is, I’m still single. I’ve had twenty years of clean living. Meanwhile YOUR ex-girlfriends are spread across the globe.

Phoenix Descending: Hmph. Ling Jun is just as much of a scumbag as Demon Lord was. But Yuanshi Tianzun is still a virgin? Unbelievable…

Ling Jun: Demon Lord was lustful. I merely appreciate beauty. It’s completely different.

Sweeping the World: Sigh, my wife is gaslighting me again.

The conversation had veered thoroughly off course. Seeing that there was nothing useful left to discuss, Zhang Yuanqing closed the chat app and leaned against the car window, eyes shut, to conserve his energy.

***

In the glass annex building behind the Kangyang District Public Security Bureau, Zhang Yuanqing climbed to the second floor and walked straight to the break area, draping himself lazily across the front of Guan Ya’s desk.

”Quick question!”

Guan Ya was scanning through a thick roster, the screen’s glow reflected on her delicate, alluring features. 

”Shoot!” she answered without looking up.

”Songhai’s security apparatus just went through a major shakeup, right? There should be plenty of vacancies. Does my cousin have a shot at becoming police chief?”

Guan Ya raised her head and glanced at him. ”Your cousin… Let me check.”

She switched tabs, logged into the Bureau’s system, and searched for ”Chen Yuanjun.”

After studying the file carefully, the open-minded lady propped her sharp chin on one hand and said, ”He’s got a solid record. These results are more than enough for a promotion to police chief. But he is lacking in seniority. You know how it is. Promotions aren’t all about performance. Seniority matters a lot too, unless the person in question earned a major commendation.”

”That’s why I want to help him,” Zhang Yuanqing said.

Guan Ya made a small sound of acknowledgment. ”I’ll handle it for you. It’s not a big deal.”

Zhang Yuanqing gave her a skeptical look. ”You?”

You, the disowned daughter of the Fu family? Where do you get the confidence to say something like that? he thought. Shouldn’t it be ”Let me ask Fu Qingyang?”

Guan Ya let out a proud little huff. ”I talked to the family’s Elder Council recently. Told them I want to enter the mid-year large-scale slaughter dungeon. The old men were thrilled. They practically wanted to set off firecrackers.”

So she can mobilize the Fu family’s resources now? Zhang Yuanqing’s tone pivoted on a dime. ”Sis Guan Ya, you’re the best! I always knew you were destined for greatness! I’ll treat you to an extra-special dinner tonight.”

Guan Ya’s eyes glinted with mischief, her smile playful. ”Oh? What’s on the menu? Two eggs and a sausage?”

Zhang Yuanqing had been riding high on good cheer, and the innuendo hit him like a truck before he even saw it coming. His brain stalled, the gears of his mind grinding uselessly, and all he could do was raise his hands in surrender.

Just then, he noticed Wang Tai craning his neck and peering over. Zhang Yuanqing seized the opportunity to change the subject.

”Bro Wang Tai, join us tonight. I’ll invite Jingwei and Teng Yuan too. It’s a Squad Two dinner. My treat.”

”No thanks!” Wang Tai refused with cold, merciless efficiency.

”Then why are you looking over here?”

”I’m pulling overtime tonight. I’ll be at the office late. If it’s not too much trouble, could you pack me a nice dinner?” Wang Tai said.

Zhang Yuanqing resisted the urge to roll his eyes and raised his hands in surrender for the second time.

”By the way, do you want your family to know about this? Or should I just handle it quietly?” Guan Ya asked with a smile.

”No need to hide it. I already told them I’d ask a friend for help.”

It wasn’t a big deal. Letting his family know he had connections with some well-placed people would make things easier down the road if similar situations came up, or if he ever needed to take a leave of absence from school.

See, your grandson knows all these well-connected people. What’s wrong with him starting a business?

***

It was dusk when the deputy director summoned Chen Yuanjun to his office.

”Sit, sit, have a seat!”

Deputy Director Qiao, a portly middle-aged man, greeted Chen Yuanjun with an enthusiasm that bordered on effusive. 

Chen Yuanjun couldn’t help feeling suspicious. The deputy director handled personnel transfers and internal affairs. In the normal course of things, his duties and concerns hardly overlapped with a police captain like Chen Yuanjun. What was with the sudden warmth?

He sat down without betraying any emotion and asked evenly, ”What can I do for you, Deputy Director Qiao?”

Deputy Director Qiao beamed. ”Well, I just received orders from headquarters. They’re promoting you to police chief. As you know, former Chief Yang was dismissed and placed under investigation because of the Bureau Chief Zhou situation.”

Chen Yuanjun stared, stunned. ”But I heard they were going to send in a chief from outside.”

He’d been planning to transfer out of Kangyang District to the Shakou District bureau, where there were more openings and less competition.

”That person went to Shakou District instead,” Deputy Director Qiao said as he poured him a cup of tea. ”By the way, Yuanjun, do you know anyone from the Special Department?”

Chen Yuanjun shook his head. ”Not really. I’ve crossed paths with some on the job, that’s all. Why do you ask?”

Deputy Director Qiao looked surprised. ”Well, a friend of mine at headquarters tells me this was arranged by someone in the Special Department.”

The deputy director jerked his chin toward the back of the building. ”It was that young lady, the one who drives the sports car. The one you young folks all call a goddess.”

Chen Yuanjun walked out of the deputy director’s office in a daze, elation and bewilderment intertwined around his heart. Why would that beautiful colleague from the Special Department go out of her way to help him? This was no small favor. He now owed an enormous debt of gratitude.

Regardless, a gift from heaven was still a gift. He’d find her tomorrow and get to the bottom of it. Thanks were owed either way. Chen Yuanjun glanced at his watch. Time to head home and share this unexpected good news with the family. 

As he walked out through the front entrance of the Bureau, a blue sports car slid into view, rolling slowly toward the gate.

Is that her? 

Chen Yuanjun’s legs carried him forward before his mind caught up, and he strode purposefully toward the car.