"Understood!" Zhang Yuanqing replied aloud, but inwardly he recalled the phrase "ashamed father" and Master Wuhen, who had guided him in cultivation, seeking his own redemption.
Evildoers sought redemption, while Orderly Walkers could engage in violent confrontations for personal vendettas, endangering innocent civilians.
Ah, there's no pure good or evil in this world. Human nature is inherently complex. Zhang Yuanqing now understood Li Dongze's words, "Orderliness doesn't equate to goodness," on a deeper level.
As for the branch's stance on the matter, while the Palace Master of Ceasing Slaughter had acted in self-defense rather than initiating the conflict, she had still caused casualties and property damage. Her arrest was the correct decision.
The subsequent punishment was a matter for later, and Zhang Yuanqing refrained from commenting. However, the Xiahou Family's punishment was entirely predictable.
On one hand, the Xiahou Family was a deeply rooted Spirit Realm Family with vast influence. The Officials would never sever ties with such a powerful clan over the lives of a few ordinary people.
Sometimes, those in power only see the big picture, blind to the ants beneath their feet.
On the other hand, the Xiahou Family had deep-rooted connections with the Official Organization. The Officials were a complex entity, rife with internal factions and a mix of good and bad actors.
It wasn't as simple as defining them as "good" or "bad." Rather, each faction pursued its own interests. If one had to use a single concept to represent the Officials, it wouldn't be justice or kindness, but order.
Zhang Yuanqing had grasped this truth clearly during his childhood, listening to his grandfather's fiery tirades against corrupt former Chiefs of the Public Security Bureau.
In short, the Xiahou Family, with its close ties to certain factions within the Officials, naturally received preferential treatment.
Seeing Zhang Yuanqing nod, Guan Ya smiled with satisfaction. Primordial wasn't a naive hothead; he was more shrewd and worldly than most his age. This was a good thing—someone like him could thrive within the system.
At that moment, Li Dongze emerged. "Guan Ya told you, right?"
"Chief, I'll leave it to you to handle," Zhang Yuanqing immediately replied.
Li Dongze chuckled. "Guan Ya and I will cover for you. Betraying informants is not the behavior of a gentleman. Besides, the feud between the Xiahou Family and the Palace of Ceasing Slaughter has nothing to do with us. Don't get involved."
Leaning on his cane, Li Dongze laid out the stakes: "The Palace of Ceasing Slaughter's motto is 'Stop war with war, stop killing with killing.' It's an extreme ideology. If you betray them today, they'll retaliate tomorrow. The Xiahou Family can't protect you from that."
"Understood," Zhang Yuanqing nodded.
Li Dongze glanced at Wang Tai, who was engrossed in his work, and said, "Primordial, come to my office. I want to update you on the progress of The Black guard of Impermanence Case."
Wang Tai wasn't part of the investigation team, and protocol forbade discussing sensitive matters in his presence.
This was the real business. Zhang Yuanqing immediately rose and followed Li Dongze into his office.
After Zhang Yuanqing closed the door behind them, Li Dongze walked straight to his desk and pulled out a stack of documents from a drawer.
"Cola?" Li Dongze opened the liquor cabinet.
With my current net worth of 650,000, I should be drinking '82 Lafite Rothschild, Zhang Yuanqing thought. He nodded. "Light ice!"
Li Dongze shrugged, dropped a few ice cubes into a glass, poured cola and whiskey, and returned to the sofa.
"Remember the list you provided last time?"
"I do!"
"Based on that list, we've identified those individuals in the real world. In the past few days, we've successfully arrested one person and killed two. One of the deceased was a subordinate of the Gu King."
Gu King was another Vice President and a rival of Eerie Eye Judge.
"The Five Elements Alliance is moving fast," Zhang Yuanqing remarked. "They've already rooted out three Witchcraft Masters from the Spiritual Energy Association in such a short time. I'm no rookie anymore; I know how difficult it is to hunt down Spirit Realm Walkers in a sea of people. If they have tools like Disguise Rings, it's practically impossible."
"The fact that The Officials managed to eliminate three Witchcraft Masters so quickly shows they're taking this seriously."
Li Dongze took a sip of strong liquor and said, "After Inquiring the Soul, we obtained some useful leads. Black guard of Impermanence is hiding in Songhai, seemingly with ulterior motives."
"Ulterior motives?" Zhang Yuanqing nodded thoughtfully. "I've been wondering about that. If I were Black guard of Impermanence, with both The Officials and Gu King hunting me, why wouldn't I relocate my hideout? Do we know why he's staying in Songhai?"
Li Dongze shook his head. "That's something only Black guard of Impermanence knows. But we can deduce the answer from the clues. Whatever's keeping him in Songhai, despite the immense risk, must be incredibly important—so important it outweighs his own life."
Zhang Yuanqing frowned. "At this stage, shouldn't his priority be claiming the Eerie Eye Judge's inheritance? By the way, what level is the Black guard of Impermanence?"
"Level 6, Peak Saint Stage."
Witchcraft Masters are among the most formidable combat classes. A Level 6 Witchcraft Master, while unable to match a Level 7 Orderly Class in a direct confrontation, would still significantly outclass others of the same level. This meant that unless an Elder-level entity intervened, taking down the Black guard of Impermanence would be exceedingly difficult.
Zhang Yuanqing sighed inwardly. Bing Ge, you're really putting me in a tough spot. I'm just a Level 2 Nightwalker—he could crush me with a single finger.
Li Dongze finally handed over the file. "Take a look."
Zhang Yuanqing opened the file, revealing a personal dossier. The man in the one-inch photo appeared to be around thirty, with a gaunt face, sharp, slanted eyes, and tightly pursed lips, radiating an intense, almost predatory aura.
"Spirit Realm ID: Unbridled. Real Name: Zhu Jingyao. Level 3 Witchcraft Master, Financial Criminal. Former Securities Firm Employee, Exploited his position for illicit gains."
As Zhang Yuanqing read the profile, he remarked, "I remember this guy. He was on the list I provided."
Li Dongze nodded. "Two days ago, Captain Green Vine of the Hundred Flowers Association received intelligence that someone had spotted this man in Kangyang District, but he quickly vanished. Our Kangyang District Spirit Realm Squad is currently responsible for tracking him down; he's our top priority."
If only we had his DNA, Zhang Yuanqing thought regretfully. The Red Dancing Shoes could have solved everything.
Still, having a target was better than wandering aimlessly.
Knock, knock!
Two sharp knocks echoed from the glass office door. Guan Ya's voice called out, "Chief, the Xiahou Family is here."
Li Dongze and Zhang Yuanqing exchanged glances. The latter quickly stowed the files, while the former said gravely, "Show them in."
A dozen seconds later, Guan Ya ushered two men into the office. The first was a middle-aged man in a formal suit, his hair cropped short, his posture ramrod straight, radiating an air of crisp efficiency. His features were decent enough, though his eyes were rather small.
The second was a young man in his mid-twenties, wearing a white shirt with the collar unbuttoned and the hem untucked, exuding a casual, rebellious vibe.
He bore a resemblance to the older man, but was undeniably more handsome, sporting a Korean-style long hairstyle that was artfully disheveled. Paired with a silver earring, he had that roguish charm that made girls swoon in nightclubs.
"I am Xiahou Xin, and this is my son, Xiahou Tianyuan," the middle-aged man said with a slight smile.
"Welcome, welcome!" Li Dongze's mustache twitched as he grinned. "Mr. Xiahou, please have a seat!"
He shook hands warmly with Xiahou Xin and led them to their seats, then instructed Guan Ya to brew hot tea.
Xiahou Xin waited patiently for Guan Ya to serve the tea before continuing:
"Chief Li, you must be aware of my purpose here. The Palace Master of Ceasing Slaughter has gone too far, nearly killing my eldest son. This insult cannot go unavenged. Our investigation revealed that Wang Qian, a doctor at Pingtai Hospital, is a member of the Palace of Ceasing Slaughter. By the time we arrived to apprehend him, he had already fled.
"According to our intelligence, Wang Qian is one of your informants, Chief Li. We hope you'll cooperate in luring him out. If successful, the Xiahou Family will reward you handsomely."
The Palace Master of Ceasing Slaughter beat up Xiahou Xin's son? Zhang Yuanqing thought. Xie Lingxi mentioned he's the Xiahou Family's heir. This Xiahou Xin must be a very influential figure. He couldn't help but glance at the middle-aged man again.
At that moment, he noticed Xiahou Tianyuan, the young man beside him, casting an arrogant, sidelong glance his way.
"This..." Li Dongze's face remained plastered with a smile, but his tone was helpless.
"The Palace Master of Ceasing Slaughter dared to humiliate Young Master Xiahou Tianwen—truly outrageous and deserving of death. However, after last night's battle, the Palace of Ceasing Slaughter is on high alert. They won't fall for such a simple trick. As Chief, I lack the means to help."
Xiahou Tianyuan shot Zhang Yuanqing another sidelong glance, his tone displeased. "This is simple. Send Wang Qian a message saying someone within the Five Elements Alliance disapproves of the Xiahou Family and ask if the Palace of Ceasing Slaughter needs assistance. Show goodwill first to lure him in, then gradually devise a plan. If you can't handle it, give me your phone."
Once they established contact with Wang Qian, they had plenty of ways to draw him out. What they lacked was someone Wang Qian would be willing to "communicate" with.
Li Dongze sighed. "Very well, I'll be frank. Ah, when gods clash, mortals suffer. We have no desire to meddle in the feud between the Xiahou Family and the Palace of Ceasing Slaughter. We apologize, but we cannot assist you."
"What did you say?" Xiahou Tianyuan asked, incredulous.
The Xiahou Family had already secured leads on several Palace of Ceasing Slaughter members, with Kangyang District Second Team being one of them. In Xiahou Tianyuan's view, such an unremarkable squad should have been eager to fulfill any request from the Xiahou Family, even to the point of currying favor.
This wasn't mere arrogance on Xiahou Tianyuan's part. Such minor squads were countless within the Five Elements Alliance, whereas Spirit Realm Families like the Xiahou Family were few and far between in the country.
This was akin to a city management team refusing a powerful conglomerate with official backing.
Guan Ya rolled her eyes. "Don't understand? Should I translate it into a foreign language for you?"
"You—!" Xiahou Tianyuan's face flushed with anger. When had a mere female employee dared to speak to him like this?
Before him, mere beauty conferred no special privileges.
Xiahou Xin glanced at Guan Ya, silently restraining his son with a look. He turned to Li Dongze and said earnestly, "This matter is of utmost importance to the Xiahou Family. Chief Li, we implore you to agree."
Though he addressed Chief Li, his gaze remained fixed on Guan Ya.
Li Dongze looked conflicted. Given his position, refusing once was his limit. Further refusal would likely invite retaliation.
This was the moment for Guan Ya to step forward.
"What does the Xiahou Family's affairs have to do with us?" Guan Ya glanced at the father and son across from her. "Just because it's important to your family means we have to help? If the Palace of Ceasing Slaughter retaliates against my colleagues, will your family shield them? Protect them 24/7? Or are you just trying to leverage your family's influence to use my colleagues as pawns? Offering a vague promise of 'generous compensation' for risking our lives? You're trying to lure out Wang Qian, aren't you? Fine. Ten artifacts in exchange."
"Are you insane?" Xiahou Tianyuan sneered, his anger turning into mocking laughter. "What do you think you are? Ten artifacts? You wouldn't live long enough to enjoy them."
Guan Ya's face hardened into a cold smile. "One more word, and I'll blow your brains out."
Xiahou Xin, his eyes blazing with fury, restrained his son with a fierce glare. He gave Guan Ya a deep, assessing look before saying, "We've disturbed you."
Xiahou Tianyuan stared at his father in disbelief.
Xiahou Xin rose coldly and strode out of the office.
Xiahou Tianyuan shot Guan Ya a venomous glare before following his father.
Li Dongze slowly exhaled, stood up, and stretched his back, his face relaxed as he said, "Alright, that's settled. Ah, these powerful families are a real headache."
He quickly added, trying to save face, "In the system, you're constantly dealing with situations like this. Compromise and appeasement are the supreme laws of the bureaucracy."
Chief, you don't need to explain all that to me, Zhang Yuanqing thought. The Xiahou Family isn't as domineering as I thought. Or is Guan Ya's backing just too formidable? He realized he might have underestimated the Veteran Driver.
Anyone with eyes could see that Xiahou Xin, the direct descendant of the Xiahou Family, was clearly wary of Guan Ya.
That useless Chief, seemingly as steady as an old dog, was actually hiding behind Guan Ya's skirts.
Wait, I don't remember a Guan Family among the Spirit Realm Families. Oh right, Guan Ya's Spirit Realm ID, not her real name.
"Sigh, compared to being the Xie Family's son-in-law, I suddenly want to be the Guan Family's son-in-law even more," Zhang Yuanqing said, half-joking, half-testing the waters.
The Veteran Driver didn't take the bait, sizing him up before clicking her tongue. "You're not up to it. You're too small."
Zhang Yuanqing bristled. "You haven't even seen it! How do you know it's small?"
"Alright then, go to the bathroom and show me."
"Let's go!"
"Let's go!"
Li Dongze shook his head slightly, leaning on his cane. These two—one who's never had a boyfriend, the other who's never had a girlfriend—all their skill lies in their mouths.
Zhang Yuanqing ate lunch at the Public Security Bureau and hung around until 1 p.m. Remembering he had a professional class later, he slung his backpack over his shoulder, grabbed a shared bike, and leisurely pedaled toward school.
Just after crossing a traffic light, a black sedan sped up and forced him to stop at the roadside.
In the back seat sat Xiahou Xin and his father.