Chapter 72

Zhang Yuanqing took off his coat with the sleeves burned and threw it into the basket of his bicycle, then returned to the police station to have a clerk issue him a new phone card.

The phone card corresponding to "Yuan Shitianzun" could only be processed through the unit's clerk.

The reason Zhang Yuanqing gave was that his phone had accidentally fallen into the sewer, and he was too lazy to look for it, so he planned to get a new one.

He did not intend to tell Guan Ya and Li Dongze about this. If the conflict became widely known, and then an accident happened right after a fight, according to normal investigative logic, anyone who had a recent conflict, regardless of the level of suspicion, would be routinely investigated.

These two people knew that he controlled a rule-class artifact.

Similarly, Zhang Yuanqing's revenge would not happen immediately; he needed to wait a bit.

After getting a new phone card, he went to a nearby mobile phone store and bought a domestic phone priced around 3000 yuan, and used his ID to get a new phone card.

At a coffee shop not far from the police station, Zhang Yuanqing sipped on iced coffee while thinking about how to take revenge on Xiang Hou Tianyuan.

Getting involved with the Xiang Hou family was not his intention, but he had no choice in this matter.

The attitude of the Xiang Hou father and son was very clear: cooperate, and they would give you benefits; refuse, and they would take your phone by force.

After all, a small person had no choice.

This was not surprising. A large family with resources, if refused by a small employee, would just give up and walk away? That would be a fairy tale.

Unless the matter was insignificant to the large family.

This is what my mother often says, the oppression of capital. I never thought I would experience it one day, Zhang Yuanqing muttered softly.

"Xiang Hou Tianyuan's blood is in my hands, and I can directly activate the Red Shoes to hunt him down until he is dead. But this method is too crude, and the traces of the Red Shoes killing someone are very obvious. Not many people know that I control the Red Shoes, but there are some.

"Moreover, he comes from a Spirit Realm family, a family skilled in making artifacts, not like ordinary official or wild walkers. They might have ways to resist or counter the Red Shoes. Without knowing the enemy, I cannot act rashly. I will ask Xie Lingxi for information about the Xiang Hou family later."

He took another sip of coffee and continued to think:

"Right, the Xiang Hou family is looking for the Zhi Sha Palace members. I can take advantage of the chaos, using the Zhi Sha Palace as a shield while disrupting the Xiang Hou family's actions, achieving two goals at once.

"Wang Qian knows me, so intervening in this matter with my true identity is not wise. Perhaps I can use the disguise ring."

A rough plan formed in his mind. He first sent a message to his cousin Chen Yuanjun:

"Bro, I need an unregistered phone card. Remember to give it to me after work."

Chen Yuanjun did not reply, but Zhang Yuanqing knew he would do it for him. From childhood, as long as the request was not excessive, his cousin would not refuse.

His cousin was very sympathetic to him, his cousin who lost his father at a young age and lacked maternal love.

Next, Zhang Yuanqing called Xie Lingxi's phone number.

At the Hua Yu Hotel, on the 48th floor in the swimming pool.

Sunlight shone through the large windows, illuminating a rectangular pool where the blue water rippled gently.

Xie Lingxi lay on a lounge chair, half-closed eyes enjoying the comfort after swimming.

She wore a pink waterproof coat that only reached her thighs, her white and tender legs were long and straight, and with a few more years, they would become plump and long.

Her assistant sat beside her, cutting fruit attentively.

The phone rang, and Xie Lingxi had just opened her eyes when the assistant, having dried her hands, handed her the phone.

Seeing the caller ID as "Yuan Shitianzun," Xie Lingxi immediately perked up, quickly took the phone, cleared her throat, and answered in a soft, sweet voice that made the assistant's hair stand on end:

"Yuan Shitianzun~"

"I heard that the Xiang Hou family's expert had a conflict with the Zhi Sha Palace leader?" Zhang Yuanqing feigned curiosity.

"Yuan Shitianzun, did you call me just to gossip about this?" Xie Lingxi said with a pained expression.

"Speak normally, don't be so sarcastic. What's wrong with your voice?"

"That's just my voice~"

"Hey, my speaker seems to be singing again."

"Cough, cough!" Xie Lingxi coughed, returning to her clear, normal voice:

"Didn't I say yesterday morning that the Palace leader sister beat up the Xiang Hou family's direct descendant? Of course, the Xiang Hou family won't let this go. Is Yuan Shitianzun planning to help the Xiang Hou family capture Zhi Sha Palace members and force the Palace leader sister to come out?"

"No, just curious. How many people did the Xiang Hou family send this time? Do you know?"

"Not sure about the exact number, but the leader is Xiang Hou Chi, Xiang Hou Tianwen's grandfather, who was a 6th-level scholar many years ago, not sure if he has upgraded. Besides Xiang Hou Chi, there are two other direct descendants, Xiang Hou Xin and Xiang Hou Tianyuan, one is Xiang Hou Tianwen's father, the other is his younger brother. Xiang Hou Tianwen is the one who was injured by the Palace leader sister."

If the Palace leader can fight a 6th-level scholar to a draw, she must be at least that level, Zhang Yuanqing thought and asked:

"Do you know about the Xiang Hou family?"

"Sure!" Xie Lingxi lay on the lounge chair, pouting her small buttocks, gently rubbing her long legs.

What is this posture? The assistant frowned.

Fortunately, the swimming pool was booked, otherwise, if the Xie family's daughter's ungraceful posture was seen by outsiders and reported back to the family, she would have to apologize.

"The Xiang Hou family is an ancient Spirit Realm family with many members and complex factions. If you want to understand the organizational structure of a Spirit Realm family, we can focus on the Spirit Realm walkers.

"First, the Xiang Hou family has an old ancestor, said to be one of the first Spirit Realm walkers, but I'm not sure about his level. Below the old ancestor is the Clan Council, with three clan elders, all at the Sovereign level. These three are the true rulers of the family.

"Next are the Enforcement Team and the provincial representatives. The Enforcement Team's duty is to cooperate with the government to hunt and capture evil professions and punish lawbreakers within the family. The team leader is Xiang Hou Chi.

"The provincial representatives are responsible for managing the Xiang Hou family's assets across the country, usually 6th-level Spirit Realm walkers. Our Xie family has a similar structure. My father is the great-grandson of the old ancestor and holds the position of family head.

"However, above him are the clan elders, and at his level are the provincial representatives. My father spends his days scheming with those uncles and aunts."

Little girl, don't you know that family secrets should not be revealed? Zhang Yuanqing complained and asked:

"What level is Xiang Hou Xin?"

"Probably 4th level." Xie Lingxi said with a cunning laugh: "The Xiang Hou family is full of internal strife. When Xiang Hou Tianwen was beaten by the Palace leader sister, many people in the family were secretly rejoicing."

"What is your Xie family's stance on this matter?"

"Xiang Hou Chi, though a direct descendant, cannot fully represent the Xiang Hou family. Our Xie family is not afraid. As for the Five Elements Alliance, the Xie family cannot afford to offend the government, so we just say we don't want to get involved and won't interfere."

Not wanting to get involved means not getting involved. So, to earn respect, one must be strong. Zhang Yuanqing chatted a bit more and then hung up.

At 7:30 PM, at the dining table.

Zhang Yuanqing took a sip of soup and looked at his aunt with a rosy complexion: "Is your aunt's period over? So soon?"

"Still a bit uncomfortable," Jiang Yufei replied casually.

Seeing that she had no interest in arguing, Zhang Yuanqing looked at Chen Yuanjun with a lack of enthusiasm:

"Bro, where's my phone card?"

"It's in my briefcase. I'll give it to you after dinner." Chen Yuanjun took a sip of soup and frowned deeply: "Grandma, too much ginger."

The peaceful dinner ended, and Zhang Yuanqing got the phone card. He eagerly returned to his room, opened the chat app on his phone, and sent a voice message to Wang Qian:

"I know about the conflict between the Zhi Sha Palace and the Xiang Hou family. The Xiang Hou family approached me today, hoping I could help them lure you out. I refused, which is the limit of what I can do.

"I have an informant who is quite capable. If you need help, you can contact him. His phone number is..."

After sending the message, Zhang Yuanqing waited for a long time but received no reply from Wang Qian.

He is quite cautious, Zhang Yuanqing thought.

The core of Zhang Yuanqing's plan was the disguise ring and Wang Qian's trust.

Under normal circumstances, Wang Qian would not easily trust him, but if he was in a crisis with no other options, it would be different.

Of course, if Wang Qian refused to seek help, Zhang Yuanqing could change his plan and act alone, eliminating Xiang Hou Tianyuan.

But then there would be no Zhi Sha Palace to shield him.

Late at night, in an apartment by the river.

A cold wind blew open the hanging curtains, entering the pitch-black bedroom and swirling around the bed.

The person sleeping on the bed suddenly woke up, opening his amber-colored vertical pupils.

"Don't be nervous!"

In the center of the cold wind vortex, a semi-transparent figure condensed, with indistinct features, clearly without a physical form but able to speak.

The bright light from the street lamps shone through the open window, illuminating the man on the bed, who had slanted eyebrows and a thin face, exuding a cold and fierce aura.

Hengxing Wujin stared at the spirit by the bed, on guard, and asked:

"You finally came. Where is your leader?"

The spirit with indistinct features smiled:

"Where is Hei Wuchang? Trust is the foundation of cooperation. It seems we don't trust each other enough."

Hengxing Wujin said in a deep voice: "I don't know where the boss is. No one knows."

After a moment of silence, he added: "Recently, we have been under a lot of pressure, losing several brothers, and the boss almost got targeted by Fu Qingyang."

"Fu Qingyang is the most outstanding figure among the young generation of the White Tiger soldiers. Below the Sovereign level, few can defeat him. If he targets you, even Hei Wuchang might not escape. You can't just hide; you need to counterattack."

"Hmph, easier said than done," Hengxing Wujin said coldly. "Besides the Five Elements Alliance, the Gu King's people are also looking for us. How can we counterattack?"

"That's why I came to find you," the spirit smiled.

"You have two options. One, wait for the fallen ones on the list to lose control, diverting the Five Elements Alliance's attention. But the fallen ones are scattered, and your enemies are the Songhai branch.

"The second option, gather the fallen ones near Songhai, control them, and counter the official walker teams, creating trouble for the Five Elements Alliance branch, which will relieve the pressure."

"Easy to say," Hengxing Wujin said coldly.

"To counter, you need sufficient intelligence."

The spirit said: "To show sincerity, I will reveal the deployment and actions of the official walkers to you."

Hengxing Wujin was somewhat moved: "I need to report to the boss!"

The next day, Zhang Yuanqing woke up and instinctively checked his phone for messages, but Wang Qian had not replied.

Disappointed, he got up, washed up, and had breakfast before taking a taxi to work.

Just as he sat down and discussed the length and depth issues with the old secretary, Li Dongze, dressed in a suit with a black vest and white shirt, came out of the office.

"Yuan Shitianzun, Guan Ya, come with me," he said while looking at his wristwatch.

"The Kangyang District search team has a meeting at 9 AM. We have discovered the whereabouts of 'Hengxing Wujin.'"

Zhang Yuanqing's spirits lifted.