Li Dongze hurried back to his desk, rubbed his hands vigorously, and with great enthusiasm opened his computer to edit the message. "Commander Fu, I have something to report. Just received word that the Night-Wanderer I recruited has successfully completed the trial mission and returned to the real world. Yes, he has successfully passed through the Shela Ling Tunnel." He clicked to send. "Facing the captain's warning, Li Dongze was remarkably at ease," he said. "I just spoke with him on the phone." "Any strategy or plan?" Fu Qingyang asked immediately. "It'll have to wait a bit longer," Fu replied. After a brief silence, his cold tone softened. "I didn't expect much from this visit—what I've found has been a real surprise. The fact that he's successfully navigated the Shē Ling Tunnel speaks volumes about his abilities." "Li Dongze, you've brought in outstanding talent for the White Tiger troops. I'll report this to the Council and credit you with a major achievement." Oh, heaven—this is simply wonderful... Li Dongze's smile widened. Then, remembering something, he lowered his voice. "Should we keep this confidential?" He'd already made it known to the regional commanders that he'd recruited a Night-Wanderer. Even if he'd deliberately avoided mentioning it, the fact would eventually become apparent. It wouldn't be long before it became known. Especially since the Five Elements Alliance and the Tai Men have a formal agreement—whenever a Night-Wanderer appears across the country, Tai Men has first pick rights. This agreement has left the Wuxing Alliance with almost no night-wanderers of its own—only a few scattered ones. Fu Qingyang sneered, "Why hide it? The Taigong Sect has already clearly stated they don't want this night-wanderer position; they can't possibly back down now." "You need to watch out for people within the Wuxing Alliance itself. The incident involving the Hundred Blossoms Assembly—I don't want it to happen again. We must win them over through virtue." This aligned perfectly with Li Dongze's own thoughts, so he immediately humbly asked, "Please advise, Commander Fu." "Promote him and give him a salary increase." Ah? A salary increase? Is that what it means to win people over through virtue? "I don't like to buy people's loyalty with money, because when people come together for mutual benefit, they inevitably part when the benefit fades. I prefer to win people over through virtue, though virtue takes time to unfold—while money produces immediate results." Commander Fu spoke calmly. "Have him draft a detailed strategy report as soon as possible. I need to know the core information about the Mountain God Temple. Also, let me repay the goodwill from the Taigong "Any S-tier spiritual realm must contain valuable information and intelligence—something ordinary spiritual realms cannot match." "Understood!" Li Dongze ended the call. What a display of virtue—though it truly did reflect the Fu family's style. Li Dongze shook his head. The Fu family, having migrated abroad during a turbulent era to escape war, established itself over the centuries into a vast financial powerhouse. Later, accepting the nation's invitation, they returned with substantial wealth to contribute to national economic development. The Fu family not only represents a major financial force but also a lineage of generations of spiritual realm explorers, annually sending out a steady number of scouts. It is thus an indispensible family power within the White Tiger military contingent. Fu Bai, despite his young age, is proficient in financial management and is often dubbed the "Money Prince" among the four official elite sons. At that moment, Li Dongze noticed someone mentioning him in the "Kangyang District Spirit Realm Explorer Management Group." Qingteng: "@Li Dongze, Li Shizhang, how's your newly hired night-wanderer doing?" Qingteng is the captain of the Hundred Blossoms Association. If any other wood spirit had asked this, Li Dongze would have suspected ulterior motives. But this female captain is gentle and kind—far from being a boastful, unprincipled, showy spirit. Bai Long: "Wow, that really hits the mark! You knew it was impossible for anyone to pass through the Sheli Spirit Tunnel, yet you still go out of your way to challenge Li Shizhang!" Before Li Dongze could respond, Bai Long, who had a history of disagreements with Qingteng, stepped forward and immediately launched into a heated exchange. Da Ji Ba: "He must have perished in the Sheli Spirit Tunnel. Yesterday, someone from my jurisdiction went missing there—the poor soul hasn't been found yet. I'm pretty sure they're already dead within the Spirit Realm." The straightforward fire master remains as difficult to please as ever. Besides these three captains who were My friends, you're going to be envious of me—right in the next second! Li Dongze casually sent out a 1,000-yuan red envelope. He himself grabbed it first, then ended up taking a five-yuan one. Qingteng: "Thank you, boss." Bai Long: "Boss, you're so generous." Dajibu: "Boss, your back and kidneys are in great shape." Naturally, they all rushed to grab the red envelopes and offered their thanks, going through the routine—only to suddenly realize... Bai Long: "Wait, really?" Dajibu: "Li Dongze, what do you mean? Please clarify." Qingteng: "Li Shizhang?" Li Dongze: "Thank you all for your concern. My newly recruited Night-Wanderer has successfully passed through the Sheli Tunnel." Instantly, the group fell silent—everyone went mute. Yuan Ting: "Li Dongze, don't be joking." The Night-Wanderer from Taiguan, who rarely speaks up in the Five Elements Alliance management group, stepped forward first. Unlike other captains, when it came to matters of great significance to his own profession, he could not simply overlook Li Dongze's information—despite the greater likelihood that it was merely a joke. The other captains remained silent, quietly waiting for Li Dongze's response. Da Ji Bā: "I'm thinking about organizing another team-building event again." You must be trying to lure me away, huh... Li Dongze couldn't help but chuckle. Shuǐ Shàng Piāo: "We won't be sailing this month. Let's schedule a gathering—how about today?" Tang Guoqiang sent a red envelope. Bái Lóng: "A gathering is fine, but I believe the Hundred Flowers Association shouldn't participate." Qīng Téng: "Huh." Quān Wáng: "I'm particularly curious about how the new recruit managed to pass through the Shé Ling Tunnel. It's unlikely that someone ordinary could achieve that. Li Dongze has certainly been fortunate in securing such talent." Watching the group chat grow increasingly restless, Fu Bai Fu sent another message: "I'll use the Shé Ling Tunnel guide as leverage to secure night-wandering deity slots from the Taiyuan Sect, aiming to assign one night-wandering deity to each of your teams within five years." Qīng Téng: "Thank you, Commander Fu." Da Ji Bā: "Whoa, really something like this?" The atmosphere in the group Fu's move was brilliant. With this big promise in place, Li Dongze exhaled a long, steady breath. Meanwhile, several captains enthusiastically discussed their long-term plans for cultivating and assigning the Night-Wanderers, and subtly inquired of Li Dongze about the outstanding hero who had achieved his first kill—whether he was male or female, and at what age. Yet Li Dongze remained silent, refusing to reveal the information. While the captains were engaged in lively conversation, Yuan Ting of Taimei felt entirely different. He stared at Fu's speech, reading it over and over, only gradually absorbing the significance of this remarkable development. Could it be true that the Shu Ling Tunnel—once seemingly beyond the reach of even Taimei—had now been successfully captured? How had this newcomer accomplished such a feat? As a specialist in the spiritual realm and a Night-Wanderer himself, Yuan Ting felt more acutely than any other captain the urgency to uncover the truth, his mind restless with questions. Yet now was not the time to dwell on the details—he needed to report this matter to the organization. Shouldn't such a talented Night-Wanderer be integrated into Taimei? Master Sun is simply confused—he how could have made such hasty promises, causing Taiyuan Sect to lose a valuable talent all along! Yuan Ting harbored a slight resentment toward that elder. … Zhang Yuanqing took a taxi to the police station, smoothly navigating to the back of the building and stepping into the sleek glass tower. On the second floor, he immediately spotted the mixed-race woman seated on a sofa sipping tea, her long, model-like legs crossed elegantly, wearing a shirt, a skirt, black stockings, and high heels. Her waist was slender and her bust full, with a refined makeup and a modern hairstyle. If the ideal image of a corporate goddess existed, Zhang Yuanqing believed it was precisely her. Fortunately, his refined aesthetic sense had been greatly cultivated by his aunt, so he greeted her with composed ease: "Ms. Guan." Guan lowered her teacup, rose to greet him, and smiled warmly: "Hmm, I thought university students were just little puppy dogs—turns out they’re actually little wolf dogs! Congratulations on becoming the Night-Wanderer Spirit—I’d like to reward you with a hug." She opened her arms, her ample chest impressively broad. Zhang Yuanqing, who had already gotten a good sense of the other woman's personality, remained unfazed and chuckled, "How dare you call me a milkmaid, fairy?" To most young ladies, Zhang Yuanqing would certainly not have said such a thing. But Guan Ya, as a seasoned senior official, preferred a more direct and assertive approach—she didn't need softness or courtesy. Guan Ya paused, then laughed lightly, saying, "Then let's go. The Deputy Director wishes to see you." After walking a few steps, she suddenly turned back, smiled gently, "You've certainly made some solid gains in the Spirit Realm, haven't you? No, I don't need to hear about it—hiding one's true strength and capabilities is a fundamental trait of every Spirit Realm traveler." "I didn't intend to tell you that," Zhang Yuanqing said, startled, then quickly realized what Guan Ya meant—she wanted her to keep some secrets, not reveal everything. Following Guan Ya, Zhang Yuanqing entered the opulent office and saw Li Dongze comfortably seated in a soft chair, holding a cigar. "Do you know what I'm most concerned about right now?" Li Dongze said as he rose to “What?” Zhang Yuanqing asked in sync. “I was most worried you might have been ambushed on the way here.” Li Dongze opened the wine cabinet, took out three glass cups, and said, “What would you like to drink?” “Coca-Cola!” Zhang Yuanqing replied. “Then, go get some for Guan Ya,” Li Dongze ordered immediately. Indeed, his status had clearly risen. As Zhang Yuanqing sat down beside Li Dongze, the latter took a sip of wine and got straight to the point: “Remarkable! You’ve done an excellent job. I’d like you to prepare a detailed account of your journey shortly. Before that, however, I’d like to ask—did you notice anything unusual at the Mountain God Temple?”