"Got it!" Zhang Yuanqing nodded verbally, yet in his heart, he found himself reflecting on the sense of regret—being a father—along with Master Wuhen, who had devoted himself to guiding him in cultivation and striving for personal redemption. How could it be that evil beings seek redemption, while lawful and orderly ones, driven by personal grievances, clash violently, harming innocent ordinary people? Ah, how could there be pure good or pure evil in the world? Human nature is inherently complex. Zhang Yuanqing now deeply understood Li Dongze's earlier statement: "Orderliness does not necessarily mean kindness." As for the upper management's stance on this matter, although the Palace Master of Zhishika acted out of self-defense and did not initiate the conflict, the incident inevitably resulted in losses and casualties—her arrest was indeed the right decision. Regarding the specific penalties, Zhang Yuanqing would not comment further. However, the decision against the Xiaohou family felt entirely predictable. After all, the Xiaohou family is a well-established, flourishing lineage in the spiritual realm, with deep roots and strong foundations. The official body could hardly afford to break relations with such a prominent family simply over the lives of a few ordinary individuals. Sometimes, the higher-ups only see the big picture—they never notice the little ants crawling beneath their feet. On the other hand, the Xiaohou family maintains intricate ties with the official establishment. The official organization itself is complex, with numerous factions and internal conflicts; there are always good people, and inevitably, there are also bad ones. In fact, it can't simply be defined as good versus bad—each group has its own interests. If one must pinpoint a single concept to represent the official establishment, it's not justice or kindness, but rather order. These insights were clear to Zhang Yuanqing even as a child, when he heard his grandfather passionately denounce the corrupt former director of the Public Security Bureau. In short, the Xiaohou family, closely aligned with certain official factions, naturally receives favorable treatment. Guan Ya saw him nodding, smiled satisfiedly. Yuanqi isn't a naive youngster—he's more polished and worldly than most of his peers, which is a definite advantage in the bureaucratic system. At that moment, Li Dongze stepped forward, "Did Guan Ya tell you?" "Chief, it's yours," Zhang Yuanqing said immediately. Li Dongze smiled. "I and Guan Ya will step in to protect you. Betraying a source isn't a gentleman's quality, and the feud between the Xiaohou family and Zhi Sha Palace has nothing to do with us—don't get involved." He held his walking stick, clarifying the stakes: "Zhi Sha Palace's motto is 'end war with war, end killing with killing'—very radical. If you betray them today, they'll retaliate tomorrow. The Xiaohou family won't be able to back you up." "Understood," Zhang Yuanqing nodded. Li Dongze glanced at Wang Tai, who was busy at his work, and said, "Wan Shi, come to my office. I'll update you on the progress of the Hei Wu Chang case." Wang Tai isn't part of the investigation team, so by protocol, he can't speak about it in front of him. That's the real matter—Zhang Yuanqing quickly rose and followed behind Li Dongze. Two of them entered the office one after the other. Zhang Yuanqing turned and closed the door, while Li Dongze walked straight to the desk and took out a stack of documents from the drawer. "Would you like a cola?" Li Dongze opened the wine cabinet. With my current net worth of 650,000, I should be drinking a 1982 Château Lafite... Zhang Yuanqing nodded. "Slightly chilled!" Li Dongze shrugged, dropped a few ice cubes into a glass, poured the cola and whisky, then returned to the sofa. "Remember the list you provided last time?" "Of course!" "We've cross-referenced that list with real-world identities, and in the past few weeks, we've successfully arrested one person and eliminated two. Among those eliminated, one was a senior official under the King of the Gushi." The King of the Gushi was another vice president, a rival of the Judge of the Strange Eyes. The Five-Element Alliance has been moving swiftly—how soon has it taken to identify three of the spiritual practitioners from the Lingjing Association? Zhang Yuanqing, no longer a rookie, knows well how difficult it is to track If the other side has props like the mask-ring, it will be utterly hopeless. The official forces' ability to swiftly eliminate three witch-guerrilla practitioners shows they are truly committed. Li Dongze sipped his strong wine and said, "After questioning the spirits, we've gathered some valuable clues: Black Uncommon is stationed in Songhai, seemingly with a purpose beyond mere concealment." A purpose beyond mere concealment... Zhang Yuanqing nodded with sudden clarity: "I've always found it strange—had I been Black Uncommon, with both the official forces and the King of Witches actively seeking me out, why wouldn't I have changed my hiding place? Do you know why Black Uncommon has chosen to remain in Songhai?" Li Dongze shook his head: "This may only be known to Black Uncommon himself. Yet, we can deduce the reason from the clues. The very fact that Black Uncommon is willing to take such significant risks to stay in Songhai indicates that this matter is of paramount importance—important enough to rival even life itself." Zhang Yuanqing furrowed his brow: "At this stage, shouldn't he be focusing on inheriting the legacy of the Strange-Eye Judge? By the way, what rank is Hei Wushuang?" "Sixth rank, at the peak of the Saint's Realm." Wugushi practitioners are among the strongest in terms of combat prowess. A sixth-rank wugushi, while perhaps unable to match a seventh-rank orderly profession in a hand-to-hand contest, is certainly significantly stronger than peers of the same level. That means, unless a senior-level figure intervenes, it would be quite difficult to handle Hei Wushuang. Zhang Yuanqing sighed internally—wasn't Brother Bing making things unnecessarily difficult? With his own mere second-rank Yoyou Shen, Hei Wushuang could easily squash him with just a fingertip. Only then did Li Dongze hand over the document and said, "Take a look." Zhang Yuanqing opened the file. It was a personal profile: a man of about thirty, with a lean build, sharp eyes and a pointed brow, lips tightly pressed, exuding an immediate sense of sharpness and intensity. "Spirit Realm ID: Unstoppable... True name: Zhu Jingyao... Level 3 Wu Gu Shi... Financial offender, former securities company employee, who exploited his position to secure improper benefits..." Zhang Yuanqing read through the profile and said, "I remember this person—he's on the list I provided." Li Dongze nodded: "Yesterday, the Qingteng team leader at Baihua Association received a tip that someone had been seen in Kangyang District, only to vanish shortly after. This individual is now under our Kangyang Spirit Realm team's responsibility and has become one of our recent priorities." Unfortunately, without the target's DNA, the Red Slipper would have been unable to make headway... Zhang Yuanqing sighed with regret. Still, having a target was better than being a blind bee. "Knock, knock!" The glass door of the office was tapped twice, and Guan Ya's voice came through: "Chief, the Xiaohou family has arrived." Li Dongze and Zhang Yuanqing exchanged glances; the latter folded his documents, while the former said firmly, "Please have them enter." A few seconds later, Guan Ya led two men into the office. One was a middle-aged man in a formal suit, with a neatly trimmed head of hair, upright posture, and a sharp, composed demeanor. His features were decent, though his eyes were slightly smaller than average. The other was a young man in his twenties or early thirties, wearing a white shirt with the collar open and the hem not tucked into his waist, exuding a carefree, relaxed charm. He bore a resemblance to the middle-aged man, but was more handsome, with a messy yet elegant Korean-style long hair, complemented by silver ear studs—a look particularly appealing to women in nightclubs. "This is Xia Hou Xin, and this is my son, Xia Hou Tianyuan," the middle-aged man said with a smile. "Welcome, welcome," Li Dongze said, lifting his eyebrows and letting his smile spread as he gestured: "Mr. Xia Hou, please sit down!" He warmly shook hands with the middle-aged man, guided them to seats, and then asked Guan Ya to serve hot tea. Xia Hou Xin waited calmly, offering tea to Guan Ya, and said: "Li Shizhang must be aware of my purpose. The master of Zhishai Palace treated us with great arrogance, nearly killing my eldest son—this injury must be avenged. We have traced the doctor Wang Tai at Ping Tai Hospital, who is a member of Zhishai Palace. When we came to arrest him, he had already fled. According to our records, he is a contact under Li Shizhang's direct supervision. I hope Li Shizhang could kindly assist in bringing him out. Should we succeed, the Xia Hou family will offer him a substantial reward." Yet, after last night's battle, the Zhishā Gong would surely be on high alert—how could they be deceived? This squad leader feels both eager and powerless. Xia Hou Tianyuan glanced sideways at Zhang Yuanqing, displeased, and said, "This isn't difficult at all. Just send a message to Wang Qian, stating that there are members within the Wuxing Alliance who are dissatisfied with the Xia Hou family, and inquire whether the Zhishā Gong needs assistance. Make an initial gesture, secure their attention, and then proceed steadily. If you're unable to do this, simply hand me your phone." As long as they could connect with Wang Qian, they had countless ways to bring him out; what they lacked now was someone capable of making Wang Qian willing to engage in conversation. Li Dongze sighed, "Very well, I'll be honest. Alas, it's like gods fighting—ordinary people suffer. We genuinely don't wish to intervene in the disputes between the Xia Hou family and the Zhishā Gong. We're truly sorry, but we're unable to assist." "What did you just say?" Xia Hou Tianyuan could hardly believe his ears. The Xiahou family has already secured several leads involving members of the Zhishake Palace, and the Kangyang District Team Two is one of them. In Xiahou Tianyuan's view, facing the Xiahou family's demands, such an unremarkable team should unquestioningly comply and go out of their way to show deference. Xiahou Tianyuan is not being arrogant—there are countless such teams within the Wu Xing Alliance, but how many elite spiritual realm families like the Xiahou family are there domestically? It's like a city management team refusing a major corporation with official backing. Guan Ya rolled her eyes: "Don't understand? Shall I translate this for you in foreign language?" "Y-You—" Xiahou Tianyuan was furious. When had a female employee dared speak to him like this? Beauty didn't grant her any privileges in his presence. Xiahou Xin glanced at Guan Ya, using his gaze to calm his son's outburst, and then said sincerely: "This matter is of great importance to the Xiahou family. I kindly request that Li Shang, the team leader, agrees to it." While speaking of Li Shang, his Li Dongze looked genuinely at a loss. Given his position, refusing once was already the limit; any further hesitation might mean he’d be pressured. At this point, Guan Ya would have to step in. "What does the Xiaohou family have to do with us?" Guan Ya glanced at the father-and-son pair across the table. "If the Xiaohou family is deeply involved, then we must certainly help? Then, when Zhi-Sha Palace retaliates against my colleagues, will you step in to protect them? Will you provide 24-hour coverage? Or are you merely using your family's influence to pressure me, treating my colleagues as mere tools? You expect a simple 'we'll be deeply grateful' and yet ask us to take risks—your game plan is truly well thought out. If you want to extract Wang Qian, fine. Bring ten items as a trade." "Mad?" Xiaohou Tianyuan burst out laughing in outrage. "What are you, some kind of minor official? Ten items? You won’t even make it through the day with that." Guan Ya sneered. "Just one more word, and I’ll shoot you dead right here." Xiaohou Xin looked at his son with a fierce gaze, calming him down as he stormed around. He gazed deeply at Guan Ya and said, "Excuse me!" Xiaohu Tianyuan stared at his father, stunned. Xiaohu Xin rose with a cold expression and stepped out of the office. Xiaohu Tianyuan glared at Guan Ya and followed his father. Li Dongze slowly exhaled, stood up, stretched out, and said with ease, "That's it. This matter is settled. Ah, these noble families are quite difficult to deal with..." He quickly added, "Within the system, one constantly faces such situations. Compromise and water-down decisions are the highest principles of the system." Chief, you don't need to explain these to me. Isn't the Xiaohu family rather assertive? Or is Guan Ya's background simply too strong? Zhang Yuanqing realized he may have underestimated the old Lady Director. Anyone with a clear sight could see that Xiaohu Xin, the leading figure of the Xiaohu family, clearly held Guan Ya in high regard. This Shang is such a useless thing—seeming steady as an old dog, yet really hiding behind Guan Ya’s crimson silk skirts. I don’t remember the Lingjing family having any Guan family at all, oh right, Guan Ya is the Lingjing ID, not her real name. "Well, compared to Xie family’s son-in-law, I suddenly feel more inclined to become a Guan family son-in-law," Zhang Yuanqing said half-jokingly, half-testing. Old Si Ji didn’t respond, just studied him carefully and murmured, "You’re not up to it—you’re still too young." Zhang Yuanqing was unconvinced: "You haven’t seen it yourself, how do you know young?" "Fine, go to the restroom and show me." "Come on!" "Come on!" Li Dongze held his cane, shook his head slightly—these two had never dated anyone, neither had they had a boyfriend or girlfriend; their entire strength lay in their words. After having lunch at the office, Zhang Yuanqing made it to around one o’clock, thinking he still had a professional lecture scheduled later, so he took his backpack, left the Security Bureau, rode Just past the traffic light, a black sedan sped toward him, forcing him to stop by the roadside. Seated in the back seat of the black sedan were Xiaohou Xin and his father.