Zhang Yuanqing removed his outer coat, which had been scorched at the sleeves, and tossed it into the bicycle basket, then returned to the police station to have a new phone card issued by the administrative staff. A phone card linked to "The Prime Origin Deity" could only be processed through administrative personnel. Zhang explained that his phone had accidentally fallen into the sewer and he had grown too lazy to search for it, so he decided to get a new one. He did not intend to inform Guan Ya or Li Dongze about this incident. If the conflict became widely known, and then shortly after a physical altercation, an unexpected incident occurred, following standard investigative procedures, anyone with a history of conflict—regardless of the perceived level of suspicion—would be routinely investigated. Both Guan Ya and Li Dongze were aware of his control over a rule-based artifact. For the same reason, Zhang's retaliation would not happen immediately, but would be delayed. He made another trip to a nearby phone store, purchasing a domestically produced smartphone priced around 3,000 yuan, and used his ID to reissue a new phone card. At a café not far from the police headquarters, Zhang Yuanqing sipped on a chilled coffee, contemplating how to retaliate against Xia Hou Tianyuan. He hadn't intended to get involved with the Xia Hou family, but now there was no choice. The attitudes of Xia Hou and his son were clear: if he cooperated, they’d offer him benefits; if not, they’d simply seize his phone. After all, a junior employee like him had little room for choice. It wasn’t surprising—would a well-resourced family, when rejected by a mere employee, simply bow and back down? That would be nothing short of a fairy tale. Unless this matter meant little to them. That’s exactly what my mother always refers to as capital’s pressure—something I hadn’t expected to personally experience until now. Zhang Yuanqing murmured softly. "Summer Hou's blood is in my hands—directly, I can activate the Red Slippers to pursue him until he's dead, no compromise. But this approach is too blunt; the Red Slippers leave clear marks of violence. The people who know I control the Red Slippers are few, though not nonexistent. Moreover, Summer Hou comes from a spiritual realm aristocratic family renowned for crafting tools and devices—far beyond the reach of ordinary official or wild travelers. He might very well have means to resist or counteract the Red Slippers. Without full knowledge of both our strengths and weaknesses, I shouldn't act rashly. I'll need to gather intelligence on the Summer family from Xie Lingxi shortly." "Wang Qian knows me and intervenes in this matter with his true face—this isn't a wise move. Perhaps we can make use of the disguise ring..." A rough plan formed in his mind... He sent a message to his cousin Chen Yuanjun: "Brother, I'd like an unregistered phone card. When you get off work, remember to give it to me." Chen Yuanjun didn't reply immediately, but Zhang Yuanqing knew he would handle it—since childhood, as long as the request wasn't excessive, his cousin never refused. Chen had always been particularly compassionate toward his cousin, who had lost his father at a young age and had grown up without a strong maternal presence. Then Zhang Yuanqing dialed Shé Lingxi's phone number. She wore a light pink waterproof jacket that reached only to her thigh. Her smooth, pale legs, neatly together, were long and straight—just a few more years, and they’d become graceful, full-bodied legs. The female assistant sat by, carefully slicing fruits. The phone rang. As Xu Lingxi just opened her eyes, the assistant had already wiped her hands and presented the phone. Seeing the caller ID read "Yuanshish Tianzun," Xu Lingxi instantly brightened, quickly took the phone, gripped her throat, cleared her throat, and then connected the call, speaking in a soft, delicate tone that made the assistant shiver: "Brother Yuan—Yuanshish～" "Have you heard that the top talents from Xiahou’s family have had a conflict with the Master of Zhishi Palace?" Zhang Yuanqing pretended to be curious. "Brother Yuan, you called me just to gossip about this?" Xu Lingxi looked genuinely hurt and sorrowful. "Speak properly, don’t be stiff or sarcastic. What’s wrong with your voice?" "That's just how she speaks~" "Hmm, my speakers seem to be singing again." "Ah!" Xie Lingxi cleared her throat and regained the clear, normal tone of the young woman: "Didn't I say yesterday morning that the Lady of the Palace had disabled Xiaohou's eldest son? Naturally, the Xiaohou family won't let that go unchallenged... So, Brother Yuanshǐ is trying to capture members of the Zhishi Palace to pressure the Lady of the Palace, correct?" "No, I'm just curious—how many people did the Xiaohou family send this time? Have you heard anything about that?" "The exact number isn't clear. The leader is Xiaohou Chi, the grandfather of Xiaohou Tianwen, who was a Level 6 Scholar many years ago—I'm not sure if he's been promoted since then. Besides him, there are two other direct descendants of the Xiaohou family: Xiaohou Xin and Xiaohou Tianyuan. One is Xiaohou Tianwen's father, the other his younger brother. That's the one who was injured by the Lady of the Palace." The Lady of the Palace can hold her own against a Sixth-Rank Scholar—she must at least be of that level, right? Zhang Yuanqing asked again, "Do you know anything about the Xiaohou family?" "Of course!" Xie Lingxi lay on the lounge chair, her little bottom tucked up, gently stroking her long legs. What a pose! The female assistant furrowed her brows. Good thing the swimming hall was fully booked; otherwise, with Xie family's heiress in such an unseemly posture, anyone seeing it would surely pass it on to the family, and she'd have to apologize. The Xiaohou family is a well-established lineage of spiritual realm families, with numerous members and complex internal factions. If you'd like to understand the organizational structure of spiritual realm families, let's set aside the ordinary personnel and focus solely on the spiritual realm practitioners. First, the Xiaohou family has an elder ancestor—believed to be among the very first spiritual realm practitioners. I'm not entirely sure of his rank. Below him is the Council of Elders, consisting of three elders, all at the Sovereign level. These three are the true decision-makers and power holders of the family "Below them are the enforcement officers and the provincial governors. The enforcement officers are responsible for assisting the official authorities in suppressing and capturing evil practitioners, as well as disciplining members within the family who violate rules or commit offenses. The head of the enforcement officers is precisely Xiahou Chi. As for the provincial governors, they are the administrators in charge of managing Xiahou Family's business operations across various provinces—typically high-ranking, level-6 spiritual realm practitioners. Our She family has a similar structure; my father, a descendant of the founding ancestor, holds the position of family head. However, above him are the senior family elders, and there are also provincial governors at the same level as him—my father is constantly engaged in power struggles with those uncles and aunts. Young lady, do you not know that family matters should not be publicly disclosed? These details need not be explained to me. Zhang Yuanqing made a remark and then asked, "What is Xiahou Xin's rank?" "Around level four, I believe." "Xie Lingxi chuckled slyly, saying, 'There's intense rivalry within the Xiaohou family. Xiaohou Tianwen was disabled by the Palace Master's sister, and countless family members are rejoicing at his misfortune.' 'What's your family's stance on this matter?' 'Xiaohou Chi is indeed a direct descendant of the Xiaohou family, but he doesn't fully represent the family's interests. We at the Xie family aren't afraid of that. As for the Five Elements Alliance, well—we simply can't afford to challenge them officially. We've only stated that we'd like to remain uninvolved and won't intervene further.' To be uninvolved is simply to remain uninvolved—so, to earn respect from others, one must first be strong. Zhang Yuanqing chatted with her a bit more before hanging up the phone. "I'll have it in my briefcase after dinner," Chen Yuanjun sipped his soup, frowning at the deep Sichuan wrinkles on his forehead. "Grandma, I added too much ginger." The quiet dinner was over, and Zhang Yuanqing had the phone card. He rushed back to his room, opened the messaging app on his phone, and sent a voice message to Wang Qian: "I'm aware of the incidents involving Zhishi Palace and the Xiaohou family. The Xiaohou family came to see me today, asking me to help them bring you out of the shadows. I declined—this is as far as I can go. I have a contact with strong capabilities. If you need any assistance, feel free to reach out to him. His phone number is…" After sending the message, Zhang Yuanqing waited for a long time, but received no reply from Wang Qian. He thought to himself, "He's quite cautious." The core of Zhang Yuanqing's plan rests on the disguise ring and Wang Qian's trust. Under normal circumstances, Wang Qian would hardly believe him easily. But if he finds himself in crisis, with no other choice, things would be different. Of course, if Wang Qian absolutely refused to seek help, Zhang Yuanqing would simply adjust his plan and act alone, eliminating Xia Hou Tianyuan. In that case, however, there would be no Zhizha Palace to serve as a shield. Trust is the foundation of cooperation, and it seems we still haven't quite established it yet." Heng Xingwu spoke firmly. "I don't know where the elder is—no one does." After a pause, he added, "We've been under tremendous pressure lately, losing several comrades, and the elder has even come close to being targeted by Fu Qingyang. Fu Qingyang is the most outstanding figure among the younger generation of the White Tiger army. Few people below the Master Realm have defeated him. Once he turns his attention to someone, even Black Inconstant often finds it hard to escape. You can't keep hiding—yours must be a more active response now." "Hmph. That sounds easy," Heng Xingwu said coldly. "Besides the Five Elements Alliance, the King of the Gushi forces are also actively seeking us out. How do we mount a counteroffensive?" "That's precisely why I've come to you," Yin Ling smiled. "You have two options: either wait for the fallen ones listed on the register to gradually lose control, thus drawing the Five Elements Alliance's attention, but since these fallen ones are scattered across various regions, your real adversaries are the Songhai Branch." "The second approach is to gather the fallen from around Songhai, control them, counterattack the official patrol teams, and create some disruption for the Five Elements Alliance's regional branches—this would help ease the pressure." "Simple as that?" Xing Xingngu scoffed. "Counterattacking requires solid intelligence." Yin Ling said, "To demonstrate our sincerity, I'll share with you the official patrol teams' deployments and operations." Xing Xingngu was visibly intrigued. "I'll have to report this to the boss!" ... The next day, Zhang Yuan awoke and instinctively reached for his phone to check messages—Wang Qian had not replied. Disappointed, he got up, brushed his teeth, had breakfast, and took a taxi to the office. Just as he sat down to discuss the nuances and depth of the issues with his senior colleague, Li Dongze emerged from the office in his tailored suit, black jacket and white shirt. "Yuan Shi, Guan Ya—let's go out together." "He glanced at his watch and said, 'The Kangyang District Investigation Team has a meeting at nine. We've located the movements of 'Hengxing Wuxi.' ' Zhang Yuanqing perked up.