Though it's still around four or five in the morning, such crucial information must be reported to superiors immediately—delay could mean change, and the longer we wait, the more complications arise. As for Fu Bai Fu-lang's progress in tracking down He Wu-Xiang, it has stalled for quite some time now. "Ding-ding-ding~" The bell rang for nearly a minute before the line finally connected, and Fu Qingyang's cold, detached voice came through: "Calling me at this hour must be something important, right?" It seemed he was struggling to suppress his morning grogginess. Zhang Yuanqing said, "Fu-lang, I just met with Zhi-Sha Palace Master." Fu Qingyang paused, "She requested it?" "Yes!" Zhang Yuanqing replied. "She invited me to meet and discussed several matters concerning the Xiaohou family." As she spoke, Zhang Yuanqing heard the subtle sound of Fu Qingyang suddenly tossing back the blanket and sitting up, followed by his serious tone: "Why did she nearly kill Xiaohou Tianwen?" Indeed, Fu Qingyang had also sensed something unusual—after all, Guan Ya could perceive it, and as a fellow scout, Fu Qingyang would surely be even more perceptive. Zhang Yuanqing didn’t delay, stating, “Zhishi Palace Master said that Xiahou Chi’s lineage is part of the Night Rose.” There was silence on the other end of the line, perhaps five or six seconds passed before Fu Qingyang spoke, and this time, his voice was profoundly serious: “Are you certain?” Zhang Yuanqing then relayed exactly what Zhishi Palace Master had said to Fu Qingyang. “She said this, but I can’t be sure whether it’s true; therefore, I’ve called you to report it.” Fu Qingyang said slowly, “There is indeed a strong presence of the Night Rose behind the fall of the Chu family. During that turbulent period, the military commander’s objective was a rule-type artifact belonging to the musician profession. The official response was delayed, and someone interfered with the message transmission—only members of the Wu Xing Alliance with substantial power could have achieved this.” Upon noticing the private connection between Hei Wuxiang and An Yan Po, Fu Qingyang contacted the elder council of the Fu family to gain a clearer picture of the incident. After the Chu family's downfall, the Five Elements Alliance became aware of An Yan Po's presence and carried out a covert internal purge. However, due to the embarrassment this caused to the official image, the matter was kept secret—discussed neither within nor outside the official circles—and thus, over twenty-one years, the newer generation of official agents had little to no knowledge of this past. "So it appears that An Yan Po not only has ties with Hei Wuxiang, but also collaborated with the Commander of the Army to bring down the Chu family." Zhang Yuanqing furrowed his brows. "This organization clearly has ambitious plans." With its members embedded within spiritual realm families and official institutions, the influence of An Yan Po is truly remarkable. Possessing such formidable strength yet remaining hidden all this time, the scope of its ambitions must be extraordinary. Fu Qingyang nodded in agreement with his subordinate's assessment, then said solemnly: "Besides me, to whom else have you spoken?" "I just received the news and reported it to the centurion immediately," Zhang Yuanqing replied. Fu Qingyang immediately said, "This matter must not be made public." From his tone, it seemed he was very satisfied with Zhang Yuanqing's response. "I understand!" Zhang Yuanqing then asked, "What plans does the centurion have for the Xia Hou Chi line?" Fu Qingyang gave a cold smile and said, "If you were a senior official of the Night Rose, and you learned that Xia Hou Tianyuan had been imprisoned, what would you do?" "I would closely monitor the situation. If there was a risk of exposure, I would take steps to eliminate him." Zhang Yuanqing thought for a moment. "I will hold Xia Hou Tianyuan securely under charges of disturbing public order, and then use a long-term strategy to catch the bigger fish. For now, I won't want to scare the hens by making a commotion," Fu Qingyang said, his tone now warm and reassuring. "You can rest assured—as long as I keep Xia Hou Tianyuan in my hands, neither Xia Hou Chi nor Xia Hou Xin will dare to retaliate against you. When I finally bring my net in, they Zhang Yuanqing exhaled a long breath—now, the matter of the Xiaohou family had come to an end. Fu Qingyang said, "We don't need to rush things just yet. There will be a major health check-up in a few days. I plan to first go through a preliminary screening and observe the official inspectors' reactions." "What's the major health check-up?" Zhang Yuanqing felt his heart sink, recalling the words the Magistrate had spoken: "I won't make it through the major health check-up!" Fu Qingyang explained: "The major health check-up is a welfare initiative by the upper echelons for organizational members, serving both as a health assessment and a monitoring mechanism. The physical component can detect and treat bodily issues, while the mental and psychological component evaluates emotional stability and character—acting as a mirror that exposes any decline. Anyone with hidden concerns will inevitably show signs." "Imagine if the hidden figures among the Night Rose never get uncovered, and instead, we end up exposing a Magistrate's descendant... Zhang Yuanqing's mind raced with a thousand stampeding horses of grass and mud. His instinctive thought was: It's your turn again, little comic relief! Yet, upon Later that day, he went back to ask Guan Ya about the large health check-up. Zhang Yuanqing then asked, "Captain, have there been any major combat instances recently?" Fu Qingyang shook his head, "Major combat instances tend to occur in the mid- and late-year; there won't be any in the near term." That's odd—how did the Master of Stopping the Kill rise to the rank of Sovereign if she hadn't been lying to me? After thinking for a few seconds, Zhang Yuanqing said, "Captain, I have no further questions." "Go rest now!" It was a rare moment when Fu's eldest son expressed genuine concern for his subordinates. "... In the same morning, in the presidential suite, the female assistant rose on time, took her morning routine, dressed neatly, and then turned the handle of the master bedroom door, calling the young lady to wake up. 'Click!' As the door latch released, she suddenly sensed that she had broken through some invisible barrier—gentle breezes stirred softly within the room. With the door open, the scene inside came into view. The young lady was suspended beneath the crystal chandelier by a slender, faintly visible red cord, dressed only in a modest girl's underwear and a slightly small bra, her delicate, pale figure strikingly visible. She was weeping softly as she gazed at the entering assistant. The assistant was stunned, gasping, 'Miss...!' She rushed forward, quickly untangling the fine, hair-thin red cord. 'Who did this? Who did this?' the assistant exclaimed, furious. " Xie Lingxi wiped away her tears and cried, "The Lady of Zhishi Palace came by. Brother Yuanshi wronged me, wuuu～" As she spoke in broken sentences, the female assistant listened carefully and understood: at dawn, the Lady of Zhishi Palace had visited this place, apparently having scolded the lady for revealing her family secrets to outsiders, and had then suspended her for a good beating. The assistant thought to herself, Well, well, just a good beating—nothing serious. When she first saw the lady completely naked, she had almost thought that a flower thief had broken in and taken her virginity. If the family held them accountable, she would have to commit seppuku. ... A wonderful music hotel. Wang looked down upon his three companions with an air of superiority and said solemnly, "From this angle, you all look quite impressive." The three companions exchanged sympathetic glances. Wang paused, then hesitated, asking, "The Lady of Zhishi Palace has already left—could you possibly set me down?" The companions looked up at him, each shaking their heads in unison, "We think this angle is equally wonderful when you're viewed from it." “……” …… After returning home, Zhang Yuanqing dozed off for a while until he was woken up by his grandmother’s knock at the door. He put on his shoes and went to the living room, where his cousin and aunt, both on night shifts, were sitting at the dining table, looking listless and hungry. Chen Yuanjun pinched his brow, gazing at his cousin with a sigh: “You must’ve stayed up all night playing games again. I couldn’t sleep, but you could—yet you didn’t.” Not at all, I also wanted to sleep, but I couldn’t—outside it’s bright and sunny, the perfect time to rest… Zhang Yuanqing sighed. He was a night owl, yet he was being forced to be active during the day. Meanwhile, his aunt seized the opportunity to complain, speaking with a delicate tone: “Mom, your grandson played games all night long. Come and give him a good scolding.” Stupid woman, what did I do to you? Zhang Yuanqing exclaimed, “Mom, your daughter said she’s going to play games with me tonight until late.” His grandmother remained unmoved. After breakfast, Zhang Yuanqing returned to his room and summoned Xiao Doubi, asking him to climb around on his own. "The affairs of the Xiaohou family have been wrapped up and are no longer urgent, but this comprehensive health check has left me feeling uneasy..." "Also, it's time to start cultivating Xiao Doubi. Spirit servants and zombies are crucial combat tactics in the late stage of the Night God's cultivation. Right now, the spirit scrolls I control still can't produce zombies, so I need to strengthen Xiao Doubi first." He believed it was essential to cultivate Xiao Doubi—not only to enhance the intelligence of his spirit servants, but also to boost their overall strength. Before the third instance, his options for improving strength were limited. Consuming spirit bodies had become difficult to gain experience points, and pursuing upgrades by hunting evil-class professions was clearly impractical. Therefore, the only viable path was to cultivate his spirit servants to enhance his strength. Glancing at the baby spirits crawling around the gaming console, Zhang Yuanqing felt a bit stuck: "The problem is, we don't have the materials needed to craft spiritual servants..." Simply nourishing the spirit body with the essence of the Yin energy leads to slow growth and no improvement in quality. Therefore, materials are essential—different materials endow the spirit body with distinct traits, and the significance of the spirit scroll lies precisely in extracting the spiritual essence from the materials and bestowing it upon the spirit body. However, not every material can be used to craft a spiritual servant. There are two limitations: first, materials that are Yin-natured, and second, materials that harmonize well with the spirit body. The first is relatively easy to identify, while the second—whether a material truly resonates with the spirit body—is known only by the spirit itself. Xiao Doubi became a spiritual servant due to the influence of tools associated with the musician's profession; logically, its future development path may lean toward that career. "I don't know what material will suit Xiao Doubi's nature, nor what ability it will unlock. If he's of the type with boundless potential, then one day Xiao Doubi could fully step in to take his father's place." With this thought, Zhang Yuanqing felt a growing sense of anticipation. Yet the problem remained—he had no materials at hand, and he wasn't sure where to find them. "Indeed, I should go find Guan Ya. She knows more." Since becoming an official envoy, Zhang Yuanqing had developed the habit of consulting Guan Ya whenever there was something important, and simply relying on Lao Si Ji when things were routine. Guan Ya had always taken on the role of a teacher, guiding him in writing reports and introducing him to the fundamentals of the spiritual realm. So far, aside from not being willing to teach him deep squat exercises or demonstrate her chicken-tying skill, Guan Ya had been a very competent teacher. Wearing his mask and baseball cap, Zhang Yuanqing quietly stepped out and took a taxi to the Kengyang District Public Security Office, bypassing the administrative building and arriving at the glass building on the second floor. Guan Ya and Wang Tai were the only ones present—Guan Zhang Yuanqing kept making small talk with Wang Tai, then pulled over an office chair and sat down beside Guan Ya. Guan Ya immediately sensed something was up, leaned slightly, faced him directly, and smiled: "Move your gaze away from my chest—what's on your mind?" "Everyone says women with big chests aren't very smart. I'd like to know how you manage to be both." Zhang Yuanqing opened with the tone that Old Lady Ji always enjoyed. "How do you know this isn't just a pretense?" Guan Ya hummed with a touch of self-deprecating humor. "Then you're in trouble!" "Huh?" "Your child will one day angrily ask: 'Mom, is there still any milk that's truly safe out there?'" "Ha ha ha!" Guan Ya laughed so hard her chest shook. Having satisfied Old Lady Ji's preferences, Zhang Yuanqing moved on to the main point: "I hear a major health check-up is scheduled in a few days. I've never participated in anything like this before—what kind of tests are included? Please don't just say it's a full package—I'd like to get to the point." He believes that, given the potential issues among official personnel, at least fifty percent of them would be considered problematic if judged solely by the criteria of good versus bad. Guan Ya explained: "The evaluation is divided into two categories: one focuses on physical examination, and the other on mental assessment. "The physical examination can identify bodily illnesses and whether an individual is under control. The mental assessment is more complex. First, it checks for mental health and any psychiatric conditions—this step is carried out using specific tools. "Next comes the lie-detection process, which varies in content. Sometimes it involves inquiries about moral standing or reputation, while at other times it directly asks whether the person has betrayed the organization. "Finally, there is a direct questioning session, where a high-ranking scout presents questions and engages in face-to-face dialogue. Based on your responses, he will conduct a detailed analysis of your profile." "As for lie detection, I should be able to pass; mental evaluation is probably fine too—my mind's in good shape. The senior scout, however, is a bit puzzled—uncertain whether to approach the steward or the elders. Zhang Yuanqing then asked, 'After I reach level 2, I'd like to gather some negative materials for experiments, but I'm not sure how to obtain them.' Guan Ya immediately replied, 'There are two options. First, submit an application to the organization and select materials from their inventory. Based on your merits and rank, you'll receive certain discounts—very cost-effective. Second, head to the black market. There are several black markets in Songhai, formed by civilian organizations and wild spiritual realm travelers. Official scouts sometimes also visit.' 'Does our branch allow black markets?' Zhang Yuanqing asked. 'Not officially allowed, but tolerated. Markets naturally emerge whenever there's trade—prohibitions often fall short. A classic example is drug trafficking and human trafficking.' "Guan Ya said, 'So the department has allowed the black market to exist, but only those with a certain official background or connections can establish it—ensuring it remains under control. Our "Wrestling Champion" team leader from Kangyang District is actually the head of the black market here.'" Zhang Yuanqing nodded, thoughtfully, and decided to visit the black market. While materials from the department's inventory offer a good discount and are more cost-effective, they are officially logged upon withdrawal. Anyone who knows what they're looking for would immediately notice the materials Zhang Yuanqing selected—indicating his intention to craft a spiritual servant. Zhang Yuanqing didn't want people to know he was working on a spiritual servant yet, especially since Yuan Ting's questions about him had only been a little over twenty days ago. "I'm going to the black market," he said. "Then I'll take you there after work," Guan Ya replied. Old Si Ji is really thoughtful... Zhang Yuanqing nodded, then heard Guan Ya clear her throat and said seriously, "Shortly after, the deputy shangzheng and another colleague will be coming over." "Really that fast?" Zhang Yuanqing was surprised. "Didn't Guan Ya glanced sideways with a smile: "They've heard about your determination to go against the Xiahou family to rescue the hostage, and they admire you greatly. So they've decided to come earlier."