Guan Ya was stunned. Her first reaction was doubt—she didn’t believe it. She opened the post and read it carefully. It described how Yuan Shi Tian Zun was unexpectedly attacked last night and died at home, with the cause of death still unclear. The details of the incident were not elaborated upon. However, experienced official messengers immediately grasped the implication. It was an assassination! An unclear cause of death and an unusual manner of passing—this had to be a covert attack. The official messengers from Songhai Branch, as well as those from other branches, were furious upon reading the post. They felt a deep sense of personal connection to their colleagues’ sudden deaths. "Who did it? The Spiritual Energy Association or the Xiaohou family? Are they challenging us, the Five Elements Alliance?" "It can’t be the Xiaohou family, can it? Yuan Shi Tian Zun has a B-level merit standing. Would the Xiaohou family go mad and launch an assassination against him? If they really did, the Council of Elders and the Alliance’s leaders would surely impose sanctions on them." "Are the Songhai Branch messengers all just incompetent?" How could we not protect even such a prodigy? I just checked the Taimei Forum—everyone was mocking us, saying the Wuxing Alliance couldn’t even keep its own people safe. "What does this have to do with us from Songhai? Are the people from Kangyang just incompetent?" "Died like this? That’s a real pity..." Guan Ya’s expression was pale. After reading several comments, she logged off, still unconvinced by the post. She simply opened her contact list and dialed Yuan Shi’s number. If he answered, she’d tease him—how could he still be alive after all that, if he wasn’t already dead? If he didn’t answer—if he didn’t answer… "Sorry, the number you dialed is off the hook. Please try again later!" Guan Ya’s face gradually lost color, one shade at a time. Her face grew ashen. She stood motionless for several seconds, then suddenly grabbed her handbag and rushed toward the staircase, her figure unsteady and hurried. She needed to go to Yuan Shi’s home to verify things personally. As Guan Ya stepped out of the glass building and was about to get into the car, she paused again—she suddenly remembered: Yuan Shi's cousin, Chen Yuanjun, was the head of the Public Security Team at the Public Security Bureau of Kangyang District. She immediately turned around, briskly pacing toward the Public Security Bureau building with her high heels. She turned away from the police headquarters, stepping into a quiet corner bathed in warm sunlight, took a deep breath, and dialed Fu Qingyang's number. "What's up!" Fu Qingyang's calm voice came through. "Where is Yuan Shi? Is he really dead?" Guan Ya spoke softly. After asking, she held her breath. "I set up a ruse—pretended to be dead for a few days," Fu Qingyang's voice remained as composed as always. "I've already informed Li Dongze. Since you're aware now, just go along with it." Guan Ya exhaled a long breath, finally relaxing completely. "Could I ask why?" "You're too junior to know," Fu Qingyang said evenly. Guan Ya gritted her teeth. "Must be because I used to get the lightest punches when I was a child." "I've got work to do. Just don't interrupt me unless necessary," Fu Qingyang hung up. The sunlight was bright and clear. Guan Ya put her phone away, her mood lifting as she walked toward the glass building. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, her delicate brows furrowing. Throughout the official circle, only she, Li Dongze, and Wang Tai knew Yuan Shǐ's true identity. Fu Qingyang had informed Li Dongze to collaborate, but had not mentioned her—his cousin sister... Fu Qingyang set down his phone, propping himself up on his elbow, his fingers crossed over his chin. His cousin sister clearly cared about Yuan Shǐ Tianzun in a way far beyond that of a typical colleague... In recent times, Guan Ya had often praised Yuan Shǐ Tianzun in front of him, highlighting his talent, potential, and sharp mind. Fu Qingyang had initially thought this was simply normal admiration. Indeed, it was. Yet he had quietly kept a watchful eye, always observing Guan Ya's attitude toward Yuan Shǐ. Just now, he noticed that his cousin sister's appreciation for the young man had risen another notch. That wasn't good at all. Fu Family simply wouldn't allow Guan Ya to marry a mere junior figure—her aunt's chosen spouse—whose family was capable of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Fu Family. From a different perspective, if this inspires her sister to strive for greater things, that would be a good thing. Hmm, Yuan Shi might not have been particularly fond of her... Suddenly, Fu Qingyang thought of a sentence: "Unlike me, who only likes black stockings and long legs, with a simple, understated taste." He gave a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. ... When Guan Ya returned to her office, she found Jiang Jingwei and Teng Yuan, the chief sergeant, speaking seriously. Upon seeing her approach, Teng Yuan pushed his glasses up his nose and said in a low tone, "I've heard about Yuan Shi's situation—he died for the organization, a public sacrifice. I believe his family deserves a pension." Jiang Jingwei also looked deeply saddened: "I didn't do enough to protect him." Guan Ya paused and asked, "Chief Sergeant, how much do you think would be appropriate?" Teng Yuan replied solemnly, "A modest amount—how does that sound?" Mad, really—no one will pay any attention to you... Guan Ya gave a small twitch at the corner of her mouth: "Just make sure you're happy. You can go ahead and submit "...Rarely taking time off to stay at home, and with no professional classes in the morning, Zhang Yuanqing slept soundly. When he woke up, he saw the little comic, now crawling around the room with his uncles' wallet perched on his head, entertaining himself. What a strange kid... He sighed. Thinking to himself, you've really found me some other treasures—either Aunt Li's underwear or Uncle Zhang's wallet. If this keeps up, the TV station will come to our house for an interview. The headline will read: 'Aunt Li's underwear is frequently stolen, Uncle Zhang's wallet often misplaced—Is this a distortion of human nature or a moral collapse? Tonight at 8 PM, join us as we explore the world of the eccentric nephew, Zhang Yuanqing!' In the living room, Aunt Li had already had breakfast and was neatly dressed, preparing to head out for work. Zhang Yuanqing was taken aback: 'Are you about to be late?' Aunt Li peered in, glanced toward the kitchen, and whispered: 'Hush! My impatient mother just scolded me. Don't bring up this topic—she'll start complaining again, and I'm already tired of it.' She overslept this morning, still tucked under the blanket with her bottom pressed against the mattress, sleeping all the way until 8:30, only to be jolted awake by her mother’s impatient bump. Zhang Yuanqing studied her aunt’s youthful, blossoming face, her eyes soft and gentle despite the pronounced under-eye circles—her beauty undiminished, instead radiating a delicate grace. "What were you doing last night?" Zhang Yuanqing criticized, as if accusing her. "Didn’t you take the opportunity to practice the great method of gathering yang energy to nourish yin?" Her aunt scoffed, lifting her fan-like fingers. "I’m practicing the *Yunnü Xinjing*!" Zhang Yuanqing replied, "Then I’ll have to break your *Yunnü Xinjing* with my twenty-year-long *Dagou Banjia* technique." They exchanged a few vigorous punches in the living room. Just then, Grandma burst out from the kitchen, roaring, "Get going—go to work already!" Jiang Yu’e wiggled her slender waist and slipped out the door. After a simple breakfast, Zhang Yuanqing returned to her room, took over the wallet from her "Come to think of it, Uncle Zhang—this guy's still a bit of a duffer—hasn't noticed the money's dwindling. In fact, he might not even know the wallet's gone. Watching Xiao Doudou climb out of the room, he turns his gaze back to the matter at hand. "If our operation three days from now succeeds, we'll indeed be one step closer to Black Unusual. But 'Heaven's Injustice' should have no idea where Black Unusual is hiding—what we'll find out after asking Ling will tell us that. "Fu Qingyang must also be aware of this. We just don't know what plans he has next..." At that moment, his phone chimes with a notification. It's not a message from Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn—S Zhang Yuanqing pulls out his phone to check. Last night, he had already removed Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn's SIM card. The sender: Xiao Yuan. The phone number linked to the mailbox was the one Zhang Yuanqing had arranged for his cousin to set up as an anonymous card. Of course, he wouldn't be foolish enough to use Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn's name when corresponding with Aunt Xiao Yuan. Zhang Yuanqing was energized, focused intently on reading the information: "The other vice president of the Spirit Energy Association, a subordinate of Gu Wu, has recently issued a reward on the Black Immortal and his subordinates at the black market. Gu Wu may have intelligence on the Black Immortal, but I haven't been able to obtain it. I've obtained the contact information for one of Gu Wu's subordinates. His Spirit Realm ID is 'Human Blood Bun,' and the contact details are... "Secondly, the reward list compiled by the Evil Professions was updated yesterday. On the Saint's List, Fu Qingyang and the Fire God are tied for first place. On the Extraordinary List, Yuan Shenshan, the official Traveler of the Songhai Branch, has been listed, ranking at the bottom. However, I heard that he has already passed away—likely because someone took his head payment after the list was updated. This information should be useful to you; you can relay it to your superiors. "Thirdly, Li Xianzong, a Level 3 Enchanted Influence Spirit of the Military Commander's Academy, recently single-handedly eliminated a Level 4 Saint from the Southern Branch of the With just this one battle, his standing has already earned him a spot among the top five of the Evil Professions before reaching the Transcendent Stage. The five thousand yuan seems a bit underwhelming—shouldn't Auntie consider compensating with some meat? Zhang Yuanqing mentally grumbled. Yet, after careful reflection, he felt the five thousand yuan was well spent. News of "Master Yuan Shi's death" had surfaced in the Evil Professions' black market hub, confirming that the information had been disseminated and giving his mission tomorrow a stronger sense of assurance. Moreover, he learned about the reward list—originally, it wasn't just official bodies issuing rewards; Evil organizations also published their own lists, targeting elite members of the Five Elements Alliance. His own consecutive victories over two S-tier Night-Wanderers had even earned him a spot on the list, though only briefly at the very end. Who's to say? I'll make it the top spot. He quietly quipped to himself. "The first piece of information can be well leveraged—though the 'blood-mutton' profession is adversarial, an enemy of an enemy can also become a friend. Regarding the name registry, I’ve been both in rivalry and alliance with the official authorities." Zhang Yuanqing has long been troubled by the issue of securing the registry, lacking a clear strategy. His initial plan had been to enlist the help of the Master of the Palace of Elimination. However, due to the disappearance of Black Immortal, no detailed plan could be formulated, leaving him feeling insecure. Now, he suddenly has a bold idea: perhaps, beyond relying on the external support of the Master of the Palace of Elimination, he can also ally with the official forces. He can stir up the waters. With the official authorities, the Night Rose, Black Immortal, and the King of the Gūs all focused on the Holy Cup, the resistance from the Master of the Palace of Elimination—whose status is master-level—would likely be minimal when she steps in to claim the registry. "Let's make an attempt to reach out to the King of the Gūs' people."