"Got it!" Zhang Yuanqing nodded verbally, yet his mind wandered to the phrase "a man who fails as a father," and recalled Master Wúhén, the one who had taken him under his wing in order to redeem himself. The "Evil Outcast" sought self-renewal—while the orderly profession could act out of personal grudges, even harming innocent commoners. Ah, how often is it that purity of virtue and malice found in the world? Human nature itself is inherently complex... Now Zhang Yuanqing truly grasped Li Dongze’s words: "Orderliness does not equate to benevolence." As for the attitudes at the division level—though the Master of Zhishake Palace acted out of self-defense, rather than initiating conflict—and despite causing losses and even casualties, her arrest was indeed a justified decision. How to penalize remains a matter for future discussion; Zhang Yuanqing would not judge it yet. But regarding the punishment imposed upon the Xiaohou Family—well, that was exactly what he had anticipated. On one hand, the Xiaohou Family is an established noble lineage within the Spirit Realm, with deep roots and substantial influence. It’s unlikely the official body would fracture relations with such a prominent family simply over the lives of several ordinary individuals. Sometimes, those in higher positions only see the grand picture—while overlooking the individual struggles on the ground. On the other hand, the Xiaohou Family maintains intricate ties with the official organization. The organization itself is diverse and fragmented, filled with competing factions—both good and bad. One cannot simply categorize them as "good" or "bad." Each faction pursues its own interests. If one must assign a single concept to represent the official body overall, it is not justice or benevolence—it is rather Orderliness. These insights Zhang Yuanqing had already clearly understood when he was a child, listening to his Grandfather at home passionately denounce the corrupt former Commissioner of Public Security. In sum: A family deeply embedded within the official structure naturally receives favorable treatment. Guan Ya smiled with satisfaction upon seeing him nod—Yuan Shi is no mere rookie; she’s polished and worldly, which will serve her well in institutional settings. Then Li Dongze stepped forward. "Did Guan Ya tell you about this?" "Chief," Zhang Yuanqing immediately replied. "It's yours now." Li Dongze smiled warmly: "I and Guan Ya will step in to shield you from any accusations of breach of decorum—selling information is not the mark of a gentleman, after all—and the grievances between the Xiaohou Family and Zhishake Palace are entirely outside our purview. We do not wish to become involved." He held up his walking stick, clarifying the stakes: "Zhishake Palace’s motto is ‘to end war through battle, to halt death by killing’—very one-sided. Should you betray them today, they will certainly retaliate tomorrow. The Xiaohou Family may not be able to step in as a buffer." "I understand," Zhang Yuanqing nodded. Li Dongze glanced at Wang Tai, who was bent over his work, and said: "Yuan Shi, come to my office—I’ll update you on the progress of the Black Unusual Case." Wang Tai wasn’t part of the investigation team—by protocol, he couldn’t be mentioned directly in front of him. That’s the real business... Zhang Yuanqing immediately rose, following behind Li Dongze. The two entered the office one after another; Zhang Yuanqing closed the door behind them and Li Dongze walked straight to his desk, pulling out a stack of documentation from the drawer. "Any Coke?" Li Dongze opened the wine cabinet. With my current net worth of 650,000, I should be drinking Château Lafite ’82… Zhang Yuanqing nodded: "Less ice!" Li Dongze shrugged, dropped a few ice cubes into the glass, poured the Coke and whiskey, then returned to the sofa. "Remember the list you provided last time?" "Yes!" "We’ve matched those names with real-world identities. During this period, we’ve arrested one person and killed two others—the latter included one who serves under the King of Wu Gu." The King of Wu Gu was another Vice President—rival of Guan Ya’s organization. How swift the Five Elements Alliance has been! In such a short span, they’ve already secured three Wu Gu Masters from the Spirit Realm Organization. Zhang Yuanqing now, no longer a novice, understands how difficult it is to locate Spirit Realm Pilgrims amidst the vast population. If the opponent also had tools like the Mask Ring, the situation would be utterly unsolvable. The fact that the official body has managed to kill three Wu Gu Masters in such a short time indicates they are truly committed—no longer just making symbolic efforts. Li Dongze sipped his stout: "Following up on spiritual inquiries, we’ve uncovered useful leads—the Black Unusual is stationed in Songhai, and appears to have other intentions." Other intentions… Zhang Yuanqing nodded thoughtfully: "Indeed, I’ve long wondered—had I been the Black Unusual, with both official forces and the Wu Gu King actively seeking me out, why wouldn’t I relocate? What could be the reason behind the Black Unusual’s choice to remain in Songhai?" Li Dongze shook his head: "This may only be known to the Black Unusual personally. But we can reverse-engineer this insight—what makes the Black Unusual willing to endure such significant risk and stay committed in Songhai? It must be something of profound importance, one that rivals even life itself." Zhang Yuanqing frowned: "At present, wouldn’t the most urgent action for him be to accept the legacy of Guan Ya’s Office—the inheritance from the Eyes of Judgment?" Ah, what is the rank level of the Black Unusual? "Sixth level—peak of the Sage Realm." The Wu Gu Masters are among the strongest combat professionals. A sixth-level Wu Gu Master may not be able to match a seventh-level Orderly Profession in hand-to-hand combat, yet they would still surpass them significantly in capability. That means unless a senior-level figure steps in, it will be extremely difficult to handle this Black Unusual. Zhang Yuanqing sighed internally—how is Bing Brother making things so difficult? With only his second-level Night Wandering Deity status, even one finger of the Black Unusual’s can crush him. Li Dongze then passed over the file: "Please take a look." Zhang Yuanqing opened it—the document was an individual profile. A man on a one-inch photo, about thirty years old—slender-faced, with sharp eyes and sword-like eyebrows, lips pressed together—immediately conveying a sense of keen intensity. "Spirit Realm ID: Unimpeded… Real name Zhu Jingyao… Third-level Wu Gu Master… Convicted financial offender, former employee at a securities firm, used his position to obtain improper benefits…" Zhang Yuanqing read aloud: "I remember this person—on my list." Li Dongze nodded: "Yesterday, the Green Vine Captain of the Bǎi Huā Association received intelligence indicating someone had seen Zhu Jingyao in Kangyang District and then disappeared. Currently, he is being managed by our Kangyang Branch team—and is one of our immediate targets." Unfortunately, no DNA profile has been obtained—otherwise, the Divine Object could have resolved everything… Zhang Yuanqing lamented internally. But having a clear target is better than being completely directionless. "Knock! Knock!" The glass door was tapped twice—the voice of Guan Ya came through: "Chief, members from the Xiaohou Family have arrived." Li Dongze and Zhang Yuanqing exchanged glances—Zhang Yuanqing folded the file; Li Dongze said firmly: "Please let them in." A few seconds later, Guan Ya led two men into the office. One was a middle-aged man dressed in formal attire, with neatly trimmed hair and upright posture—dignified and alert. His features were decent, though his eyes were relatively small. The other was a young man aged between twenty-four and twenty-five, wearing a white shirt with the collar slightly open and sleeves not tucked into his waist—free-spirited and relaxed in demeanor. His appearance resembled that of the older man somewhat—but more refined and handsome, with long Korean-style hair, messy yet elegant, complemented by silver ear studs—a stylish, nightlife-attractive type who draws attention from women at social gatherings. "Allow me to introduce myself—Xiaohou Xin," said the middle-aged man, "this is my son, Xiaohou Tianyuan." "Welcome, welcome!" Li Dongze waved his eyebrows and smiled widely: "Mr. Xiaohou, please sit!" He shook hands warmly with both men, guided them to chairs, and asked Guan Ya to serve hot tea. Xiaohou Xin waited patiently for the tea to be served, then said: "Li Chief, I’m sure you know our purpose—Zhishake Palace’s conduct has been excessively harsh, nearly killing my son. This injury cannot go unaddressed. We have identified Wang Tai, a doctor at Pingta Hospital—who is also a member of Zhishake Palace—and he had already fled when we arrived for the arrest. According to records, this individual was one of your key informants. I hope Li Chief would kindly facilitate in bringing him out—our family will certainly offer our sincere gratitude." Zhishake Palace’s Master has been particularly harsh on Xiaohou Xin’s son? Zhang Yuanqing recalled that from Xie Lingxi—the son was the eldest and most esteemed child of the Xiaohou Family. So, this Xiaohou Xin clearly holds a high position. At this moment, he found himself taking in the details of the middle-aged man more carefully. Then he noticed—Xiaohou Tianyuan, the younger man, glanced at him with some condescension. "This…," Li Dongze smiled gently but felt helpless: "It’s true that Zhishake Palace’s Master treated Xiaohou Tianwen—the young lord—with such severity, which is indeed quite excessive; I can only say it was a great loss. But after last night’s confrontation, the Zhishake Palace is now in disarray—how could they possibly be deceived? As for me, I simply lack both the strength and the leverage." Xiaohou Tianyuan looked at Zhang Yuanqing again with growing displeasure: "This isn’t difficult at all. Just send a message to Wang Qian—say that someone within the Five Elements Alliance has reservations about the Xiaohou Family—and inquire whether Zhishake Palace would like assistance. First, show goodwill and establish rapport—to draw them out. If you don’t know how, then simply hand me your Smartphone." Once connected with Wang Qian, they have numerous options to extract the information from him—what’s currently missing is someone capable of engaging in a meaningful conversation with him. Li Dongze sighed: "Alright, I’ll be straightforward—I truly regret it. We do not wish to interfere in the grievances between the Xiaohou Family and Zhishake Palace. We are genuinely sorry we cannot assist." "What did you just say?" Xiaohou Tianyuan looked utterly stunned. The Xiaohou Family has already identified several members of Zhishake Palace—Kangyang Branch being one of them. In Xiaohou Tianyuan’s view, such a relatively modest unit should be fully responsive to the family's demands and even seek favor. It wasn’t that he was overbearing—simply, within the Five Elements Alliance, there are countless such units, and how many noble families like the Xiaohous exist across the country? This is akin to a municipal management team refusing an official-backed corporation. Guan Ya rolled her eyes: "Don’t you understand? Shall I translate this into foreign language?" "Me?" Xiaohou Tianyuan’s face reddened—when had it become acceptable for a junior staff member to speak to him like that? In front of him, being attractive didn’t grant any privilege. Xiaohou Xin observed Guan Ya, used his gaze to calm his son’s rising anger, and spoke sincerely: "This matter is very significant for the Xiaohou Family—Li Chief, I would kindly request you to agree to our request." Though he said “Li Chief,” his eyes were clearly directed toward Guan Ya. Li Dongze looked deeply troubled—the position of a Chief was already at its limit when declining once; should he decline again, it might result in real pressure. This moment called for Guan Ya’s personal influence. "What connection does the Xiaohou Family have with us?" Guan Ya glanced at the father-son pair across the table: "If this is important to the Xiaohou Family, do we then have to assist? Then when Zhishake Palace retaliates against my colleagues—will they come forward to protect them for 24 hours straight? Or will they simply use their family influence to pressure us and treat our staff as mere tools? A sincere offer of 'considerable gratitude' is all it takes—they expect us to take risks. To extract Wang Qian, yes—we can do that—but offer ten Divine Objects in return." "Are you serious?" Xiaohou Tianyuan laughed incredulously: "What kind of divine objects are those? Are you expecting me to survive such a demand?" Guan Ya gave a sharp, mocking smile: "Just one more word—then I’ll shoot you dead with my pistol." Xiaohou Xin fixed his gaze on the furious son with firm authority, and said quietly: "Thank you for your visit!" Xiaohou Tianyuan stood in surprise at his father’s words. Xiaohou Xin calmly rose and stepped out of the office. Xiaohou Tianyuan gave a fierce stare to Guan Ya before following after him. Li Dongze exhaled slowly, stood up, stretched—his expression relaxed: "Alright—that’s that. These noble families are indeed difficult to manage…." He added quickly with graceful deference: "Within the system, one constantly faces such situations. Compromise and water-downings are truly the highest principles in institutional life." Chief, you don’t need to explain these points to me—Xiaohou Family isn't that aggressive, is it? Or perhaps Guan Ya’s background holds deeper influence? Zhang Yuanqing realized he might have underestimated Lao Si Ji. Anyone with a clear view would notice that Xiaohou Xin—the core of the Xiaohou Family—clearly respects and fears Guan Ya. The Chief—who appears so steady—is really just standing behind Guan Ya’s back in quiet strength. And I didn’t recall there being any family named Guan within the Spirit Realm families—at least, not before now. Ah yes—that is, Guan Ya holds a Spirit Realm ID, but her real name is different. "Oh," Zhang Yuanqing sighed, half-jokingly and half-testing: "Now that I compare myself to Xie’s son—perhaps I’d rather become the husband of the Guan family." Guan Ya didn’t respond immediately; she studied him carefully, then murmured: "You’re too young—you simply are not yet mature enough." Zhang Yuanqing was undaunted: "You haven’t seen me yet—how can you know I’m young?" "Then go—I’ll show you." "Come on!" "Go on!" Li Dongze held his walking stick, slightly shaking his head—neither of these two had ever dated a boyfriend or girlfriend; their real strength lay entirely in their words. Zhang Yuanqing had lunch at the office and, by one o’clock in the afternoon, considering he still had a professional course scheduled later, took her double backpack and left the police station. She then rode a shared bicycle, moving slowly toward campus. Just past the traffic light, a black sedan sped up, forcing her to stop on the roadside. On the back seat of that black sedan were Xiaohou Xin and his father.