Realm Walker

Two days later, a luxury stretched SUV pulled up outside Tang Hospital. Tang Hospital was a Hundred Flowers Society property and one of the top private hospitals in Songhai. It had been selected as the venue for the Official Full Inspection.

The SUV's electric door slid open, and Jiang Jingwei leaped out first, her red hair dancing like flames.

"Jingwei, slow down! Remember to be elegant at all times. There are many colleagues watching," Li Dongze chided as he stepped out after her, leaning on his cane.

The weather was growing hotter by the day, but the elegant squad leader still wore his usual ensemble: black suit jacket, white dress shirt, and dark vest. His only concession to the heat had been removing the jacket. His two neat strips of mustache were trimmed to perfection.

Zhang Yuanqing ducked out next, flashing a grin as he turned back and extended his hand like a gentleman offering an escort. "Come, Lady Guan. Take His Majesty's hand."

Guan Ya shot him a playful glare, then broke into a smile and laid her hand atop his, letting him help her down from the van.

Ahead of them, Li Dongze leaned on his cane and watched the scene in silence. As squad leader, he didn't approve of office romances, but he had no real grounds to object. He was only a squad leader, after all, not a parent.

Well, by age he was certainly old enough for Yuanshi to consider him an elder, but the twenty-seven-year-old Guan Ya would probably have to call him big brother.

Li Dongze shook his head slightly. That cradle she's robbing...

Zhang Yuanqing released Guan Ya's hand and turned to peer into the van at Teng Yuan.

"Squad Leader Teng, when are you coming back to work?"

Both Jingwei and Teng Yuan had been recalled in the wake of the full inspection. Attendance was mandatory, with no exceptions and no approved leave requests. Unless one was inside a dungeon. Or dead.

Teng Yuan pushed his glasses up his nose, radiating the energy of a man who had given up on life. "Why would anyone willingly go to work? Life is short. We should savor it, not waste our finite time earning money and fighting, even if the stated purpose is maintaining order."

He's hopeless, Zhang Yuanqing thought. This salted fish was beyond saving.

He said nothing more and followed Li Dongze and the others inside. They passed through the outpatient and emergency buildings as they headed deeper into the complex. The crowds thinned, the surroundings grew quieter, until finally Squad Two stopped before a small building tucked behind a screen of trees and shrubs.

Two guards in formal attire flanked the entrance, their backs ramrod straight and their expressions severe. They were official Walkers who had already passed their own inspections.

Li Dongze led his squad forward and presented their credentials. Once everything checked out, the group filed inside.

The first floor lobby was spacious and open, packed with over twenty people, all members of official Walker squads from Kangyang District. They were familiar faces, every one of them.

Tang Guoqiang, White Dragon, Green Vine, Champion Fist, and the other captains had gathered in a cluster, conversing in low voices. Their subordinates milled about in smaller groups, chatting and laughing. The women among them let out bright peals of laughter now and then.

Zhang Yuanqing even caught snippets from several female colleagues.

"I heard Squad Two's Yuanshi Tianzun is coming today."

"I can't wait! That girl Call Me Queen said on the forums that he's really handsome, and Captain Green Vine said he's quite the catch too."

Beyond the Walkers awaiting their examinations, a dozen or so guards in formal attire were posted at strategic positions, covering the windows, the stairwell, and the front door.

So the plan is to nab any moles the second they're found, Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself, feeling a twinge of guilt.

Big Muscle spotted the newcomers first, turned, and broke into a booming grin the moment he laid eyes on Zhang Yuanqing. "Well, well! Our great hero Yuanshi Tianzun has arrived!"

The Fire Sage's massive voice carried across the entire ground floor lobby.

Yuanshi Tianzun? The buzzing hall fell silent in an instant, and every head swiveled toward the entrance in unison.

In that single moment, Zhang Yuanqing felt dozens of gazes land on him, some scrutinizing, some appraising, some carrying secret delight, some brimming with approval.

He was taken aback by the sudden, unexpected glare of attention. They recognized me, just like that? Am I really that eye-catching, that impossible to miss?

He glanced sideways at his squad leader, stroking his mustache, then over at the bespectacled Teng Yuan with his vacant stare, and then at Wang Tai, whose expression was equally lifeless.

Oh. He just looked good by comparison.

"He really is handsome. And so young too. A total puppy."

"He can't be much older than his early twenties, right? That's nice. Guys that age have the most stamina."

Green Vine whipped her head around and shot a glare at her female subordinates. What a bunch of shameless little hussies.

Wood Demons had the most complex temperaments of any class. They could be aloof, proud, gentle, and passionate. Some possessed an overwhelming vitality and a fierce drive to propagate, especially in spring. All that, combined with the bewitching beauty and willowy figures that naturally came with being of that class, meant many female Wood Demons were notorious social butterflies within the organization. Years ago, official Walkers had even come to blows over them, their jealous feuds tanking the Transcendent-tier Wood Demons' reputation across the entire Five Elements Alliance.

After silencing her subordinates with a look, Green Vine approached Squad Two with a smile. "Yuanshi, you've become the idol of every girl in the Songhai Branch."

White Dragon studied him and sighed. "I hear you're already Level 3? I don't think I could recruit you anymore. Why not just join my squad? I'll hand the captain's seat right over."

Nearby, Li Dongze couldn't help but marvel at the exchange. Just over a month ago, this lot had been scheming behind his back to poach the talent he'd uncovered. Now, they'd been reduced to begging the man to take their position.

"Captain White Dragon, you flatter me. I'm far too inexperienced to be a captain," Zhang Yuanqing replied modestly.

Big Muscle clapped him hard on the shoulder, brimming with pride. "You killed Li Xianzong! What's a little captaincy compared to that? Kid, you've really done the Songhai Branch proud!"

As they were talking, the door to the examination room on the left swung open, and a middle aged man emerged with a decidedly unpleasant expression.

"From that look on your face, I assume you've gotten some bad news about your health," a companion said, walking up to him.

The man waved him off hastily, his expression deeply secretive. "Don't ask, don't ask."

Not far away, Guan Ya leaned close to Zhang Yuanqing's ear and whispered, "Deficient kidney function."

Her warm, fragrant breath tickled his earlobe, sending a tingle cascading across his skin.

He rubbed his ear and murmured back, "How do you even know that? Oh, right, you're a Scout. Sis Guan Ya, there doesn't seem to be much equipment in here. How do they examine people?"

The first stage of the Official Full Inspection assessed a Walker's physical health. Spirit Realm Walkers could still fall ill, after all. They were carbon-based life forms like anyone else.

"For the physical portion of the inspection, all our Songhai Branch needs is a single instrument called the Divine Physician Scanner," Guan Ya explained. "It's a high level Musician-class item. It scans your entire body with a special type of light and can detect any condition, any illness at all, including any case where someone is being controlled by a special ability. It can detect those too."

Understanding dawned on Zhang Yuanqing. Being controlled by a special ability... No wonder Demon Lord said he wouldn't pass the full inspection.

The Fallen Holy Grail's power was evil and terrifying, but it wasn't subtle. It couldn't evade this kind of scan. He found himself eager to experience this stage firsthand.

His old headache ailment had always been a source of dread. Before becoming a Spirit Realm Walker, he'd lived in constant fear that one day the medication would stop working and that would be the end of him. His mother, tough and driven, had dragged him to every major hospital she could find, yet none of them had been able to pinpoint the cause.

The wait dragged on. One by one, the official Walkers ahead of them emerged from the examination room and headed upstairs for the second stage.

—Li Dongze!

A voice called from inside the examination room.

It was finally Squad Two's turn.

Li Dongze leaned on his cane and looked back at his subordinates with an elegant smile. "If none of you mind, perhaps we could all go in together. I think being examined as a group could help us get to know one another better. And as your squad leader, I have an obligation to be aware of your health. This isn't mandatory, of course. If you prefer privacy, feel free to stay out here."

With that, he took his cane and strode into the examination room.

Zhang Yuanqing, who'd been curious for ages, followed immediately. Jiang Jingwei didn't hesitate, bounding in after him, eager to join the fun. Guan Ya frowned slightly, wavered for a moment, then trailed in after the two of them. As for Teng Yuan and Wang Tai, the pair had no strong feelings either way and simply drifted along.

Inside the examination room, Zhang Yuanqing got his first look at the Divine Physician Scanner. It was a cylindrical instrument that stood waist-high, resembling an oversized, elongated charging station. Its metal base and body were painted white, and a screen was set into the curved surface. A cable extended out from the main unit, ending in a T-shaped scanning wand.

A female doctor in a white coat sat behind a desk. She swept a glance over the group that had entered and asked, "Which one of you is Li Dongze?"

Li Dongze propped his cane against the wall and sat down at the desk. "That would be me."

The doctor gave a curt nod without so much as acknowledging Zhang Yuanqing and the others. She picked up the scanning wand and aimed it at Li Dongze's forehead.

After a couple of beeps, the wand's yellow warning light flickered on, and a thin red beam projected onto the squad leader's forehead.

The machine announced the results of the scan in a mechanical voice. "Beep beep. Beginning diagnosis... Condition detected: erosive gastritis. Recommended course of action: maintain a regular diet, abstain from alcohol, and avoid spicy food. Diagnosis complete!"

Li Dongze rose with a sigh. "My stomach has always been a problem. But giving up alcohol is simply too difficult."

The doctor checked her computer screen. "Jiang Jingwei!"

Her list was ordered by date of enlistment.

"Me, me, me!" Jingwei shoved past Li Dongze and dropped into the chair., and the doctor raised the wand to her forehead.

"Beep beep. Beginning diagnosis... No conditions detected. Enlarged stomach. Intelligence is slightly below average. Recommended course of action: avoid binge eating. Diagnosis complete!]

An awkward silence hung in the room.

Zhang Yuanqing barely stifled a laugh. "Slightly below average?" That busted machine actually has some tact. Shouldn't it have said "drastically?"

The doctor regarded Jingwei with a look of pity and offered some consolation. "Your body's in good shape, young lady. Your stomach's enlarged, but that's not really an illness. Every Fire Sage has an oversized stomach.

"Next up, Guan Ya."

Zhang Yuanqing perked up instantly.

"Beep beep. Beginning diagnosis... No conditions detected. Your body is exceptionally well maintained. Keep it up. Diagnosis complete!"

Guan Ya glanced at Zhang Yuanqing and flashed a confident smile. Young Spirit Realm Walkers generally had excellent health.

Next came Teng Yuan. The old salted fish was in fine shape too, aside from severe nearsightedness.

Wang Tai, on the other hand, had a laundry list of ailments: fatty liver, hemorrhoids, endocrine disorder, and more. Scholars received minimal physical buffs at the Transcendent-tier. Wang Tai could hold his own among ordinary folk, but within the Walker community, he was dead weight.

"Yuanshi, you're up!" Li Dongze called.

Zhang Yuanqing stood rooted to the spot. He drew a deep breath, a flicker of tension crossing his face.

"Hurry up, hurry up!" Jiang Jingwei urged. "Let me see if there's something wrong with you!"

Guan Ya smiled serenely. "Relax. You won't have deficient kidney function. I'm an excellent judge of character."

Zhang Yuanqing walked to the desk and sat down, spine straight.

The doctor in her white coat repeated the same procedure, lifting the scanning wand and aiming it at his forehead.

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