Realm Walker

Yuanshi Tianzun was a member of Kangyang District's Squad Two. He might not live in Kangyang District, but of everyone she could reach, he was the only one who could scramble there in time.

Night Wandering afforded him stealth capabilities, making him an ideal candidate for the job. But Yuanshi Tianzun was an official Walker. He would never willingly clash with his own people. Was there any way to pull this off without a direct confrontation?

Still, sitting around theorizing was pointless. Better to lay out the situation and let him decide. Whatever the outcome, she would still owe him a favor after, and she could no longer refuse his invitation to join his guild.

With her racing, Xiao Yuan spoke in a tone that was calm yet edged with steel.

"Tell me the situation on your end," she asked the youth on the other end of the line.

—There are six of them. Three guarding the exits, the other three sweeping the nightclub hunting me. I'm wounded. All I can do is hide. They flashed official credentials and commandeered the club's security staff to help with the search.

There was a short pause.

—The nightclub is huge, so I can stay hidden for now, but not much longer. They've definitely notified the Public Security Bureau and other official Walkers. A full response team is probably assembling as we speak.

Once the officials locked the nightclub down completely, he was a dead man.

Xiao Yuan listened in silence, then offered him a warning in a cold, clipped tone. "Find a hiding spot and stay put. Buy as much time as you can. Set your phone to silent and keep your eyes glued to it. Someone may be reaching out to you."

—Xiao Yuan, do you have a way to save me?

"I have no idea yet. Depends on how tough your luck is."

She swallowed the curses rising in her throat and hung up. She opened her call history, found Yuanshi Tianzun's number, and dialed it.

—Well, well. Long night, huh? Did Auntie Xiao Yuan miss me?

His signature overfamiliar banter poured through the speaker, underscored by the blaring sound effects of either a TV show or a video game.

Sometimes she truly despised his presumptuous personality. He had unilaterally decided her role in his life. Auntie this, Auntie that. Would it kill him to call her "Sis" instead?

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yuan skipped the pleasantries and cut straight to the chase. "I sent someone to kill an enemy of ours tonight. An official steward. But it seems they were expecting us, and the ambush failed. My person is now trapped in Kangyang District, at the Red Dragon Nightclub on Baixing Road. Can you help?"

By the time she finished, the sound effects on his end had gone silent. Yuanshi Tianzun's voice came through, measured and serious.

—I need to know two things. First, what kind of grudge? Second, does 'help' mean rescuing your person, or killing someone?

He hadn't agreed outright, but Xiao Yuan caught the sound of shoes being taken off and put on in the background. Something stirred in her chest, and a note of genuine sincerity crept into her voice.

"It's a personal vendetta. It's too complicated to explain right now, but rest assured, my person isn't some bloodthirsty killer. I'm hoping you can help me get him out."

She followed up with a brief rundown of the situation, then added, "That's where things stand. Whether you help or not is your call."

If it was just a rescue, that was manageable. There was no way Zhang Yuanqing would help anyone fight official Walkers.

—Why not ask Master Wuhen to step in? he asked.

Sharp one, isn't he? Xiao Yuan thought with a sigh.

"Master Wuhen's philosophy is to forget the past and let go. Assassinating an official Walker already violates everything Master Wuhen stands for. Kou Beiyue... His name is Kou Beiyue. He never let go of his past. He went after the officials on his own. If Master Wuhen found out, he'd most likely expel the boy from the organization entirely. Why would he lift a finger to help?"

—I understand. I'll go get him out. I hope he's the good person you say he is. But please, don't pin your hopes on me."

"Whatever happens, thank you," Xiao Yuan replied softly.

***

There was no time for more. Zhang Yuanqing hung up, snatched his jacket off the table, and strode out of the bedroom.

He knew the Red Dragon Nightclub. Back when Songhai was still a glittering metropolis of excess, the kind of city where people snorted seafood off bathroom counters in karaoke joints, he had heard the name thrown around constantly.

For one, it was close to home—less than five kilometers away. It also had a legendary reputation as a place dripping with luxury. Supposedly, the girls and pretty boys on staff were absolutely top tier.

Back then, Zhang Yuanqing had just started high school. He used to fantasize about making it big someday and blowing stacks of cash while a line of gorgeous women danced Gangnam Style for his entertainment.

Years had flown by since then. Gangnam Style fell out of fashion, and the Red Dragon Nightclub had gone legit. The dreams of youth had a way of slipping through your fingers when you weren't looking.

Given the short distance, hailing a cab would be slower than running. By the time a ride showed up, he could already be there. He left the residential compound, pulled out his phone, punched in the nightclub's address for navigation, cranked the volume to max, and broke into a dead sprint. His top speed rivaled that of a car flying down the highway, and he tore through the empty streets at full throttle.

The GPS in his pocket barked continuous warnings. "You are exceeding the speed limit. Please slow down... You are exceeding the speed limit. Please slow down..."

Before long, the nightclub building came into view, blazing with garish neon. The place was enormous—three stories tall and shaped like a broad "U."

The front courtyard was packed with every kind of vehicle imaginable. The words "Red Dragon Nightclub" shone in eye-searing light overhead, the edges of the neon sign rimmed with strips of flickering, multicolored LEDs.

Zhang Yuanqing stopped and ducked behind the rear of a black Bentley. He pulled out his phone, killed the navigation, and tapped the phone number Auntie Xiao Yuan had sent him through the messaging app.

He started a call, then immediately hung up and switched to a text message instead: Tell me your exact location inside the nightclub. Xiao Yuan sent me to get you out.

In this situation, a phone call could easily become a death sentence. Texting was safer.

Roughly ten seconds later, a reply came through: I'm in the third to last private room on the second floor.

Zhang Yuanqing texted back: Hang tight!

He shut off the phone and turned his gaze toward the nightclub's entrance. The eyes of the Nocturnal Specter pierced the darkness, revealing four people in suits standing guard at the front door, looking like nightclub security. Out in the front courtyard, two more figures patrolled endlessly, both in plainclothes, one middle-aged, one younger. It was a tidy little setup that eliminated any chance of the target escaping by jumping from a window.

Sneaking in would be easy for him, but how would he get them out? Auntie Xiao Yuan's friend clearly didn't have any serious stealth abilities, or he'd have slipped away already.

Zhang Yuanqing's mind churned through options.

Sneak in and lend him the Disguise Ring? No. If I were the official team, I'd keep the nightclub locked down, wait for backup, then screen every single patron one by one. A disguise wouldn't get him past that, and if we're fighting our way out, the ring is useless anyway.

If we force our way out, things get complicated. There's a steward on the other side. One wrong move and the whole thing will blow up in my face. The rumors about Yuanshi Tianzun conspiring with Evil-class Walkers would spread like wildfire.

It was a tricky situation, but he had already decided to help. After all, it was a chance to build goodwill with Xiao Yuan. Also, if the person in question was an Evil-class Walker who genuinely leaned toward good, Zhang Yuanqing was happy to lend a hand. What he had told Xiao Yuan before hadn't just been sweet talk. He had meant every word.

That said, he would absolutely be getting the full story after this was over.

After a dozen seconds of deliberation, an idea surfaced. He would "disguise" himself, infiltrate the nightclub, then make a brazen break for the exits from the inside, creating the illusion of a cornered animal trying to smash through the perimeter. The officers outside would undoubtedly radio their teammates inside. Once those teammates came rushing out, he would lead them on a chase, drawing the tiger from its mountain. Xiao Yuan's friend could seize the opening and slip away.

Thought became action, and Zhang Yuanqing immediately fired off a message to Xiao Yuan: Send me a photo of the guy. Now!

A couple of seconds later, the picture arrived. Clearly, Xiao Yuan had been watching her phone like a hawk, tracking every development. Zhang Yuanqing opened his Inventory, retrieved the Disguise Ring, and slipped it on.

He studied the boy in the photo. He looked about sixteen, with pale skin, thick eyebrows, and eyes that blazed like stars. He was both handsome and fierce in equal measure.

Zhang Yuanqing's features rippled like water, shifting and rearranging until he wore the fierce young man's face.

He backed out of the messaging app and composed a text to the boy inside: Stay hidden. Wait for my signal. When I tell you to run, you bolt. Immediately.

He sent it, and without waiting for a reply, drew on the Power of the Dark Moon and activated Night Wandering. His body faded away inch by inch until nothing remained.

***

In the dim light, Kou Beiyue pulled out his phone and read the message with a furrowed brow. After a moment's thought, he realized what was going on. He's going to draw them away for me?

There were six official Walkers, one of them a steward. Could he actually pull that off?

Shock and doubt warred inside Kou Beiyue. Anyone capable of something like that had to be at least a Saint. Who was this person? One of Xiao Yuan's contacts in Songhai?

Music throbbed in his ears. Soft lamplight and the glow of a large screen TV seeped through gauzy fabric, casting faint, shifting patterns around him.

Kou Beiyue was hiding inside a girl's voluminous skirt.

He had bumped into her near the restrooms. Badly wounded and out of options, inspiration had struck. He'd charmed her on the spot and made her willingly serve as his living shield. Leveraging the Enchanting Demon's supernatural flexibility, he had folded himself beneath her skirt and followed her step by step back to her private room.

Soon after that, nightclub security locked down the doors, announcing that there had been a small incident in the venue and asking all guests to remain in their rooms and refrain from going outside.

The guests in the room had been drinking heavily and were in the middle of a good time, so nobody cared. As long as the music kept going, it was fine by them.

Kou Beiyue actually had one more card to play. He could charm the patrons into causing a scene, stir up chaos, and escape in the confusion. But at the Transcendent tier, it would take an excruciatingly long time for his Charm ability to manipulate a crowd of that size. The enemy would never give him that kind of window.

Just then, the door to the private room swung open and the lights snapped on. The singing stopped. The interrupted guests cursed and jeered.

"What the hell?"

"Who do you think you are, barging in here?"

The man in the doorway raised his voice. "I'm a public security officer. A fugitive was spotted entering this nightclub, and I need your cooperation."

Kou Beiyue couldn't see what was happening out there, but the grumbling died instantly.

Next came an exchange between the official Walker and the security staff.

"Has anyone left this room?"

"No."

"There are seven people in total here. The same number as when they arrived?"

"Yes. Already verified."

The Walker entered the room, his gaze sweeping over the occupants like a blade. "I need everyone to present their ID cards and state the name of the person next to them."

He inspected each guest's identification one by one, listening as they recited their companions' names. Then he noticed the young woman standing in front of the big screen, microphone still clutched in her hand. She hadn't budged a single step.

His eyes narrowed and he approached her slowly. "Let me see your ID."

The girl in the puffy skirt rolled her eyes. "I don't have it on me!"

The Walker sized her up, then said abruptly, "Step over to the couch."

She didn't move.

Alarm flared in the Walker's gut. He reached instinctively for his radio, about to call for backup.

Beneath the skirt, every muscle in Kou Beiyue's body coiled tight, a leopard ready to explode into lethal motion at a heartbeat's notice.

Right at that moment, the radio in the Walker's hand crackled to life, and an urgent voice blared through the speaker.

—He's broken out! He's outside! We need backup now!

Through the hiss of static came the unmistakable sounds of violent combat.

The Walker's face changed. He spun on his heel and sprinted for the exit.

Beneath the skirt, Kou Beiyue let out a breath of pure relief. Only one thought filled his mind: was Xiao Yuan's friend actually going head to head with six official Walkers?

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