Realm Walker

Zhang Yuanqing fell into deep thought. When did my soul get injured?

Back in high school, he had followed the same routine every day. Going to class, doing practice problems at home... It was no different from any other ordinary student. How could his soul have sustained trauma?

While he sat there pondering, Bill Tarantino continued to speak. "Your mother visited many experts in the medical and pharmaceutical fields to treat your headaches. I was one of them. Well, I'm just a businessman and don't understand pharmacology, but Ante Pharmaceuticals has no shortage of specialists in that area. The medication had just been developed at the time. After I informed your mother of its effects, she decided to take the risk and try it. Thank God, your symptoms have improved."

Zhang Yuanqing pulled himself from his thoughts and asked carefully, "Who was the target market for this drug? What I mean is, you must have had a specific group in mind when you developed it. Were their symptoms the same as mine?"

Bill Tarantino folded his hands over his stomach and shook his head with a smile.

"We do have a target demographic, and this pill has been extremely popular among that group. Demand far outstrips supply. But I can't disclose any information about them to you. That's a trade secret."

The distinguished middle-aged gentleman paused, then added, "Of course, I am a businessman. If you're willing to pay for the information—"

Before he could finish, the blonde bombshell Annie, standing off to the side, let out a soft cough.

"—it will still not be possible," Bill finished, reversing course without missing a beat.

Annie smiled sweetly beside him. "Unless, Mr. Zhang, you can prove something to us. Your identity, for instance."

Zhang Yuanqing glanced at her. "Identity? What do you mean by that?"

The woman's smile was intoxicating and seductive. Every expression, every little gesture seemed designed to stir his most primal urges. It was the first time Zhang Yuanqing had ever encountered someone like her.

Annie smiled. "For example, you could tell us how you got your headaches. I don't mean the medical cause. I mean what happened to you before the symptoms began."

Zhang Yuanqing shook his head helplessly. "I'm sorry. I have no idea."

Annie nodded slightly. "Alright. I understand."

Zhang Yuanqing turned to Bill with a look of regret. "I was planning to pay ten million to purchase that information. What a shame."

What? Ten million? Bill Tarantino shot upright in his seat. "You know, I've always believed the biggest mistake in business is not leaving yourself a way back. I take back what I just said."

Zhang Yuanqing nodded calmly. "Once I've gathered the funds, I'll come find you again."

They exchanged a few more pleasantries before Zhang Yuanqing excused himself.

Bill Tarantino snapped his fingers, and Annie moved to the desk with practiced ease, taking a business card from its holder.

"I'll be on the mainland for quite some time," Bill said. "Here's my card. If there's anything you want to buy or sell, feel free to contact me. I'll give a fair and reasonable price based on the item's value."

Zhang Yuanqing accepted the card with a look of surprise. "But I don't know the first thing about the pharmaceutical industry, sir. I'm just an ordinary college student."

Bill shook his head. "My position at Ante Pharmaceuticals is only one of my identities. I'm a merchant at heart. My dream is to load up a pickup truck with goods and drive across the world, trading with people from every country."

And hang a loudspeaker off the truck blaring "trading feathers for candy"? Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help but mock him silently.

(TL Note: The term trading feathers for candy is referencing how long ago in the past, in a specific chinese town (Yiwu, Zhejiang), was filled with countless peddlers, exchanging for candy and coarse paper with effectively waste materials such as chicken feathers. Eventually, this livelihood turned into a symbol of entrepreneurial resilience, characterized by hard work and a willingness to go far and wide to build something. Thus ZYQ is being sarcastic here by juxtaposing his actions with this particular symbol of entrepreneurial spirit.)

As he took the card, Annie flashed a radiant smile. "I'll walk Mr. Zhang out."

***

Bill Tarantino watched the two of them leave, then rose and walked to the liquor cabinet. He poured himself a glass of whiskey, and had drunk most of it at a leisurely pace by the time his assistant Annie had returned.

Bill swirled the glass in his hand and sighed. "Selling simple intelligence for ten million. For people like us, that's a temptation that's nearly impossible to resist. It's not about the money. It's that a low-cost, high-reward transaction brings a pleasure that resonates from the depths of the soul."

Annie shook her head. "We can't reveal the existence of Spirit Realm Walkers to ordinary people. Those are the rules."

The Spirit Realm had never explicitly stated such a restriction, but every major organization and freelance Walker instinctively knew to conceal the existence of Spirit Realm Walkers.

It was the instinct of self preservation.

Over time, this unwritten understanding had solidified into an ironclad rule across all organizations.

Bill paused to consider. "So, did you test him? Is he a Spirit Realm Walker?"

As a profit-driven merchant, the fact that he had made time to meet an ordinary college student came down to two reasons. One was to give face to a business partner. The other was that injuries on the soul level should not have happened to an ordinary person. That meant Chen Shu's son was either a Spirit Realm Walker himself, or had once been caught up in a Spirit Realm Walker incident.

Annie laughed. "In the elevator, I used my charm on him. Sure enough, he fell for it. His hand kept caressing my backside the whole ride down. Based on the state of his spiritual energy, he's likely an ordinary person, though we can't rule out the possibility that he deliberately played along. Oh, I hope I used that turn of phrase correctly."

Bill gave a slight nod. "In any case, keep in contact with him. Building connections with local Spirit Realm Walkers on the mainland can only benefit us."

Annie nodded softly.

Bill finished the last of his drink and added, "Also, arrange a meeting with the president for me. Ask about her availability. This time, the guild's leadership has issued a direct order. We must bring the president back."

***

Standing at the foot of International Tower, Zhang Yuanqing tilted his head back and gazed up at the soaring building.

So the company that manufactures the small blue pills really is connected to Spirit Realm Walkers.

From the conversation in the office, he had already guessed that the "special group" Bill mentioned referred to Spirit Realm Walkers.

Ante Pharmaceuticals had developed the small blue pills to alleviate and treat spiritual trauma for Spirit Realm Walkers. It was similar to the Wood Demon's antidote pills, or the Life Essence produced by the Musician clans.

The difference was that these antidote pills and Life Essence were considered strategic resources, controlled substances that Freelance Walkers couldn't buy no matter how much money they had. In a nation governed by capitalism, however, the pills they developed were sold openly, available to all Spirit Realm Walkers and even ordinary people.

So that's why I could bring the pills into dungeons. It wasn't a bug. The pills belong to the Spirit Realm in the first place, crafted by Spirit Realm Walkers.

But when was my soul injured?

His headaches had started during his second year of high school, and there had been no reason for it. They had simply begun one day.

Back then I was just an ordinary high school student, and I'd never encountered the Spirit Realm, so how could I have sustained that kind of injury?

He could already rule out being specifically targeted. After thinking it through carefully, Zhang Yuanqing concluded the most reasonable explanation was that during his second year of high school, he had accidentally been caught in a conflict or experiment between Spirit Realm Walkers, and his soul had been damaged as a result.

The reason he couldn't remember anything was simple enough. He had never realized anything had happened in the first place. Spirit Realm Walkers operated through methods beyond ordinary perception. A normal person would have no way of noticing.

Just like Uncle, who still hadn't figured out why his wallet keeps getting thinner. It's a reasonable theory, but it doesn't explain why the scanner acted that way of its own volition... Forget it. One step at a time. No amount of brooding is going to produce answers right now. Speaking of which... Zhang Yuanqing stared down at his palm and let out a heartfelt sigh. Annie's backside felt incredible. So soft and springy. I think I know what her profession is now.

From the moment he'd met the devastatingly alluring Annie, he had suspected she was a Spirit Realm Walker. His reasoning was simple. His Excellency the Celestial Sovereign was now among the elite of the Transcendent tier, and no ordinary beauty should have been able to shake him. Yet that woman's every expression, every teasing glance, every coy smile made him keenly aware of the stirrings within his very DNA.

The sensations reminded him of the description of the Love and Desire class that Demon Lord had mentioned in his recordings, which had been revealed to him by the Cat King Speaker. Annie's supernatural allure matched that profession perfectly.

Women of the Love and Desire class really are irresistible. Any man with a pulse would want to sleep with them, unless he had zero biological needs. But that doesn't stop me from mocking the Demon Lord for it. Haha.

As for Bill's profession, based on their earlier exchange, Zhang Yuanqing guessed he probably belonged to the Void class, commonly known as Merchants.

Of course, his understanding of foreign professions was limited. The only two he was reasonably familiar with were Love and Desire, and Void.

By this time, the morning rush hour was winding down. The streets were sparsely dotted with office workers hurrying toward their offices. These were either the stubbornly late or those with connections, because it was already half past nine. Then again, some of them might have been clutching a subway delay slip, which explained their lack of urgency.

Zhang Yuanqing stood at the curb and dialed Kou Beiyue's number.

"I need your sister's name, and which Public Security Bureau handled her case," he asked when the call connected.

Kou Beiyue's spirits rose immediately, and he agreed without a moment's hesitation.

—Hold on. I'll text you.

That was easy. Didn't he even consider that this might expose his real identity? This kid might be even more naive than Jingwei. Zhang Yuanqing grunted in acknowledgement and hung up.

A few minutes later, he received Kou Beiyue's message.

His sister's name was Kou Yusi. Born in 1995. She had been twenty-six years old at the time of her death. The bureau that handled the case was the Shakou District Public Security Bureau.

Zhang Yuanqing read it over and dialed his cousin Chen Yuanjun. Professional matters called for professional people. He wanted to hear his cousin's opinion.

His cousin's voice came through the speaker.

—Yuanzi?

"Bro, let me ask you something. If I wanted to investigate an old case from two years ago, where the victim was imprisoned, abused, and sexually assaulted before being killed by a public security officer who used his authority to cover up the truth, how would I go about it?" Zhang Yuanqing asked.

This matter involved a steward-level Walker and the Public Security Bureau. It couldn't be handled the way they usually dealt with Evil-class Walkers, which was simply killing them and performing spirit communion.

Chen Yuanjun's voice grew heated.

—Investigate my ass! Any evidence that could be found has already been destroyed. And if the killer is a public security officer, the bureau's leadership will be the first to shut you down. There's no reopening such a case.

He paused to take a breath.

—Now, if someone with power wants to take down the killer, that's a different story. You can't touch a case like this without connections. Anything else? If not, I'm hanging up.

Between the financial company murder and the bureau chief's suicide, he had been swamped lately.

"Don't hang up. Just give me a few pointers. I'm not trying to collect evidence. I just want to understand the full picture of what happened." Zhang Yuanqing said.

Chen Yuanjun thought for a moment, then replied.

—If it were me, I'd start with the case files. Examine how the case was officially closed. If the victim suffered sexual assault and abuse, there would be obvious physical evidence—bruising, wounds, that sort of thing. That changes the nature of the case entirely. You can't just close it out without an explanation. In my experience, it was probably reported as a suicide. But a suicide wouldn't show signs of abuse, so the officers who processed the scene probably never took photos.

He paused a little to consolidate his thoughts, then began to explain in detail.

—The lack of crime scene photos is a massive hole. From there, I'd interrogate the officers who were assigned to the case...

Zhang Yuanqing listened as his cousin spoke at length, distilling the key information. It boiled down to two approaches. First, interview the victim's family, coworkers, and neighbors. Second, interrogate the officers who were involved.

Chen Yuanjun took a sip of water to wet his throat, then asked a question.

—Why the sudden interest?

"No reason. Got into an argument with some guy online and wanted to one up him," Zhang Yuanqing replied, tossing out a dismissive excuse and ending the call.

He then dialed the open-minded lady's number.

"Sis Guan Ya, can you do me a favor?"

He heard Guan Ya's laughter through the line.

—I don't handle the problems of teenage boys.

"Teenage boys handle those sorts of problems on their own. No outside help needed. But only you can solve this particular problem of mine," Zhang Yuanqing said, pivoting smoothly. "I need you to pull a case file from the Shakou District Public Security Bureau. A case from two years ago. The victim's name was Kou Yusi."

Hearing that it was serious, Guan Ya dropped the banter.

—Hold on.

About fifteen minutes later, Zhang Yuanqing received a text from her: I sent the file to your email. Tsk tsk, this case is a piece of work. Hard to believe a brother could be this much of a monster.

Zhang Yuanqing's eyes narrowed quizzically. He immediately logged into his email and downloaded the file. He spent half an hour reading through every detail, and by the time he finished, a nameless fury was burning in his chest.

The official conclusion of the Kou Yusi case was that she had been imprisoned, sexually assaulted, and abused. The suspect identified by the Public Security Bureau was the victim's own brother, Kou Beiyue. After the incident, the suspect Kou Beiyue fled, and remained at large to this day.

I remember Kou Beiyue said he didn't actually die back then. Instead, he gained a Character Card from the experience and became an Enchanting Demon. Chi Yue'an had to have known Kou Beiyue couldn't come forward to defend himself, so he dumped all the blame on him.

Was that what this was? Killing the body wasn't enough. He had to destroy the soul too. What kind of human being did something like that?

Zhang Yuanqing closed his email and called Kou Beiyue. "I've pulled your sister's case file. What you told me wasn't detailed enough. I have a few more questions."

Kou Beiyue's response was blunt.

—What questions?

"You said you became a Spirit Realm Walker after dying, and that Chi Yue'an was present at the time. So how did you escape after returning to reality?"

—When I came to, I found myself lying in the Public Security Bureau's morgue. Nobody was around, just corpses. So I ran.

That explained it. Chi Yue'an had to have discovered only afterward that Kou Beiyue had come back from the dead as a Spirit Realm Walker, so he changed tactics and framed him instead. Zhang Yuanqing considered this, then continued.

"I've read through the file. It's full of holes and wouldn't hold up under scrutiny. So didn't your family fight back?"

A long silence followed on the other end. Then Kou Beiyue let out a bitter laugh.

—You've read the file. How could I? Make a scene until the whole world knew about it? I couldn't step forward to clear my own name. I'm an Evil-class Walker. All I could do was let him pour filth on me.

—You probably don't know this, but Chi Yue'an sent people to my hometown to spread rumors that I imprisoned and assaulted my own sister. My parents couldn't hold their heads up anymore. People pointed at them behind their back and whispered wherever they went. How could they possibly make a fuss after that? They moved away not long after it happened.

Zhang Yuanqing nodded. If the family didn't fight, the case could be buried easily enough. In this day and age, if the public didn't raise hell, the authorities wouldn't pursue it, especially if there was some maneuvering on top of that. The Five Elements Alliance wouldn't bother with an ordinary person's case either, since it fell under the Public Security Bureau's jurisdiction.

He murdered the boy's sister, then destroyed his spirit. He then made sure his parents would never be able to show their faces for the rest of their lives. This Chi Yue'an... Zhang Yuanqing drew a deep breath and forced down the dark fire churning inside him.

"I don't have any more questions," he said.

No wonder Kou Beiyue hadn't mentioned this the night before. It truly was too painful to put into words. No wonder his obsession with revenge burned so fiercely.

Kou Beiyue let out a low grunt of acknowledgement.

"I've already looked into it," Zhang Yuanqing told him. "The officer who handled the case back then was a man named Kong Liangping. He's now the captain of the Shakou District Public Security Bureau's enforcement division. Tonight at ten, I'll come find you. We're going to pay him a visit."

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