Realm Walker

In the darkness, under the glow of a streetlamp, Kou Beiyue silently studied the cigarette-smoking young man with the unremarkable face and black-framed glasses.

After a good ten seconds or so, he remarked, "No wonder Xiao Yuan thinks so highly of you. She's sensitive and guarded. Most official Walkers can't even get close to her, yet she trusts you, and even considers you a friend. There's a reason for that. From now on, well... from now on, we're friends too."

Young people were often sentimental and thin-skinned. Any expression of goodwill made them feel embarrassed, even ashamed.

When he finished and saw Zhang Yuanqing sitting in silence, lost in thought, Kou Beiyue felt his pride take a hit.

"You don't think being friends with someone as skilled as me is worth celebrating?" he pressed on.

Zhang Yuanqing snapped out of his daze.

"Oh, yeah, sure..." he answered reflexively, before his brow furrowed with suspicion. "Wait, what did you just say? I didn't catch that."

Kou Beiyue's face cycled between pale and flushed. He let out an angry huff and turned his head away.

What's his problem? Zhang Yuanqing wondered.

He took a deep breath and said, "I've been thinking about our plan of action. Since we've decided to intervene in this matter, analysis and preparation are essential. Charging headlong into the Bronze Sparrow Tower is the stupidest thing we could do, and it would put us both in danger."

Kou Beiyue was just about to say "Why not just storm the place?" but the words caught in his throat and he swallowed them down with effort.

"Why not?" he asked instead. "Based on my analysis, this Master Wu should be an ordinary person, not a Spirit Realm Walker. We don't need to be so cautious when it comes to a regular human."

Master Wu was definitely not a Spirit Realm Walker. Zhang Yuanqing agreed with him on that point. No Walker's Morality could withstand that kind of abuse. Someone like Chi Yue'an, an official steward who dropped in every now and then to indulge his darker impulses, was like a man spending his paycheck carefully. If budgeted right, there would be no problems. But running an establishment built on sex trafficking, training teams to conduct pyramid schemes, fraud, and forcing women into prostitution? No Walker's Morality could survive that kind of expenditure.

Zhang Yuanqing glanced at his phone, estimating their rideshare's arrival time, and explained, "Chi Yue'an knows who you are. Your grudge with him leads directly back to the Bronze Sparrow Tower. After your assassination attempt, he'll have contacted the Tower and ordered them to beef up security. He may have even stationed Spirit Realm Walkers there to protect Master Wu."

Kou Beiyue's brow furrowed tightly. "You make a good point."

"But don't worry too much," Zhang Yuanqing reassured him. "You're an Evil-class Walker, not a member of the authorities, and you're operating alone. In Chi Yue'an's eyes, you're at most a troublesome enemy. My guess is he'll set an ambush either around himself or at the Tower and wait for you to walk right into it. He wouldn't even consider that there might be any official investigation. Too many powerful people are involved, and they can suppress the whole thing easily."

As Kou Beiyue listened, his resistance gradually crumbled, and his train of thought fell in line with Zhang Yuanqing's.

"So what do we do?" he asked.

That was a valid question.

Zhang Yuanqing had two ideas. The first was to infiltrate the Bronze Sparrow Tower, gather evidence, then report it all to Fu Qingyang and have the centurion escalate it to the Council of Elders. That way, the authorities would deal with Chi Yue'an on their own.

However, the premise was finding evidence that directly implicated him, and on top of that, there was also a hidden risk. Chi Yue'an was a steward, someone who administered an entire district, and had the backing of the Zhu family. On top of that, he was merely a patron of the Bronze Sparrow Tower, not its mastermind. This level of criminality might not be enough to destroy him.

As for the murder of Kou Yusi, Kou Beiyue was an Evil-class Walker and certainly couldn't testify in an official proceeding. Although the Five Elements Alliance had methods to compel truthful testimony, their protocols forbade relying on items alone for investigations. Corroborating evidence was required. That would give Chi Yue'an and his backers room to dispute and stall for time. Like any court case, the process was complex and grueling, but also indispensable.

The second idea was simpler: drive the tiger into the wolves' den. He could feed the Bronze Sparrow Tower case to the Demon Eye Heavenly King and let the villains grind each other down. It was the lowest risk approach with high feasibility, but it had one fatal flaw: there was no way of controlling how it played out.

Zhang Yuanqing remembered Squad Leader Li mentioning that the Demon Eye Heavenly King had already caused two bloody incidents in Songhai, killing nearly twenty people. His Morality had taken a heavy hit, so he would likely lie low for a while.

There were far too many people who deserved to die in the Bronze Sparrow Tower case. Given the Heavenly King's personality, he would never let them off the hook, but he was no fool either. He would consider whether his Morality score could tank the hits.

For the Demon Eye, the rational move would be to jot it down in a little notebook and wait until he had accumulated enough Morality before striking, but Zhang Yuanqing couldn't afford to wait. Their interrogation of Kong Liangping meant this case had to be resolved quickly. The moment Chi Yue'an and his powerful allies learned of Kong Liangping's death, they would make their own moves and clean up every trace.

When it came to political maneuvering, Zhang Yuanqing had enough self awareness to know he could never outplay those seasoned operators.

There was another drawback to the tiger and wolf stratagem. There was no telling how long the Demon Eye Heavenly King would take to accumulate enough Morality, and the Songhai Branch Elders were expected to make a move soon. If the Heavenly King suffered a major loss and chose to withdraw from Songhai, the whole plan would have been for nothing.

Zhang Yuanqing settled on the prudent course of action. "Let's scout the Bronze Sparrow Tower first and gather intelligence."

Kou Beiyue gave him a strange look. "So how is that any different from what I said about going straight to the Tower?"

"The difference is that when you made your decision, your head was completely empty," Zhang Yuanqing scoffed. "A wise man has already played through an entire political drama in his mind before making a decision."

"So there's still no difference," Kou Beiyue retorted indignantly, refusing to concede.

Zhang Yuanqing's mouth twitched. "Alright, don't get hung up on the details. The car is almost here. Once we reach our destination, follow my lead."

To keep the kid from arguing further, he changed the subject. "How did you and Xiao Yuan meet?"

Kou Beiyue thought back. "We met in a multiplayer PvP dungeon. At the time, I was, uh, caught off-guard by a Lawful class Walker and nearly died. Xiao Yuan saved me. After that, we exchanged contact info. She thought I had potential, so she brought me into Master Wuhen's group to train."

The truth was he had hesitated, unable to bring himself to kill. Back then, he had only just become an Enchanting Demon, and the idea of taking a life still weighed on his conscience. However, Kou Beiyue valued his pride too much to admit such a thing.

"I always assumed you were Xiao Yuan's son. Speaking of which, does she have a husband? A boyfriend?" Zhang Yuanqing asked casually.

Kou Beiyue's expression immediately grew suspicious. "What are you getting at?"

You have no idea, Zhang Yuanqing joked inwardly, though he kept his expression perfectly composed. "She's gorgeous and has a killer figure. Being curious about whether she's taken is perfectly normal. Pure curiosity, of course."

"No idea. I've never seen anyone," Kou Beiyue sneered, wearing his usual expression of cold arrogance. "How many men in this world could even deserve someone like Xiao Yuan?"

Those rose-tinted glasses of yours are unreal, Zhang Yuanqing thought as he let out a noncommittal "oh" and fell silent.

But Kou Beiyue couldn't stop talking. "You know Yuanshi Tianzun, right? I've heard that kid is a rising genius who killed Li Xianzong from the Bing Zhu Sect. Between you and him, who's stronger?"

Zhang Yuanqing didn't hesitate. "Before him, all I can do is kneel and beg for mercy."

Kou Beiyue blinked in disbelief. "He's that good? That doesn't make sense. Li Xianzong was about my level, and you're slightly stronger than me. Logically, you and Yuanshi Tianzun shouldn't be that far apart."

You think you're on par with Li Xianzong? Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help sizing up the youth. The kid didn't seem like the type to exaggerate. Was he really that strong?

Then again, he was a Level 3 Enchanting Demon. No wonder the Demon Eye Heavenly King had taken an interest in him.

Just then, a white sedan slowed to a stop beside them. Their rideshare had arrived.

***

Half an hour later, the white sedan reached Xinyuan Road and pulled over about a hundred meters from number 38.

Zhang Yuanqing paid the fare and stepped out with Kou Beiyue.

He walked to the roadside, sat cross legged beneath a shrub, and summoned the Bloodthirsty Blade. "I'm going in. Watch over my body, kid. And don't stab me in the back."

This was the plan they had agreed on during the ride. He would use Astral Projection to enter the Bronze Sparrow Tower and gather intelligence, then decide the next move based on what he found. While his spirit was out of his body, his physical form would be nothing more than a helpless piece of meat.

Kou Beiyue rolled his eyes. What he couldn't see was the plump, adorable infant with a head of sparse fuzz sitting at his feet, craning its little head up to study him.

Little Goofball was Zhang Yuanqing's backup insurance. He didn't think Kou Beiyue would actually betray him, but one could never be too careful. In a pinch, the infant spirit could buy him time.

I need to refine a Yin corpse soon. The next time I project my spirit, I'll have a powerful enough bodyguard by my side.

With that thought, his spirit drifted free of his body. He floated up to the height of the surrounding shrubbery and looked down at his physical form sitting cross-legged beneath the plants, and at Kou Beiyue scanning the area with wary vigilance. Then he gathered up the Bloodthirsty Blade and drifted toward the Tower.

The Bronze Sparrow Tower was built along a river in a remote area. It consisted of two residential buildings, one five storeys tall and the other two, surrounded by walls topped with electrified fencing. From the outside, the buildings looked utterly ordinary, even a bit rundown.

Zhang Yuanqing's astral form passed over the wall. On the ground below, he spotted several patrol teams wearing security uniforms. They moved in pairs, carrying short batons and with two-way radios clipped to their chests. They looked well trained and thoroughly professional.

He slipped through them as a gust of spectral wind and entered the five-storey building on the left. The first floor was the security office, a large room filled with rows upon rows of surveillance monitors.

The second floor was an office area, lined with desks. At this hour, it sat empty and dark. From the third floor up through the fifth were the women's quarters, which also served as the rooms where they were forced to work. From what he could see, the floors were fitted with iron doors that required keycards to open. The women living inside were like birds trapped in cages, with no hope and no freedom.

Every bedroom was large, like a luxury hotel suite. The decor was pink, and the rooms were furnished with a round king-sized bed and a bronze bathtub beside it. There were also glass display cabinets stocked with an assortment of adult products.

Zhang Yuanqing planned to extract information from the women of the Tower first. That would yield far more detailed intelligence than killing someone and using spirit communion.

His astral form drifted through room after room. He saw woman after woman sunk into plush mattresses, with patron after patron lost in carnal indulgence. The depraved sounds turned his stomach. How many of them were there against their will? Lured in by one scheme or another, turned into instruments for patrons to dump their desires on, forced to receive one stranger after the next...

Kou Beiyue's sister had once been in this very place, enduring everything these women were enduring. She had fought her way out, only to be murdered in cold blood.

At last, Zhang Yuanqing stopped before a particular suite. He could see a round table near the bay window. A potbellied man occupied one of the chairs around it, a cigarette pinched between his fingers. He heard the hissing of water in the bathroom near the door. A woman was showering inside.

He'll do. Zhang Yuanqing sighed quietly as he plunged his spirit into the man's body, completing the possession.

He had spent some time searching before finally finding a man and woman who weren't in the middle of anything. He simply could not bring himself to possess someone actively engaged in the act.

He tucked away the Bloodthirsty Blade that had clattered to the floor, stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray, and picked up the phone from the table. It recognized his face and unlocked itself. By going through the chat apps, he quickly pieced together the man's identity.

The middle-aged man was a senior executive at a state-owned enterprise and a regular patron of the Bronze Sparrow Tower. He was on Master Wu's friends list, though they did not exchange many messages aside from just pleasantries. There was nothing that constituted obvious evidence.

The sound of running water stopped, and a woman emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel. She looked about twenty-five, with short hair, a slender figure, and strikingly delicate features.

She forced a thin smile onto her pretty face. "Sweetheart, I'm done. It's your turn to wash up."

Zhang Yuanqing remained seated as he looked over at her. "Come sit down."

The woman didn't think much of it. She sat across from him and reached for the cigarette case on the table, lighting one for herself. That was when she noticed the patron across from her pull a gleaming yanagiba from under the table and drive it into the wood with a sharp thunk.

Caught completely off guard, the woman choked on a mouthful of smoke. She coughed until tears streamed down her face and her cheeks burned red.

Zhang Yuanqing's gaze was ice cold. "I ask the questions, and you answer. Lie to me, waste my time, or call for help, and I will kill you."

It was a regrettable necessity. Given the identity of the body he was wearing, there was no chance the woman would voluntarily divulge Master Wu's criminal operations and evidence, and Nocturnal Specters did not have any strong mind-control abilities either. The simplest, most efficient method was forceful intimidation.

The woman stole a cautious glance at the knife and nodded cooperatively, despite not understanding the situation.

"What's your name?" Zhang Yuanqing asked. "How long have you been here?"

"Cao... Cao Jing. You already know that, don't you? I've been working here for five years. Came when I was twenty."

"How did you end up here?"

"I saw a job listing online—"

"You were tricked into it."

The woman paused, then nodded. "They told me it was a sales position. But after I showed up, they brought me here, and the job turned into keeping clients company for meals, drinks, and then in bed."

"Keep going," Zhang Yuanqing said coldly. "Don't make me drag every word out of you. My patience is limited."

He pulled the yanagiba free from the table, and the woman's face went white. She began to speak, choosing her words carefully.

"I refused at first. So Master Wu had people beat me, assault me. They locked me in solitary, confiscated my phone, gave me no food, no water. I couldn't take it. I gave in. After that, I had to sleep with clients every day. Sometimes I'd be taken out to dinners to act as a hostess and sleep with other men like a prostitute. No, we're less than prostitutes, because we don't even get paid.

"The other girls in the building told me they'd all gone through the same thing. All of them had been beaten. Compared to some, I was actually lucky. Some of the women had been forced into selling their eggs and lost the ability to have children. Others tried to escape a few times and then just... disappeared. I'd like to think they made it home."

She paused to collect herself.

"To stop us from running, Master Wu also brought some of our family members over. He gave them jobs as janitors and security guards. He promoted the obedient women to be supervisors, and set them up as role models for the rest of us. They got salaries, benefits... A lot of the girls envied them."

Envied them...? Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help but draw a slow, deep breath, wrestling his emotions back under control. Cao Jing had said a great deal.

She studied the patron across from her, who had become a stranger, and ventured cautiously, "Is there anything else you want to know?"

Zhang Yuanqing's expression remained blank. "Tell me the important things. Specifically, evidence of Master Wu's crimes."

Cao Jing thought for a moment.

"He installed cameras all over the building. They specifically record videos of us with clients in bed. He uses the footage to threaten us, and also to blackmail the clients who come here. Those clients..." She stole a furtive glance at Zhang Yuanqing's face. "You know the ones."

Surveillance videos...

"Anything else?" he asked.

"I've heard Master Wu keeps a ledger," she replied. "Every client he's dealt with is recorded in it. I'm not sure if it's true. I heard it from the head supervisor, the one who is also Master Wu's mistress. She had a child with him. She started out just like the rest of us, sleeping with clients."

Cao Jing continued to recount everything she knew. "Besides the Bronze Sparrow Tower, Master Wu runs many similar places elsewhere. Hair salons, nightclubs, and so on. But this is the highest-end and most secretive one. The clients who come here are all important, influential people.

"Those shops elsewhere were all seized through his enforcers and connections in both the underworld and the government. He didn't spend a single cent to buy them. I've heard he controls a thousand establishments."

She was puzzled. The patron across from her should have known all of this better than she did.

The man lit a cigarette but didn't smoke it. He just sat there, staring blankly into space. The cigarette burned down to nothing.

Cao Jing exhausted everything she knew. She had laid it all out, every scrap and detail, including how Master Wu had branded some of the younger women with degrading tattoos.

She also highlighted one patron who was a sadist. He beat and brutalized the women in the Tower, and several had ended up in intensive care.

"That violent one. Tall and heavyset, short hair, likes to wear white dress shirts?" Zhang Yuanqing said, giving a simple description of Chi Yue'an's appearance.

"That's him. He's a monster. I... I was once assigned to him..." Cao Jing shuddered, as if some unbearable memory had resurfaced.

"Understood. Thank you for cooperating."

Zhang Yuanqing brought the edge of his hand down in a swift chop, knocking the woman unconscious.

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