Chapter 22: Night Wanderer Meeting

Chapter 22: The Night Wanderer Conference

He parted his lips, yet no question emerged.

To deviate from the mainstream implied the extraordinary.

Before discerning whether it was boon or bane, he could not speak of it recklessly; moreover, the forum’s silence on the matter signified that the Black Round Moon was not intelligence accessible to the lower echelons.

The higher the tier, naturally, the tighter the secrecy—this was logic even a common man grasped.

Especially since he was still a greenhorn, lacking the capacity and experience to handle sudden crises.

Why did the character card Brother Bing gave me differ from a normal Night Wanderer’s? That son of a bitch told me nothing and then vanished into thin air.

Following that, he exited the post and clicked the forum’s search bar, intending to investigate the San Dao Shan Niang Niang Temple.

Upon entering "San Dao Shan Niang Niang Temple," he retrieved two entries: one was the instance guide he had seen prior (Five Elements Alliance version), the other an introduction to the temple itself.

["San Dao Shan Niang Niang Temple, a shrine on San Dao Shan in Songjiang Prefecture during the early Ming Dynasty. The deity enshrined is the Lady of San Dao Shan, adept at praying for rain, exorcising ghosts, refining elixirs, and curing illnesses, blessing the region. After the Lady ascended to immortality, the local government took the lead, and local gentry and commoners funded the construction of a temple in her honor."]

["San Dao Shan Niang Niang Temple fell into ruin early on, with much precious research material lost—excerpted from the Songfu Library."]

Excerpted from the Songfu Library…

Staring at those words, Zhang Yuanqing’s expression froze, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

The San Dao Shan Niang Niang Temple actually existed? Existed in history?

If so, did that Lady truly exist? Or rather, was she herself a real historical figure?

Would real people appear in the Spirit Realm?

If she were a real person, would she crawl out of the Spirit Realm to find me… Zhang Yuanqing frightened himself with his own speculation.

"Sister Guanya, I have a question…"

He never racked his own brains over things he could simply ask.

Guanya turned her head.

Zhang Yuanqing relayed his conjectures regarding the Lady of San Dao Shan.

"The Squad Leader should have told you: the Spirit Realm exists betwixt reality and illusion." The veteran driver lifted her cup, took a sip, and said:

"Many scenes within the Spirit Realm are based on reality—for instance, the 'Lingang Reservoir' and 'Xiangshui Amusement Park,' these Night Wanderer trial realms all have corresponding locations in the real world, yet those things obviously do not exist in reality, or chaos would have erupted long ago."

So, although the Lady of San Dao Shan truly existed, the one I saw was a fabrication of the Spirit Realm? Zhang Yuanqing breathed a sigh of relief.

Old hag, you just stay put in the Spirit Realm.

…

The Capital, Beishuimen Airport.

Yuan Ting, gaunt of feature, sat in the spacious business class seat, clad in a black suit, black shirt, hair combed with meticulous precision, the very image of a business elite.

Through the narrow porthole, he gazed down upon the myriad household lights below, brilliant and dazzling.

Today he had just reported to the organization the news of the She Ling Tunnel’s clearance; by afternoon, he would be summoned to the Capital.

But it had nothing to do with the Sheling Tunnel; this return to the capital was at the summons of the Taiyi Sect Master, calling the Night Wanderers scattered across the nation to Beijing for a conference.

Conferences of such scale were typically held only at year's end, for that was when Night Wanderers from every corner of the land must return to the capital to report on their duties.

If there was an exception, it signaled a momentous event.

He hoped it was not ill tidings... Yuan Ting gazed at the city lights drawing ever nearer, his thoughts a tangled skein.

The plane touched down smoothly; Yuan Ting disembarked, dragging his suitcase straight for the Level B2 parking garage, where he boarded the waiting black car.

Forty minutes later, the car pulled up before a five-star hotel; Yuan Ting deposited his luggage and took the elevator to the grand conference room on the top floor.

A banquet was underway; gentlemen in black suits and ladies in black coats and floor-length gowns drifted among the delicacies, wine glasses in hand, laughter and clinking crystal filling the air.

"Yo, Captain Yuan has arrived."

Yuan Ting had just lifted a glass from a waiter's tray when a man in a black shirt approached, his crew cut crisp, eyes bright, jawline sharp, build a textbook inverted triangle.

"Jian Ji!"

Yuan Ting smiled at his old friend. "Long time no see."

"Everyone's been waiting for you. Come on, let's go say hello."

Jian Ji clapped a hand on Yuan Ting's shoulder, steering him toward a table where six people sat—three men, three women—all fellow Night Wanderers from Yuan Ting's initial training cohort at the Taiyi Sect.

Now dispersed to the four winds, each had risen to the rank of Captain.

After a few pleasantries, Yuan Ting probed, "What has the Sect Master summoned us all to the capital for this time?"

Yang Qian, hair in a ponytail, clad in leather jacket and pants, pursed her lips and murmured, "We were just discussing that. All we know is the classification level is extremely high; even the Stewards are kept in the dark."

Her figure was willowy, her hair cropped sharp, no makeup, no jewelry, radiating a heroic, dashing air.

Even Stewards lack clearance? Yuan Ting gave a slight nod and asked no further.

Jian Ji raised his glass with a grin. "We'll find out when the meeting starts; speculating now is useless. By the way, any interesting news lately?"

The dashingly spirited Yang Qian laughed. "I have a piece. Recently, the eldest son of the coastal Xiahou family was crippled by the Palace Lord of the 'Slaughter-Stopping Palace.' Word is, by the time Xiahou elders reached the scene, he was barely clinging to life.

'Though they pulled him back with Vital Essence, his foundation is shattered; he likely won't dare show his face for a long while. And if a Spirit Realm mission arises in the near term, he's as good as dead.'"

"Slaughter-Stopping Palace?" A male classmate looked at Yuan Ting. "If memory serves, that's a Spirit Realm practitioner organization in the Songhai region. How did they cross the Xiahou family?"

Yuan Ting shook his head. "The people of Slaughter-Stopping Palace are all extremists, especially that Palace Lord—a thoroughgoing madman. It's no surprise they'd tear into anyone. Still, their stance toward official organizations is relatively amicable; they usually keep to themselves."

Yang Qian sighed. "That Palace Lord is a high-level Spirit Realm practitioner; even Stewards might not match her. With a figure like that, as long as she doesn't go too far, the policy is to turn a blind eye."

They chatted a while longer. Jian Ji scanned the room and said, "Our Night Wanderer numbers are still too few. We can only watch other professions stir up storms and steal all the limelight."

"Come to think of it, our sect hasn't produced a single breathtakingly brilliant Night Wanderer in many years." Xia Liang, round-faced and cute, spoke up, her voice soft and sweet with a hint of coquetry.

Since the topic had turned that way, Yuan Ting's interest was piqued, and he said:

"I happen to have a piece of big news, something concerning us Night Wanderers."

Everyone at the table looked over, faces full of curiosity.

"Remember the Sheling Tunnel?" Yuan Ting asked.

"Yeah, that newbie-level bug Secret Realm. Jiang Lin and Zhao Kai died in there back in the day." Jian Ji asked, puzzled, "Did that damned place claim another victim?"

"From now on, the First Clear of the Sheling Tunnel is gone. A kid cleared it."

Yuan Ting's words were like a dud shell, stealing the voices from the Night Wanderers around the table.

After a few seconds, Jian Ji muttered blankly, "There's such a thing?"

Xia Bing's eyes went wide, her voice high and coquettish as she exclaimed, "Yuan Ting, don't you joke about this."

The others wore looks of doubt.

Yuan Ting nodded firmly. "This has already been reported to the Gate. You can ask your respective superiors. If you only ask and don't ask for the guide, the Stewards should tell you."

Doubt turned to gasps of awe. The Night Wanderers at the table wore expressions of shock and excitement.

"This is huge."

"That brother is a beast. How did he do it? Damn it, I just want to see the guide now, don't want to sit through this meeting."

"Wake up. Your clearance level probably can't access it."

Yang Qian glanced left and right, asking, "Has this rookie joined the Taiyi Gate? Is he in the capital?"

Yuan Ting seemed to find his stride, shaking his head with a sigh of regret.

"What you don't know is, that guy got poached by the Five Elements Alliance. Fu Qingyang personally called Elder Sun to demand the guide. The moment Elder Sun heard the trial mission was the Sheling Tunnel, he refused on the spot. Said he didn't want the person.

"Spilled water can't be gathered back. Sigh, the Elder is confused."

"Truly confused."

"Elder Sun... this... I'm pissed."

Just as they were condemning that lofty Elder, Yuan Ting suddenly spotted a middle-aged man in black approaching, heading straight for him.

"Yuan Ting. Elder Sun says, don't leave after the meeting. Go see him."

Yuan Ting's expression froze instantly.

The banquet quickly drew to a close. Waiters cleared away plates and wine.

The soft lighting shifted to harsh, blazing conference lights. Hundreds of Night Wanderers sat at their round tables, waiting in silence, not a sound to be heard, a pin drop would echo.

Amidst the long, expectant wait, an old man in a white training suit stepped into the conference room.

He stood nearly two meters tall, impossibly lofty. His face bore no wrinkles, his gaze sharp as a blade. A golden sun sat at the center of his brow, like a tattoo.

Were it not for the full head of silver hair proclaiming his age, he would have looked more vibrant than any young man.

Taiyi Gate Grand Elder. Secret Realm ID: Crimson Sun Executioner.

The Night Wanderers sat ramrod straight, spines stiff, according this strongest Night Wanderer beneath the Gate Master the utmost respect.

The Crimson Sun Executioner swept his gaze over the multitude of disciples below, his voice slow and deliberate:

"Not long ago, the Gate Master sensed the Demon Lord’s demise; the great scourge at the heart of the Taiyi Gate has been eradicated. Yet the Demon Lord’s Character Card has not returned to the Spirit Realm, its whereabouts unknown. Henceforth, you must spare no effort in hunting down the Demon Lord’s heir."

"The heir bears two distinct marks: their Class Insignia is not a crescent, but a black full moon. Upon clearing the Spirit Realm, they possess a Character Card reward no ordinary Night Patrol Deity would ever hold."