Chapter 42: Sandaoshan Niangniang

Chapter 42: The Goddess of Three Paths Mountain

The next day, Zhang Yuanqing received a text message from Guan Ya:

"Wang Qian's identity has been verified, no issues. Since it was an accident, it doesn't count as illegally refining a spirit servant."

"Okay."

"Go to the hospital and have Wang Qian fill out a 'Lingjing Walker File' and a letter of commitment, then bring them back for archiving. After all, this is your case."

"Okay."

"Good boy. Let me give you another suggestion: you've been with the official organization for a while now, it's time to expand your network and channels. The Zhisha Palace is a relatively influential civilian organization in Songhai. You could try to take Wang Qian as an informant, and maybe in the future you'll be able to establish a connection with the Zhisha Palace."

"Good idea. That way, my future wife won't have a difficult labor."

"Haha, you're funny... Well, speaking of which, isn't your second entry into the Lingjing coming up soon?"

"I hope it's not S-level again."

"It shouldn't be, but probabilistically speaking, it's not impossible. My squad leader and I are both looking forward to your performance in the second Lingjing."

"Why?"

"A solo Lingjing tests talent, while a group Lingjing trains ability. The danger level of the instance might not be as high as a solo one, but there you will encounter other Lingjing Walkers, which adds many uncertain factors. At that point, a person's overall quality will be immediately apparent."

During the casual chat, Zhang Yuanqing finished washing up and sat down at the dining table.

"Which little vixen are you chatting with?" his aunt came over, pouting angrily.

"None of your business." Zhang Yuanqing pressed her forehead and pushed her away.

Jiang Yu'er angrily initiated a PK, Zhang Yuanqing responded without flinching, and then they were both subdued by their hot-tempered grandmother.

After breakfast, Zhang Yuanqing put on a baseball cap and mask, went out, and took a taxi to Pingtai Hospital.

In the outpatient office, Zhang Yuanqing looked at the young doctor who seemed dejected and said with a smile:

"You seem to be in a bad mood."

After a moment of silence, Wang Qian said with dim eyes:

"He has dissipated, I can no longer sense him..."

Poor guy! Zhang Yuanqing comforted him: "He was already stillborn; parting was inevitable."

Wang Qian said, feeling low:

"He was my sister's first child, and my first nephew. To take better care of my sister, my mother quit her job. Long ago, she bought a stroller, pacifiers, clothes... our whole family was waiting for his birth, the whole family was preparing for the arrival of the next generation."

"After the miscarriage, my sister was devastated, crying all day. My mother also secretly hid and wiped away tears; she blamed herself, thinking she hadn't taken good care of her daughter."

"These two weeks, I've been afraid to sense him in the hospital, because it reminds me of my own incompetence and the pain of my family. But I can't help wanting to get close to him, to be with him; he was so young, he must be so lonely..."

Zhang Yuanqing did not comfort him anymore, silently listening to his outpouring.

In the future, if you perform well, I'll let you see him, provided you agree to be my informant.

When Wang Qian's emotions settled, he said:

"I have two things to discuss with you today. First, fill out a form and a letter of commitment. From now on, you will be a registered Lingjing Walker. The authorities won't interfere much with you, as long as you don't break the law or use your abilities for evil."

"Second, are you interested in being my informant?"

"The first thing is no problem. As for the second..." Wang Qian looked him over. "I won't be anyone's informant, and besides, I need to report to my superiors and get permission."

The Zhisha Palace and the official organization had a decent relationship; he wasn't averse to being an official informant. If it were that woman from yesterday who moved with such sharp and fierce skill, he would be completely convinced.

As for the one in front of him, he looked younger than himself, and Wang Qian was not impressed.

"That's fine." Zhang Yuanqing nodded.

"What is your Lingjing ID? I need to know who you are." Wang Qian asked.

Every time I report my ID, I'm afraid of getting beaten... Zhang Yuanqing's face turned solemn and dignified, and he said word by word:

"The Primordial Celestial!"

...

"The Primordial Celestial? It's an imposing name, but I've never heard of it..."

Wang Qian shook his head, casually edited a text message, and reported the matter to his superior.

The Zhisha Palace and the authorities kept their distance, maintaining a decent relationship, but after all, officials and civilians are different. The organization didn't want its members to get too close to the authorities.

Therefore, it was impossible for his superiors to agree.

Moreover, even if he were to get in touch with official members, it would have to be at the captain or deacon level. That young man was obviously a grassroots member. If he were a famous Lingjing Walker, Wang Qian would certainly have heard of him.

But Wang Qian had no impression of the name "The Primordial Celestial," and he felt that liaising with such an official walker was of little significance.

Next, he focused on his work. After seeing a few patients, his phone rang. The caller ID showed: The Love-Stricken Great Sage.

Wang Qian answered the phone, and a deep male voice came from the speaker:

"Sacred Hand, you're saying the person you're liaising with is called The Primordial Celestial?"

Wang Qian's ID was "Divine Doctor Sacred Hand"

"Yes, Team Leader." Wang Qian said. "I didn't agree to him; I subtly refused."

At the same time, he thought it was strange. For something like this, a text message notification would suffice; why did the team leader need to call?

"Songhai won't be peaceful recently. We need to pay close attention to the authorities' movements at all times. Agree to him." The Love-Stricken Great Sage said.

"Alright... I'll get back to him." Wang Qian agreed in a low voice.

"Also, keep an eye on him. I mean The Primordial Celestial."

"Huh? Why..." Wang Qian was taken aback. He was just the most ordinary official walker.

"I learned from a secret channel that a newcomer cleared the Sheling Tunnel a while ago, breaking the record, and a few days ago, he killed a Level 3 Alluring Demon."

"Could it be..."

"His ID is The Primordial Celestial."

The Primordial Celestial... Wang Qian's mind flashed the expression of that young man when he reported his ID.

He felt a sudden surge of respect!

...

The full moon hung high, and an abandoned ancient temple stood silently in the moonlight.

A beautiful woman in ancient silk skirts stood proudly on the roof of the main hall, gazing at the full moon in the sky.

This beauty had a delicate oval face, eyes like autumn waters, eyebrows like distant hills, and sexy full lips; there was a kind of indescribable brightness in her coolness.

"This is not the Great Ming. Who pulled me into this microcosm after I fell asleep?"

She frowned her delicate brows and murmured to herself.

After a moment of contemplation, she fixed her gaze and looked at the full moon.

Two magnificent golden beams shot from her beautiful eyes, striking the moon in the sky.

"Hum..."

The entire space shook violently, golden light crashing against an invisible barrier, splashing blinding radiance that dyed the world in magnificent gilded gold.

Two beams of golden light lasted half a quarter-hour before slowly extinguishing.

From the eyes of the Three Mountain Goddess streamed bloody tears that slid down her pale cheeks.

“Without retrieving the other half of my yang soul, I cannot break this place…”

She raised a fair hand, gently wiping the bloodstains from her face, and snorted coldly, “Since I cannot return, I shall raise havoc in this realm.”

The Three Mountain Goddess’s hands formed seals in swift succession, her fingers shaping a sword gesture, then abruptly pointing heavenward.

Whoosh!

A fearsome sword aura sprang from her fingertips, rushing into the sky, melting a collapsing hole in the heavens.

The Three Mountain Goddess transformed into golden light and vanished into the rift.

…

The capital, a siheyuan.

Beneath a locust tree, Elder Sun reclined comfortably in a rocking chair, the sound of Peking Opera drifting from the radio on the tea table.

Suddenly, a golden sun appeared on his brow, shaking intensely, radiating searing heat, and an immense pressure emanated from the sun mark.

This… Elder Sun shot to his feet, his expression grave.

In that moment, a faint yet authoritative voice echoed in his heart:

“The Night-wandering Spirit Realm has shifted; inform disciples everywhere that recent missions may turn abnormal. Report at once if anything is discovered.”

“Yes, Sect Master.”

…

Mu Qiu was a Level 2 Night-wanderer of the Taiyi Sect. As a top-tier combat class, his fighting strength rivaled that of Level 3s from other professions without considering items.

Thus, he served as captain in Hangzhou’s Liusha District.

“Captain, the Five Elements Alliance’s Hangzhou branch sent an email. Please take a look.” His assistant brought over a laptop.

Mu Qiu glanced at the screen and said flatly, “Tell them to find a Night-wanderer from another district.”

The email requested him to conduct a spirit inquiry. Recently, all divisions of the Five Elements Alliance had been furiously arresting and interrogating wild realm walkers, screening for potential fallen ones.

Those who resisted stubbornly were shot on the spot.

Of the wild realm walkers executed, nine out of ten were deserving of death; those who obeyed the law and had clear consciences did not mind contact with the authorities.

They simply didn’t join because they wanted to avoid restraint.

Only those with criminal records feared being invited to tea.

Mu Qiu refused the spirit inquiry not because he feared the backlash of soul-devouring—he was a man of integrity, believing in doing his duty since he had taken the job.

But he couldn’t these days, because his solo realm instance was about to open, very soon.

Clearing this solo instance would allow him to advance to Level 3, joining the peak of the transcendent realm.

These days, he had applied for many Level 2-to-3 solo instances. Although the realms changed in real time, there were still cycles, and the Taiyi Sect compiled guides faster than the realms could shift.

So the strategies were extremely valuable, greatly boosting the clearance rate.

Just then, Mu Qiu heard the familiar realm prompt:

[Ding, realm map loading. Entering in three minutes. Your current instance is “Night-wanderer—Minghu Town,” ID: 0128]

[Difficulty: S]

[Type: Solo (Lethal)]

[Main Quest: Investigate the cause of the townspeople’s mysterious deaths.]

[Note: Non-realm items cannot be brought in.]

[Instance 0128 Introduction: No one knows when it started, but the villagers began dying one after another. Some say it’s because a fisherman pulled a coffin from the lake; some say it’s the cat’s head hanging on the locust tree at the village entrance; some say it’s a strange snake with a woman’s face that appeared on the back mountain; some say it’s the widow at the village head who became pregnant by miracle.]

[Shh, don’t speak, don’t speak, they’re coming…]

Mu Qiu’s face turned ashen, his eyes filled with despair and bewilderment.

When did Minghu Town become an S-rank mission?