Chapter 1 Out

"Get out."

Guan Ya's hands were on the steering wheel, her eyes fixed on the road ahead, her profile cold and beautiful as she spat out the icy command. It was a terrible evening. Although she had reluctantly expressed her unwillingness to come, her youthful attire betrayed her true feelings. Deep down, she had been looking forward to this dinner.

But the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment. She wasn't the star of tonight's dinner; it was some inexplicable yin corpse. Nor had she been warmly received by her boyfriend's family upon her first visit, as most girls would have been.

They hadn't even bothered to ask about her age or family background.

If she were a young girl, she'd be crying in the car right now. But Guan Ya wasn't a young girl; she just felt wronged. "Get out."

Seeing Zhang Yuanqing still sitting there, Guan Ya repeated herself, emphasizing each word. After venting her anger, she took a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry, Yuanshi, I'm not in a good mood right now. Please get out. We can talk about anything else tomorrow." Guan Ya's expression and tone had returned to normal. She had regained control of her emotions.

But the calmer she was, the less willing Zhang Yuanqing was to leave. According to his life mentor, his current "inseparable" relationship with Guan Ya was all thanks to the lingering warmth of the previous night's suite. This "lingering warmth" could either grow stronger or fade away, depending on how he played it.

If he didn't resolve the issue tonight, Guan Ya would definitely brush him off if he tried to hold her hand tomorrow, and the day after that, she would definitely smile and change the subject if he flirted with her. All his efforts would be in vain.

Guan Ya might not like him less, but she would wonder about the terrible impression she'd made on his family. Did this relationship even have a future?

Once love became rational, it was destined to drift further and further apart, eventually becoming just friendship – that was what his life mentor had said.

"Sister Guan Ya, the one who possessed the yin corpse earlier was the Three Dao Mountain Goddess. When she descended in the massacre instance, she secretly left a mark inside the Demon Subduing Pestle. As long as I took it out in the real world, her primordial spirit could descend into reality..."

Zhang Yuanqing told her the whole story of how the old hag had descended. He believed that Guan Ya's insight would have allowed her to see through some of it already.

"Three Dao Mountain Goddess..." Guan Ya frowned slightly, her face worried. "Will her existence pose a security threat to you?"

Zhang Yuanqing shook his head. "Not for now. Centurion is out of the instance today. He and Dog Elder should be looking for me tomorrow. I'll ask them for their opinions then." After a pause, he took Guan Ya's hand and said softly, "I'll explain things to Grandpa and Grandma. I won't let them misunderstand you."

*Phew*, it's good to explain things clearly… He secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and then he heard Guan Ya withdraw her hand and say in a flat tone, "It's best not to deal with existences of that level, even if she seems righteous. Anyway, you have Bai Fu Chang. Yuanshi, get out of the car. I should go back now."

*Hmm*, that didn't work. Zhang Yuanqing was stunned, then said with a grin, "I'm not leaving, Sister Guan Ya. Don't be angry, okay? We haven't eaten yet. Come upstairs with me, and I'll explain everything to Grandma and Grandpa."

"There's no need. Going up there now would only be awkward. Yuanshi, if you really care about me, get out of the car. You're an adult; please be mature." Guan Ya said calmly.

"Sister Guan Ya, this is just a misunderstanding. It's not that my grandparents don't like you; they just thought I was two-timing. It's all my fault..."

No matter how Zhang Yuanqing explained, Guan Ya's expression remained cold.

He was running out of words. How was he supposed to coax a girl in this situation? Zhang Yuanqing gnashed his teeth inwardly. He realized that dating a girl and being friends with a girl were two different things. Some things couldn't be solved with high EQ alone; experience was also needed.

Experience... That's right, ask his life mentor… Zhang Yuanqing secretly took out his phone, opened his chat app, and sent a help message to Ling Jun – he'd conveniently pocketed it when retrieving the Demon Subduing Pestle.

Yuanshi Tianzun: "I'm having problems with my relationship with Guan Ya. I invited her to my house for dinner tonight, and due to some accidents, another female friend was also present. My family thought I was two-timing, so they weren't very enthusiastic towards her. Then, because of some other things, my family's impression of her wasn't very good. The scene was too awkward; it's hard to explain in a few words."

Yuanshi Tianzun: "I've already explained the female friend issue to her, and I've promised to explain on her behalf in front of my family to salvage her image. But it doesn't seem to be working. She's being very cold. I don't know how to coax her. What should I do? Waiting online, it's urgent." He sent two messages in a row.

A dozen seconds later, his phone vibrated. Ling Jun's reply had arrived.

Ling Jun: "Most men in this world always think they can reason with their girlfriends, and they always think that if they're right, their girlfriends shouldn't be angry. But they ignore the fact that emotions are like when we threw tantrums as kids. Did our parents reasoning with us work? It didn't. Any child willing to listen to their parents' reasoning is just afraid of the stick in their parents' hands."

Yuanshi Tianzun: "Stop talking nonsense, okay?"

Ling Jun: "You're being too vague. First, I need to confirm: are you sure you've explained the female friend issue clearly? Does she believe you? Or is she just humoring you? If the reason for her emotional breakdown is you, then I suggest you sincerely apologize, or even cry in remorse. First, show your attitude, and then leave. Don't pester her, because at this time, a woman doesn't want to see you. She needs to calm down."

Yuanshi Tianzun: "It's definitely not my problem. Also, the female friend thing has been explained clearly."

Ling Jun: "Then the reason for her emotional breakdown is that your family's impression of her is bad. She's anxious, and she even has thoughts of giving up on herself and just wanting to escape quickly. To be more pessimistic, she might even want to cut ties with you."

Yuanshi Tianzun: "I said I would explain for her."

Ling Jun: "No, no, no. Explaining for her is the most basic thing. A dinner that she was looking forward to turned out like this. Think about what she needs most right now. It's your promises, your comfort, your care. Most women are actually reasonable, but they tend to be emotional when it comes to relationships, so men need to explain first and then soothe their emotions."

Yuanshi Tianzun: "I know, coax her, but it's not working."

Ling Jun: "Be more intense. Let her know your feelings, let her understand your love for her. If sweet words don't work, express your love in a more intense way. Go for it, young man. I'm not talking anymore; I'm having dinner with my girlfriend."

*Kiss her.*

Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help but glance at Guan Ya. Except for the time he couldn't control himself and kissed the old driver on the day he left the massacre instance, he had no experience or courage in kissing. Being able to kiss a girl anytime, anywhere, without any psychological pressure meant you were either a pervert or a seasoned player. Zhang Yuanqing was neither.

Just as he was hesitating, Guan Ya exploded, gnashing her teeth, "It's really hard for you to go through the trouble of chasing after me. It's okay now; I'm not angry anymore. Please, Mr. Zhang, go home and play on your phone..."

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Zhang Yuanqing seemingly making some kind of determination, his face filled with a look of throwing caution to the wind, as he leaned over, cupped her face in his hands, and bit down on her.

Guan Ya's eyes widened instantly. Shock, confusion, and being caught off guard made her forget to resist. A few seconds later, her eyes trembled slightly as she came to her senses.

She pushed and beat the young man's shoulders and chest forcefully. Thankfully, they were both Saints. If it were an ordinary man, Guan Ya would have shattered his sternum and shoulder blades. It was still just as soft and fragrant, but she was hitting harder than last time...

Zhang Yuanqing bit down on the old driver's lips, took a breath, and then sucked even harder. Considering that she was being forced and unwilling, he didn't dare to stick his tongue out, for fear of being bitten. But the girl's moist, soft lips were already better than any delicacy in the world.

In the end, Guan Ya couldn't bear to use "violence" on him, or else a finger of sword energy would have left Yuanshi Tianzun stone-cold dead. She propped her hands on Zhang Yuanqing's chest and leaned her head back forcefully, trying to escape. As she leaned back, Zhang Yuanqing leaned forward, holding tightly to Guan Ya's lips without letting go.

Until Guan Ya's head, with nowhere left to retreat, hit the car window, her posture became half-fallen, half-lying, while Zhang Yuanqing's upper body was already slumped onto the driver's seat, his hands propping himself up on the seat.

"Ugh, ugh ugh..."

Guan Ya was both ashamed and angry, and a low sob escaped her throat.

Inside the dark, narrow car, the sound of their rapid breathing echoed, interspersed with the occasional "slurping" sound.

Guan Ya's body gradually softened, the force of her pushing and beating weakened, a blush climbed onto her cheeks and earlobes, and her fierce eyes gradually became blurred, covered with a layer of mist, and her charming eyes were like silk.

A few minutes later, Zhang Yuanqing raised his head, leaving Guan Ya's little mouth.

Guan Ya leaned half-lying against the car door, her breath rapid from her slightly swollen, slightly red lips, her full breasts rising and falling violently. Zhang Yuanqing, on the other hand, half-propped himself on the seat, leaning forward, his head hitting the roof of the car, breathing softly. They stared at each other, one with charming eyes like silk, the other with fiery eyes.

*One more time...* Zhang Yuanqing swallowed, freed one hand, reached under Guan Ya's buttocks, and lifted her up gently, lifting her off the seat. He fell back, bringing Guan Ya back to the passenger seat with him.

The space in the sports car was too narrow, and their bodies were pressed tightly together. Zhang Yuanqing could clearly feel the fullness and softness of Guan Ya's chest. He lowered the back of the seat, trying to expand the space as much as possible so that Guan Ya's upper body could fit closely against him.

He held Guan Ya's upturned buttocks with one hand, kneading the elastic but incredibly smooth flesh, and with the other hand, he reached into her T-shirt, stroking her delicate, smooth back until he touched the strap of her bra. And from beginning to end, Guan Ya had not resisted.

Zhang Yuanqing held Guan Ya's lips again, and this time, he boldly stuck out his tongue, teasing the little tongue behind her pearly teeth.

At first, Guan Ya was unwilling, clumsily dodging, but as he stroked her, hormones gradually secreted, she gradually became emotional, and began to half-heartedly push back, until finally she responded intensely. After who knows how long, Zhang Yuanqing felt his lips and tongue go numb, and finally cupped Guan Ya's face, ending the long kiss.

The old driver, with her eyes half-closed, opened her eyes slightly to look at him, as if she was still a little unsatisfied, and then buried her head in his chest, the two of them breathing softly. After about a dozen seconds of silence, Zhang Yuanqing hugged Guan Ya's small waist and said softly, "Guan Ya, take me home. I can imagine that Grandpa and Grandma have already prepared the torture instruments, waiting for me to go back and throw myself into the net. Alas, Grandpa has been a captain for his whole life, and he can't stand any nonsense. I don't even know how to explain the Three Dao Mountain Goddess thing."

Guan Ya hummed softly.

Zhang Yuanqing could feel that she no longer had any resentment in her heart; to be precise, the warmth and sweetness between lovers suppressed the resentment and anger. Ling Jun was right: a hearty kiss was far more useful than an explanation and allowed her to understand the man's feelings more. But verbal comforting couldn't be missing either. Zhang Yuanqing said, "My grandpa and grandma are reasonable people. We'll go up and explain everything clearly later."

"You go. I'm not going." Guan Ya rolled her eyes.

Her tone had undergone a tremendous change from before. Before, she was cold and distant; now, she was acting spoiled. "Okay,"

Zhang Yuanqing gently caressed Guan Ya's tight, delicate waist. Her T-shirt had unknowingly been pulled up to her chest, revealing a large expanse of fair skin. Her small waist was narrow and slender, with an alluring waistline. The extremely low body fat made her skin feel tight and smooth.

Guan Ya seemed to remember something, raised her charming oval face, and glared at Zhang Yuanqing angrily. "Why is your little aunt targeting me?"

"Is she?" Zhang Yuanqing looked blank. "I thought she wasn't lying. Isn't that what you told her at the time?"

Guan Ya snorted coldly. "I'm a scout. Can her little thoughts hide from my eyes? She just wants to drive me away, wants your grandparents to hate me."

Zhang Yuanqing was immediately furious. "Good, this Jiang Yuer, she's secretly targeting you. She can't stand that no one wants her, so she can't stand that I've found a beautiful and virtuous girlfriend. Watch me go back and hang her up and beat her."

Guan Ya scrutinized him for a few moments and pouted. "No sincerity."

Forget it; little aunts belong to the category of nosy relatives, and the meaning of nosy relatives' existence is to be disliked. She suddenly widened her beautiful eyes and said angrily, "Don't poke me with your three-centimeter family heirloom."

As she spoke, she changed her posture, trying to avoid something, but the space in the sports car was so small, and she was so tall, so there was no way to avoid that annoying thing.

Hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing retorted, "It's clearly a thirty-centimeter family heirloom."

"Heh, a thirty-centimeter needle...嗯~ You, if you poke me again, I'm really going to get angry..."

"Then don't move. If you move again, the soft seat will turn into a socket."

After a moment of peace, Guan Ya suddenly said, "What's with that female ghost who called you husband?"

Zhang Yuanqing thought, *what's coming will eventually come*. Digging up old debts is a common skill of women.

"That's the boss of the haunted house level at Jinshui Amusement Park. Later, I took her in as a spirit servant. Calling me husband is her setting, but actually, our relationship is very pure."

"Really?"

"What's with that questioning look in your eyes? My surname is Zhang, not Xu." Zhang Yuanqing said confidently and uprightly. He and the ghost bride were indeed pure.

"Then what about that yin corpse? The spirit servant possessing the yin corpse..." Guan Ya didn't say anymore. She believed that Yuanshi could understand her meaning.

"I see perversion, abnormality, and evil in your eyes. One can't, at least shouldn't. Besides, my surname is Zhang, not Xu."

"What does it have to do with the surname Xu? It's another surname Xu."

After pestering him for a few minutes, Guan Ya crawled off the young man, sat back in the driver's seat, pulled down the hem of her T-shirt, pulled down the vanity mirror embedded in the sun visor, and looked in the mirror while tidying up her clothes. Only then did she realize that her lips were swollen. Red and swollen. No wonder she felt her mouth was numb.

Her second kiss in her life had actually turned her into this ghostly appearance.

"Get out of here, old lady. I'm going home."

Guan Ya said angrily.

……

With a nervous mood, Zhang Yuanqing entered the password and opened the anti-theft door.

The lights in the living room were on, and dinner was over. His grandfather sat in the main seat, silently drinking tea with his head lowered. The Chen family hadn't left yet. His aunt sat in the living room watching TV with his mother, and his uncle and cousin were drinking tea with his grandfather. His grandmother was washing dishes in the kitchen.

The meal was over, but the people hadn't dispersed. The reason was self-evident.

Hearing the sound of the anti-theft door opening, the three men at the dining table and the two women in the living room all looked over. His grandfather looked at his grandson entering the living room expressionlessly, his voice cold and majestic. "Come here!"

Zhang Yuanqing obediently walked over.

His grandfather's face was serious. "What's going on with those two girls? Which one is your girlfriend?"

"Guan Ya is my girlfriend; the other one is really just a normal friend." Zhang Yuanqing explained.

"Why would a normal friend come to your house? She can even come in. Either you brought her in, or you told her the password. You told a normal friend your password?" His grandmother walked out of the kitchen, questioning him in quick succession.

This, this, you're old, isn't your logic a little too meticulous? Zhang Yuanqing didn't know how to explain it for a moment. If he could explain this away, then he would be underestimating the intelligence of the retired police chief and police chief's wife too much. Zhang Yuanqing had no choice but to say, "Guan Ya is indeed my girlfriend, but she's a little shy, and because she's met you before, she's reluctantly didn't want to come. So I wanted to find a friend with whom I have a good relationship to make up the numbers. But I didn't expect that Guan Ya would come by herself..."

"Just a good relationship?" His grandfather sneered. "Is it the kind of relationship that's neither fish nor fowl?"

Zhang Yuanqing lowered his head, feigning an appearance of having his thoughts seen through.

His real girlfriend didn't want to come, so he found someone with an ambiguous relationship to impersonate... Seeing his appearance, everyone understood. His aunt on the sofa immediately lectured him, "Yuanzi, you're wrong. You should have a serious relationship when you're dating. Young people can't be fickle, you know."

"Got it, Auntie." Zhang Yuanqing responded and then assured his grandfather, "I won't do it again in the future."

"Next time I find out you're doing this, I'll break your legs."

Elders are biased and double-standard, and even a righteous retired police chief could only give a stern warning. His grandmother was even more biased and double-standard and immediately threw aside her grandson's crime of two-timing and asked, "What's going on with that Guan Ya? Is what Yuer said true?"

Zhang Yuanqing turned his head to glare at his little aunt and said, "Grandma, don't listen to her nonsense. Guan Ya and I did meet in the Bing Ge case. We have contact in private, but that time at Pingtai Hospital, she went to investigate the case."

"During that time, someone saw a wanted criminal appear at Pingtai Hospital, suspected of having accomplices working in the hospital. She's a security officer, so she pretended to be pregnant and asked the doctors in the hospital for information."

Hearing this, his grandmother remembered that there had indeed been a terrorist attack at Pingtai Hospital. "Yuanjun, is it true?"

Chen Yuanjun rubbed the deep lines between his eyebrows. "I'm not in the same system as her, but what Yuanzi said should be correct."

"So that's how it is..." His grandmother glared at her daughter fiercely. "I knew you were talking nonsense. You're so old, why don't you think before you speak?"

Jiang Yuer ignored her mother's scolding. She silently looked at Zhang Yuanqing, her black, bright eyes without sadness or joy, calm, but in her deeper gaze, it seemed as if something was hidden, like sadness, like helplessness, like pain, like unwillingness... Zhang Yuanqing felt a sense of panic for no reason.

At this time, his grandmother said with some embarrassment and shame, "Then, then let's invite her home for dinner next time. Yuanzi, you haven't eaten dinner yet. Let me heat it up for you."

"No need. It's hot, so let's just eat it like this." Zhang Yuanqing sat down and picked up the rice he had just eaten two bites of. It was already cold, and the dishes were also cold.

"Husband..."

Before he could enjoy his dinner, the ghost bride, who had been watching the whole farce in the living room, floated over gloomily and resentfully and said in a mournful voice, "That woman, is she your fiancée?"

...Zhang Yuanqing covered his mouth and said softly, "Concubine, she's a concubine..." Really, after coaxing people, he still had to deceive the ghosts.

……

Late at night.

On the rooftop of a residential building, the night breeze was gentle, blowing up her black hair and fluttering her bright red dress.

On the edge of the rooftop, sat a woman wearing a silver mask. The Song Dynasty-style long dress was intricate and gorgeous, and the sleeves and chest were embroidered with cloud patterns in gold thread. Under the silver mask, her eyes stared blankly at the bright night scene below. The hot and noisy daytime was over, but the night did not bring tranquility to the city. The neon lights converged into winding roads, and cars with high beams on shuttled under the streetlights like a stream.

And between the neon-lit props, were high-rise buildings, and below them were pedestrians coming and going. The people in the buildings and the people below were enjoying their own time.

The Palace Master of Zhisha gently swayed her jade-white feet under her dress, staring at the night scene in a daze.

Until the subtle sound of footsteps came from the stairwell, a middle-aged uncle with an afro, a big belly, and unkempt appearance climbed the stairs and came to the rooftop.

"Palace Master."

Qingdian Dasheng bowed and saluted, saying, "The information on Guan Ya, the second team member of Kangyang District, that you wanted to find has been collected." He paused for a moment and said, "Guan Ya is a disciple of the Lingjing family, the Fu family, and is a cousin of Fu Qingyang. Her mother is the younger sister of the current head of the Fu family, Lingjing ID Fu Xue.

"Her father is a second-level prosecutor of the Heavenly Punishment Organization and holds real power. The two are currently divorced, but neither has remarried. Moreover, this prosecutor and the Fu family still have many business dealings and are close allies.

"It's not clear why Guan Ya came to Songhai to work, but this subordinate asked people inside the Five Elements Alliance to check her personal information and found that her personal credit information has been blacklisted."

"She doesn't seem to be liked by the elders of the Fu family and relies on Fu Qingyang's support to live in Songhai. The specific reason cannot be verified in such a short time."

The Palace Master of Zhisha turned her back to him and said lightly, "Enough! You can go back now."

Qingdian Dasheng bowed and took his leave.

After he retreated back to the stairs, the light footsteps grew farther and farther away until they disappeared. The Palace Master of Zhisha looked at the night scene and suddenly said, "He has been promoted to Saint."

From the dark stairwell, came a lazy laugh, "I know. This shows that our plan is on the right track."

The Palace Master of Zhisha leaned her hands on the edge of the rooftop, still not turning her head, and murmured to herself, "I often wonder if giving him the role card of the Demon Lord was the right choice. Perhaps he could have lived a happier and easier life."

The voice in the stairwell put away its lazy smile and said in an incomparably serious tone, "Only he can digest the Demon Lord's opportunity. He is a natural Night Watcher, and he inherited his father's talent. But it is also possible that he will repeat his father's mistakes."

The Master of Zhisha said softly, "What's wrong with you today?"

The voice became heavier. The Master of Zhisha did not answer. After a short silence, the voice said, "You used your thought power as a needle and your own soul as thread to sew up his incomplete spiritual body, but that is only a temporary solution. Without inheriting the Demon Lord's role card, he will not be able to live. That is his destiny."

"In order to save him, your soul was damaged, your temperament changed greatly, and you fell from the Dominator Realm to the Saint Realm. You finally recovered some of your strength. You have done so much for him. Now, shouldn't you give him a stable life?"

The Palace Master of Zhisha said softly, "I just feel that he has suddenly grown up. Perhaps it doesn't have to be me by his side."

"Put away those stupid thoughts of yours." The voice in the stairwell said, "When he inherits everything from the Demon Lord, the prophecy of the Luminous Compass will be fulfilled, and the days of peace will not last long. In the war between camps, it is either you die or I die. There will be no coexistence. He has no way back, and neither do we."

"I understand," The Master of Zhisha raised her wrist, which was whiter than frost and snow, and waved it, saying, "Get lost!"

There was no sound in the dark stairwell.

……

The next day, Zhang Yuanqing got up yawning, joyfully took out his mobile phone, intending to send Guan Ya a morning greeting message. But when he opened the chat software, the first thing he saw was the snow-white avatar of Bai Yi Sheng Xue, and an unread message: "Come to Fu Jia Wan."

Fu Qingyang was summoning him.

*Centurion has finished resting*. Zhang Yuanqing silently quit the chat software, logged into the official forum, and checked the forum posts.

*Hmm*, he didn't see Yuan Ting's exposure. Not a big problem. He put on his clothes in a good mood.