Chapter 1 Black Night

In the dark night, under the lamplight, Kou Beiyue silently gazed at the ordinary-looking young man with the cigarette in his mouth and the black-framed glasses. After about a dozen seconds, he said, "No wonder Xiaoyuan appreciates you so much. She's sensitive and wary, and ordinary official Night Watchers have a hard time getting close, yet she trusts you and is friends with you. There's a reason for that. From now on, well, from now on we're friends."

Young people are often sentimental and thin-skinned, and they feel ashamed and embarrassed when expressing goodwill.

Seeing Zhang Yuanqing remain silent and lost in thought, Kou Beiyue felt his self-esteem take a hit and pressed, "Aren't you happy to be friends with an expert like me?"

Zhang Yuanqing snapped out of his reverie and instinctively said, "Yeah, right."

Then he asked suspiciously, "Um, what did you say just now? I didn't hear clearly." Kou Beiyue's face turned green and white, and with an angry snort, he turned his head to the side. "That's weird" Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath and said,

"I'm thinking about the plan of action. Now that we've decided to get involved, analysis and planning are essential. Rushing into the Bronze Sparrow Tower in a fit of passion is the stupidest thing to do. Besides..."

*i shou ge*

"Isn't it enough to just break into the Bronze Sparrow Tower?" The words were stuck in Kou Beiyue's throat, and he swallowed hard before saying, "Why? According to my analysis, that Boss Wu should be an ordinary person, not a Spirit Realm cultivator. You don't need to be so careful when dealing with ordinary people, do you?" Zhang Yuanqing agreed that Boss Wu was definitely not a Spirit Realm cultivator. No Spirit Realm cultivator could withstand that kind of drain on their morality.

A Warden like Chi Yu'an would occasionally indulge to vent the dark side of his heart, like spending a salary, budgeting carefully so there wouldn't be a problem. But running a place like this for trading power and sex, building a team for pyramid schemes, fraud, forcing good women into prostitution, etc., no Spirit Realm cultivator could afford to squander their morality like that. Zhang Yuanqing glanced at his phone, estimating the arrival time of the online car-hailing service, and explained:

"Chi Yu'an knows you, right? Your feud with him stems from the Bronze Sparrow Tower. After your assassination attempt, he will definitely inform the Bronze Sparrow Tower to strengthen security, even send Spirit Realm cultivators to take up residence and protect Boss Wu." Kou Beiyue frowned. "You have a point."

"But don't worry too much. You're an evil class, not one of the officials, and you're alone. In Chi Yu'an's eyes, you're just a tricky enemy at most. I guess he'll set up an ambush around himself or in the Bronze Sparrow Tower, waiting for you to walk right into it. As for an official investigation, he won't even consider it because this matter involves too many powerful figures, and they can suppress it completely." Zhang Yuanqing analyzed everything logically.

As Kou Beiyue listened, he gradually became convinced, his thoughts completely following the other party's lead. "Then what should we do?"

Zhang Yuanqing had two ideas. The first was to sneak into the Bronze Sparrow Tower, search for evidence, and then report it to Fu Qingyang, who could relay it to the elders. That way, the officials would naturally deal with Chi Yu'an, but the prerequisite was finding evidence to incriminate Chi Yu'an.

There was also a hidden danger: Chi Yu'an was a Warden, and Wardens were in charge of an entire district, with the Zhu family backing him. Plus, he was a customer of the Bronze Sparrow Tower, not the mastermind. These crimes might not be enough to kill him.

As for the murder of Kou Yusi, Kou Beiyue, as an evil class, definitely couldn't testify. Although the Five Elements Alliance had ways to make people tell the truth, in the Five Elements Alliance's system, relying solely on props to investigate cases didn't follow procedure. Other evidence was needed.

This gave Chi Yu'an and his backers an opportunity to stall. Like a lawsuit, the process was always complicated and difficult, but also indispensable. The second idea was simple: set a tiger against a wolf.

Push the Bronze Sparrow Tower case to the Demon Eye Heavenly King and let evil people grind against evil people.

This was the least risky method, and highly feasible, but it had one fatal problem: it couldn't be controlled.

Zhang Yuanqing remembered the squad leader saying that the Demon Eye Heavenly King had caused two bloody incidents in Songhai, killing nearly twenty people, and deducting a lot of morality. He should be lying low recently. In the Bronze Sparrow Tower incident, there were too many people who deserved to die. With the Demon Eye Heavenly King's personality, he would never let them go, but he wasn't stupid. He would also consider the situation where his morality value was insufficient. The logical approach was to first make a list and then act after accumulating enough morality.

But Zhang Yuanqing couldn't wait. Interrogating Kong Liangping tonight meant that the case had to be resolved quickly. Once Chi Yu'an and the other dignitaries learned of Kong Liangping's death, they would definitely take corresponding measures to cover their tracks. In terms of scheming, Zhang Yuanqing knew he couldn't compete with those old foxes.

In addition, there was another drawback to the plan of setting a tiger against a wolf: who knew when the Demon Eye Heavenly King would accumulate enough morality? And the elders of the Songhai branch would be taking action soon. If the Demon Eye Heavenly King suffered a major loss and chose to withdraw from Songhai, then it would all be for nothing.

"Let's go to the Bronze Sparrow Tower first to gather information," Zhang Yuanqing decided on a cautious plan.

Kou Beiyue looked at him strangely. "So, what's the difference between that and what I was thinking—directly storming the Bronze Sparrow Tower?" Zhang Yuanqing scoffed,

"The difference is, you didn't think about anything before making that decision. But a wise man has already imagined a power struggle before making a decision." Kou Beiyue was unconvinced. "So, there's still no difference."

Zhang Yuanqing's mouth twitched. "Okay, don't worry about the details. The car is coming soon. Once we get to our destination, listen to my instructions." To prevent this kid from arguing, Zhang Yuanqing changed the subject:

"How did you and Xiaoyuan meet?" Kou Beiyue recalled,

"We met in a multi-player combat instance. At the time, I was, uh, momentarily careless and was ambushed by an orthodox class. I almost died, but Xiaoyuan saved me. Later, we exchanged contact information, and she thought I was a good prospect, so she brought me into Master Wuhen's team for training."

Actually, it was because he was momentarily soft-hearted and didn't have the resolve to kill. He had just become a Glamour Demon and had a psychological barrier to killing, but Kou Beiyue was too proud to admit it. "I always thought you were Xiaoyuan's son. Hmm, does Xiaoyuan have a husband or boyfriend?" Zhang Yuanqing asked casually.

Kou Beiyue immediately became wary when he heard that. "What are you trying to do?"

"Thinking about it..." Zhang Yuanqing joked inwardly, but said openly,

"Xiaoyuan is beautiful and sexy. Isn't it normal to be curious if she has a partner? Of course, it's purely curiosity."

"I don't know. Anyway, I've never seen one." Kou Beiyue looked arrogant and sneered, "How many men in this world are worthy of Xiaoyuan?" "You have a deep infatuation with Xiaoyuan." Zhang Yuanqing said "Oh" and stopped talking.

But Kou Beiyue couldn't stop and asked,

"You know Yuan Shi Tian Zun, right? I heard that kid is a recent genius who killed Li Xianzong of the Soldiers of Heaven Sect. Compared to him, who's stronger?" Zhang Yuanqing didn't hesitate:

"In front of him, I can only kneel down and sing 'Conquest'."

Kou Beiyue was stunned. "That powerful? That shouldn't be. Li Xianzong is about the same as me, and you're a little stronger than me. Logically, you and Yuan Shi Tian Zun shouldn't be too far apart." "You're about the same as Li Xianzong?" Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help but size up Kou Beiyue, thinking that this kid didn't seem like he would brag. "So strong? Hmm, he seems to be a level 3 Glamour Demon. No wonder the Demon Eye Heavenly King took a fancy to him..."

At this moment, a white car slowly decelerated and stopped beside the two of them. The online car-hailing service had arrived.

Half an hour later, the white car arrived at Xinyuan Road and parked a hundred meters away from number 38. Zhang Yuanqing paid the fare and got out of the car with Kou Beiyue.

He went to the roadside, sat down cross-legged under a green plant, and summoned the Bloodthirsty Blade, saying,

"I'm going in. Take good care of my physical body, little brother. Don't stab me in the back."

This was the plan they had agreed upon in the car: he would first project his spirit and enter the Bronze Sparrow Tower to gather information, and then decide what to do next based on the actual situation. If he projected his spirit, his physical body would become like fish meat left for others to slaughter.

Kou Beiyue rolled his eyes.

What he couldn't see was a round, cute infant with sparse downy hair looking up at him from his feet.

Little Doubi was Zhang Yuanqing's other insurance. Although he didn't think Kou Beiyue would stab him in the back, it never hurt to be careful. At a critical moment, Little Doubi could buy him time.

"I need to refine a Yin corpse as soon as possible so that next time I project my spirit, I'll have a strong enough bodyguard by my side." Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself as his spirit floated out of his physical body.

He floated to the height of the green plant, glanced down at his physical body sitting cross-legged under the tree, and Kou Beiyue warily looking around, then withdrew his gaze, wrapped himself in the Bloodthirsty Blade, and floated away. The Bronze Sparrow Tower was built by the river in a remote location and consisted of two residential buildings, one five-story and one two-story, surrounded by a pulse electric fence.

From the outside, the building looked ordinary, even a bit dilapidated.

Zhang Yuanqing's spirit floated over the wall and saw several patrols. They were wearing security uniforms, formed in teams of two, carrying short sticks, and wearing walkie-talkies on their chests. They looked well-trained and very professional.

Zhang Yuanqing transformed into a gust of Yin wind and entered the five-story building on the left. The first floor of this building was the security room, with rows of monitors filling the large room.

Every floor had an iron gate that required a swipe card to enter and exit. The women living inside were like birds trapped in cages, without hope or freedom. The second floor was the office area, with rows of desks, empty and dark at the moment.

From the third floor to the fifth floor, were the women's dormitories, which were also the places where the organization engaged in prostitution.

Each bedroom here was very large, similar to a hotel suite, with a pink decorating style, a large round soft bed, a bronze bathtub next to the bed, and various adult products in a glass cabinet. Zhang Yuanqing planned to first extract information from the women in the Bronze Sparrow Tower, which would be more detailed than the information obtained by killing people and asking their spirits.

His spirit floated past one room after another, seeing one woman after another sinking into the soft bed, seeing one guest after another indulging in desire and galloping wantonly. The sounds of pleasure were disgusting.

How many of them were forced? Lured in under false pretenses for various reasons, becoming tools for guests to vent their desires, forced to welcome one different man after another… Kou Beiyue's sister was also here, experiencing what they were experiencing. She tried to escape, but was cruelly murdered.

Finally, Zhang Yuanqing stopped in a suite. There was a round table by the bay window, with a pot-bellied man sitting at the table, a cigarette between his fingers. The sound of water was splashing from the bathroom by the door.

"He's the one." Zhang Yuanqing sighed softly and "crashed" his spirit into the man's body, completing the possession.

After searching for a long time, he finally found a couple who weren't "doing it." He couldn't bring himself to possess the men who were venting their desires.

Zhang Yuanqing put away the Bloodthirsty Blade that had fallen, extinguished the cigarette in the ashtray, picked up the phone on the table, and unlocked it with facial recognition. Through the chat software, he roughly figured out the man's identity.

This middle-aged man was a senior executive of a state-owned enterprise, a regular at the Bronze Sparrow Tower, and a friend of Boss Wu. However, the two of them rarely chatted, and it was mostly just polite conversation, with no obvious evidence. At this moment, the sound of water in the bathroom stopped, and a woman wrapped in a bath towel came out through the glass door.

She was about 25 years old, with short hair, a slender figure, and extremely delicate features.

"Honey, I'm done washing. Go take a shower." She squeezed out a smile on her delicate face. Zhang Yuanqing sat in the chair without moving, glanced at her, and said, "Come sit down."

The woman didn't think too much about it, sat down opposite him, and picked up the cigarette case on the table to light one for herself.

The woman was caught off guard and startled. A mouthful of smoke choked in her throat, causing her to cough with tears streaming down her face, her face flushed red.

Zhang Yuanqing's eyes were cold. "I'll ask, you answer. If you dare to lie to me, dare to talk nonsense, dare to call for help, I'll kill you!"

This was a last resort. With the identity of the body he possessed, it was impossible to get the woman to tell him about Boss Wu's crimes and evidence. The Night Wanderer didn't have any manipulation skills like charm.

The simplest and most efficient way was violence.

The woman cautiously glanced at the Willow Blade. Although she didn't understand what was going on, she nodded in cooperation. Zhang Yuanqing asked, "What's your name? How many years have you been here?"

"Cao, Cao Jing. Don't you know? I've been working here for 5 years. I came here when I was 20." The woman said. "How did you get in?"

"I saw the job posting online and came in." "You were tricked, weren't you?"

The woman was silent for a moment, then nodded:

"They tricked me into thinking I was going to be a saleswoman, but after I started working, they brought me here, and my job became eating, drinking, and sleeping with guests." Zhang Yuanqing said coldly, "Keep talking. Don't make me ask one question and you answer one sentence. I don't have much patience."

As he said that, he drew out the Willow Blade.

The woman turned pale with fright and said cautiously:

"I didn't want to at first, so Boss Wu had people beat me, rape me, and lock me in a confinement room. They confiscated my phone and didn't give me anything to eat or drink."

"I couldn't take it anymore, so I gave in. From then on, I had to sleep with guests every day. Occasionally, I would be taken out to drink, like a prostitute sleeping with other men. No, we're not even as good as prostitutes, because we don't have any money."

"The sisters in the building told me that they were all like this, they had all been beaten. Compared to them, I'm still lucky. Some women were forced to sell their eggs and lost their ability to have children. Some ran away a few times, and then disappeared. Heh, I hope they made it home."

"To prevent us from running away, Boss Wu even brought over the families of some of us, arranged jobs for them, and had them work as cleaners and security guards."

"He also promoted obedient women to be supervisors to set an example for us, let them manage all of us, and give them salaries and benefits. Many sisters are very envious." Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help but take a deep breath to calm his emotions.

Cao Jing said a lot, cautiously looking at the stranger, "What else do you want to know?"

Zhang Yuanqing said expressionlessly, "Tell me some important things, such as Boss Wu's criminal evidence." Cao Jing thought for a moment and said,

"He installed a lot of surveillance cameras in the building, specifically to film us having sex with guests. He uses the videos to threaten us, and also to threaten the guests who come to play. Those guests..." She secretly glanced at Zhang Yuanqing's face and said, "You know."

"Videos..." Zhang Yuanqing said, "Anything else?"

"I heard that Boss Wu also has a ledger, recording all the guests who have dealings with him. Uh, I don't know if it's true, I heard it from the supervisor. The supervisor is Boss Wu's concubine, and has given birth to children for him. She started out just like us, sleeping with guests." Cao Jing said in detail:

"In addition to the Bronze Sparrow Tower, Boss Wu has many similar shops outside, barbershops, nightclubs, etc. But this is the most high-end and secretive, and the guests who come are all important figures. Those shops outside, he took over by relying on thugs and connections in both the underworld and the white world, without spending a cent. It's said that there are over a hundred of them."

She was very puzzled. The guest in front of her should know these things better than her. The guest in front of her lit a cigarette, but didn't smoke it, staring blankly into space.

The cigarette quickly burned out. Cao Jing had nothing more to say. She had told everything she knew, all sorts of bits and pieces, including how some young women had been tattooed with vulgar things by Boss Wu. There was a pervert who beat and abused the women in the building, and several of them ended up in the intensive care unit as a result.

"That violent guest, is he very burly, with short hair, and likes to wear white shirts?" Zhang Yuanqing described Chi Yu'an's appearance simply.

"That's him. He's a devil. I, I once served him..." Cao Jing seemed to recall some unbearable memories and shuddered. "I know. Thanks for your cooperation."

Zhang Yuanqing used a knife hand and knocked the woman unconscious.