Chapter 1 Please Do Not Scan Two People Simultaneously

"Please do not scan two people simultaneously…" The instrument's prompt echoed in Xiahou Aotian's ears, making his heart race and adrenaline surge.

First, he could rule out the possibility of a machine malfunction. The Xiahou family's physical examination equipment was regularly maintained, and they had just undergone a physical examination two months ago.

The equipment was not the problem.

Then the problem was with him.

During the exploration of the underground palace, something had followed them out, and Yuan Shi Zun and the others hadn't noticed it from beginning to end. Xiahou Aotian tensed up, stiffening on the examination bed, motionless, waiting for the equipment's subsequent scans.

"Please do not scan two people simultaneously, please do not scan two people simultaneously…"

After repeated reminders proved fruitless, the instrument seemed to give up. A "clang" came from inside the massive machine, and the components quickly began to operate, emitting a "buzzing" sound.

Like a high-speed rotating turbine.

The circular inner ring of the machine lit up with a soft purple light, shining on Xiahou Aotian's body. The scanner probes emitted infrared rays, scanning his body from head to toe.

This process lasted for three minutes. The "buzzing" sound of high-speed rotation began to slow down, no longer urgent, and after a moment of inertial rotation, it stopped completely.

At the same time, a female voice came from the display screen connected to the machine:

"It has been detected that you are possessed by a high-level Wraith. Please use the power of Yang to expel it…"

Xiahou Aotian's face was unsightly as he sat up and rushed to the display screen. The screen showed a human body scan.

In the picture, one red and one blue figure overlapped, merging with each other.

As a level 5 peak Scholar, Xiahou Aotian naturally understood the display. Red represented his own flesh and blood body, and blue represented the Yin spirit.

He was possessed by a Yin spirit.

Xiahou Aotian couldn't understand why he was the unlucky one.

Logically speaking, shouldn't the protagonist be spared and the dangerous supporting characters bear the brunt?

"The power of Yang, the power of Yang…"

Now was not the time to be annoyed. Xiahou Aotian's face turned pale, and his mind raced. "I remember that Grand Uncle has a purification tool that he exchanged from the Taiyi Sect."

He sprinted towards the shelves where the tools were stored, quickly searching for the tool in his memory.

There were three rows of shelves, each with four layers, filled with a jumble of tools and materials. Grand Uncle was truly a lazy old man, and he hadn't even sorted them by profession or quality. He didn't deserve to be the head of the family at all.

Xiahou Aotian searched for a long time, but he couldn't find the purification tool.

Cold sweat gradually beaded on his forehead, and his expression became more and more anxious. He was in a state of chaos, as if he was racing against the Grim Reaper. One step slower, and the Grim Reaper's scythe would descend.

At this moment, he heard someone say in his ear:

"The Golden Crow tool is on the top layer of the third row."

Xiahou Aotian was overjoyed, "Thank you."

The next second, he froze on the spot, the color draining from his face, his eyes revealing intense horror and nervousness.

A brief silence fell over the warehouse.

Xiahou Aotian hesitated for about ten seconds, and then the old voice sounded in his ear again.

"Do not panic, old man will not harm you. On the contrary, I should thank you for bringing me out of the First Emperor's underground palace." Xiahou Aotian didn't understand the language this voice spoke, but he naturally understood the meaning of the words.

As a knowledgeable Scholar, Xiahou Aotian immediately understood that this was the unique communication method of a Night Walker. He could hear and understand because the other party was directly communicating with the spirits of both sides through the instance.

"?" Xiahou Aotian tentatively asked.

He was already thick-skinned, and after a brief moment of panic, he had stabilized his mentality.

"I am a Fangshi (alchemist/magician) from the Qin Dynasty," the voice said.

"Liar, you're clearly a Night Walker," Xiahou Aotian exposed the other party's lie.

"Old man has studied Yin-Yang techniques, but I am indeed a Fangshi from the Qin Dynasty. Where does the deception come from?" the old voice replied.

"Young man, what year is it today?"

Did he not know the level divisions of the character cards? Xiahou Aotian said, "If you really are a Fangshi from the Qin Dynasty, then it's been two thousand two hundred years."

The voice in his head did not respond. After a long time, a sigh came faintly:

"A two-thousand-year dream. I never thought I would be reborn in this way by mistake."

"Who exactly are you?" Xiahou Aotian's heart skipped a beat. "Don't tell me you're the First Emperor."

"I am just a Fangshi from the Qin Dynasty," the old voice said slowly. "The First Emperor did not study Yin-Yang techniques. When a person dies, their soul is destroyed."

After a pause, he added:

"He craved longevity and a life of reigning over the world, not eking out an existence as a soul. A soul has no physical body to rely on. When encountering a Night Walker, it is like a fish on a chopping board, at their mercy. His Majesty has looked down on the past and present since the Three Sovereigns. His ambition is still very high. He would rather die than live in humiliation."

"Alas, two thousand years have passed. It seems that Xu Fu did not return to the Central Plains to fulfill his promise."

Xiahou Aotian hurriedly asked, "What promise?"

The old ghost who claimed to be a Fangshi did not reply, but instead asked:

"I have been recuperating on your body for several days. I have observed that today's cultivators seem to be different from before. Their strength is low, but they can freely enter blessed lands. Spiritual power in the mortal world has disappeared. The magical instrument you were lying on just now has a strange shape. All of these things have changed greatly. Can you explain them to old man in detail?"

Xiahou Aotian pondered and slowly said:

"This has to start from twenty-three years ago, when a child of destiny was born in the Xiahou family of Jiangnan Leather City…"

Unexpectedly, the old Qin Dynasty Fangshi interrupted him:

"With such mediocre talent, how can you shamelessly call yourself a child of destiny? Even the First Emperor only dared to call himself mandated by Heaven after unifying the six kingdoms."

Xiahou Aotian temporarily couldn't figure out the level and motive of this Fangshi, so he swallowed his anger and explained the existence of the Lingjing (Spirit World) and the current Lingjing Xingzhe organization in detail. By the time he finished speaking, half an hour had passed.

"Interesting," the Qin Dynasty Fangshi commented simply, and then said.

"Xiahou Aotian, do you want to become the most powerful Scholar in the world? Old man can accept you as a disciple and teach you more advanced alchemy and artifact refining techniques."

I am indeed the destined protagonist. No wonder they weren't possessed. Xiahou Aotian was immediately excited, but after all, he was a Scholar and wouldn't lose his mind because of this: "What do you want?"

"Provide me with pure spiritual power regularly. It must be from the Scholar profession. Find materials for me to reshape my body. Heh, that's something for you to do after you advance to Ruler," the old Qin Dynasty Fangshi said:

"But before that, you need to find a magical instrument that can nourish my soul…"

Before he could finish speaking, Xiahou Aotian quickly took out a pitch-black ring surrounded by Yin energy and said, "Quick, come here, Grandpa Ring. I've been waiting for you for a long time."

The Qin Dynasty Fangshi was shocked: "Waiting for me for a long time? What does this mean!"

…………

At this time, in the villa, Zhang Yuanqing and the others were still sitting together discussing.

Should I introduce your little aunt to me so I can enjoy the Demon Lord's blessings? Zhang Yuanqing rolled his eyes inwardly. Of course, he didn't dare say this out loud, for fear of being beaten to death by Ling Jun.

Fu Qingyang put his cigar in the ashtray and said lightly, "Teng'er still can't forget the Demon Lord?"

Ling Jun's face darkened: "Don't mention that scumbag in front of me. Fu Qingyang, you're just exposing my family's scars. Are you doing it on purpose?"

Fu Qingyang calmly got up. "Yuan Shi, you go back first. Don't see Guan Ya before the marriage line is restored."

My little brother-in-law really cares about his cousin's marriage! Zhang Yuanqing nodded and turned into starlight, scattering away.

Next door, in a small apartment villa.

Starlight rose from the bedroom. Zhang Yuanqing took out his backpack from the closet and stuffed his phone charger, computer, and cat-shaped speaker inside.

He planned to go home for a while to see his grandparents and return after the marriage line was restored.

Just then, he heard light footsteps quickly approaching. The next moment, with a "click," the bedroom door was twisted open, and a delicate melon-seed face peeked in, wearing high-tech headphones.

"I knew it. I heard movement in the room." The girl's face bloomed with a bright smile. "Brother Yuan Shi, I missed you so much…"

She hopped in like a deer in the forest, and without saying a word, she wanted to take advantage of Guan Ya's absence to take liberties with her boyfriend.

Suddenly, the little deer stopped halfway, slamming on the brakes in a panic.

Xie Lingxi stopped and stared at Zhang Yuanqing up and down with her clear black and white eyes, scrutinizing him repeatedly.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Yuanqing asked tentatively.

Xie Lingxi frowned for a moment, then suddenly showed a polite smile:

"It's nothing, Brother Yuan Shi. I was just joking. It's really good to be back. Oh, right, lunch is ready. Will you come down to eat?"

A distant and polite smile, courteous and bland language.

Zhang Yuanqing suddenly felt a little uncomfortable, as if he had lost something that originally belonged to him.

He followed Xie Lingxi downstairs. The little green tea kept a considerable and polite distance from him.

When they arrived at the living room, the Queen was already enjoying her meal, holding a bowl. Hearing footsteps, she smiled charmingly: "Captain, Lingxi said you're back…"

She stared at Zhang Yuanqing for a long time, and the charming expression in her eyes and eyebrows suddenly disappeared. She nodded slightly. "Captain, the food is hot. Eat while it's warm."

Even the Queen doesn't like me anymore. Alas… Zhang Yuanqing once again experienced the horror of the Hongluan Xingguan (Matchmaker Star), a different kind of horror.

He couldn't accept this psychological gap. Just as he was about to go home early, he suddenly had an idea:

Maybe Ling Jun is right. Sister Guan Ya yearns for a free love and has extremely high demands on her lover, never settling.

Why not take advantage of the fact that I'm not loved by anyone and break up with Guan Ya now, putting myself in the wronged position of being betrayed? When the marriage line is restored, Guan Ya will definitely regret it and want to save this relationship. I'll just take the opportunity to suggest some intimate moments and take it all in one step!

This is an operation that even the mentor couldn't have come up with. I'm such a genius, hehe… Thinking of this, he leisurely sat down, took the bowl handed over by the bunny girl, and began to eat casually.

The atmosphere at the dining table was silent. Xie Lingxi and the Queen were busy eating.

"What's wrong?" Li Chunfeng looked left and right, and couldn't help but say:

"You two used to call him 'Brother, Brother' all day long, and the other used to eagerly serve food and curry favor. What's going on today? Do women also have a period of clarity?"

His complaints were getting sharper.

The Queen frowned. "Li Chunfeng, what nonsense are you talking about? I've always respected the Captain, but only to the extent of respect. Don't make jokes."

Xie Lingxi said with a smile, "Brother Yuan Shi will always be my brother."

Even if she doesn't love him, she's still full of green tea flavor.

At this moment, Guan Ya, who had finished reporting, walked into the villa hall. Seeing Zhang Yuanqing's back from afar, her eyes lit up, and a smile bloomed on her beautiful melon-seed face.

"Yuan Shi, you're back."

She walked over while untying her ponytail. At the same time, she saw her friend's face turning around.

Guan Ya suddenly froze.

"Sister Guan Ya, I've been waiting for you for a long time." Zhang Yuanqing smiled inscrutably.

"Ah, oh…" Guan Ya reacted from her daze. At this time, she had stopped beside Zhang Yuanqing. She glanced at the seat next to the Queen, hesitated for a moment, and still pulled out the chair and sat next to her boyfriend.

She took the bowl and chopsticks handed over by the bunny girl and ate in small bites. She occasionally glanced at her boyfriend, lost in thought, and sometimes frowned in confusion.

Sometimes she looked at her boyfriend again, her face becoming serious.

She looked preoccupied, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Time slowly passed, and the rice in everyone's bowls finally ran out. Guan Ya put down her chopsticks, turned her head, and stared at her boyfriend. She said:

"Yuan Shi, come to my room for a moment."

"!" Zhang Yuanqing put down his chopsticks and followed her towards the stairs.

Watching the backs of the two disappear around the corner of the stairs, Li Chunfeng looked at the little green tea and said in surprise:

"Aren't you going to steal listen with your headphones?"

"Crazy!" The little green tea gave him a look.

……

"Bang!"

Guan Ya closed the bedroom door softly, pulled out the chair by the desk, motioning for Zhang Yuanqing to sit down, while she sat upright on the bed.

Here it comes, the breakup! Zhang Yuanqing, who knew her character well, thought to himself.

"Yuan Shi," Guan Ya bit her lip, steeled her heart, and said; "What I'm about to say may be unacceptable to you, but…"

"Are you going to break up?" Zhang Yuanqing spoke first.

Guan Ya's expression froze. Out of instinct, she wanted to deny it, but looking at Yuan Shi's face, she finally nodded and smiled bitterly:

"I'm sorry, I, I might not like you anymore."

"I don't know why, but my heart clearly tells me that I don't have any feelings for you anymore. I don't even know why I agreed to be with you before."

"Really, I'm sorry…"

Zhang Yuanqing cooperated by showing a sad, dejected, and disheartened expression, hanging his head like an abandoned child.

"I'll move out tonight. You can continue to live here. After all, this is our team's base."

Also the place where you'll be biting your lip and holding onto the wall tomorrow night! He added in his heart.

Zhang Yuanqing stood up and said in a low voice:

"Sister Guan Ya, goodbye."

After saying that, he didn't give Guan Ya a chance to save him. He snapped his fingers and left the villa.

Guan Ya looked at the empty room. For some reason, her heart also became empty, as if she had lost something important.

Forget it, it's good that Yuan Shi doesn't pester me… Guan Ya shook the inexplicable feeling of loss out of her head and breathed a sigh of relief.

……

8:30 PM, Grandma's house.

In the bedroom, Zhang Yuanqing and Jiang Yu'er, who had just finished dinner, sat side by side with their legs crossed in front of the TV, operating the controllers, controlling the game characters to cooperate and kill everything in sight.

Dynamic sound effects echoed in the room.

On Little Aunt's head, a round and cute Infant Spirit was lying, staring at the TV screen with big, dark eyes, his palm-sized face full of focus and seriousness.

When fighting the boss, the little idiot tensed up, extremely nervous.

When slaughtering the little monsters, he would raise his small hand and pat his little aunt's head, making an "Aba" sound.

Little Aunt was completely unaware of this.

"So much fun~ Yuanzi's skills are getting better and better."

Little Aunt put down the controller, looked at the "Game Clear" screen, and opened her arms, stretching lazily.

"Wasn't my level high before?" Zhang Yuanqing stretched lazily while holding the controller, thinking that Little Aunt was still good, regardless of whether the red line was broken or not, she was still the same to me.

Family affection is indeed more reliable than love. At this moment, the phone rang.

Zhang Yuanqing put down the controller, leaned his body, and pulled out the phone from his pocket. The caller was Fu Qingyang.

He immediately got up, walked to the window, and answered the phone: "Hello."

He didn't call him Boss in front of his little aunt.

Fu Qingyang's always calm and indifferent voice came from the speaker: "The president of the Merchant Guild has replied. He wants to meet you, tonight."

Wants to meet me? A demigod-level figure wants to meet me?

Zhang Yuanqing's first reaction was: "Is there any danger…"

Looking at the pretty little aunt watching him on TV, he changed his words: "Is it reliable?"

"You can meet him." Fu Qingyang gave a positive answer and said, "Come to my place at ten o'clock tonight."