This little rascal again… Why's he going straight for Auntie?
Zhang Yuanqing cursed internally as he pulled his cap lower, watching the little goofball from the corner of his eye.
Despite its clumsy movements, the baby spirit crawled with a strange nimbleness, quickly closing the distance to Jiang Yuer. It then stretched out its arms and latched onto her leg like a clingy koala.
Why… why does it like Auntie so much?
Zhang Yuanqing was stunned for a moment, his expression gradually becoming complicated.
Jiang Yuer, completely unaware, was chatting animatedly with Guan Ya.
"Your husband didn't come with you?"
"He's still in university."
"A college student? My nephew's in college too, but he still doesn't have a girlfriend."
"Really?"
"Yeah, it's so embarrassing."
Zhang Yuanqing muttered to himself: You've been working for two years and you're still single—who are you looking down on, exactly?
At that moment, he saw the little goofball slide off his aunt's leg on its own, lie on the ground with its head raised as if trying to sense something, then quickly crawled deeper into the hallway—towards a particular outpatient room.
Zhang Yuanqing's heart stirred. Keeping his expression calm, he quietly followed.
The little spirit crawled into the room. Zhang Yuanqing waited ten seconds, then casually strolled over, pretending to just be passing by.
The door was half open. Inside, behind the desk, sat a young doctor in a white coat. His features were soft, almost scholarly, with a calming presence.
He sat upright, focused as if sensing something.
The little goofball was now on the desk, amusing itself.
It's him…
As its master, Zhang Yuanqing could feel the baby spirit's unusual closeness to the man. Combined with the doctor's subtle movements, he deduced that this was the spiritual practitioner secretly cultivating spirit servants.
Without alerting him, Zhang Yuanqing turned and walked away, heading back to the waiting hall. He then called Guan Ya.
The call was quickly declined. Moments later, the mixed-race beauty strode out with her long legs.
"I found out some things," she said. "The ghost rumors started about two weeks ago. It's probably a small number of cases. Let's pull the patient records and also get a staff list from Obstetrics and Gynecology..."
"I've identified the target," Zhang Yuanqing said quietly.
"So fast?" Guan Ya's expression turned serious. "Who is it?"
"An OB-GYN doctor. The name tag on his chest says Wang Qian. His office is the fourth one on the right down the hallway." Zhang Yuanqing asked, "What now?"
Guan Ya pondered for a few seconds. "I'll probe him first, see how strong he is, then decide if we need to call for backup."
"How are you going to test his strength?"
"The way you said that sounded weird..." She chuckled, then her eyes lit with a faint white glow. Looking Zhang Yuanqing over, she said:
"Your physical condition's good—strong vitality. Your Taiyin energy is decent, about mid-tier Level 1. You're currently feeling curious, cautious… and slightly hostile. But not toward me."
Zhang Yuanqing's mouth fell open in amazement.
Guan Ya laughed. "That's Insight—a Level 1 Scout ability. I can gauge someone's general strength, but only for those at the Transcendent level."
"If I don't come out within ten seconds, follow me in. If I do, we'll call for reinforcements." She put on her sunglasses and swayed her hips as she walked toward the OB-GYN department.
Zhang Yuanqing watched her go, counted to ten in his head, then pulled down his cap and followed.
When he reached the consultation room, Guan Ya was sitting across from the young doctor, chatting about fertility planning.
"You two…?"
Seeing Zhang Yuanqing return and shut the door, the doctor frowned.
Guan Ya crossed her arms and smiled. "We're from the Five Elements Alliance, Kangyang District's Second Task Force. You're suspected of illegally cultivating spirit servants. Please cooperate with our investigation."
The doctor's face darkened. His gaze swept over them.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Please don't interfere with my work, or I'll call the police."
He stood and walked toward the door, saying loudly, "Move away. I have other patients."
As he approached, Zhang Yuanqing subtly tensed, ready to shift into Nightwanderer form at any moment.
But he wasn't worried—if Guan Ya stayed behind, it meant she had assessed the man's strength as manageable.
He braced for a confrontation—
Then the young doctor suddenly wore a sorrowful expression and began singing in a deep, mournful voice:
"Looking back at all we've been through, the twists and turns… only we understood… You said you were tired, begged me to let you go..."
Hearing the sad tune, Zhang Yuanqing was struck by a wave of melancholy—weariness, helplessness, even a desire to give up.
What was the point of clinging so hard?
Might as well let go.
So he silently stepped aside.
At the desk, Guan Ya abruptly stood, twisted her waist, spun, and delivered a high heel-powered roundhouse kick.
BANG!
The doctor, just about to flee, was struck hard in the ribs. He flew into the wall with a grunt and slumped to the ground, clutching his side, face pale.
Zhang Yuanqing snapped out of it, breaking free of the emotional trance.
What the hell? Why was I feeling heartbroken over a guy?
"A Musician, huh?" Guan Ya said coldly. "Not only are you suspected of illegal spirit refinement, you resisted arrest and used your abilities against official spiritual practitioners."
She glanced at Zhang Yuanqing and added, "And caused emotional damage to our personnel. You're officially under arrest."
The young doctor clutched his side, face pale. "You can't arrest me. I'm a member of the Palace of Slaughter. We have a non-aggression pact with the Five Elements Alliance. You're not authorized to detain me."
Guan Ya's brows furrowed slightly. Zhang Yuanqing asked quietly, "Palace of Slaughter?"
"It's a local spiritual practitioner group in Songhai," she explained. "Non-governmental. The leader is a high-level practitioner. We have a formal agreement—non-interference. They're extreme types, always shouting about 'ending war with war, stopping killing with killing.' Their leader's a total lunatic. So long as they behave, our higher-ups prefer to keep the peace."
"You can't insult our leader!" the doctor said angrily.
"The non-aggression pact only holds if you stay in line. You've broken the law. No one can protect you now," Guan Ya said, her voice ice cold, eyes sharp.
At this moment, she was no longer the seductive veteran, but a stern and ruthless enforcer.
"I didn't break the law. I didn't refine a spirit servant," Wang Qian said defensively.
He didn't try to get up, fearing more rough treatment.
"Need a reminder?" Zhang Yuanqing said coldly. "That child..."
Wang Qian's expression changed. He suddenly looked pained.
"So this is what it's about… You misunderstood. I didn't refine a spirit servant. I'm just a Musician—I don't have that ability. That child… he was an accident."
"Accident?"
"He was my sister's stillborn baby."
Zhang Yuanqing and Guan Ya exchanged a look. The former snapped, "You didn't even spare your nephew?"
Wang Qian was visibly upset. "No! I told you, it was an accident."
"Over two weeks ago, my sister fell at home. Her water broke, there was bleeding—the fetus was injured. She was seven months pregnant. They performed an emergency C-section, but the baby was in poor condition...
"I requested a relic from my organization, hoping to save him. But he didn't survive.
"By some twist of fate, that item infused him with spiritual power. He became a unique spirit."
Zhang Yuanqing looked to Guan Ya.
She considered for a moment, then nodded. "Musicians do have nurturing abilities, though not at the Transcendent level."
So that's why he needed a relic…
Wang Qian continued quietly, "You came because of the ghost rumors, right? That relic is why he hasn't dissipated. He just wanders the hospital, day after day…
"He's still so young, he doesn't even know he's a spirit. He longs for attention, instinctively clings to older women. That's why people with weak vitality sometimes sense him."
Zhang Yuanqing said, "So you're just going to ignore it?"
"What else can I do? My profession grants me spiritual sensitivity—I can feel him, but I can't interact like a Nightwanderer. I can't communicate. All I can do is keep him company until he fades away."
There was sorrow in his eyes as he spoke.
Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help but glance at the baby spirit playing alone on the desk.
No one could see it. No one acknowledged it. Was this how it had spent every lonely day?
The more he thought about Wang Qian's explanation, the more everything clicked.
That's why the hospital seemed haunted. That's why the baby spirit followed his aunt—it was drawn to the Nightwanderer aura. It had no master. And the Musician uncle couldn't control it.
He looked at Guan Ya, seeking her judgment.
She nodded slightly.
As a Scout, she could see through clumsy lies. Wang Qian's story held no flaws.
"What's your sister's name?" she asked.
"Wang Qian."
"Show me your ID."
After checking it, she returned the card. "We'll verify her condition and report this. The Alliance will contact the Palace of Slaughter to confirm your story. We'll be in touch within 24 hours. Don't leave Songhai until then."
Wang Qian exhaled in relief and nodded.
Guan Ya took down his number, then left with Zhang Yuanqing.
Zhang Yuanqing discreetly guided the baby spirit to follow them. Once they left the OB-GYN department, he claimed he needed the restroom and absorbed it back into his body.
...
Second Floor Office
Zhang Yuanqing and Guan Ya climbed the stairs but didn't see Li Dongze.
"Where's the captain?" Guan Ya called.
"Not long after you left, he got called to Fenghui District," Wang Tai replied without looking up. "A Witch Doctor was spotted—he's helping coordinate a capture."
A Witch Doctor… someone from the Spiritual Energy Society? Follow-up to the Spectral Judge incident?
Zhang Yuanqing sighed in relief and smiled. "Guan Ya-jie, I'll handle the report."
With the captain gone, there'd be no face-to-face debriefing—just a written one, which was far easier to finesse.
"How thoughtful." Guan Ya grinned. "Wang Tai, pull the Palace of Slaughter personnel records for me."
Minutes later, Zhang Yuanqing was typing away. Having learned from Guan Ya's verbose style, he buried the report in a mountain of fluff, confident Li Dongze would skim and move on.
Enslaving a spirit was illegal, but this baby spirit clearly had sentience—far beyond a mere remnant.
Destroying it would be like killing a real life.
Zhang Yuanqing decided to keep it and raise it well.
He spent the afternoon studying spiritual realms, job classes, and the structure of various factions—both righteous and evil.
All while chattering with Guan Ya, who seemed delighted by his company—unlike boring old Wang Tai.
Wang Tai was clearly not amused. They were too noisy.
Just before clocking out, Zhang Yuanqing's phone rang. It was Li Dongze.
"Captain? The hospital case is resolved. I sent the report to your email."
"You at the office?"
"Yes. Just about to leave."
"Stay there. I'm sending a driver to pick you up. I need a favor."