Downstairs in the tavern's dimly lit lounge, Li Xue lazily stirred her drink behind the counter. Her eyes glazed over the data on the glowing tablet, half-focused on restocking schedules.
Thud.
A dull, muffled crash echoed from above.
She paused, glancing upward with a slight frown.
"What the hell are they doing up there…?" she muttered.
Her fingers hovered over the tablet for a second, but then, her disinterest kicked in. She gave a lazy shrug and went back to tapping through the inventory sheets.
"Not my problem."
Upstairs, however, the atmosphere was anything but calm.
The glowing runes had faded. The aura was gone. The spell was broken.
And the silence that followed was heavy, dense enough to make breathing feel like a task.
Zhi Yan looked between the three: the ancient-looking wall, the smoking floor, and the groaning Li Chengfeng. Her brows were tightly knit, full of questions. Full of confusion.
Lin Fang, still seated in the center of the broken array, had a deep frown plastered on his face. The glow in his chest had disappeared. As for whether the presence above him still lingered, only this old man would know.
Li Chengfeng finally sat upright with a wince, brushing the ash off his robes. His expression was equal parts pain and amazement.
"That… was unexpected," he muttered, voice hoarse. "It's been decades since a spirit king struck me directly."
He looked up at Lin Fang, eyes narrow but glinting with something between curiosity and concern.
"I don't know whether you are fortunate or unfortunate, kid. Most of the time, powerful spirit remnants want to be reborn… to escape this in-between state. But this one?" He pointed vaguely at the air above Lin Fang. "It refuses. It wants to stay latched onto your soul."
Lin Fang stiffened. "What does that mean?"
Li Chengfeng exhaled through his nose and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"It means," he began slowly, "that this spirit—this Spirit King Nemesis—has chosen you as its host. Not as a tamer. Not as a master. But as a vessel. A shadow to walk with."
Zhi Yan blinked in confusion. "So… he won't get a monster companion?"
"Yeah, that is true." Li Chengfeng's voice deepened. "In rare cases like this, the spirit becomes an extension of the host's own being. You could theoretically use its powers—fight with it—like the monster hunters do. So, I think you should take the path of a hunter, not a tamer."
Lin Fang's lips parted in surprise. "But… I don't have mana," he said. "I'm a plainfolk, remember?"
Li Chengfeng stopped mid-sentence.
His mouth opened slightly, then closed again.
His eyes widened, realization dawning in them like a sunrise piercing a storm.
"Right…" he breathed. "You're a plainfolk."
His brows furrowed deeply, and he rubbed his temples. "This is… complicated. Without mana, there's no channel. No bridge. You can't call on its power, even if it wants you to."
Zhi Yan looked concerned. "Then what do we do?"
Li Chengfeng was silent for a beat.
Then his gaze shifted toward Lin Fang—serious now, far more intense than before.
"How about this?" he said. "Join our guild. Just for now."
"Eh?" Lin Fang looked up, startled. "Guild?"
Li Chengfeng nodded. "Yes. Temporarily, at least. For your safety."
Lin Fang narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"
Li Chengfeng's voice dropped low, grim. "If another spirit master saw what I saw… if they realized a Spirit King had bonded to a plainfolk with no resistance… they'd try to steal it. Kidnap you. Rip it from you by force. You're walking around with a jackpot attached to your soul."
Lin Fang's pupils shrank.
Zhi Yan's fists clenched tightly beside her. Her eyes darkened for a second, something dangerous flickering in them. But she forced herself to breathe, calm down, and keep silent.
Li Chengfeng pressed on.
"Just try it out. Stay here during the day. Sector 14 is off the grid; most of the bigger players ignore it anyway. I'll make sure you're safe. Go home in the evenings, sleep in your own bed. Try it for just one week. During this time, I will do my best to find a solution to the problem."
Lin Fang sat still, thoughts racing through his mind.
He didn't have to report for any work. His business is entirely online, and his purchases are made in the system's summoner shop. The rest of the day, he either plays with Po or watches dramas on the laptop anyway.
Did it really matter where he spent his time?
He tapped his finger slowly on his thigh, thinking.
Then he nodded. "Alright. I'll do it."
Zhi Yan, standing quietly nearby, blinked.
Just a slight change.
Just a tiny twitch in her expression.
Her eyes widened for a breath—and then she quickly looked away, tucking her hands behind her back.
She didn't say anything, intending to be a spectator throughout the case.
*
After things had settled in the hidden chamber, Li Chengfeng gestured for them to follow.
"Come. Let's make it official."
They returned to the tavern and climbed down the wooden stairs that led to the reception hall on the first floor.
At the desk, Li Xue was seen lazily flipping through a magazine.
She looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps.
"Welcome ba…" She froze.
Her gaze snapped to Lin Fang, or rather, above Lin Fang.
"The hell is that evil spirit?" she said aloud, pointing, her eyes widening as she stood up straight in alarm.
Zhi Yan and Lin Fang halted midway up the staircase. Lin Fang's heart dropped. Zhi Yan instinctively took half a step closer to him.
The two of them looked toward Li Chengfeng in unison.
The old man scratched his nose. "Ah. Right. I forgot to mention, she's also a spirit master by birth," he said with a sheepish smile.
Li Xue blinked rapidly for a few moments, studying the air above Lin Fang. The tension in the room was thick—Lin Fang could feel it prickle against his neck.
But she eventually lowered her hand and relaxed.
After a while;
Listening to the whole story, Li Xue nodded in understanding. "I see. I never expected there would be such a spirit king in the spirit valley. I mean, I wasn't allowed to step inside that place. Anyway…"
Then, without warning, her face brightened into a friendly grin as she extended her hand toward Lin Fang across the desk.
She said warmly. "Welcome to Zero Guild, Lin Fang. It's nice to have a new member."
Lin Fang hesitated a second, but slowly reached out and shook her hand with a smile.
Li Chengfeng then said. "Stay here for a while. I'll be back in a minute."
A while later, as Zhi Yan stepped outside for a phone call, Lin Fang sat at the reception, conversing with Li Xue.
Lin Fang blinked as he looked at the business card, "Seriously? Velcra Nestworks? Your parents own this? I didn't expect you to be so rich." He couldn't help but stare at the polished, gold-edged business card in his hand.
Li Xue gave an apologetic smile and gently waved a hand. "Yes… But please don't judge me by that. I…" she paused, eyes flickering to Lin Fang with a peculiar sincerity, "I don't have anything to do with their board or operations. That's my parents' company. Our family keeps personal and professional lives separate. They want me to join the company, but I left my home to choose my own path. That brought me to Huaxi City. I bought this rundown guild residence with my savings and… well, trying to make something of it."
Lin Fang couldn't help but stare blankly at the girl. Those who are rich but not arrogant somehow often say the same typical lines every time someone says to them, You are rich.
"I'm not rich." "My parents own the properties. Not me." "Blah, blah, blah…"
But then again, such people are easy to get along with. Lin Fang appreciated her in his head and tucked the card carefully into his wallet. "Alright, when I need one, I will come visit the store and check the stock."
Li Xue's smile grew a little brighter. "That's good to hear. And as I have said before, my number is written on the back. You can call at any time…"
"Eh?"
"I mean, when you want to visit the warehouse." A pause. "Or, when you want to know about new products." She said a bit shyly.
"Ah, yes, of course…" Lin Fang, scratching his cheek. There was a subtle tension that grew between them, although it was just for a moment as Li Chengfeng returned, climbing down slowly, but with a certain weight to his steps.
In his hand, he carried a small blue amulet, shaped like a smooth oval stone with a single deep-black dot in the center. It glinted faintly under the room's lighting, as though it held something more than just decoration.
Lin Fang stood up instinctively as the old man approached.
"Here," Li Chengfeng said and handed the amulet to him. "Wear this whenever you're out in public."
Lin Fang accepted it, surprised by how cool and dense it felt in his palm. The moment he touched it, a faint pulse of warmth spread across his fingers.
*Ding!
[You found the Amulet of Velmura.]
[A seal was detected on the amulet. Would you like to break the seal?]
"Seal of Velmura? Breaking the seal?" As Lin Fang furrowed his brows, observing it, Li Xue's eyes widened as soon as she saw it.
"Wait… That's the Amulet of Velmura, from the family vault," she blurted out, her voice raised in disbelief. "You're giving it away?"
"Eh?" Lin Fang came out of his thoughts and looked at her in surprise, and then at Li Chengfeng.
Li Chengfeng shook his head. "I'm not giving it away, niece. Don't worry."
He looked at Lin Fang with a calm but steady gaze.
"I'm lending it to you. Originally, it was used to suppress mana, but in your case… it should help conceal your connection. Other spirit masters won't be able to detect Nemesis following you around as long as you wear it. I recommend you wear it at all times before we find a solution on how to suppress the spirit king naturally."
Lin Fang stared at the old man, speechless.
He could tell… this artifact wasn't something that should be handed out so casually.
A rare warmth surged in his chest.
"Thank you," he said sincerely, bowing slightly. "I mean it."
Li Chengfeng nodded once.
"Just don't lose it," he said gruffly, though there was a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
Zhi Yan quietly returned to the room just in time to see the amulet being hung around Lin Fang's neck.
She didn't say anything, but her eyes lingered on it for a few seconds longer than usual.
But then she said. "We should get going."
Lin Fang blinked his eyes. For a second, he wanted to ask her where, but eventually, he replied with a nod.
He turned back to Li Xue. "I'll come by tomorrow again."
Li Xue bowed slightly. "Goodbye." Li Chengfeng simply waved his hand. Then stretched his body, returning to the tavern.
As Lin Fang exited the building, Li Xue returned to her business normally, sitting on her chair and opening a journal.
Lin Fang had one foot inside the car when the thought struck him like a lightning bolt.
"Ah… wait," he said, patting his pocket as if remembering something urgent.
Zhi Yan turned, her brows lifting in suspicion. "What now?"