"When your friend gave you this Dark Token, did he tell you anything?" Xia Liang asked, leaning on his chair.

"I remember he said that at one o'clock every morning, I should offer it a stick of incense. He called it 'feeding' the token. I didn't pay much attention at the time, so I never did it," Zhang Liangcai said with a gloomy expression.

Xia Liang now understood the root of the problem. Zhang Liangcai had been freeloading off the ghost in the Dark Token, failing to provide the required tribute on time, and the entity had grown temperamental.

"Mister Xia, you have to save Liangcai!" Zhang Yuanzhou was startled by the situation, but he quickly realized that Xia Liang was his only lifeline.

"I don't want to die!" Zhang Liangcai cried, his face etched with pain.

"Don't panic. This ghost can't harm you for the time being," Xia Liang said calmly.

"The very thought of a ghost being near me is terrifying! Bro, please, get rid of it for me, quickly!" Zhang Liangcai was on the verge of tears. He definitely didn't want to die young.

"What's there to be afraid of? This thing is actually rather pretty. The way she's clinging to your back, I'd say she quite fancies you," Xia Liang teased playfully.

Hearing this, Zhang Liangcai didn't even dare to breathe too deeply. "Bro, stop joking with me," he pleaded, his face a mask of misery.

Seeing Zhang Liangcai looking like he was about to be scared to death, Xia Liang decided that was enough.

"Stand still," Xia Liang instructed as he stood up. "And don't make a sound, no matter what happens."

Zhang Liangcai clamped a hand over his mouth, shrank his neck, and nodded. Xia Liang flicked a finger, sending a beam of light that landed precisely on the Dark Token. A faint golden glow emanated from it, followed by tendrils of black smoke.

"By Supreme Imperial Edict, I redeem your lonely soul. May all ghosts and apparitions receive this grace," Xia Liang recited the soul-liberating incantation. The being trapped inside this Dark Token was a pitiful one. After death, her soul had been forged into a magical tool by a Thai Mage, damning her to an existence where she could not be reincarnated.

"Then let me help you enter the cycle of reincarnation."

A wisp of energy rose from the bone token, transforming into a faint yellow light before dissipating into the air.

A voice speaking Thai whispered in Xia Liang's ear, "*Khop khun kha*." If he remembered correctly, the phrase meant "thank you."

"Bro, is it… is it over?" Zhang Liangcai asked, mustering his courage after feeling the pressure on his back lift.

"It's over," Xia Liang confirmed. "Next time, don't just accept any strange thing someone gives you."

"Thank you, bro! You're incredible!" Zhang Liangcai said, his face full of admiration. "Bro, do you think I have the root of wisdom? I want to become your disciple!"

Xia Liang rolled his eyes. The only 'root' he has is for squandering his family's fortune.

"Stop this nonsense!" Zhang Yuanzhou scolded, his anger flaring as he looked at his good-for-nothing son. He then turned to Xia Liang, his face filled with shame. "Mister Xia, I don't know how I can ever repay your great kindness."

First, Xia Liang had rescued his missing daughter, and now he had exorcised the ghost from his son. Zhang Yuanzhou felt this was a debt he could never repay in his lifetime.

"It was nothing," Xia Liang said modestly.

"Please, Mister Xia, accept this humble gift," Zhang Yuanzhou said, handing over a black, patterned bank card. "There are fifty yuan in it. Please don't look down on it. I know this small amount can't possibly repay your kindness to my family."

Not everyone understood that wealthy people rarely keep their fortunes in bank accounts. Instead, their wealth is held in stocks, securities, and real estate. Therefore, this fifty yuan represented all the liquid cash he had on hand.

Xia Liang waved his hand dismissively but then pocketed the card. "This is more than enough!"

Seeing Xia Liang accept it, Zhang Yuanzhou finally heaved a sigh of relief.

「An hour later.」

After a pleasant meal with the Zhang family, Xia Liang prepared to head home.

"Master, are you sure you won't teach me a thing or two?" Zhang Liangcai asked, having stuck to Xia Liang's side instead of leaving with his father after the meal.

"You don't have the aptitude for it. The arts of yin and yang are not something you can learn," Xia Liang said, rubbing his temples.

"That can't be right! Everyone says I have the bearing of a celestial being and that I'm destined for greatness!" Zhang Liangcai said earnestly.

"Who told you that?" Xia Liang asked, eyeing him skeptically. He certainly couldn't see any 'celestial bearing'.

"My grandmother did! She adores me," Zhang Liangcai said. Xia Liang rolled his eyes again, thinking he had never met someone so shameless.

"Master, please, just teach me a little something," Zhang Liangcai persisted, clinging to him like a stubborn plaster.

Tired of the pestering, Xia Liang glanced around and spotted a tall, though plain-looking, young woman in the distance. He nudged Zhang Liangcai and pointed at her. "If you can tell me what's special about her, I'll teach you a thing or two."

"Really?" Zhang Liangcai's eyes lit up.

"Really," Xia Liang nodded seriously.

"Okay, let me get a good look," Zhang Liangcai said, squatting down to stare intently at the tall woman.

"You do that," Xia Liang said, patting him on the shoulder before turning and walking away.

Zhang Liangcai was so focused on the woman that he didn't even notice Xia Liang leave.

Having shaken off his tagalong, Xia Liang felt a sense of relief. It was so much quieter without someone chattering in his ear. Besides, there's no way a mere mortal like Zhang Liangcai could decipher what's special about that woman. If he figures it out, I'll eat my hat.

The tall woman wasn't just a random person; she was genuinely special. Her Hall of Official Fortune held a trace of purple aura, indicating she worked for the government. Furthermore, her brow carried a hint of a punitive aura. These two signs alone were enough for Xia Liang to confirm that she was one of the Protectors.

There were only two reasons for a Protector to be in plain clothes: she was either off-duty or on a covert mission. Xia Liang then scanned the surroundings and noticed several others with auras similar to the woman's. They had to be Protectors, too. For so many undercover Protectors to be gathered in one place meant only one thing: they were on a special assignment that required them to conceal their identities.

The view shifted back to Zhang Liangcai. After staring for a long time, he slapped his head in a moment of epiphany.

"Master, I know what's special about her! She has really long legs!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands and turning around happily.

But when he turned, Xia Liang was gone. In his place stood two brawny, scruffy-looking men. They seized Zhang Liangcai by the shoulders and dragged him into an alley.

"When did you spot us? Do your accomplices know?" one of the men, who was wearing a jacket, demanded sternly.

"What accomplices?" Zhang Liangcai was completely baffled.

"Tight-lipped, are you? If you didn't spot us, then why were you staring at our plainclothes Protector?" the man in the jacket pressed.

"Oh, so she's an undercover Protector," Zhang Liangcai said, as if finally understanding.

"Quit playing dumb!" the man yelled. "What's your objective?"

"My master told me to see what was special about her," Zhang Liangcai answered truthfully.

"You're full of nonsense. Take him to the Bureau of Protectors," the jacketed man said to his partner.

"What? Why am I being taken to the Bureau of Protectors?" Zhang Liangcai was so angry he nearly swore out loud.

"Let's go. Don't try anything funny," the man said, gripping Zhang Liangcai's arm.

"Boss, this kid has a note on him."

"Let me see it."

The jacketed man took the slip of paper and read the message written on it: "To guarantee success, launch the raid at 1:00 AM. This will give you the advantages of favorable timing, terrain, and morale."

The man's heart skipped a beat. How did he know we were planning to close the net at one in the morning?

"Where did you get this note?" he demanded.

"It must have been my master! He's a really badass physiognomist. You can't go wrong following his advice!"

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