Chapter 48: Got It Without Lifting a Finger
For this spirit body, Xu Zhi invested only [Forge] and [Inspiration] attribute cores—after all, those were the only ones she had in slightly larger quantities and hadn’t found a use for yet. Additionally, she spent ten more cores to bring the [Eye of Secrets] ability along with her this time.
The reason it cost her twenty cores in total was that she directly threw sixteen cores into the creation of this spirit body, constructing a body with an 80-minute duration. Still, despite the 16-core investment, the spirit body wasn’t particularly powerful, so the [Eye of Secrets] didn’t require much to operate—“only” ten cores.
Before investing the cores, Xu Zhi waited briefly until Zhen appeared at the location she had previously marked. Only then did she confirm the deployment.
[You have invested: 16 cores]
[Spirit body duration: 80 minutes]
[Randomizing attributes…]
[Attributes randomized]
[Spirit Body Stats:
Mental: 320
Physical: 440
Traits: Strength Lv3, Insight Lv3, Skill Lv2
Special Ability: Eye of Insight]
[Deploying to selected location…]
[Deployment successful]
As she opened her eyes, a white saker falcon flew straight down from the sky and landed on her shoulder.
Xu Zhi had already grown accustomed to the weight. But as she assessed this spirit body, she could clearly feel that its physical strength was somewhat inferior to her real body’s.
This was the first time she had actually felt “weakened” upon entering a spirit body—it seemed the Strength trait she had drawn earlier had greatly boosted her real body’s physical prowess.
After briefly recalling the layout of the Nanshan Villa District from Zhen’s perspective, Xu Zhi began walking toward her target location.
One reason she used 16 cores was because the villa district was large—just walking in took nearly 20 minutes.
As she walked deeper into the area toward the target garden, she felt a faint sense of being watched once she crossed a certain boundary—as if someone was secretly observing her.
Xu Zhi assumed it must be patrollers from the garden. A stranger’s presence would likely be reported immediately.
But the response was faster than she expected: not long after, a car drove toward her from the garden. It wasn’t going fast, understandable given the heavy fog blanketing Cloud City—headlights barely illuminated anything ahead.
The car stopped in front of her, and out stepped two familiar faces: Yan Songlin and his daughter Yan Rui.
“Nice to see you again,” Xu Zhi greeted them with a smile.
The fact that only the Yan father and daughter had come was already telling—it meant the person in charge within the garden was open to a peaceful interaction with her.
Did they believe she was “safe” to engage?
Yan Songlin stepped forward to greet her with a seemingly friendly demeanor. “Will you tell us your name this time?”
The girl didn’t hide it: “Xu Zhi—Zhi as in order.”
“Good name,” Yan Songlin praised. “Order is especially important in times like these.”
Xu Zhi smiled. “So, will I finally meet the one holding you all together and keeping order?”
“Of course. She asked me and Xiao Rui to come greet you personally after hearing you were here.”
On the surface, this was a casual remark, but it was also a clear message: her every move was already under surveillance within their territory. A subtle show of power—but Xu Zhi wasn’t bothered.
“Alright then, let’s get going,” she said. Xu Zhi had little interest in the father and daughter; she just wanted to meet the person Yan Songlin held in such high regard. If she could strike a deal, perhaps she’d finally find the person the Special Investigation Bureau was after—Zhong Lingfan.
Once in the car, Yan Songlin drove, cutting down the travel time considerably. But his driving made Xu Zhi frown—despite being a supernatural, he seemed to struggle with visibility, driving extremely slowly through the mist.
This puzzled her. If the strength of a supernatural’s ability affected how well they could see in the fog, then even when her powers were relatively weak, she’d been able to see fairly far. Now, only the far distance was still shrouded—nearby areas were clear.
If she were driving, she certainly wouldn’t go this slow—though, of course, she didn’t know how to drive.
Once they safely arrived at the garden and Xu Zhi got out of the car, she couldn’t help but ask, “Do you always drive this slowly?”
Yan Songlin was momentarily stunned, then gave a helpless expression. “With the fog this thick, who dares to drive fast?”
So he really couldn’t see well.
“I thought you’d know these roads like the back of your hand. It’s not like there are many people walking around anymore.”
Xu Zhi casually tossed out an excuse, and Yan Songlin responded quite seriously, “It’s still better to be cautious.”
“Come on, I’ll take you to see her.”
The interior of the villa had a traditional aesthetic, with winding corridors and an intricate layout. If someone lacked a good sense of direction, they’d probably get lost.
After twisting through the eighth corridor, Yan Songlin finally led her into a hall-like room with open wooden doors. The decor made it clear this was a reception room.
Inside sat a woman who looked around twenty-six or twenty-seven, conversing with someone beside her. Based on the posture of the other person, Xu Zhi immediately recognized the woman held higher authority—her companion’s demeanor was notably submissive.
When the door opened, the woman stood and looked toward them, and her companion quietly slipped away holding something.
As Xu Zhi stepped through the doorway, she saw the woman rising to greet her. Honestly, based on first impressions alone, she seemed quite gentle—the kind of face that looked refined and scholarly, even graceful.
The type who could probably tutor her in Chinese composition.
But the deference of those around her—and the fact that even Yan Songlin stayed outside the room—told Xu Zhi that this “gentleness” was likely a façade.
The woman greeted her first: “Hello, Xu Zhi.”
Starting with her name was a subtle move—it openly acknowledged she had overheard Xu Zhi and Yan Songlin’s conversation. Then she introduced herself:
“My name is Zhong Lingfan. I’m currently the administrator of this place. Most people here call me ‘Admin.’ If that’s too formal, you can call me Professor Zhong.”
In just a few sentences, she had already placed herself on a pedestal.
If she were dealing with an ordinary ability-user, that little speech alone might’ve been enough to mentally suppress them—but unfortunately for her, the one standing here was Xu Zhi.
And Xu Zhi’s only thought after hearing that?
Wow. That was easy. How convenient.
