The materials that Park Seung-eun required were quickly brought to him, and the one presenting the thin file was his daughter, Park Aeyoung.

Glancing up at the visibly worn-out Park Aeyoung, Park Seung-eun tapped the desk, signaling her to place Jang Yang's file on the table.

Park Aeyoung set the document in her hands onto the desk before Park Seung-eun, next to the reports about that night delivered by others. She pursed her lips, standing stubbornly, unwilling to leave immediately.

"You're not leaving yet?"

Park Seung-eun spoke coolly, seated firmly behind his desk, fully aware of why his daughter was hesitant to depart.

"Father, are we truly going to invite Jang Yang to our Korea?"

Park Aeyoung thought of her deceased brother and their master, Kim Hyun-shin, her eyes reddening as she questioned again. The tight clench of her fists betrayed her profound hatred for Jang Yang, the man who was very likely the murderer.

"I told you, that is the Chairman's wish. Furthermore, the Chairman believes Jang Yang might possess the bloodline of our great Korean people, so we must bring him back to acknowledge his ancestors!"

Park Seung-eun frowned, already growing impatient. Hearing his words, Park Aeyoung’s face instantly turned ashen. The fingers she had clenched together involuntarily loosened, trembling violently.

Hearing this, Park Aeyoung understood that even if her brother and master had indeed been killed by Jang Yang, as long as Jang Yang was willing to return to Korea, her father would not only refrain from blaming him but would likely treat him as an honored guest.

Stumbling out of Park Seung-eun’s room, Park Aeyoung looked utterly devastated and spiritless. She failed to notice a dark shadow that had been coldly observing her from a corner of the room. Only after she left did the shadow slowly emerge from the gloom—nine snow-white tails held high, swaying faintly in the breeze behind it.

As it stepped out of the shadow, its full appearance was revealed under the soft light. This spirit beast, which had accompanied Park Seung-eun from Korea to [Japan], was none other than a Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox. Yet, this creature differed from typical Nine-Tailed Spirit Foxes.

Ordinary Nine-Tailed Spirit Foxes are entirely snow-white, with their nine tails measuring at least two to three times their body length. However, this one had only snow-white tails; its body was pitch black. Its nine tails were not only longer than four times its body length but each one was also thicker than those of the common variety. This Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox could completely envelop its body with its tails.

Park Seung-eun picked up the file Park Aeyoung had delivered. After a cursory glance, he chuckled, perhaps talking to himself, or perhaps addressing the spirit beast with the nine tails.

"Jang Yang's individual strength is estimated to be above the early Fourth Layer; the spirit beasts accompanying him—Heavenly Horse Wind Chaser, Fox-Tail Marten Lightning, Treasure-Seeking Rat Shadowless—their strength is unknown, but likely already Fourth Layer beasts... With such incomplete data, it's no wonder that fellow Kim Hyun-shin lost so miserably. Little one, it seems you’ll have to stay here for a few days while I test Jang Yang’s background and finalize plans... Of course, it doesn't matter; we can resolve some smaller issues first..."

Saying this, Park Seung-eun casually tossed Jang Yang's file onto the table, then stood up and pulled open a drawer. He threw out all the books and papers, revealing a beautifully crafted wallpaper spread across the bottom of the drawer.

Park Seung-eun extended his index finger and used his nail to pry open the wallpaper covering the drawer’s base. Once lifted, a thin sheet of white paper covered densely with Korean script was exposed underneath.

This was actually a small habit of Kim Hyun-shin’s. He always felt insecure about safer options like vaults and preferred hiding the most crucial items in relatively conspicuous places. Coincidentally, Park Seung-eun knew this habit, allowing him to instantly locate all the data Kim Hyun-shin had collected during his time in Huaxia.

This sheet of paper meticulously detailed the distribution of spirit beasts near Changjing, classified by their tiers, along with intelligence on the forces they belonged to.

As Park Seung-eun intently studied the thin paper filled with Korean characters, the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox leaped up, landing on his shoulder. It poked its head out, gazing curiously at the paper in his hand.

"Thirteen First Layer spirit beasts, one Second Layer, and one Third Layer... Little one, let’s practice on them these next few days."

"Chirp chirp..."

The Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox, affectionately nicknamed 'Little One' by Park Seung-eun, lay lazily on his shoulder, letting out a few casual chirps. Its enormous tails occasionally brushed against Park Seung-eun's cheek; one tail even gently coiled around his neck.

Park Seung-eun reached up to stroke the spirit fox perched on his shoulder, folded the white paper in his hand, and slipped it into his shirt pocket. Then, licking his lips, he let out a cold snort, accompanied by an evil chuckle.

"Heh heh... Hehehehe..."

For several days, Qiao Yihong, who was staking out the Jingyang Four Seasons Hotel, noticed absolutely no movement from within. Apart from the person who arrived from Korea a couple of days ago, the place remained as quiet as usual, with the doors locked and a sign reading "Closed for Inventory" still hanging outside.

"Do these Korean bastards not fear losing money?"

Qiao Yihong didn't know how much a large hotel lost by closing for a single day, but he presumed it was no small sum. He mumbled, pulling out his phone again and dialing Zhang Yang's number.

Since the last time Qiao Yihong notified him, Zhang Yang had kept his phone on to ensure he could always be reached when needed.

"There has been no movement from Korea these past few days. The person who arrived in Changjing a few days ago hasn't shown his face since entering the Jingyang Four Seasons Hotel."

Qiao Yihong briefly reported the current situation to Zhang Yang via phone.

From the beginning, Zhang Yang hadn't expected Qiao Yihong alone to keep tabs on both the Japanese and Korean parties. With the Demon Blade Village in hand, Zhang Yang wasn't worried about the Japanese contingent hiding their movements, so he instructed Qiao Yihong to focus solely on the Koreans.

What puzzled Zhang Yang was the complete lack of activity from the Japanese side, while the Koreans had finally sent someone—a fact that also puzzled Qiao Yihong, as no one had emerged from the Jingyang Four Seasons Hotel since that individual entered.

Hanging up, Qiao Yihong looked up; the sky had darkened. It seemed to be another uneventful day.

No!

Just as Qiao Yihong prepared to leave, his eyes suddenly sharpened!

Directly ahead, a strange man wearing a long trench coat emerged from the street adjacent to the Jingyang Four Seasons Hotel. He stood at the corner of the street and flagged down a taxi.

Qiao Yihong was intimately familiar with that trench coat; this was the same man whom the hotel bodyguards had collected from the Changjing airport a few days prior.

"Finally can't hold back and showing your hand!"

Qiao Yihong felt a slight surge of excitement. He discreetly noted the license plate number of the taxi. After the cab drove away, he raised his hand, and a taxi immediately sped towards him from a distant intersection.

The driver of this taxi was the same person, Old Wang, whom Qiao Yihong had followed to the airport that day. After Qiao Yihong got in, he casually extended a hand and asked, "Which car are we tailing this time?"

Qiao Yihong smoothly handed over a banknote and pointed to the taxi waiting at the traffic light ahead. "That one, license plate J1170!"

In '99, although taxis weren't uniformly managed by large corporations with standardized regulations as they are now, some had already installed two-way radios. Drivers familiar with the same area often formed small cliques, using their radios to communicate. This allowed them to share information quickly, making it easier to know where fares were needed or where traffic was jammed, thus saving time and earning more money.

And there was virtually no area in this sector that Old Wang was unfamiliar with. Old Wang squinted, lit a cigarette for himself, picked up the radio in the car, and spoke a few casual sentences. Qiao Yihong knew that to save time, these drivers often substituted proper street names or license numbers with easy-to-remember codes, making the conversation incomprehensible to outsiders.

A moment later, a response crackled over the radio. After hanging up, Old Wang turned to Qiao Yihong and said, "That person is heading to the suburbs of Changjing City, the Zijinshan Scenic Area."

The Zijinshan Scenic Area was a recently planned development in Changjing, currently in the initial stages of demolition and relocation. Some villages hadn't been completely evacuated, leaving the area desolate for the time being.

Qiao Yihong didn't understand why that man would go to Zijinshan. After a moment of thought, he decided against calling Zhang Yang and instead instructed the driver directly, "Old Wang, take the shortcut to Zijinshan!"

"You're still going there this late?" Old Wang looked at Qiao Yihong doubtfully but didn't start the car immediately.

Qiao Yihong nodded, his attitude firm.

By the time they reached Zijinshan, the sky had completely darkened; the bright moonlight was the only source of illumination.

Most of the area had already been slated for development, filled with ruins. Even Old Wang, who knew the area well, dared not drive him too far. He dropped Qiao Yihong off at the entrance of the nearest village to Zijinshan and drove back.

Because Qiao Yihong had taken the shortcut, he arrived much earlier than the Korean man. Qiao Yihong had already secured a hiding spot.

It was desolate wilderness nearby; the man would have no choice but to enter this village. But who exactly was a Korean man looking for here?

He decided to wait a little longer, intending to see clearly what the Korean man planned to do here before calling Zhang Yang.