Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 45

When everyone entered the classroom, they all paused at the same time. They raised their heads and observed their surroundings suspiciously, and some even took out a compass to measure their position. After finding that there were no problems, they walked in cautiously while looking at each other with bitter smiles.

This was the reaction from the aftermath of their previous lesson.

Ba Sang still had a lingering shadow and would reflexively touch his throat from time to time. The experience of slitting his own throat was so heavy that it left a deep scar on him.

“How are you?” Dong Zhi patted him on the shoulder.

Ba Sang turned his head and said with a bitter face. “I slept for an entire day yesterday and had countless nightmares of being pierced by a dagger. Every time I wake up, I will be sweating profusely.”

Dong Zhi smiled bitterly. “I dreamt of being surrounded by zombies and they overwhelmed me. It made me freak out.”

Li Ying, who passed by them, overheard their conversations. He laughed. “It’ll be fine in a few days. Those are just conditioned reflexes!”

He lowered his voice after speaking. “Some people must’ve dreamt that they were trapped in the electrician’s room and couldn’t get out.”

He was referring to Liu Qingbo. Last time Boss Wu commented on everyone’s performance, he singled out Liu Qingbo, who hid in the electrician’s room for the whole night. Hearing the ridicule in his tone, Dong Zhi and Ba Sang’s hearts lightened.

Coincidentally, Liu Qingbo just happened to pass by and those words reached his ears. His face instantly became ugly. Even Ba Sang and Dong Zhi hadn’t had time to withdraw their smirks when they were caught by him.

“It’s a mule or a horse*! Why don’t you put yourself to the test rather than put on hot air!” Liu Qingbo said angrily.

*The full idiom is It’s a mule or a horse to go for a walk (是骡子是马拉出来遛遛). It describes a person who doesn’t want to say something nice and has little ability to do things, so he can’t distinguish whether it’s good or bad (AKA Put your money where your mouth is. If you are capable at your job, then start doing it and show people your ability.)

During the simulation training, Liu Qingbo ignored Li Ying’s advice and left on his own, causing Li Ying to be quite dissatisfied. As a result of his action, he was heavily criticized by Wu Bingtian for abandoning his teammates, which only further infuriated him.

Hearing Liu Qingbo’s quip, Li Ying responded back, “I’m neither a donkey nor a horse, and I can choose whether to walk or not walk*.”

*Clarity: He’s referring to the latter half of the full idiom. This response is basically saying he’s capable and has nothing to prove.

Others may be jealous of Liu Qingbo’s background, but Li Ying had nothing to fear from him.

Liu Qingbo immediately pulled out his Feijing Sword from his back while Li Ying pinched a talisman with one hand. Their movements were equally fast. As young people, they were easily prone to anger, and as practitioners, they were even more arrogant. With their backgrounds, Li Ying and Liu Qingbo would have a smooth path. Even if Long Shen and Wu Bingtian wanted to take action against them, they would have a lot of trouble. Therefore, they were both fearless among their peers.

No one expected that a few words would end with rattling swords, and everyone rushed to ease the situation.

Dong Zhi spoke up, “Sorry, we shouldn’t have laughed just now, but Li Ying didn’t mean to be malicious. Class is about to start. Being seen by the leaders may affect your score. Let’s just drop this!”

Chi Banxia also chimed in, “Yes, we’ll all see each other regularly in the future, so why bother being so stiff!”

Everyone else also gathered around to persuade them, blocking the middle to avoid them from really taking action, as it would be difficult to clean up the mess.

After being persuaded by this, the two of them calmed down. Suddenly, Zhang Song came in from outside. When he saw this scene, he laughed and said, “You two want to duel? Fine by me. I’ll be your witness!”

He glanced at the people around Li Ying and then smiled casually. “Li Ying, are you helping others? I didn’t expect you to still be so helpful!”

The atmosphere that had been slightly relaxed became tense again in an instant. Where there were people, there were rivers and lakes, and where there were rivers and lakes, there were leagues and sects. Birds of a feather flock together. After the written exam and interview, Dong Zhi found that people from famous families and those with backgrounds would naturally converge, while those who were alone and had no standing, like Dong Zhi and Ba Sang, would get closer as well.

The interaction with Li Ying was purely accidental. After the interview, many people left the capital, either returning home or going off to have fun. Not many people stayed behind. Li Ying had gathered a few to develop his connections, yet coincidentally they stumbled upon Hui Yiguang’s situation. Going through that tribulation together had deepened the friendship between them. Though their personalities and origins were different, they usually got along well.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Song was eager to fan the flames, and the look in his eyes felt off. Zhang Song didn’t seem to be aware of it as he kept smiling and urging them, “I heard the next year’s World Exchange Conference will be selecting representatives to participate. Sooner or later, we will have to fight like this, so why not do it?”

Before this, Dong Zhi’s impression of Zhang Song was that he was a young and promising disciple of the Longhu Sect. When he dealt with the Archfiend in Yangcheng, it was Zhang Chong, who was also born on Mount Longhu, who helped him out. Although his skills were mediocre at best, he was easy to get along with and was quite funny. Looking at Zhang Song now, Dong Zhi sighed inwardly, lamenting how the same rice that nourished a hundred kinds of people, even if they were in the same class, could have such varied temperaments.

“What is the World Exchange Conference?” Ba Sang asked quietly.

Dong Zhi whispered, “I don’t know. It could be an exchange between practitioners.”

When Liu Si heard their whispers, he answered, “It’s a world-class spiritual exchange conference. Every two years, various countries and regions will send representatives to participate in it. It includes competition as well as consultation.”

Hearing his explanation, they became even more curious and wanted to ask more questions when Long Shen walked in.

Liu Qingbo and Li Ying weren’t fools. They both knew that this wasn’t the occasion for a fight, so they could only halt their ride on a tiger*. Seeing that the Deputy Director had come in, they dared not continue the confrontation any further and hurriedly stopped.

*(骑虎难下) Idiom referring to difficulties to carry on a task but the situation doesn’t allow it to stop halfway so it becomes a dilemma. || In this case, it’s the opposite, as normally it’s that they cannot halt their ride on a tiger, so it means they did stop halfway before the fight broke out. 

Long Shen glanced at them and said nothing. Liu Qingbo couldn’t speak even if he wanted to explain, so he had to hold back. Everyone hurriedly took their seats, sitting upright for fear of making a bad impression.

“I will teach you in today’s training class,” Long Shen said. “But not here. Go to the top floor.”

Are they finally going to practice?

Everyone has long been afraid of Director Jiang’s long and exhaustive theory class, and they had lingering fears about the simulation training last time. Their hearts were all pounding as they were both anxious and filled with anticipation.

“Long-Boss Long, are we going to fight zombies again? I forgot to bring my compass today. Can you let me go back and get it?” Someone asked cautiously.

Dong Zhi subconsciously touched the Qingzhu Sword he had set on the table.

Long Shen said, “You don’t need to bring a compass. If you have a weapon, you can bring a weapon. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have one.”

He took everyone to the rooftop and swiped his card to open the door. The scene behind the door was very familiar as it was the spot that Dong Zhi practiced his exercises every day. To others who have never seen it before, their expressions and reactions were similar to Dong Zhi’s when he saw it for the first time. Exclamations followed one after another.

It was only later that Dong Zhi learned this kind of enchantment that extended space wasn’t uncommon, but it was rare to have such a large-scale one like the Special Administration Bureau. After all, many large sects are situated between lush mountains and flowing rivers. Only when you’re located in a downtown metropolitan area would the venue not have enough space for you to use this kind of method.

Long Shen stood under a tree and said, “I’ll teach and show you my best abilities, but how much you can learn and remember will depend on your own abilities.”

Hearing what he said, everyone quickly pulled their attention back from the vast and beautiful scenery in front of them.

Long Shen said, “I am good at swordsmanship. However, the sword is the head of a hundred soldiers, while the wielder is the general of the hundred. All objects have a spirit, and this varies very little. Some absorb the essence of the heavens, the sun, and the moon. Over time, wisdom is born, and the spirit takes form. This is the origin of essence. These objects are limited by their spiritual energy or their own creation, so it’s not enough for them to transform into human beings, let alone reach sentiency. However, they still have spirituality in themselves. If this spirituality can be integrated by the user, it can make the user even more powerful. Think of it as icing on the cake.”

Everyone listened intently, even if they didn’t understand what he was saying, as they all took notes to ponder carefully when they returned.

Long Shen said, “What I want to teach you today is to discover the spirituality of the weapons that you use.”

Chi Banxia raised her hand.

Long Shen: “Speak.”

Chi Banxia said, “Excuse me, Boss Long. What if you have no weapons?”

Long Shen said, “A flower, a leaf, a sword, a spear, a halberd, a whip, a flute, poison, witchcraft, and even a talisman; As long as you use them to attack an enemy, they are all considered weapons, but any objects used will have spirituality. Take the gu insects* for example. Poison itself utilizes creatures. I once saw a Miao girl in Miaojiang who was pregnant with two gu kings at the same time. One can cure hundreds of poisons while the other can transverse anywhere in the world. These gu kings are connected with her soul, so as long as she wills it, she can do what she wants without the use of spells.”

*Reminder: This is referring to gu/poison. Often, insects are used to create the poison. Refer to the lore glossary for details of gu.

Chi Banxia was shocked. “When I was a child, I used to hear about this from my grandmother, but at that time I thought she was humoring me. Is there really such a powerful person in the world?”

Long Shen nodded.

Since witchcraft and poison arts were in the same vein, they were interlinked with each other. Chi Banxia was fascinated to hear about this and wanted to know more.

“Boss Long, where is the expert now? Do you know?”

Long Shen said, “I have only met her once and haven’t seen her for many years.”

Although the Special Administration Bureau is an official organization, not everyone loves to be bound. China is vast and full of hidden dragons and tigers, with countless strange people.

Hearing this, Chi Banxia couldn’t help showing a look of disappointment.

Seeing as she had no further questions for the time being, Long Shen continued, “Not only are insects, but other objects can be applied the same way. Humans are the spirits of heaven and earth. Why? Because humans have unparalleled intelligence, that’s beyond the reaches of beasts and can carry more spiritual energy than any other living thing. From another point of view, human beings can be considered objects with spirituality, as there’s no exception. Your elders must have taught you that when using weapons, you must gather your qi first, then visualize it.”

Everyone nodded.

Although Dong Zhi bears the title of a disciple of the Hezao Sect, it’s only in name. He first learned how to draw the Sunlight Talisman from He Yu, then learned the Five Thunder Talisman from master Fang, and then got the Qingzhu Sword from Long Shen, thus his knowledge was one hammer east, one hammer west*. In terms of systematics, it wasn’t as good as a disciple who studied under the Hezao Sect or Longhu Sect since childhood and started from scratch.

*Refers to learning a bit here and there that you’re unfocused, so you end up not learning much at all.

He knew his only advantage was that he was quick to pick up things and had a talent for drawing runes, but if he was satisfied with the status quo, in the long run, let alone compared to people around him, it’s estimated he may not even pass the training exam. Not only did he listen very seriously in today’s lesson, but he also added the knowledge to his mind to seek confirmation.

Long Shen said, “The stronger the ability of the person, the shorter the time it takes to gather qi and visualization. For example, the current headmaster of the Longhu Sect can use talismans without reciting a mantra.”

There were two disciples from the Longhu Sect, including Zhang Song, who were present. When they heard this, they naturally had proud expressions.

“Take the sword as an example. Only the fast could not be broken in the world of martial arts. There are no limits except in your mind and heart.”

After Long Shen said these words, he stretched out his hand towards Dong Zhi. “Give me your sword.”

Dong Zhi hurriedly handed over the Qingzhu Sword with both hands.

Long Shen pulled the sword from its sheath and held it in his hand like a flower. It could be seen that his swordsmanship was extremely skilled. The sword in his hand was like a part of his body, light as if it weighed nothing, flexible, and adaptable. With one hand behind his back, and the other on the sword, he didn’t deliberately stand upright, but his back was straight and beautiful.

Everyone thought he was going to perform some moves with the sword, but in the next moment, they were speechless.

The Qingzhu Sword in Long Shen’s hand suddenly turned into a luminous light and flew into the sky. Long Shen raised his hand and drew it upwards, then drew an arc with it. Following his guidance, the light shot through the air, and seconds later, a stone not far away exploded.

A loud boom could be heard as pieces of the stone flew everywhere. The sword was inserted straight into the ground where the stone was previously laid; more than half of it was buried deeply. Long Shen’s finger moved slightly, and the light suddenly flew towards the crowd.

Everyone felt the sword’s qi as the wind rushed towards their faces! They subconsciously took a few steps back, and some people even involuntarily made a defensive stance.

As soon as Long Shen closed his palms, the light turned back to normal and returned to his hands.

Dong Zhi almost doubted that the Qingzhi Sword he had been using before was fake. It wasn’t just him, but everyone looked at Long Shen with eyes as if they were worshipping a god.

People who know little have only heard of Long Shen’s ruthlessness when slaying demons, but they didn’t know how powerful he really was. Those who didn’t know him well felt that his reputation was well-deserved.

Long Shen’s face was still indifferent, as if he hadn’t shown any incredible skills just now.

“Like I said, all objects can naturally be used freely when they are interlinked with your soul. Do you understand?”

Everyone nodded like a chicken pecking rice.

Among the crowd, Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo had already seen Long Shen in action. The former had experienced it firsthand on Changbai Mountain, while the latter was rescued by him when he was in danger.

It was just that on Changbai Mountain, the power of the bone dragon was so shocking and Dong Zhi was fighting through life and death helping He Yu set up the array that he didn’t have the time or energy to carefully watch the battle.

Similarly, Liu Qingbo was chased by the Aoyu and almost lost his life, so he didn’t see Long Shen’s heroism. This scene in front of him today made Liu Qingbo more determined to become his apprentice. However, after today, besides Dong Zhi, there may be more competing for that position.

Long Shen asked, “Do you have any questions?”

Liu Si said, “Boss Long, I use a whip. Can you show me a demonstration?”

Long Shen looked at him for a moment, nodded, and stretched out his hand.

Liu Si took out a slender willow branch from his pocket, stretched it out slowly until the length formed a whip, and then respectfully handed it to Long Shen.

Long Shen held the whip and pondered for a moment, as if weighing it in his hand. Everyone held their breath and did not dare to make a sound, for fear of disturbing him. Suddenly, Long Shen slapped the ground with the whip, and the grass suddenly blackened and a crack appeared on the ground about a finger deep.

Immediately afterwards, another whip was made, and it hit the crack just now, but this time, the grass on both sides of the crack seemed to be affected by the power of the whip and quickly withered, spreading up to a meter away until it stopped.

He wasn’t done yet as he whipped again for the third time!

Everyone thought that this time the crack would get deeper, or more of the grassland would be affected, but to their surprise, while the crack was still deep, the withered vegetation on both sides was rejuvenated at a speed visible to the naked eye, and even small white flowers bloomed.

The earth around Long Shen’s figure seemed to have rejuvenated and become prosperous. Everyone watched this scene in amazement as Long Shen retracted the whip and handed it back to Liu Si.

“The choice is yours. True power lies not only in destruction, but also in creation and giving.”

Liu Si shook slightly, took the whip, and solemnly said, “I understand. “

Liu Qingbo hurried forward before the others recovered.

“Boss Long, I also want to ask you for guidance.”

He handed the Feijing Sword with both hands, looking at Long Shen eagerly.

Long Shen said, “I have already shown the sword just now, so leave room for others.”

Liu Qingbo was a little unwilling to give up. “But you demonstrated too fast just now, and I didn’t have time to see clearly. Maybe others feel the same!”

Others nodded one after another, wanting to see it again.

Long Shen didn’t pick up the sword but said, “When you visualize, there is one more point. Don’t be distracted. It’s easy to do since you usually practice in a quiet environment, but if you’re in a noisy area or surrounded by danger, if you manage to collapse Mount Tai without changing its color*, you can reach greater heights.”

*The full idiom is Collapse Mount Tai without changing its color, and the elk flourished on the left without blinking (泰山崩于前而色不变，麋鹿兴于左而目不瞬). Refers to being calm and unaffected by the outside world/being calm without panicking in the face of trouble (AKA as cool as a cucumber).

After he finished speaking, he looked at everyone. “All of you, come at me together.”

Everyone looked at each other, but no one moved. Their faces, though, showed eagerness to try.

Long Shen said, “Don’t worry, use your best abilities. There’s no need to hold back.”

Since he said that, everyone no longer had reservations. They stood around Long Shen in a circle, ready to go.

Dong Zhi clenched his Qingzhu Sword in his hand and pinched his other hands with his fingers and began chanting a mantra.

This was a test. Not a test for Long Shen, but Long Shen’s test for them. If they didn’t do their best, it would be considered sloppy and negligent.

Chi Banxia put one hand in her pocket. No one knew what she was touching. She took a step back and reached out her hand. To the eyes of others, it looked as if her hands were empty, but Long Shen seemed aware of it. He stretched out his hand in the air and grabbed at it, then threw it at the stone next to him.

The stone quickly turned black as corroded holes appeared on it one by one.

At this moment, Liu Qingbo yelled and raised his sword to attack Long Shen. The people around only felt the gust of wind from the aftermath of his blade, and they couldn’t help but move far away from him.

Although Liu Qingbo failed to refine his sword into light like Long Shen did, his sword still moved extremely fast. In addition, the Feijing Sword has killed countless people over thousands of years. With the blessings of magic, the murderous aura of the sword surged outward so that it was impossible to hide. Watching the scene from behind, Dong Zhi saw how fearless his opponent was and the vast potential he had. He suddenly understood why Liu Qingbo desperately wanted to become Long Shen’s apprentice.

No matter how powerful his swordsmanship is, it still has the aura of humanly fireworks of the world, while Long Shen’s sword has reached a state of being able to retract and release like a god. Liu Qingbo needs guidance from a master-level figure in order to improve his cultivation one level higher.

However, Dong Zhi had no intention of retreating and being virtuous. Since he had made up his mind, he must work hard in his conviction. He had passed the written exam and interviews, so there was no reason to back down now.

Dark clouds gathered from all sides as the sky above their heads quickly darkened.

Long Shen remained motionless. He stretched out his hand and blocked Liu Qingbo’s offensive as the Feijing Sword paused abruptly in midair. It was as if Liu Qingbo had hit an impenetrable rock as his whole body titled to the side and fell to the ground.

Others followed suit, yet they all failed to even shake Long Shen in the slightest.

Suddenly, a loud bang resounded! The dark clouds rolled endlessly as thunder roared in the clouds, arousing dazzling light. Lightning directly enveloped Long Shen’s entire figure, causing many people to scream.

“Boss Long?!”

“Boss Long!”

Dong Zhi’s heart skipped a beat, but when lightning struck, it was too late to stop it. Everyone could only watch as Long Shen was bathed in the majesty of the sky. Within a five-meter radius around Long Shen, no one dared to approach, including Dong Zhi. The heavenly thunder was so ruthless that one’s life would be in danger if they stood too close.

When the thunder dissipated and the lightning disappeared, Long Shen’s body was no longer there. Only ashes remained as they were blown off by the wind.

Everyone was stunned, and Dong Zhi looked even paler.

“Your reaction is too slow.”

When the familiar voice sounded, they turned their heads abruptly and found that Long Shen was standing behind them, completely unscathed.

What was that?!

They looked at the place where the lightning had struck, seeing the entire area empty as all the grass and leaves were wiped out, leaving only a piece of scorched earth.

Long Shen crossed his arms and said coldly, “If this was the enemy, you would be a cold corpse by now.”

Everyone lowered their heads in shame. In their respective fields of expertise, not to mention outstanding, they were considered rising stars. They were usually praised by their elders, but when they arrived here, they were punched down again and again. First, the simulation training only had half a survival rating, and now, despite so many people attacking Long Shen, they didn’t even make a single scratch. If he was really the enemy, they would have died a hundred times over by now.

Long Shen said, “There’s a problem at Fuxian Lake in Yunnan. A member of group three from the Special Administration Bureau had died there.”

Everyone was taken aback and subconsciously looked up at him.

Long Shen: “The setback that you feel now is to teach you, so you won’t lose your lives in the future. I hope that next time I give you a lesson, I can see your progress. Class is over.”

After speaking, he left.

Today wasn’t so much of a class but rather a blow to their egos. While everyone seemed to have benefited from it, it also made them painfully aware of the huge gap between themselves and the truly top practitioners.

After Long Shen left, Liu Qingbo kept touching the Feijing Sword silently. His eyes were filled with fanaticism. Others were pretty much the same.

At this moment, they heard Zhang Song say, “The previous duel, is it still on?”

Li Ying frowned slightly, feeling that Zhang Song was deliberately provoking him. Everyone who witnessed that confrontation had long forgotten about it, except this guy, who just had to bring it up again.

Zhang Song said, “As you saw just now, many of us are not capable of dealing with Boss Long. We should step up our practice. Outside the gates of Beijing, there are many demons and ghosts that need to be exorcised daily, so we should practice more when we’re free. Don’t you agree, Li Ying?”

Although he knew Zhang Song was provoking him, Li Ying couldn’t really refute what he said: “Why don’t we set a time every week in the future. Let’s discuss in groups, and we’ll go at that time. You can challenge your own opponents, and others will be your witnesses. How about it?”

This is a good idea. There are countless practitioners in the world. It’s inevitable that they’ll meet opponents when they go out in the future. Everyone has their own strengths, so as Zhang Song said, they can improve each other.

Zhang Song smiled and said, “Since the sun is still out, why not have a duel now.”

Li Ying felt that it would be too chaotic currently and was trying to find an excuse to push it off, but Liu Qingbo said, “Yes, but I don’t want to fight Li Ying. I want to learn from Dong Zhi.”

Everyone looked at Dong Zhi.

Dong Zhi said honestly, “Sorry, I’m not proficient in swordsmanship. I can only use talismans. With speed alone, I can’t beat you, so I don’t think this kind of exchange is meaningful.”

Liu Qingbo sneered, “Cut the crap, are you afraid?”

Dong Zhi looked at him innocently. “That’s right.”

Liu Qingbo: …

Ba Sang couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

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<<< || Table of Contents || Lore Glossary || >>>

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 44

Long Shen stopped.

Dong Zhi panted. “Boss Long, I have a question I want to ask!”

Long Shen motioned for him to continue.

Dong Zhi asked, “Are the ordinary people we met in the simulation training real?”

Long Shen: “Naturally they are fake.”

Dong Zhi: “But their reactions were very realistic. How is this done?”

He was extremely curious about this. During the crisis, the ordinary people he met in the mall had different reactions, and they all perfectly mimicked the aspect of human nature. They had children who held grudges because they didn’t understand the situation, as well as middle-aged women who were aware of the current situation. If these are all false, just how powerful is the programming of this system?

Long Shen said, “There are various characters in the database that provide different reactions based on their personalities. The training simulation randomly selects from the database and combines various aspects, like personality, together, so you end up with a wide range of humanlike NPCs. These personalities were in fact extracted from real personalities and reactions.”

Dong Zhi: “So we didn’t actually eat any of the food that I recovered from the supermarket?”

Long Shen nodded. “You only had the feeling of fullness due to the psychological trigger given to you by the illusion. This simulation training combines modern technology with a mix of arrays and enchantments in order to expand space and time infinitely. It’s somewhat similar to the training ground on the rooftop of the Special Administration building, except for the added enemies and passersby.”

How awesome. Before, Dong Zhi had thought that the only way to subdue demons was to attack them with a peach wood sword*. Now it seems that he was too naïve. These days, to fend off demons, you’ll need to keep pace with the times and combine science as well.

*(桃木剑) Taoist sword considered to have the function of warding off evil spirits and attracting fortune. It’s made from peach wood, which is generally believed to have the essence of the five woods, which is why it’s effective at warding off evil.

“Do you think the same as what Boss Wu said? By that I mean, do you have any other suggestions?”

Though exhausted, he felt invigorated by this experience. When he came back from the edge of death, his adrenaline was still fully intact. Just now, the feeling of being up against a hundred zombies was still there, and Dong Zhi still felt the exhilaration in his heart.

The Special Administration Bureau took the initiative to expose their shortcomings in the beginning, not only to give everyone a dose of reality but also to let them learn a painful lesson, as Wu Bingtian said.

Hearing this, Long Shen frowned slightly as he showed a thoughtful expression, which made Dong Zhi’s heartbeat accelerate.

What will he say? Maybe he’ll say that he had bad judgement and couldn’t distinguish between light and heavy, and that he should have rendezvous like Li Ying suggested and find the army. Or perhaps he would say he was still too weak?

Boss Wu was right. If the training hadn’t ended in time, most likely there would be two more on the death list, him and Gu Meiren. As soon as he died, Gu Meiren would not be able to protect the group of ordinary people. Although she could fight against ordinary zombies, she couldn’t deal with the second-level evolution ones.

After pondering for a moment, Long Shen said, “If I were you, I would do the same as what you did.”

Dong Zhi was shocked as he didn’t expect to get such a high evaluation from the mouth of someone as strict as Long Shen.

Long Shen said, “What you need most now is to rest and continue practicing.”

Dong Zhi’s heart rose as he felt a strong sense of accomplishment. It was like he had worked extremely hard on his homework and was acknowledged by the teacher.

“Thank you for your affirmation.”

He wanted to say more, but suddenly everything around him turned dark. Long Shen naturally caught his body as he fell softly forward. Dong Zhi’s complexion was blue and black all over, obviously signs of heavy fatigue and hunger.

When Long Shen was watching his performance in the simulation, although he was not the only one he watched, his performance from the moment he entered the practice world and his ability to persist until the end was quite remarkable. Though he may not be the strongest among the candidates there, he was one of the best performers.

Being able to protect yourself shows that you’re an excellent practitioner. Being able to protect ordinary people and fulfill that duty is their job as a member of the Special Administration Bureau.

Long Shen wanted to call someone to send him back, but after thinking about it, he felt that the weight in his arms wasn’t light. Everyone must be worn out from the excursion just now and probably didn’t have the strength, so he carried Dong Zhi himself and started to walk in the direction of the dormitory.

Dong Zhi was probably completely exhausted as he lay motionless on his back, breathing softly, and there was no indication that he would wake up. When Long Shen reached the door to Dong Zhi’s room, he suddenly encountered a problem. He didn’t know where Dong Zhi had put the key to his room, and with him carrying Dong Zhi on his back, he couldn’t search for it himself.

Long Shen paused, then went to open the door to his dorm room and put Dong Zhi on his bed. He didn’t control his strength well when he let go, but that didn’t rouse Dong Zhi from his sleep at all. Dong Zhi was still sleeping soundly, and even an earthquake probably wouldn’t wake him.

It was broad daylight now. After Long Shen put him down, he went back to the office to continue his work. After a busy morning, at around noon, Long Shen remembered that there was another person in his dorm, and that person hadn’t eaten for an entire day and night. He might be hungry enough that it could wake him, so Deputy Director Long decided to be merciful and ordered takeout and brought it back to his dorm.

When he returned, Dong Zhi was still sleeping. The air conditioner was turned on and the curtains were drawn, not allowing a single trace of light to enter. The bed was large, making it an entirely suitable environment for resting and sleeping.

Long Shen felt as if he had overlooked something. After thinking about it for a long time, he finally recalled it. He had set the a/c to 22 degrees. Dong Zhi was wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt and jeans. He had tossed and turned a bit while sleeping, and his T-shirt had rolled up to reveal his stomach, causing him to curl up slightly on his side.

Perhaps he’s cold?

Long Shen found a blanket and covered him. The warmth from the fluffy blanket made Dong Zhi involuntarily grip it tighter, causing the blanket to wrinkle as he hugged it into a tight ball.

Long Shen put the takeout in the living room and came in again. Seeing this scene, he couldn’t help but frown. He stepped forward to pull the blanket out, then wrapped it around Dong Zhi’s, covering him from his neck down to his feet tightly.

Looking at the “zongzi*” on the bed, Long Shen finally left, feeling satisfied.

*Chinese rice dish made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings wrapped in bamboo leaves.

Dong Zhi generally doesn’t dream much when he sleeps. His sleep quality has always been good, but he would sometimes dream of what was on his mind that day. When he was a child, he went swimming every day for a while, but every night that he was lying in bed, he always felt the rippling of water, and sometimes he would even dream that he was struggling in it.

Now he felt that feeling again. In his dream, there were zombies coming in all directions. He raised his head to look around and found that he was on his own. The Qingzhu Sword in his hand was so heavy that he couldn’t lift it up, but without it, he couldn’t vanquish the zombies. Suddenly, he was rushed up and hugged by the zombies, overwhelming him like a stacking arhat*. Despite his desperate struggle, Dong Zhi couldn’t get free. He sweat profusely until he abruptly opened his eyes!

*Gymnastic formation using only human bodies without instruments.

He blinked, then blinked again. He was covered in sweat and his hands and feet seemed to be bound. Looking around, he couldn’t help but laugh. It turned out that he was wrapped in a blanket like a silkworm cocoon, so it’s no wonder why he had that dream.

He twisted his body vigorously, trying to free his hand, when he suddenly let out an inaudible sound. It didn’t seem like he was in his dorm. He raised his head and looked around, then frowned. It wasn’t until he got up and saw the yulu plant on the table that he finally confirmed that he was in Long Shen’s dorm.

His well-rested brain worked quickly, trying to recollect the previous events of yesterday. He had ran out of the classroom abruptly to chase Long Shen to ask him questions, then later…

Most likely, he had fainted from exhaustion and was carried by the male god here. This seems to be a blessing in disguise.

He saw takeout on the table with a note next to it. Opening the container, inside was char siu pork, white chopped chicken, and rice.

The note reads: [Heat it up.]

In this moment, Dong Zhi didn’t know how to describe his mood. He looked at the vibrant yulu on the table and suddenly sighed as he gently touched the fat and lovely leaves of the plant with his fingers.

“Boss Long is too good. Do you think I can really catch him?”

“He doesn’t even have a girlfriend. If we just skip directly to a boyfriend, will that scare him?”

“In his eyes, I should be a candidate to be his apprentice. If I confess, will he kick me out of the Special Administration Bureau? Would it be safer to wait until after the training exam is over?”

“That’s right, I have to rely on my strength to get through the exam in a dignified manner. I can’t let him think that I just want to hold onto his thighs or take the opportunity and take advantage of it.”

“But then again, he took care of you so well, which shows that he’s not disgusted with the gift itself. This should mean he has a good impression of the person who gave the gift, right? If I can gain his favorability again, maybe he’ll understand.”

As he talked to the yulu, he realized how idiotic his behavior was, so he got up and went to heat up his meal. In light of yesterday’s sudden training, they were given a day off today and will resume class tomorrow. After eating, Dong Zhi checked the time. It was about lunch break now, so he went to Long Shen’s office.

When he walked to the door, he saw that it was closed and was about to raise his hand to knock when he heard a strange sound coming from inside.

“What a beauty. Come, come, let me take a closer look!”

It seemed to be Zhong Yuyi’s voice, but it didn’t look like that was something he would say. It was as if someone was talking through him.

Dong Zhi hesitated about whether he should just open the door and go in when he suddenly heard a violent shout from inside.

“Who’s outside the door! You sneak, behaving like a villain!”

Taken aback, he hurriedly opened the door and said, “Boss Long, it’s me…”

The sound he heard disappeared automatically, and Dong Zhi was stunned when he looked at the scene in front of him. Zhong Yuyi had one foot on Long Shen’s chair and the other on the table, posing in a heroic posture while holding Long Shen’s face with both hands.

The distance between their face, as Dong Zhi swears by, was no more than five centimeters!

Seeing him come in, the two of them glance at him together, as if they were silently condemning him as an uninvited guest.

Long Shen asked him, “What’s the matter?” He didn’t scold Zhong Yuyi’s behavior, let alone push him away.

Dong Zhi finally found his voice and said, with great difficulty, “Nothing. I just came here to thank you.”

Who knew that suddenly Zhong Yuyi pushed Long Shen away and leapt to Dong Zhi’s side and pinched his chin.

“The eyes are pure, and the skin is fair, and the hands and feet are slender to boot. What a beauty! He can be painted!”

Dong Zhi: ???

At this moment, Zhong Yuyi seemed entirely like a different person from the Zhong Yuyi he usually knows. His eyes were sharp, and his movements were even more amazing. Dong Zhi wanted to retreat, but he couldn’t shrug off Zhong Yuyi.

Holding Zhong Yuyi’s wrist with one hand and gently moved it away, Long Shen stood in front of Dong Zhi and said to Zhong Yuyi, “The younger generation doesn’t know Huanhou’s* identity, so it’s impolite to bother him like this.”

*(桓侯) Refers to titles of praise or derogation given to people of high status after death. It’s also the title given to this character, which will be explained in a bit.

Zhong Yuyi chuckled. “How overprotective. Is this your son? No, you two don’t look alike! Perhaps your younger brother? Nephew? Or maybe the joy of a cut sleeve*?”

*(断袖) In ancient times referred to homosexuals/homosexuality between men.

Long Shen: …

Dong Zhi looked at Long Shen’s attitude towards Zhong Yuyi and didn’t say anything but kept looking at Zhong Yuyi curiously.

Long Shen said, “Elder, it’s getting late. It’s time to go.”

Zhong Yuyi shook his head. “I don’t want to go. It’s rare to return to this world. I’ve heard the sound of the world of mortals and seen fireworks on all sides. Why rush to leave so soon?”

Long Shen stretched out his hand and brushed Zhong Yuyi’s forehead. Zhong Yuyi wasn’t slow to react and wanted to avoid it, but Long Shen was faster than him and managed to touch his forehead. Suddenly, Zhong Yuyi slowly closed his eyes and fell back.

Long Shen grabbed him by the collar and dragged him directly onto the sofa, throwing him there. His actions weren’t rough, but they were enough for Dong Zhi, who witnessed the whole thing, to think. ‘After I fainted yesterday, was I dragged to the dorm like this?’

So scary!

“Is he okay?” Dong Zhi asked.

Long Shen shook his head. “He is going to teach the class tomorrow for the first time, so he’s nervous. Come and let me take a look.”

Dong Zhi remembered that when Kan Chaosheng introduced Zhong Yuyi’s identity, he said that the other party was an oracle. When Dong Zhi went back, he checked up on what an oracle was. Comparing the symptoms of how Zhong Yuyi was acting just now, he suddenly came to a realization. “Did he invite a God to enter his body?”

Long Shen snorted, “To be more precise, it’s a ghost. A ghost is the sustenance of a remnant soul between heaven and earth. It may be a ray of consciousness or a memory. After the death of some people, they are still worshipped with incense, which allows them to last for a long time and retain the power of faith. Through this, it can maintain the ghost, and it is these ghosts that the oracle invites.”

Dong Zhi understood. “Then just now…”

Long Shen: “Zhang Fei*.”

*Military general under the warlord Liu Bei and a major character in the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He was assassinated by his subordinates and was posthumously granted the title Huanhou. You can read more about him in the Wikipedia.

Zhang Fei, later known as Huanhou, was brave and good at fighting. He was best known for sleeping without closing his eyes, but most people didn’t know that he was also good at drawing pictures of beauties.

In other words, what he saw just now was Zhang Fei, a fierce general from the Three Kingdoms Era? Zhang Fei, who forged a three-way friendship with Liu Bei and Guan Yu and was one of the brightest stars of the Three Kingdoms Era?

Dong Zhi took a deep breath. “Zhong Yuyi, ah, no. The lesson Teacher Zhong wants to give us is on how to invite a God?”

Long Shen, seeing that he was eager to try, wishing that he could wake Zhong Yuyi up and ask clearly, showed a meaningful smile. “Go back and memorize history.”

Dong Zhi: “Huh?”

Long Shen: “It’ll be used for tomorrow.”

When he left the office, he ran into Liu Qingbo.

‘’Enemies are bound to meet when the road is narrow*’ was the thought that appeared in his mind.

*(冤家路窄) Idiom referring to enemies or people who don’t want to meet happen to meet.

Liu Qingbo gave him a smile that wasn’t really a smile. “I didn’t have time to congratulate you last night. I didn’t expect your name to be on the list of the ten survivors.” The implication is that he originally thought that Dong Zhi would be “sacrificed” soon.

Dong Zhi smiled and said, “Same to you. Same to you.”

Of course, Liu Qingbo wasn’t dumb enough to bicker in front of Long Shen’s office. He curled his lips, passed by Dong Zhi, and knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

Liu Qingbo pushed the door in but found that Dong Zhi had also followed him in.

“What’s the matter?” Long Shen asked.

Liu Qingbo glanced at Dong Zhi, who pretended not to notice.

Liu Qingbo said, “Boss Long, I have something I want to ask privately.”

Long Shen said, “It’s okay. Just say it.”

Liu Qingbo stared at Dong Zhi, who returned his gaze with an innocent look.

‘This guy’s skin is thicker than a pig’s!’ Liu Qingbo thought as he secretly gritted his teeth.

Anyways, it didn’t matter how angry Liu Qingbo got as he couldn’t do anything to him, not while in front of the male god.

Zhong Yuyi was still sleeping on the sofa. Since Liu Qingbo couldn’t get him to leave, he had to say it upfront, “Since I heard that Boss Long is teaching us tomorrow, I happened to have a sword here, which was collected by the elders in my family. I was wondering if this would be useful for you to use in class?”

He handed the sword over with both hands.

Long Shen was slightly moved. “The Shuixin Sword*?”

*Water Heart Sword (水心剑) Name of a legendary sword. Legend will be explained shortly.

Liu Qingbo smiled and said, “It’s said that Boss Long has a keen eye and deep understanding of kendo. Sure enough, your reputation precedes you. This is the legendary Shuixin Sword.”

He glanced at Dong Zhi and said casually, “Has Shidi Dong heard of the Shuixin Sword?”

Here we go again. In front of others, it was Shidi Dong, and when he turned his back, he was fellow Taoist Dong. Dong Zhi couldn’t help but twitch the corners of his mouth.

“If I remember correctly, Wun Jun of the Southern Dynasty mentioned this sword in his “Continuation of Qi Harmony”, saying that it was a Jin man who came from the west, offered the sword to King Zhao of Qin during one of his banquets. There were poets in the Tang Dynasty who mentioned this sword, saying that it’s the sword spawn from the Yellow River in the Western Xia Dynasty and the Qingluo River in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.”

Liu Qingbo looked surprised, as if he didn’t expect him to really know. Even Long Shen was astounded, giving him a slight nod of approval. With his back facing Long Shen, Liu Qingbo grimaced as Dong Zhi gave him a triumphant look.

Unexpectedly, this brother was an artist who had drawn countless legendary game props. Liu Qingbo wanted to make a fool out of Dong Zhi in front of Long Shen, but he didn’t expect him to take the limelight instead. Dying of anger, he almost couldn’t breathe as he gave him a fierce look.

Long Shen ignored the squabble between the two of them as he held the sword. He held the sword, slowly pulled it out of its scabbard, focused on it, and was so completely absorbed by it that he had forgotten himself.

Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo only felt a glint from the sword that pierced their eyes so that they couldn’t help but blink. Long Shen held the sword in his hand and, in an instant, the white paper that was in his hand turned into pieces and scattered everywhere.

The famous ancient sword can not only cut gold and jade but can also blow and split hairs.

Long Shen nodded. “It really is a good sword.”

Liu Qingbo held back his pride and said with a smile, “No matter how good the sword is, there must be a suitable owner. It would be an honor for this sword to be used by you.”

However, when Dong Zhi looked at Long Shen, there seemed to be a trace of… regret on Long Shen’s face? Seeing such a good sword, how can he make such a regretful expression?

Long Shen returned the sword to its sheath and handed it back to Liu Qingbo. It was only an instant that it felt like what Dong Zhi saw was just an illusion.

Liu Qingbo was taken aback. “Boss Long?”

Long Shen: “The sword is good, but I don’t accept gifts.”

Liu Qingbo became anxious. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to bribe you. Our family has a lot of swords like this. My father knows that you also use swords, so he specifically asked me to send them here for you.”

Long Shen shook his head and put the sword on the coffee table.

“There are not many swords like this. One that can fit in your hand is enough. Take it back.”

Seeing the two ancient swords hanging on the wall, Liu Qingbo felt that Long Shen was actually referring to them. It was difficult for him to accept it because of Dong Zhi’s presence. He felt that Dong Zhi was such an eyesore, but nonetheless said, “Boss Long is exemplary. I’ll take the sword back!”

Dong Zhi felt giddy as he thought that it’s not that Long Shen doesn’t accept gifts, but he doesn’t accept ones that are too previous. How can he bring an ancient sword that’s seemingly priceless and say that it’s not a bribe? Who would believe such a thing!

With the gift that couldn’t be given and his rival staring at him, Liu Qingbo felt miserable. He heard Long Shen ask him, “Is there anything else?”

He had no choice but to say, “No, you’re busy, so I shouldn’t bother you.”

Liu Qingbo started to slowly walk out when Long Shen suddenly said, “That’s right.” He immediately stopped.

Long Shen: “Stay back, Dong Zhi.”

Liu Qingbo: …

Inside, his heart was roaring so loudly that he could almost sing the <Yellow River Cantata>*. Feeling helpless that Deputy Director Long did not receive his hints at all, Liu Qingbo could only cast a resentful look at Dong Zhi before sadly leaving.

*A cantata written by Chinese composer Xian Xinghai. The work was inspired by a patriotic poem by Guang Weiran, which was adapted as the lyrics and eventually became popular and spread to all parts of China.

Dong Zhi also felt a little uneasy as he thought. ‘He’s not going to return the yulu too, right?’

Long Shen said, “We had three groups of people watching Hui Yiguang since the incident, but there were no results. She behaves normally, and her surroundings are clean and there’s no active demonic aura. The Special Administration Bureau has limited resources, so it’s impossible to follow her all the time. This matter has come to an end. You can tell Li Ying and the others later.”

Dong Zhi nodded. “Liu Qingbo was also involved. Why didn’t you tell him just now before he left?”

Long Shen said, “With his temperament, if I told him, he might run to follow up on the matter again in order to try and impress me.”

That’s true. Dong Zhi heavily agreed with his assessment and found that Long Shen actually had a relatively in-depth understanding of everyone’s character.

“It’s a bit strange to say. At that time, Hui Yiguang was entangled by a living soul, but Cheng Yuan couldn’t see it. Why couldn’t Li Ying and the others even sense anything supernatural, even with a compass? He Yu and I used it to find clues at the foot spa in Yangcheng. As soon as there was any demonic scent, the compass would immediately pick it up. It stands to reason then that if the demons were weaker this time, it would be much easier to detect,” Dong Zhi said.

Long Shen shook his head. “The other party attached itself to the living soul and used it to hide itself. You don’t have much experience, so it’s normal to be blinded by the past.”

In the end, does this mean he wasn’t good at learning? Dong Zhi felt embarrassed and scratched his nose.

Zhong Yuyi suddenly roused and rubbed his eyes as he slowly woke up. His blank expression had returned.

“…What’s normal?”

Long Shen said to Dong Zhi, “Take him with you when you leave.”

Dong Zhi agreed and stepped forward to help Zhong Yuyi. The latter still seemed as if he was dreaming as he was dragged away by Dong Zhi. After Dong Zhi left, he contacted Li Ying and informed him of the results from Long Shen’s side and asked him to tell everyone, which Li Ying naturally agreed to.

Li Ying regarded himself as the leader of this term. Zhang Song and Liu Qingbo weren’t convinced, and thus they competed with him openly and secretly, but Dong Zhi wouldn’t grab his limelight, so he has been good to him.

The next day, Dong Zhi got up early and climbed the stairs to the rooftop and practiced for an hour. He came to the classroom feeling refreshed.

Today was Long Shen’s class. Deputy Director Long’s name was resounding like thunder, and it wasn’t just him; everyone had been looking forward to this for a long time. Despite coming in early, there were already people who came even earlier than him.

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Kinky Thoughts:

Long Shen already treating Dong Zhi special without knowing it. These little tidbits make my heart melt.

What Long Shen said to Dong Zhi regarding the living soul only further confirms my suspicion. Even if you are just guessing, no predictions in the comments please, as it could be a potential spoiler. We’ll discuss our thoughts when the mystery is revealed, or you can discuss it on Discord.

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<<< || Table of Contents || Lore Glossary || >>>

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 43

As soon as this thought occurred, a woman’s scream rang through the mall.

The group!

Ba Sang quickly turned his head and Dong Zhi became highly alert! The incident in the underground supermarket just now had tightened his reflexes, so his body reacted instantly. He sent a talisman flying in the dark, and it turned into a bright light in midair as it flew towards the source of the sound. Roars of beasts cried mixed in with the screams of humans.

Many people’s eyes haven’t been able to adjust since they went from a bright environment to complete darkness. Unfortunately, the monsters had no problems since they rely on smell to catch their prey. Two people died instantly in the dark before Dong Zhi had time to react.

Dong Zhi turned on his phone flashlight and held his sword in his other hand as he kept an eye on the surroundings. Gu Meiren played her flute in an attempt to paralyze the monster’s mobility while Ba Sang gathered the remaining group of people as he stood on the periphery.

With a crack, a small movement sounded, but it was particularly conspicuous in the silence and darkness as everyone was holding their breath. Dong Zhi’s reaction was getting sharper. Almost immediately after the sound was made, he hadn’t had time to see what it was, but quickly threw a talisman at the source!

Roar!

Sure enough, there were monsters there, and his talisman seemed to have hit one as the monster jumped into the partition of the ceiling with a whoosh. Everyone tried to suppress their gasps. A woman who wanted to cry gritted her teeth for fear that she would be the next prey.

Dong Zhi said sullenly, “We have to find the emergency power supply quickly!”

The monsters are smart, and it was precisely when the lights went out that they took advantage, knowing that humans could not see in the dark and chose this opportunity to attack.

Ba Sang said, “I’ll go!”

The teller stammered, “I-I-I’m scared!”

Ba Sang told her. “I’m scared too, but if we just stay here, we’re all just waiting to die together!”

Dong Zhi said softly, “Ba Sang is very strong. Don’t be afraid to follow him. When we have light, we can deal with those monsters and protect everyone.”

His kind words seemed to comfort her. The teller followed Ba Sang tremblingly as she held his arm tightly and the two quickly left. Dong Zhi was worried that the monsters would attack while they were alone, but given the current situation, it was impossible for him to come along as the people here needed his protection.

It seems that it hasn’t even been a year since his encounter on the train heading towards Changbai, but his mentality has changed a lot. From trembling like this ordinary group of people who could only wait around and be protected, he had taken the lead in protecting others.

Dong Zhi couldn’t help but feel a sense of accomplishment for him to have made such progress. It would be even better if the male god could see his heroic performance right now. A faint regret flashed in his heart when he suddenly heard a woman’s scream. It was the teller!

His heart instantly seized up as Gu Meiren shouted, “Ba Sang!”

What answered back was the sound of violent fighting and Ba Sang’s whistle. He heard sounds of flapping wings, which he surmised should be a falcon that Ba Sang summoned.

Dong Zhi reminded Gu Meiren. “Play the flute!”

His notion brought her attention back, as if she had just woken up from a dream, and she quickly picked up her flute to play. Dong Zhi frowned, and suddenly remembered something. If there were more than one monster, one of them was probably following Ba Sang, while the others were waiting for them to relax their vigilance before taking the opportunity to attack again…

A faint fishy smell rose from his nose. Without thinking about it, he threw the talisman fire directly above him. The light from the fire illuminated a dark shadow flashing past him, confirming his guess.

Dong Zhi suddenly turned around and saw the dark shadow rushing towards Gu Meiren’s back.

“Get down!” He yelled as he ran towards her at full speed with his sword pointing at her.

Gu Meiren trusted Dong Zhi. As soon as she heard his words, she leaned forward without a second thought. At this moment, the sword was thrust through in the position that she was previously standing in and stabbed right into the monster’s head!

Gu Meiren only felt the heat radiating from the back of her head as fishy liquid splashed on top of her. The strange smell made her retch. Dong Zhi panted as his legs gave out and he fell to his knees.

If Gu Meiren’s reaction had been any second slower just now, it would’ve been her head that the Qingzhu Sword pierced. He almost took the life of his companion.

Suddenly, the lights turned on, indicating that Ba Sang was successful in turning on the emergency power supply.

He said, “Thank you for trusting me.”

Gu Meiren: “Happy to cooperate.”

When Ba Sang came back, he was dragging his feet, and there was no joy on his face. Everyone knew why. Most likely, the teller was killed by the monster or Ba Sang had to end her life in order to prevent her from turning into a zombie.

“A piece of her flesh was torn off by the monster, so I had to kill her.” Ba Sang said.

“You did your best.” Dong Zhi wanted to pat him on the shoulder, but he avoided him as he slowly turned around.

Gu Meiren took a deep breath to calm herself down as several of the ordinary people subconsciously took several steps backwards. Ba Sang’s shirt had been slashed, and there were blood marks that were slowly bleeding out from the upper left to the lower right of his back. While the wound wasn’t fatal, the monster was poisonous. Once bitten or damaged, what awaits will be the fate of becoming a zombie. There was no exception.

Gu Meiren stared at his wound in a daze, unable to speak for a long time. Dong Zhi reluctantly put on an ugly smile as he said, “Maybe-Maybe there’ll be an exception!”

Ba Sang said sadly, “I saw that woman get hurt with my very own eyes, and she started to change, so I had to kill her.”

Dong Zhi said, “But you are a practitioner, and your body is stronger than ordinary people…”

“Which means after becoming a zombie, I’ll be even more difficult to deal with than an ordinary zombie!” Ba Sang interrupted him. “Kill me. I don’t want to become a zombie.”

Dong Zhi didn’t even want to think about it. “No!”

Ba Sang stretched out his hand, seemingly to pat his arm, but drew back halfway. This Kangba Tibetan man was reckless and always rough but sharp. His unwillingness to hurt his friends made Dong Zhi’s eyes sour.

“It’s nice to meet you all, truly. In fact, my master disapproved of my trying to join the Special Administration Bureau. I wanted to see the outside world and had been cheated so many times that I thought the people on the outside were all really bad, but after meeting you, I felt my thoughts were too naïve. If there are bad people in the world, then there must be good ones as well. I’m very lucky, and as soon as I came out, I had two more friends who are as close as brothers that we can live and die together.”

Gu Meiren covered her mouth with a whimper to muffle her sobs. Dong Zhi couldn’t help it anymore, so he stepped forward and hugged him tightly.

“I originally wanted to invite you to visit my place on vacation. Our butter tea is the best brewed in that area, but if you have the opportunity in the future, I have to trouble you to help go back and tell my parents and master the news of my death!” Ba Sang patted him on the back and motioned for him to let go.

Dong Zhi: “Stop talking!”

Ba Sang suddenly broke away from him with force, causing Dong Zhi to be pushed away several steps away. He was off guard, so he didn’t notice that Ba Sang had pulled out a short blade from his waist and inserted it directly into his throat.

“Ba Sang!” Gu Meiren rushed up.

Ba Sang smiled at them as blood gushed from the corners of his mouth and his eyes gradually became lax. His hand slowly loosened from the place where he held the knife, eventually falling down limp. Moistness spread quickly to Dong Zhi’s eyes, and his throat choked up as if there was a stone lodged in place. He couldn’t move and couldn’t speak at all.

“Zombies! There are zombies coming in again from outside!” Someone shouted in panic.

Looking back, Dong Zhi saw a few more figures slowly wandering towards the entrance of the mall. At first there was only one or two, but after a closer look, he found a string of them was slowly wandering in, seemingly attracted to the remaining vitality here.

Gu Meiren panicked as she picked up the flute and began playing it. Dong Zhi gritted his teeth; his hungry and weak body was filled with anger over Ba Sang’s death as he clenched his sword and strode forward. The talismans he had left weren’t enough to deal with this hoard of zombies, but he didn’t need talismans. He can be like Liu Qingbo and use only his sword. As the sword rises and falls, wherever it goes, zombies fall one after another, as if they were taking the initiative to make way for him. They crawled on the ground, looking as if they were his slaves and servants.

Gu Meiren watched Dong Zhi walk among the zombies in a daze, slashing his sword wildly and with ease. Under the light, the young man with black hair and fair skin, and a face that was calm and indifferent, looked as if he was doing something extraordinary. But in the eyes of others, it was completely shocking. Gu Meiren never knew that killing zombies could create such a sense of artistry.

Dong Zhi discarded everything and gave zero fucks. He was simply holding on to a single breath, and all he knew was that his hands began to tremble and the sword in his hand seemed to weigh a thousand pounds.

A zombie had grabbed his shoulder from behind, opened his mouth and was about to bite him, and he almost didn’t have the strength to turn around and defend himself.

Too tired. I really miss the big bed in the Special Administration dorm. I really want to lie down and get some sleep.

Zombies poured in from outside, one after another, as if they were endless. At such a critical moment, Dong Zhi suddenly remembered that night in Long Shen’s dormitory. He had received a call from Gu Meiren saying that Hui Yiguang had encountered an accident, so he hurried out and Long Shen stopped him and asked him to bring the Qingzhu Sword with him.

He still remembered that the light in that room was warm and pleasant, and that Long Shen felt a bit softer under it. His heart wasn’t as cold and unkind as it seemed.

Suddenly, the ceiling broke with a bang, and a dark shadow fell from the sky into the throng of zombies and leaped towards him with great force!

Monster!

Unfortunately, Dong Zhi didn’t have the strength to react. He could only watch the monster approach him at lightning speed. In one-thousandth of a second, the monster appeared right in front of him, about 2 meters away, and reached out to grab him with its sharp claws!

I can’t dodge in time!

Though Dong Zhi realized this, his body could no longer keep up with the reaction of his brain. Even his spirit had dulled. After fighting fiercely all night, he was so exhausted that his eyes could barely stay open, and he felt he was seeing doubles when he looked at things.

Forget it. Fighting to the death means you’re worthy like Ba Sang. Furthermore, there was Gu Meiren and those ordinary people behind him…

At that moment, the sky was bright outside as dawn finally arrived. Dong Zhi wanted to turn around and help them escape, but he was completely exhausted, so he could only watch as the monsters got closer and closer.

In the next moment, the surrounding scenery was suddenly distorted and blurred, and there was a bright light in front of him. The oncoming monsters had all suddenly disappeared, and the bloody aura and fishy smell that filled his nose were gone as well.

Together with the shopping mall and all the zombies that were pouring in, they were all gone. He felt only dizziness and his legs were so soft that he couldn’t help but sit down on the ground. Dong Zhi closed his eyes, feeling that he might have been too tired and was hallucinating. Otherwise, how could he suddenly see Wu Bingtian and Long Shen?

He was not the only one who was in a daze. Everyone was sitting in the classroom. All had pale faces, or expressions of pain. Some were gasping for breath, while others had faces full of vigilance. It seems that they haven’t recovered from the doomsday crisis they’ve all experienced just now.

Wu Bingtian stood in front of them clapping his hands and saying coldly, “I announce that of all the 20 people who participated in the training, only ten survived. They are Li Ying, Liu Qingbo, Dong Zhi, Gu Meiren, Zhang Song, Xie Qingling, Liu Si, Ou-Yang Yin, Zuo Xingui, and Zhaun Rongrong! All those who “died” in the simulation training will have that noted on their file. If you are eliminated during the next training, you must leave the Special Administration Bureau and take the exam again next year!”

So, the night that just passed was really training?

Everyone looked around blankly at each other and couldn’t help being surprised when they saw their companions who had already “died” last night. Dong Zhi looked at Ba Sang. He had just gotten up from the ground and touched his throat with a painful expression, as if he was afraid of being pierced by his own dagger again. Gu Meiren burst into tears as she was unable to suppress her emotions and covered her mouth as her shoulders trembled slightly.

The others weren’t much better, and some were even more emotional than them. Some people touched their chests and muttered to themselves, “I’m not dead. I’m really not dead!”

Wu Bingtian and Long Shen didn’t stop them and allowed them to continue venting. Dong Zhi couldn’t help but look at Long Shen. The latter seemed to notice his gaze and glanced back at him, giving him a slight nod.

Dong Zhi’s heart, which was seemingly exhausted and deflated, had suddenly been infused with vitality. He couldn’t stop himself from returning a self-confident smile. Long Shen’s smile seemed to be a little deeper than his, though.

When Wu Bingtian looked over, Dong Zhi’s mood had slowly calmed down. After everyone calmed their emotions, Wu Bingtian said, “The equipment used for the simulation this time is the latest achievement of the Sino-US cooperation. The Americans firmly believe that a Resident Evil situation will happen in the future, so the simulation’s background is a modern city in a Resident Evil setting. For people who died in the simulation training, their bodies will be ejected from the simulation environment, but in the simulation world, their ‘corpses’ still exist and are converted to NPCs. This is the first year we have implemented this simulation. We hope to use this kind of sudden training to test your on-the-spot abilities in each of you.”

Everyone smiled bitterly, obviously fearful of everything just now.

Wu Bingtian’s face was not good. “There are 20 of you, yet the survival rate is half. If this number is placed among ordinary people, I would be extremely grateful, but don’t forget, you are the future members of the Special Administration Bureau! You’re not ordinary people! As a national-level practitioner, half of you managed to die in a single night. How can you compete with other countries when you have this kind of survival rating?!”

His voice became louder, and, in the end, he angrily reprimanded everyone.

Liu Qingbo couldn’t help but say, “But we didn’t know that it was training since we had already taken a day class at that time…”

Besides, all of them hadn’t even eaten dinner yet.

Wu Bingtian said angrily, “When there’s a crisis, people don’t care if you are hungry or tired! What is a crisis? It just happens without warning! What is sudden training? It’s to test your ability to react to emergencies! Will the zombies call you first before they come out?! Will those monsters and demons drop off a text message first to announce their arrival?!”

Some people couldn’t help laughing out loud, but quickly suppressed their throats under Wu Bingtian’s glare. He glanced at everyone, and as far as he could see, many people lowered their heads, not daring to look at him.

He snorted coldly, “I know that you have lived in a comfortable environment for a long time and feel that the world is safe. At most, there are occasional emergencies. However, what I want to tell you is that the world is uneasy, and danger lurks everywhere, especially in the dark. If you’re ignorant and don’t know when and how you’ll die, you’ll be just like an ordinary person. How can you protect others when you can’t even protect yourself?”

This stick* was extremely effective. During the day, Director Jiang’s lectures made everyone surprised and amused. They couldn’t help thinking, ‘The Special Administration Bureau is nothing more than this.’ As a result, just when their minds were relaxed, the Special Administration Bureau gave them such a vivid lesson.

*The stick is part of the carrot and stick. Metaphor used of a combination of rewards and punishment is used to induce a desired behavior.

Most likely, everyone will never forget this experience for the rest of their lives.

“You think that after you have passed the written examination and interview, you already have one foot in the door of the Special Administration Bureau, ah? Let me tell you that there will be countless tests waiting for you in the future. If you come here depending only on luck and muddle your way through hoping to pass until training is completed and the practice exam is held, let me tell you that you will possibly lose your life!”

Seeing that everyone was dejected, Wu Bingtian sneered and stared at Chi Banxia. “Chi Banxia, you thought you would be safe if you followed Li Ying, so you went out of your way to stick with him. Unexpectedly, you still lost your life. Let me tell you, the Special Administration Bureau never raises dodder grass*. If you hold onto the idea of depending on others, reality will teach you what ‘death’ really means, and I hope you can remember this lesson!”

*Also known as cuscuta, it’s a type of parasitical plant that attaches itself to other plants and sucks the nutrients from its host.

Chi Banxia’s face flushed from being admonished that she couldn’t lift her head.

Wu Bingtian: “And you, Ba Sang! At that time, the second-level zombie came from behind you. If you were more flexible and reacted faster, you could have avoided it, but because you were half a second too late, you lost your life. Don’t you feel wronged?”

“Injustice! I will definitely practice my reflexes going forward!” Ba Sang nodded repeatedly.

Wu Bingtian then began commenting on the people who died in the training one by one. Dong Zhi found that their performance from last night was clearly seen by the leaders, including what everyone did, how they dealt with the crisis, how they got along with their companions, how they treated ordinary people, and so on.

Then again, if the future of the backbone elites of the dignified Special Administration Bureau would be wiped out in half when they encountered a crisis, it was no wonder that Wu Bingtian was extremely annoyed. Not only were the ‘dead’ people scolded one by one, but the survivors who failed to escape were also on the chopping block.

Wu Bingtian said, “Liu Qingbo! At that time, you were in a team with Li Ying and the others. Why did you have to leave by yourself halfway and run back to the Special Administration Bureau!”

“I want to go back and see if anyone else in the bureau survived,” Liu Qingbo defended.

Wu Bingtian: “What about the ordinary people in the mall? Don’t you care about them? You just threw them to your companions to deal with! Even if there are still survivors in the Bureau, you should still remember the lessons from the past. Your behavior isn’t bravery, it’s recklessness! Completely brainless!”

Liu Qingbo was unconvinced. “But I survived to the end!”

Wu Bingtian frowned. “So what? If you hadn’t passed by the cafeteria and happened to find an electrician’s room, would you be so lucky?”

His voice became sterner. “Don’t forget, you are not the only cultivator. You represent the Special Administration Bureau, which means you must not only protect yourself, but you’re also responsible for the lives of ordinary people! You are the law enforcers and defenders in another sense! You left your companions and ordinary people who needed protection. Even if you survive in the end, what can you be proud of? You should be ashamed of yourself! If you dare do it again, I rather have Ba Sang or Chi Banxia than a selfish person like you!”

After being reprimanded so fiercely in front of everyone, Liu Qingbo’s face turned pale from all the embarrassment. Because of his father’s background, since he came to the capital, he has always been taken care of along the way. Whether they were leaders or elders who met him, they were all kind and pleasant towards him, constantly offering praise for his youth and achievements. Even Deputy Director Wu Bingtian’s attitude towards him before was quite amiable. Let alone reprimanding him, he didn’t even say a single serious word towards him. For the first time in his life, Liu Qingbo, who had always been surrounded by praise, felt so humiliated in public.

He clenched his fists tightly, but he could no longer say a word of rebuttal.

Wu Bingtian: “Dong Zhi, your abilities are relatively singular. In your three-person group, as soon as Ba Sang died, the combat effectiveness of you and Gu Meiren was greatly weakened. If the simulation hadn’t just ended, there would be one more name on the death list! Also, when Li Ying proposed to separate, not only did you not try your best to persuade him to stay, but you also let him take people away. With a broken-up team and zombies swarming all around, you all would have been wiped out in the end! Your total score ranks first, but you don’t have the corresponding team leadership. What’s the use of a high score?”

What he said was very pertinent, and Dong Zhi accepted it gracefully, “I was wrong.”

Wu Bingtian glanced at him, then turned his gaze to the others. “And you, Li Ying. You took Chi Banxia and Liu Si to find a large army. You rescued a group of ordinary people halfway, but at the same time, you made a fatal mistake. Do you know what it is?”

Li Ying nodded. “When I was saving people, I didn’t carefully check their identities and ignored the dangerous elements hidden inside, which got Chi Banxia killed.”

What dangerous element? Everyone looked curious.

Wu Bingtian said, “In the simulation, ordinary zombies are generally lethal and may be fatal to ordinary people, but for practitioners, except for a relatively large number, they do not pose a threat. The second-level zombies are the evolved bodies encountered by Dong Zhi and Zhang Song. They have no vision, but they have a strong sense of smell, and their mobility is much faster than that of ordinary zombies. They can fly from wall to wall. In large numbers, it’s difficult for even practitioners to deal with. Further up, the third-level zombies have evolutionary bodies that can simulate biological forms in a short period of time, such as humans. This kind of zombie can mix in with the general population and cannot be prevented. This is what Li Ying and the others met.”

That was too unlucky. Who would have expected a zombie that could disguise itself perfectly as a human! According to this, they could also simulate animal and even plants. How could such thing be prevented?

As if seeing everyone’s doubts, Long Shen, who’d been silent this whole time, finally spoke up, “You’re not ordinary people. You have to do better than what ordinary people can and can’t do. The incompetent can only use excuses like ‘negligence’, ‘inattention’, and ‘carelessness’ to comfort themselves.”

Wu Bingtian nodded. “Boss Long is right. This sudden training is to teach you a profound lesson and let you know how far you are from truly being qualified to be a member of the Special Administration Bureau! Do you know what the survival rate of the United States was? In the first emergency training, they had a total of 50 people, and in the end, 29 people survived. The survival rate is 58%, which is 8% higher than ours! Among these 50 people, some were ordinary people who are not practitioners, but what about you?”

Everyone was disheartened by the training. Wu Bingtian finally calmed down when he saw that they were all in low moods.

“I hope that through this training, you can discover your shortcomings instead of blindly making excuses to get rid of your prevarication! A person who doesn’t know how to self-examine themselves will never make progress. No matter how much you practice, you can only go so far! Take a day off tomorrow and return here at 9 AM the day after that. Classes will be held as usual. You’re dismissed!”  

After that, he remembered that Long Shen was next to him, and hurriedly said, “Does the Boss Long have anything else to say?”

Long Shen said lightly, “Boss Wu has said all that needed to be said, so I have nothing to add.”

Wu Bingtian choked. “Then that’s it, dismissed!”

Rumors that Boss Jiang was not good at his job and loved to command blindly have been widely circulated in the Special Administration Bureau. It is said that the impression of him wasn’t as good as before, and that news of his removal or transfer would surface from time to time. If this news is conclusive, then the position of the head of bureau will be vacated.

Wu Bingtian was naturally eager to move into this position and was ready to play the game. He didn’t think Song Zhi was competition, but he didn’t dare underestimate Long Shen, who’s a powerful competitor.

However, these are high-level competitions that have nothing to do with Dong Zhi. Many people haven’t eaten yet, but hunger didn’t strike them when they were too hungry.

The people who “died” during the training were naturally dejected, and some “survivors” weren’t so happy either. People with high self-esteem like Liu Qingbo found it more uncomfortable to be scolded than to be killed. He left with an ugly face, and no one dared go forward to provoke him.

Gu Meiren helped Ba Sang stand up and looked around to find Dong Zhi, only to find that he had disappeared.

“Boss Long!” Dong Zhi had rushed out of the classroom to chase him down.

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The author has something to say:

Everyone was scolded to death. How inexplicably cool. →_→

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Kinky Thoughts:

Well, I should have thought it was a simulation given that it was literally based on Resident Evil. Still, I was very sad about Ba Sang’s death! I hope he joins group two with Dong Zhi.

Also, isn’t this test a little bit unfair for some people? Like, WTF was Chi Banxia supposed to do? She only knows voodoo and witchcraft. How the fuck is she supposed to fight against zombies when those things have no effect over?

And also, that martial arts dude that could only fight with his hands. Like… Hand-to-hand combat has a higher risk of getting yourself injured/bitten so what was he supposed to do? Not fight with his abilities?

There should be a goal or something in mind instead of just survival, like finding the army or finding a base, or something. Judging based on whether someone survived or not is too unfair.

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