Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

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

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Chapter 73

[Master, are you busy today?]

Long Shen looked at the text message on his mobile as he remained motionless for a while.

This is not the first time that Dong Zhi has sent him such a mundane text. He would send them from time to time before he became Long Shen’s apprentice, and now that he was his master, he started to send even more. Like asking if he had eaten or slept yet. Sometimes he would send a text if he saw a flower on the side of the road that was a different color from the other flowers. When he ate a delicious dish, we would also send an entire paragraph about it.

Dong Zhi obviously knew that the content he sent was irrelevant, and he didn’t expect Long Shen to suddenly become attracted to him. The goal of these texts was to establish a connection. Even if the other party doesn’t reply, he would still see them. As long as he reads them, it’ll leave traces in his eyes and heart.

The days were long, and the water ran deep*.

*(静水流深) Metaphor use to describe a person who’s shy/quiet on the surface but is often intelligent and interesting underneath.

Long Shen would reply with one or two sentences during his spare time, but usually he would ignore them. This text message was no different from the previous ones, but to his surprise, he hesitated for a few seconds for the first time whether he should respond to it.

The meeting was still in progress, and it was rare for him to look at his phone during such a time. He put down his phone and continued to concentrate on the meeting.

Half an hour later, during the break, he finally returned a response.

[There have been many meetings recently. If you have questions about your cultivation, you can call directly.]

He was truly busy, and there were many meetings. No matter how he felt in his heart, Long Shen despised lying and cheating.

Since setting the general direction to look for the stone tablets, various branch offices have repeatedly sent back reports. This kind of task was like finding a needle in a haystack. As the central command, the General Administration Bureau made adjustments to the direction based on feedback from the branches. In addition, there will be a high-profile international conference in the capital. Leaders from all over the world will come to participate, so the Special Administration Bureau couldn’t remain idle.

What Dong Zhi didn’t know was that not only Long Shen, but the entire General Administration Bureau was so busy that even Zong Ling and Zhang Xiankun, who were already semi-retired, were asked to assist Group One and Group Two.

Long Shen hit send and watched as the message prompt quickly showed that it was successfully sent.

He Yu’s big head suddenly leaned over. “Boss, why have you been staring at your phone for the past two days?”

His face was full of gossip, trying to find clues from Long Shen’s immovable face.

“Lovelorn? Ah, no, you haven’t been in a relationship before. How did you become lovelorn? Did you try online dating? No, boss is like an old man who doesn’t eat, drink, or gamble and doesn’t have any bad habits, but as the saying goes, proper relaxation helps meet greater pressure, right?”

Long Shen: “Why haven’t I heard this saying?”

He Yu said with a sigh, “A Master of Chinese Studies named He Yu said this, but that’s not the point. The point is, as your dear subordinates and companions, we also hope that you can relax. There have been so many things happening lately. If you’re under too much pressure and suffocate, won’t our group be headless?”

Long Shen: “In your opinion, how should I relax?”

He Yu laughed. “In my opinion, it’s best to play games. Lend me your full level account and I’ll lend you mine. Let’s exchange, so that you can also experience the fun of leveling up and changing equipment. What do you think?”

Long Shen: “Okay.”

He Yu thought there was something wrong with his ears, so he said incredulously, “What? Did you agree?”

Long Shen: “I’ll lend you my account for an hour in return for 10% of your month’s bonus.”

The corners of He Yu’s mouth twitched. “Why don’t you just rob me?”

Long Shen turned to look at him, causing He Yu to quickly cover his mouth and run away, for fear that his month’s bonus would be docked again for “insubordination”.

“Don’t you think that the boss is acting a bit strange?!”

During the break, Zhong Yuyi was laying down on the conference table and took the opportunity to doze off. Unexpectedly, someone elbowed him, waking him up.

“…What?” He looked back with his tired eyes.

He Yu gossiped nervously, “In the past, he never looked at his phone for more than five seconds. This time, he stared at it for almost nine. With the boss’ temperament, isn’t this very strange?”

Zhong Yuyi didn’t understand what was strange about this and said slowly. “It takes me five minutes to read a message. The boss is much faster than me.”

“…I can’t tell you anything. Just go back to sleep!”

He Yu had the expression of “I’m super intelligent that you mortals just don’t understand”, and didn’t bother to tell Zhong Yuyi more. He waved his hand, leaned on his crutches, and limped outside to play games.

Before the meeting started, he had to get in as much time as possible. Every second was worth a second more in gold, and with such a measly amount of gold, it was hard for him to buy upgrades!

—

An afternoon passed quickly. Dong Zhi’s efficiency was good, and he had nearly completed the report. He only needed to consider his words at the beginning and end.

Although the house was old, the lighting was good, and the leaves outside the window reflected mottled shadows on the table, swaying uncertainly, like the restless heart of a young man.

The southern coast didn’t have an autumn season. It spanned from summer directly to winter. At that moment, there were still many trees that still had all their leaves, and the old indoor air conditioning was running, making a whirring noise that couldn’t be ignored.

Dong Zhi stopped typing and stretched. He planned to stay in the hotel for one more night before looking for a place to rent for tomorrow. Originally, he wanted to call Long Shen, but as his finger went through his contact list, he dialed Yan Nuo’s number instead.

The call was quickly connected with Yan Nuo’s voice coming through, and it sounded impatient.

“Hey, what’s the matter!”

Dong Zhi: “Yan Ge, is there anything I can do for you? I have nothing to do now, so I can assist you.”

Yan Nuo: “If you have nothing to do, just rest. There are a lot of people here. I don’t need you for the time being. If you want to do something, just go play by yourself!”

He hung up without waiting for a response from Dong Zhi.

What do you mean, go play by yourself? Dong Zhi was speechless. It was clear that the other party did not want him to get involved, as he refused to even tell him where he was.

Dong Zhi also knew that no matter where he went, newcomers would be treated unpopularly. They didn’t know anything, so they had to ask about everything. Things would often go wrong because they were not familiar with the situation. Like when he used to work at the game company, he didn’t like to bring in newcomers. If he said things lightly, they wouldn’t understand, but if his tone was heavy, it would make them angry and possibly hold a grudge.

But now that he had become the newcomer who was hated and guarded against everywhere, he didn’t feel so happy. Not in the mood to finish the report, Dong Zhi closed the document and planned to work on it tomorrow. He opened his social media instead.

He hadn’t had time to update his comic serialization in the past few days. The latest message on his account was two days ago, with already thousands of comments under it. Most of them were pretty standard, saying that they liked it, they thought it was cute, they were looking forward to the next edition, and the likes… but one caught his attention.

The message said that the stories in his comics were very thrilling. It goes on to describe how she had inherited a hotel that was run by her relatives. Both her staff and the tourists had encountered strange things inside it, but business for the hotel had always been good, so she thought it was quite amazing.

There were a lot of responses to this comment. Some people laughed, some made jokes, some thought she was talking nonsense, and others said that the hotel was haunted and suggested she should exorcise the evil.

Dong Zhi had seen a lot of comments before, but the stranger things that couldn’t be explained scientifically, the more interested people became. The development of the internet had made the exchange of information much faster. Since Dong Zhi’s comic serialization belongs to the urban fantasy and supernatural genres, it was natural that readers interested in that topic would gather below.

However, this reader said that her eyes and nose were perfectly fine, and she wasn’t making up nonsense. Although she didn’t explain where she was, from the description, Dong Zhi had an intuition that she was located in Lucheng.

He sent a private message and soon got a reply.

The other party didn’t seem to expect that the comic book author would personally reach out to her. She was so excited that she was speaking incoherently. From the tone of her voice, it seems like she was a young girl. Dong Zhi’s guess was correct. The hotel was indeed in Lucheng, and coincidentally, it wasn’t far from where he was.

Dong Zhi said he happened to be in Lucheng during this time and asked if it was convenient for her to meet. He wanted to learn more about the hotel.

The other party was originally a big fan of him. When she heard that she could see her idol, she naturally agreed. The two parties made an appointment at a restaurant not far from the hotel.

Considering that it would be too eye-catching to have a sword on his back while walking out in public, Dong Zhi came up with a solution. On the way to the appointment, he went to a music store and bought a guqin case. After putting the sword in, he used the spare space to hold his cinnabar and talismans, thus killing two birds with one stone.

Sure enough, when he walked outside carrying the guqin case, he suddenly lost a lot of strange glances.

As soon as he arrived at the restaurant, he found a place to sit at random and saw a long-haired girl in a t-shirt and shorts hurriedly entering while looking around, as if she was looking for someone.

“He Jia?” He raised his head to signal and shouted tentatively.

The other party immediately turned her head, showing a surprised look, and walked over to him quickly.

“You—Hello. May I ask if you’re the great Dong Dong Qiang?” The girl didn’t expect that the comic drawer himself was such a delicate and elegant boy, which far exceeded her expectations.

Dong Zhi got up and smiled. “I’m just Dong Dong Qiang. Hello. I’m sorry for taking the liberty to invite you out.”

He Jia hurriedly said, “It’s okay. I just happen to be free!”

Dong Zhi handed the menu to her and gracefully asked her to order. After the waiter came and took their order, he got down to business. “I have been looking for some new materials for my serialization recently. I saw your comment saying that strange things are happening at your hotel. Is this true?”

He Jia nodded. “It’s true. The hotel wasn’t originally mine. It belonged to a relative, but she went abroad and settled down there, so she won’t be back for a while. However, the hotel still needs to run, so she entrusted me to handle its affairs. When I took over, I did not replace the original staff, so everything is as it should be. I would occasionally go over and monitor the situation and found that strange things often happen.”

With the popularity of his comic, Dong Zhi had become one of those famous internet celebrities, but unlike them, who relied on their face to attract fans, he purely attracts readers that liked his style and content. His readership count was very stable. Many have secretly tried to guess his age and appearance. He still had old fans back from when he was an artist for <The Great Wasteland>, but no one had ever seen him in person. They all guessed that he was most likely a young man. He Jia didn’t expect that she would be the first fan to see him in person, so she was quite excited. She wished she could take a photo with him and post it online to prove that she had a meal with Dong Dong Qiang. She naturally trusted Dong Zhi, so she spoke without reservation.

For her, not only was she able to witness her male god with her very own eyes, but his appearance and speech patterns were very much in line with the tailor-made image that she had in her mind, which made it even more shocking.

Dong Zhi listened very seriously. “Can you tell me more about it?”

He Jia said, “Some staff members reported that they had seen dark shadows floating by when they were patrolling at night, but when they got closer, they saw nothing. We even checked the surveillance, and it didn’t show anyone passing by. We also had residents who said that when it’s midnight, the faucet would turn on by itself, inexplicably. Others said that they could hear someone signing and talking in their ears and could feel ghostly steps on their bed.”

She lowered her voice and made a mysterious expression. “Later, I asked the original owner of the hotel, who’s my great aunt, and she told me I needed to worship regularly on the first and fifteenth days of each month and I wouldn’t need to worry about anything else.”

Seeing that there was no response from Dong Zhi, He Jia continued, “But the strange thing is, my hotel business remained very good. In order to solicit business, I asked someone to make an official website for it. As a result, despite no advertisements, guests would make reservations online, almost fully booking us. We’re completely booked out for the holidays.”

Dong Zhi: “Who does your great aunt want you to worship? Did you do what she said?”

He Jia: “I don’t know. She asked me to vacate a room and not allow guests to stay there, and then enshrined fruits on the offering table inside all year round. I just need to change it once a week. I did everything as she asked, but the strange things didn’t go away.”

Dong Zhi pondered, “Were there ever any deaths there?”

“No… Ah, actually, there was one!”

Slender fingers held her fair chin casually, and her other hand tapped unconsciously on the table. He Jia felt that the other party was not only born handsome, but he also had an indescribable taste. She looked a little dazed for a moment before slowly reacting.

“I heard from my great aunt that before her hotel, the previous building was also a hotel but was burned down by a fire. The fire had killed the previous owner. It took a few years to rebuild the hotel to its current state. Later, a guest committed suicide by cutting his wrist in his room. It was too late to rescue him. I heard that it seems to be because of feelings. However, besides these incidents, there were no other deaths.”

Having said that, He Jia felt a little distressed.

“In fact, it used to be normal, but recently, our employees have often gotten sick, and many guests have had memory loss. I don’t want to stay there myself. The strange thing, though, is that despite all this, business still remained good. I thought about it last time and I wanted to ask a specialist to take a look, but my great aunt firmly opposed it, so I could only give up.”

“How long have you taken over that hotel?”

“Just the last six months. I asked my great aunt when she was in charge of the hotel, and she said there was no frequent illness for employees or guests.”

As the two chatted, the dishes they ordered came one after another, and the topic was switched to talking about the local customs.

Hearing Dong Zhi was new in town, He Jia enthusiastically offered to show him around. While Dong Zhi found the proposition exciting, he first had to find a place to settle down, so he politely declined.

“Great Dongdong…”

Dong Zhi smiled and said, “Don’t call me great. It’s quite awkward. My surname is Dong. Given name is Zhi. You can just call me Dong Ge.”

“So this turns out to be the origin of your screen name, Dong Dong Qiang!” He Jia realized it at once and immediately asked, “Dong Ge, do you still play games now?”

She wasn’t only a fan of Dong Zhi’s comics but was also a player of the <The Great Wasteland>. It could be said that she had watched Dong Zhi come a long way from all the way back then.

“Not anymore.” The identity of the Special Administration Bureau is special and couldn’t be easily revealed to ordinary people. Dong Zhi came up with an excuse. “I’m currently helping a friend’s company, so I only draw during my spare time.”

He Jia looked regretful. “What a pity.”

Dong Zhi laughed. “What’s there to pity? Isn’t it better to like your hobbies than have them be the source of how you can eat?”

He Jia thought about it, and then laughed as well. She enjoyed this meal very much.

From her impression, male artists were generally otakus who weren’t good at speaking and were very slovenly. She had seen some male artists in the past when she went for autograph signings or seen their pictures online, so it only deepened her stereotype. She didn’t expect Dong Zhi to be an exception. What’s even more rare was that the other party was very polite and gentlemanly, letting her order and taking the initiative to pay when she went to the bathroom, so as not to leave her in an awkward state. Even if it hadn’t reached the point of falling in love at first sight, being invited to a meal with a handsome guy was already a plus for girls like her.

After the meal, Dong Zhi asked her, “Are the rooms in your hotel full? If not, I would like to book a room and stay for one night tonight.”

For a moment, He Jia was taken aback. With a shy look on her face, she said, “I asked before I came here. There are still two rooms available today. Why don’t I take you there?”

She was afraid Dong Zhi might misunderstand, so she quickly added, “Dong Ge, I’m a little afraid of going by that place at night.”

Dong Zhi laughed. “That’s okay. You can just take me to the entrance, and I’ll go in by myself.”

Facing such a charming and handsome guy, she gritted her teeth and hardened her heart. “Forget it. I’ll go in with you for just one night!”

Dong Zhi chuckled. “Just take me there. You don’t need to accompany me.”

“It’s fine!” Who told you to look so good, He Jia silently added in her heart. She suddenly remembered something and said shyly, “Dong Ge, I don’t mind if you use the hotel as material for your comic, but can you hide the city and hotel information when the time comes?”

Only now did Dong Zhi realize that He Jia thought he wanted to go to the hotel purely out of curiosity so he could collect more materials for his comic. He thought to himself that this was a good excuse he could use when it was inconvenient for him to reveal his identity in the future.

“Of course. Even if I use it in my comics in the future, I’ll never expose any relevant or personal information.”

He was really interested in the hotel, especially the strange events that He Jia had described. It would be good if those strange things didn’t lead to any evil outcomes, but since the employees and guests were getting sick often, this showed that it had affected the lives of ordinary people, which meant it fell within the jurisdiction of the Special Administration Bureau.

The Special Administration Bureau was different from other departments. Things may not always be delivered to you. Although Dong Zhi was new and Yan Nuo didn’t let him interfere with their work, it didn’t mean that he couldn’t take the initiative himself.

After the two of them finished their meals, they rested for a bit before He Jia took Dong Zhi to the hotel.

The hotel was located in the old district. There were some well-preserved arcades from the Republic of China days. Plants grew on the left and right of the entrance, and flowers swayed back and forth. The scenery must be even more beautiful during the day. The hotel had three floors and adopted the architectural characteristics of both Chinese and Western styles, most likely to integrate it with the nearby old buildings in order to attract more tourists.

When Dong Zhi stood at the door and looked at the words “Langhai Hotel” on the wooden signboard next to the hotel gate, his feet stopped abruptly, as if the brake button was suddenly pressed in his body, catching him off guard.

“Dong Ge?” He Jia asked when she was motionless.

What was this bad feeling that he felt standing in front of this place? Was it the eerie hotel that made people not want to go in?

No. As soon as he saw the entrance, he had a strong desire to go in and stay there, as if he couldn’t wait and felt impatient.

This was the strangest feeling. Dong Zhi was now struggling with such instincts, holding back his body’s reaction forcefully. The doors to the entrance were like a magnet in his eyes, with the ability to suck people in.

“Every time you come through the entrance, do you get a strange feeling?” He asked He Jia.

“What strange feeling?” He Jia was puzzled.

“I feel like I really want to go in. Like there’s something there that’s attracting me.” Dong Zhi couldn’t describe this feeling very accurately because it was just an invisible force, illusory and immaterial.

He Jia shook her head. “No, I actually don’t like coming here very much, but I have heard guests talk about the feeling you mentioned. They said that they wanted to go to the nearby island to find a hostel, but when they passed by here, they somehow became attracted to coming in.”

As a practitioner, Dong Zhi was more consciously observant and could better control his will, but most ordinary people couldn’t do it, and they wouldn’t think too deeply about the weirdness either.

“Let’s go.” He didn’t say anything more as he walked in with He Jia.

The furnishings in the hotel were deliberately designed to create a sense of history. A combination of Chinese and Western styles could be seen everywhere. The stairs were European-style in imitation of the Republic of China era. There were quite a lot of guests. When Dong Zhi entered, they happened to run into two groups of guests who were checking out and another group that was waiting to check in. It could be seen that, as He Jia had said, business was booming.

Dong Zhi carefully observed their expressions and saw that among the two groups of people who were about to check out, there was a mix of old and young, and their expressions weren’t very good. The children were coughing as they looked at the furnishings in the hotel, showing reluctant expressions.

“Hello, auntie. Are you checking out?” He took a step forward.

The middle-aged lady who had taken her family out for a trip nodded and said, “We had checked out the day before yesterday and were leaving, but the stay here was so comfortable that we couldn’t bear to leave, so we stayed for two more days.”

“Comfortable? Is the service very good?” Dong Zhi innocently blinked and smiled. “I’m staying here for a night. If it’s as good as you say, I might book another night.”

The auntie laughed. “It’s not like that. I can’t really describe it. Anyway, I would feel lazy after coming in, and I would have good dreams every night. Since I stayed here, it really felt like a vacation. We don’t want to go anywhere else. Just sleeping here is enough.”

Dong Zhi felt touched and smiled. “Then I’ll book two nights so I can feel the sense of vacation.”

As there were guests present, He Jia couldn’t say anything. As soon as they left, she said, “Dong Ge, just stay for one night. You don’t need to check in. I’ll tell them.”

Dong Zhi shook his head. “How can you do that? You opened this place for business, so there’s no reason to offer me such benefits.”

When he saw that He Jia was about to object, he quickly said, “Don’t worry. I can pay.”

He Jia didn’t press the issue, believing that she’d simply compensate him for the night when he checked out.

“Is it convenient to get a tour of the place?” Dong Zhi asked.

“Of course. I’ll show you around.” He Jia told the front desk and asked them to reserve a room for her tonight, then she took Dong Zhi upstairs.

There were only three floors in the hotel. The corridors were brightly lit, and paintings and decorations were hanging from both sides. The windows were made of colorful glazed glass, which was very much in line with the bourgeoisie style of the city. There were iron railings hanging outside the window that had various sunflowers planted in them. The sea could be seen from a distance. Although it was located in the old district, it wasn’t surprising that this place would have an endless stream of guests due to these attentive arrangements.

Dong Zhi inquired about this question, and He Jia replied, “Even if that’s the case, there are many tourists in Lucheng all year round, but fewer come during autumn and winter. Generally speaking, every hotel would be full. This hotel was booked at maximum capacity almost every day, and the rooms that were available would be immediately booked. The problem is, I rarely advertise and have never cooperated with any travel websites or tourism groups to promote it. Furthermore, the guests who made the reservations online said that they originally wanted to book another hotel, but for some reason, their search ended up at my website. They thought it looked good, so they changed their mind and booked mine instead.”

As she said this, she couldn’t help adding, “While I’m very happy that business is good, still, this is just too strange!”

Dong Zhi looked around the room in the corridor and asked, “Your great aunt told you to dedicate a room for worship. Can I take a look?”

He Jia nodded and whispered, “I don’t believe in ghosts, but I feel weird whenever I go into that room. I’ll let you take a look, but don’t stay too long.”

Dong Zhi naturally agreed.

---

The author has something to say:

Dong Zhi never expected to become a male god in the eyes of others.

Let’s put a (non-related text to the novel) as welfare:

At the time, the Special Administration Bureau was still attached to the National Security Department and had to act with them every time when dealing with issues. It was always inconvenient to go in and out, and the application for funds was even more troublesome. The Special Administration Bureau had a special job dealing with monsters and demons, so they had to maintain a high level of vigilance. What would happen if they accidentally injured ordinary people? Once, former Director Zhang Xiankun saw Lanzhou ramen and Shaxian street food all over the street and it gave him inspiration. He thought about it and disguised his local offices as restaurants serving braised chicken and rice, worried that they wouldn’t have enough money.

Later… There was no later.

Because Kan Chaosheng joined the Bureau.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Just for some clarity, the Special Administration Bureau refers to the entire exorcism department as a whole (all the branch offices along with HQ), while the General Administration Bureau is the HQ of the Special Administration Bureau, so while they were in the capital, the General and Special Bureau usually mean the same thing, but when it’s specifically referred to as the General Bureau, it means that it’s where all the leaders are (as HQ is the one that gives out the orders to the other branches).

I probably should have added this note way before.

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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 72

At around 8-9 PM in Lucheng, people who had work and needed to rest early had already had their dinner and were gathered in front of the TV to watch their programs. Huang Wendong had come home early tonight, as he usually didn’t get home until at least 11 PM.

“You came back so early today. Didn’t you go socialize?”

Hearing the opening of the door, his wife came out of the room.

“Originally, the customer temporarily canceled. I brought you and our kids some takeout from Happy House, but you guys must’ve eaten already, right?” He raised the bag in his hand.

The wife took it and joked, “Oh, how rare. You work so much every day that you haven’t brought food back for so many years!”

The Liang family wasn’t short on money. It can be seen from just the decoration of the house and the jewelry on his wife. Even in Lucheng, an economically developed city, their family background was well-off, which is enough to stand out from most families.

However, her appearance was given by God. Even if she exhausted the best skin care products to maintain herself, her wifely skin still sagged day by day, as fine wrinkles began to appear more.

Of course, Huang Wendong wasn’t much better. For a man over forty, it was inevitable that he’d start to gain weight, but he still had glimpses of his handsome self when he was younger.

“Where’s Xiao Wen and Xiao Hong?” Huang Wendong asked.

“They are all watching cartoons in the room.” His wife opened the bag and saw boxes neatly packed with snacks, including her favorite, begonia cakes and dried bamboo shoots, as well as shumai that the kids like.

“Why did you buy so much?” She complained, showing that she had a stubborn heart. After all, her husband used to socialize constantly and had never brought them back anything to eat. Although she didn’t lack food, how could she be unhappy knowing that her husband still remembered her preferences.

Huang Wendong said, “It’s fine. If you don’t want to eat it, just give it to the nanny.”

“Who said I wouldn’t eat it?” His wife glared at him.

“We want to eat shumai! We want to eat shumai!” The two children shouted as they ran out when they heard the news.

His wife couldn’t resist them, so she had to agree and asked Huang Wendong, “Have you eaten? I can ask the nanny to make a few dishes for you.”

Huang Wendong smiled and said, “I’ll take a bath first before eating. You can start without me and give me some hot porridge later. I’m tired of eating out all this time.”

It was past dinner time now, so they had already eaten, but what Huang Wendong brought back was more like a snack than a meal. What was more, the pastries couldn’t be kept for long. When it got cold and had to be reheated, it tasted much worse. The two children were clamoring about, wanting to eat. She asked the nanny to put it on the plate, and the greedy children followed her like little tails attached to her.

Huang Wendong took a bath for an hour. In normal times, his wife would knock on the door, thinking that he had fallen asleep in the bathtub, but tonight, she didn’t come to check on him. She was probably distracted by the two naughty children, or maybe she was too busy watching TV, or perhaps she was busy eating the pastries he had brought back.

Huang Wendong stepped out of the bathtub slowly, put on a clean bathrobe, fastened the tie, opened the door and walked out.

The dining table was strangely quiet. His wife, two children, and nanny were all unconscious. The son was only four years old. He had fallen off the chair and his head had a large bump on it.

Huang Wendong was not shocked at all. Let alone yelling, he walked up to his wife, patted her cheek lightly, and called her name. His wife did not respond.

He got up with satisfaction, walked to the kitchen, and scanned the knives with his eyes. He took a sharp porcelain knife and a kitchen knife and returned to his family.

Huang Wendong’s face was red and a little nervous, but more excited. His gaze shifted between his wife and children, as if he wasn’t sure where to begin, before settling on his four-year-old son.

He thought it should be easier since children had delicate flesh. Tremblingly, he raised the knife in his hand, gritted his teeth, and waved it at the youngest son’s elbow!

—

At that moment, Dong Zhi didn’t know that his inner thoughts had been discovered by Long Shen. He was standing in front of an old residential building in a residential area, looking around blankly.

According to the address given by the other party, Lucheng’s office should be on the first floor, which should be easy to find, but he found that the building here was so old that there weren’t any number plates hanging and the security guard for the property was nowhere to be seen. After looking around for what seemed like hours, he had to call the other party to find the destination under the guidance of the person who had answered the phone just now.

Yan Nuo thought that after the other party arrived, he would explain a few things and leave. He could have dinner and a few drinks with his friends. As a result, he waited from 9 PM until nearly midnight for this long-overdue newcomer.

According to the normal process, a group of newcomers, like Dong Zhi, should’ve reported to the branch first and then gone to various offices with the personnel arrangements from the branch, but that would have delayed too much time. Besides, they had come directly from the General Administration Bureau, which had issued the documents, so they didn’t need the branch office to be involved.

There were only three people in the Lucheng’s office, and they weren’t very keen on newcomers, because newcomers generally don’t understand much. They have to learn everything from scratch. They could also be reckless and arrogant. What’s more, this newcomer had a background. It’s said that he’s a disciple of a Deputy Director.

With such a big Buddha, their small temple can’t hold it. Yan Nuo felt a headache when he thought about it.

He waited until midnight when he was awakened by a phone call from the newcomer, and after patiently giving directions on the phone for a long time and teaching the other party where to go, what little of Yan Nuo’s patient was completely exhausted.

He saw Dong Zhi standing at the entrance with his luggage and shook his hand hastily before saying, “Welcome. Dong Zhi, right? My name is Yan Nuo. The Yan from serious¹ and Nuo from promise². It’s too late now for a proper reception. Why don’t we order some takeout first?”

¹The [Yan] (严) from [yan su] (严肃) which means serious, solemn, earnest.
²The [Nuo] (诺) from [cheng nuo] (承诺) which means promise to do something.

Dong Zhi smiled and said, “It’s okay. I’m not hungry. I’m really sorry about this. I’d encountered some issues when I got off the plane, or I wouldn’t be here so late.”

He didn’t mention much about Han Qi, nor did Yan Nuo ask. He stuffed the key into Dong Zhi’s hand and said, “Okay. Then help yourself. I’ll go back and get some rest first.”

Dong Zhi was taken aback for a moment, and hurriedly grabbed the other party. “Yan Ge, where am I staying for tonight? Didn’t you say that the unit allocates dorms?”

Yan Nuo: “Yes. This is an office converted from a private home. It has two bedrooms and one living room. You can choose whichever room you want to stay in. If you feel that the conditions aren’t good, you can go out and rent a different place!”

He was in a hurry to leave. Suddenly, a call came in at that time. Yan Nuo frowned when he looked at the number before picking it up.

“Hello, Zhao Branch.”

Dong Zhi didn’t know what the person on the other end of the line said, but it made Yan Nuo’s expression change slightly. After saying that he would go immediately there, he hung up.

“Xiao Dong, something urgent just happened with the Public Security Bureau. They had called me to go help. You can take care of yourself, right? Call me if you need anything!”

He left without waiting for Dong Zhi to react. Dong Zhi saw that the other party didn’t look back, so he dragged his suitcase in.

The walls hadn’t been painted for many years, and there were bits and pieces falling off. There were cobwebs and dust accumulated in the corners of the ceilings. The living room had no desk, just a sofa set, a coffee table, and an old TV. While Yan Nuo had told him that the place had 2 bedrooms and a living room, one bedroom was full of junk and couldn’t accommodate a person, and the other room had a bunkbed, but the sheets, pillows, and blankets hadn’t been changed for a long time, so there was still the smell of grease. He didn’t dare sit anywhere. Looking around, he couldn’t help but grimace.

Even the warehouse office opposite the cemetery in Yancheng was better than this! Not only is Lucheng not a backcountry town, it’s also a well-known tourist destination in the country. It had beautiful scenery and ample finances. Why is the Lucheng office in such a place? Was this intentionally harassing him?

Dong Zhi wanted to sleep on the sofa for a night, but when he looked at it again, he didn’t know how many years had been put on the leather sofa. The outer leather had long been cracked and spotted, revealing the sponge below. When he touched it with his hands, it felt oily and there was a faint smell of food residue. Even though he wasn’t a neat freak, he really couldn’t lie on this sofa.

Helpless, he had to carry his luggage and go out again. He found an express hotel nearby and rented a room to temporary rest for one night. If the dormitory provided by the office referred to that old house just now, then starting tomorrow, he’ll find a different place to rent.

He turned on his phone and sent a message to Long Shen. After a while, he didn’t get a reply back.

The other party was probably working overtime again. As he lay in bed, the fatigue from his trip was completely released; he didn’t even want to get up to take a shower, so he fell deeply asleep.

The second before he drifted off, he was still thinking about whether he should tell Yan Nuo about the incident on the plane.

The next day, Dong Zhi slept until half past noon before waking up.

When he was in the General Administration, he would have to get up early, around four in the morning. He hadn’t slept so comfortably for a while now. He rolled lazily on the bed, thinking to himself that if he had slept on that sofa last night, most likely he would be greeted with a backache today.

Picking up his phone, he saw that there weren’t any messages. There seemed to be silence on Long Shen’s side, and no one from the branch office had urged him to go to work. His job, though, was irregular as it wasn’t a 9-5 business. There would always be a few emergencies throughout the year, and there was no time to rest when things got busy.

Dong Zhi wanted to send another message to Long Shen, but after thinking about it, the people in the Bureau were recently busy with the excavation of the stone tablet from Liang Weiqi’s tomb. His master must have seen his message, but he may not have had time to reply, so he temporarily gave up.

He wanted to stay in bed for a while longer when he suddenly got a call. It was Yan Nuo.

“Where are you?!”

The other party’s tone wasn’t very good. Dong Zhi didn’t want to admit that he was still sleeping in, so he hurriedly said, “I’m outside. What’s the matter?”

“Mu Duo is waiting in the office, looking for you. Hurry up!”

After speaking, Yan Nuo hung up the line. As for who Mu Duo was, Yan Nuo didn’t make it clear, leaving Dong Zhi confused. He couldn’t greet people in such a state, so he quickly got up and took a shower, then changed his clothes before going over.

The door of the office was ajar. Honestly, there was nothing of value in such a dilapidated house that even if thieves were here, they wouldn’t be interested.

Dong Zhi pushed open the door and saw a young girl sitting on the sofa.

“Hello?”

The girl raised her head, slightly impatient, and was taken aback when she saw Dong Zhi. Her attitude improved a little bit.

“Are you the new colleague?”

Dong Zhi took the initiative to extend his hand. “I am Dong Zhi. Who are you?”

The girl shook his hand. “Mu Duo.”

Dong Zhi: “Hello. Yan Nuo asked me to come over and said you were looking for me?”

Mu Duo nodded. “Yes, there was a murder case in our city last night. The police judged that the case was unusual and asked us to help, which is why we didn’t have time to pick you up on the first day. Sorry.”

Dong Zhi said it was okay and asked if there was anything that he could do to help.

“The quarterly report hasn’t been written yet and needs to be submitted in the next few days. We’re busy with the current case, so it’s estimated that we won’t be able to hand it in before the deadline. Can I trouble you to write it?”

Dong Zhi looked confused. “But I only arrived yesterday. I don’t know what you guys did last quarter!”

Mu Duo handed him a piece of paper. “I have written an outline here. Everything is roughly listed, but I have to trouble you with refining it. If you’re not sure, just do what you feel best.”

A newcomer was a newcomer. He couldn’t refuse the task assigned to him by his senior, so he could only agree.

“Do you need my help with the case?”

Mu Duo smiled and said, “No, there are three of us, so I will ask you for the report.”

Dong Zhi scratched his nose. “Well, be careful, and just ask if you need help. I may go out often during the day these days.”

Mu Duo: “Why? To catch up with friends?”

Dong Zhi said honestly, “Looking for a place to rent. Yan Ge asked me to live here, but I really can’t…”

Mu Duo looked around helplessly.

“That’s okay. The report doesn’t need to be rushed. You can write it when you have time. I’ll leave first and call you if I have something for you.”

Mu Duo, like Yan Nuo, didn’t feel very good when they heard that there were new people coming. They felt that three people in the office was enough. They would only cause trouble if more arrived, but they couldn’t refuse the arrangements from above, so they had to hold their noses and put up with it. She had thought that it would be the same as last time since the newcomer had a deep background. A newborn calf was not afraid of tigers, and they set their eyes above the top. However, after chatting with Dong Zhi, her impression had changed a little. Although he had a background, at least this newcomer looked good and had a good attitude.

After she left, Dong Zhi picked up the outline and looked at it. He immediately understood why he was asked to write the quarterly report. What outline? What do what you feel best? It was clear that they were too lazy to write the report and just pushed it onto the newcomer who just happened to join.

Dong Zhi felt flabbergasted. Still, there was no other way. As a newcomer who had just entered the workplace for the first time, he inevitably had to put up with being ordered around. Fortunately, he had been in the workforce three years before, so he wasn’t a rookie. There was no resentment or dissatisfaction. He turned on the computer and started the report.

The next few days were calm.

It was different from the exciting life he imagined, being involved in chaotic messes and slaying demons all day long. Although there were three people besides him in the office, Yan Nuo and Mu Duo were often elusive* so he rarely saw them, while the other, Xiao Qi, he hadn’t even met yet.

*The dragon sees the beginning but doesn’t see the end. (神龙见首不见尾) Use to describe the mysterious whereabouts of people without revealing the truth.

They seemed to be very busy with a murder case, but they had no intention of letting Dong Zhi participate. When Dong Zhi asked, they would give vague and perfunctory responses. With no other choice, all Dong Zhi could do was write the quarterly report and find a place to live. After a week, no one had urged him on the progress of his report, which made it obvious that asking him to write it was just a cover, and they didn’t want Dong Zhi to get involved in the case.

Since they all got along, they all made a group comprised of only newcomers. Although everyone was separated far and wide, they would say a few words in the group every day. It gave them the same feeling of getting along daily, like they had been when they were together. It also gave them the comfort of home as they could feel the warmth of their companions.

Ba Sang was the luckiest of them all because he was assigned to an office that was in the province of his hometown, so he was close to where he lived, which only made Gu Meiren and Dong Zhi envious. Gu Meiren was assigned to Yinchuan, which was just the area where the Liang Weiren’s Tomb is and where they had experienced their life and death and discovered the second stone tablet. As a participant last time, it made sense for her to continue following up on it. She was familiar with the process, so she had something to do. Liu Qingbo and Li Ying weren’t bad either. He heard that they participated with Group One and Group Three in searching for the other stone tablets. Everyone else seemed to have good jobs, while he was the only one stuck here writing quarterly reports.

Dong Zhi laid down on the table and typed for a while and couldn’t help but send another message to Long Shen.

[Master, are you busy today?]

Long Shen did not reply immediately. It took about half an hour before Dong Zhi received a response: [There have been many meetings recently. If you have questions about your cultivation, you can call directly.]

The implication is that if it’s a trivial matter that has nothing to do with cultivation, he shouldn’t be contacting him.

Dong Zhi stared at the message on the phone screen for a while. He wasn’t sure if he was overthinking things, but he felt that Long Shen seemed to have become a little colder lately.

It had only been two days since he left the capital for Lucheng. Before he left, he was still sitting with Long Shen for dinner as they talked about the future and their parting. Long Shen had asked him not to take Longlong away, saying he would help feed it in his spare time since he’d have a full workload once he joined the branch office. There would be a lot to deal with and adjust to, so he wouldn’t have the energy to care for the cat in a short period of time.

Everything was fine then, so why did it suddenly change?

Dong Zhi was puzzled.

Empathetic farewells, terminal illness, and other dog-blooded* scenes played through his mind. He even found it so funny that he couldn’t help but laugh from his imagination.

*Refers to cliché overly dramatic.

How is this possible? Not to mention that it had only been two days. Even after another twenty years, his master most likely remained unchanged.

After thinking about it for a while, he finally decided to focus on his job first. At least he had to wait until he knew the situation here before calling. Otherwise, if Long Shen asked, how could he tell him that because he was a newcomer, he was excluded from participation? Such a useless excuse would never make his master happy.

Dong Zhi put aside the messy thoughts and concentrated on completing the quarterly report at hand. In fact, writing this report had some merit. At least by doing this, he had roughly formed an understanding of Yan Nuo’s and the others’ daily work.

In the last quarter, the office did a total of three relatively large tasks.

One was the international conference that Lucheng hosted, and many world leaders participated in. In addition to ordinary security work, special-level security must also be done properly. In this regard, the people of the South China Branch of the Special Administration Bureau were responsible. The three from this branch mainly cooperated with them.

The second thing was a transnational drug smuggling case. The police had asked Yan Nuo and the others for assistance, but in the end, it was confirmed that it was only a criminal case between ordinary people and did not involve practitioners.

The third thing was that an internationally wanted practitioner had fled to China. Rumors had it that he was hiding in Lucheng. The South China Branch had sent someone to hunt him down. Yan Nuo and the others cooperated with them as well. In the end, they successfully arrested the fugitive and brought him to justice. With the integration of the world, the portals of various countries have opened wide, allowing practitioners from foreign countries to come and go. This also meant international crime had also increased. As a coastal and port city, Lucheng bore the brunt of the responsibility.

Mu Duo’s outline was very simple. What Dong Zhi had to do was nothing more than expand the details of these three tasks. He had to affirm the contributions made by the Lucheng Office in the last quarter so that they could receive funds and bonuses from above, which will also be good for their future promotions.

One thing Dong Zhi found in common with all these three tasks was that Yan Nuo and the others had never taken the initiative to accomplish them, but they always cooperated passively after it had happened.

Combined with the dilapidated environment of this office, he felt he had arrived at an understanding.

Before leaving Beijing, Dong Zhi did not inquire with Long Shen about the origins of several colleagues in Lucheng. He only heard that the Special Administration Bureau does not recruit as high of a number of employees as this year. There have been several years where there were no applicants and they had a shortage of staff, which made the Special Administration Bureau occasionally relax their criteria. They had many offices in China, but the General Administration could not cover everything, so experts were installed in every place. Lucheng has Yan Nuo as part of a group of three, which was considered a very good configuration, compared to Yangcheng, which only had Zhang Chong and Lin Jun.

Thinking about it now, though Zhang Chong and Lin Jun were half-buckets of water, with limited abilities and a lack of ambition and talent, they were both very active. On the top floor of Tianyuan Building, Zhang Chong even risked his life and almost died heroically. When others spoke, they would praise the disciples from the Longhu Sect for being brave and not being afraid of death, which was a reputation that was well deserved.

Long Shen also said that as a practitioner or a practitioner of a state institution, you must first have the courage to take the initiative, because even in a small office, the safety of ordinary people in the entire city is their responsibility.

Obviously, Yan Nuo and the others hadn’t done well, at least not good enough that it would give them an outstanding reputation.

---

The author has something to say:

Dong Zhi doesn’t know it yet… hahaha.

Lucheng is the starting point for Xiao Dong Zhi’s job entry, and it will also the be the starting point for him to move towards the vast sky that’s filled with a sea full of stars in the future~

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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 71

Seeing that he had nothing to say, the airline security personnel said, “Your ID was so good that you almost fooled me.”

Because it’s real!

The corners of Dong Zhi’s mouth twitched. “Don’t lose my ID, otherwise I won’t be able to report in.”

The other party was incredulous. “Report to who?! Yourself?! Do you need to be accompanied by someone to transfer you to a mental institution?”

Dong Zhi: …

It was really impossible to talk about it. He had the urge to overturn a table.

He gave up and said, “I have other documents on hand. Do you want to take them together for inspection?”

The airline security personnel. “That’s just right. We do have to verify your identity. Thank you for your cooperation.”

He took Dong Zhi’s backpack, found the ID documents inside, and also found a pile of yellow paper and cinnabar.

“You’re really devoted to the act. Fortunately, you didn’t bring any controlled weapons. Otherwise, we really would have to turn around.”

Dong Zhi said weakly, “There are controlled weapons. They are in the checked baggage. I have already said that I am from the Special Administration Bureau.”

The airline security personnel did not believe him. “Are you joking? At any rate, this didn’t cause any major disasters this time, or you’ll be looking at three years in prison!”

He rummaged through his backpack, then checked Dong Zhi’s pockets and couldn’t help but sigh.

“You didn’t bring a lighter or matches. How did you ignite it just now?”

Dong Zhi: “It was talisman fire. The talisman paper ignited spontaneously. Do you believe me?”

The airline security personnel. “I don’t believe you.”

Dong Zhi rolled his eyes. “Then I’m a pyromancer and I can spit out fire when I open my mouth!”

The other party showed him an expression of: “you just said you didn’t escape from a mental hospital”.

Dong Zhi had finally experienced what it meant to be indisputable.

Han Qi didn’t wake up, and her bodyguard and assistant both agreed that Dong Zhi had done something to her. If it weren’t for the airline security personnel, they would have pummeled him by now. Dong Zhi told them that Han Qi was fine, but they didn’t believe him, so he could only keep his mouth shut.

The other passengers thought that it was some kind of terrorist attack and could only cradle themselves in fear. They endured the difficult few hours of the plane ride. It wasn’t until it safely landed that they felt reborn. Dong Zhi was taken to the airline security office, while Han Qi was transported to the infirmary for examination.

“Let’s talk about it. Why did you create panic on the plane? Do you know that your behavior almost caused a catastrophe!”

Facing the interrogation, Dong Zhi said helplessly, “I am really from the Special Administration Bureau. Please contact them. Either He Yu or Long Shen can verify my identity. I have their number on my phone.”

The person in charge of the integration was a young man who had just graduated from college. When he heard this, he said suspiciously, “How do I know that you’re not all in cahoots with each other? And what is the Special Administration Bureau? I haven’t heard of it at all!”

Fortunately, the person he caught was Dong Zhi. If it had been Kan Chaosheng, he would have turned the security office upside down a long time ago.

In the next moment, the young man watched Dong Zhi break free from his handcuffs. It stunned him for nearly three seconds before he became furious and was about to slam the table.

Dong Zhi said politely, “As you can see, it’s not like I can’t run away, but it’s not necessary. Would you please verify my identity? Your boss may not know, so his boss must. If we have to jump through all these hoops like this every time a special event happens in the future, it will greatly delay the Special Administration Bureau’s ability to take action. Do you want to stand idly by and watch as passengers on a whole plane die together?”

The young man stared at him for a long time before finally calling for his superiors.

Dong Zhi lay down on the table, took out the phone, and rummaged through his contact list. He originally wanted to call Long Shen, but he was afraid of being scolded for getting into trouble so soon, so he called He Yu instead.

“Hello?” There was a weak response from that end. “Xiao Dongdong, have you landed?”

“I’ve landed, but I ran into trouble. Now I’m in custody and being treated like a prisoner.” Dong Zhi briefly explained what happened.

He Yu listened and said, “I see, it’s just a trivial matter. The Special Administration Bureau has docking channels with other departments. Most likely, they haven’t had time to enter the newcomers on the list yet, so that’s why you didn’t appear. I’ll just call and explain.”

He spoke easily, and Dong Zhi also breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, don’t tell Master. I’m afraid he’ll scold me.”

He Yu wailed, “When you were here, the boss took care of you, and he didn’t have time to bother with us. As soon as you left, he remembered that we still exist. Laozi’s legs are still broken, yet he actually had the heart to let me go on a business trip! This is too inhumane! No, he’s not human, but does he have any reason left in him!”

With black lines covering Dong Zhi’s face, he quickly hung up the phone and stopped the continuous wailing from the other end of the line.

As soon as he hung up the phone, Dong Zhi saw the bodyguard who had accompanied Han Qi coming in from outside. He looked around and saw Dong Zhi sitting on the table and strode forward aggressively, looming as most of his body covered the table. His hand reached out and pulled at Dong Zhi’s collar.

Dong Zhi avoided it and kicked the table forward, catching his opponent off guard and causing him to fall onto the table. Another bodyguard wanted to rush up and hit him when the staff reacted and stopped them.

“What are you doing?!”

“How dare you fight in the security office?!”

Dong Zhi shouted, “Brothers and sisters of the police, they want to beat me up!”

Due to the stark contrast between Dong Zhi’s harmless face compared to his opponent’s dressed in suits and sunglasses, security didn’t have time to ponder why Dong Zhi wasn’t wearing his handcuffs but instead subdued the bodyguards who seemed to be more threatening.

The bodyguard didn’t dare to resist, so he could only yell at Dong Zhi, “Miss Han hasn’t woken up yet, and it’s all your fault! You must be responsible! Officer, you can’t let him go. This person caused personal injury to Miss Han on the plane just now and should be locked up!”

At this moment, the young man in charge of the integration just ran back panting. “Dong Zhi, our leader wants to see you!”

The bodyguards thought that they were colluding and were planning to let Dong Zhi go, so they kept hollering and yelling. The scene became chaotic, and it wasn’t until the leader of the young man came over that the chaos calmed down.

The other party was a middle-aged man. He said to the bodyguard, “We have verified that this comrade is indeed a public servant of our system. At that time, there was something wrong with Miss Han, so he had to take action to stop it.”

The bodyguard shouted, “What kind of public servant? Why don’t you dare say which department he’s in? You officials are just protecting each other. Just you wait. We’ll expose this to the media immediately, so that you can’t afford to get away with this!”

“Then you plan on exposing the way Miss Han was acting just then?” Dong Zhi spoke up unexpectedly.

The bodyguard was taken aback for a moment and said sternly, “I don’t know what you are talking about!”

Dong Zhi smiled and said, “You’ve been by her side all this time. Haven’t you seen her behave strangely? This shouldn’t be the first time she has done something like this on a plane, right? This you should know in your heart.”

The security personnel next to him looked weirdly at him when he heard Dong Zhi’s unscientific words.

Dong Zhi narrowed his smile and said stiffly, “If I hadn’t happened to be on the plane and stopped a catastrophe in time, let alone her, even you, and everyone on the plane, would have suffered!”

The bodyguard was frightened by his words; his face turned pale, and he was unable to speak. He didn’t know whether it was because he was too frightened or felt guilty.

Dong Zhi guessed that it was the latter because what he said just now was also nonsense. He had been with He Yu and the others for a while now and had picked up on some of their skills and become quicker-witted. Judging from the bodyguard’s behavior, it was possible that his guess was right.

“Miss Han is fine now. I just put her to sleep for a while, and she will wake up soon. I have to verify my identity with their leader, so I won’t leave for a while. If she doesn’t wake up, you can come find me. My documents are still here.” Dong Zhi said.

As he finished speaking, the bodyguard’s phone rang, and a girl was talking hurriedly at the end. The volume was so loud that even Dong Zhi could hear it.

“Where are you? Miss Han was woken up. Sister Zheng said to not let that person go before Miss Han goes to the hospital for an examination and to make sure everything is okay!”

The two bodyguards looked at each other and finally decided that one would go back and the other would stay here to watch Dong Zhi to prevent him from running away.

Dong Zhi was led back into the office by the middle-aged man. He seems to be a leader who was higher ranked than the officers here.

The leader took the initiative to get up and shake hands with him and said, with a smile, “I’m sorry. As you know, the Special Administration Bureau is not well known to the public. Our colleagues failed to verify your identity for a while, so it caused you some trouble.”

Dong Zhi hurriedly said, “It was I who caused you trouble. This time it was all a misunderstanding.”

The leader was very satisfied with his calm attitude and became even more enthusiastic. “Is there a confidentiality regulation for this accident on the plane? If so, you can write a report and directly explain it to your leader. If Ms. Han’s side insists on holding you accountable, we’ll try our best to stop it.”

Dong Zhi said, “This time she was the cause of it. There’s something corrupt on her body that caused the accident. If she still wants me to be held accountable, let her come to me.”

The leader had heard of the mysterious Special Administration Bureau, but only in name, as he had never seen anyone from it. He only heard rumors that they were hiding talented and powerful people. Looking at Dong Zhi, who had a calm and gentle demeanor, he found that he wasn’t as surprised as he thought.

Listening to what Dong Zhi had said, the leader couldn’t help feeling curious, but he knew that he shouldn’t ask according to discipline, so he had to hold back.

The young man saw that his leader had personally taken Dong Zhi in, and after a while, he was personally sent out. They were talking and laughing with each other that he couldn’t help but feel uneasy, worried that Dong Zhi would be petty and scold him in front of his leader, so he hurried forward to apologize.

Dong Zhi smiled. “Now do you believe that I’m not crazy?”

The young man felt very embarrassed. “The incident on the plane happened so suddenly that they had to deal with it urgently. I acted in accordance with the regulations, so don’t hold it against me!”

Naturally, Dong Zhi would not make things difficult for him. Everyone had their own duties to perform. He looked at the trembling appearance of the other party and guessed that they had just joined the workforce, so he said, “Can I trouble you with one thing?”

The young man hurriedly said, “Of course!”

Dong Zhi took out the registration card Long Shen gave him. “I had checked in an item that needed to go through a special channel, so I had to go to the baggage claim office to get it. With this incident that happened just now, I don’t know where my luggage is. Can you please get it for me?”

With such a trivial matter, the other party agreed immediately and went to help him pick it up.

At this time, several more people came into the security office. A woman wearing a mask and sunglasses, a big hat on her head, and a silk scarf wrapped around her neck was leading them. She was covered from head to toe, and coupled with an entourage next to her, they were more likely to attract people’s attention.

“There he is!” The assistant next to Han Qi pointed to Dong Zhi, and the group of people walked towards him.

The staff member next to him stepped forward to stop them. “Is there anything wrong?”

Before Han Qi said anything, the assistant girl next to her said to Dong Zhi, “You just caused unknowable personal injury to Miss Han on the plane. Miss Han is going to the hospital for a physical examination, so we ask that you please come with us.”

While the contents of her sentences were polite, her tone was the opposite.

Dong Zhi felt annoyed. “I had saved her just now. How could I cause her any harm? Even if there is harm, she did it herself.”

The little girl raised her eyebrows and said. “Don’t try to avoid responsibility!”

Dong Zhi said to Han Qi, “If you really suspected me of wrongdoing, you wouldn’t come here just to ask the guilty party to follow you. You’re just here because you want to know what you’re entangled with!”

Han Qi finally took off her sunglasses and mask and said. “My assistant was impolite just now. I apologize on her behalf. Would it be convenient to find a place to talk?”

Dong Zhi refused. “It’s inconvenient.”

Han Qi: …

It just so happened that the young man came back with his sword case. Dong Zhi thanked him and then said to Han Qi, “I can’t solve your problem, Miss Han. The person who tied the bell needs to untie it*. You must know who to look for. Also, before the matter is resolved, I suggest you stop flying and implicate other innocent people. Otherwise, your sins will be even greater.”

*(解铃还需系铃人) Idiom referring to who the person who caused the trouble, is the one who has to solve it.

Han Qi’s face changed color, turning red and pale.

Dong Zhi didn’t bother waiting for her to react as he picked up his things and left.

With the delay of the flight, coupled with the incident he just went through, it was almost midnight when he got onto the bus to head towards the city.

Lucheng was a famous tourist city, and it was currently in peak tourist season. Even this late at night, the lights were still bright, and voices could be heard endlessly. However, he was originally said to report at 8 PM, but now it was past midnight. Feeling annoyed, he quickly dialed the contact number of the branch office, and it rang for a long time before someone came to pick it up.

“Who?! It’s the middle of the night!” The other party’s voice was lazy, most likely due to being abruptly awaken from bed.

Dong Zhi hurriedly said, “Hello, I am Dong Zhi. I’m the newcomer who was supposed to report in today, but the plane has only arrived just now due to delays. I’m really sorry. Should I go directly to the office or report back tomorrow morning?”

The other party yawned and said, “Just come directly!”

—

The meeting was a bit long, so when it was adjourned, everyone was hungry. Long Shen didn’t follow them to dinner but went back to the dorms.

When he came to his room, he was about to open the door when he suddenly remembered Dong Zhi’s words before they parted. He paused the movement of inserting his key into the keyhole for a while before picking up another key and opening the room opposite to his.

The occupant had left, and the building was empty. Everything was all packed up neatly, so Long Shen spotted the item on the coffee table with just a glance.

It was a painting. To be more precise, it was a sketch. The picture was drawn in pencil and had only been colored halfway through.

In the deep underground, the glazed grass grew slightly in the corners. Under the cliff, there were thousands of corpses and ghosts, which showed a terrifying scene. Standing on the cliff was a man with his back against the mountain wall. He was slender as he held a sword in one hand while looking down to the bottom of the cliff.

His face was cold, but he seemed compassionate. In the darkness, he was fearless and held no hint of sorrow or joy, incompatible with his surroundings, as if he was a god who had fallen from the heavens.

Thousands of bones covered the landscape as if it was hell on earth, and he, above the hell, in the corner of the light of that day, was not tainted with any filth. 

Long Shen hadn’t thought about that scene when he was in the cave, but it turned out to be like this from his apprentice’s pen. He couldn’t help but be stunned.

Perhaps because it was done in a hurry and the other party didn’t have enough time to put it into a frame, all he saw was a lonely piece of paper that was almost too thin to hold in his hand.

A white cat passed by his feet and its tail curled along his heel. Long Shen put the drawing on the table and turned to feed it.

When he finished changing the cat’s water bowl, he turned around and saw that Longlong had jumped onto the chair and was resting his two front paws on the coffee table, looking at the drawing curiously. His nose was extremely close, as if he was eager to try it.

Long Shen stretched out his hand and pinched the cat’s neck, causing it to let out a dissatisfied meow, as if it was protesting his stinginess. He took the drawing away and back to his room, opened a large book, and sandwiched the painting in the middle of it.

The furnishings in the room are as simple as they can be. While it seemed like his five internal organs* were complete, there was still a feeling of emptiness. In the past, Dong Zhi had often complained that there was no feeling of home here. He complained that Long Shen lived too simply and didn’t know how to enjoy life, so he bought some pillows and furnishings to put in his room.

*(五脏) Refers to the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys.

It wasn’t because Long Shen had no aesthetics. He just rarely cared about things outside of his body, but he didn’t interfere with the layout either and let Dong Zhi tinker to his liking.

Every night before Dong Zhi left Beijing, he would stay here and talk until he was driven back to bed. There was a half-opened bag of nuts on the coffee table and there were even indentations on the sofa where he had sat and laid down.

If he forbade him to eat more, Dong Zhi would act pitiful and say that he was too hungry and couldn’t sleep. Later, Long Shen had bought him nuts that were good for his health, so he ate them as snacks. After dinner, his mouth wouldn’t remain idle.

Long Shen shook his head and picked up the snacks and put them back in the cupboard, thinking that when Dong Zhi returned to Beijing, he would have to look for food all over his house again.

His gaze inadvertently swept across and stopped on the pot of plants, the yulu that was given to him before Dong Zhi became his apprentice.

Since he couldn’t raise it, he could only use a cheating method by forcibly injecting vitality into it to bring it back to life.

Now it only needed to be watered once in a while when he remembered to. There was no need to fuss over taking care of it as it would live happily until the end of its life. Its leaves were like petals flowing brightly under the lamp, glittering and translucent, telling secrets in silence.

Dong Zhi didn’t know that injecting vitality into the yulu had more than one effect.

At this moment, Long Shen stretched out his hand and touched its leaves gently. The yulu trembled slightly, as if it had been awakened from a nap and couldn’t wait to pour out all the words that were hidden in the bottom of its heart.

The thoughts of someone were held deep within the plant and flowed from it through Long Shen’s fingers and into his mind.

“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?”

“If I can gain his favorability again, maybe he’ll understand.”

A familiar voice, a familiar intonation. It sounded a little worried, a little uncertain. It seems that someone was playing with the petals on the yulu and was talking to himself.

Long Shen remained motionless. He looked at the yulu, but his eyes became colder and colder, as if he could completely freeze it.

A powerful breath came from his finger that caused the delicate yulu to instantly be covered with a thin layer of frost.

“Meow~”

The doors to both rooms weren’t closed. The white cat, who didn’t know what being full of food and drink was, had wandered in from the other room. It seemed to be frightened by Long Shen’s breath as it stood by the door, only daring to show one side of its fluffy head.

Long Shen’s cold and hard jawline slowly melted with its cry. He stretched out his hand and touched the yulu, causing the frost to melt, allowing it to regain its vitality.

The cat seemed to sense that the danger alarm had been lifted, so it moved towards Long Shen and looked up at him. Long Shen stood there for a moment before he bent over and picked up the white cat and sent it back to its room. Then he turned around and took the Qingzhu Sword with him to the rooftop.

Pushing the door open, he was greeted with a sky full of stars and the sound of the gurgling streams. In this space, there were no seasons, only day and night.

Long Shen raised his head and stood still for a moment, then suddenly threw the sword up, jumped up, pulled it out of its scabbard while in midair, and spun his body as he whirled the sword around.

If Dong Zhi was here, he would be able to recognize that it was the Bu Tian Gang that he had been practicing continuously these days. However, Long Shen’s moves were more proficient and experienced. It matched the sword seamlessly, exerting Bu Tian Gang’s power to the extreme.

Tian Gang footwork, Tian Gang swordsmanship, and Tian Gang qi were all combined into one.

The roping technique which united the heavens, the axis which bound the earth, the brilliance which turned the wheel of the sun, the splendor which blended the stars and the moon, crossing the big dipper. The army order was too weak, beckoning qi of the world, gathering might from far and wide, the plumage of the palace goes under change as the five mountains* collapse.

*General term used for the five famous mountains in Chinese traditional culture. They are Huashan, Hengshan, Tarzan, Hengshan (different [heng] character), Songshan.

This is Bu Tian Gang.

Long Shen’s figure almost turned into light and shadow under the starlight. Wherever he went, grass and leaves would whirl, boulders would shatter, and the waterfalls would flow backwards. Even the stars in the sky began to rotate slowly around him.

A bright glow appeared in the sky in the distance. Before the long night passed, it was like dawn was approaching. Suddenly, lightning flashed in the sky, as if someone had torn a hole in the night, quickly spreading down.

In the next moment, a pair of hands came out of the middle of the lightning and tore apart the darkness on both sides.

The elegant woman walked over from the other end of the “night curtain” with a smile. “I must say, the weather has changed so suddenly. It seems that you are dancing with your sword here, so I came to quickly stop you. Although there’s an enchantment here, your energy is too large, and it can easily affect the weather outside. It’ll cause an uproar if you’re attracting the sun and moon towards you.”

She stretched out her hand and turned two stones into stools, then walked over and sat down. Starlight fell to the ground as he stood there. Long Shen raised his hand, causing the Qingzhu Sword in his hand to fly out, inserting itself back into the scabbard that was on the ground with perfect precision.

“Why is Zong Lao here?”

“You’ve been making such a ruckus for a while now. How could I not come?” Zong Ling pulled out a tea set from nowhere, scooped some water into the teapot from the stream nearby, and covered it with her hand for a moment. The water inside was immediately steaming hot enough to boil the tea.

“It’s been a long time since I saw you practicing your swordsmanship. It was truly a feast for one’s eyes. Unfortunately, I’m afraid you’ll pierce through the enchantment, so I had to stop you. What’s going on? You’re in a bad mood?”

Long Shen sat down on the other stone stool and did not deny it. “It’s a bit messy.”

Zong Ling laughed. “How rare. I thought you have never been happy or sad with things concerning yourself. Is it because of what’s going on inside the bureau? Wu Bingtian? The Japanese?”

Long Shen shook his head.

While the matter of the stone tablet was difficult, he’s not the only one in the Special Administration Bureau, that’s investigating it. With the joint efforts of everyone, sooner or later, there would be results.

While Wu Bingtian could seem difficult, Long Shen had worked with him for many years now and knew that it was mainly due to their different ways of thinking.

There were many powerful figures in the Special Administration Bureau. One could say it was a department that held a lot of resources and potential. Therefore, there were many who paid close attention to it and many who intervened. It was inevitable that you would run into numerous opinions and contradictions. Long Shen didn’t want to deal with these trivial things, so he hadn’t made much progress for so many years in the Bureau. Otherwise, with his ability, he wouldn’t just stop at his current rank.

Zong Ling smiled slightly. “Since it’s not a business matter, then is it a private matter? I haven’t heard that you have a girlfriend or boyfriend!”

Long Shen: “Zong Lao is still so humorous.”

Zong Ling: “If you live longer, you should be happier. Otherwise, how can you be worthy of existing in this world? You’re too oppressive and self-suffering. Why bother living so meticulously? When you’re free, just like humans, you should sing, dance, play, and fall in love. Isn’t that a great feeling?”

Long Shen paused for a moment before saying. “Mortals have a limited life span. Their lives are only like spring and autumn for me. No one wants to see themselves aging while their lover’s face doesn’t change.”

Zong Ling chuckled. “That’s just an excuse. If that’s truly so, why haven’t you fallen in love with Tang Jing or Yu Buhui? However, recently, I found that you’ve changed a bit.”

Long Shen picked up his teacup and took a little sip, then looked at her when he heard her words.

Zong Ling said, “If I had said this before, you would only say that life is a lifetime of plants and autumn*, and each has its own ways of living. This time, though, it’s different. Did you encounter an opportunity?”

*(人生一世草木一秋) Saying referring to one’s life is very short, like spring and autumn.

Long Shen put down the teacup. There was still half remaining, but he was no longer in the mood to drink.

Zong Ling: “Is it related to your apprentice?”

Long Shen was silent.

Zong Ling smiled and said, “I have seen that child a few times. He has a soft heart, but there is no shortage of determination. With your help, he will definitely be able to become a great weapon in the future. However, I don’t believe that you’re worried because he’s not training hard or is being disobedient, right? Can you tell me?”

Seeing that Long Shen still didn’t answer, she stopped asking questions and looked up to see the cirrus clouds in the sky being pushed away by the wind.

“If you’re not saying anything, it means that your heart is already a mess. It must be that something has happened to you concerning Dong Zhi.”

Long Shen finally confessed. “He said he likes me.”

Zong Ling raised her eyebrows. “Isn’t this normal? A disciple would normally admire their master. Do you not like this disciple?”

Long Shen’s expression finally showed a trace of discomfort. “It’s not like between a master and apprentice, but one between a man and a woman.”

Zong Ling’s face showed surprise, which then turned into a smile.

“I see. It’s no wonder that the child was very close to you as soon as he came in. Everyone else usually backs away from you, yet he was wholeheartedly determined to worship you as his teacher.”

Long Shen said lightly, “I’m afraid he worshipped me as a teacher, but he had no intention of learning anything.”

Zong Ling: “Why do you think so? Is he not devoted to his studies? Or did he ever overstep towards you?”

No. He didn’t think so.

In retrospect, the other party did take the initiative to hug him, and there were peculiarities in his words and actions. In fact, Dong Zhi had already vaguely expressed his tendencies, but because he had never accepted an apprentice before, hearing Wu Bingtian and Song Zhicun talk about the importance and love for their disciples and children, he inadvertently followed suit and wanted to give his best for Dong Zhi.

Long Shen thought that this was the way to show his love for his apprentice by being strict and demanding of him in regard to his cultivation while being tolerant and making concessions to him in private affairs.

When he heard the voice inside the yulu, he was so surprised that there was even a trace of anger.

Zong Ling’s tone was very relaxed. “If you think that he is not sincere in worshiping you as a teacher, has no intention of learning from you, and does not study seriously, you can expel him. Why be so angry? With your capacity, there must be many young heroes rushing to worship you as their teacher. Isn’t there one name Liu Qingbo? His qualifications seem to be good. I heard that he was competing with Dong Zhi to be your disciple, no?”

Long Shen looked at the Qingzhu Sword in front of him and unexpectedly remembered the scene of Dong Zhi holding it cautiously as if he had obtained a treasure.

“I won’t accept apprentices anymore.”

Zong Ling: “I understand your mood. You feel as if you have been deceived, but what if he had never thought of deceiving you?”

Long Shen was silent.

Zong Ling smiled. “You’re smart. Don’t tell me you didn’t notice anything at all. Perhaps you’re just subconsciously refusing to admit it and didn’t want to think about it. Looking back, why is it just him that’s special to you? There are so many hardworking and talented people, but why did you lean towards Dong Zhi instead of them? Since you mention life expectancy, why didn’t you recruit an apprentice that’s like you? In my opinion, it seems your reasons are just trying to convince yourself otherwise.”

She raised her head and looked at the stars, and the flickering light made her eyes distant and deep.

“Even if we have a much longer life span than mortals, we still have many regrets that we can’t ask for and miss in our whole life. Long Shen, don’t be like me. You won’t know regret until you lose it.”

She slowly closed her hand, as if trying to grasp the stars. Unfortunately, the seemingly close distance was as vast as the sea.

“Don’t betray your heart.”

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Dong Zhi’s busted. This was a very good chapter. Long Shen, listen to Zong Lao. She’s wise.

Long Shen’s concern regarding life expectancy is pretty valid. This reminds me of my other translation I did: When You’re Older. It’s related to my other translation project: Your Rival in Love Gets Prettier Every Day. It’s a story about a couple where one person suffers from a disease that prevents them from aging and the other is a normal person.

It’s a short read (only 8 chapters) but it’s pretty dog abusive, but if you can handle sadness, I do recommend you read it as it describes similarly the situation Long Shen envisions by falling in love with a mortal.

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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 70

Long Shen moved slightly, and it was like a quiet beauty had come to life and walked out of a painting.

“All packed up?”

Dong Zhi nodded and said worriedly, “I’m carrying the Changshou Sword. What should I do? Controlled weapons aren’t allowed to be checked in!”

Long Shen: “We’ll go through a separate procedure. I’ll take care of it.”

Dong Zhi felt relieved. If Master was going to handle everything, then there wouldn’t be a problem no matter how difficult it was. Long Shen was like a mountain, stable and reliable. With him, many problems could be solved.

As he was about to leave, he couldn’t help but think back to whether Long Shen had forgotten the things he had said so he couldn’t help but chatter.

“Master, when I’m away, take good care of yourself. Don’t forget to eat and rest, and don’t always stay up late and work overtime, otherwise your body won’t be able to handle it.”

“Master, how are you going to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival? Are you going to spend it with He Yu, Lao Zhong, and Kan Chaosheng?”

“You usually accept express delivery, right? I’ll mail you some specialty products from Lucheng later!”

The noise kept buzzing in his ears that Long Shen couldn’t help but say, “Be quiet for a bit.”

Dong Zhi finally shut up.

Long Shen said, “If I am not by your side, you must also practice diligently, and you can’t slack off.”

“Okay.”

“Although you have recovered most of your qi now, you must never invite god again in the future. Bu Tian gang works well with your kung fu tona, so don’t fall behind.”

“Okay.”

“If there is anything you don’t understand, just ask me. Also, if you don’t have enough money, tell me.”

Dong Zhi felt like laughing. His master had the mentality of an old father that was always worried about his children not having enough money, but this kind of Long Shen had a more human touch. Even if he didn’t need it, he would still take advantage of it.

“Master, I think many disciples in a sect will light a natal lamp when they leave for a long trip, so if something happens outside, the sect can know. Would you like to give me one too? If I lose my life outside, you may not even know.” He wasn’t afraid of cursing himself, so he said it straightforwardly.

The natal lamp was also known as the soul lamp, and it was related to a human’s life. When the candlelight was dim, it meant the person was in danger or in poor condition. When the light was extinguished, it meant the person was likely dead.

Long Shen said, “No need.”

After a pause, he added, “If something happens to you, I will know.”

Long Shen didn’t say any more, and Dong Zhi didn’t ask either. He thought to himself that his master had some methods that were secretive.

It wasn’t currently rush hour, so the car arrived at the airport quickly. Dong Zhi took his luggage and went to go through the check-in procedures while Long Shen took the Changshou Sword to check in. He was very efficient. Just as Dong Zhi had completed the formalities, he had already returned and handed over a card to him.

“After getting off the plane, just take this to the check-in office to pick it up.”

After that, Long Shen raised his hand and glanced at his watch. “It’s getting late. Let’s go through security.”

Every line at the security checkpoint was very long. Usually it would take about 40 minutes to go through.

“Then, Master, I’m leaving!”

Long Shen nodded.

Dong Zhi tilted his head and smiled. “Is there anything else you want to tell me?”

Long Shen: “I said everything that needed to be said in the car.”

Dong Zhi opened his arms. “Then let’s have a farewell hug.”

Long Shen didn’t move. Dong Zhi had now developed a thicker skin. If the mountain refused to move, then he would go to the mountain. He took a step forward and hugged Long Shen.

The airport was always bustling with people coming and going, and partings and reunions were commonplace. Their hugs couldn’t be more common than those around them, but what wasn’t common was their appearance. One was cold and the other warm, just like complementary poles.

Long Shen let him hug him for a while before stretching out his hand and patting him on the back.

“You should go.”

Dong Zhi let go of his hand. “Master, I left you a parting gift. In my dormitory, before you hand over the key to He Yu, go in and take a look and take the gift away.”

Long Shen frowned slightly. “What gift?”

“You’ll find out once you go and have a look!”

Dong Zhi was afraid that he would refuse, so he quickly turned around and left after speaking. With every step he took, the farther away he got from Long Shen.

He picked a security line at random and started queuing up, but he couldn’t help but look back. The figure of the man was no longer there.

Dong Zhi took a deep breath, then picked up the phone to say goodbye to He Yu and Kan Chaosheng.

Long Shen drove back to the Special Administration Bureau. It was rare that he had a free day today, and there wasn’t any official business to deal with, but he still sat at his desk to read documents for a while.

His phone was buzzing, one after another. When he glanced at it, he saw it was a text from Dong Zhi.

[Master, I’m getting on the plane.]

[Due to air traffic control today, the flight was delayed, again.]

[Note that again was purposeful since every time I would depart from the capital, I have never arrived on time.]

[Master, I’m so hungry. It’s been over half an hour and the plane hasn’t even taken off yet. I regret that I didn’t eat more before I went out. Your cutest apprentice is afraid that he’ll starve to death on the plane.]

Long Shen ignored all the dribbled nonsense and finished reading his documents. The other party had stopped sending him messages, so he surmised that he was either too hungry and fainted or the plane had already taken off.

His landline phone on the desk rang, and Long Shen picked it up. After listening for a while, he put the phone down and thought to himself, “he knew it’, then sent separate texts to He Yu and the others.

Zhong Yuyi replied quickly, but He Yu and Kan Chaosheng did not text back. He didn’t know if they had seen his text or not. After waiting for a while without an answer, he got up and went downstairs to He Yu’s office.

Not surprisingly, he saw Kan Chaosheng with He Yu. They were both lying on the sofa, both with a phone in their hands, as their bodies staggered along with the fighting simulation in the game. They were so engaged that they didn’t even notice Long Shen when he opened the door and came in.

They were going to send Dong Zhi off, but when they heard that Long Shen was doing it for them, they didn’t show up at all. They just sent a text saying goodbye and hurried to play games.

Long Shen stood by the door. Seeing that the two were completely immersed and didn’t notice his arrival, he chose the most direct way to wake them up by cutting off the internet.

When He Yu saw the prompt that the game was offline, he couldn’t help but let out a cry, and when he raised his head, his expression immediately changed to a smile.

“Oh, boss, what kind of wind blew you here today? If you have any instructions, just tell me. Why bother to visit in person?”

Long Shen: “I sent you a message, but you didn’t reply.”

He Yu and Kan Chaosheng felt a little guilty when they heard his words. They were in mid-battle just now, so when they saw a message pop up, they quickly swiped it away. Now they’re cursing themselves for being so stupid and that they didn’t read the content.

Long Shen: “Next time, I’ll open an account and keep killing you until you stop playing.”

He Yu, Kan Chaosheng: ……

This threat was too cruel. The two of them followed Long Shen into the conference room with drooping heads.

He Yu originally thought that it would be a general meeting, but when he arrived, he found that there were people in Group One and Group Three. Except for Song Zhicun, who went to Japan, Wu Bingtian was also there.

There was now an unwritten rule in the Bureau that if Director Jiang, who’s not in charge of any specific affair, wasn’t there, that would mean the meeting was business as usual.

He Yu and Kan Chaosheng looked at each other, and quickly sat up straight.

When everyone gathered, Wu Bingtian cut to the chase and said straightforwardly, “For this meeting, I hope everyone will strictly abide by the principle of confidentiality. The level of confidentiality involved in this incident is top secret.”

Everyone’s expressions became serious after these words came out.

Wu Bingtian: “I believe that everyone already knows about the previous situations. First on Changbai Mountain, and then in Yinchuan, we have found two stone tablets. According to research and verification from all parties, the history of these stone tablets is likely to be traced back to the Qin and Han Dynasties, and even before the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. Although the runes on the stone tablets haven’t been cracked yet, it’s been preliminarily determined that the content should be related to the suppression of demons. In other words, these two stone tablets that have been unearthed may be part of a larger demon suppression array.”

“The current situation is that a group of foreigners may have obtained more information about the stone tablets from other channels than we have. Their goal is likely to destroy these stone tablets. The stone tablet on Changbai Mountain has been severely damaged, and even if it’s repaired, it will not be the same as before. Fortunately, Boss Long and Boss Song had led a group of people to stop the conspiracy in Yinchuan, recovered some of our losses, and managed to preserve another stone tablet.”

“Last time, Boss Long and the others found a mural in northwest Inner Mongolia with runes similar to the ones on the stone tablet. At that time, they had no idea what they were, so it had to be put on hold for the time being. Later, when they linked it with the Yinchuan incident, they learned that those murals were probably clues to the stone tablets. From Changbai Mountain to Yinchuan, it spans thousands of miles. It’s foreseeable that this talisman array will be unimaginably huge. Now, we hope to get inspiration from the discoveries from these two places, so it could lead us to find more stone tablets rather than passively waiting for the Japanese to get ahead again, leaving us to clean up their mess.”

This remark had become common now. The Bureau had held many meetings on this matter during this period of time. He Yu and Kan Chaosheng later went to Yunnan and didn’t participate, but when they heard this tune, they couldn’t help but yawn secretly.

Then they heard Long Shen said, “We tentatively divided the talisman array into eight regions. Assuming that the stone tablet on Changbai Mountain represents the northeast, and the stone tablet near the tomb of the Western Xia King refers to the northwest, then secret searches will be carried out in six places of east, west, south, north, southeast, and southwest. The southeast direction is tentatively designated as the Putuo Mountain area, and the south is tentatively assigned to the vicinity of the Mausoleum of the Nanyue King. He Yu and Kan Chaosheng are responsible for them. The north is tentatively designated as near Xiangshan and The Thirteen Tombs, which we have assigned to the Rong Sheng group. There are currently two in the southwest direction. One is tentatively designated as the Guanghan area, which is assigned to the Ding Lan group. The other is the area from Xi’an to Xianyang, which can also be extended to Weinan, and that’ll be assigned to the Zhang Heng group. The last area to the east is tentatively designated as the area of Zijin Mountain and the Qinhuai River. I will transfer Yu Buhui back and he’ll be responsible for it.”

If it was Wu Bingtian who said this, after he finished speaking, he would add another sentence like, “Do you have any opinions?” Although he may not have listened to them, it reflected on his approachable temperament.

However, since it was Long Shen, he had a completely different style. There was no fluff, and when he spoke, it was concise and straight to the point. There was no nonsense in arranging tasks and it hit all the key points that needed to be delivered.

He Yu was so frightened that he had to choke back his half yawn. Although Long Shen didn’t ask them for their opinions and simply gave the orders, he couldn’t help but say, “Boss, my leg is still lame, so why am I responsible for two places?”

Long Shen said, “Zhong Yuyi and Kan Chaosheng will assist you. When you’re there, the branch office will try its best to provide support, including the newcomers who’ve joined this year. They have been assigned to various offices, so you can put forward your needs to them.”

He Yu pointed to Chaosheng. “Can he help me? It would be nice if he didn’t make trouble!”

Kan Chaosheng stared at him fiercely but didn’t dare to make a move because Long Shen was there. Still, the small expression on his face clearly said it all, ‘Just wait and see. After this meeting is over, if I don’t bite you, Laozi can’t be called a Jiao.’

Wu Bingtian looked around at everyone present and said with a gentle smile. “Only by clarifying the division of labor and performing your respective duties can we be more efficient. If you have any questions, just ask them.”

Zhang Heng from Group One asked, “Leaders, I want to know the meaning of such a division? Can we really find the stone tablet if we go there?”

Wu Bingtian said, “Of course there is a reason for this division. Based on the previous excavation experience of the previous two stone tablets, they were found on Changbai Mountain and Helan Mountain. This is the common point that they both share, so we have reasons to believe that other stone tablets are most likely buried in famous mountains and rivers, or under a certain royal mausoleum. However, China is too big, and the people who laid this array obviously have deep intentions. When we can clarify the exact location, we can only roughly make such a judgment.”

Everyone nodded, obviously agreeing with this view.

Long Shen said, “Our speculation may be right or wrong, so you need to verify it. While looking for the stone tablet in the corresponding locations, you should pay attention to nearby cultural relics and monuments. They mainly contain clues about the stone tablet on them.”

After the bone dragon incident on Changbai Mountain, the Special Administration Bureau had already planned to find the whereabouts of the other stone tablets, but because they had too few clues, it was like finding a needle in a haystack, so ultimately it couldn’t be accomplished. This time, with the discovery of the stone tablet under Liang’s tomb, it gave them a glimmer of light in the heavy fog.

After the collapse of the alter, the Special Administration Bureau invited many capable people to go down and seal the alter again. They also added many talisman arrays, sealed the space of the alter separately, and watered the soil layer, burying it deep. In addition, they sent people there to continue guarding and patrolling the area. If there were no accidents, it’d be difficult to damage this stone tablet again.

—

Dong Zhi had sent several messages in succession, but they all failed. He wasn’t surprised, because he knew his messages were too flighty and his master was such a sullen person. When Long Shen was busy, he wouldn’t even recognize his own parents, so it was normal that he wouldn’t reply to his messages. It just so happened that the reminder that the plane was about to take off sounded, so he turned off his phone and fastened his seatbelt.

He was sitting at the front of the aisle, next to a middle-aged man, who was already fast asleep before the plane had taken off and was snoring from time to time.

When he looked outside the window, he saw the sky getting darker as the sun was setting, covered by dark clouds. The journey alone seemed long and lonely. No one would resist excitement. If there was any, it was because they were afraid of the desolation that would come when the excitement ended.

Dong Zhi originally thought that he was used to living alone and should adapt quickly, but the moment he walked through the security gate, he had already begun to miss his training days with the Special Administration Bureau.

Even when he was separated from the group in Liang’s Tomb, he knew there were countless companions walking in the dark, but now he had to set foot on the unknown road alone. There was also Long Shen. They had never really separated, and he had started to miss him.

Dong Zhi closed his eyes, took a deep breath, got rid of distractions, and began to simulate the whole set of the Tian Gang’s footwork and swordsmanship in his mind.

Under Long Shen’s two-week conditioning, his body had improved greatly compared to when he was first discharged from the hospital. He was no longer short of breath and there wasn’t any palpitation as before. As his Master said, even Zhong Yuyi may not be able to withstand the frequent invitation of gods, not to mention he had invited three righteous gods in a row, which was a great drain on his body and spirit. His illness hit him hard like a mountain, and it would come and go, so he could only slowly recover his vitality.

When the plane entered the stratosphere, the turbulence gradually decreased. The flight attendants dimmed the airport lights to allow passengers to rest. Some people were talking in low voices, while others chose to nap. Not far away, the flight attendants were tidying up their dining cart. This was the quietest moment in his several-hour-long journey.

Dong Zhi couldn’t help being distracted as he thought to himself how Long Shen would react when he saw what he had left behind.

As soon as this thought occurred, he heard a scream.

The woman’s voice was high, and her scream sounded like the noise of a dolphin, which made everyone’s ears tremble. It was full of horror, as if she had encountered the most terrifying thing in her life, causing the entire cabin to be alarmed.

Dong Zhi’s seat was in the high-end economy class, which was behind business class and in front of economy class. Together with the screams from the people in the business class, he had gotten up and reacted faster than others as he opened the curtain and moved forward.

The scream came from a woman with exquisite makeup on, who looked a little familiar at first glance, as if she had been in a TV series or movie.

Dong Zhi didn’t chase stars, so he didn’t think too much of it. He saw that the other party was still sitting in her seat but was shrinking back into it, and was waving her hands frantically, as if to prevent something from pouncing on her, but there was nothing but empty air in front of her.

Not only Dong Zhi, the flight attendant, the airline security personnel, and the people around her also reacted. They all looked around but didn’t dare to step froward. Her companion didn’t know why she was reacting like this and wanted to stop her, but it only made the woman even more frightened.

“Miss Han, what’s wrong with you?!”

“Qiqi, calm down!”

The airline security personnel rushed over when they heard the sound. “Miss, please calm down. If you need help, you can contact our flight attendant. You’re disturbing the peace and order of the airplane!”

The stewardess also tried to comfort her. “Miss Han, are you uncomfortable? I can try to see if there are any passengers on board who is a doctor!”

“Don’t come, don’t come. All of you, don’t come over!” The woman’s horrified eyes swept across them, as if there wasn’t a flight attendant in front of her but a hideous looking demon. Her complexion was blueish-pale, and her beautiful face was reduced to extreme fear.

From the names he heard others call her, combined with her recognizable face, Dong Zhi finally remembered who the well-known star was.

Celebrities and idols are everywhere these days. After making contact with Hui Yiguang, public figures were not particularly new to Dong Zhi. However, this Miss Han Qi was more famous than Hui Yiguang. Her status was close to that of the number one female in a big-budgeted TV series. If Hui Yiguang were to meet her, she would most likely try to curry favor with her.

Right now, Han Qi was behaving less like a public figure and more like a hysterical woman. Although she didn’t scream like she did just now, her behavior was becoming stranger and more erratic.

The flight attendant was overwhelmed, trying to appease her but was also stopping the passengers who came forward to watch the excitement.

“Miss Han, do you have any needs? If this continues and affects the flight, we can only ask the captain to land nearby or return back to the airport. In this case, the impact will be great.”

Han Qi’s lips quivered as she put her hand around her chest. Trembling, she lowered her voice. “Don’t you see it?”

See what? Everyone looked at each other blankly.

The flight attendants and the airline security personnel had begun to suspect that the big star might have mental problems.

Han Qi’s assistants and bodyguards were desperate. Everything was fine before they got on the plane, but suddenly this happened.

Dong Zhi saw that something was off. When the flight attendant came to persuade him to go back to his seat and sit down, he ignored her and took a step forward.

“Let me see her.”

“Sir, are you a doctor?” The flight attendant asked.

Dong Zhi shook his head. “Her condition is not quite like a mental illness.”

Han Qi’s bodyguards regarded him as a fan with bad intentions. Hearing what he said, they showed vigilance and stepped forward to stop him.

At this moment, Han Qi screamed again, “Where is it going?! Oh my god! It’s going to the captain’s cabin! Stop it, don’t let it go!”

The airplane they were on had no first class, with business class the highest tier. In front of business class was the cabin door, a bathroom, and a dining room. After that, there was a narrow aisle in the middle that led to the captain’s cabin.

No one knew what she was talking about. Dong Zhi followed her gaze and saw a pool of stains faintly appearing on the ground of the passage leading to the captain’s cabin, but before he could fix his eyes to see it clearly, it quickly flashed away.

Others may think that they were seeing things, but Dong Zhi was now an “insider of the industry” and could smell the unusualness at once.

Without a second thought, he took out a Sunlight Talisman and threw it in the direction of the captain’s cabin and recited a spell quickly in a low voice.

“The heavens give birth to water, the earth gives birth to fire, the heavens give birth to wood, the earth gives birth to gold. The five central palaces, subdue malignity, overcome disasters, and eliminate all traces of evil! Go!”

Before the talisman touched the hatch of the captain’s cabin, it had already caught fire in mid-air, and the fire instantly became larger and turned into a ball of flames. Everyone screamed, and before the airline security personnel could bring the fire extinguisher, the fire was already gone. It was like a picture of editing failure. Together with the talisman paper, the thing completely disappeared, not even leaving any ashes behind.

“It’s gone!” Han Qi murmured, finally calming down, but her eyes were still focused in the direction they were staring blankly.

Dong Zhi took out a brush and cinnabar, and while everyone was still unresponsive, he quickly tapped Han Qi’s forehead, causing her to close her eyes and fall softly back in her seat.

“What are you doing?!” The bodyguard was furious, thinking that he had done something to Han Qi, and swung at him.

Dong Zhi avoided sideways, stretching out his hand to stop the opponent’s strength.

“I’m not harming her. She’s just been haunted by a nightmare. She’ll be fine when she wakes up.”

Everyone looked at each other. The scene just now was still in front of them. It was too unbelievable and greatly beyond their usual understanding of the world. It was too idiotic for them to suddenly believe the words of a complete stranger.

The airline security personnel and the flight attendant glanced at each other. The former stepped forward and pressed on Dong Zhi’s shoulder, while the latter was quietly blocking Dong Zhi’s way.

“Your behavior just now almost caused a fire. You have violated aviation safety regulations. I hope you can cooperate with our investigation.”

After that, they tried to handcuff him. Dong Zhi thought it was funny as he shrank his hands away to avoid it and hurriedly said, “I’m from the Special Administration Bureau. You may not have heard of it, but your boss has. Please contact the ground. When we land, I’ll cooperate with your investigation, but the plane will not turn back. I am not a dangerous person, and my behavior just now will not cause any harm to the plane.”

The Special Administration Bureau does not disclose its identity to the outside world, so many people did not know that there was such a department. The airline security personnel were naturally suspicious. They felt that Dong Zhi was either a psychopath or a cunning criminal, but they also wanted to evade any kind of responsibility.

Dong Zhi reached into his pocket while his opponent was not slow to react. He thought he was going to draw out some dangerous weapon, so he was quick to stretch out his hand to stop him. Dong Zhi blocked the airline security personnel with one hand and took out his work permit.

“This is my ID. I can leave it with you for the time being. You can also contact the ground to check my identity.”

He stretched out his hand and took the initiative to let the airline security personnel handcuff him.

The airline security personnel was skeptical as he took the ID and went into the captain’s cabin while he asked the flight attendant to monitor Dong Zhi.

Dong Zhi didn’t expect his “courageous deed” to cause such trouble. The only advantage that he got from it was that he had upgraded his seat, free of charge, as there were many vacant seats in business class. Labeled as a “dangerous person”, he was arranged to sit here for surveillance.

The flight attendant sitting next to him felt that this young man with black hair and fair skin didn’t look like a psychopath, let alone a bad guy. More importantly, she had witnessed Han Qi’s strange behavior from start to finish.

When the big star got on the plane, she wore sunglasses and looked like she was thousands of miles away. She didn’t say much, and if she had any needs, all communication was done through her assistant. She had never spoken to any of the flight attendants in person. There were many fans of Han Qi among them, and they wanted to come forward to ask for a group photo, but after seeing her behavior, they decided against it. In private, they couldn’t help but think that the big star seemed bigger than an emperor, which made it difficult to get close.

Because of this, Han Qi’s arrogance was a stark contrast to her neurotic behavior just now. At that time, the plane had been flying steadily. The flight attendant had unbuckled her seatbelt and was about to prepare food when she suddenly saw Han Qi almost jumping out of her seat. She saw a ghost-like expression on her face and watched as she started screaming and flailing around. The problem was, there was a partition on one side and no one else was around.

Recalling Dong Zhi’s words and actions, the flight attendant couldn’t help but feel a bit strange in her heart. She couldn’t help but whisper, “What happened to her just now?”

Dong Zhi whispered back, “I couldn’t see clearly, but it seems there was something abnormal that was bothering her.”

The stewardess looked horrified. “Then, is it wiped out?”

Dong Zhi said, “I have already burned it with talisman fire just now. If it’s not something powerful, then it should be wiped out.”

What he didn’t say was that, after listening to Han Qi’s yelling just now, it was likely the aim of that thing was the captain’s cabin. If it was allowed to enter, who knew what would happen? Perhaps the entire plane would suffer an unpredictable, serious consequence. However, Dong Zhi felt that telling the flight attendant this would only make her more afraid, so he purposefully concealed it.

When the airline security personnel came out of the captain’s room, his face did not look around.

“We contacted the ground, and the Special Administration Bureau does not have someone like you.”

Dong Zhi blurted out, “Impossible!”

“What’s impossible!” The airline security personnel was angry as he was scolded for this. “The plane almost turned around because of you. You’re coming with us when we land!”

Dong Zhi was speechless. Just great. He was originally going to report for duty, but now he had become a suspicious person. Facing the eyes of the airline security personnel who looked at him like he was mentally ill, he helplessly said, “I can verify my identity when we get off the plane.”

Facing the eyes of the airline security personnel who gave him a look like he was mentally ill, he said helplessly, “I can verify my identity when I get off the plane. Have you ever seen a psychopath that can speak so coherently?”

The airline security personnel. “That’s hard to say. Last time, my colleague met one, and they talked about physics and mechanics for a long time. It turns out that he was suffering from a particularly serious condition. He had escaped from a mental hospital and was caught halfway.”

Dong Zhi: ……

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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 69

The sweet scent of osmanthus flowers filled his nose, and when he raised his head, Dong Zhi saw an osmanthus tree with low hanging branches that was in full bloom. He picked off a small branch of flowers and handed it to Long Shen.

“Borrowing flowers to dedicate to Buddha*.”

*(借花献佛) Idiom referring to borrowing other people’s items to entertain guest or give them away.

Long Shen took the osmanthus branch, then looked at the osmanthus tree and saw a full moon on top of the osmanthus tree, then remembered that the Mid-Autumn Festival* was approaching.

*Also known as the Moon/Mooncake Festival, it is a festival celebrated in China, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Macau. Its popularity rivals that of Chinese New Year. It celebrates three fundamental concepts: gatherings, thanksgiving, and praying.

Dong Zhi also raised his head.

“Master, the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching. Why don’t we leave in a few days? Otherwise, it’ll be so desolated to spend the holidays alone!”

Long Shen glanced at him. “Don’t push your luck.”

The reason their assignment was delayed was because Director Jiang wanted to hold a mobilization meeting. This was a special exception. If they had to wait until the Mid-Autumn Festival… Why not just leave until after New Year’s? Then there would be another Mid-Autumn Festival in that new year, and at that rate, they’d never leave.

He used to spend his Mid-Autumn Festival alone, but later spent it with He Yu and Kan Chaosheng, so he had no sense of reunion.

Hearing what he said, Dong Zhi wasn’t depressed and instead smiled. His eyes suddenly lit up as he said, “Master, wait for me here for a while. I’ll be right back.” Then he ran away.

Long Shen looked at his fast steps as he ran into a cake shop. After a while, he ran out with a box and stuffed it into his hands.

“Freshly baked meat mooncakes with crispy skin and tender meat. I’ve eaten them before, and they’re pretty good. Anyway, I can’t enjoy the moon with you this year, so this box of mooncakes will represent me and accompany you! I hope you’ll be like this box of mooncakes every year in the future, full and happy.”

With a smile on his face, Dong Zhi quietly put the trinket he was holding in his hand into his pocket. It was a small gift he got for buying a box of mooncakes, a shiny pink heart-shaped keychain. Dong Zhi wanted to give it to Long Shen, but he hesitated and decided against it.

It felt like he was hiding it quietly in his mind, packing it up so that no one would find out.

Long Shen never accepted gifts, no matter how cheap or expensive they were. It was blazing news that he accepted the yulu plant and then became a disciple. Dong Zhi obviously knew his master’s style very well. Before Long Shen had a chance to speak, he blocked his words by saying, “Apprentice filial piety to one’s master can’t be regarded as giving gifts and accepting bribes, right?”

Of course not.

Long Shen took the box, but frowned slightly, wondering if the situation needed a gift in return.

Of course, he has contact with friends from the same generation, but this doesn’t apply to He Yu and the others, because they are his subordinates. Besides, He Yu and Kan Chaosheng are two monkeys that are very good at rubbing their noses and eyes. Today they’ll give him a box of mooncakes, and tomorrow they’ll dare come and ask for a bonus.

While Dong Zhi is a subordinate, he’s also his apprentice. Taking on an apprentice for most of his life was like raising a son. In the afternoon, Song Zhicun and the others talked about their son’s achievements, filial piety, and how considerate their children were and didn’t bother them. Long Shen listened to them. He felt that it would probably be an equivalent amount of effort to take on an apprentice.

What can I give him? I can’t gift him a box of mooncakes in return, right?

Dong Zhi didn’t know what he was thinking, and asked, “Has anyone given you a Mid-Autumn Festival gift before?”

Long Shen nodded first, then shook his head. “Yes, but except for the unit’s issuance, I have confiscated everything else.”

Dong Zhi: “How did you spend the holidays before?”

Long Shen: “Working overtime.”

Dong Zhi almost choked, but he didn’t give up. “What about big festivals like National Day, Mid-Autumn Festival, and Chinese New Year’s?”

Long Shen said, “Write reports, practice, and deal with accidents.”

He seemed to find it so fulfilling that it made Dong Zhi powerless to complain.

“Then do you feel lonely and bored?”

Long Shen said lightly, “No.”

Because he was alone from the beginning, he naturally never knew what loneliness or boredom was.

“That’s fine. Going forward, you’ll at least have a lovely apprentice to accompany you during Chinese New Year’s!” Dong Zhi said, smiling. His face was getting thicker to the point where he had reached a state of transformation.

Long Shen looked at the “lovely apprentice” and decided not to tell him that he would increase the intensity of tomorrow’s practice for the time being, so he could be silly for a while longer.

Sure enough, the next day, Dong Zhi began to scream for days.

Long Shen was stricter than before, and the meeting time was also advanced from the original 5 a.m. to 4 a.m. He would suddenly be called to the rooftop in the middle of the night without warning and then be attacked without any indication. Either Long Shen would do it in person, or when he didn’t show up, he would send a eudemon, similar to the shikigamis used by the Onmyojis, to mercilessly practice killing him.

Under these circumstances, Dong Zhi had to mobilize what he had learned and try his best to cope. He originally thought that Long Shen’s trial would at least guarantee his basic safety, but after he was hit by the eudemon and his face was covered in blood and his head was almost swallowed by its mouth, he knew that Long Shen meant business.

Dong Zhi wanted to cry without tears.

He knew that what his master was doing was for his own good, so he could develop his ability to protect himself in the future and greatly improve it, so as not to lose his life, but the reality was that it was built on blood and tears.

A week passed quickly.

The day when everyone was scheduled to report to the branch offices was postponed for another week because Director Jiang wanted to hold a symposium for a few days to mobilize everyone to the grass-roots level of experience, so newcomers wouldn’t be so haughty.

Everyone had personally experienced Director Jiang’s meeting skills, so they would rather report to the branch earlier than have to listen to his drabble.

The worst thing was that Long Shen seemed to know that the meeting was just a meeting with nothing too important being discussed, so the daily practice still hadn’t stopped, and he even deliberately challenged Dong Zhi’s limits by increasing the content and difficulty. This only made Dong Zhi even more miserable; he felt like a wilting cabbage during the meetings.

Director Jiang didn’t need to write drafts for his meetings. He only listed a few outlines and then would talk for hours on end.

The contents of today’s meeting were mainly reminiscing about the history of the Special Administration Bureau, how difficult conditions for handling cases back then were, how it wasn’t easy for their predecessors, and how it’s changing with each passing day. Even the training for the newcomers uses the latest research results from China and the United States. In the past, how could they afford such a luxury?

Everyone had heard these words countless of times before, so they could almost recite them by heart. On a cool autumn afternoon, Director Jiang’s voice was like the sweetest lullaby, lulling them to sleep.

Liu Qingbo held on without yawning. When he turned his head, something amazing caught his eyes. Dong Zhi had fallen asleep. He grinned and couldn’t help but poke his waist.

Dong Zhi felt ticklish, so he moved subconsciously, opening one eye and seeing that it was Liu Qingbo. This only made him close his eyes again and change direction as he continued to go back to sleep.

Are you sure I won’t report you? Liu Qingbo laughed angrily.

Dong Zhi had put a large notebook upright on his desk to block off his face. For the time being, Director Jiang was still giving his passionate speech, so he hadn’t noticed the small movements from the class.

Liu Qingbo glanced to the side again.

Ba Sang was holding a pen in one hand and pretending to take notes, while the other hand was placed under the table and was texting on his phone.

No one knew what Xie Qingling was up to as she led her hands under the desk, pulling silk thread and manipulating her puppets.

Zhang Song laid on the table with a pen and a notebook that he was using to write and draw in. Whatever he was writing was definitely not what Director Jiang was saying.

Li Ying was holding his chin with one hand and was also secretly texting with the other. From the corner of his eyes, Liu Qingbo saw that it was an interface for takeout.

It seemed that no one was listening to the lecture, but Liu Qingbo still didn’t want Dong Zhi to sleep so peacefully, so he stretched out his hand and poked his waist again. After poking three times in a row, Dong Zhi finally moved.

He took his phone and sent a message to Liu Qingbo: [I got up at 4 a.m. today.]

Liu Qingbo quickly replied: [Stealing chickens and dogs*?]

*(偷鸡摸狗) Idiom referring to unscrupulous behavior.

Dong Zhi: [Master asked me to get up and practice.]

This is just showing off, right? Liu Qingbo gritted his teeth and replied: [I want to complain to Director Jiang that you fall asleep as soon as he starts speaking.]

Dong Zhi: [Don’t, Lao Liu. You see that other people are also distracted while you listen carefully. You can also play games. Be a good boy and let me sleep for a while.]

Liu Qingbo: [Have you learned yujian* from Boss Long?]

*Reminder: It’s the ability to use spells to control your sword.

Dong Zhi: [How is that possible? I’m just learning footwork now. Master said that I must be at least your level before I can start to think about yujian, so I don’t even want to think about it now.]

When Liu Qingbo saw these words, his heart was immediately mixed. He was happy that Long Shen had affirmed his abilities, but even so, the apprentice was not himself.

He asked Dong Zhi: [Do you know where you’re going for your internship?]

Dong Zhi: [Master refuses to say. How about you?]

Liu Qingbo told him the place.

Dong Zhi replied with an envious expression: [Congratulations, although it’s an office, it’s also in the provincial capital. I’m guessing I’m not as lucky as you. Master will definitely kick me to some third-tier city. By the way, what should I do if your Feijing Sword can’t be found?]

Liu Qingbo became angry when he saw this: [What else can you do? Help me get it back?]

Dong Zhi knew that he had made a mistake, and hurriedly replied: [I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Master also has a lot of hidden swords. Why don’t I go talk to him and see if he’ll take one out to pay you back?]

Liu Qingbo got angry: [If you have the ability, don’t compensate me with your master’s things!]

Dong Zhi made a pitiful expression: [But I don’t have anything. Even the Changshou Sword was given to me by Master. I can only repay it by working indefinitely for the rest of my life.]

Liu Qingbo was born into a swordsmanship family, so naturally, there were many hidden swords in his family. Although the Feijing Sword was precious, it was not the only sword for him.

He suddenly thought of a question: Does this have anything to do with the reason why he wasn’t accepted by Long Shen?

If the Changshou Sword was given to him, of course he would cherish it, but he’d not treat it as the only one like Dong Zhi.

He asked Dong Zhi: [Did Boss Long teach you how to use swords?]

Dong Zhi answered with no reservations: [Yes. He said that all artifacts have spirits. Before using a sword, you must first establish contact with the sword. Only when the soul fits with the sword can it be handier.]

Long Shen had told these words to everyone when he taught them on the rooftop that one day. At that time, when he heard it, he had a different feeling. Liu Qingbo suddenly understood what his problem was.

He had used many swords since he was a child, and they were all famous swords. The Feijing Sword was his most handy one recently, but it’s not the one that has been with him for the longest time. Although he regretted losing the Feijing Sword, he didn’t have any ideas about trying to get it back.

He sent another message to Dong Zhi: [What would you do if you lost the Changshou Sword in battle?]

Dong Zhi thought Liu Qingbo was still thinking about how he used the Feijing Sword to stab into the giant python’s chrysanthemum, so he apologized: [Sorry, I really didn’t think it through at that time. I didn’t know that you found the chrysanthemum one step faster than me.]

As soon as he saw the word chrysanthemum, Liu Qingbo’s face turned blue, as he absolutely didn’t want to recall that tragic experience.

He interrupted Dong Zhi’s reply, which was divided into several texts, and inserted his own words: [I’m not holding you accountable for it. I’m just asking a hypothetical question. If the Changshou Sword was thrown underwater, what would you do in that situation?]

After a while, Dong Zhi replied: [I would go back and find it.]

Liu Qingbo reluctantly refused to give up: [The river is very deep, and the current is fast. What if you can’t find it?]

Dong Zhi: [Still look for it. This sword has extraordinary significance to me.]

Liu Qingbo: [Is it more significant than the previous Qingzhu Sword?]

Dong Zhi gave a positive answer: [Yes.]

Liu Qingbo was disappointed. His swordsmanship has reached the level of perfection, and even his father said that within a few years, he will definitely be able to become a master of swordsmanship in the country. This made him complacent and arrogant, looking down on others he found beneath him.

He only regarded the sword as a weapon for his hands, and he never thought that swordsmanship was to fit the swordsman’s soul with the sword.

Long Shen didn’t hide anything. Liu Qingbo didn’t take this point he mentioned before to heart at that time. He felt that artifacts were just artifacts and could never be comparable to people.

Dong Zhi waited a long time for his reply, and when he looked up, he saw Liu Qingbo was staring at his phone in a daze. He took a page out of Liu Qingbo’s book and started poking his waist, attracting the other’s glaring eyes.

Their small actions finally caught the attention of Director Jiang.

Director Jiang narrowed his eyes. “That classmate, please stand up. Yes, the one in white clothes. What are you doing?”

He didn’t have much contact with Dong Zhi, nor did he participate in specific affairs, so except for Li Ying, who often took the lead, he couldn’t match the names and faces of the others there.

Dong Zhi stood up with an innocent expression. “Hello, Director. Liu Qingbo has a stomachache, so I want to see if he was okay.”

Liu Qingbo: …

He really wanted to strangle the person surnamed Dong.

Liu Qingbo?

Director Jiang remembered everyone’s names, so he turned his gaze to the other.

Liu Qingbo had no choice but to stand up. “I’m sorry. I felt a little uncomfortable in my stomach, and I didn’t want to affect everyone’s learning, so I just endured it.”

Director Jiang waved his hand mercifully. “If you are uncomfortable, don’t bear it. Go back and rest.”

Dong Zhi reacted quickly, “Then I will help him out.”

Liu Qingbo sharply glared at him, signaling that he didn’t need help. Dong Zhi returned it with a harmless smile: Without me, can you leave here early?

The two left the conference room under the envious gaze of everyone.

Liu Qingbo shook off his hand and said in disgust, “You can go back.”

Dong Zhi smiled and said, “I finally escaped. How could I go back and get caught by myself? I’m going to make up for my sleep. Go and have a good rest!”

Liu Qingbo: …

For the first time, he doubted Long Shen’s eyes. What did the other party fancy about this guy? Ingenious laziness?

Dong Zhi had really wronged Liu Qingbo. He now gets up earlier than a chicken and is forced to go to bed early at night, so he had no time for recreational activities. He was almost paralyzed from practicing his sword every day, so it wasn’t easy to squeeze out a little time to sleep.

After another two days, Director Jiang finally let everyone go, just because the next day was the day of departure. Everyone had already learned that the Special Administration Bureau was determined to isolate them this time, and even Li Ying and Chi Banxia, a semi-public couple, were no exception. One was sent to the south and the other to the north. They looked like the cowherd and the weaving maid* who had been torn apart by the Milky Way.

*Romantic Chinese folk tale that tells the story between a weaver and cowherd whose love was not allowed, and they can only meet once every year.

Gu Meiren went to the northwest, while Ba San was in Rongcheng. Dong Zhi was a little closer to Liu Qingbo as he was assigned to the South China Branch but was arranged in Lucheng.

Since then, it has been difficult for everyone to even see each other, let alone when and how they can reunite, like in Yinchuan, to advance and retreat together.

Thinking of this, everyone couldn’t help but feel a touch of sorrow in their hearts.

Song Zhicun was also accustomed to their appearance. Seeing this, he smiled and said, “Almost every year, we will send away newcomers like you and usher in newcomers for next year. It’s just that this group has been the largest number of people who have passed the examination in the past 20 years. Therefore, not only do the directors but those higher ups have high hopes for you.”

They had heard these words many times in the past, but this time they listened seriously, and no one was distracted.

“I hope that at the end of the probationary period next year, I will still be able to see all of you back here. I hope that no matter what difficulties you encounter, you can all move forward and not forget your original intention. Remember, you’re not ordinary practitioners. You are a member of the Special Administration Bureau. You shoulder the heavy responsibility of subduing and eliminating demons, and the responsibility of defending ordinary people.”

Everyone gave him warm applause after he finished speaking.

Song Zhicun raised his hand and pressed it down, waited for the applause to stop, and then said, “In the evening, the Special Administration Bureau will organize a farewell banquet for everyone. I hope you can all attend.”

Someone joked, “Boss Song, you’re actually inviting us to have a good meal!”

The joke was an allusion. The task of the Special Administration Bureau was to subdue and eliminate demons, but sometimes hitting mice would inevitably affect jade bottles. For example, the incident on Changbai Mountain had left behind a lot of trouble in the aftermath. The county protested that the Changbai Mountain tourist area had been destroyed, so the Special Administration Bureau had to compensate as a symbolic gesture. Thus, the Bureau’s funds were usually tight. Employees’ wages and bonuses couldn’t be deducted for such accidents, so they could only be cut from public expenditures. After Director Jiang took office, he was even more drastic and directly cut nearly half of the public expenditure funds. This was often why people complained that the bureau was stingy.

Song Zhicun laughed. “Of course I have to invite you to have a good meal. Tonight, a few of our directors will pay for it out of their own pockets. How can we make everyone happy if you have to pay for your own meal?”

Everyone cheered when they heard his words, and their sorrow suddenly dissipated. Song Zhicun did what he said, and sure enough, he booked a private room in a famous Huaiyang restaurant nearby.

That night, everyone drank to their hearts’ content. Although Dong Zhi could hold his liquor, he couldn’t keep up with Long Shen when he drank with him last time. At the banquet, he was drinking one cup after another, and soon he became impetuous, and his vision started to blur as he saw everyone around him had three-four afterimages around their figures.

Perhaps it was because they were parting soon, but Long Shen didn’t stop him this time. On the contrary, he made an exception and actually joined the banquet as well. He was good at holding his liquor and drank a lot with everyone. Even Song Zhicun and Wu Bingtian couldn’t keep up as they had to lie down while he sat on his chair looking calm.

“Master, if I knew you could drink so well, I wouldn’t have drunk with you before. I should think of other ways.”

Long Shen looked at his apprentice, who was flushed and even spoke with slurred words. He had no choice but to touch his forehead.

“You’re drunk.”

Dong Zhi smiled. Just as he was about to say something, he was dragged aside by someone.

“Surname Dong, although I don’t like you, you have saved my life. As I man I raise this cup to you!” Liu Qingbo handed over a glass, and his speech was on the brink of slurring as well.

Dong Zhi felt a buzzing sound in his ears. The alcohol was now at its peak. He didn’t hear what Liu Qingbo was saying, and his eyes were confused, and he had lost focus. He kept laughing as he took the glass and drank it all in one gulp, which caused Liu Qingbo to shout “Good!”.

Looking around, others were not in much better condition than he was.

Li Ying and Zhang Song have been arguing since the zombie simulation training. At that moment, after three glasses of alcohol, they seemed to put aside their differences for the time being. The two brothers got together to talk and laugh as they exchanged cups.

Ba Sang and Xiang Yongnian were originally arm wrestling, but later, at the instigation of everyone, they moved on to a drinking competition, which attracted the heckling of the others.

Xie Qingling and a few other girls drank less, but their faces were still flushed as they were also drunk.

Even Wu Bingtian and Song Zhicun inevitably drank too much. One fell asleep on the table, and the other proposed a toast to Liu Qingbo, and started rambling on. No one knew what he was talking about.

Seeing this, Long Shen shook his head, went to pay the bill, and then pulled up Dong Zhi and walked out. The autumn wind was getting stronger, filling the air with the scent of osmanthus flowers. Dong Zhi dressed lightly when he came to the banquet. The chill caused him to shudder, waking him up a bit.

“Master…” he shouted in a daze. His memory had stopped when Liu Qingbo was talking to him.

“Don’t drink too much, or you won’t be able to leave tomorrow afternoon,” Long Shen said.

Dong Zhi nodded and let Long Shen lead him away without resistance. Seeing that Long Shen’s pace was steady as usual, he couldn’t help muttering, “It seems like what you said is true. You can really hold your liquor as no one can outdrink you!”

Long Shen asked, “Is all the luggage packed? Are you taking the cat too?”

Dong Zhi nodded. “I have asked He Yu to take care of it for a few days. When I settle down over there, I’ll bring the cat over.”

Long Shen said, “Let me.”

Dong Zhi: “Huh?”

Long Shen: “I won’t go out for a while.”

Dong Zhi let out a sigh and scratched his head. “Then I will pack up all its litter and cat food and send it to you later.”

Long Shen: “Don’t bother so much. I’ll just come over and feed it after I get off work. He Yu’s used to living in the office. After you leave, there will be no one in that room.”

Dong Zhi felt lightheaded as he tried to discern Long Shen’s words, but his ears kept buzzing and he couldn’t hear clearly. He couldn’t help muttering a few words in his mouth, but Long Shen couldn’t hear him.

He was usually a very chatty apprentice and could always seemingly find things to talk about, but after he got drunk, he was much quieter and didn’t make trouble. Dong Zhi was led back to the dorms and was quiet the whole way. He obediently obeyed Long Shen’s orders. If he was asked to walk, he would have woken up. When he was asked to climb the stairs, he did so. Long Shen led him to his dorm, and after thinking for a while, he took out a card.

“I didn’t know what gift to get you, so take this card and use it if you need money. You should practice more when you have time.”

Dong Zhi took it, and stared blankly at him. “Is it a token of love?”

It seems he was drunk and confused. Long Shen said helplessly, “It’s your Mid-Autumn Festival gift.”

He put the card in Dong Zhi’s pocket, opened the door for Dong Zhi, and watched him fall onto the bed before closing the door and leaving.

When he laid down, Dong Zhi didn’t wake up until noon the next day. He sat on the bed blankly for a long time, and it wasn’t until Longlong jumped into the bed and meowed at him that he began to recall the events of last night, little by little.

Everyone had attended the farewell banquet, and they all drank like there was no tomorrow. Then Long Shen sent him back, and then…

He put his hand in his pocket and found a card. A brand-new bank card.

He didn’t care about changing his clothes as he hurriedly ran out and knocked on the opposite door to his room. No one answered.

In broad daylight and working hours, Long Shen would naturally be in his office, so Dong Zhi went to his office and found him there.

Long Shen frowned, seeing that he reeked of alcohol and his clothes were all crumpled. “You just got up?”

Dong Zhi felt embarrassed, scratched his head and took out the bank card. “There’s still time until my plane leaves at 4. Master, did you give me this card last night? I don’t have anything I need to spend money on, so you should take it back.”

“I’ve given it to you, so just take it.” He never intended to take back what he gave.

In exchange for a box of mooncakes, he got a bank card in return. This deal was so cost-effective. Dong Zhi put the card back in his pocket.

Long Shen resumed approving documents for a while until he looked up and saw that Dong Zhi was still standing there.

“What are you doing, standing there in a daze? Go change your clothes and get something to eat. Then I’ll take you to the airport at 1.”

Dong Zhi suddenly said, “Master, you shouldn’t always work overtime in the future. Although you are also very rich, you have accepted an apprentice now. If you have something you want, I can make money and support you.”

Long Shen raised his brows slightly. “You’re so anxious that you ran over without even combing your hair just to say this?”

“Of course not! I’ll go back and wash up now!” Dong Zhi said, as he ran away.

Men don’t usually have much luggage. For Dong Zhi, he brought with him cinnabar and yellow paper, tools for drawing, his laptop, a drawing board, a few pieces of clothing, and his daily necessities. With everything packed, the most important thing was the Changshou Sword.

He took a shower and changed his clothes. He thought he wanted to leave a good impression on his master before parting, and not that unkempt appearance when he first got up, so he sprayed on a little cologne.

When he arrived at the parking garage, Long Shen was already there, with his back to him, leaning against the car door with his arms crossed around his chest. His legs and feet were slender, and he looked like a picture of a beauty that was bowing her head while contemplating.

“Master!” Dong Zhi walked over quickly while dragging his suitcase.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl

The story tells of the romance between Zhinü (織女; the weaver girl, symbolizing the star Vega) and Niulang (牛郎; the cowherd, symbolizing the star Altair). Their love was not allowed, and thus they were banished to opposite sides of the heavenly river (symbolizing the Milky Way). Once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, a flock of magpies would form a bridge to reunite the lovers for a single day.

---

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

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

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

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Chapter 68

After lunch, Dong Zhi tried to sleep for a while but found he couldn’t fall asleep, so he decided to go upstairs to find Long Shen. There was still no one in the office, and he didn’t know whether the other party had gone out or was in a meeting that wasn’t finished yet.

He didn’t dare run to the conference room to find him, so he went back to the rooftop to practice diligently.

He needed to get up at 4:30 in the morning, go to the rooftop to study at 5 AM after washing, and then Long Shen would leave him to go to work at 8 AM. After eating breakfast, Dong Zhi would walk around the rooftop for an hour to practice his kung fu tona and then continue practicing Bu Tian Gang until noon. He would have an hour of rest after lunch, then he would practice again until 5 PM. He would then return back to the dorm for a break, and then sleep early at night. This was the practice regime that Long Shen formulated for him.

For urbanites who were used to partying, this plan was undoubtedly extremely difficult, not to mention that the Bu Tian Gang’s footwork was very complicated. It wasn’t easy to remember it, and it was even more difficult to use skillfully after you combined it with swordsmanship.

The most painful thing is that he wanted to eat fish and meat after such high-intensity training, which would at least bring some comfort to his soul. As a result, he wasn’t even allowed such things and had to eat porridge mixed with goji berries every day. It was simply impossible to love this kind of life.

After persisting for two days, Dong Zhi couldn’t hold on any longer. He wanted to be coquettish and asked his master to ease up on the regime. Yet the result was that he stayed up all night reading a novel and forgot about his bedtime, annoying Long Shen. Now, he didn’t know how to coax his master, so he didn’t dare mention any more laziness and had to live his ascetic life honestly.

As soon as he went up to the rooftop with his Changshou Sword, he saw that Liu Qingbo and Liu Si were also there.

Liu Qingbo rolled his eyes when he saw Dong Zhi and didn’t greet him. Since learning that Dong Zhi was accepted as Long Shen’s apprentice, he had acted this way around him, so Dong Zhi had become accustomed to it. Compared with the ridiculing at every possible opportunity from before, this was already merciful for Liu Qingbo.

Liu Si smiled and said, “We were hesitating whether to go to Group One or Group Two to practice. You’re also here. Did you talk to the leaders?”

Dong Zhi was aware of the gossip these days. Although it was not up to the new recruits to choose where they wanted to go, it’s said that everyone would be divided into groups before departure. At that time, in addition to being under the jurisdiction of the branch, they’ll also be subjected to the observation of the leadership of the General Administration Bureau.

“Not yet, but I should be in Group Two.”

However, which group you are in now doesn’t guarantee that you’ll stay there after the probationary period is over. If the leader feels that you are unqualified, they can still kick you out. For those that can’t enter the General Administration Bureau, they’ll be assigned to a branch. After all, the branch’s affairs were more trivial but required more manpower.

Liu Si also wanted to join Group Two. It was said that Long Shen had already approved it. If there was no incident, Gu Meiren and Ba Sang would have joined Group Three. Since Liu Qingbo couldn’t worship Long Shen as his teacher, he went to Group One instead. All these fell into everyone’s expectations.

What was most surprising was Li Ying. His father, Li Rui, was originally the leader before Wu Bingtian. Being born on Mount Maoshan, it stood to reason that he should also join Group One. Unexpectedly, he took the initiative to find Song Zhicun and suggested that he wanted to go to Group Three. Song Zhicun naturally longed for such an elite to join, so he immediately agreed.

Many people felt that Li Ying chose beauty over country, seeing as Chi Banxia was also joining Group Three, and he couldn’t bear to separate from his girlfriend. However, Dong Zhi believed that a group of strong competitors had emerged in large numbers. With Liu Qingbo and Zhang Song, no matter how good Li Ying would be, there would inevitably be fierce competition after entering, so he chose Group Three, which would make it easier for him to stand out.

Hearing Dong Zhi’s response, Liu Si laughed. “That’s right. You are, after all, Boss Long’s disciple, so you must go to Group Two. I’ll have to ask more about this.”

Although he envied Dong Zhi for being able to worship Long Shen as a teacher, he was only envious. After all, as a master of the willow trees, he has his own cultivation method. Whether he could worship or not was simply superfluous.

Liu Qingbo couldn’t help rolling his eyes again.

Dong Zhi invited him. “Would you like to practice with us?”

The practice venues for the three groups were different. Liu Qingbo was determined to go where he originally wanted to and took out his access card. Both Dong Zhi and Liu Si belonged to Group Two.

Liu Qingbo snorted coldly, “No thanks, lest others misunderstand that I want to steal from you!”

He raised his head and swiped his card to enter first. Dong Zhi and Liu Si looked at each other before swiping their cards one after another to enter Group Two’s venue.

Liu Si said, “I heard that next year’s World Exchange Conference will have more participants than in previous years. In this way, we should have a chance.”

Seeing that Dong Zhi was confused, he couldn’t help but wonder, “Didn’t the Boss Long tell you anything?”

Dong Zhi shook his head. In the past two days, he was so exhausted from practice that he didn’t have time to care about the World Exchange Conference.

“Is this exchange conference just a technical exchange from various countries?

Liu Si said, “On the one hand, traveling around the world has become more commonplace. Now demons from the east will run to the west, while wanted demons from the west often run over to the east. This is to strengthen the exchange of information between various countries. On the other hand, it should also for practitioners of various countries to communicate with each other and exchange ideas. Each of them will be representing their country and will certainly have a sense of victory and honor. I heard that there will be a trial competition and that the top three will be excellently rewarded.”

The rewards are only minor, as no one will bat an eye for it. The real prize was being the winners, which would provide them with a great advantage in their popularity for future promotions. Even if they participate in the competition as individuals, they could still make a name for themselves, and they no longer need to worry about fame and fortune.

Liu Si said, “We don’t allow people from the private sector to participate in the competition in their personal names. We have to go through the Special Administration Bureau. When the time comes, we will be representing our country. Every year, the Special Administration Bureau will allocate a number of places for the bureau and the private sector. It’s said that Boss Wu and Boss Song came to prominence in the competition, and later they rose all the way to the top.”

Dong Zhi asked curiously, “What about Boss Long?”

Liu Si shook his head. “I have heard that Boss Long hasn’t participated.”

Dong Zhi never thought about fame or getting a better promotion. He thought it was interesting to be able to meet people from around the world and learn from various practitioners. At the very least, it’ll still be a good experience to improve oneself, but since he thought this, most likely everyone else did too.

“Are the screening criteria strict?” he asked.

Liu Si: “The conference will be held at the end of next year. They shouldn’t have started screening people until the beginning of the year. I also learned about this from listening to a group of people a few days ago. If you want to go, you should step up your practice. There are not too many places available, and we have a lot of elites this time. It’s definitely impossible for everyone to have an opportunity.”

Dong Zhi nodded. As a disciple of Long Shen, he had to fight for a place no matter what. Otherwise, it’ll be too embarrassing for his master.

Thinking like this, he found he had another motivation towards his cultivation. The space here was infinitely extended by magic. Let alone accommodating Liu Si and Dong Zhi, even if dozens more came, it’d still be spacious. Liu Si went towards the hillside in front of him to start his practice while Dong Zhi practiced his footwork by the waterfall.

—

Long Shen was indeed very busy. He was swarmed with meetings today. He had seminars with those above, meetings in the bureau, and temporary meetings with newcomers. During lunch break, he went back to get his mug and found that there was an extra book on his desk.

<The Incident Book of the Relevant Department for Subduing and Eliminating Demons>. Author: Dong Dong Qiang.

Long Shen frowned slightly before picking it up and turning a few pages.

It portrayed the daily lives of the Relevant Departments in the form of simple comics, as well as clips of them subduing and slaying demons. The name of the Special Administration Bureau was hidden as it was referred to as the “Relevant Department” instead. The protagonist’s name was not a real name, and details of the case had been changed, so it didn’t expose any secrets.

There is also a note in the middle of the book.

[Master, this book is about to go public. The author is me. I plan to donate the manuscript fee to the Bureau as a modest contribution as a pension for my fallen colleagues. Don’t be angry, okay?]

A smiley face is attached to the back, and there is a shy cartoon villain next to it.

Long Shen closed the book, took a document from the drawer, picked up the mug and started to leave. Before he left, he picked up the book again, took out the note that was inside, put it in the drawer, and took the book with him.

Many people think that the top bosses in high positions must sit in their offices all day long while remotely commanding from there, but this is not the case with the Special Administration Bureau. During the last incident where they sent the newcomers on field training, two Deputy Directors led the team in person. Although there were injuries and casualties as expected, as leaders, Long Shen and Song Zhicun were still criticized and had to write a review report on the incident. These were things that Dong Zhi was unaware of.

“The Japanese have already sent the things over, and the above asked us to send Fujikawa back as soon as possible,” Wu Bingtian said.

Song Zhicun snorted coldly, “We worked hard this time and lost two people. I really want to keep the old fucker and never let him go back to Japan!”

Wu Bingtian said slowly, “I don’t want him to go back either, but this is an order from the top, and they have all agreed to the conditions we put forward this time. If we don’t fulfill our promises, there’s no way we can explain it.”

In fact, the matter had already been finalized. Today was just a routine to discuss it. Song Zhicun nodded. “When the above procedures are completed, I’ll make the trip in person and send him back so as to avoid any changes on the way.”

Wu Bingtian smiled and said, “It must be hard on you, Boss Song. It’s reassuring to have you as a leader of a team.”

Director Jiang only cares about the general direction of the spiritual world. He has never intervened in specific business allocations, nor can he. Seeing that the topic had come to an end, he smiled and said, “Is the distribution of the new people’s whereabouts settled?”

Wu Bingtian handed over a form. “It’s almost done. This is everyone’s arrangement. Take a look.”

Director Jiang glanced at him slightly. “Why aren’t any of them staying in the General Administration?”

Wu Bingtian smiled and said, “After the three of us discussed it, we decided that instead of leaving them in the General Administration and not knowing about the sufferings of the outside world, it’s better to let them go to a local branch office and be on the front line to gain an in-depth understanding of major cases.”

Director Jiang nodded. He was just a figurehead, so naturally he had no opinion.

“Okay, when will they leave?”

Wu Bingtian: “They’ll report to work next week.”

Director Jiang: “They finally just came back. Next week feels a bit rushed, so let’s extend it for another week and hold a few seminars before they leave. We can encourage and pump up their enthusiasm.”

When everyone heard this, they knew that Lao Jiang’s addiction to speaking had risen again. Since he took office, he has held meetings and speeches on every occasion possible, so everyone eventually knew how Lao Jiang got the title of “Director of Meetings”. There are only so many people in the bureau. No matter how much Director Jiang loves meetings, it was impossible to gather everyone together all day long. Now that there was a batch of newcomers that had more time to listen to him, how could he easily “let them go”?

Wu Bingtian didn’t want to argue with the director on such trivial matters, so he smiled and said, “Well, they didn’t listen to your teaching well last time they joined. Now they have a chance again. In the future, there will be fewer opportunities, so they can listen to it now and gain more experience.”

Director Jiang smiled. “Of course, young people have to be encouraged. These children are still young, and they are all national elites, so inevitably they are arrogant. We need to let them walk slower so they don’t run too fast!”

Today’s meeting wasn’t formal. There were only a few of them there. After finishing up business, Lao Jiang unknowingly talked about his son. He talked about how his son had gotten into a famous university abroad with a full scholarship. In other words, he was bragging.

Song Zhicun also had a son in the army. He was young and promising, and his military rank wasn’t low. As a parent, it was inevitable that he hoped his child would become like a dragon. Lao Song was no exception. Listening to Director Jiang’s words, Lao Song started talking about his son endlessly as he inadvertently compared him with Director Jiang’s son.

Wu Bingtian only had a daughter, who had just learned to speak, so he couldn’t brag even if he wanted to. However, he still found the common topic of parenting and started wildly talking with the other two.

Seeing that the conversation was completely centered around children, Wu Bingtian looked at Long Shen, who was silent, and said with a smile, “We still have to count on Boss Long with the purest heart and fewest desires. You’ve been working hard all these years and lack attention in your personal life!”

Director Jiang hurriedly said, “Yes, Boss Long hasn’t started a family yet. Do you want me to introduce you to a suitable person? Work is important, but don’t miss out on the big events of your life!”

Director Jiang obviously knew what the Special Administration Bureau was doing, and he knew that he had a powerful man under his command, but he didn’t actually know the full extent, let alone Long Shen’s origins. He only regarded him as a practitioner like Wu Bingtian and Song Zhicun.

Wu Bingtian and Song Zhicun glanced at each other, giving each other an amused look. They didn’t expect Lao Jiang to urge Long Shen to get married.

Unexpectedly, Long Shen used this to advertise a book. “This is my apprentice’s new book. Supposedly, presale volumes have already exceeded 100,000. I’ll ask him later for a few more copies to give you.”

He had checked the sales volume online. With several directors present, it could be said that they were good at exterminating demons, but none knew anything about the publishing industry, so they were quite surprised when they heard the 100,000 number and it quickly piqued their interest.

Director Jiang took a look. “Oh, this is a comic book? I didn’t expect Boss Long to apprentice to be a cartoonist.”

Wu Bingtian smiled bitterly. “It’s Dong Zhi. Boss Long really has a good disciple that he already obtained glory for his master so soon.”

Long Shen said lightly, “He’s very good. He has a good head on his shoulders, can draw, has a good memory, and has good talents. I didn’t expect him to get this far.”

Hearing his opponent’s pretended modesty, Wu Bingtian couldn’t help but feel itchy all over. Although he had looked down on Dong Zhi, a practitioner who hadn’t started his foundation since he was a child, that was long ago.

Wu Bingtian had wanted to attract Dong Zhi into his group since Dong Zhi came to prominence in tracking the whereabouts of the Japanese. His group was filled with influential figures that could provide money and resources. As long as he spoke, no one would refuse his request. Who knew that Long Shen had faster hands than him and made frequent contact in private with Dong Zhi, often giving him advice by living so close to him. This made the child so grateful that he politely declined Wu Bingtian’s proposal.

After all, Wu Bingtian, the dignified director, wasn’t good at taking rejection. After having lost face, he thought that when they returned from Yinchuan, he would go back to his teacher and allow Dong Zhi to enter Mount Longhu’s gate. He had investigated it clearly and found that Dong Zhi had only worshipped a famous master in Mount Hezao, but he wasn’t considered a legitimate descendant of the Hezao Sect, so this meant it wouldn’t be a violation for him to enter Mount Longhu.

Who knew that Long Shen was once again one step ahead of him as he had already accepted him as a disciple while they were in the cave? When they came back, Wu Bingtian heard him mention it lightly that he was so angry he didn’t sleep well that night.

He never said that he would rob Long Shen of his apprentice. Wasn’t there still Liu Qingbo, who had excellent qualifications?! But this only made his opponent move his hand faster! Every time Wu Bingtian thought about this, he wanted to beat himself up.

Moreover, the last time he negotiated with the Japanese, Long Shen didn’t give in but also brought Song Zhicun and Zong Lao to his side. As a result, Wu Bingtian, who was in charge of negotiations, could only act as a courier, passing messages back and forth. Although the Japanese were finally forced to make concessions, in the beginning, the higher ups wanted to settle everything calmly, but because Long Shen and Song Zhicun pushed back, they felt that they “ignored the overall situation”, and this also reflected badly on Wu Bingtian.

Long Shen didn’t care, while Song Zhicun didn’t have much ambition to climb the ladder, thus only Wu Bingtian was left with resentment. Because of this “deep hatred*”, he was still reluctant to make peace.

*Old hatred new hatred (新仇旧恨) Idiom describing a deep hatred.

“Still, at the end of the day, we’re the Special Administration Bureau. Subduing and slaying demons is our priority. No matter how much Boss Long will hurt his apprentice, it’s best if you don’t let him do this kind of job and have him focus on the wrong direction.”

Long Shen said, “That’s right. I finally got an apprentice. It’s inevitable that I want him to do everything well, so I put a lot of pressure on him. Despite this, he has never disappointed me. He now trains very hard, and he’s even willing to donate his manuscript fee for this book to the Bureau as a pension for his fallen colleagues.”

Song Zhicun was first to praise, “Boss Long’s apprentice is truly good. It’s a pity that I’m one step late. Otherwise, I would have competed with you for him.”

As an ordinary person, Director Jiang didn’t know much about exorcism in general, but when he heard that Dong Zhi had donated his manuscript fee, he too had to offer his praise, “Yes! It’s said that an apprentice is worth half a son, and I think this applies to Boss Long!”

Long Shen smiled faintly. “Director Jiang and Boss Song flatter him too much.” He was strict with Dong Zhi but didn’t reveal that in the slightest. In contrast to others, he didn’t hesitate to show off his preference and appreciation.

Wu Bingtian almost choked on his own spit as he was on the verge of having a heart attack.

After their chat came to an end, Long Shen returned to his office and looked at the time. It was almost 4 PM. He put down his hand and went to the rooftop.

Sure enough, Dong Zhi was there. He was standing next to the waterfall with his back to him, holding the Changshou Sword with his forehand, practicing the Tian Gang footwork, so he didn’t hear Long Shen’s arrival.

Long Shen stood for a while until the other party swung his sword and turned around.

“Master!”

Dong Zhi first yelled happily, and then, remembering the blunder he made this morning, paused, and held back his expression when he approached. Long Shen remained expressionless and stood with his hands behind his back.

“Finished practicing?”

“Finished practicing.” Dong Zhi gave him a well-behaved smile. “Asking Master to please provide guidance.”

Long Shen said, “You are the author of the book in the office?”

Dong Zhi answered guiltily, “Yes.”

Long Shen frowned slightly. “You practice every day, yet you still have time to draw and write books? Where did you get such free time?”

Dong Zhi hurriedly said, “That was a while ago. After I went to Yinchuan, I didn’t have much time to draw anymore, so I’m now just sending out previous manuscripts. This kind of thing can be drawn very quickly, just need to add a bit of color, and it will not delay my practice.”

Long Shen was silent for a moment before saying, “You have high spirits and many hobbies, but your cultivation is important. I hope you can spend more time on it. It’s important to note that if you miss a good opportunity in battle, you may lose your life.”

After the morning incident, Dong Zhi had already understood Long Shen’s restrictions. It didn’t matter whether his qualifications weren’t good enough or if he was in poor health, but during the training period, he had to concentrate on it and try his best. He couldn’t be careless. He was the one who was wrong, so he didn’t dare defend himself and could only admit his mistake and obediently practice harder.

When Dong Zhi lowered his head, Long Shen couldn’t see his expression and only saw his soft and fluffy hair.

In fact, Long Shen wasn’t actually as angry as he thought, but Dong Zhi’s departure was imminent, and they couldn’t follow each other all the time. If he didn’t beat this into him and something actually happened, he wouldn’t have time to rush over to help.

“You can keep the manuscript fee. You don’t need to donate it.”

Dong Zhi looked up and looked at him in surprise. “Master…”

Long Shen said, “I will use my own money for the amount you want to donate. The salary during the probationary period is relatively small. If you don’t have enough money, just tell me. Drawing, though, cannot affect your work.”

“…Oh.” Dong Zhi didn’t notice that the corners of his mouth were slightly raised. He felt as if his heart was soaked in hot water on a cold day, and after being soaked warm, he was picked up and gently wrapped in a towel.

The man who wrapped a towel around his heart treated his only apprentice in life with the greatest gentleness and kindness.

“Master, can I hug you?”

Before the other party could answer, Dong Zhi had already hugged him tightly.

“How old are you? Always hugging at every turn. What kind of etiquette is this?” Although he said this, Long Shen could have easily gotten out of the way, but he didn’t.

“You are really the best Master in the world.” Dong Zhi stuffed his face into Long Shen’s clothes, and his voice became muffled. “Being able to be your disciple is my greatest blessing.”

Long Shen had never been hugged so tightly before. He wanted to push him away but also felt that it didn’t seem appropriate. After thinking about it, he patted Dong Zhi’s back a few times.

“Alright,” he said.

Dong Zhi was reluctant to let go, so he took the opportunity to rub his face again until Liu Si came around from behind the hillside and greeted them in surprise.

“Boss Long?”

Feeling that Long Shen wanted to push him away, Dong Zhi let go first. He felt a little embarrassed knowing Liu Si had seen him being coquettish.

Liu Si wasn’t paying much attention. He happily said, “Boss Long, are you free? I just wanted to ask you for some guidance!”

Long Shen nodded and followed Liu Si to the front.

Everyone has their own secret techniques. It didn’t matter if Long Shen saw it, since he was already standing at a height that was beyond the reach of ordinary people, but for Dong Zhi, it wasn’t easy to follow them.

He didn’t want to leave like this, so he continued to linger around. As a result, after waiting for an hour, he was so hungry that he curled up and waited until Long Shen and Liu Si came back.

Long Shen was surprised. “Why haven’t you left yet?”

He thought that his apprentice was putting in extra time to work hard and added, “Everything has a degree. Too much isn’t always better.”

Dong Zhi smiled and said, “I’m fine, so I wanted to wait for you.”

Liu Si said, “Thank you so much, Boss Long, for today. It’s just around dinnertime. Why don’t I invite you to a meal?”

Joy sprouted from Dong Zhi, until he heard Long Shen say, “He can’t eat during dinner right now.”

Dong Zhi: …

Long Shen looked at his pitiful expression, and a smile appeared in his eyes. Finally, he said mercifully, “But you can still eat some porridge.”

Porridge was still better than nothing. Dong Zhi found that his current requirements had fallen to an all new low. Let alone a full-Chinese banquet, it’s estimated that even a plate of pickled mustard greens would taste delicious to him.

As a practitioner, Liu Si naturally knew Long Shen’s intention behind why he was making Dong Zhi hungry. He smiled and said, “Well, let’s go eat vegetarian food. That way, Dong Zhi could eat more.”

Dong Zhi was overjoyed. “Lao Liu, you’re such an understanding and considerate person!”

Long Shen was speechless, thinking that this apprentice was too easy to please.

Liu Si had rented a home in the capital, which was a bit far away from where they were. After they finished their meals, he parted ways with them and got on the subway. Dong Zhi walked slowly back with Long Shen.

“Master, after I go to the branch office, there’s still family and annual leave, right?”

Long Shen: “Why are you asking?”

Dong Zhi: “So I can come back to see you more.”

Long Shen: “You can practice well. You don’t need me to watch over you.”

Seeing Dong Zhi’s expression of disappointment, he paused, and then said, “If I go on a business trip, I’ll stop by to see you when I have time.”

Dong Zhi’s expression was like a switch that when pressed immediately turned from dim to bright.

“Has our respective designation been confirmed? Can you tell me who I’ll be partnering with?”

Although the temperaments of these companions who trained together are different, they still have a sense of nostalgia. Even Liu Qingbo’s eye rolling, and cold snorts were sentimentally childish to Dong Zhi. It would be even better if he could be with Ba Sang or Gu Meiren.

Long Shen said, “You won’t have partners. Everyone will be assigned to different places.”

Dong Zhi was taken aback. “Isn’t there only four branches?”

Long Shen: “There are also offices under the branch offices as well as in third-tier cities. There are not many people in those offices, so sometimes the conditions aren’t very good. You must be mentally prepared.”

Listening to his tone, Dong Zhi knew that he would not be assigned an easy job because, according to Long Shen’s personality, he likes to face difficulties, so he’d only be more demanding of his apprentice. Long Shen could make many concessions to him in private that he could even consider overindulgent, but he would never back down on the issues of principle.

This was his Master, but it happened that he liked such a Master.

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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 67

Seeing him talking about business, Dong Zhi had to restrain his expression and stood still, listening carefully.

“The Master of the heavens, the dimension of the heavens, covers the sun, moon, and nine stars, and the color of heaven and earth. Bluntly stated, it’s the law of all operations in the universe. There’s also a saying of Bu Tian Gang in Taoism called Bu Gang Nieji, which means to lay a map of the Big Dipper on the ground, step on it using Yubu¹, and pray for longevity. During the Three Kingdoms Period, Zhuge Kongming² used this method to seek heaven, hoping to prolong his life, but in the end he did not succeed.”

¹(禹步) Footwork movement commonly used by Taoist in prayer rituals.
²Also known as Zhuge Liang, was a Chinese statesman and military strategist. He was chancellor and later regent of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period. He is recognized as the most accomplished strategist of his era and has been compared to Sun Tzu, the author of The Art of War.

This anecdote was later circulated among the people and was written into the Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong. Dong Zhi was familiar with this, as he recalled the reference as soon as he heard it.

Long Shen continued, “But the skills I want to teach you are different from what I said earlier. It is not only swordsmanship but also includes footwork and qi that can be combined with your Thunder Talisman method. If your skill is profound enough, it may even be able to attract the sun, stars, and moon, making you the center of the universe. A single thought can give birth to new life or the destruction of an entire world.”

Dong Zhi was stunned to hear. “Isn’t this something that the great god Pangu* can do?”

*A primordial being and creation figure in Chinese mythology who separated heaven and earth and became geographic features such as mountains and rivers.

Long Shen smiled. “In fact, it’s not as mysterious as you think. Most dharmas in the world have already reached their highest depth. For example, if you use the Five Thunder Dharma method, you can reach a point where you can summon overwhelming thunder, almost like a god, but truthfully, no one in the world can do such a thing.”

That’s true. Dong Zhi nodded. To put things bluntly, just like playing a game, a game company will always give you an ultimate skill that you must practice and grind to the highest level, using the best equipment and spending more money than anyone else to achieve the maximum effect of that skill. In other words, no one in the entire server can do such a thing and the same applies to practitioners*.

*Clarity. For those still confuse, he’s saying that the capability is there, but no mortal can actually achieve it. For example, the Five Thunder Talisman can reach a potential where you can summon countless thunder like a god, but no one can actually reach this potential.

After his introduction, Long Shen stretched out his hand. “Give me the Changshou Sword.”

Dong Zhi hurriedly handed the sword over.

“Look at my footwork first. Don’t worry about swordsmanship,” Long Shen said as he stepped forward.

His footwork was very fast, moving back and forth with ease. Dong Zhi was dazzled by the sight. At first, he could remember a few steps, but soon he forgot most of them.

“Try to remember it first. When you’re proficient with it, you can combine it with your swordsmanship in actual combat. This set of footwork can also be used when inviting gods or summoning thunder. It adds an extra layer of effect, like icing on a cake. However, you can’t invite gods in the future, so when you’re familiar with it, only use it for your thunder technique.”

Dong Zhi said with a bitter face, “Master, you move too fast. I didn’t see clearly.”

Long Shen was serious, but he was also patient with his disciple. After hearing what Dong Zhi said, he slowed down his movements and performed them again.

Watching them, Dong Zhi felt that Long Shen’s steps were very mysterious, but he couldn’t tell what the mystery behind them was. After looking at it for a long time, he couldn’t help but ask, “Master, does this set of footwork also imitate the law of the distribution of the Big Dipper?”

Long Shen nodded. “It is not only the Big Dipper, but the twenty-eight mansions¹, relating to the four star regions². The Azure Dragon of the East³, the White Tiger of the West⁴, the Black Tortoise of the North⁵, and the Vermilion Bird of the South⁶. The Yubu steps is universal, so it can be used for summoning thunder. Thus you can learn it first and then gradually become better at it.”

¹Part of the Chinese constellations system. They can be considered the equivalent to the zodiacal constellations in Western astronomy, though the Twenty-eight Mansions reflect the movement of the Moon through a sidereal month rather than the Sun in a tropical year.
²Four mythological creatures appear among the Chinese constellations along the ecliptic and are viewed as the guardians of the four cardinal directions. These four creatures are also referred to by a variety of other names, including “Four Guardians”, “Four Gods”, and “Four Auspicious Beasts”
³Also known as Qinglong in Chinese or Seiryu in Japanese, is one of the Dragon Gods who represent the mount or chthonic forces of the Five Regions’ Highest Deities. Represents the east in terms of direction and the season of spring.
⁴Also known as Baihu in Chinese and Byakko in Japanese, represents the west in terms of direction and the season of autumn.
⁵Also known as Xuanwu in Chinese and Genbu in Japanese, represent the north in terms of direction and the season of winter. Usually portrayed as a turtle with a snake as its tail.
⁶Also known as Zhuque in Chinese and Suzaku in Japanese, represents the south in direction and also the fire element and the season of summer. It is described as a red bird that resembles a pheasant with five-color plumage and is perpetually covered in flames.

Dong Zhi nodded, recalling Long Shen’s footwork, and began to practice. Long Shen watched from the side and corrected him from time to time.

Time passed, and it was almost noon.

Although the rooftop of the Special Administration Bureau was a separate space, it still contained the four seasons, and day and night were the same as outside, making the space even more ingenious. After dusk, night fell, and soon the sky was full of stars glittering above the earth, creating an amazing and magical space.

Anyone could practice here at any time for however long they wanted. Long Shen said, “In the next two days, you’ll practice your footwork, and then I’ll start teaching you swordsmanship. That’s it for today.”

Dong Zhi scratched his head. “Master, you go first. I want to practice more.”

Long Shen: “What you did now is enough. Above all else, you need to rest now. You can’t eat at night and you need to be full at noon, so let’s go. The reason why I don’t let you eat meat is to make your stomach and intestines recover faster. It’s not necessarily better the more meat you eat, got it?”

Dong Zhi put away his sword and said bitterly. “I’ve been practicing for most of the day. Now I’m too hungry. I can’t fall asleep at night just by eating white porridge without even any sides!”

In the past, he wasn’t as glutenous as Kan Chaosheng, but since he had been eating nothing but porridge with mustard greens every day for a month, his eyes were beginning to glow green whenever he heard the word meat.

However, Long Shen watched over him too closely. He once took some snacks from Kan Chaosheng, and as he turned his head, he was discovered by Long Shen. Not only was he punished, but Kan Chaosheng suffered as well. After that, no one dared give him any food.

Long Shen glanced at him, but suddenly turned around and pointed to the bright sunlight as he made an oath.

“I, Long Shen, will accept Dong Zhi as my apprentice from today onwards. I must love him and protect him with all my heart and soul and teach him to become talented. If there’s any violation, may the heavens strike me with thunder.”

Dong Zhi was stunned. What he said earlier was meant as a jest, as he didn’t expect Long Shen to really swear and take what he said seriously. His throat bobbed as heat rushed to his eyes. Even his nose became stuffy.

He watched Long Shen put down his hand, as if he was just talking about the weather, and his expression remained monotoned as usual. “Satisfied? Let’s go.”

“Master…” Dong Zhi was lost for words as he didn’t know how to respond. As soon as he spoke, he found that his eyes were a little wet.

Long Shen couldn’t help sighing. “What’s there to cry about? Didn’t you ask me to make an oath?”

“Master, you are so kind to me. I am touched.” Dong Zhi was full of tears but showed him a smile.

At that moment, he thought to himself, even if it was not the kind of relationship he wanted, it would still be okay. For someone like Long Shen to do this for him was a valuable thing. He can only repay him back with hard work and sincerity.

“Go get dinner.”

“Yes.”

Since Long Shen had asked Dong Zhi to eat sparingly, he obviously didn’t take him to a restaurant, but instead took him back to his dorm and cooked for him. The meal was still porridge, but he added some polygonatum, goji berries, and jujubes to it to nourish his qi and replenish his blood.

Dong Zhi hated eating the goji berries and jujubes the most, because they smelled like medicine, despite the fact that they were sweet. The taste was indescribable. He used to want to vomit before he even had a bite and resolutely refused to touch it. However, now that his master was making it himself, not to mention goji berries or jujubes, even if it was arsenic, he’d still eat it, especially since he’s able to see Long Shen’s back. His shirt sleeves were half rolled up, revealing fair and strong arms as his figure busied himself by washing his hands and preparing the ingredients for the porridge. Not everyone could have such a blessing like Dong Zhi.

Dong Zhi suddenly felt that if he was born in ancient times and happened to be an emperor, he’d probably be an unscrupulous monarch who would put beauty before country.

Long Shen’s cooking skills weren’t particularly good. He could skip meals when he was busy on weekdays and didn’t have time to practice his cooking skills. However, it was enough for Dong Zhi. The significance lay not in the taste of the porridge but in the fact that it was made by his master. It was something that probably even Li Han’er had probably never tasted.

After swallowing a mouthful of the most annoying jujubes, Dong Zhi decided that from today onwards, he would reconcile with the two ingredients he hated, jujubes and goji berries, and write off past grievances.

“Master, when I go to a branch next week, can I come back to see you often in the future?”

“Why are you thinking about coming back before you even go?” Long Shen disapproved of his attitude, thinking about wanting to go home before the war.

Dong Zhi said softly, “But I will miss you.”

Long Shen ladled a scoop of porridge into a bowl.

Without giving a chance for him to be chided for his weak mentality, Dong Zhi said, “Master, you know that my parents have passed away. Now this has become a second home to me. Can I really not come back to you see you for a whole year?”

Long Shen: “I didn’t bind your legs. You can return during the holidays. However, being in the Special Administration Bureau is a special position. You often have to leave as soon as something happens, and you can only come back once things are resolved. Holidays are useless, so you should mentally be prepared.”

Dong Zhi smiled. “Don’t worry. I used to work for a game company and worked overtime every day. When we had to push for expansions or events, I didn’t even have a rest day, so I’m used to this kind of thing!”

Long Shen wasn’t a talkative person. If no one bothered him, he could be at ease even if he didn’t speak for over ten days to half a month. However, now that he had such a noisy apprentice, he had accepted his fate.

After being quiet for a while, the noisy apprentice asked again, “Master, when online games weren’t popular before, what did you do in your spare time?”

Long Shen: “Walk around and read books.”

Dong Zhi’s eyes lit up. “Then when I go to the branch, will you come to see me?”

Long Shen wanted to say that he probably didn’t have time, but when he saw his shining eyes, he changed his words. “If I have time, I’ll go.”

It wasn’t easy to make the other party make this kind of guarantee. Dong Zhi felt good about it, so he bowed his head and ate his porridge with satisfaction.

After being quiet for a while, he asked again. “Master, what books do you like to read?”

Long Shen: “Doesn’t matter what the subject is, I’ll always take a look.”

Dong Zhi lit up. “What about martial arts novels?”

Long Shen: “I have read a few.”

Dong Zhi said tentatively, “Then do you know the story of Yang Guo and the Xiaolongnü*?”

*Characters from the book <The Return of the Condor Heroes>. The story revolves around the protagonist, Yang Guo, and his lover and martial arts master, Xiaolongnü, in their adventures in the jianghu (also called the wulin, the community of martial artists), where love between master and apprentice is seen as taboo. || It’s because of his feelings for Long Shen and the current relationship that they have that he specifically brought this book up.

Long Shen glanced at him.

He felt guilty for being a thief and hurriedly lowered his head and pretended to be concentrating on eating his porridge without looking at his opponent’s line of sight.

Long Shen did not answer.

After waiting for Dong Zhi for a while, he couldn’t help but say, “Master, you haven’t answered my question yet.”

Long Shen couldn’t bear it. “Shut up.”

The world was finally quiet. If he had known his apprentice would be so noisy, he should have thought more about accepting him in the first place. Long Shen had never made a decision that he regretted, but as he watched Dong Zhi’s black and soft hair twirl, he began to doubt his judgement for the very first time in his life.

Dong Zhi felt something, and he raised his head and smiled at him innocently. Long Shen’s heart softened for a moment, then he lowered his head and looked at Dong Zhi’s bowl and was speechless again.

The goji berries in the porridge were all shuffled to the bottom of the bowl, one by one. They were originally covered by porridge, but as Dong Zhi ate it, more and more goji berries started to appear as the level of porridge began to shrink.

“Eat it all.” Long Shen tapped the edge of his bowl lightly with his chopsticks.

It was really hard to eat. He really couldn’t eat a whole bowl, even if he imagined it was some kind of immortal elixir. Dong Zhi had originally wanted to take it and toss it away secretly while Long Shen wasn’t paying attention, but now that he was discovered, he could only pick them up and gobble them down in one go as if he was dying, and then swallow them all into his stomach before he had a chance to taste them.

Long Shen watched him eat like a child as he showed an expression of begging for praise. He only said, “Continue tomorrow. Before you leave Beijing, you’ll come here every day at noon to eat porridge with goji berries, jujubes, and polygonatum.”

Dong Zhi: …

He could eat with his sweetheart every day, but what he hated most was the taste. Life was always full of difficult choices.

After eating, he wanted to stay for a while. Like he could help his master wash the dishes, linger around and chat with him before going to bed. But Long Shen had told him to rest early these days, and he had to go to the rooftop to continue his class at 4 in the morning.

Dong Zhi was driven back into his dormitory lovelessly. After hugging his fat white cat for a long time, his heart recovered, and he began to move again. His fingers weren’t honest as he picked up his phone and started texting.

[Master! I recommend you read the martial arts trilogy, The Legend of the Condor Heroes, The Return of the Condor Heroes, and The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber. The best ones are the Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber. You must read it if you have time!]

He thought Long Shen would not reply, but after a while, he received a response: [I have read it.]

Dong Zhi’s spirit was refreshed as he asked: [What did you think of it?]

Deputy Director Long replied: [The description of internal exercises is more illusory, and it’s too close to the magic.]

A very professional response after reading.

Dong Zhi couldn’t laugh or cry, so he added: [What about the emotional part?]

He felt that his hint was obvious enough. As long as Long Shen has a little bit of heart, he should be able to understand the implication.

The other party’s reply was: [It’s okay.]

Did he understand? He still didn’t understand?

He stared at the phone screen for a long time as it turned off by itself, completely stunned, until the white cat became impatient and jumped off of him that he regained his senses.

He wanted to ask again, but he didn’t have the courage now, so he didn’t send any more messages, and the other party didn’t add to his text either. Those two words seemed to be a sign of coldness that calmed him down all night.

Dong Zhi was hesitant at first as he held his phone before he clicked on the online version of <The Return of the Condor Heroes>.

He first read this novel when he was still in junior high. At that time, he was just a child and only focused on how powerful the protagonist was. He wanted to see him fight with King Jinlun for 300 rounds. Since then, it became famous all over the world. Where would he even pay attention to the infatuation without repentance? When the TV series was broadcast later, he took the time to watch it and recalled the plot again.

Now that he was older and had a different state of mind, he could relive this novel from a completely different perspective. He was fascinated by it unconsciously and forgot about his bedtime. He originally promised to go to bed by 9 PM but forgot about it until it was after midnight. As a result, he was awakened by his alarm clock just four hours after he had fallen asleep. The appearance of his baggy eyelids was instantly noticed by Long Shen.

“Didn’t you go to bed early last night?” He asked with a frown.

Sensing a hint of danger from the other party’s tone, Dong Zhi hurriedly said, “I went to bed early, but I couldn’t fall asleep.”

Long Shen: “I remember you said that you usually get good quality sleep and would fall asleep as soon as you touched the bed.”

Dong Zhi: …It seems I did say that.

During dinner yesterday, while they were chatting, Long Shen told him that practicing his kung fu tona before going to bed could help him sleep. He boasted that he usually got good quality sleep, even before he had practiced kung fu tona, as he could basically fall asleep as soon as he touched a bed.

Now, his retribution was coming. He really couldn’t lie. Otherwise, if he told a lie, he’d have to keep telling countless lies to cover them up.

He honestly admitted, “Master, I was wrong. I went to bed late because I forgot the time when I was up reading a novel.”

Long Shen said lightly, “Do you not care about the things that I usually tell you?”

Dong Zhi quickly denied, “I remember what you said. Last night, my self-control was too poor. Don’t be angry.”

Long Shen said, “The most important thing about our identity is self-control and will. When we confront demons, they can see your inner weakness and take advantage of it. When you’re in a branch, you can face emergencies at any time. I can’t always be by your side to protect you. If you have a sense of dependence, it’s better to quit early and save me the trouble of teaching you.”

This sentence was so serious that it frightened Dong Zhi. He quickly lowered his head and obediently accepted his scolding, not daring to speak out.

For a personality like Long Shen, the fact that he was able to say that much meant he was truly angry. He didn’t talk at length and continued to train Dong Zhi, but the more he didn’t say it, the more Dong Zhi felt uncomfortable. For most of the day, he hardened his spirit, took careful notes of what the other party taught, and demonstrated it again according to Long Shen’s request.

Long Shen corrected his movements and asked him to practice by himself, then left first.

Dong Zhi didn’t dare call for him. He practiced for two hours and didn’t go back until he was hungry. He thought about waiting for Long Shen to get off work in the evening before going to him to apologize at dinner.

Who knew that these two days were fated to revolve around books? When Dong Zhi returned to his dorm, he received a package. It was a sample book that was express delivered to him. The title of the book was <The Incident Book of the Relevant Department for Subduing and Eliminating Demons>.

The response to his comic serialization on the Internet has been very good. He had garnered so many fans that it had exceeded the one million mark. At this time, he was bombarded by publishers, hoping he would publish his work into a book. After careful consideration, Dong Zhi finally agreed to publish it. The publishing house had moved very quickly. Before he went to Yinchuan, they had started typesetting and assembling his novel after getting the manuscript. Now, the sample book had already been sent to him, and the presale had already begun. If there were no issues, it’d be officially listed in half a month.

Dong Zhi was originally going to use the sample book to brush up his favorability with his master, but seeing as how he was scolded so much this morning, he guessed that Long Shen was still angry and he didn’t want any more scolding, so as he went to Long Shen’s office, he turned around and went downstairs to see He Yu and Kan Chaosheng.

He Yu used to fool around every day. For the time being, now that he had a broken leg, he didn’t need to go out to the field, and he had become lazier. He was probably in the kennel during work hours. Ah, correction. Playing games in his office.

Sure enough, Dong Zhi’s guess was correct when he went there.

Kan Chaosheng was also there. The two were holding their phones. Kan Chaosheng was probably in a team with He Yu and was being led by him. The two of them were flushed and energetic. As soon as Dong Zhi opened the door, they all raised their heads and subconsciously showed shocked expressions. When they saw that it was just Dong Zhi, they breathed a sigh of relief and chided him, “Why did you come in without knocking on the door? I thought it was the boss!”

Dong Zhi said innocently, “I knocked, but you guys are so immersed in your game that you couldn’t extricate yourselves.”

He put the book on the coffee table, which was filled with all kinds of snacks and garbage left by He Yu and Kan Chaosheng. He had to throw away a few boxes to make room.

“My sample book is out, so I wanted to share it with you first. I also brought one for Old Zhong. You can give it to him for me, as I won’t have time to visit again.”

He Yu said, “You should also send a copy to the boss. He’ll probably be happy, even if he doesn’t say anything.”

Dong Zhi scratched his nose. “I was planning to, but I don’t dare give it now. I made him angry today.”

He Yu and Kan Chaosheng didn’t raise their heads at first and didn’t bother giving him alms. When they heard this, they stopped playing their game and gave him a look of surprise. “You made the boss angry? No way? Can you make the boss angry?”

Dong Zhi was unconvinced when he heard it, “What do you mean? What kind of ability could make him angry? Am I not qualified?” As soon as he spoke it, he realized that he had been misled by He Yu and quickly pulled the topic back.

“I just passed by his office and there was no one there. I guess he went to a meeting. Why don’t you give it to him for me later?”

He Yu refused, “No, give it yourself! In case he wants to train people on a whim, I’m not in a hurry to catch bad luck.”

Kan Chaosheng nodded. “It’s very possible. The boss is pissed off by Dong Zhi, but he has no one to take it out on!”

Dong Zhi curled his lips. “I heard that you made a bet on who would get the apprenticeship between me and Liu Qingbo and made a fortune from it. Do you think if I told Master, he would let you keep the money?”

Kan Chaosheng had bet on Liu Qingbo at that time, so he had lost money from this bet. When he heard this, he heckled, “Yes, report him! Let the boss clean him up!”

He Yu glared at Chaosheng. “Which side are you on!”

Kan Chaosheng laughed. “The one that benefits me!”

He Yu waved his hand. “Go, go. I think you want to fish in troubled waters*!”

*(浑水摸鱼) Idiom referring to taking advantage during trouble times.

He decided to abandon his game, hugged Dong Zhi’s shoulders, and said, “Isn’t it just giving a book? No problem. I’ll take care of it! But you have to tell us why the boss suddenly decided to accept you as an apprentice at that time. I heard that you had a private exchange in the cave.”

Dong Zhi protested, “What do you mean private exchange? Pay attention to your words. We’re not creating some kind of sex scandal!”

He Yu laughed. “Those are your words, not mine! I made a bet with Boss Song. He said the boss took the initiative to accept you as an apprentice, but I think you begged until the boss’ heart was softened. Please give me the answer!”

Dong Zhi’s eyes widened. “You actually made a bet with Boss Song? How much did you bet?”

Kan Chaosheng’s mouth was faster. “One thousand!”

Dong Zhi laughed. “Then you are sure to lose!”

He Yu said in disbelief, “Is it really the boss who offered to accept you as an apprentice?”

Dong Zhi raised his chin. “Of course! Hey, what’s with you? After knowing each other for so long and inviting you to eat so many times, you actually didn’t even bet on me to win!”

He Yu said solemnly, “It’s not that I didn’t bet on you, but before you there have been many people who wanted to worship the boss as a teacher, but no one succeeded, so it’s hard for us to believe that someone who’s as difficult as the boss can make an exception.”

Dong Zhi said proudly, “That means I am good enough!”

He Yu stared at him. “Don’t you have a guilty conscience for saying that? Not to mention Liu Qingbo, there are still several others who have an equally good family background, but the boss has never relented, yet you have no conscience when you say you’re better than them?”

Kan Chaosheng suddenly grabbed He Yu’s collar and shook him violently. “Stop talking nonsense! Shitty He Yu, I blame you for encouraging me to bet against him. You’ll have to pay me back my hard-earned money!”

He Yu rolled his eyes and stuck out his tongue as he was being strangled.

Facing the sudden infighting, Dong Zhi couldn’t laugh or cry, so he hurriedly stepped forward to stop them. “You dare to bet with Boss Song? Aren’t you afraid he’ll tell Master?!”

He Yu was tossed to the side by Kan Chaosheng and was finally free from his clutches. His hair was messed up like a chicken coop, and there were scratches on his face and neck.

He said angrily, “What was wrong with the boss this time? There are so many talented people that he passed on, yet he became enlightened when he saw you!”

Dong Zhi rolled his eyes. “I think you have been going in the wrong direction all this time. Why do you think Master prefers a stronger apprentice?”

He Yu: “Huh? Does the boss prefer to adjust and teach?”

Dong Zhi: “You think that he’s just wanting to teach the more experienced apprentices? If you have already formed a system, it’ll be difficult to understand and accept new concepts. Wouldn’t that mean that Master will have to expend twice the effort but get half the result? Unlike me, I’m a blank piece of paper. Master can teach me as much as he wants, and I’ll be able to absorb it much faster than those with strong abilities.”

He Yu’s been a wise guy all his life, but, in this moment, he was left momentarily speechless. “Then why not just adopt you as his child? Wouldn’t you absorb it even faster?”

Kan Chaosheng slapped him again with his hand. “Are you stupid? The boss is so busy all day long. Where does he have time to play with the children!”

“That’s right!” He Yu scratched the back of his head regretfully. “Why didn’t I think about this in the first place? I wasted a thousand in vain!”

“Two thousand! What about my thousand! I don’t care, you must pay me back!” Kan Chaosheng said angrily.

He Yu sneered, “If you’re willing to gamble, then you have to admit defeat. It’s not like I forced you to bet. I can only say that you just have a low IQ!”

“What are you talking about?!” Kan Chaosheng was furious. He directly turned language into violence as he rushed up to He Yu, turning the office into a battlefield again.

“Remember to help me deliver the book!” Dong Zhi shouted.

The office was a mess as chickens and dogs flew everywhere, but no one paid attention to him. When he first saw them fighting, Dong Zhi was quite shocked and would hurriedly persuade them to make peace. Now he had become numb to it. The two of them would have small fights every few days and a big fight at least once a week. It was just a common situation that even Long Shen didn’t bother to care about them.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Pangu (盘古)

A primordial being and creation figure in Chinese mythology who separated heaven and earth and became geographic features such as mountains and rivers.

In the beginning, there was nothing, and the universe was in a featureless, formless primordial state. This primordial state coalesced into a cosmic egg for about 18,000 years. Within it, the perfectly opposed principles of yin and yang became balanced, and Pangu emerged (or woke up) from the egg. Pangu inside the cosmic egg symbolizes Taiji. Pangu is usually depicted as a primitive, hairy giant who has horns on his head. Pangu began creating the world: he separated yin from yang with a swing of his giant axe, creating the earth (murky yin) and the sky (clear yang). To keep them separated, Pangu stood between them and pushed up the sky. With each day, the sky grew ten feet (3 meters) higher, the earth ten feet thicker, and Pangu ten feet taller. This task took yet another 18,000 years. In some versions of the story, Pangu is aided in this task by the four most prominent beasts, namely the Turtle, the Qilin, the Phoenix, and the Dragon.

After 18,000 years had elapsed, Pangu died. His breath became the wind, mist and clouds; his voice, thunder; his left eye, the Sun; his right eye, the Moon; his head, the mountains and extremes of the world; his blood, rivers; his muscles, fertile land; his facial hair, the stars and Milky Way; his fur, bushes and forests; his bones, valuable minerals; his bone marrow, precious jewels; his sweat, rain; and the fleas on his fur carried by the wind became animals.

You can read more about him on Wikipedia.

—

Azure Dragon/Qinglong/Seiryu

Also known as Qinglong in Chinese or Seiryu in Japanese, is one of the Dragon Gods who represent the mount or chthonic forces of the Five Regions’ Highest Deities.

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White Tiger/Baihu/Byakko

Also known as Baihu in Chinese and Byakko in Japanese, represents the west in terms of direction and the season of autumn.

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Black Tortoise/Xuanwu/Genbu

Also known as Xuanwu in Chinese and Genbu in Japanese, represent the north in terms of direction and the season of winter. Usually portrayed as a turtle with a snake as its tail.

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Vermillion Bird/Zhuque/Suzaku

Also known as Zhuque in Chinese and Suzaku in Japanese, represents the south in direction and also the fire element and the season of summer. It is described as a red bird that resembles a pheasant with five-color plumage and is perpetually covered in flames.

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

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

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

---

Chapter 66

Hearing him ask about Fuxian Lake, He Yu couldn’t help but smile and sighed. “It’s solved, but it’s a pity that we can only cure the symptoms but not the root cause.”

“What do you mean?” Dong Zhi didn’t seem to understand.

He Yu said, “At first, we thought that it was because there were demons at the bottom of Fuxian Lake that accidents would happen frequently due to the overflowing demonic aura. Later, Kan Chaosheng discovered that there was a small hole in the ghost city at the bottom of the lake. The demonic energy continued to leak out from there, affecting the corpses, turning them essentially immortal for thousands of years and eventually corrupting them.”

Several people got into the car as they were chatting. When He Yu said this, others began listening intently. Li Ying asked, “Where does the small hole lead?”

He Yu: “This is the tricky part. We don’t know! Lakes and streams are connected to rivers that lead to the sea. Most water veins in the world are connected underground. This hole is located at the center of the lake, so it’s difficult for ordinary people to dive in. After Kan Chaosheng changes form, he’s too large, so he couldn’t fit through it. We could only seal it temporarily for now and hope there’ll no longer be accidents.”

This does sound quite troublesome. Group Three had also sacrificed a colleague for this. Listening to He Yu’s words, they could imagine what kind of thrilling excitement was happening at the bottom of that lake at that time.

Gu Meiren frowned and said, “Can you apply to a branch by yourself? I’m able to play my flute at the bottom of the lake. I might be able to help if I can go into the water to explore.”

He Yu smiled and said, “The above has its own arrangements. You don’t have to think too much about it. Let’s just drink now. How about we go karaoke tonight?”

Li Ying and the others were not familiar with He Yu, but since Dong Zhi knew him quite well, He Yu didn’t put on any airs. He chatted enthusiastically with everyone else.

Dong Zhi said, “No, I haven’t seen Longlong since I came back. I have to accompany it tonight.”

He Yu was inexplicable. “What the hell?”

But he soon knew the answer. It was an ordinary white cat that Dong Zhi had actually named Longlong.

He Yu gave a thumbs up. “Brother, how brave of you. Does the boss have no issue with this given name? Does he even know?”

Dong Zhi felt a bit guilty. “At that time, he was right next to me. I asked him to help, but he couldn’t think of a name. I couldn’t either, so I came up with it at random.”

Later, he felt that it wasn’t good to go with it, but the name had already come up, so he could only bite the bullet and name it so. Anyway, Long Shen had fed it several times before, allowing Longlong to survive, so this could be considered fate.

However, when Dong Zhi saw the white cat running towards him the size of a large circle, he couldn’t help holding his forehead and groaning.

“Lao Zhong, how on earth did you feed it?”

Zhong Yuyi pointed to the cat bowl, which was not much smaller than the washbasin, and said innocently, “I was afraid I’d forget to feed it one day, so I’d just pour a lot in so it could eat as much as it wants.”

Longlong still remembered Dong Zhi. It ran to his feet and plopped down with a thump, revealing its white belly. Dong Zhi was overwhelmed by all its cuteness at once and hurriedly squatted down to rub its belly. In any case, this chubby cat was much better than the little pitiful stray when he first came.

While his face was calm when Kan Chaosheng saw Longlong, inside he wasn’t happy. Everyone was playing and teasing the cat, and no one was paying attention to him, so he turned into a big yellow cat and broke into everyone’s field of vision. He jumped onto a stool and meowed proudly at Longlong.

He Yu laughed out loud without any regard to his face. “You’re a dignified Jiao who’s about to turn into a dragon. Isn’t it embarrassing to compete with a cat?”

Hearing this, the big yellow cat exploded its hair, rushed towards He Yu, turned back into a human form in mid-air, and landed steadily.

“Who’s fighting for favor? I’m cuter than it! Can it turn into a person? Can it talk?!”

Witnessing Kan Chaosheng changing his form into a human from a cat, the white cat stepped back in fright with a blank expression on its face.

Kan Chaosheng said angrily, “I don’t care. You will get rid of it immediately. There’s only one cat allowed here, and that’s me!”

He Yu teased, “You’re jealous of a cat. Do you know how old you are?”

Kan Chaosheng’s eyes flushed. “Anyway, you just like it more than you like me!”

He turned around to leave, but Dong Zhi hurriedly stopped him, and said nicely, “It is definitely not as cute as you, but if I don’t keep it, it’ll have to wander outside. God has virtue for all living things. These kittens and puppies have a very short life span. It’s impossible for them to cultivate into hundreds of thousands of forms like you. You don’t want to commit sin and kill life, right?”

Kan Chaosheng’s face hesitated. Seeing Longlong looking back at him innocently, he said in a deep voice, “Then you can’t value it more than me!”

Dong Zhi laughed. “That’s needless to say!”

As expected, Kan Chaosheng’s temper quickly came and went, as he forgot everything in the blink of an eye and went to chat with Zhong Yuyi.

He Yu called Dong Zhi to the corridor and whispered, “He’s a three-hundred-year-old Jiao. He hasn’t seen his parents since the boss found him. Converted to human age, he’s about a ten-year-old child, so he occasionally has a temper like them.”

Dong Zhi suddenly understood why Kan Chaosheng acted so immaturely. He always thought that he was an old monster that just had a young appearance and the vicissitudes of life in his heart!

He hesitated for a moment, but still couldn’t help asking, “My Master, is he not a human being either?”

He Yu gave a look of surprise. “You have worshipped him as your Master, but he hasn’t told you yet?”

Dong Zhi shook his head.

He Yu: “Then why don’t you ask?”

Dong Zhi said embarrassedly, “I’m afraid it’s too presumptuous and it’ll make him unhappy.”

He Yu rolled his eyes. “You are so caring to the boss, so why are you not so kind to me? The game package that was agreed just now, you’re not allowed to go back on it. Think about how much money I just saved for you from Kan Chaosheng!”

The corners of Dong Zhi’s mouth twitched. “I got it. I got it. I’ll buy it!”

He Yu hugged his arm. “Dad!”

Dong Zhi: …What about your integrity?

“What are you doing?”

Long Shen’s voice came from behind him. He Yu turned his head, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

“Boss, why are you always stealthy? When there’s no sound, it’s quite frightening. You can scare people to death!”

Long Shen raised his eyebrows. “If I hadn’t come over, I wouldn’t have known that you had recognized me as your ancestor.”

Since he was Dong Zhi’s master, and He Yu had just called Dong Zhi dad, then it was only right that Long Shen become He Yu’s ancestor.

He Yu laughed. “It’s just a joke with Little Dongdong!”

Long Shen: “You still have the strength to fool around? Has the report been written? Is the PowerPoint ready?”

He Yu covered his heart. “Boss, my leg is broken. Do you want my heart to break too?!”

Long Shen said lightly, “Before you finish your report, if you dare play games, I’ll have to make sure to re-train you during practice.”

So cruel! He Yu took a deep breath.

Dong Zhi inwardly laughed. He finally realized that the original reason why Long Shen had bought the game in the first place was so he could monitor He Yu.

He Yu changed his mouth faster than turning a book page. “I like writing reports the most! I want to write reports all night. I am passionate, hungry, and thirsty for reports! Bye.”

He limped for a few steps, then turned his head around, made an orchid finger, and lengthened his tone like that of a mother’s and said, “Long, Long!”

Long Shen: ???

He Yu gave him a goofy smile. “The name of the cat!”

Before Long Shen could attack, he escaped at an incredible speed, limping faster than the speed of a normal person.

Dong Zhi wanted to laugh but didn’t dare to, for fear that Long Shen would remember that he was the culprit who came up with the name. Not wanting the anger to be blamed on him, he hastily said, “Master, He Yu wants to have a meal together and go karaoke. Would you like to come?”

Long Shen: “It is not advisable for you to stay up late now, so don’t go out to eat.”

Dong Zhi: …

“But I haven’t had any cooked meat for half a month. Can I have hotpot tonight?” He whined.

“Within this month you need to eat less oil, salt, and meat. One meal in the morning. One meal at noon. No food after lunch.” Long Shen’s tone was unquestionable.

Is this the experience of having a strict master?

Facing this question online, Dong Zhi typed down the answer that he exchanged with blood and tears, word by word: [It’s a feeling of pain and joy because it shows that he cares. Before that, to him, you were probably a stranger who didn’t even deserve a look from him, so while happy, you also suffered from his strict requirements. If you have to describe it in words, it’ll be the desire to be immortal but also to die.]

Seeing him sitting cross-legged on the sofa with the laptop in his arms, Longlong let out a meow, jumped on the sofa, and sat down beside him. Its body had changed by leaps and bounds, and even its face had become round, which felt particularly fleshy to touch.

As Dong Zhi petted its soft fur, he moped, “We will be assigned in a week. If I can’t stay in the General Administration Bureau, I’ll have to go to a branch office. Will a time ever come* where I’ll be able to confess to him?”

*Full saying is year of the monkey (猴年马月) month of the horse. Idiom referring to the years to come (AKA until who knows when).

The cat looked silly, and his reflection was reflected in its round eyes.

Dong Zhi: “Do you think I’ll have the chance to make Master my boyfriend in my lifetime?”

The white cat thought he was talking to it, so it followed with a meow while rubbing its head against Dong Zhi’s knee, indicating it wanted pets.

Dong Zhi tickled its neck while holding its head as he pondered.

“Am I being too impatient right now? After all, it hasn’t been long since I started studying under him. It should take a while for Master to slowly get used to my existence. Would it be better to wait for an opportunity to act? However, He Yu said there seem to be quite a lot of people who like Master, so I’m afraid I’ll miss my opportunity if I start too late…”

As he was talking to himself in distress, suddenly his phone lit up. It turned out to be his old friend who was studying abroad and hadn’t contacted him for a while.

The other party sent their greetings: [Bro, how are you doing?]

It also had a kiss emoji attached.

Dong Zhi couldn’t help laughing and replied: [I just came back from my training, so I haven’t contacted you recently. I’m okay. I see you are in a good mood. Have you come out of the shadow of lovelornness?]

Old friend: [How did you know? I really found another spring. How are you? You told me last time that you like your leader. What stage is it now?]

Dong Zhi: [I’m studying under him, and my leader has become my Master.]

Old friend: [Ouch, shit! I haven’t been back to China in a long time, and that kind of stuff is popular now? Teacher and apprentice play!]

Dong Zhi: [Fuck you! You were on the verge of life and death before, but you suddenly defected to a new relationship so quickly?]

Old friend: [Hehe, you don’t understand this. The best way to heal a relationship is to start a new relationship. This time I was chased by her, and it was a beautiful overseas girl! I’ll send you photos later, but then again, you can only look. Who told you to never date?]

Dong Zhi: [If you attack me personally again, I’ll blacklist you.]

Old friend: [No, no, I was wrong! Let’s talk about it. To what extent have you two reached? Last time you said that you admired and respected him, I thought it was a joke. Who knew that you were being real? But don’t be discouraged. Isn’t this great? Everything is always difficult in the beginning. Since he’s willing to give you an apprenticeship, it shows that he’s also interested in you!]

It’s not great at all. When he read this, Dong Zhi only became more frustrated: [He accepted me as his apprentice because he thought I’m hardworking and diligent, so I’m worthy of his training. Though I like him very much, I also respect him as a master.]

Old friend: [Oh, you have an Oedipus complex*!]

*Sexual desire for one’s parents.

Fuck off with your Oedipus complex!

Dong Zhi replied angrily: [You, as a layman, don’t understand this kind of feeling at all!]

Old friend: [Understand? Don’t you just respect and love him? Not only do you admire his spirit, but you also think about his body.]

This made Dong Zhi speechless, as it was an appropriate description.

Seeing that Dong Zhi didn’t reply for a while, the old friend said proudly: [Oh buddy, how amazing it feels to see you like now when you always look down on others! What are your plans now? Even if you want to take it slowly, you still have a process in place, right?]

Since he had just witnessed how awesome his brother was, Dong Zhi poured out all his troubles and told the truth: [Of course it would be great if I could get there in one step, but my leader and Master are usually very serious. I’m afraid he’ll not be able to accept it, even if we didn’t have this master-disciple relationship. Also, if he decides to be merciful, it’ll still make everything awkward between us in the future!]

The old friend asked: [Do you think he treats you differently from other people?]

After thinking about it carefully, Dong Zhi leaned towards yes. At least in terms of accepting him as a disciple, it showed the Long Shen viewed him differently. After all, he shut out Liu Qingbo. There was also the incident of going to the antique shop. Uncle Qian told him that he was the first person Long Shen had brought to the shop, and he was the first to be given a sword.

Although this didn’t indicate that his Master had any special feelings for him, it at least showed that his position in his Master’s mind was indeed special.

After listening to him, his old friend replied: [How can a normal man be single for so long? There must be something fishy about him. Either he has emotional purity*, or he may be gay like you. I think the latter is more likely!]

*(感情洁癖) It refers to the cleanliness of one’s emotions, whether physical or mental. People who are like this have a high view of love and pursues a long-term stable relationship. Thus, once something is deemed “unclean”, it can leave a psychological shadow on that person.

The corner of Dong Zhi’s mouth twitched: [I’m also a person with emotional purity, okay? Who can change girlfriends all day long like you?]

Old friend: [Well, let me teach you a few tricks. One is called throwing stones and asking for directions¹, and the other is attacking east and west².]

¹(投石问路) Metaphor referring to testing something to see if there’s a response (AKA testing the waters). Can also refer to temptation.
²(声东击西) Idiom referring to deceiving your opponent and winning by surprise. It spawns from a strategic thought where you claim to attack from the east, but you actually attack from the west.

Dong Zhi: [What the fuck!]

Old friend: [When I hear this kind of tone, it seems you don’t respect me. Is this the kind of attitude you should have when asking others for help?]

Dong Zhi: [Okay, okay. Big brother, grand uncle, please speak!]

The old friend began talking earnestly: [Tests the waters, that is, beat around the bush. Ask him about his thoughts on love. Give them gifts and such out of the blue. Show off your good points at appropriate times and don’t fall behind on rescuing them when they’re in distress.]

Dong Zhi: [I’ve already tried that. I’ve even thought about turning raw rice into cooked rice*, but his drinking capacity is better than mine!]

*Reminder: It refers to what’s done is done and you can’t turn back the clock. Basically, in this context, he’s saying he thought about maybe getting Long Shen drunk and having sex, but Long Shen can hold his liquor better than him. In this context, I think he’s saying it jokingly (or else it comes off as really rapey).

Old friend: [Then create a diversion! Get a girlfriend, boyfriend or something, to stimulate him and make him aware of how he feels about you.]

Dong Zhi: [What if he doesn’t feel anything for me?]

Old friend: [You are too difficult to deal with. Then just go up to him and kiss him and say you want to date him. What about that? Can you do it?!]

Dong Zhi imagined Long Shen’s reaction as he became petrified by these words and couldn’t help laughing. The cat, who was napping on his thigh, was startled awake.

He texted his old friend: [I don’t think your methods will work, because you don’t know him at all. Forget it. I just started my apprenticeship, so I’ll take it seriously and learn some skills first. Anyway, he’s a single dog, so I don’t need to worry.]

The old friend replied to him: [Don’t be happy too early. Judging from your description, I think your competition will be quite fierce.]

Dong Zhi thought the other party had such a crow’s mouth*. When he knocked on Long Shen’s office the next day, he saw a large bag of things and various transparent lunch boxes on the coffee table that were quite exquisite.

*(乌鸦嘴) Refers to a talkative and annoying person who has a stinky mouth (has nothing good to say).

He joked, “Master, someone has come to bribe you?”

Long Shen didn’t lift his head as he took a pen to sign the document. “Li Han’er sent it.”

Dong Zhi was taken aback. “Who?”

Long Shen said, “Li Ying’s younger sister.”

After that, he raised his head. “You wouldn’t have met her. She studied on Mount Longhu. This time, she was ordered by her teacher to go down the mountain to gain experience.”

Dong Zhi pretended to be nonchalant. “You two know each other well? I have never seen you accept other people’s things so casually before.”

Long Shen glanced at him. “Haven’t I also accepted your potted plant?”

Dong Zhi smiled and said, “That’s different. I’m your apprentice, your closest person in the world, right?”

Long Shen thought he was taking the opportunity so he could get some food. “If you see something you like, just take it.”

Who is Li Han’er? Suddenly, Dong Zhi remembered. At that time, he was preparing to add Long Shen to his WeChat friends at the foot of Mount Hezao, He Yu pretended to be this Li Han’er. Long Shen, however, recognized his scheme immediately.

When he thought of it like this, he suddenly had a bad feeling. Both he and He Yu thought that Long Shen just had discerning eyes, but it seems that it may be because Long Shen was familiar with Li Han’er, which was why he was able to see through He Yu’s ploy.

Seeing him just standing there, Long Shen made a strange expression. “What?”

Dong Zhi said tentatively, “Master, am I going to have another teacher* soon?”

*[Shi niang] (师娘) Refers to the wife of one’s master.

Long Shen frowned. “What are you thinking in your head?”

Dong Zhi pointed to the pile of things on the table. “Isn’t this from Miss Li?”

Long Shen: “I confiscated it. She put it down and left.”

So, this is… the meaning of falling flowers is intentional and flowing water is ruthless*?

*(落花有意，流水无情) Metaphors for the twists and turns of love between a man and woman. One side is affectionate, while the other side has no such intention.

Dong Zhi struck while the iron was hot. “Master, tell me what you want to eat. Even if I can’t cook it, I can buy it for you. Why bother to take outsiders’ things? I remember you don’t like receiving gifts.”

Long Shen said, “I originally wanted you to take a two-day break before teaching new things, but since you’re so lively, do you want to learn it in advance?”

He can learn something new? Dong Zhi’s spirit was instantly refreshed. “I’m fine and ready to learn!”

Long Shen took out a talisman from the drawer. “Put this on. It’s similar to the last one, but it also has the effect of calming your mind.”

The last soothing talisman he got from Long Shen was ruined by the water when he was underground in Yinchuan. Dong Zhi took the talisman and joy blossomed in his heart. He boldly took the opportunity to confirm, “Master, I won’t have another teacher for the time being, right?”

He just wanted some assurance that he had enough time to turn his Master into his boyfriend, but Long Shen didn’t seem to understand. Instead of giving him an answer, he said, “Do you know where you will be assigned?”

Dong Zhi was taken aback. “Aren’t I staying at the General Administration Bureau?”

Long Shen shook his head. “Everyone will have to go to a branch office this year, so no one is staying in with the General Administration, and it’ll be for at least one year, until the probationary period has passed. Then it’ll depend on the situation.”

Many things could happen in the branch office. Most of the time, they weren’t too serious and could be very trivial or mundane, such as unsolved cases encountered by the prosecutor’s department, but which couldn’t be explained scientifically. This stuff would be pushed to the branch office. In a serious case like the events on Changbai Mountain and Yinchuan, the General Administration would take over.

Long Shen said, “It’s good for you to stay in a branch for a period of time. You need practice and experience right now.”

While Dong Zhi knows this is the truth, still…

He couldn’t help but say, “Isn’t this too long of a separation between us?”

Long Shen arched his eyebrows. “The young eagle’s wings are hard, and it will be released sooner or later. What’s the problem?”

Dong Zhi shook his head honestly. There wasn’t a problem as he understood Long Shen’s intention. The leaders, including Long Shen, hope that they will go out and take the initiative to cultivate their ability to solve problems independently rather than having someone guide them every time.

One can never achieve great things if they only follow others. Only by exploring on your own can you raise yourself to become a leader.

Dong Zhi, who could only draw, originally had no ambitions, but now, for Long Shen, for his own ideals, for the oath he made in front of Zhou Yue and Xing Qiaosheng, and even the tombstone of his predecessor, he must take that step forward bravely.

Long Shen said, “Go and get the Changshou Sword and wait for me on the rooftop.”

The others who had joined were overjoyed, but when it came to Dong Zhi, he still had to continue to practice hard. His name was now associated with Long Shen, and going forward, this had a binding effect. Even an Archfiend couldn’t defeat Long Shen. When others hear the name of Long Shen’s disciple, they would only think that such a famous teacher would produce excellent students. Dong Zhi didn’t want other people to think that he came through the back door and didn’t deserve his name and would inadvertently make people laugh at Long Shen for his lack of vision. The only thing he could do is try to catch up to his Master’s footsteps.

He didn’t wait long on the rooftop, as Long Shen arrived soon after. Since his apprenticeship, this was the first time that Dong Zhi had been taught a unique skill by Long Shen himself, so he couldn’t help but have high expectations in his heart.

Long Shen said, “Since we were in a rush in the cave before, there was no apprenticeship ceremony, so we didn’t conduct the proper rituals. Just worship the heaven and earth here and pay your respect to me.”

Dong Zhi was taken aback for a moment. Without a second thought, he knelt without saying a word and kowtowed three times to heaven and earth, then bowed down in front of Long Shen.

“In this life and in this world, the disciple Dong Zhi regards Long Shen as his teacher. He must love and respect him with unswerving commitment. If there is any violation, may heaven strike me down!”

Long Shen didn’t stipulate that he should swear, but this was his way of showing his respect under the eyes of heaven. It was also part of Dong Zhi’s ploy, as he put some intentional words in. On the surface, it didn’t sound strange, as Long Shen nodded and asked him to get up.

Dong Zhi smiled and said, “Master, I took an oath. Shouldn’t you also make one as well?”

Long Shen looked at him confusingly.

Dong Zhi said, “You have to swear to take good care of me and never abandon me as an apprentice. Otherwise, if I make a small mistake one day, and you expel me from your school, what should I do then?”

Long Shen: “…I won’t do that kind of thing.”

Dong Zhi looked at him pitifully, but Deputy Director Long’s heart was made of stone and was unmoved.

“Today I am going to teach you a skill called Bu Tian Gang.”

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The author has something to say:

I admire his spirit but also miss him. Well, that’s an accurate summary.

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Kinky Thoughts:

So this is why the novel is called this.

I have just finished one of my projects, Your Rival in Love Gets Prettier Every Day, and started a new one. This is a danmei with a western fantasy setting. If you enjoy the supernatural and fantasy elements of Bu Tian Gang, you should check out my newest project: Stray.

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

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

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

---

Chapter 65

The next few days after, Dong Zhi would spend his time sleeping, waking, and then falling asleep again. His biological clock was completely disrupted. Sometimes he would wake up at night, watch TV for a while, pass out, and wake up again late in the day. Other times, he would sleep for the entire day.

Perhaps it was because of the disordered sleeping pattern, but he never saw Long Shen again. Disappointed, he had to inquire about it from the nurse and learned that his dear Master had actually been here a few times, but he was sleeping every time, so he only stayed for a while before leaving.

Dong Zhi felt helpless against his sleeping pattern. This was the consequence of inviting gods. He was drowsy all day long and his body remained very weak. On the days when he was awake, he felt that the ceiling was spinning even though he was lying in bed. Now that he was better, he could get up and walk for half an hour without dizziness, but then he had to lie down and sleep for a lot longer than usual, as if he was suffering from a serious concussion.

It was no wonder that his Master wanted to strictly forbid him from inviting gods again. If he continued like this, he knew that his body would collapse. He couldn’t help but be a bit afraid. As long as he was awake every day, he would practice his kung fu tona. Thanks to his diligence and perseverance in practice, he was finally able to stay awake longer.

Gu Meiren came to see him and said that Lin Xuan had visited him before. When he saw him sleeping, he sat there for a while, then left. Before leaving, he asked Gu Meiren to pay tribute on his behalf. He relayed to her that he wanted to say he was really sorry, and he left this compass behind as a gift as atonement. He said he would treat him warmly should he ever visit the Lin family.

After Long Shen’s verification, the compass belonged to a great master in the Qing Dynasty. This was not only an antique but also somewhat famous, so this gift was not perfunctory. Long Shen asked Dong Zhi to keep it, but he wasn’t familiar with using an actual compass. He felt it was good enough to use the compass app on his phone, so he later gave this compass to He Yu.

Being underground for so long and experiencing life and death together, Dong Zhi no longer cared too much about Lin Xuan’s previous action. Despite his background, he still relied on his own strength. Also, if it weren’t for them being on the Lin family’s territory that day, the Japanese would probably be even more unscrupulous.

Dong Zhi understood that when he walked outside in the future, it would be under the title of Long Shen’s apprentice. The title alone would scare off some ill-intentioned people but would also attract those with ulterior motives. Since he had decided to worship Long Shen as his Master, he couldn’t rely on falling back on his master’s name and fame. If he was caught, he could be used as a hostage to bargain with Long Shen. Not only was this a bad thing, but it was also shameful. He couldn’t allow this to happen, so he had to work harder.

Besides Gu Meiren and Lin Xuan, others came to visit him as well. Everyone stayed at the same hospital and was arranged on the same floor, but the wards were different. Some who had minor injuries would come back and forth every day when they were idle. Since Dong Zhi spent most of his time asleep, he didn’t know who came to visit him, and now that he could manage to stay awake longer, he finally had the chance to talk with his friends.

He also realized that he had made a big splash during the event this time.

The collapse of the cave gradually subsided, and the Northwest Branch began to send people to carry out search and rescue operations as well as excavate the area. Long Shen and Song Zhicun personally participated in this expedition. Only then did everyone else find out that there was a stone tablet under the alter, and this was the most important goal of their trip. At that time, the Japanese wanted to blow up the stone tablet. Long Shen and Song Zhicun were busy dealing with the Archfiend, while the others fought fiercely against the ghouls, Japanese, and the thousand corpse figurines. It was only Dong Zhi who had the opportunity to stop them.

Now that this information had come to light, even Zhang Song, who originally felt that Dong Zhi was too weak, could only hold his tongue. What’s even more amazing was the fact that Long Shen had accepted a disciple.

Since Dong Zhi was out of commission and in bed the whole time, he didn’t have the opportunity to publicize this news. Only when Song Zhicun half-jokingly told Long Shen that he needed to hurry up and accept an apprentice, or he’d regret it once everyone got snatched away, did Long Shen announce that he had already accepted a disciple.

When he uttered that word, everyone was in shock and the news quickly spread. Everyone knew how demanding Deputy Director Long was. Even when dealing with him, they’d be inevitably affected by that cold face that would make them involuntarily feel nervous. Although the title of being a disciple of Boss Long was extremely attractive, there were not many people who would dare take the initiative to fight for it like Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo.

When comparing Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo, most people thought that Long Shen was more inclined towards Liu Qingbo. After all, the latter’s family background was solid, while Dong Zhi was a “halfway monk”. Those who become masters would prefer a worry-free apprentice. Even Ba Sang and Gu Meiren felt that there was little hope for Dong Zhi, but they couldn’t bear to tell him.

Yet, who knew that things would turn out to be this unexpected.

As Dong Zhi lay in bed listening to Gu Meiren relay all this information, he was lost in a trance, thinking how unreal all this felt.

“Are you okay?” Gu Meiren waved her hands in front of his eyes, calling him back to his senses.

“I’m fine.” Dong Zhi smiled.

Gu Meiren was still worried. “You’ve been absent-minded and in low spirits lately. What did Boss Long say?”

Dong Zhi rubbed his eyes. “He said this is normal, because I expended too much energy and physical strength when I invited a god, I can only slowly recover now.”

Ba Sang patted him on the shoulder and almost knocked him back down onto the bed. He was surprised. “Why are you like this?”

Dong Zhi yawned. “I have become Lin Daiyu* for the time being. You have to take good care of me.”

*One of the principal characters of Cao Xueqin’s classic 18th-century Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber. She is portrayed as a well-educated, intelligent, witty, and beautiful young woman of physical frailty who is somewhat prone to occasional melancholy.

Ba Sang: “Alright. When I go home, I’ll bring you a box of cordyceps to replenish your body. Is it true, though, that Boss Long accepted you as his disciple?”

Dong Zhi: “News already spread?”

Ba Sang and Gu Meiren both nodded.

Dong Zhi felt a bit embarrassed. In addition to the slight sense of joy from everyone knowing the news, he also felt a sense of achievement based on his efforts. If it weren’t for his inability to move right now, he wanted to jump out of bed and do a dance.

Gu Meiren said, “For several days now, Liu Qingbo’s face has been completely blackened. He’s probably furious.”

Dong Zhi laughed. “It’s okay, he’s just thunder with a little rain*!”

*(雷声大雨点小) Metaphor for someone who makes a lot of noise when doing things but has very little ability.

“Who has thunder with little rain?” Liu Qingbo walked in from outside with a suspicious expression on his face. “I seem to hear someone badmouthing me.”

Dong Zhi said innocently, “You heard me wrong. I’m praising you for being handsome like a jade tree*!”

*[Yushu Linfeng] (玉树临风) Idiom use to describe people, mainly men, who are very handsome and beautiful. They are compared to being as unrestrained as a jade tree. From the “Song of Eight Immortals Drinking” by Du Fu.

“Give me a break!” Liu Qingbo showed an expression of disgust before angrily saying, “It seems you are recovering well since you can still sit up and chat!”

Dong Zhi said tragically, “Well, you say? I used to like eating mantis shrimp so much, but recently I couldn’t eat anything. Just the sight of food would make me feel sick. I probably lose quite a few pounds by the time I’m discharged.”

Liu Qingbo: “That’s better than Chen Xun. He’s still lying in the ICU. His fate is still unknown!”

Dong Zhi: “How is he?”

Liu Qingbo: “Just out of danger now, but he hasn’t woken up yet.”

“I heard that someone seems to be scared and wanted to quit,” Gu Meiren said abruptly.

Dong Zhi was taken aback. “Who?”

After struggling through many hardships and escaping danger, those who were lucky enough to survive had become more courageous and competitive, while others had become more afraid and would naturally shrink back.

Dong Zhi immediately thought of Chi Banxia.

Liu Qingbo seemed to have read his mind as he said, “It’s not Chi Banxia. It’s Ou-Yang Yin. I heard it as he was making his report.”

Having said that, he curled his lips. “It’s okay to leave. It’s not suitable to be in this business if you’re timid!”

Gu Meiren remained silent. In fact, when she encountered danger underground, she also retreated several times. She even thought about reporting in and quitting once she left the cave, but when she resurfaced, she changed her mind. She had become accustomed to this tense and exciting pace and knew that if she returned to normalcy again, it would make her feel uncomfortable.

Liu Qingbo glanced at them. “You guys go out first. I have something to talk about with Dong Zhi.”

Gu Meiren and Ba Sang looked at each other. They were both worried that he was still angry because of the news about Long Shen accepting Dong Zhi as his disciple, that he was going to beat up Dong Zhi in the ward.

Seeing that Dong Zhi nodded, the two of them went out. Gu Meiren still didn’t feel at ease, so she said, “If you need anything, just call us.”

Liu Qingbo rolled his eyes.

Dong Zhi yawned. “Have you found your Feijing Sword?”

Liu Qingbo blushed immediately and gritted his teeth as he carefully said, word for word, “Why ask, when you should know the answer in your heart?”

Dong Zhi was dazed. “Well, I wasn’t with you later on!”

Liu Qingbo said angrily, “Of course it’s gone! The river is so deep. How can I possibly find it?! Why don’t you go and search for it for me?!”

Dong Zhi smiled. “Aren’t you sacrificing your ego for the bigger ego*? You’ll have the opportunity to find it in the future. Besides, I remember that you have many famous swords in your household!”

*It means to give up on one’s own interests for the greater good. || In this context, which would be the Feijing Sword.

Liu Qingbo’s face was gloomy. “Did Boss Long really accept you as an apprentice?”

Dong Zhi nodded. “I’m sorry. I meant to tell you. Boss Long has accepted me as an apprentice. It happened after I was separated from you. After I was hospitalized, I didn’t have the chance to make it clear to you.”

Liu Qingbo was unconvinced. “Am I that inferior to you? Does he prefer one who shamelessly flatters?”

Dong Zhi yawned again. The number of times he’d yawned recently was catching up to the combined total of yawns he’d done in the 20 years of his life.

“Old Liu, how mundane of you to think that. Do you think Boss Long is the type of person who likes to listen to sweet words? If this is true, I most likely wouldn’t be his candidate. Before me, there were plenty of others who were better and stronger than me. I don’t know what Boss Long has told you, but I think he has some consideration as to why he didn’t want to accept you. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be fine if he accepted the both of us?”

Liu Qingbo was silent. What Dong Zhi said was right. When he went to Long Shen to confirm, Long Shen told him that his foundation itself was impeccable. The only thing he lacked was the adjustment of his mentality. As long as these two things can conform together, even if he didn’t have a master, it was only a matter of time before he stepped over the threshold. For him, an apprenticeship was just superfluous, because his problem had never been whether he needed a master or not.

Liu Qingbo still remembered that he asked why Dong Zhi? He was so weak. Would it make him feel more successful if he could train someone like that?

Long Shen said, “Your personality is stronger than Dong Zhi’s. You already have your own opinions on swordsmanship. You don’t need others to add icing to your cake. You just have to follow your own path, while he is like a blank piece of paper that needs guidance when it comes to swordsmanship.”

Liu Qingbo was finally convinced and had to admit that what Long Shen said made sense. When Long Shen taught them, Liu Qingbo had frequent reservations about what he said. He would ponder and verify them before believing in Long Shen’s words, as this was a natural reaction to those who are knowledgeable in swordsmanship, while Dong Zhi always chose to believe in them without raising any concerns. He would believe and do as Long Shen say, and this was the biggest difference between the two of them.

Dong Zhi comforted him, “Come now, Master have led me to his door, but the practice will depend on the individual. If my mud can’t support the wall*, then it’ll be useless for me to worship Boss Long as my Master. Since this is a big deal, I’ll invite you to hotpot later. If one meal isn’t enough, we’ll just make it two!”

*(烂泥扶不上墙) Metaphor referring to due to poor ability or low level, one is not able to be acclimated.

Liu Qingbo rolled his eyes, “Do I have to go if you invite me?”

After waiting for a long time without hearing an answer, he condescendingly moved his eyes from the ceiling. He had now fully accepted the outcome. Dong Zhi had already tilted his head to the side and had fallen asleep. His hand was still hugging his abdomen as he didn’t even have the chance to put them down.

When Dong Zhi woke up, he didn’t know when Liu Qingbo had left. He simply ate and slept like this, living a life like a pig for another half a month until his Master and doctor announced that he was finally in good condition, and he could return home with everyone.

Many things had happened within the past half month.

Chen Xun pulled through and survived. Rumors had it that he wanted to withdraw, and the leaders respected his wishes. In the end, Ou-Yang Yin decided to remain in the Special Administration Bureau but worked for the logistics team doing civilian work and would not be on the front line.

Not only Chen Xun, but two others who went through this escapade wanted to withdraw as well. Although they managed to survive, not everyone was willing to risk their lives, even if they were practitioners.

In the end, counting the deaths of Zhou Yue and Xing Qiaosheng, there were only fourteen people remaining.

With Long Shen holding Fujikawa in his hands, Song Zhicun stepped forward and began a tug-of-war negotiation with Japan.

Due to their persistence and Zong Lao’s remarks, the higher ups finally agreed to their plan and asked Japan to exchange Fujikawa for Dong Jilan, but Japan was unable to fulfill this. In the end, they finally agreed to exchange him for another agent, who was a national treasure level cultural relic who had been secretly detained for many years. In addition, $50 million USD was also part of the compensation in exchange for Fujikawa Aoi’s safe return from China. At this point, even Long Shen had to accept the fact that Dong Jilan had already died.

These things were learned by Dong Zhi much later. Now, he only needed to be concerned about his own life. As for the rest, there would be others to stand guard behind.

In other news, after the cooperative excavation between the branch office and state troops, the alter where the stone tablet was located was found. The alter was excavated and sealed off as a military restricted area. The elders of Mount Longhu and Maoshan worked together to lay a talisman array, adding an extra layer of protection around the stone tablet. The area had constant monitoring, with guards sent to monitor the area all hours of the day and night. This time, let alone Fujikawa Aoi, even an Archfiend would not be able to touch the stone tablet so easily.

Before returning to Beijing, Dong Zhi heard that He Yu and Kan Chaosheng had also returned, but before he had the chance to reunite with old friends, when he got off the plane, he and the others were taken to the suburbs.

“There’s not another sudden assessment, right?” Everyone was beyond terrified.

“I don’t think so. Look at this guy. He’s still weak and can barely walk. What kind of assessment can he take?” Someone said as they pointed to Dong Zhi.

Dong Zhi hadn’t eaten much on the plane, and now he felt even more nauseous from the motion sickness while sitting in his seat.

“Anyone who’s only been eating white porridge for a month will have weak legs. Now, give me a mandarin duck pot and I can resurrect with full vitality.”

Li Ying laughed. “Would you like another bowl of dandan noodles?”

He wasn’t sure if it was due to the motion sickness, but when Li Ying mentioned dandan noodles, Dong Zhi covered his mouth and wanted to vomit even more.

Liu Qingbo said coldly, “Is this motion sickness or morning sickness from a pregnancy?”

Dong Zhi didn’t even have the strength to bicker with him as he was afraid the minute he opened his mouth, everything would be released. When he got off the car, he was still pale and light-headed.

Upon seeing this, Long Shen said, “Give me your hand.”

Dong Zhi thought his master wanted to comfort him by touching his hand, so he hurriedly stretched it out but saw that Long Shen was aiming at the position of his tiger’s mouth and pinched it.

“Ahhhhhhhhh!”

The screams startled countless birds in the forest.

Long Shen: “Is it better?”

Dong Zhi wanted to burst into tears. He dared to be angry but did not voice his complaints, as he only nodded bitterly for fear that Long Shen would pinch him again.

Long Shen said, “You can press this acupoint for motion sickness in the future, and you’ll get immediate results.”

Even if it works, it was just using pain to divert his attention!

Dong Zhi found that after he began his apprenticeship, he had more physical contact with his master. For example, when his master instructed him to practice his swordsmanship, he would teach him with his hands. Unfortunately, his master would never show him mercy and was even harsher than before, and he never relented when he was scolding or training him.

However, facing Liu Qingbo’s jealousy, Dong Zhi had to pretend that everything was going great and could only swallow all his blood and tears back into his stomach. This was truly a life that was mixed with misery and joy.

After getting out of the car, when everyone saw their destination, they felt that this was definitely another trial.

In their view was a stone road leading into a dense forest that was silent and deserted.

Surprisingly, rather than the imagined thrills that they thought of, Long Shen and Song Zhicun led them to the depths where there lay a cemetery. Many people were already gathered there waiting for them, headed by Director Jiang and Wu Bingtian.

When Dong Zhi looked around, he saw a few familiar faces that were unexpectedly there. Everyone was wearing black suits or Taoist tunics. When they saw them, they all only nodded slightly, instead of the usual smiles and warm greetings.

Two tombstones were erected, with the names Zhou Yue on the left and Xing Qiaosheng on the right.

When they all came to a standstill, Wu Bingtian looked around for a while before saying, “Today, there’s a piece of news that I want to announce to you. The reason why you’re here is because, like Zhou Yue and Xing Qiaosheng, you’re all officially now members of the Special Administration Bureau. However, unlike you, they will be sleeping underground while you have the chance to listen to my words.”

“I know that this good news should be in an auditorium where we solemnly announced it to the audience, but Xing Qiaosheng and Zhou Yue, our two comrades, will never have the chance to wear good-looking clothes, to go on dates with friends and lovers, to celebrate with them, like you will. In order to let them participate in the induction ceremony, we finally chose to be here to announce this good news to you.”

Two once fresh, smiling faces had now become photos that would solidified forever on these monuments.

Many people lowered their heads quietly as tears swelled in their eyes.

Wu Bingtian: “I now announce that Zhou Yue, Xing Qiaosheng, Li Ying, Dong Zhi, Liu Qingbo, Zhang Song, Ba Sang… With a total of 16 people have now officially become members of the Special Administration Bureau of the People’s Republic of China from today onwards. Next, please follow me to take the oath.”

“I am willing to dedicate this body to the country and the people.”

“I am willing to dedicate this body to the country and the people!”

“To fulfill my duties and be loyal to my country.”

“To fulfill my duties and be loyal to my country!”

“Strictly enforce the law, fair and unselfish.”

“Strictly enforce the law, fair and unselfish…”

Wu Bingtian stood in front of the monuments as he read each sentence one by one, and everyone followed. It was uneven at the beginning but became more sonorous and neater.

The leaves rustled in the wind as the sunlight mottled, as if this was the silent response from Zhou Yue and Xing Qiaosheng.

After taking the oath, Wu Bingtian said, “The bureau is already handling the formal entry procedures for you. This year, every member who has just joined the General Administration Bureau will have a probationary period of one to two years. During this period, they will be assigned to a branch office for internships. The specific units will be arranged by the higher-ups. It will be implemented in about a week. During this time, you should all take a vacation and get a good rest.”

Everyone was taken aback. They thought they had passed the training exam and had finally entered the General Administration Bureau, where they would begin working. Unexpectedly, there was still a probationary period.

Someone asked, “Boss Wu, can you also be eliminated during the probationary period?”

Wu Bingtian: “Of course. This probationary period is like your daily job. If you encounter a case, you will be involved in it.”  

Seeing that everyone had nothing else to ask, he said, “I like to invite Director Jiang to say a few words to everyone.”

During the applause, Director Jiang cleared his throat and began to “say a few words”. First, he affirmed everyone’s performance on the Yinchuan trip, then he paid homage to the sacrifices of Zhou Yue and Xing Qiaosheng, and then he recalled the past and encouraged everyone to learn from their companions’ sacrifices and continue to fight bravely on the front line.

Dong Zhi stared at Zhou Yue’s and Xing Qiaosheng’s tombstones in a daze, imagining that they would jump out of their graves at any moment to fight the director. This thought was both funny and sad.

Fortunately, everyone was used to Director Jiang’s style. When he finally finished speaking, he remembered there were also two other Deputy Directors next to him.

Director Jiang turned to look at Long Shen. “Then Boss Long will also say a few words.”

Long Shen had always had a concise style of speaking. If it only needed a sentence to be conveyed, then he’d really just say a sentence. “I don’t want you to be deserters, and I don’t want to add your tombstone here in the future.”

Song Zhicun’s tone was much gentler. He smiled at everyone. “Everyone has just been through life and death. After this, you have gradually grown into qualified warriors. I have no other explanation. I just hope that you can do a good job during this probationary period. At the end of next year, there will be a worldwide exchange conference for practitioners around the world, where we’ll be competing in various competitions representing our country. I hope that when that time comes, I can see you fighting for our country’s glory.”

It was a very special induction ceremony.

Dong Zhi heard from He Yu that all the previous inauguration ceremonies were held either in an auditorium or on the rooftop of the Special Administration building. He didn’t expect that this time it would be held in a cemetery. Including him, this may be a scene that everyone will never forget for the rest of their lives.

Dong Zhi recalled that Long Shen said he had been here before the Special Administration Bureau started, so he must’ve witnessed the lives and deaths of countless companions and had to send off countless people.

When Dong Zhi thought about this, he couldn’t help but turn his gaze to the man dressed in all black, standing next to the tombstones. He was looking up at the white tombstones of Zhou Yue and Xing Qiaosheng.

Every tombstone records a person’s joys and sorrows.

Every tombstone records the time they spent protecting the peace.

Because of them, there could be peace and joy for ordinary people.

Before he had met Long Shen and these people, Dong Zhi had never felt how lucky he was to be able to live safely to the present. He was able to eat, drink, and party as he pleased. In the future, maybe he, or perhaps Li Ying or Ba Sang, or even Song Zhicun or Long Shen, would also die for their country and lie here, becoming the owner of one of these tombstones.

These tiny seeds that inadvertently fell into the soil and were buried deep underground, were moistened by the rain and morning dew, would break through layers of obstacles and finally give birth to the tender leaves and new branches that would grow into the bright and brilliant scenery that guards the tombstone one day.

The light from the sky would bathe their petals, just as it covers the hearts of everyone.

After the inauguration ceremony, Dong Zhi deliberately found an opportunity to walk side by side with Long Shen.

“Master.”

Long Shen heard his voice sounded hoarse, so he pinched his chin. As soon as he lifted his face, he saw that Dong Zhi’s eyes were red. He must’ve just cried. Seeing this scene made Long Shen lost for words. His apprentice was too sentimental, but this was normal. After all, the newly dead were their companions. He Yu and Kan Chaosheng, who are used to these types of things, wouldn’t be sad, so they wouldn’t shed tears at every turn like these newcomers.

Dong Zhi’s voice was thick and nasally. “Master, I’ll work hard to try and not drag you down. I’ll go on missions with you in the future, and I can be your right and left arm. Please teach me more skills.”

Since he had accepted a disciple, it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to be addressed as “you”, but Long Shen did not care for such minor details.

He nodded when he heard the words, “Okay.”

Dong Zhi took the opportunity to ask, “When?”

Long Shen: “Are you in good health?”

Dong Zhi scratched his head. “But I’ll be assigned in a week. I’m afraid it’ll be a place too far away from Beijing, so I can’t come and consult with you.”

Long Shen: “I know.”

Dong Zhi wanted to ask again when Song Zhicun shouted “Boss Long” cutting him off. Long Shen walked over, leaving Dong Zhi behind.

At this moment, he felt his shoulder being slapped fiercely. Dong Zhi was unprepared and almost fell to the ground.

“Now that you have a master, you forget your brother!”

Looking up, he saw a burly man with a kid who looked to be about five years old.

He Yu still had that untrustworthy look. He had fractured his bones and was now on crutches. He gave Dong Zhi a wink and said, “You did it. When we’re away, you accomplish so many things quietly!”

Dong Zhi smiled and said, “I was looking for you. I heard that you were injured in Yunnan. How are you? Are you okay?”

“It’s just a fracture. I’ll be able to bounce back after removing the plaster!” He Yu hugged him on the shoulder. “Cut the nonsense. Now that you have entered the Special Administration Bureau and were able to worship a Master, isn’t this a double happy moment? What should you do? Don’t you have a good idea in your heart?”

Dong Zhi said, “Of course to celebrate by eating!”

He Yu didn’t let him go easily. “How many meals?”

Black lines appeared on Dong Zhi’s face. “You can decide, okay?”

Kan Chaosheng cracked his knuckles. “The first meal will be fried chicken. The second meal will be Tanjia cuisine*, the third meal will be roasted duck, the fourth meal will be hotpot, the fifth meal will be skewers, the sixth meal will be seafood, the seventh meal…”

*Clarity: I previously translated this as Tanjia cai, a dish, but after researching it more, I believe he’s talking about Tanjia cuisine, also known as Bangyan cuisine. It’s a combination of Cantonese and Shandong cuisine that is moderately salty and sweet and is especially good for cooking seafood.

Dong Zhi was so scared that his soul was about to fly away. He hurriedly said, “It doesn’t count if you decide. He Yu’s the one that’s injured, so he gets to decide!”

He Yu touched his chin and pondered as Kan Chaosheng squinted his eyes and threatened him silently.

Taking advantage that Kan Chaosheng wasn’t looking at him, Dong Zhi silently mouthed to He Yu, “Gift, you, game, pack.”

He Yu smiled. “Well, it’s not easy for Xiao Dongdong to go all out this time. He almost lost his life. We have to be nice to him. Besides, a fat sheep can’t be slaughtered for just one meal. These days, we need to pay attention to sustainability.”

Dong Zhi: …

He Yu: “Just three meals, each of which should not exceed one hundred yen per person.”

Dong Zhi breathed a sigh of relief and gave He Yu a thumbs up. To prevent Kan Chaosheng’s mind from remaining on food-related content, he hurriedly changed the subject. “How was Fuxian Lake? Has everything been resolved?”

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The author has something to say:

Big fat chapters from today onwards. Xiao Dongdong has officially started his job. It’s time to start learning skills from his master and take the lead. There’re still many more things waiting for him.

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Kinky Thoughts:

This was a very emotional chapter. At least He Yu and Kan Chaosheng are back. Going forward, the chapters are much longer than most of the previous so… can’t guarantee that updates will be daily.

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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 64

After a while, Dong Zhi finally digested Long Shen’s words.

“You mean I can’t invite gods in the future?”

Long Shen nodded. “When you invite gods in the tombs, it directly causes a loss in your spiritual energy and messes up your internal breathing. If you use it again, you’ll not be able to practice kung fu tona for at least a year. Inviting god is a very energy-consuming ability. Zhong Yuyi is different from ordinary people because his ancestors possess the bloodline of the great oracles and it has been passed down from generation to generation, but even he can’t keep up with our other members in terms of physical strength.”

Seeing that Dong Zhi was still weak and muddled, he slowed down his tone. “This time, the incident happened too suddenly, so I know you did it to try and stop the explosion. It was my responsibility. After you are well, I’ll teach you something else, so please don’t invite gods anymore.”

Since his Master spoke so solemnly, Dong Zhi naturally nodded his head in agreement.

“Master, what exactly was that alter and what was under the groove? Why were there so many ghouls there?”

Long Shen said, “Do you have the energy to listen now?”

Dong Zhi hurriedly said, “I’ve slept so much that I’m getting moldy! Are we still near the mausoleum of the Western Xia Dynasty?”

Long Shen nodded. “We’re still in Yinchuan. We’ll head back when you’re almost recovered from your injuries. We’re leaving it up to the people in the branch here to try and recover the bodies of Zhou Yue and Xing Qiaosheng. Chen Xun is also in critical condition. He inhaled some poisonous gas, so we’re still trying to rescue him.”

When he mentioned this matter, Dong Zhi’s mood became heavy. Although he had no contact with these people, they had gone through this life and death experience together. If nothing had happened, they would’ve become members of the Special Administration Bureau and would work together. But now that accidents have occurred, some have left the team forever.

Before setting off, Boss Song’s words were still ringing in his ears, and for these people, they became an eternal prophecy.

Long Shen said, “I have already asked someone to translate the Western Xia text on the stone tablet in front of the tomb. That tomb is indeed Liang Weiqi’s tomb, but it was originally prepared for Empress Dowager Liang.”

Dong Zhi let out a sigh. “Under normal circumstances, isn’t the queen buried together with the emperor?”

Long Shen: “During the period when Empress Dowager Liang was in charge of the imperial government, her power fell to the opposition. She hoped that her rule would be as permanent as the country and the mountains, and she hoped that she would live forever, so Liang Weiqi thought of a way for her.”

This was natural. Since ancient times, those who didn’t have wealth wanted wealth. When they had wealth, they craved power. Soon, even power isn’t enough, and they yearn for immortality so they can hold their power permanently. Even if Empress Dowager Liang was a woman, she wasn’t an exception.

She was originally matched to Li Langzuo, Emperor Yizong of Western Xia, but was actually his sister-in-law. Due to her adultery with him, he pitted her husband’s household, allowing her to rise to the upper echelons and eventually queendom. Such a woman, of course, would be a fuel-efficient lamp*.  

*(不是省油的灯) Metaphor referring to someone who’s not easy to deal with.

After Li Liangzuo died, Empress Dowager Liang began to take power as a Han woman, but Western Xia was a party-controlled state, so she naturally wouldn’t worship Han traditions. In order to consolidate her power, she abolished Han rituals internally and adopted a method similar to Tsarist Catherine the II* to please the nobles of Western Xia by changing her positions and identity, and adopted a war to divert domestic conflicts externally.

*More commonly known as Catherine the Great, she was the last reigning Empress regent of Russia who came to power following the overthrow of her husband and second cousin.

It was precisely because of her refusal to let go of power that Liang Weiqi took a fancy to her and suggested he could help her achieve her greatest wish. He was truly good at the art of geomancy, but because he had a sinister mind, he couldn’t stay in the Central Plains, so in the end, he could only defect to Empress Dowager Liang.

Empress Dowager Liang had heard of his name for a long time and was overjoyed when she saw him. Regardless of the general culture of worshiping Buddhism in Western Xia, she canonized Liang Weiqi and ordered him to start his task quickly.

Liang Weiqi took people to investigate everywhere, and finally found such a place, located near the mausoleum of the Western Xia Dynasty, which is known as a place of fengshui. He encouraged Empress Dowager Liang to build a cenotaph* there.

*Called the “clothes tomb” (衣冠冢) The cenotaph itself is an empty tomb or monument erected in honor of a person or group while their bodies remain elsewhere.

The so-called cenotaph is to put the clothes one wore during one’s lifetime in the tomb as a substitute when the corpse of the deceased cannot be found. However, this is not what Liang Weiqi’s purpose for this tomb. According to him, the cenotaph is closely related to Empress Dowager Liang’s luck; thus, if the tomb was well arranged while she was still alive, her luck would also flourish.

As she was Empress Dowager of the country, what else did she need to prosper? Naturally, to be invincible in power, she invaded the Central Plains and unified the world under her rule.

However, the question arose as to how to make the cenotaph exert its power. Liang Weiqi thought of a way through blood sacrifice.

During the battle in Yongle City between Xixia and the Great Song Dynasty, the Song Dynasty was defeated, leaving more than 200,000 men dead. Xixia had also suffered heavy casualties as well. Under the instructions of Empress Dowager Liang, many corpses were transported to the cenotaph and sent to the cave behind the tomb.

As for how this cave was formed, how Liang Weiqi discovered it, and whether he knew the existence of the three-headed python, there was no record recorded on the stone tablet.

However, Liang Weiqi used not only the dead as sacrifices but also the blood of the living. According to inferences, he probably killed all the craftsmen after they had built the tomb. In fact, he didn’t need to do it himself. The terrain of the underground caves was complicated, and the forget-me-nots could make people lose their way and senses. There were also beasts like the giant python that looms about. As long as the stone gate remained closed, those craftsmen would eventually all die inside.

Long Shen said, “Their flesh and blood were gathered into the river from the earth, leading to the lower layer of the tomb. Over time, the grievances of the dead will continue to accumulate, conveying anger to the owner of the coffin. Liang Weiqi’s original idea was to use Empress Dowager Liang’s bazi and puppet clothes to put in the coffin in order to promote her luck. Unexpectedly, after the tomb was built, Empress Dowager Liang changed her mind, so he decided to lie in it himself.”

Dong Zhi felt incomprehensible. “Then why didn’t Liang Weiqi use a puppet as well?”

Long Shen said, “We speculate that it may be that the junction connecting the coffin to the river has not been opened. Perhaps the project hasn’t been completed yet or someone stopped him. These are not recorded on the epitaph, so we have to investigate more in order to reach the truth.”

Dong Zhi still feels a bit incredulous. After killing so many people, they would, of course, be filled with resentment. How could this fuel Empress Dowager Liang’s luck? It wasn’t like she was a fool. How could she possibly believe Liang Weiqi’s nonsense?

He asked these questions.

Long Shen said, “He didn’t deceive Empress Dowager Liang. Everything he did was the opposite. As I told you last time, fengshui places may not turn into gruesome places. Similarly, he used resentment to the extreme that made it possible to transform it into a place of vitality. He had worship under a famous teacher, so if he didn’t have any skills, Empress Dowager Liang would not have used him.”

Dong Zhi said, “So, if the alter wasn’t built during the period of Empress Dowager Liang, then when was it constructed?”

Long Shen said, “The history of the altar is far older than that of Western Xia. The bronze mirror is the key to opening the altar. It is very likely that Liang Weiqi had been to the altar, took the bronze mirror, and put it in the tomb.”

A flash of inspiration hit Dong Zhi. “Is there a stone tablet under that groove? It’s why the Japanese wanted to blow it up?!”

Long Shen nodded.

Dong Zhi frowned. “What is the secret on the stone tablet, and why did the Japanese want to destroy it?”

Long Shen: “To be precise, it’s the Archfiend that wants to destroy it. There’s likely some kind of special interest related to the Archfiend and Otowa Hatsuhiko. We’re still investigating the specifics.”

At that time, time was running out. Long Shen only gave a momentary glance under the alter and found that there was a stone tablet under the groove, which was similar to the one found on Changbai Mountain. It should be part of the same talisman array, so before leaving, he turned back and laid a small talisman array below as a defensive measure to prevent the stone tablet from being crushed when the cave collapsed. He’ll send people back to clean it up later and protect the stone tablet.

“Then the murals found last time in Northwest Inner Mongolia…”

Long Shen: “If we can interpret it correctly, it should be a hint to the alters of the stone tablets. However, we cannot transcribe the meaning of them in time. If we had found this place earlier and protected it, it would be unlikely that those people and the Archfiend would have gotten this close to succeeding.”

Dong Zhi thought for a while and said, “Changbai Mountain is one place. There’s also one in the northeast, and here is another. Since there’s one here, is this array distributed according to orientation?”

Long Shen nodded. “The array is divided into four sides, six sides, and eight sides. If I were to guess it correctly, this should be an octagonal talisman array.”

Dong Zhi said worriedly, “But even if this is the case, the scope is too wide, and the specific location is difficult to find! Moreover, the specific burial methods of stone tablets vary. Like on Changbai Mountain, it was guarded by a bone dragon. Here, they were buried under the alter that held the three-headed giant python. Is it possible to find all the places where these fierce beasts may haunt?”

Speaking of this, his eyes lit up. “Fuxian Lake?”

Long Shen shook his head. “There is indeed magic qi under Fuxian Lake, but judging from the feedback, it’s temporarily ruled out that it’s related to the stone tablet.”

Moreover, it was likely that it had nothing to do with the Archfiend. This meant that there are other ferocious monsters in this vast world, perhaps some even more powerful than the Archfiend. The elimination of the Archfiend wasn’t the end, but only the beginning.

However, Long Shen kept this to himself. These newcomers had just completed a task at the risk of their lives. What they need now is rest, not worse news.

Dong Zhi didn’t notice Long Shen’s implication. He felt dizzy when he thought more about it. “How can we find them?”

He was a person who couldn’t hide his thoughts. Joy and anger were easily written on his face. Even his worries are more vivid than others. His brows wrinkled, showing everything up front in those two big eyes.

Normally, Long Shen would be unsettled about this matter, but seeing Dong Zhi like this, he couldn’t help laughing.

“China is too big. There’s no better option at the moment. You have already made contributions to successfully protecting the stone tablet this time. Have a good rest and don’t think too much about it.”

Long Shen paused, as if thinking of something. “When you invited God to deal with that person, do you know who you invited?”

Dong Zhi said unsurely, “It sounded like a female voice… She said that she was just a ray of divine thought that was about to dissipate, and my body couldn’t hold her power, so she left shortly after.”

Long Shen thoughtfully.

Dong Zhi: “It couldn’t be Empress Dowager Liang? Or perhaps a queen from Western Xia?”

Long Shen shook his head. “The one you invited should be a righteous god. Only a righteous god can have such great power.”

Dong Zhi opened his mouth slightly, with a look of surprise, unable to imagine that he was so lucky. Underground, everything was impassable from all sides, and only the Gobi yellow sand was above. If he wanted to invite a Yin God, it would be at most a soldier or craftsman who had died in vain in the cave or the master of the tomb, Liang Weiqi. At that time, he didn’t really have much faith that he could invite someone powerful.

“Which righteous god did I invite?”

Long Shen said in a deep voice, “According to the epitaph, Liang Weiqi only discovered stone statues and altars underground before he determined that that place was once a place for human sacrifices in the pre-Qin era, and the object of their sacrifices was the stone statue, which is Houtu*.”

*Goddess Queen of the Earth, also known as Dimu (Mother Earth), is the deity of deep earth and soil in Chinese religion and mythology. She is the overlord of all the Tu Di Gong worldwide. Equivalent God outside of China would be like Gaia.

Dong Zhi was taken aback. This was truly… amazing luck.

Houtu, known as Empress Houtu in folklore, is the official title used to imitate the virtues of the Goddess Houtu. This god was not like Guan Yu or Yue Wumu. While the latter were figures that existed in reality and were only canonized after death, Empress Houtu was only part of mythology. Legends related to her have been passed around since the birth of the nation.

Legend has it that she often appears as a female figure and is in charge of all land matters in the world, including the spiritual world. However, legends are just legends, and just like many people have heard of fairytales since childhood, Houtu is only a symbol, an idol in a temple, of the nation and nothing more.

Dong Zhi still couldn’t believe it. “I met Empress Houtu?”

Long Shen said, “It’s not a deity but just a ray of her divine thoughts. Every statue that has been worshipped by the people always has the power of faith. This power of faith is divine thought. That stone statue may have been worshipped and enshrined by those of the past, so there was still a very small divine thought that still lingered on it. When you invited god, you just happened to meet her. Even if you hadn’t invited her, it won’t be long before she’ll dissipate on her own.”

Still, even a ray of divine thought was an amazing thing. However, it came at a great cost. This time, since he had invited such a powerful god, it’s expected that he’ll never be able to invite gods again in the future.

Dong Zhi intermittently recalled, “At that time, I remember her telling me that it was not easy for that person to cultivate and that god has virtue for all life, so she didn’t kill him, leaving him a glimmer of hope.”

Long Shen nodded knowing more in his heart. “Your opponent should have cultivated from an artifact, which is why it’s no wonder he was so powerful.”

Dong Zhi rubbed his eyes. “Master, what about your injuries? Are you okay?”

Long Shen said, “My injury is an internal injury which has been with me for a while now. It’ll take time to heal, so I have to recuperate slowly, but it poses no big problem.”

Dong Zhi let out a sigh. His spirit was currently very poor and this conversation had exhausted him so much that he couldn’t help but show a tired face.

“Sleep,” Long Shen said.

The light in the ward was bright, and despite the curtains being closed, a thin layer of sunlight still penetrated through. Dong Zhi narrowed his eyes and grabbed the hand that was lying beside his bed.

“Master, stay with me.”

Now that he was injured while on duty, he wanted to say and do whatever he wanted. If He Yu was so coquettish, Long Shen would’ve stained the flowers on the bedside with red on the spot. However, in the end, Dong Zhi was different. He had just entered the spiritual world, and it was inevitable that he would have some hesitation in his heart. Long Shen unknowingly gave too much tolerance and preferential treatment to this charming little apprentice.

“Go to sleep,” He removed his hand from Dong Zhi’s grasp and put it over his eyes, acting like an eye mask to block out the excess light for him.

The warmth from his hands was reassuring, and in less than a moment, Dong Zhi quickly fell asleep. Seeing that he was asleep, Long Shen moved his hand away and got up and left the ward.

As soon as he closed the door, someone called him on his phone.

“Boss Long?”

“Boss Long, how are you? Are you okay?”

“Good. Are there news from the Japanese?” Long Shen asked.

Wu Bingtian didn’t dawdle and got to the point. “Yes, the news that Fujikawa is in our hands has been released. The Japanese side will contact us soon, but it is the Japanese government, not the Otowa Conglomerate. The Otowa Conglomerate directly denied their involvement with this operation, saying that the president did not know anything about it and never asked anyone related to the Otowa family to come to China to carry out illegal activities. They pinned all the blame on Otowa Saburo. They have also said that since they have broken the law in China, they should accept the sanctions by the Chinese government and the Otowa Conglomerate will respect any rulings from them.”

With Otowa Saburo dead, there were only a few minions left. Even if he was alive, it would be useless. The Otowa Conglomerate said he took these actions on his own accord with the intention of coming to China to cause mischief. As such, whether they kill or cut, it would be left in the hands of the Chinese government. Since their president was so righteous, he would not interfere with how they wanted to handle the situation.

There was no point in entangling themselves over such matters. Long Shen moved past the topic of the Otowa Conglomerate. “What does the Japanese government have to say about it?”

Wu Bingtian said, “They offered to redeem Fujikawa with money.”

Before he mentioned how much money he had, Long Shen said, “No, I want someone in exchange. Dong Jilan.”

Wu Bingtian: “Boss Long…”

Long Shen said in a deep voice, “Boss Wu, you don’t know my intentions.”

Wu Bingtian slowed down his tone. “I know, Boss Long and Dong Jilan were heroes. Decades ago, if he hadn’t sneaked into Japan and ruined the plans of those kannushi*, we wouldn’t have been able to prevent the catastrophe that was to follow. That would have resulted in endless trouble to deal with.”

*Person responsible for the maintenance of a Shinto shrine, as well as for leading worship of a given god (kami).

Long Shen said, “Decades ago, the Special Administration Bureau hadn’t been established yet. At that time, everything was still new. We didn’t have the manpower. Zong Lao had to use Dong Jilan as a pawn, and later she blamed herself. I have also been to Japan to investigate this matter, but I have never found his whereabouts.”

Wu Bingtian: “Over the years, no matter what method we use, the other side has refused to admit the existence of this person. Have you ever thought that he might have died?”

Long Shen said, “The last time they went through Changbai Mountain, it was through legal channels, so we handed it off to the Law Enforcement Department and played by the rules. I had no objection at that time to letting them go. However, this time, Fujikawa went through and delivered himself to our doorsteps on his own whim. This chip cannot be easily let go. If Dong Jilan is still alive, the Japanese will agree and exchange him.”

Wu Bingtian was silent on the other end of the phone for a moment, then said, “The intentions of those above are to let us accept the conditions of taking money as redemption.”

Long Shen: “Above? From Director Jiang?”

Wu Bingtian said tactfully, “Boss Long, after all, he is the director sent to us by the top. He’s not only coordinating the work but also supervising us. Since the three of us are practitioners ourselves, there’s no way to be completely impartial, thus the need to trust Director Jiang more. Do you understand what I mean?”

Long Shen’s tone was indistinguishable. “Boss Wu means to support Director Jiang’s decision?”

Wu Bingtian let out a laugh but didn’t answer positively, “I’m focusing on the overall situation! Boss Long, let’s have a heart to heart. I’m also heartbroken by my comrade Dong Jilan’s sacrifice back then, but we must move forward. It’s not that I don’t support using Fujikawa as a bargaining chip, but we must also be considerate from the decision made above.”

Long Shen said lightly, “Don’t worry. This matter will not embarrass Boss Wu. I have already informed Zong Lao to try and convince those above. Even if Dong Jilan couldn’t be exchanged back with a figure of a dignified Onmyoji like Fujikawa Aoi, who could be used by the Japanese royal family, he is worth much more than any cheesy amount of money they have to offer. He should be exchanged for something else.”

Wu Bingtian was a little annoyed. “Long Shen! I talked with you first to show my sincerity, but you directly went over me and discussed it with Zong Lao. What is the meaning of this?! If you want my support, I won’t agree to it!”

Long Shen: “We caught Fujikawa, and Boss Song has also agreed. When the time comes for the above to seek opinions, Boss Wu’s opinions may be solitary.”

“Well, how tough you are this time!” Wu Bingtian gave a cold smile and hung up the phone.

Long Shen put down his phone and saw Xie Qingling coming out of the ward. Her injuries were considered minor compared to others. She only suffered from minor scratches and did not need to be hospitalized, so she was currently staying in the hotel next to the office and would come to visit her companions daily.

Seeing Long Shen, she hurriedly stood still and greeted him.

“Good morning, Boss Long!”

Long Shen nodded slightly.

“Boss Long!” She stopped him, hesitated for a bit before asking, “Is Fujikawa Aoi still in our hands?”

Long Shen: “Yes.”

Xie Qingling said, “I heard that Fujikawa is very well-known in Japan. With such an important figure, we won’t be under pressure to return him, will we?”

Long Shen said, “Those are the considerations for those above. In any case, we must follow their orders. However, even if they want to get him back, they must pay a certain price. We won’t hand him over so easily.”

Xie Qingling felt disappointed by his words, but when she heard the last half, she showed a relieved expression.

“That’s great. As long as he’s not returned in vain, I think Zhou Yue and Xing Qiaosheng will feel that their sacrifice was worth it.”

Xie Qingling couldn’t hide her sadness in her smile. Since the training started, her closest friends are Zhou Yue and Ou-Yang Yin. Seeing as how Dong Zhi was sad for the sacrifices of his companion, it was unimaginable how much worse she was feeling.

“The country and the nation will never forget anyone who has fought for it.” After saying this, Long Shen left.

Seeing his fading figure, Xie Qingling lowered her head and blinked away the tears in her eyes.

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Kinky Thoughts:

So standard of Meng Xi Shi’s novels. The ones sitting at the top handing out directions are all incompetent bumbling idiots.

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Houtu

Goddess Queen of the Earth, also known as Dimu (Mother Earth), is the deity of the deep earth and soil in Chinese religion and mythology. She is the overlord of all the Tu Di Gong worldwide. Equivalent God outside of China would be like Gaia.

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