Chapter 96

Chapter 96

The newcomers’ arrival somewhat lifted the gloom that had hung over the Department for days.

Ye Anran and Dai Xingyu were the first to return. When Ling Fang told them there would be a welcome party, they picked up a few decorations on the way back.

One bought balloons, and the other bought party poppers.

Ye Anran inflated the balloons, but she was too short to hang them from the ceiling. Without thinking, she called out, “Old… Old Xingyu, help me put these up.”

“…” Dai Xingyu reached past her, took the string of balloons, and easily hung it from the ceiling.

Before long, the two of them had actually made the quiet office look somewhat festive and lively.

Colorful balloons hung everywhere, making the place look like it had been decorated for Children’s Day.

“Our Department has never held a welcome party before,” Ye Anran said. “When Xie Qingling arrived, she just started work right away, and somehow more than half a year has already passed… Time flies. I wonder what the new people will be like and whether they’ll be easy to get along with.”

“Don’t worry,” Dai Xingyu said. “They’ll probably be easygoing. If they aren’t, we’ll have Brother Shen figure something out. The newcomers will fall right into line soon enough.”

Ye Anran was still a little worried. “Not everyone is like Xie Qingling. She and Shen Huaizhou hit it off almost immediately.”

“That’s fine too. If any of them are troublemakers, one beating from Xie Qingling will straighten them out.”

“Oh…” Ye Anran thought that made sense, so she said no more. She would not be the one writing the self-criticism afterward, anyway.

Dinnertime was approaching, and they were getting hungry. They chatted while snacking on the food Logistics had prepared, waiting with nothing else to do.

As the sun gradually sank westward, Shen Huaizhou and Xie Qingling returned to the office one after the other.

Shen Huaizhou checked the time and asked, “Did the Director say when he’d be back?”

“No,” Xie Qingling said.

It was only six o’clock.

“I’ll make something to eat.” Shen Huaizhou asked her, “Do you want any?”

Xie Qingling stared at him in surprise. “You know how to cook?”

“Noodles. Do you want some or not?”

Dai Xingyu immediately raised his hand. “Yes. I want some, Brother Shen.”

Ye Anran promptly joined in. “Me too, Brother Shen. Add a fried egg for me. Thank you. You’re wonderful.”

At that, Xie Qingling quickly joined the chorus of orders. “Yes. I want a fried egg too. Thank you. You’re wonderful.”

Shen Huaizhou was no great cook, but among the Department members, he undoubtedly ranked first.

He put on an apron, tied back his long hair, and disappeared into the kitchen to cook.

About fifteen minutes later, a steaming pot of tomato-and-egg noodles was ready.

He fried four eggs with runny yolks, slid one into each bowl, and scattered chopped scallions over the top.

Shen Huaizhou called, “Dinner’s ready,” from the kitchen. The others charged in at once and carried away their respective bowls.

They were ravenous. The aroma of tomato and egg made their stomachs growl. Forget a bowl of noodles – if someone had set an entire cow before them, they could have gnawed it down.

Everyone held their bowls and ate with gusto, all while remembering to lavish praise on Shen Huaizhou’s cooking.

Between noisy slurps, Dai Xingyu found time to say, “Brother Shen truly is amazing. Handsome, accomplished in the drawing room and the kitchen – a perfect wife and mother – ow!” Ye Anran kicked him hard.

Shen Huaizhou’s expression darkened.

Ye Anran corrected him. “A perfect husband and father.”

“Right, right.”

Shen Huaizhou’s face remained thunderous, but he said nothing and merely lowered his head to eat.

They were the useless ones who could not even manage a simple pot of noodles. Did they really have to flatter him so shamelessly over this?

How embarrassing. Utterly embarrassing.

–

Seven thirty that evening.

A long-wheelbase passenger van stopped outside 221 Central Street.

When the four people inside the office heard the low rumble of its engine, they stood and went to the entrance to greet the arrivals.

Three men and three women emerged from the vehicle in turn.

The first to step out was Director Ling Fang, who had gone to pick them up.

Behind him came a cute girl with a baby face.

Despite her adorable features, she carried herself with remarkable composure. Her gaze was calm, making her age difficult to judge.

Two men and two women followed her.

The four of them were visibly inexperienced. Both their age and their bearing carried the unease and awkwardness unique to rookies.

“Welcome! A very warm welcome!” Ye Anran was the first to applaud, smiling so hard that her face was almost stiff.

Xie Qingling: “…”

She could not decide whether she ought to join in.

Ling Fang rubbed his brow, looking somewhat weary. “There’s no need for empty ceremony.”

“Director Ling.” The baby-faced girl glanced at Ye Anran, then turned back to Ling Fang. “The members of your Department are adorable.”

Ling Fang: “…”

“Please, come inside.”

“…” Ye Anran could only hide the party poppers she had bought behind her back.

Honestly, why was she always the only one who embarrassed herself?

And then there was Dai Xingyu. They had agreed to do this together, but when the moment came, she was the only one who went through with it. Ye Anran silently added this offense to his tab.

Everyone stepped aside to let the guests enter first, then filed back into the hall.

Including the five people Ling Fang had brought back, the Department now had ten members in all. For the first time, half the seats around the conference table were occupied. Never before had Xie Qingling felt that the Department had so many people.

Ling Fang sat at the head of the table. “First, let me introduce the new member joining us this time – Li Tiantian.”
“Li Tiantian is an Innate Spirit sent here by headquarters. She previously served in the Old Royal City. She’s an outstanding fighter with extensive experience battling ghosts and monsters.”

Ling Fang warned them, “Don’t think you can push Li Tiantian around because she looks young. She’s been in this line of work far longer than any of you.”

In other words, she was their Senior.

The baby-faced, ageless-looking Li Tiantian stood and smiled at the other members of the Department. “Hello, everyone. I’m Li Tiantian, and I’m thirty-three this year. Come to think of it, I’m a year older than your Director.”

Ling Fang was thirty-two?

Wait – Li Tiantian was actually thirty-three?

Xie Qingling stared in astonishment.

Li Tiantian looked barely past twenty. Who would have thought she was actually their elder?

Dai Xingyu’s expression grew complicated.

He had thought Li Tiantian was younger than him…

Was he truly doomed never to rise through the ranks in this place?

Dai Xingyu could not help asking, “Are you a Groom too?”

Li Tiantian smiled without answering. She merely raised both arms and swept them through empty air.

Golden light flashed. When Li Tiantian lowered her arms, a shield and an axe had appeared in her hands.

The shield and axe were rough-hewn and ancient, radiating the breath of a distant age. Their surfaces were covered in green, resembling both copper patina and some strange radiance.

[Beheaded by the Yellow Emperor and buried on Mount Changyang, Xingtian wielded the Gan shield and Qi axe in a war dance. He did not cling to the head he had lost. Even with his nipples for eyes and his navel for a mouth, he would battle the Emperor again, fighting on until one of them perished.]

“I received Xingtian’s blessing. I’m a fighter who specializes in dealing damage,” Li Tiantian said.

Dai Xingyu stood frozen and murmured, “You use a shield too…”

That seemed to be the only thing they had in common.

Besides, Li Tiantian could summon her shield out of thin air. How was that fair? Wasn’t that completely absurd?

Dai Xingyu’s eyes went red with envy.

“This pair in my hands are Xingtian’s weapons. Gan is the shield, and Qi is the axe.”

Li Tiantian looked at Dai Xingyu, catching the word “too” in his question. Delight entered her voice. “You use a shield as well? We can spar sometime when we’re free.”

Dai Xingyu: “…All right.”

This was the first time anyone had ever asked to spar with a Groom.

Even if she beat his face into a swollen mess, he could not disgrace the Department!

Shen Huaizhou swept his gaze over Li Tiantian and said with certainty, “You’re strong.”

“I’m only an ordinary employee at headquarters.” Li Tiantian dismissed the Gan shield and Qi axe and sat back down.

An ordinary employee at headquarters…

Seated in her chair, Xie Qingling took another discreet look at her.

She was intensely curious about just what kind of place headquarters was.

Only then did Ling Fang continue. “The other four are all interns from headquarters.”

He told the interns, “Introduce yourselves so everyone can get acquainted.”

One of the girls stood. “Hello, everyone. My awakened talent is Groom. My name is Yao Yuxue.”

“My name is Yao Qiang, and I’m my sister’s younger brother. I-I’m the same as her. I’m also a Groom.” The boy beside her rose immediately afterward, his voice somewhat nervous.

Yes, that much was obvious. The two were twins and looked very much alike, though their personalities differed. The boy was plainly shyer than the girl.

The second girl, who wore her hair in a crisp, practical crop, introduced herself. “Lu Ying. Acquired Spirit.”

The last boy stood and rubbed his head self-consciously. “My name is Zhao Qiming. I’m an Awakened, but I haven’t received a blessing yet.”

Ling Fang nodded, wearing the gratified expression of an elder whose children had finally done him proud.

As expected of people trained by headquarters, all four interns were well-behaved and obedient. None of them were troublemakers.

Unlike the ones he had brought back himself…

At that thought, Ling Fang could not help looking at Xie Qingling and Shen Huaizhou.

The two acted as though they had not noticed his gaze. They sat ramrod straight, staring directly ahead with solemn, impeccable decorum.

“You should introduce yourselves too,” Ling Fang reminded them.

Ye Anran stood. “Hello. My name is Ye Anran, and I’m an ordinary doctor.”

Dai Xingyu followed immediately. “Hello. My name is Dai Xingyu, and I’m an ordinary Groom.”

Ling Fang’s brows drew together. Warning blazed in his eyes as he glared at Xie Qingling, silently telling her not to be so perfunctory. She had better take this seriously and act properly.

Meeting his gaze, Xie Qingling gave a small cough.

She stood. “Hello. My name is Xie Qingling.”

“Before I introduce myself, I’d like to ask: how many people do you know who have received the blessing of a progenitor deity?”

A progenitor deity’s blessing? That sounded incredible!

This was beyond the four interns’ ability to answer.

All four turned to Li Tiantian.

Li Tiantian did not understand why Xie Qingling was asking, but she answered anyway. “Five. I happen to know all of them. They’re all at headquarters.”

“I see…” Xie Qingling said. “Then there should be six now.”

“I’m the sixth.” Xie Qingling pointed at herself. “Come to me if you want to spar.”

Ling Fang: “…”

He could not help rubbing his brow.

He had meant that she should not be perfunctory, not that she should act so outrageously arrogant.

Shen Huaizhou stood next, his long hair flowing over a floor-length black dress. With his usual cold elegance, he said, “Hello. My name is Shen Huaizhou.”

He said, “I’m merely an ordinary illusionist.”

Li Tiantian: “…”

The interns: “…”