Chapter 44: The Advisor

Page 1 of 3

I walked out of the Second People's Hospital feeling a little melancholy, squatting by the roadside like a vagrant, chain-smoking one cigarette after another.

"Young man, you've gone through a whole pack already. There's no hurdle in life you can't get past. Don't ruin your health," the sanitation worker auntie beside me finally couldn't help but say.

I snapped back to reality and smiled at her. "I'm fine, auntie, just lost in thought."

The sunshine was just right overhead, a gentle breeze brushed my face, and passersby were warmhearted.

In truth, maybe just by turning around, you might bump into something beautiful; give it another day, and the gloom may turn to clear skies.

Wang Meiyu had lost her memory, which was, in a way, a blessing. May those terrifying shadows never draw near her again.

She and I, after all, belong to two different worlds. Around me are ghosts and demons, while for her—even if they exist in her world, not knowing may be its own kind of happiness.

When I got home, I took a hot shower, then lay on my bed, my gaze settling on a black leather notebook on the nightstand.

It was Fu Yiman's diary, unearthed from her old home, and it had seen some years.

After a moment's hesitation, I couldn't resist picking it up and flipping it open.

May 15th, Saturday, sunny, in great spirits.
[Finally, the holidays are here, and the sun outside is blazing. Today, Wang Meiyu and I went shopping, had a blast, and saw a really handsome guy. I really wanted to go meet him, but didn't have the guts.]

May 31st, Wednesday, overcast, feeling depressed.
[Today I started bleeding down there, scared me to death. Later I learned it's a sign of puberty, my period. I asked Wang Meiyu, but she hasn't gotten hers yet. So annoying. Why did mine have to come so early?]

June 15th, Tuesday, rainy, afraid.
[I've been practicing for the piano performance these days, but I keep feeling like someone is secretly watching me. I wake up at night, feeling like there's someone in the room. I'm so scared, but my parents don't believe me. I want to sleep with Wang Meiyu; with someone else there, it's not so frightening.]

July 5th
[I hate, hate, hate...]

...

...

On stage, a spotlight shone on the piano at the center. Fu Yiman, her hair in exquisite braids and wearing a little formal dress, bowed to the audience, then saw Wang Meiyu waving excitedly at her.

Fu Yiman played a serenade skillfully, earning thunderous applause and winning the admiration of countless boys.

Originally, her parents had come, but due to some business emergency, they hurried away to deal with it.

Fu Yiman found it rather meaningless and decided to leave early.

As she stepped out, a bearded middle-aged man suddenly blocked her path. She didn't pay him much mind and tried to walk around, but he shifted to block her again.

"Who are you?" Fu Yiman asked, annoyed.

"I am your master," the man replied.

"Lunatic," Fu Yiman muttered and turned to leave.

At that moment, the man grabbed her hand. In panic, she bit him.

Page 2 of 3

The man cried out in pain and let her go. Fu Yiman immediately bolted, but ran the wrong way.

Seeing the man chasing her, she had no choice but to run upstairs. She kept running until she reached the rooftop, slipped through the iron door, and quickly shut it behind her.

Just then, the sound of a lock clicking echoed outside.

"Enjoy yourself, my child," the man's voice rumbled with a sinister laugh.

Fu Yiman ran to the edge of the rooftop to scream, but was shocked to see the nine lotus petal sculptures on the rooftop starting to close.

People bustled below, but no one seemed to notice the bizarre scene, nor did anyone hear her terrified screams.

The nine lotus petals sealed completely shut. At that moment, Fu Yiman heard rats squeaking. When she turned, she saw several huge rats with glowing red eyes rushing at her.

She raced back to the iron door, pounding on it, crying and screaming, "Let me out, please let me out!"

The rats swarmed over her, trying to crawl into her mouth.

Worse still, snakes, centipedes, scorpions, and fire ants appeared...

These creatures surged toward her, crawling into her nose, eyes, and ears.

Her screams grew ever more desperate; her hands clawed at the door until blood ran from her fingertips, smearing the iron surface.

Her body began to convulse, her eyes clouded black, and a sinister force started to take control of her.

"Chiiii—"

Her hand gripped the iron door, leaving deep claw marks—no human strength could do that.

No one knew how much time passed before Fu Yiman staggered to her feet. Her entire body radiated a terrifying evil aura. She turned, mouth wide, and countless serpents and insects poured out.

I jolted awake, staring at the ceiling.

It was already dawn outside. Half-lying in bed, Fu Yiman's black leather diary rested on my chest.

The dream I'd just had was exactly the tragic scene described in her diary.

I got up, fetched a metal basin, then lit the diary with a lighter, tossing it in to watch as fire slowly devoured it, reducing it to ash.

"Fu Yiman, rest in peace. Your best friend Wang Meiyu is safe now," I murmured softly.

Behind me, a dark shadow began to fade, then vanished completely.

From the Eye of the Underworld Dragon at my chest, two streams of energy surged forth. My magical power grew stronger, my body instantly more resilient.

As for the Yang-Underworld thread that had bound Zhong Yue, it had disappeared, yet it hadn't brought me any benefit. I had no idea where the problem lay.

...

I met Director Zhou again a week after the Fu Yiman incident.

"Qin Feng, you're really cut out for this. I have high hopes for you. The Ninth Bureau needs talents like you," Director Zhou said with admiration.

"Director Zhou, let's not talk in circles. If I join the Ninth Bureau, what position can I get?" I asked.

"Well, as they say, even the tallest building starts from the ground up. It's not suitable to start as a leader. You'll begin as an esteemed Level One member—take it slow," Director Zhou replied.

Page 3 of 3

I clenched a cigarette between my lips and said nothing, simply shutting my eyes.

Seeing my indifferent attitude, Director Zhou sighed, "You young people need to learn to be steady. Look, this mission earned you five hundred contribution points. You took the lead, so I’ll personally raise it to five hundred for you."

"Only five hundred contribution points?" I opened my eyes.

"You brat, still not satisfied? Let me tell you, if you shouted in the Bureau that you wanted to sell your contribution points, these five hundred would fetch five million easily," Director Zhou scolded with a laugh.

What? Five million? Not bad. But ever since I got Xu Baoguo as my patron, money doesn't hold as much allure for me.

"Let me tell you, money isn't what matters to us anymore. The most important thing is power—and all the resources that can strengthen you. Many of these can't be bought with money, but with contribution points, you can exchange for things money can't buy," Director Zhou said seriously.

I thought for a moment. "If I join the Ninth Bureau, which group will I be in?"

"Since you're in Linjiang, obviously the Third Group," Director Zhou replied.

"Is there any other way besides joining a group?" I pressed. No matter how good Director Zhou made it sound, I didn't want to be shackled like that. Yet the Ninth Bureau's contribution point rewards were a big temptation.

"No," Director Zhou answered firmly.

I smoked silently, saying nothing.

Just then, Director Zhou's phone rang. He glanced at it, then stepped outside to answer.

When he returned, he looked at me strangely for a moment, then said, "Since you don't want to formally join the Ninth Bureau, you can come on as a consultant. Consultants don't get official salaries or bonuses—only contribution points for completed tasks, which you can exchange for resources."

I was stunned. Why had the terms suddenly become so flexible, when just moments ago old Zhou had been so unyielding?

Director Zhou cleared his throat. "That's settled. In a bit, Zhao Zheng will send you an app. Since you haven't officially joined, you'll get an old account. The rest, you'll have to figure out yourself."

With that, Director Zhou left, his figure seeming a little lonely.

Zhao Zheng was quick to install an app on my phone. It had no name, just an icon of a blood-red sword.

Curious, I opened it. It logged in automatically. The account name was "World's Most Handsome."

Damn, is there anyone more shameless than me?

Aside from the name, all records on the account had been wiped. Contribution points showed five hundred—my reward for the recent mission.

The app had a task tab, an exchange tab, and a forum. I could also check the names and photos of every member in the Ninth Bureau.

When I opened the Ninth Bureau's member groups, I was shocked. There were 108 groups in total. Each group generally had three to five action teams, each team five to ten people, plus dedicated logistics and support squads.

I clicked on the Third Group, only to find that it had just one action team. The captain was Chen Ying'en, while the group leader field was blank.

"Zhao Zheng, why does our group have only one action team, and where's the group leader?" I asked.

Zhao Zheng was silent for a long time before replying, "I don't know. When I joined three years ago, our Third Group had three action teams, and Leader Xiao was still around. But over the past two years, they were all sent out on missions and never heard from again. Later, all those names disappeared from the roster. They said it was due to mission casualties, but if you look through the groups, you'll notice the earlier groups have suffered the most losses."

I was stunned, and suddenly recalled what Old Li had said: the Ninth Bureau is great in every way—except for the high mortality rate.