Free Web Novel“No need to tell Inspector Xing Yuan. How can a wife be more important than a godson and a goddaughter? You know as well as I do that their father and I were sworn brothers.”
In the ancient-style room, a bronze censer wafted strange-smelling smoke. Bai Kai sat on a round stone platform, his upper body bare, gesturing with his hand and speaking carelessly to the stern man behind him.
“Now that both their fathers are gone, as their godfather, I naturally have to bear any responsibilities!”
“There are still elders at home. How could it be their turn, as juniors, to fight to the death?”
Lord Bing looked at the feigning relaxed Bai Kai, furrowing his brow slightly. “Who you choose to tell or not tell, what you choose to do or not do, has nothing to do with me. I’m just worried you’ll die in my house, and then there won’t even be anyone to collect your body.”
“Hey! Saying something like that at a time like this is a bit unlucky, isn’t it?” Bai Kai looked at Lord Bing, tilting his head.
“It hasn’t even started yet, and you’re already thinking about finding someone to collect my body after failure; can you even do this?”
“Of course I can, I’m just afraid you can’t.” Lord Bing said expressionlessly, “But who was it back then who begged me to stop halfway through the Spirit Mark drawing?”
Indeed, when Bai Kai’s Spirit Mark went out of control and corrupted, it was Lord Bing who used his family’s inherited mixed-type Spirit Mark drawing method to help Bai Kai transform his Spirit Mark from an heroic spirit type to a mixed type.
However, Lord Bing’s family’s inherited Spirit Mark drawing method had a major drawback: during the drawing process, the recipient would endure immense pain, to say it was like having tendons pulled and bones stripped was an understatement.
Moreover, that kind of pain wasn’t experienced just once; each time a component was added to the mixed type, it would be experienced again.
Back then, Bai Kai couldn’t bear the repeated torment of pain and fled the scene, interrupting the drawing process when the Spirit Mark was not yet fully drawn and the uncontrolled symptoms had just stabilized.
And this time, he sought out Lord Bing because he wanted to complete the unfinished Spirit Mark before delving deeper into Yumen Pass.
“Bai Kai’s face darkened, and he remained silent for a few seconds, then gritted his teeth and said, “What about me?”
“It’s all your fault for not explaining it clearly! You said it wouldn’t hurt at all, just like getting ‘Serve the Country Loyally’ tattooed on your back.”
“Right.” Lord Bing nodded, “That’s what I said.”
“But you didn’t say it was a song lyric!” Bai Kai rolled his eyes, “From ‘When the smoke of war rises’ all the way to ‘Welcome this’—who could stand that?”
“I can.” Lord Bing uttered a single word indifferently.
Bai Kai looked at Lord Bing, opening and closing his mouth, wanting to speak but holding back.
Indeed, both were mixed-type Spirit Marks, but Lord Bing’s Spirit Mark had over ten components, more than five times his own.
After a brief silence, Bai Kai waved his hand and said, “Anyway, I’m completely different from before now. Just come at me!”
My Master always used to say that among the three Senior Brothers, I had the highest talent, but I was naturally unrestrained, lacked perseverance, and didn't take responsibility for things, so I wouldn't achieve much in the future. Today, I'm going to let the old man know he was wrong, Bai Kai thought fiercely.
Lord Bing scrutinized Bai Kai, then nodded thoughtfully. “Makes sense.”
“Though I can’t help but feel you’re being sarcastic?”
“Absolutely not.” Lord Bing shook his head, seriously saying, “They say women make men grow. Given your experiences over the years, you must have matured quite thoroughly.”
“That’s right, I’ve matured so much I’m almost rotten!” As if completely unfazed by Lord Bing’s teasing, Bai Kai raised his chin, “Unlike some people, who might remain like this until they die—” frёewebηovel.cѳm
“Pfft—”
Before Bai Kai could finish speaking, he heard a muffled sound of flesh tearing from his back. A chill permeated his spine, rushing straight to his brain. Two breaths later, sharp pain struck.
“Holy crap! Hiss, hiss, what are you doing?!”
“Helping you draw the Spirit Mark.” Lord Bing slowly rotated the obsidian sacrificial knife, which had plunged into Bai Kai’s back, and retorted, “Didn’t you come to me to complete the Spirit Mark drawing?”
“Damn it!” Bai Kai cursed, “Come on!”
“Mhm, hold on, don’t die.” Lord Bing said.
As his voice fell, his fingertips suddenly exerted force, and the sacrificial knife instantly left an arm-length, bone-deep bloodstain on Bai Kai’s back. Hot blood gushed out like a fountain.
And so, the drawing began.
The pain, as if his spine was pulverized and his soul torn apart, instantly engulfed Bai Kai’s consciousness like a raging flood.
After deciding to visit Mountain City, Lu Yibei skillfully found the personal affairs operation interface on the Night Watch intranet.
Although he was eager to see Jiang Li and wanted to find the Eclipse Society stronghold hidden in Mountain City as soon as possible, he still had to do the most basic preparatory work before departing.
For example, submitting a leave application to the Night Watch, arranging for Wang Yingying, and fabricating an excuse to trick Smelly Girl into returning to Peach Garden.
If all went smoothly, it would be best to complete the fusion of the God Kingdom Prototype and Lingtai Pure Karma before departure.
This trip, in addition to finding Jiang Li, also involved infiltrating the Eclipse Society to cause trouble.
Naturally, it was better to be as fully prepared as possible.
“Attendance rate 48.7%?” Seeing his pitifully low attendance rate on the personal affairs operation interface, Lu Yibei couldn’t help but exclaim, “Am I really that lazy? Even Shui Ge has 71.2%!”
Immediately after, seeing the attendance rates of several other agents, he felt as if his buddies, with whom he usually skipped classes and played games, had suddenly topped their grade in the final exam.
It was a feeling of betrayal.
However, after seeing Gu Xiliu’s attendance rate, he instantly felt relieved.
Heh, what the heck is 2.0%? Someone’s even better at slacking off than me?
If Night Watch attendance rates were linked to salary, his salary would probably be deducted until next year, and Gu Xiliu’s would be deducted for at least three years.
Fortunately, Night Watch is not a “vampire” company that exploits its employees. As long as the reason for leave is reasonable and there are no urgent matters in the jurisdiction that require immediate attention, leave applications are generally approved. Otherwise, the agents of Hua City Night Watch would not be able to develop side businesses outside of work.
“Reason for leave: Field investigation.”
Typing the words, hitting enter, scrolling the webpage to the bottom, and clicking “Submit,” Lu Yibei looked at the “Awaiting Review” prompt on the screen and nodded with satisfaction.
Although for a short-term departure from Hua City, he could simply fill out a form and submit it to Li Xuan, doing so would likely lead to a series of interrogations and sarcastic remarks from Li Xuan.
Having spent so much time together, Lu Yibei felt that Li Xuan wasn’t that annoying after all. It wasn’t good to mess with someone’s “wife’s” pregnancy without reason.
Colleagues should be harmonious, except when they can’t help it!
As a seasoned salary thief, Lu Yibei already knew what kind of leave reasons were more likely to be approved.
And “field investigation” was one of the easiest reasons to get approved.
Some say that urban legend are like dust in the corners of a room, hidden in the crevices of the concrete jungle, only discovered when touched by hand.
As the saying goes, most urban legend do not hunt humans in broad daylight, and most urban legend are difficult to detect before causing large-scale destruction.
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Sometimes, even when someone has been attacked by a Strange Tale, it's dismissed as merely a criminal case with unusual methods.
Therefore, Night Watch has always supported agents leaving the office, traveling around, delving into various industries, and catching clues of urban legend from people's rumors.
What's more, Lu Yibei felt that he was indeed going for a field investigation, so it was impossible for it not to pass.
Who can say that investigating the location of the Eclipse Society stronghold in Mountain City is not a field investigation?
Even if the Guardian, who can judge the truth of an event solely through text, came and used her Power to review it, she wouldn’t find any faults!
After a moment, the webpage displayed on the computer screen refreshed, and “Awaiting Review” changed to “Approved.”
“Hmm, this should be fine!”
Seeing that his leave application was approved, Lu Yibei nodded, turned off the computer, and left the office.
He still had to go home and arrange for Smelly Girl and Wang Yingying.
Mountain City, Linjiang Gate.
Water transport in Mountain City has been highly developed since ancient times, forming factions such as the Lower River Gang, Upper River Gang, and Minor River Gang very early on. Linjiang Gate was the gathering place for the Minor River Gang. Although the Minor River Gang has long been submerged in the river of history, the dock where it once gathered remains.
Starting from the dock, climbing up a long stone staircase whose age was unknown, after about five minutes, they saw the hot pot restaurant with its entrance at the alley mouth.
The hot pot restaurant's decor had a strong sense of age. Old songs from the 1990s played in the background, and the tableware used for serving dishes were white enamel plates with blue floral patterns. Being inside, there was a subtle feeling of traveling through time.
In a corner of the hot pot restaurant, by the window, sat two beautiful young women. A copper pot was placed between them, and the crimson soup bubbled, emitting pure white steam and a mouth-watering aroma.
On the left sat a girl with golden hair. She had a very standard oval face, and in her deep purple eyes, vaguely visible were complex, cross-shaped patterns. Her lips, slightly thick, glowed red from the chili oil.
She wore a tight-fitting, cropped white T-shirt and slim-fit jeans. Even sitting there, her round front and plump back were fully displayed.
Sitting at the table, she seemed impervious to the heat, constantly stuffing recently blanched, steaming dishes into her mouth, chewing loudly until her cheeks puffed slightly. During swallowing breaks, she would pick up a mug of iced beer and chug it down, completely disregarding her image as a beautiful girl.
Only when the cold beer, carrying the hot and spicy food, had fallen into her stomach did the girl remember that there was a distant guest sitting opposite her, and she boisterously greeted her.
“I say, Older sister, don’t zone out, eat something!”
“Try this duck blood, it’s their specialty, super delicious, I swear!”
In contrast to this fiery and straightforward girl, the silver-haired girl sitting opposite her was as quiet as a small white flower blooming in a corner.
She rested her chin on one hand, quietly watching the sunset spill over the river outside the window, lost in thought for a long time. Only when the girl opposite her urged her would she pick up her chopsticks, pick up a small piece of food, and put it in her mouth. She would chew slowly, then become “still” again, seemingly uninterested in hot pot.
A moment later.
The golden-haired girl finally couldn’t bear the slightly oppressive atmosphere. She put down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth, crossed her arms over her chest, supporting her plump chest, and tilted her head, scrutinizing her guest for a moment. Then she suddenly stood up, stretched out both hands, turned her guest’s head towards herself, and gently patted her guest’s cheeks.
“Hey hey, not even eating for some stinky boy? That’s not like the Jiang Li I know!”
“Didn’t he just not accept your invitation? You can deal with him later, right? Oh, I remember you’re his Leader too? When you get back, just give him a good beating!”
“No need.” Jiang Li said calmly, “He must have had something important to deal with, which is why he didn’t see the email. I’m not angry.”
“Not angry? You haven’t even called him in all these days?” The girl pouted and said, “Even if he has important things to do, it’s not okay! Haven’t you heard, ‘The world is big, but the wife is biggest’?”
“We haven’t registered our marriage yet, so at most we’re just a couple.” Jiang Ge corrected her earnestly.
“Then you need to let him know how formidable you are even more!” The girl said indignantly, “He dares to neglect you now; who knows how he’ll bully you once you’re married! If it really comes down to it, I can help you beat him up too!”
As the girl spoke, she flicked her golden ponytail, lifted her chin slightly, and raised her right hand to show off her barely noticeable biceps.
Like Jiang Hao, she was also an experimental subject rescued by Night Watch agents from the Eclipse Society. Because they possessed Spirit Marks, it was naturally impossible to simply let them return to living among ordinary people. They could only be temporarily controlled and, after observation and training, be given their freedom back.
There are many others like them who gained Spirit Marks due to various illegal Spiritual Energy organizations or accidental incidents. Most of them are concentrated and managed at a secret base near Shanhai Pass.
After all, before the stability of Spirit Marks is confirmed, to be safe, people like them are treated as suspected urban legend.
And at that base, even though Jiang Hao wasn’t much older than this roommate, she was like an Older sister to her, taking great care of her. When the girl couldn’t stand the oppressive atmosphere at the base and was on the verge of emotional collapse, Jiang Hao encouraged her to persevere.
The girl had always remembered Jiang Hao’s kindness. Now, seeing Jiang Hao being bullied by some unknown stinky boy, how could she tolerate it?
“...Kele.” Jiang Li frowned, looking ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) at the girl, opening her mouth but holding back her words.
Seeing this, the girl waved her hand, pouting, “Alright, alright, look at how distressed you are. I won’t beat him up, okay? But he has to be scolded!”
Jiang Hao pressed her hand to her forehead, rubbing her slightly throbbing temples.
Was I distressed that Lu Yibei was getting beaten?
I was worried you couldn't beat him!
Oh, and you probably can't out-scold him either.
Just as Jiang Li was deep in thought, the girl, who was called Kele, suddenly gave her a meaningful look, then silently gestured with her chin towards a young man with long hair and a slight hunchback not far away.
“Is that man problematic?” Noticing the girl’s gaze, Jiang Li nodded, understanding immediately.
She wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but as she looked at the young man, she vaguely felt the black sun totem on her back stirring.
“Could it be someone from the Eclipse Society? Lin Kele is probably going to make a great contribution again,” Jiang Li thought.
She was well aware of the girl’s Spirit Mark abilities. If the girl suspected someone was involved with a Strange Tale incident, then that person definitely had a big problem.
With this uncanny ability, the girl even once had the experience of going downstairs in the morning to walk her dog, casually apprehending a suspicious-looking woman, which then led to the involvement and resolution of a large-scale cult-related Spiritual Energy attack.
Solely in terms of investigating and resolving urban legend, the girl was the kind of chosen one often seen in stories, who could “level up” even after falling off a cliff.
After a brief exchange of glances, the girl immediately slung her shoulder bag over her back and followed the young man out of the hot pot restaurant, while Jiang Li also quickly pursued them after paying the bill.
