Free Web NovelChapter 108: Chapter 108: Share happiness and face difficulties together
"Our top priority is to identify which spirit is entangling with Yang Xiao and can still affect the Resentful Eye even after its fall. The owner must have formed a terrifyingly perfect harmony with the Resentful Eye during their lifetime. Such formidable masters are very few, and each one of them is extremely renowned."
"It’s said that the spirit will influence the new owner of the Resentful Eye in all kinds of inconceivable ways, driving the person to retrace the paths they once took, step by step turning that person into who they once were, of course, assuming that the chosen one can survive," Master Yan Zhen sighed softly.
As an assistant, the young man couldn’t help but worry, "So if the Resentful Eye’s previous owner was an Evil Cultivator, then Yang Xiao also has a considerable risk of being influenced and losing his morals, becoming an Evil Cultivator?"
After a moment of silence, the young man made a suggestion. "Master, should we find a reason to detain Yang Xiao for now?"
"No," Master Yan Zhen refused.
"Are you concerned that Director Nalan won’t be happy? That’s true, this is his turf, after all, but we could invite Yang Xiao..."
"Stop! This has nothing to do with Nalan Shuo." Lin Shu, you must understand one thing, no matter what, Yang Xiao is now with the Patrol Defense Bureau. Like us, he is our friend, our comrade, and our brother in arms until the issue is clarified. I’ve already made a misstep by using the Resentful Eye on him too forcefully; further being unrelenting toward Yang Xiao will only hurt our own people’s feelings. Who then would be willing to walk through the doors of our Patrol Defense Bureau?"
Master Yan Zhen closed his eyes again, leaned back in his chair, and exhaled slowly, "Go back and write a self-criticism report and hand it to me. I will write one as well. Once we have preliminary results on this matter, I will personally visit Director Nalan and Yang Xiao to apologize."
"I understand, Master," the young assistant lowered his head.
After leaving, Yang Xiao returned to his office. Director Nalan agreed to help him coordinate with the higher-ups, but it would take time.
The atmosphere in the office was harmonious. Beibei was online shopping, Yu Shu wore headphones munching on chips and binge-watching series, Da Xiong was exercising, and Zhuge Zhijie was still scribbling down something, muttering incomprehensible words intermittently.
Oh, and there was Xi Menxiu, he was engrossed in an online romance.
Yang Xiao got himself a cup of coffee from the machine, found an empty chair, and sat down, trying to calm his mind.
"Hey, the captain is back!" Beibei spun her chair to look at Yang Xiao and said with a grin, "Did you get rewarded for your contribution? If the director promises some perks, don’t forget about us."
"Yeah, yeah," Xi Menxiu perked up upon hearing about rewards.
"If there are perks, I won’t forget everyone, but the director summoned me to arrange some basic training," Yang Xiao responded casually, his mind somewhat troubled.
Beibei walked over and grabbed a big handful of Yu Shu’s chips, munching as she spoke, "Basic training is important. We all passed, only Xi Menxiu didn’t. With your talents, captain, you’ll definitely not have any problems."
"I didn’t fail, it’s just that the training arrangements were unreasonable!" Xi Menxiu retorted. "Huang Beibei, don’t slander me in front of the captain!"
Accompanied by some bickering, the office atmosphere became more lively, which also slightly dispersed the clouds in Yang Xiao’s heart. He remembered the matter with the files from that morning, "Beibei, you mentioned this morning that supernatural incidents are classified into six levels of threat, with the lowest being Harmless Level. What do you mean by that? Are there harmless supernatural incidents?"
"Of course." Beibei chuckled, then cast a mischievous glance at Xi Menxiu, "Some of the Angel Envoys’ Resentful Eyes are just that kind."
"She’s slandering me! She’s slandering me!" Xi Menxiu stood up to express his dissatisfaction. frёewebηovel.cѳm
"What do you mean, Xi Menxiu’s Resentful Eye is harmless?" Yang Xiao was a bit confused. He knew the team members were all Angel Envoys, but he was unclear on what their Resentful Eye Items were.
"Hehe, captain, is the coffee good?" Beibei grinned.
Yang Xiao was holding the coffee cup, having just taken a sip, "It’s... it’s not bad."
Beibei turned her head to shout towards the coffee machine, "Uncle Afu, everyone really likes your coffee, our new captain too. Thank you for your hard work!"
Yang Xiao: "???"
"Captain, this coffee machine is a Resentful Eye, it belongs to Xi Menxiu." In the end, it was Da Xiong who couldn’t stand it anymore and came forward smiling to explain. freewebnσvel.cѳm
Yang Xiao was stunned, looking at the slightly worn coffee machine, "This... this is a Resentful Eye? But, what use does it have?"
"It makes coffee. You don’t need to add any ingredients, nor does it need electricity to operate. Just press the button, and out comes fresh coffee, and it even tastes like freshly ground coffee!" Beibei sipped her own coffee, nodding in satisfaction.
"There are Resentful Eyes like this?" Yang Xiao was amazed.
"""Resentful Eyes are as varied as they come; there’s even a faucet Resentful Eye in Division 4 that automatically runs water whenever someone approaches, with no need for connected piping or anything. It’s helped them save a hefty sum on their water bill," said Da Xiong with a chuckle.
"Then...do these Resentful Eyes come with no side effects?" Yang Xiao remembered that overuse of Resentful Eyes could result in the arrival of ghost scripts sooner than expected, which was a dangerous risk.
Beibei shook her coffee cup, "There are, but they’re minimal."
At that, Yang Xiao’s gaze towards the coffee machine changed, thinking that if it were his, it would be a waste to keep it here. If he owned it, he would get a small cart and sell freshly ground coffee for 5 yuan a cup at the bottom of office buildings, even offering free refills, and make a killing compared to his competitors.
"Hmm... Captain, this thing isn’t as practical as you think, it has its limitations," Ximenxiu said hastily, sensing the naked greed in Yang Xiao’s eyes for the coffee machine: "There’s a limited number of coffees it can dispense per day, around 20 cups using our large cups. If Uncle Afu is in a good mood, maybe 25."
Yang Xiao’s acquisitive thoughts cooled, and he became curious. "This Uncle Afu you mentioned is..."
"He’s the ghost within this Resentful Eye item. We’ve figured out his background. He once ran a small coffee shop in an old neighborhood. The shop wasn’t big, just over 10 square meters, and regulars were mostly longtime residents and neighbors."
"In their youth, they’d cram into the cafe to chat. As they grew older and their children left their side, these elderly folks would meet at the tiny coffee shop, sometimes sitting there all day. Uncle Afu spent his whole life making coffee in that small place and it seems his lingering attachment in death is still coffee-making. Maybe this activity helps him remember his younger days and all those old friends," mused Da Xiong somberly.
"Resentful Eyes are formed from people’s fixations, but reasons for these fixations are diverse, not just extreme resentment or pain. Many come from good intentions, from irremediable regrets,"
Beibei’s smile faded as she spoke in a softer voice, "I’ve encountered a Resentful Eye item, a very ugly and old cotton-padded coat full of unsightly stitches, basically a half-finished piece, but it’s incredibly warm. Even in temperatures of negative 50 degrees, you won’t feel cold wearing it."
"An elderly woman from the countryside made it for her son who had been working away for many years and hadn’t come home. That year, a heavy snow fell, and her son called to say he might return for the New Year."
"The old lady was overjoyed but also worried about her son coping with the village’s cold, so she sewed this cotton-padded coat overnight. Unfortunately, before she could finish, her dilapidated house collapsed under the heavy snow in the middle of the night and she died by the kang bed, still holding onto the coat."
Beibei lacks the talent for storytelling and just narrated calmly. The story itself was touching enough, and Yang Xiao gained a new understanding of Resentful Eye items. "So, this coat is the old lady’s fixation. She hoped that her son, warm in the coat, would join her for a good New Year. She treated anyone wearing this coat as if they were her own child."
"That’s right. These Resentful Eyes aren’t malicious toward people, and they generally don’t have much of an impact, so they’re classified at the Harmless Level," Beibei said quietly.
Over the course of the morning, Yang Xiao learned much more about Resentful Eyes. After lunch, he returned to his office, by which time Beibei and the others had already finished work.
He took the Drama Robe from his backpack, spread it out on the desk, and examined it carefully. It was a real treasure, but unfortunately, he didn’t know how to use it.
There was also the moment he met Mr. Yan Zhen, when he felt enveloped by a strange power that compelled him to tell the truth.
That must have been one of the Resentful Eyes Director Nalan mentioned, affiliated with Mr. Yan Zhen. Yang Xiao noticed Mr. Yan Zhen’s Safe and Sound Talisman in his hand; it was probably that.
The ability of that Resentful Eye was certainly powerful, but what frightened Yang Xiao even more was another force resisting it, a ghostly hand that only appeared near his heart.
Yang Xiao had no doubt that if he tried to speak of the Big Red Blood Coffin, he would drop dead immediately, his heart crushed by that hand.
That ghostly hand must be connected to the Blood Coffin.
The current question was who the hand belonged to. Could it be the unnamed powerful entity that Mr. Yan Zhen spoke of, the original owner of the Drama Robe now before him?
Strange dreams, Blood Coffin, paper figurines, Drama Robe, and the missing Zhao, as well as the recent warning from Mr. Yan Zhen... As soon as he closed his eyes, these images kept surfacing in Yang Xiao’s mind, but the information he held was too sparse and fragmented to form a reliable conclusion.
Regardless, he should visit Su Tingting and check things out since they were the only two survivors from the last mission.
"Thud, thud, thud..."
Footsteps came from outside. Huang Qiang appeared at the door. "Captain Yang, Director Nalan said to get ready; the higher-ups have approved your involvement."
"Your involvement?" Yang Xiao was puzzled.
"Heh, heh, that means you and us," Beibei walked out from behind Huang Qiang with her hands in her pockets, followed by the husky Da Xiong.
"I could tell you had something on your mind," Beibei squinted, sporting a look that said, ’I’ve seen right through you, "We share the good times and tough times together, don’t we, Captain?"
