Chapter 93: Your Challenge, I Accept
The black-dressed woman’s beautiful eyes, framed by gold wire half-frames, softened as she walked towards Xia Feng, her high heels clicking with each step. The surroundings were filled with the clamor of voices and a constant flow of people. Yet, under her focused gaze, Xia Feng felt as if only the clear sound of high heels existed in the world, his heart inexplicably tightening. *Click.*
The woman stopped right in front of him, almost pressing against his chest. Due to her black crystal high heels, Mu Qingtong was nearly as tall as him. She leaned down slightly, her red lips close to his ear. A warm breath tickled his ear, making him raise an eyebrow. His confident and flamboyant expression remained unchanged as the World-Ending Witch’s calm, light laugh echoed by his ear: “Mr. Xia, I accept your challenge! You’d better wait and see~”
After speaking, she straightened up, her beautiful eyes gazing down at Xia Feng from close proximity. She paused for a moment, then turned and left.
Xia Feng remained silent for two seconds, then rolled his eyes. No information about enhanced strength or learned spirit robes flashed in his mind. He pouted and quickly chased after her. “Wait and see? What a joke! If you’ve got the guts, fight me right now!”
Mu Qingtong glanced at him indifferently. “I have other matters to attend to.”
“Oh, really! Miss Mu, you’re not scared, are you?” Xia Feng exclaimed with a click of his tongue.
Just then, a woman in a professional pencil skirt walked up to them, handed them a document bag, and smiled politely. “Miss Mu, your employment procedures are complete. Here are your agent ID and onboarding documents. Please check them.”
“Thank you.” Mu Qingtong nodded softly and took the documents.
Xia Feng was stunned. He clearly saw the words on Mu Qingtong’s agent ID:
[Imperial Holy Department Agent ID]
[Name: Mu Qingtong]
[Affiliation: Seventh Squad, District 51]
[Position: Clerk]
“Mr. Xia, this is yours.” The woman handed him a document bag and an agent ID as well.
Xia Feng took it.
[Imperial Holy Department Agent ID]
[Name: Xia Feng]
[Affiliation: Eighth Squad, District 51]
[Position: Honorary Vice-Captain]
“Honorary… Vice-Captain?” Xia Feng was surprised. Did the Holy Department have such a job title?
The woman smiled. “Mr. Xia, honorary vice-captains do not need to come to work or obey the captain’s orders. You will only be required to respond to emergency orders when District 51 encounters A-class or higher extraordinary events. Your monthly salary is 18,000, and you will enjoy the special allowances, insurance, and death benefits that the Empire provides for soldiers, with benefits equivalent to a vice-captain.”
Good heavens, Xia Feng thought with surprise. The Xuanwu Bureau Chief was quite true to his word, giving him a job where he could earn money while lying down.
The woman explained a few more things, bowed, and turned to leave.
Xia Feng looked at Mu Qingtong doubtfully and transmitted a message. “Why did you join the Holy Department too? Not hiding your strength anymore?”
Mu Qingtong shook her head. “If I could roam the Evil Dragon Forest with you for so long, my spirit pressure must be at least that of a First-stage Spirit Master. I can’t hide it at all.”
“Oh, right, I guess so…”
“I told Chen Xingdao that I was lucky enough to find a Spirit Treasure Fruit in the Evil Dragon Forest, and since you didn’t need it, you let me eat it. After eating it, my spirit pressure directly reached its peak, promoting me to First-stage. If anyone asks, please don’t tell them the wrong thing for me.”
Spirit Treasure Fruit? Does she think Spirit Treasure Fruits grow on trees? To just find one like that?! Xia Feng felt speechless, but he raised an eyebrow. “So, are you asking me for a favor?”
Mu Qingtong smiled slightly. “Mr. Xia, you’d better not speak carelessly, otherwise, we’ll all have to reveal our Second-stage strength together~”
*Sigh.* Since he couldn’t threaten Mu Qingtong, Xia Feng had no choice but to let it go. “Then what does a clerk do?”
“Record, analyze, and guide battlefield information.”
“Guide… the battlefield? You?” Xia Feng’s gaze was full of doubt.
The two had arrived in a large hall at this point. Li Sheng heard their discussion and stood up, smiling. “Vice-Captain Xia, don’t underestimate Clerk Mu. Although her combat ability is lacking, she possesses extremely rich knowledge in Spirit Science and extraordinary theories. She even has insightful opinions on efficient spirit robe combinations. For our Holy Department, she is an invaluable talent.”
Xia Feng finally understood. Mu Qingtong’s current persona was: I’m not good at combat, but my theories are amazing. Then, after participating in the battle to encircle an Earl, she joined the Holy Department. Thinking of this, Xia Feng looked at Mu Qingtong suspiciously, feeling that this witch had ulterior motives.
“Brother Sheng, the Bureau Chief wants you to organize the information on the [Red Spade] organization and send it to him,” a youth said, approaching Li Sheng.
“I know, I know. Damn it, that Red Spade person appeared on Blood Calamity Street again yesterday. I wonder what they are up to,” Li Sheng grumbled, quickly rummaging through a drawer. He took out a file bag and waved at the two of them.
“Feel free to look around. I need to handle some work first.”
The middle-aged man went to the office area and began urging more than ten clerks to compile the information on [Red Spade] and hand it to him. Xia Feng and Mu Qingtong looked at their busy colleagues, then slowly turned their heads and exchanged glances.
“Miss Mu, I think it’s not wise to stay here for long. What do you think?”
“Let’s go.”
* * *
While Mu Qingtong went to attend some clerk training, Xia Feng found Old Wei. The Earl was furious at Wei Shutong’s betrayal and did not kill him immediately but tortured him using every conceivable method. Fortunately, everyone arrived in time; any later, and Wei Shutong might have truly died in despair. Although Wei Shutong was saved from life-threatening danger, he remained in a coma.
Xia Feng sat by the hospital bed, hands in his pockets, in silence for a long time. In his pocket was the USB drive Wei Shutong had given him, and he had no idea what its use was. Wei Shutong had given him a stack of photos and a USB drive. The photos were for the Xuanwu Bureau Chief, but he asked Xia Feng to keep the USB drive safe, indicating that the contents were more important and could not even be trusted by the Xuanwu Bureau Chief. Xia Feng had not opened it to look.
For the next five days, Mu Qingtong went to participate in that Spirit Song Competition. Xia Feng’s repeated provocations went unanswered, leaving him helpless and inexplicably bored. Mu Qingtong was definitely up to something! And the Spirit Song Competition was definitely fishy! However, Mu Qingtong finally seemed provoked by his taunts and declared that next Thursday would be his ‘death day’! She would find a private chamber where they wouldn’t be disturbed, and he would understand who was truly ‘above’!
Today was Sunday, meaning there were four days left. Xia Feng looked forward to it. Feeling temporarily empty and lonely, he decided to thoroughly ‘discipline’ the Princess Consort. He taught her common sense for living in human society, such as sticking out half her tongue when apologizing to show sincerity. In between these ‘training sessions,’ he visited Old Wei’s bedside every night, chatting with him, but Wei Shutong still hadn’t woken up.
[Player 11, please note]
[The third round, Evolution Stage, is about to begin]
[Teleportation Countdown: 3 minutes]
