The recruitment department is busy every year. They have to initially select various “supernaturally gifted” demons and spirits. After passing the initial selection, a manual review is required, which takes a lot of time, ranging from two weeks to three or four months. However, this year is an exception. Qu Ya thinks this year might break the record for the shortest manual review time. In less than an hour, this was already the hundredth intern to pass the initial selection. Yet, none of the first hundred interns passed Team Leader Sheng’s rigorous assessment. Sheng Feng sat at the interviewer’s position, listlessly propping his head with his hand, and said to the intern in front of him, who was as thin as a withered cucumber, “What can you do? I remember your application said water escape is your specialty. Show us.” The staff pointed to a transparent glass water tank nearby. The intern stepped into the water, his face turning red as he pulled out a crumpled talisman paper, reciting like a textbook, “Xuan… Xuanhuang Five Lords… Dao… Dao… Daoist magic of heaven and earth, escape!” One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Nothing happened. As for invisibility, it was completely absent, making the scene extremely awkward. Qu Ya silently covered her face, feeling embarrassed. Sheng Feng didn’t even lift his head, “Next!” Then he marked a big cross in the 100th column. Qu Ya wiped the sweat off her face with a handkerchief and suggested, “Why don’t we take a break, Team Leader Sheng?” If they keep screening like this, none of these thousand people will get into National Security this year! That’s their performance! Without it, Minister Cui will scold them to death. Sheng Feng’s vision was indeed a bit tired. These people were either half-baked or had learned some tricks from who knows where. None could withstand scrutiny. Did they really think National Security was so easy to fool? He suppressed a cough in his throat and took a sip of water, “Alright, let’s take a break.” Qu Ya breathed a sigh of relief and quickly instructed Xiao Jia to pour water. Xiao Jia was a quick learner, adept at reading the room. The water he boiled was cooled, just the right temperature to drink. Shen Yan, taking advantage of being a wandering soul, barged around the recruitment department full of ordinary people. Many office doors were pushed open by him, and after peeking inside, if he didn’t see Sheng Feng, he would move on to the next. Sheng Feng leaned back in his chair, drinking water leisurely, his gaze unconsciously fixed on the jade hanging around Qu Ya’s neck. He casually asked, “Do you believe in Buddhism?” Qu Ya waved her hand, “I don’t believe. My father does. Compared to spiritual pillars like gods and Buddhas, I prefer small items like jade and gemstones. This pendant is something I found. How is it? Genuine A-grade, not bad, right?” Just as she finished speaking, the door was forcefully pushed open from outside with a loud “bang,” but no one came in. Qu Ya was so startled she almost jumped out of her chair. Although Sheng Feng wasn’t scared, his attention was drawn. Seeing nothing behind the door, he couldn’t help but frown. Xiao Jia, who was pouring water, laughed, “It must have been blown open by the wind, right?” Saying this, he ran forward to gently close the door again. Sheng Feng’s expression was complex. The recruitment department was an interior corridor; where could such a strong wind come from? Little did they know, Shen Yan, now a wandering soul, had been standing in front of him for several minutes since he rushed in, yet Sheng Feng’s gaze never intersected with his. He really couldn’t see him anymore. So close, yet it felt like a chasm of a thousand years lay between them. Shen Yan’s usually calm heart felt a bit sour. He murmured to himself, as if speaking to Sheng Feng, “I was only gone for a few days, how come you really can’t see me anymore…” Sheng Feng shifted his gaze back, carefully examining the jade pendant Qu Ya was wearing. He didn’t understand the jade from the Xiyi Realm, but he could tell something about this ordinary jade. This jade looked fine, but its quality wasn’t great. The junction of the milky white and sky blue on the Buddha figure even had small fractures. Such jade, at most, could be considered B-grade on the market, definitely not A-grade. Qu Ya didn’t seem to have much experience with these things. Sheng Feng didn’t want to discourage her, so he smiled, “The jade is beautiful, and it looks like it has good quality. But I don’t know as much as you do about these things, so I can’t say much.” Shen Yan heard Sheng Feng say this and glanced at the jade on the woman opposite with dim eyes, too dispirited to even retort. He continued looking at Sheng Feng, “That’s just a worthless stone. You’re so considerate of others, but who will be considerate of you?” Qu Ya seemed very pleased with Sheng Feng’s words. She said, “After I bought it, I thought it was plain. My dad usually carves small things, so he drew a design for me to carve a Buddha figure. He believes in those spiritual things and even took it back home to worship for a while, saying it could invite divine protection. Isn’t that a bit silly?” Sheng Feng coughed a few times, “Your father probably wanted to carve a Buddha figure for you to wear for safety. It’s a special kind of comfort. You’re a girl working alone outside; parents inevitably worry. This way, they can feel more at ease.” Qu Ya touched the jade, unconcerned, “I purely like this jade, that’s why I wear it. Who says working outside always makes parents worry? Team Leader Sheng, you’re so good-looking, your parents must be afraid you’ll be charmed away by a fox spirit!” Shen Yan noticed the slight stiffness in Sheng Feng’s smile for half a second, and the slight twitch in his hand holding the paper cup. He had never paid such close attention to Sheng Feng’s small movements before. Although it was just a blink, Shen Yan knew he had sensed something. The two chatted happily. Sheng Feng planned to slowly screen the remaining interns over the next three days, so by noon, he went to get a boxed lunch and ate it alone in the office prepared by Minister Cui. Eating alone at the large desk, Sheng Feng couldn’t feel happy. He hadn’t eaten alone like this in a long time. There were no more of Wu Wenyan’s stories in his ears, no more bustling tea-serving in front of him. And no more… Shen Yan. Sheng Feng shook his head vigorously, as if trying to shake the ghost imprinted in his mind out. He coughed occasionally, then drank a few sips of cold water to suppress it. Shen Yan lay on the table in front of Sheng Feng, pulling up a faint smile, saying the words he almost said every noon, “Team Leader Sheng, have pity on me, make me a bowl of instant noodles. Your instant noodles… are the best.” Unfortunately, Sheng Feng wouldn’t answer him. The meal was quickly finished. Sheng Feng closed the lid of the plastic lunch box and threw it into the trash can. However, there was still an entire afternoon of selection ahead. Sheng Feng’s eyelids felt heavy, so he locked the door, planning to take a nap on the office sofa. The window was wide open, and the cool breeze poured into the room. Shen Yan instinctively walked forward to close the window. At the empty window sill, the window gently closed by itself, and this eerie scene happened to catch Sheng Feng’s attention. Was there a ghost around him? Shen Yan turned his head and saw Sheng Feng staring warily in his direction. He froze, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. Right! He couldn’t see him now. Would this scare him?! However, after staring for a while, Sheng Feng calmly closed his eyes and said to the air, “Thank you.” Shen Yan breathed a sigh of relief. He silently floated to Sheng Feng’s side, seemingly making a decision, “Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to cure your eyes.” With that, he turned into a wisp of black smoke and disappeared into the air. … After lunch, Qu Ya and her colleagues were discussing going downstairs to buy a fragrant milk tea to reward themselves. She turned and saw a fortune teller sitting at the street corner. He had a tattered red paper spread in front of him, with the words “Fortune-telling and bone reading, free if inaccurate.” Qu Ya, used to seeing all kinds of fortune tellers, chuckled lightly and walked straight to the milk tea shop at the corner, ordering a milk tea. “Miss, would you like a fortune reading?” The fortune teller’s weathered voice reached Qu Ya’s ears. Qu Ya ignored him. She never believed street fortune-telling could reveal anything significant, so she continued watching videos on her phone. The fortune teller clicked his tongue, “Miss, are you sure you don’t want a reading? I see a dark aura surrounding you, there might be a great calamity soon!” Anyone would feel uneasy if pointed out on the street and told they had a dark aura and a looming calamity. Qu Ya was no exception. Qu Ya: “Are you crazy? I don’t believe in this stuff. Keep your calamity to yourself, it’s bad luck!” With that, she took the milk tea handed by the clerk and walked back towards National Security, thinking she must touch wood to ward off bad luck after encountering such a lunatic. Just as she arrived at National Security, her colleague Li Yanran ran over, hugging Qu Ya’s arm and acting coy, “Are we going to the nightclub tonight? I’ve invited some super handsome guys!” Qu Ya liked handsome guys and even more liked flirting with them. Hearing there were people invited, she agreed without hesitation, “Sure! Shall we go after work?” Li Yanran nodded enthusiastically, her smile brighter than flowers. Xiao Jia overheard their conversation and ran over to remind them, “Sis, you should be careful and not stay out too late. Haven’t you seen the reports? The police are investigating a missing persons case, and the perpetrator hasn’t been found yet. You girls should go home early at night.” Qu Ya scoffed, “Xiao Jia, when did you become so naggy? Our city is so big, what’s the chance of running into the criminal from the missing persons case? Besides, the police just issued a warrant to search for all suspicious people. Would he dare to continue committing crimes in the city? Don’t be silly.” With that, she hooked her arm around Li Yanran’s neck, and the two went to the office to discuss the handsome guys at the nightclub tonight.