The bustling market gradually packed up their dining tools, pushing wooden carts and laboriously heading home.

A ghost who had been dead for decades pushed a cart, wearing a thick coat made of cotton, and said to his wife and children behind him, “Hurry, hurry, let’s go home. If the snowstorm gets worse, we won’t make it back!”

The Xiyi Realm has a unique climate, with only winter and summer, no spring or autumn. As the human world enters autumn, the Xiyi Realm begins to snow heavily, covering the ground in white.

In the pitch-black forbidden area of the Xiyi Realm, a flicker of flame danced in front of three hundred rows of bookshelves, each nearly five people tall. This was the forbidden area of the Xiyi Realm, unvisited for millennia, housing millions of books.

Shen Yan never liked reading, never at all.

He carried a lamp, draped in a gray cloak, moving through the vast space. The firelight illuminated only his small world as he flipped through a book, hoping to find a way to restore Sheng Feng’s eyesight.

Suddenly, Shen Yan’s ears twitched. Without hesitation, he blew out the lamp, plunging into darkness. Yet, he remained calm, pressing against the bookshelf behind him, hidden in the shadows.

Thud.

It seemed someone rolled on the wooden floor, followed by the rustling sound of footsteps, light as if afraid of disturbing the white wolf dogs and guards outside.

Shen Yan listened quietly. The sound moved towards the bookshelf behind him, and without hesitation, took out a bamboo scroll. The crisp sound of bamboo clashing was clear.

The white wolf dogs resting outside instantly perked up their ears, baring their sharp teeth and roaring deafeningly towards the room. The guards lit the lamps, rushing into the library.

In an instant, the room was brightly lit.

The masked thief was very close to Shen Yan, reacting quickly, stepping forward to jump out the window. However, Shen Yan was even faster, blocking his path.

Seeing the bamboo scroll in the thief’s hand, Shen Yan smiled, “Su Jingran is bold indeed, openly sending people to my Xiyi Realm’s forbidden area. Does he really think there’s no one in Xiyi Realm?”

Before he finished speaking, several silver needles flew from his sleeve, hitting several acupoints on the thief’s body. The thief wanted to bite the poison in his mouth to commit suicide, but his acupoints were forcibly sealed, unable to move his mouth.

The guards hurriedly stepped forward to salute, “Your Highness…”

Shen Yan waved his hand, stopping them. He walked slowly towards the masked thief, his face calm, his cold gaze looking down on all. He said, “Take him away. Let Qiu Yishan interrogate him personally. He knows what to do.”

The guards respectfully saluted, covering the thief’s head with a sack, roughly stuffing him into an iron cage used for livestock, and carried him out of the forbidden area.

Shen Yan bent down to pick up the fallen bamboo scroll, dusting off the dirt. The words “Yuehua Record” were engraved on it, and Shen Yan frowned, filled with great doubt.

Since ancient times, humans have three souls and seven spirits. The Yuehua Record documented the third generation Ghost King’s act of taking a spirit to alter memories, a behavior despised by the ghosts of the Xiyi Realm, hence it was permanently sealed in the forbidden area.

Why would Su Jingran send someone to steal such a useless book? Does he also want to imitate his ancestors, wantonly altering the memories of the Nugu Realm people for his own use? With his power, controlling the Nugu Realm shouldn’t require such unnecessary actions.

Shen Yan murmured, “Things are getting more interesting. Su Jingran, what exactly do you know…”

…

The National Security Group 7’s recruitment department has a very regular closing time, releasing all staff at five o’clock sharp, with no overtime, no instant noodles, and no complaints.

Sheng Feng drove back to Huang Rongxin’s house, feeling relaxed. Huang Rongxin had even given him a separate set of keys for convenience.

As soon as he entered, Sheng Feng smelled the warm aroma of food. Changing into slippers, he walked into the hallway to see Huang Rongxin arrogantly sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed. He boasted, “I had your shimu (master’s wife) buy ribs especially for you, to nourish your body. How’s the recruitment department treating you?”

Sheng Feng looked at his shimu, Lin Shuang, busy in the kitchen, sipping tea as he asked, “Why are you sitting here instead of helping in the kitchen? Aren’t you afraid shimu will scold you?”

Huang Rongxin glared, “She dares?! I’m the head of the household, how can she order me around?!”

Lin Shuang shouted from the kitchen, “Huang! I asked you to wash a few vegetables, and you couldn’t even do that right! Get back here and wash them again!”

Huang Rongxin’s image as the head of the household instantly collapsed. He hurried into the kitchen, leaving his tea behind, “Coming… coming! I washed them clean…”

Sheng Feng was used to this. Back then, his shimu Lin Shuang was a prominent figure in the National Security’s identification department, never lacking suitors. Huang Rongxin had to persist for three years to win her heart. They later had a daughter who got into a good university.

A happy family, blessed and harmonious.

Listening to Lin Shuang’s chatter in the kitchen, the soft light illuminated the entire living room. The news played on the TV, and even though Sheng Feng had lived for thirty years, he rarely experienced such warmth.

Sipping the steaming tea, Sheng Feng felt out of place with this domestic bliss, or perhaps, a bit redundant.

Lin Shuang finished cooking at some point, came over, and patted Sheng Feng’s shoulder, “Xiao Feng, go wash your hands and eat.”

Sheng Feng agreed, noticing Lin Shuang still wearing an apron. Her face had more wrinkles, her figure a bit plump, yet it couldn’t hide the charm that once captivated countless young men.

Huang Rongxin picked up his chopsticks to eat, but Lin Shuang glared at him, so he had to wait for Sheng Feng to wash his hands and sit down.

Lin Shuang invited Sheng Feng to sit across from them, enthusiastically serving him food, “Xiao Feng, how’s your health now? No major issues, right?”

Sheng Feng smiled, “I’m fine, thanks to shimu’s chicken soup.”

Huang Rongxin pouted, “You brat, I was the one who brought you the chicken soup, why don’t you thank me?”

Lin Shuang: “What are you saying? Xiao Feng thanked me, why are you jumping? Aren’t we a family? Thanking me is like thanking you.”

Huang Rongxin: “Alright, alright, my mistake, let’s eat.”

Sheng Feng found this scene amusing, eating bite by bite.

Huang Rongxin suddenly turned serious, “Brat, I haven’t asked you yet, why did you suddenly send me a twin lotus totem? That kind of totem is hard to find these days.”

Sheng Feng’s chopsticks paused. Perhaps due to his recent detachment from Group 7, his thoughts had become scattered, and this matter had gradually slipped his mind.

Sheng Feng carefully chose his words, “It’s nothing, just something left by the female ghost from the Yunhai case who was bewitched. I found the totem interesting, so I sent it to Shifu to take a look.”

Huang Rongxin knew Sheng Feng was being evasive about this matter, but he didn’t bother to ask, casually replying, “Items with that totem are almost impossible to find on the market now. Such a precious thing should be well preserved.”

Sheng Feng agreed, then silently drank his porridge.

Under the sparse moonlight, a dilapidated van sped along the wide overpass. Below, the river surged endlessly. Suddenly, the van swayed violently, brake marks spreading with sparks, and the vehicle crazily veered towards the sidewalk.

The massive impact broke the concrete barrier, bending the outer iron rods, and the van plunged straight into the rushing river, the deafening sound startling couples strolling on the riverside plaza…

Sheng Feng still kept the jade pendant under his pillow. It truly was an evil-warding jade, allowing him to sleep soundly until morning, feeling refreshed and invigorated.

In the morning, he drove to work as usual. Upon entering the recruitment department, he noticed many people whispering about something. Xiao Jia anxiously ran over to deliver a list to Sheng Feng.

Sheng Feng curiously asked, “Why are you the only one here today? Where’s Miss Qu?”

Xiao Jia scratched his head, “Sister Qu went to a nightclub with Li Yanran last night. On their way home, they were abducted by several fugitive criminals, and the car fell into the Fan River. They were only fished out this morning.”

Sheng Feng hadn’t expected such a big incident overnight. He quickly asked, “Were they rescued?”

Xiao Jia said, “When I went this morning, Li Yanran was still in the emergency room, but Sister Qu was fine. Those criminals haven’t been found yet, probably drowned in the river.”

Sheng Feng relaxed a bit, “Miss Qu is really lucky, falling into the Fan River, which looks calm on the surface but has strong undercurrents, and still coming out unscathed. Let’s finish today’s tasks and visit her in the hospital.”

Xiao Jia nodded in agreement. He was close to Qu Ya, and when he first joined the recruitment department, it was thanks to her introduction that he received praise from the leaders. Now that Qu Ya was in trouble, with her parents not around, he volunteered to help at the hospital.

Sheng Feng remained in the interviewer’s seat, rubbing the blood jade. If not for its nearly tragic blood-red color, the fine, cool texture of the top-grade jade made him feel extremely comfortable.

With Qu Ya absent, Sheng Feng was left alone in the lounge, feeling bored.

Suddenly, he felt a chill in the air, and the pen on the table stood up by itself.

This scene startled Sheng Feng. He quickly pushed his swivel chair away from the table, warily watching the upright pen.

The pen wrote on a piece of white paper: “Team Leader Sheng, don’t be afraid, it’s Xie.”

Sheng Feng exhaled, “Seventh Lord, you scared me. Is there something you need?”

Xie Bi’an wrote, “I have consulted the ancient texts and found the reason for Team Leader Sheng’s yin-yang eyes failing. It should be due to the lingering miasma from the Corpse-Wrapping Array.”

Sheng Feng’s eyes lit up, “Is there a way to restore them?”

Xie Bi’an slowly wrote, “Of course. A benefactor, who wishes to remain anonymous, has found the remedy. I’ve given the medicine to Leader Huang. Apply it three times a day, and you’ll recover in a few days.”

Sheng Feng rolled his eyes internally. An “anonymous benefactor,” as if he didn’t know who it was.

Sheng Feng smiled, “I remember, Xuanlu isn’t dew, but a precious herb. It grows on the cliffs of the Xiyi Realm, and the morning dew on its leaves is the essence for healing. There aren’t many who can obtain Xuanlu.”

Seeing Xie Bi’an not writing further,

Sheng Feng continued, “I have some other questions for Seventh Lord. May I ask?”

Xie Bi’an wrote, “Feel free to ask.”

Sheng Feng: “Hei Wuchang and Bai Wuchang have traversed the human world and the Underworld for millennia, guiding countless souls. You must have seen many of their life reviews.”

Xie Bi’an slowly wrote, “As envoys of the Underworld, we handle the life reviews of souls to determine their reincarnation. Does Team Leader Sheng have any questions about this?”

Sheng Feng looked towards the coldest area, “Then Seventh Lord must have seen Shen Yan’s past life too?”

Xie Bi’an’s gaze at Sheng Feng grew more complex.