My House Doesn't Have a Basement

"Happy housewarming!" After Chen Yubo knocked on the door and shoved a money tree into Lu Feng's arms as a gift, he wandered into the kitchen for a lap, then skillfully grabbed some mandarin oranges and began snacking. He even snatched the remote from Lao Yao to switch channels, making himself right at home. "Huh? Am I really the first one here?" He marveled in surprise, "Who knew my driving skills had improved so much? Twenty-something kilometers used to take me forever!" "It's just that this place is so remote there's zero traffic, isn't there?" Ji Jue brutally punctured the illusion. Looking Chen Yubo up and down, he remarked with surprise, "You've gotten a lot tanner since I saw you last, though." "Sigh, I've been scavenging trash in Quancheng lately. Exposed to the wind and sun all day—it's a real pain." Chen Yubo shook his head with a wistful sigh. "There are too many reckless scavengers out there these days who don't care about their own lives. Collecting scrap gives me heart palpitations. Those old bastards from Chaocheng have zero professional ethics. My bodyguards are on the verge of quitting." "Hm?" Lu Feng instantly perked up, poking his head out, eyes sparkling. "Need security, boss?" "Sure, sure, but I'm afraid the staffing shortage is pretty big," Chen Yubo hesitated. "How many people are in your company? You might not be able to handle such a massive contract." "Twenty-one registered employees. But temporary workers? As many as you want." Lu Feng grinned broadly. "However many folks are in the Veterans Association, that's how many I can bring! Just give the word, and we'll show up on-site and start work the same day... We're all fucking acquaintances anyway. I'll give you twenty percent off market price, and give your rivals broken bones! Any kind of discount or fracture you want!" "For real?" "Guaranteed real, boss!" Lu Feng's smile was sweet as honey, showing none of his former attitude as the toe-picking, negative-review king of the auto shop. He pulled out his phone. "We can take a spin after dinner and you'll see. Let me tell you, there are some real thrilling toys in the garage..." "Whoa, you have this too?" "And this... as well as this..." "Wait, isn't civilian possession of this illegal?" "Veterans' collectibles! Decorative display items! How could that be illegal?!" Watching the two of them conspire right under his nose in record time, Ji Jue really didn't feel like saying anything. He sighed. *Whatever.* Boss Chen might bring a lot of trouble and lack self-awareness, but at least he paid readily—ridiculously readily. Besides, no matter how troublesome the job, it was better than installing security cameras in vegetable greenhouses every day. *As long as you guys are happy.* "Excuse me, is this the home of Master Ji—the rising artisan star who effortlessly took first place, snatched the top of the leaderboard, and pillar of the Embers?" When the knock came and Ji Jue opened the door, a group of familiar figures stood outside. The woman in the lead took off her sunglasses and offered him a cheerful grin. "It's been almost five minutes since I last heard about his glorious exploits in the group chat." "Spare me, Sister Wen. I only talked about it three times," Ji Jue said with a wry smile. "Yes, but the kid on our end repeated it over sixty times," Wen Wen replied, pointing to a grinning Xiao An. "Including the part where you 'grabbed hold and instantly refined it.' He was still repeating it to me on the way here." "Uh..." Left speechless, Ji Jue scooped up Xiao An and ruffled him into an affectionate mess. Without waiting for an invitation, everyone walked right in. Silly Tong even wanted to lead Xiao An in a treasure hunt to look for the good stuff "Brother Ji Jue" had stashed away. To prevent her from climbing onto Isis's dissection table, Ji Jue had to lay down the law with a stern warning and forcibly suppress the expedition. Lao Zhang was dressed in his usual undershirt and baggy shorts, carrying a plastic bag like any elderly man you'd spot on the streets of Yacheng. He sat down with a beaming smile, began brewing tea, and quietly enjoyed the drama. Ji Jue's eyelid twitched violently at the sight. *You're an adherent of the Vortex—how the hell do you love spectating drama even more than an Aether type?!* "Here's your gift. I spent a long time putting this surprise together." Wen Wen took a box from her pocket and shoved it into Ji Jue's arms. "Gotta bribe our future Association master and talent of the Embers early. Our Beishan District's equipment is counting on you!" "Easy, easy," Ji Jue said. Without standing on ceremony, he flipped the box open. And froze on the spot. There wasn't much inside the box. At most, it was just a fragment sealed within a Desolate Ruins crystal, resembling half a bone frozen in a block of ice. And it seemed... oddly familiar? Like he had seen it somewhere before... The instant it clicked, he snapped the box shut like lightning, filled with disbelief. "Holy shit—" Ji Jue broke into a cold sweat. "Sister Wen, are you serious?" "It's just scrap. No need to get so worked up," Wen Wen said, opening the fridge to look for beer and waving her hand nonchalantly. "It's useless to me anyway. Do whatever you want with it, just don't look down on it." Unlike the blank-slate novice he used to be, Ji Jue could now genuinely be considered a rising star in the artisan world. He wasn't blind... Such vast, surging ferocity and malevolence—even though it was a fragment smaller than a fist, it had nearly suffocated him. Worse yet, no matter how he looked at it, the thing bore an uncanny resemblance to what he had seen in the simulation... the Worm? "Ley-line dragon marrow?" A hand reached past the dazed Ji Jue, opened the box, picked the piece up, and scrutinized it closely. "After a dragon perishes, it merges into the earth and returns to the myriad phenomena. Occasionally, residues and regenerated minerals occur, but I never expected to see such a large piece of ley-line crystal. Pure, restrained, free of any corruption or flaw. Truly rare." Ye Xian remarked, "Miss Wen, this is an extraordinarily generous gift." "I can't use it anyway, so I might as well give it away," Wen Wen said, lifting her beer with an easygoing shrug. "As long as it's useful to him, that's what counts. If it's really that valuable, just treat me to drinks a few more times down the road. Just don't stand on ceremony with me. I can't stand people putting on airs." "...Thank you, Sister Wen." Ji Jue didn't hesitate. He took back the box and put it away. Debts of gratitude could never be fully repaid anyway; running up a bigger tab was standard practice. Besides, his study of the *Treatise on Xiang Swords* hadn't officially begun yet, and he happened to lack premium material for a blade blank. With this as a foundation, he might just forge an exceptional Pan Ying. Wen Wen smiled in satisfaction and said nothing more. "When did you arrive, Teacher?" "While you were spacing out. Ms. Lu let me in." Ye Xian nodded toward Mother Lu, who was peering out from the kitchen. Mother Lu chuckled warmly. She had heard about Ji Jue's teacher for a long time, but had never expected her to be so gentle and composed. And the girl she had brought along looked delicate, elegant, and intelligent—hardly resembling a freeloader at all. *That boy talks nonsense all day long.* Except... "Xiao Ling," Mother Lu whispered in the kitchen, stealthily eyeing the guests in the living room. "The girls out there all seem pretty close with Xiao Ji..." Lu Ling paused, then sighed in exasperation. "Oh, Mom, it's totally normal for guys and girls to be friends these days. Stop overthinking it." "Am I thinking about them?" Mother Lu shot an annoyed glare at the little tagalong who had trailed behind her second brother since childhood. *Treating good intentions like garbage! Fine, I'll braise a bowl of pig brains to blow off steam!* *And supplement this silly girl's brain while I'm at it.* *Smiling? You've already lost at the starting line, and you're still sitting there smiling foolishly!* *When your second brother is holding hands and being all lovey-dovey with big sisters and young ladies in the future, you'll be the one biting your handkerchief and crying!* Ji Jue had thought having so many people together might be a little awkward, but he realized they seemed even more familiar with each other than he was with them; there was no need for formalities at all. The place hadn't been this lively since he had begun fixing it up. Especially after Ye Chun and Tong Hua started roping Third Sister into drawing turtles with them... It wasn't until dinner was almost ready that the door knocked once again. A face somewhat pale from excessive overtime appeared outside. "Sorry I'm late." Tong Shan handed over his gift—a hanging scroll painted by his grandfather. "The Bureau's had a lot going on lately. Always working overtime." "Ummm..." Ji Jue turned his head to look at the Beishan Section crew already drinking like fish around the table. The Beishan Section members looked back with expressions of pure innocence, smiling blamelessly. "..." The Vegetable's face twitched, betraying an unmistakable heaviness and exhaustion. "And that's one of the reasons I'm working overtime." Because aside from himself, everyone else was slacking off like mad! Ji Jue patted his shoulder in admiration, once again appreciating the true worth of the Security Bureau's weightlifting champion! *Without you, the Yacheng Security Bureau would definitely collapse...* When off the clock, Tong the Vegetable was still a decent guy. It was after hours, so he naturally wouldn't say something like: *What a coincidence that we're all here. How about coming back with me after dinner to do some overtime together...?* Or maybe he had wanted to say it, but the Beishan Section immediately took preemptive action by pouring alcohol down his throat. Anything to muzzle their boss before he could speak such nonsense. His silly sister was especially enthusiastic about stirring up trouble, even slamming the table and accusing him of raising fish in his glass! Whenever Tong Shan glared at her, she would shrink back beside Wen Wen, putting on a weak, helpless, and pitiful act. And then smugly stick her tongue out at him. "To be honest, I happen to have a dog-beating staff that Brother Feng just finished making. It's perfect for disciplining younger siblings," Ji Jue suggested conspiratorially. "Brother Shan, I'm not one to stir up trouble, but if I were you, I'd..." "No need, I have something new." Tong Shan cast a meaningful glance at his foolish sister and patted the sword-shaped pendant at his waist. "I'll beat her the moment we get home tonight." Tong Hua linked arms with Ye Chun, looking triumphant. "I'm not going home tonight!" "Doesn't matter. I can beat you at work tomorrow just the same," Tong Shan said with supreme calm. "I'm teaching the Bureau's self-defense course this month." "Since when do we have a self-defense course?!" "If I say there is one, there is one." Tong Shan picked up his beer, tilted his head back, downed it in one gulp, and smiled. "You seem to have forgotten that I'm the acting director." "Tong the Vegetable, you're going to regret this!" ... A rare, boisterous dinner came to an end. Some were happy, some were miserable, and others had stoked the flames just to watch the show. After declining Ji Jue's offer to see her off, Ye Xian stood and took her leave. She left behind Ye Chun, who had dropped all pretenses and was thoroughly letting loose to keep playing. Her workshop was only a few hundred meters down the road anyway, so there was no need to keep up appearances. Besides, with Ye Xian around, the youngsters probably couldn't fully let their hair down and celebrate. As for the workshop Ji Jue had wanted to show her—honestly, for the sake of her blood pressure and state of mind, she didn't want to look too closely. Her expectations weren't high anyway: as long as Ji Jue didn't screw up and blow himself into the sky, it was fine. After Mother Lu and the rest left with the yawning, sleepy Lao San and Lao Yao, the designated driver Chen Yubo had hired finally finished psyching himself up and nervously drove off in the sports car. As for the remaining Celestial Chosen, their drinking spirits still running high, they began shaking dice and challenging each other to drinking games, dragging even Tong Shan along. By the time Ji Jue turned back, every last one of them was halfway to plastered. That was when Ji Jue finally spotted a blind spot. He suddenly jerked alert. "Wait..." He looked at the thermos next to Ye Chun's hand—the one Teacher had left for her—and finally realized something was missing. "Where did Guigong go?" "Huh?" Ye Chun looked down sluggishly, only now noticing. Xiao Jiu, the metallic bird playing explorer in the new home, poked its head down from the ceiling. "I saw earlier! After Big Brother went outside, Uncle Guigong went rumbling and rolling right over that way!" As it spoke, it lifted a wing and pointed toward the basement. "Ugh..." Ji Jue's expression twitched as an ominous premonition washed over him. He couldn't sit still. Suddenly, *pew*—the puzzle ball flashed out of thin air and dropped onto the drinking table. Its spherical body, once jade-white, was covered in scorch marks and traces of mercury. "Holy shit!" Guigong gasped in utter shock. "Bro, that woman in your basement is terrifying!" "..." In an instant, the clamor died, replaced by dead silence. In the unspeakable quiet around the drinking table, one meaningful gaze after another turned slowly toward Ji Jue.