The Old, the Weak, the Sick, and the Crippled

"…" On the adjacent sofa, the shriveled, short-haired old man in an undershirt and baggy shorts shook his head upon hearing her words. Just as he was about to advise her not to terrify their guest, his brow furrowed. His nostrils twitched, sniffing intently. "Mind your manners when he gets here, Little Tong," Old Man Zhang cautioned earnestly. "Don't go throwing your abilities around peeping at people the second you meet them." "Aiya, relax, relax! I have the highest professional ethics!" Tong Hua patted her chest without a second thought, full of sincerity… but in truth, anyone who actually knew her would be a fool to believe a word. Lao Zhang sighed and shook his head slightly, lifting his teapot. As the saying went, good words could not dissuade a doomed little brat. The girl was still young; she had to suffer a few more setbacks before she'd learn how the world worked. He resumed rotating the two smooth, lustrous iron walnuts in his hand and said no more. Until the elevator slowly ascended. Xiao An's voice could be heard faintly. "Here he comes, here he comes!" Tong Hua's eyes lit up as she activated the Great Detective's exclusive ability—the Eye of Aether. Rubbing her small hands together, she focused her gaze. "Lemme see—" Then, in that very instant, she froze on the spot. Not a sound could escape her throat. It was as if, in a split second, she had plunged straight into hell. Under the observation of the Eye of Aether, all light dimmed to nothingness. Physical matter seemed to lose its color without warning, reduced to motley decay. Even the sunlight pouring through the window felt devoid of warmth. Like falling into a pit of ice! A terrifying tide of blood roared violently in her ears, accompanied by countless agonizing shrieks and wails. Nothing was clear anymore. The world blurred, and the only thing visible was the slow opening of the elevator doors, from which thick, viscous blood quietly snaked out, spreading, rising, rushing, and erupting like a geyser until it completely submerged her. "W-Wait—" Tong Hua's expression stiffened. Her face steadily drained of color. Was something wrong? How did it seem like… She had accidentally caught sight of something she was never supposed to see. Within the surging tide of scarlet, a vague silhouette slowly emerged from the darkness, looking around. That indescribable, ever-shifting shadow crept forward, inch by inch, closing in on her. Bit by bit. Her smile could no longer hold. Spasming, it gradually twisted into pure horror. The routine she had rehearsed to perfection vanished completely from her mind in the face of this sudden terror, leaving only a single thought: *H-Hey... can we make peace?* Countless distorted faces surfaced from the blood, seemingly melting, overlapping, and merging with one another. Writhing tentacles slowly extended from them, skimming gently before her eyes and brushing against her cheeks, as though detecting something. Then, hollow eyes emerged one after another from the scarlet expanse, looking down upon her. Innumerable melted, twisted faces bared their teeth, drawing close and parting amid wails to hiss a venomous curse at her. A curse destined to be etched forever into her memory and soul! "▇▇—" "Eek! W-Wen... Sister Wen, save me!" Tong Hua scrambled back in terror, completely unable to hold back a shriek. "Help! Help meeeeeee!" "What the hell..." Ji Jue stumbled backward two paces, completely dumbfounded. The moment he stepped out of the elevator, he was met with a deathly pale face staring fixedly at him. It had given him quite a fright—he thought an avenging female ghost had come for his life. Yet, after finally working up the courage to say hello and reaching out to shake hands... why had she turned tail and bolted as if she were even more terrified than him? Wasn't he the one who was supposed to scream?! Wait, was he getting hazed by the office before he'd even formally started?! Seeing that Xiao An seemed thoroughly accustomed to this, Ji Jue wasn't entirely sure what was going on. He poked his head out hesitatingly, looking toward the old man calmly rolling walnuts on the sofa. "Excuse me, is this the Security Bureau's Beishan District Offi—" "Yes, that's right." Lao Zhang rolled the walnuts, nodding with a genial chuckle, and waved warmly. "You must be Xiao Ji, right? My, it's been a long time since we had a guest! Welcome, welcome, have a seat! "Care for some melon seeds? Have some fruit too!" With that, a fruit platter, melon seeds, peanuts, gummy candies, chocolates, and an assortment of snacks were brought out from under the coffee table like a magic trick. Before Ji Jue could even react, a cup of tea sat in front of him. Across from him, the old man, having brewed a round of gongfu tea with seamless fluidity, was already gesturing for him to drink. *No, what the hell is this? I didn't come here to pay New Year's greetings!* *And that woman who just ran off screaming...* "She..." "Don't mind her; it's nothing. She stayed up late watching horror movies and spooked herself." Lao Zhang lifted his teacup, took a couple of loud sips, and brushed it off. In any case, Tong Hua had dug her own grave. He was used to it long ago; it wasn't the first time. Most Celestial Chosen of the Path of Aether had this exact problem: hopelessly gossipy and ravenous for drama, wanting to see everything, loving to look at everything, daring to look at everything. And eventually, as they kept looking, they would get themselves killed without even realizing it. Looking at Ji Jue was hardly a big deal. The day she grew reckless enough to peek at a Sovereign Virtue Tapestry or the Nine Calamity Limbs, that was when real trouble would strike. A small lesson would do her good. Even so, goosebumps involuntarily rose along the back of the hand holding his teacup, his hairs standing on end. Vortex's boons, True Eye and Super-Sense, combined with White Stag's boon, Know the Enemy, formed the higher-tier boon: Pure Sight. Under normal conditions, it allowed him to perceive the true nature of any intruder within a hundred meters. The continuous stream of signals provided by this superhuman perception stimulated his consciousness, declaring the threat and horror before him. It had... nothing to do with Ji Jue himself! It was something else—something far more hidden, far more horrific. On the surface, the boy looked like nothing more than an ordinary handsome youth. Yet when Lao Zhang pushed his perception to its peak and concentrated fully, he could sense... a presence coiled around and clinging to him. —A colossal amalgamation born of pure agony and despair! Under the unshielded scrutiny and stimulation of Tong Hua's Eye of Aether, they seemed to have been awakened from their slumber, thoroughly provoked and consumed by incandescent fury! Within his hallucinatory perception, thick, viscous scarlet hues continuously surged from Ji Jue's body. Bizarre, hollow faces faintly materialized within them, ravenous and ferocious. And as they converged, they outlined an ever-shifting, grotesque silhouette. Like the head of a dragon, looking down with cold indifference! Prowling, ready to devour. *This really is... extraordinary.* Pinned beneath that pair of void-like eyes, Lao Zhang's movements paused for a fleeting moment. Then, he raised his cup, swallowed the tea, and acted as if he had seen nothing at all, continuing to entertain the youth before him with a warm smile. Only when the crimson and scarlet completely dissipated, and the boundless despair and agony retreated once more into Ji Jue's body, did everything return to normal. As if nothing had happened. Lao Zhang let out a quiet, long breath. Such an immense omen of abomination was simply far too exaggerated, wasn't it? It wasn't that he had never seen a Cursed One, but few could match even a tenth, or even a hundredth, of what Ji Jue possessed. Even factoring in all the residual spiritus pollution from that previous Vortex Planting, this was utterly absurd. Yet, why would the resentment and curses left behind by countless people at their deaths... choose to protect him? He shook his head slightly, deciding not to dwell on it. "Come, come, have some melon!" He lifted the fruit platter, offering generous hospitality. "Little Tong bought this watermelon specially today, straight out of the fridge. Eat it while it's nice and cold." Meanwhile, Ji Jue had gone completely numb. Looking around, and then taking in the lineup of the Beishan District office before him, he couldn't help but draw a sharp breath—an old man, a sick kid, and a cripple? Suddenly, he felt a profound sense of belonging! If he added himself, a weak little chicken, wouldn't they form a complete four-person squad of the old, the weak, the sick, and the crippled? This was far too textbook! In movies, a team like this was practically guaranteed to achieve great things—at the very least, saving the world wouldn't be an issue! Word was that over in the Empire these days, a squad had to include a fat person, a homosexual, and a transgender person just to be considered complete. Who knew what kind of powerhouse lineup could assemble such a staggering roster! Of course, jokes aside, while he was definitely weak, whether the others were truly old, sick, or crippled was another matter entirely. Setting aside An Ran, whom he hadn't been able to read from start to finish, even this shriveled old man before him was rolling his iron walnuts so fast they were practically throwing sparks. Judging by the material and estimating its weight with his modest alchemical expertise, Ji Jue nodded to himself. With that grip strength, crushing a head or two of his would be easier than cracking eggs, wouldn't it?! "Oh, you finally showed up, kid?" From the inner corridor leading to the offices, Wen Wen finally stepped out, her hands full. In her left hand, she held two small boxes; in her right, she dangled Tong Hua like a little chick. "Sorry about that. My little girl likes to peek at everything. She was just playing a prank on you, don't take it to heart." With that, she dumped the dangling Tong Hua in front of them and smacked her head. "Apologize!" "S-Sorry," Tong Hua mumbled, keeping her head low and shivering violently as she clung to Wen Wen's arm, refusing to let go. "Big Bro, spare me, I'm still young..." *What the hell?* Ji Jue stared blankly. But watching them cling together so happily, he felt as if he had somehow become part of their roleplay. So bizarre! "Never mind her, just assume she's throwing a fit." Wen Wen shook her arm free without mercy, sat down, and pushed the two boxes over. "Here, your spoils. Cleaned them up last time and just waited for you to pick them up." "Huh?" Ji Jue felt as though his jaw hadn't closed once since walking through the door. Dividing loot out of nowhere? *I didn't even do anything!* *Wait, why do these exquisitely decorated little boxes look so much like someone's eternal resting place?* Upon opening them, he realized... *damn it, they really are!* They were two funerary urns! One had a few iron shards scattered inside, while the other held only a few cracked crystals... but without question, none of that changed their nature as urns! "What on earth is this?!" "Hm? The two Celestial Chosen you took down last time," Wen Wen answered. "I ran a check on them. One was called Ming Yan, the other Bai Yi. Both had a pile of bounties on their heads; neither was any good. Since they contributed nothing in life, you might as well put their remains to good use now that they're dead." In a sense, the ashes of a Celestial Chosen truly were extraordinary materials. Ming Yan's remains could substitute for certain items of the Path of the Desolate Ruins, substantially enhancing the physical properties and durability of materials. Meanwhile, Bai Yi's fragments were clearly condensed from pure shadow spiritus, likely the remnants of that shadow beast... Ji Jue had just been worrying about where to find enhancement materials for Little Niuma. Regardless, given the ferocity of dragon blood, there was nothing it couldn't digest. Still, killing them and feeding their ashes to his own mount—wasn't that taking cruelty a bit too far? How tragic. Some people were turned into materials after dying, while others... were already being eyed while still alive. Thinking of his own identity, Ji Jue was suddenly overcome with grief. If Sister Wen ever called him into her office after hours one day and said, *"You wouldn't want your identity as a Celestial Conscript exposed, would you?"* Aside from weeping little pearl tears and submitting to the casting couch, he really wouldn't have any recourse at all. "What are you spacing out for?" Wen Wen frowned, eyeing his dazed look, and reminded him, "You're practically drooling." "No, no, nothing." Ji Jue shook his head, sighing with emotion. "Just reflecting on how terrifying the adult world is. Truly terrifying. A boy out on his own must always learn to protect himself." "Indeed. That's part of the reason I called you here today..." "Huh?!" Ji Jue instantly snapped to attention. *Good grief, lady, are you finally dropping the upright act?* *In that case... should I just comply? Or put up a futile struggle, choosing death over dishonor to add a bit of spice?* Just as Ji Jue's thoughts went sliding wildly downhill, he saw Wen Wen clap the old man on the shoulder and wave a hand. "Alright, Lao Zhang, I'm leaving the rest to you. Don't scare him too badly." "Relax, leave it to me." The shriveled old man grinned, flashing a smile at him. "Don't be afraid. I'm very experienced." "Huh?!" Ji Jue's eyes widened in sheer shock. Subconsciously, he shook his head furiously, waving his hands in stern refusal. "No, no, not this! Definitely not this! That's way too extreme!" "What the hell are you thinking!" Enraged, Wen Wen smacked his forehead, nearly knocking his block off. "I had Lao Zhang come today to train you, teach you some self-defense skills, and go over the basics of spiritus reinforcement! "Did that brain of yours take a dive into the gutter again?!" "Ah? Oh, oh, oh—oh~" Clutching his head, Ji Jue couldn't help letting out a breath of relief. "You should've said so earlier! I thought..." "You thought what?" Wen Wen's smile grew increasingly benevolent. She raised her hand, her slender fingers curling into a fist. The knuckles ground together with the crisp crackle of shattering crystal, a faint crystalline glow manifesting over her fist and forming sharp spikes. "Maybe I should handle this personally after all." She seized Ji Jue by the collar, smiled brilliantly, and ground out through clenched teeth, "Don't worry. I guarantee it'll leave a lasting impression."