Hearing Yu Sheng’s muttering, Bai Li Qing’s expression flickered briefly, but she didn’t say anything. She merely watched the man across from her with a curious gaze. Answering questions or helping with minor problems was secondary; today, the most important thing was the “contact” itself.
She had encountered many, many entities—all sorts of them. She had killed some, exiled others, and even talked or coborated with those that were rational. She had deceived them and been deceived by them. But no entity—not even those most resembling humans—had ever sat across from her and talked like this, in such a way and about these sorts of things.
The “person” sitting in front of her even seemed interested in bing a Spirit Realm detective or investigator. Pushing her thoughts aside, Bai Li Qing broke the silence: “So, you want to…”
“Can I register a group?” Yu Sheng asked with a hopeful look, “I’m not working solo here; there are two others with me.”
“You mean that doll named Irene and the ‘fox demon’ you brought from the Otherworld?” Bai Li Qing raised an eyebrow. “But neither of them has legal status in the Bordend.”
“Then how about we get them IDs first?” Yu Sheng suggested, scratching his head. “Ah, it won’t be a whole mess where you need a job to get an ID and an ID to get a job, will it?”
Bai Li Qing blinked, genuinely taken aback. “Of course not. Why would you even worry about that?”
“Oh, good,” Yu Sheng smiled awkwardly, “Guess I was overthinking it.”
“I’ll make the arrangements,” Bai Li Qing added without much thought, mentally noting down that “Yu Sheng has a certain sense of humor.” She then raised her wrist to nce at her watch. “Time’s up.”“Oh, you’re leaving?” Yu Sheng stood up instinctively. “So, what about…”
“Someone wille find you soon,” Bai Li Qing replied as she also stood up, “to handle the necessary paperwork for you and your two friends. You just need to fill out a few forms. Keep your phone on these next couple of days.”
Yu Sheng: “Oh… oh, okay.”
Bai Li Qing nodded and, as if suddenly remembering something, paused before leaving. “Oh, there’s one more thing.”
“What is it?” Yu Sheng asked.
“About Night Valley—the Otherworld you encountered before—have you gone back there recently to check on it?”
Yu Sheng frowned. “The valley? No, I haven’t been back… Did something happen there?”
“The issue is that we aren’t sure,” Bai Li Qing shook her head. “If your ‘gate’ still connects there, you might want to go take a look.”
From her expression, Yu Sheng couldn’t discern anything useful, but he got the vague sense that… this wasn’t as casual as she made it seem. The fact that she had brought it up just before leaving seemed like she was emphasizing something important.
After a moment of hesitation and consideration, Yu Sheng nodded slightly.
Honestly, he didn’t want to return to that eerie valley at all. Nor did he have any desire to deal with “Hunger” again. But Bai Li Qing’s attitude made him realize that something else—something more—might be going on in that valley besides “Entity-Hunger.”
In the blink of an eye, the endless front-and-back cafe he was in began to crumble quietly around him.
Bai Li Qing’s figure vanished amidst the copsing scenery, and in an instant, the cafe returned to its normal state. The sounds of the real world gradually seeped back in, and everything seemed like a strange, surreal dream—the only proof she had really been there was the faint lingering scent of her perfume.
Yu Sheng blinked, looking around. It seemed like no one had noticed anything unusual. Little Red Riding Hood’s massive stack of schoolwork was still spread across the table, waiting for him to continue helping.
“She reallyes and goes like the wind…” Yu Sheng muttered as he shook his head, then sat back down, preparing to help write more high school assignments. But this time, he found it difficult to calm his mind.
His conversation with the “Special Affairs Bureau Chief” was like an uncontroble whirlpool in his thoughts. New information about the world buzzed in his mind, tangled with expectations and uncertainties about the future. He couldn’t remember thest time he felt this kind of anxious anticipation—a mix of excitement and nerves about tomorrow.
And then there was the thing Bai Li Qing mentioned before she left—Night Valley. What was going on there?
Just then, a voice came from nearby, interrupting his thoughts.
“We’re back!” Little Red Riding Hood called out cheerfully. “Yu Sheng, how much have you done?”
Yu Sheng immediately looked up and, at first nce, saw the dark-haired girl standing beside Little Red Riding Hood. It was Foxy, now dressed in new clothes. Ｒ
The weather had gotten chilly, so Little Red Riding Hood had bought her a warm white coat and a cotton dress. Though simple, the outfit suited Foxy perfectly. The fluffy trim around the cor even reminded Yu Sheng of her own furry ears and tail—both of the same silvery-white shade, an elegant look with a hint of charm.
Foxy stood there somewhat awkwardly, her expression a little dazed. She seemed unused to wearing well-fitting clothes, or perhaps she was still overwhelmed after spending so long wandering in unfamiliar surroundings. It wasn’t until Yu Sheng waved at her that she seemed to snap out of her daze, quickly carrying several big shopping bags over to him.
“Si’en… Yu Sheng,” Foxy called a bit nervously, standing across from the table. She remembered to use his name in public ces. “These new clothes fit well.”
“They look great,” Yu Sheng smiled. He could tell she was happy, but he nced at her skirt. “Isn’t this a bit cold with the weather cooling down?”
“She’s wearing thermal pants underneath,” Little Red Riding Hood exined as she took a seat next to Yu Sheng, leaning in to peek at the papers. “Let me see how much you’ve done… Hm, not much, huh?”
“There was an unexpected situation that dyed me,” Yu Sheng rubbed his nose sheepishly, then looked at Foxy and Little Red Riding Hood curiously. “Wait, where’s Irene?”
“Oh, here she is!” Foxy perked up, lifting one of the big shopping bags she had ced on the floor to show Yu Sheng. “We bought too many things, so I put her in the bag.”
Yu Sheng peeked in and saw the little doll—Irene—lying amongst the clothes, her eyes dull and expressionless, her aura practically screaming resentment.
There was so much pent-up grievance it felt like the shopping bag itself might turn into a cursed object.
“Are you okay?” Yu Sheng asked silently in his mind.
The little doll replied, “Okay?! Get me out of here! I’ve been staring at ceilings in the mall all day! They put unfinished drinks in here! Snacks too! At one point, I fell to the bottom, and no one noticed! I’ve beenining the whole way, and this silly fox didn’t even respond!”
Yu Sheng hurriedly pulled the aggrieved doll out of the bag and ced her on a nearby chair,forting her mentally. Little Red Riding Hood, meanwhile, casually flipped through her schoolwork and turned to Yu Sheng with a curious expression. “What kind of unexpected situation was it?”
Yu Sheng didn’t hide anything, lowering his voice slightly. “A woman suddenly approached me. She said her name was Bai Li Qing and that she’s the Chief of the Special Affairs Bureau.”
Little Red Riding Hood froze for a few seconds, her math workbook left forgotten in her hands as she turned to him stiffly. “…What?”
Yu Sheng nced around before whispering, “Is that strange?”
“The Chief? Bai Li Qing? That big shot?!” Little Red Riding Hood’s voice cracked slightly, though she kept it down to avoid drawing attention. “Why on earth would she personallye to see you? She wouldn’t think you’re some kind of dangerous element that needs personal attention, would she?!”
Maybe it was because she had spent half the day shopping with Foxy, but she seemed far more at ease talking to Yu Sheng now, no longer carrying the tension and caution she had shown when they first met.
Yu Sheng didn’t pay much attention to her shift in attitude. Instead, he thought back to his conversation with Bai Li Qing and shook his head. “No, nothing like that. She just wanted to know what was going on. She asked me a few questions, and I asked her a lot—she seemed pretty easy to talk to.”
Little Red Riding Hood looked dazed, almost questioning her hearing.
Bai Li Qing? Easy to talk to?
That was a brand newbination of words.
At the Special Affairs Bureau Headquarters, inside a certain office, a pale humanoid figure suddenly appeared behind the desk, apanied by the copse and distortion of light and shadows. That pale figure quickly formed into Bai Li Qing, her image gradually gaining color.
She sat quietly behind the desk, unmoving for a long time, as if lost in thought.
After what felt like ages, she suddenly looked up, reached out, and pressed a button on the desk. “Notify Song Cheng from the Second Squad and Luo Zheng from the Secret Management Office toe to my office immediately.”
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