How come I'm the one being conquered?

As she agonized like an ant on a hot pan, unsure how to remedy and apologize, she heard a helpless sigh:

"It's fine, consider it my just deserts."

Bai Jun shook his head, rubbing his severely swollen left cheek, and casually dismissed the matter.

After all, it wasn't unreasonable for this Dimensional Pouch to kick him. If they were to get into the details, it was his fault, so he might as well take it as a lesson learned.

"Eh? That won't do! I should compensate you—"

"No need. I'm a service member of the Department of Earthly Rulings. Talking about money is an insult!" Bai Jun indignantly refused, radiating a nobility that could shame the wicked, if one could ignore his comically swollen cheek.

"Alright..."

Ye Linna paused her action of taking out her credit card from her wallet. In this day and age, someone with such golden spirit was truly rare. Her gaze towards Bai Jun held more admiration and appreciation.

Her evaluation of him shifted from merely good-looking to a good person who was also good-looking!

Being able to befriend such a like-minded individual on the Xianzhou was a completely beneficial and harmless endeavor. Thus, she took out her business card, took a deep breath, and presented it to Bai Jun with the utmost courtesy:

"Although it's a bit late for an introduction, please allow me to briefly introduce myself. It's nice to meet you, my name is Ye Linna, and I'm from the Strategic Investment Department's 166th Market Group of the Interastral Peace Corporation. Thank you so much for finding Little Eight for me!"

"Bai Jun, a service member of the Department of Earthly Rulings."

Bai Jun solemnly accepted Ye Linna's business card. The front displayed her name, department, and photo, while the back was imprinted with the vast and mysterious silhouette of the Department of Earthly Rulings. The card's edges bore the Interastral Peace Corporation's unique engraved patterns, and upon closer inspection, one could find the cardholder's contact information.

He rummaged through his pockets, found his own business card, and exchanged it with Ye Linna.

Upon receiving the card, Ye Linna solemnly tucked it into the pocket of her chest, her serious demeanor making Bai Jun feel a little embarrassed. He then quietly moved Ye Linna's business card from between the pages of his old books to his inner lining.

So fragrant, so fragrant... Why is this person so fragrant?

Suddenly, Bai Jun heard a thought captured by the Mind Catcher. Before he could discern its origin, he felt something nudging his trouser leg. Looking down, he saw it was the Dimensional Pouch that had kicked him earlier.

"Zhang Zhang, come back! Don't be rude!"

This time, Ye Linna's voice held a hint of anger. The Dimensional Pouch by her leg immediately let go of Bai Jun's trousers upon hearing her, energetically returning to Ye Linna's side and then engaging in a tussle with the little cat.

Bai Jun quickly realized the voice had come from this strange pouch, but he wasn't overly surprised, as it wasn't the first time the Mind Catcher had acted up.

"Is this your pet? It's quite peculiar."

"Mhm, yes it is. Look, this little guy is called Zhang Zhang! Don't mistake it for an ordinary Dimensional Pouch. This little one is particularly sensitive to the smell of money. It's not only capable of security and debt collection, but it can even handle debt accounting. I bring it with me wherever I go on business trips now; it's practically become my lucky star~"

Ye Linna scooped up Zhang Zhang, who was playfully wrestling with the cat, and affectionately nuzzled it. Her words were filled with pride for the little creature. She even offered Zhang Zhang to Bai Jun, wanting him to hold it too.

Bai Jun hesitated for a moment before reaching out and taking the pouch. He found it wasn't as heavy as it looked; instead, it was soft like jelly. His fingers could easily sink into its warm, fleshy body. This peculiar texture was undeniably quite endearing.

"I never thought anyone would keep such a creature as a pet. I originally thought creatures that spend most of their lives eating and running wouldn't be tamed— Hey, hey! What's going on? Stop biting me! Ye Linna, get it away!"

Whether Zhang Zhang could understand human speech was unclear, but it opened its mouth and took a bite out of Bai Jun's arm, almost rolling over in the process.

"I'm sorry, Bai Jun. It... it doesn't mean any harm, really. It's just its way of expressing affection." Ye Linna flusteredly took Zhang Zhang back, looking at the teeth marks on Bai Jun's wrist, unsure how to explain. She could only offer an awkward smile.

"What kind of affection is that... Reverence for food?" Bai Jun muttered, clutching his bitten wrist.

"It doesn't eat meat. Ever since it was little, it's loved shiny things the most, like gold coins and gems. It often gets round and plump from eating, that's why it's called Zhang Zhang... " As she spoke, Ye Linna stuffed a handful of hard stones into Bai Jun's hand.

"Why don't you try feeding it something, Bai Jun? Maybe it won't be angry with you anymore."

"Oh, so it eats gems... Gems!?" Bai Jun, finally understanding, was shocked. His mouth felt dry, and he swallowed hard. Looking down, he saw that Ye Linna had indeed given him a pile of colorful gems, lying quietly in his palm, dazzling under the light.

He felt his eyes burn from the sheer brilliance of the gems, then he tightly clenched his fist and asked with a trembling voice, "Miss Ye Linna, are you saying this pouch usually eats gold coins and ge-gems?"

"Yes, and Zhang Zhang is quite picky about its food. It doesn't eat ordinary quality gems; they have to be very pure!"

"How much does it eat at once...?"

"Hmm, it's hard to say. It depends on Zhang Zhang's mood. The most it ate in one go was probably two pounds of gold coins and over thirty sapphires at once?" Ye Linna squeezed.

"Are you still looking for pets? The talking kind." Bai Jun suddenly leaned forward and asked seriously.

"Eh?"

Ye Linna's eyes widened instantly, her cheeks flushing slightly. She instinctively took a step back, her hands unconsciously covering her mouth.

The moment the words left his mouth, Bai Jun wished he could slap himself. Perhaps he had been interacting with Song Yan too much today, making him a bit too unrestrained.

He felt the joke might be a bit too much for someone he had just met. Just as he was about to explain, trying to avoid being arrested by the Cloud Cavalry, Ye Linna interrupted him.

"Hmm, although this request is a bit sudden, if it's you, I wouldn't mind."

Ye Linna produced a dog collar from somewhere, and with a seemingly serious expression, a hint of amusement in her eyes, she moved to put the collar on Bai Jun.

"No, I was joking..."

This time, it was Bai Jun's turn to step back, looking at Ye Linna as if she were a criminal with violent tendencies. "Also, what's wrong with you carrying a collar around all the time?"

"Ahaha, I have dozens of pets at home. As a qualified pet owner, it's perfectly reasonable to carry a dog collar with me, right?" Ye Linna chuckled awkwardly as she put the collar away, offering an explanation that seemed full of loopholes but was actually quite logical.

"Dozens, that's so exaggerated..." Bai Jun imagined a scene of pet fur flying everywhere and felt his scalp tingle.

"It's not too bad, really. I originally thought that small animals from different ecosystems definitely couldn't live together, so I specifically designed my home with multiple ecological zones. But as it turned out..."

Ye Linna pointed at Zhang Zhang, who was happily playing with the cat, her eyes filled with doting affection. "Look how well these two little guys get along! They're from completely different planets yet have become so close, it's truly wonderful! I highly recommend you get a few more pets. It's so blissful to see them after work every day!"

"That's true... But I don't know how to raise pets."

"Eh? Why, they're so cute."

Ye Linna knew how happy it was to drag her exhausted body home every night after work, only to be pounced on by a group of furry creatures. Their round heads would nudge her palms, and her fatigue would gradually disappear, replaced by the warm, stretching sensation of stroking their fur. That's why she'd highly recommend every office worker get a pet.

"Pets live at most eleven or twelve years. A few years of companionship will make it hard for me to let go, and they're destined to leave again in a hurry. Don't you think that's cruel?"

Bai Jun shook his head and calmly replied, "It's a meaningless connection for long-lived species to bond with short-lived ones... Forcing it only adds to the loneliness."

"To say something so harsh, Bai Jun, you're a cruel person too..." Ye Linna had countless retorts in her heart, but she couldn't voice them. She could only suppress it all, whispering in a tone that was almost a sigh.

Finally, Ye Linna extended her fist and lightly punched his shoulder.

"Well, of course, the more important reason is that I'm allergic to furry things!" The oppressive atmosphere didn't last long. Bai Jun quickly returned to his usual lazy state, bending down to rub Zhang Zhang's belly, which only made it bare its teeth in displeasure.

"But these creatures that don't have fur are quite to my taste—uh, if only they wouldn't bite people whenever they felt like it." Bai Jun suddenly looked troubled, pointing at Zhang Zhang, who had bitten his palm, and asked, "Speaking of which, Ye Linna, if Zhang Zhang bites you, do you need to get a rabies shot?"

"Uh, if it didn't break the skin, you probably wouldn't need to... Okay, now you do."

Looking at Bai Jun's bleeding palm, Ye Linna could only bow and apologize with tears in her eyes, vowing to make Zhang Zhang apologize to Bai Jun in the future.

Chapter 33: Overworked office drones won't meet chattering cold crows

After Ye Linna left, it was already past four in the afternoon.

The matter of getting a shot was dropped; it was just a joke. Bai Jun could recover from such a small injury in the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

Besides, Bai Jun knew that Zhang Zhang hadn't bitten him with full force. Otherwise, with its usual biting power that could chew through gems and gold coins, it would have left two holes. Leaving just one or two teeth marks was already extremely gentle.

Zhang Zhang, you're so gentle.jpg

Putting aside the fact that he was bitten by Zhang Zhang, his conversation with Ye Linna was quite pleasant. Bai Jun hadn't met a woman who matched his personality so well in a long time—just a pure platonic friendship, absolutely no other implications, understood?

Returning to his seat, Bai Jun saw a brand-new jade bracelet lying quietly on his desk. Without a doubt, this must be the Jade Omen that was replaced with company funds. He hadn't expected it to arrive so quickly.

Replacing a Jade Omen on a Xianzhou wasn't as troublesome as needing a SIM card for a phone in his previous life. A Jade Omen was essentially a tool for engraving semiconductor chip patterns onto mediums like jade, and then transmitting signals from various locations through the Jade Omen Central Hub.

Everyone's physical information was recorded in the Jade Omen Central Hub at birth. This meant that as long as a person was alive, their information would never be lost, no matter how many times their Jade Omen was replaced.

Quickly verifying and inputting his information, Bai Jun opened the Jade Omen, and a bright message appeared before his eyes:

[Silver Hacker: Be online on time tonight, or face the consequences.]

Seeing the large characters on the screen, Bai Jun's expression instantly turned grim. He clicked on the Silver Hacker's profile page but found no option to delete them as a friend, and felt like the sky had fallen, the world turning gray.

"It's over, I'm being stalked by a hacker..."

No, perhaps there was still a chance to struggle!

A strong survival instinct prompted Bai Jun's fingers to tap rapidly on the screen.

[Nan Liujing: Please spare me. I'm just a small employee. I work during the day and have no energy to play at night.]

[Silver Hacker: ???]

[Silver Hacker: You call having no energy staying up until one or two in the morning watching videos at night?]

[Nan Liujing: ???]

[Silver Hacker: Alright, be online at ten-thirty tonight, sharp. And by the way, if you don't show up, I'll release your browsing history, okay?]

Bai Jun's head felt like it had been struck by lightning, making him dizzy. He leaned back in his chair, almost dropping the Jade Omen from his hand. He steadied himself, shakily typed a line of text, then tossed the Jade Omen aside, propping his elbows on the desk and starting to question his life.

Having his browsing history stolen... No way!

"I fear not death, but I want to keep my purity in this world." Bai Jun wished he could bash his head against the wall right then and there, hoping to be a better person in his next life. But soon, a voice from the side made him realize that there were even more terrifying things in this world.

"Qing Yan, come here for a moment. I have some troublesome matters that need your attention." Jing Yan, holding a large stack of documents, beckoned Bai Jun with a smile.

Bai Jun's expression stiffened as he looked up at the clock on the wall. The hour hand pointed to 16:34. There were less than half an hour until quitting time, but it felt as unattainable as viewing flowers in a mirror.

Ah, life felt so bleak.

After finishing the affairs of the Department of Earthly Rulings through overtime, Bai Jun looked out the window. Changle Heaven had welcomed its night.

"I'm so tired. I should hurry back to wash up and rest."

Dragging his weary body along the quiet streets, Bai Jun lit the Louryu Lantern. He felt that today was much busier than usual. Su Shang, Fu Xuan, Qing Que, Ye Linna... all sorts of troublesome matters were mixed together.

His steps were steady and firm towards home, his thoughts also extending.

The hustle and bustle of the cave heavens gradually subsided, and the crowds slowly returned to silence. Faint yellow lights permeated the streets and alleys. The light from the street lamps outlined the alleys, casting long shadows.

As if sensing something, Bai Jun's footsteps suddenly stopped. His gaze followed the rainbow-shaped arch bridge along the street to the other end.

There, a team of pale-faced little children carrying green lanterns walked through the streets of Xianyun Heaven.

The houses on the street were tightly shut, and there were no people. Only those few children, as if formed from the dense darkness, walked silently, with small lampstands floating beside them.

From a distance, it was chilling and made one's hair stand on end, just like scenes from old Xianzhou horror movies.

An ordinary person would have been scared out of their wits upon seeing them, but Bai Jun seemed unfazed. He knew they weren't ghosts, but living people working in the Ten Lords Bureau.

These judges and underworld officials responsible for escorting people bid farewell to the living and the dead. Even if mortals bumped into them, they wouldn't be able to see them. Of course, this was only for ordinary people. Those with a bit of skill could see them, but they wouldn't mention it.

For various reasons, Bai Jun had seen the Ten Lords Bureau at work more than once or twice, but he still took a detour every time.

The reason was that the Ten Lords Bureau, as an institution responsible for overseeing the lifespan and laws of the long-lived species within the Xianzhou Alliance, had to ensure its independence and purity. Any vested interests in the surface society could become a huge hidden danger that could shake the foundation of the Xianzhou Alliance. Anyway, based on this reason, the members of the Ten Lords Bureau were all individuals completely detached from society.

Orphans, eccentrics, deserters... basically, these were the kinds of people.

Anyone with half a brain could tell you to stay far away from them, right?

"Ugh, what bad luck. Let's just take a detour."

Bai Jun muttered in dissatisfaction, changing direction to leave. Just as he was about to step away, he heard a faint sigh drift into his ear.

"The judges of the Ten Lords Bureau are all flawed individuals. Your attitude towards them might attract misfortune?"

"Whoa—!"

Bai Jun jumped, startled. The Louryu Lantern in his hand dropped. Instinctively, he reached for the saber at his waist to retaliate. This didn't look like a joke at all, prompting the woman behind him to quickly explain, "It's me, it's me! Just a little joke, don't get worked up."

In the dim, hazy light, Bai Jun finally saw her face clearly.

A slightly modified Ten Lords Bureau uniform hugged her exquisite, curvaceous figure. Her long legs, which were more than half her height, were even more captivating. Her delicate hips were smoothly contoured under the tight minishorts, and the bare skin between the shorts and the laced boots formed an absolute territory that seemed even more alluring in the hazy, dim light.

Her silvery-white hair cascaded down her back, soft and unrestrained. A few stray strands obscured her pretty face. Her delicate features were deep and captivating, but the dark circles under her eyes and her perpetually listless, lead-grey gaze suggested she wasn't in good spirits. In fact, that was precisely the case:

"Ah, it's been so long. How have you been lately? I haven't been doing too well, but since I'm usually not doing well, it doesn't really matter..."

Upon seeing Miss Cold Crow, who usually had a vacant expression, her pretty face etched with the weariness of paperwork, and a constant stream of nonsensical chatter, Bai Jun retracted his left hand, which had been resting on the hilt of his saber. His tense, serious expression gradually softened, replaced by a hint of helplessness:

"Miss Cold Crow, do you know how terrifying it is to do that at night?"

"But you looked pretty scary just now too. I thought I was really going to be cut by you... By the way, does getting injured like this count as a work-related injury?"

"Huh? That probably doesn't count... Don't change the subject! Besides, I didn't even draw my saber, how could I have injured you?" Bai Jun bent down to pick up the Louryu Lantern, dusting off its body until the dim yellow light flickered back to life. Just as he was about to continue his complaint, he felt a gust of fragrant wind.

"Hush, keep it down. I snuck out, so don't make me write a self-criticism report when I get back."

Cold Crow's usually expressionless, indifferent face was now filled with extreme nervousness. She leaned closer, pressing against Bai Jun, and covered his mouth with her hand to prevent any sound from disturbing the returning procession of Underworld Messengers.

Bai Jun felt his shoulders sink into two soft masses, and his mouth was pressed against smooth, delicate skin. He rolled his eyes helplessly and nodded in agreement.

After she removed her hand, restoring his ability to speak, Bai Jun forced himself to suppress the urge to complain. He held his hand up to his face and deliberately lowered his voice, "So, why did you sneak out to find me?"

"I just happened to run into you. We're just catching up. But this coincidence does show that there's a destined connection between us." Cold Crow smiled and asked in return, "What about you? Why are you still wandering the streets so late?"