Zhao Shun pushed open the wooden door, which was warped from dampness and creaked open, and a smell mixed with mold and dust hit him.
"The affairs of the Archives Bureau are usually... well... rather simple. Since you're new here, it's perfect for you to settle in and familiarize yourself with the environment. If you need anything for daily necessities, you can find me at the miscellaneous affairs office on the east side of the front yard."
Lu Chen stepped into the courtyard.
The courtyard was small, with uneven bluestone slabs on the ground, and weeds stubbornly sticking out from the gaps.
In the corner stood a few crooked old trees, their branches and leaves withered, casting sparse and fragmented shadows on the ground. The entire courtyard exuded a desolate atmosphere, as if no one had lived there for a long time.
"This courtyard..." Lu Chen glanced around, his tone calm, "Is surprisingly peaceful."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Shun's face flashed with a mixture of sympathy and a hint of schadenfreude. He chuckled dryly and said, "It is quiet enough, but the location is a bit remote, far from all the major government offices, so few people come here on weekdays. However..." He paused deliberately, "... it might be just right for you, sir." The implication in his words was all too clear.
Lu Chen seemed completely oblivious to the barb in his words, simply nodding slightly. "Thank you for showing me the way, Zhao Wenshu."
"It is my duty, I dare not claim any credit. Well then... sir, please rest. I shall take my leave." Zhao Shun cupped his hands in greeting, turned and left, his footsteps fading into the distance in the empty alley.
Once the courtyard was completely quiet, Lu Chen turned around and closed the creaking wooden door, then bolted it shut.
He turned around and slowly pushed open the door to the main room.
The room was dimly lit and extremely sparsely furnished, even shabby. A hard wooden bed, an old wooden table with peeling paint, and two chairs that looked rather flimsy were all the furniture.
The air was thick with the smell of dust, indicating that the place had been vacant for a long time.
His gaze fell on the old wooden table by the window, where a small stack of files was casually piled up, covered in dust, as if the previous occupants had forgotten or been too lazy to take them away.
Lu Chen walked over, casually picked up the top copy, and dusted off the thick layer of dust on the cover. On the yellowed cover, a line of ink characters was clearly visible: < Blood God Child of Nanling Prefecture >.
Lu Chen's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly.
He muttered to himself, his fingertips lightly tracing the edge of the file, "It seems this Blood God Child matter isn't so easy to fool."
He didn't rush to investigate, but instead continued reading at a leisurely pace.
These files are largely similar, consisting mostly of routine follow-up records and inferences about the Nanling Prefecture incident, without much noteworthy detail. They appear to be ordinary documents that the Archives Bureau routinely accumulates.
However, when he turned to the last old file, the one with the most yellowed and fragile paper, his turning motion suddenly stopped.
The paper of this file was noticeably different from the others; it was rougher and older, with worn and frayed edges. Near the binding seam, a blurry, dark, almost brownish-red mark caught his attention.
The pattern on the mark was clearly a hideous, grinning Ghost Face!
Lu Chen's pupils suddenly contracted to pinpoints, and his breathing faltered.
The pattern was almost identical to the demon totem carved on the black token he obtained from the storage ring of the second elder of the Ye Family!
The tentacles of the Rebirth Hall have already infiltrated the Capital City!
Outside the window, a cold wind, seemingly from nowhere, swept past, swirling up the withered yellow leaves in the yard and making the window paper rattle.
Lu Chen stood there, holding the heavy old file in his hand, his gaze peering through the crack in the window at the gray sky divided into sections by high walls.
On their first day in the Capital City, before they had even settled in, trouble struck.
" The Archives Bureau..." he repeated the name softly, a cold, sharp smile slowly curving his lips. "It seems I've indeed come to the right place."
"Oh, isn't this Banner Sergeant Lu, who rose through the ranks from that small place, Nanling Prefecture?"
A slightly shrill voice broke the silence.
The speaker was a thin clerk with a sharp, piercing gaze, named Zhang San, a veteran of the Archives Bureau.
If Lu Chen hadn't come, he would probably have been the most promising candidate to become the Archives Bureau.
He strolled over, his face bearing undisguised sarcasm.
"What, you've already adapted to the refined life in our Archives Bureau? Look at all this dust, it suits your Banner Sergeant perfectly."
He deliberately brushed the dust off the corner of Lu Chen's desk with his fingertips and flicked it off.
Lu Chen didn't even raise his head; his gaze remained fixed on the file in his hand, as if the handwriting on it was far more interesting than Zhang San's words.
He simply responded with a curt "yes".
"Um."
Lu Chen knew that his sudden appointment to take over the Archives Bureau had definitely harmed the interests of some people.
"Snort."
Another, slightly lower voice came from behind the filing cabinet.
Supervisor Chen walked out slowly, holding a file in his hand, his gaze falling on Lu Chen.
" Nanling Prefecture has been very busy in recent years. Banner Sergeant Lu must have some ability to stand out there."
His tone was flat, revealing neither joy nor anger.
Lu Chen put down the file in his hand and bowed slightly. " Supervisor Chen, you flatter me. I was just doing my job."
"Doing your job diligently?" Zhang San scoffed. "What big cases could there be in Southern Mausoleum? It's just some petty country bumpkins, not worth mentioning."
Supervisor Chen did not stop Zhang San, but simply watched Lu Chen quietly, seemingly waiting for his reaction.
Lu Chen slowly straightened up, his humble expression unchanged, but his eyes instantly became sharp as knives. It was a gaze honed in mountains of corpses and seas of blood, icy cold and carrying a tangible sense of oppression.
"Zhang Wenshu is right."
His voice remained steady, yet it made Zhang San involuntarily take a half-step back.
" Southern Mausoleum is indeed remote, not as bustling as the Capital City. However..."
His gaze swept over Zhang San's slightly flustered face, finally settling on Supervisor Chen.
"Those who survive the Hidden Dragon Trial all have lives on their hands. Some were taken by demons, some... were taken by humans."
As he spoke, his aura suddenly became sharp, like a lurking beast slightly revealing its fangs. It was a killing intent condensed from countless life-and-death battles. Although only a trace of it was leaked out, it was enough to lower the temperature of the entire Archives Bureau by several degrees.
Zhang San's face turned pale, his lips moved, but he couldn't utter a single word.
Supervisor Chen's eyes flickered slightly. He remained silent for a moment before slowly saying, "It is indeed not easy for Banner Sergeant Lu to stand out in the Hidden Dragon Trial."
He paused, his tone becoming more serious. "Since you're here in the Archives Bureau, do your job well. It may seem relaxed here, but there are still rules."
"Understood, Your Excellency." Lu Chen composed himself, reverting to his previous gentle demeanor. "I will certainly abide by the department's rules and regulations and perform my duties diligently."