When Yi Yang returned to the Nether Spring Office's main hall from the Judgment Hall's armory, he found it empty.
It seemed his superior, Yan Wuyuan, had not returned yet.
He remembered her saying in White Fish City that she was going to the Profound Sword Pavilion to investigate a case, with no fixed date for her return.
He wondered how things were going for her.
Yi Yang stood in the hall for a moment. He had wanted to discuss his next steps with Yan Wuyuan-how his duties as a Candidate Chief Inspector would be arranged and how he would take on assignments. No one had explained any of that to him.
But since she was not here, there was no need to rush.
With that thought, Yi Yang turned and headed outside, intending to practice the cultivation art he had obtained.
Just as he stepped through the hall's side door, he heard footsteps coming from the corridor to his right.
Yi Yang turned his head.
A middle-aged man was approaching from the far end of the corridor.
He looked to be in his early forties, with a lean frame and slightly prominent cheekbones. His features carried a cool reserve cultivated through years of training.
What caught Yi Yang's attention was the man's clothing.
He wore a regulation charcoal-gray official uniform, with shoulder guards a finger's width broader and a black-iron buckle at his waist.
It was exactly the same as Yi Yang's.
That meant he was also a Candidate Chief Inspector.
The approaching middle-aged man noticed Yi Yang too.
His steps slowed for half a beat. His gaze swept over Yi Yang's official uniform, then lingered on that aged face for two breaths.
Ten paces separated them.
The middle-aged man spoke first, greeting him:
"Are you the newly appointed