Burning Incense in the Office

The weather in Lingnan has always been hot.

In recent years, the hottest period of the year has been getting longer and longer.

Outside the window, the sun was blazing, and the trees in the flowerbeds looked a bit wilted. Inside, however, the air conditioning kept it relatively cool.

At lunchtime, Wei Qidong sat behind her desk, drinking a cup of tangerine peel and lemon tea, her eyes still glued to the computer screen.

She had long, snow-white hair, but looked only about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old. Her eyebrows were too high, giving her a natural Sha Qi. She had a straight nose and deep-set bones.

Moreover, her skin tone was slightly darker, close to bronze, but very even, and her skin texture was excellent.

"Sister Wei, after you broke through the Taboo, your physical body actually reverted to its youthful state?"

In the computer video, a black-and-white photograph placed on a table is speaking.

Wei Qidong said calmly, "I've always maintained my youthful appearance and taken good care of myself."

"Your lineage of magic, though possessing a high ceiling, is ultimately a heretical path. Even if you break through, your physical body will still be old and frail. As for your second soul, you did choose a very young photograph."

Helai laughed heartily, not taking it to heart.

Wei Qidong swirled her teacup. "I've almost finished my tea, and you still haven't gotten to the point."

"Haha, I'm in such a good mood. Lately, when I chat with people, I don't feel that same urgency and tension as before."

Helai, "Then let's get down to business. You might need to help look after things in Shencheng for a while."

"I will connect the reporting channels over there with yours. If there are any important matters, you may need to go there in person to oversee things."

Wei Qidong raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly and said seriously, "Shencheng, isn't Qin Si in charge? Did he make a mistake?"

No, not at all.

Helai explained, "Your student is very responsible and meticulous in his work. It's because he handled things so well that he's recently been offered a job transfer; they want to send him to make a breakthrough."

Wei Qidong's expression relaxed slightly, and she asked, "With his cultivation level, has he already reached the stage where he can break through to the Taboo realm?"

Whenever Helai mentioned this, he couldn't suppress the smile on his face.

A wisp of smoke drifted from the black-and-white photograph, rolled up the documents beside it, and opened the cover.

Wei Qidong looked closely and saw that it was a report detailing a Golden Triangle mission submitted by a commando team.

She had recently heard about this matter; the promotion of the market, the Zongheng, the sweeping campaign, and the eradication of the malignant tumor were all done brilliantly.

And it was that consultant Little Chu, who was leading the team.

Unfortunately, I heard that person doesn't like sitting in an office and often appears and disappears mysteriously. Otherwise, we should have found a way to promote him long ago. It's still a bit awkward to just have him as an advisor all the time.

Wei Qidong felt a deep sense of regret, but when she saw the last few lines of the mission report, she couldn't help but cough.

"Grotto-Heaven... cough, that Grotto-Heaven ruin really has that effect?!"

"Tianshu and General Yungu have both confirmed that the Grotto-Heaven can even help those who have already entered the Taboo realm to avert backlash."

Helai sighed, "The Great Yu Dragon Stele and the Grotto-Heaven Ruins will both return to the country. Although the uses of the Great Yu Dragon Stele still need to be explored, the fact that the Grotto Grotto-Heaven has already discovered its uses is enough to make me want to celebrate with drums and gongs."

Wei Qidong finally understood why this old man had time to chat idly with her today.

She herself is currently filled with a desire to confide in someone and wants to share her feelings.

However, there are very few people who can currently share this kind of information.

"Knock!"

Wei Qidong slammed her hand on the table. "I'll go and call the dragon and lion dancers right now to perform in front of our door. Let the music start, and let the singing and dancing begin!"

"We in Lingnan have no shortage of people who can put on these traditional performances!"

Helai hurriedly said, "Isn't this a bit abrupt?"

What's so abrupt?

Two bright lights seemed to shine in Wei Qidong's eyes. "I had a good time drinking tea today, celebrating that I broke Taboo. Is that not allowed?"

"Anyway, people outside can roughly guess the progress of our old friends."

"I'll use this as an excuse to celebrate!"

Helai paused for a moment, then chuckled, "Given your style, it's not surprising that you'd do something like this."

Wei Qidong stood up and paced a few steps around the table. Although she only smiled, she was actually filled with joy.

"Back in the 1990s, I was in charge of special cases in Shencheng. I should still have quite a few of my old subordinates there. With me looking after them, there shouldn't be any problem."

"Tell Qin Si not to feel guilty. No, I'll call him and talk to him about it later."

Helai, "There's no need to rush; he needs some time to adjust."

Wei Qidong nodded, then suddenly placed both hands on the table and moved closer to the computer.

"Your Jianghuai's Spirit Realm passage has been focused on infrastructure development and agriculture, but you haven't tried to expand outwards yet, have you?"

"With the help of the Grotto-Heaven, we'll soon have enough manpower. Perhaps we can try to expand that territory. This is the fundamental solution to the problem of Overflow Zone and frequent special cases."

Helai's photo shows him with a thoughtful expression.

"I have repeatedly used the Fanliang Land in the Spirit Realm as a central hub to conduct reconnaissance missions in all directions."

"The situation in the Spirit Realm is very special. The area corresponding to the deep zone, even the sky, seems to be a forbidden zone, and it is very unfriendly to us humans."

"The western half of Lingnan, in the corresponding area of the Spirit Realm, contains many deep zones, characterized by countless valleys and ravines, with mountains nestled in abysses—it's a place that's not to be trifled with."

Helai's expression was very solemn.

"I also tried flying north in the Spirit Realm, and there were some strange things. For example, the area corresponding to Shencheng should theoretically be a shallow zone."

"But when I flew that way, I almost got lost."

Upon hearing this, Wei Qidong's expression also turned serious.

"No wonder you asked me to look after Qin Si when she was away."

She thought for a moment, "I heard that Little Chu really likes to travel, so why don't we invite him to Shencheng for a visit?"

Helai glanced sideways and said, "Well, it's not convenient lately. After he returned from the Grotto-Heaven, he needs to get together with his relatives and friends."

"After a few days together, he'll be going somewhere else."

Looking at his old friend, Wei Qidong felt a slight stirring in his heart, recalling how a large amount of data would suddenly appear in the armory.

It seems that Little Chu's trip is not so ordinary after all.

"Understood."

Wei Qidong said, "Then leave it to me."

"As long as I'm alive, I will never let anything major happen in Shencheng."

Helai's photo, with a strange look in his eyes, marked the end of the video call.

He thought about it again and again, and he still felt that his old friend's last words were a bit ominous.

In the parlance of young people, it's like planting a flag for themselves.

"Um..."

As Helai pondered, he separated a wisp of smoke from the photograph and pulled out three new incense sticks.

I looked up the location of Lingnan, then placed three incense sticks on the table, facing Lingnan.

"Fine, whatever happens, I'll offer you my prayers first; two negatives make a positive!"

The black-and-white photograph seemed to be chanting something. After a moment, the entire photograph bowed and saluted in the direction of the three new incense sticks.

After he finished bowing, he sensed something was wrong out of the corner of his eye.

The photo slowly rotates.

Chu Tianshu stood at the door, one hand outstretched in mid-air, seemingly about to knock.

"Ah, while I was chatting with Brother Baisui, I suddenly remembered that I made some medicinal incense sticks. I wonder if you would like to try something different, Senior."

Chu Tianshu walked in with a normal expression and placed a small box of incense on the table.

Senior He practices magic, and I heard that the lineage he specializes in is actually unorthodox magic.

It's perfectly normal to occasionally want to curse someone.

Judging from this curse, the ritual is quite simple. It's probably not meant to kill an enemy with a powerful curse. It's more likely that it was used to curse a subordinate who was talking badly about someone behind their back.

"I have dinner plans with my second grandfather and Yungu, so I won't disturb your official duties any longer."

Chu Tianshu smiled calmly, turned and left, waving his hand before leaving the door.

"I'm going on a trip in a couple of days, so this is a good opportunity to say goodbye in advance."

Helai hesitated for a while, wondering whether he should explain.

I always felt that my image might be perceived in some strange way by this particularly reliable younger person.

But just now, it was only a spur-of-the-moment thing to do, and to explain it would have seemed a bit too deliberate.

Helai didn't have time to think too much before new official business was brought in.

Two days later, after he had finished several things at hand, he remembered this little matter again.

"Tianshu Shu..."

The clerk said, "Mr. Chu has already left; he left this morning."

Helai sighed inwardly, "Never mind."

Anyway, my true image is always one of generosity and composure, so there's always a chance to turn things around.

Meanwhile, Chu Tianshu, having eaten and drunk his fill and taken a long nap, was walking along a country road, opening the door to go home.

Once inside the house and the door closed, he vanished from sight.

Green hills and clear waters, small boats and fishermen's songs.

Chu Tianshu walked along the bank of a large river and heard the songs of fishermen on the river in the distance.

The fishermen rolled up their trousers, their clothes were patched, and their hair was tied up in buns with thin hemp rope.

"Born in water, raised in water, let's catch big fish to raise our children!"

"Raise a child two or three feet tall, and he'll plunge into the water to catch a dragon, the water up to his waist..."

(End of this chapter)