With Mi Hengpengās deliberate report saying that Zhuo Xueer wanted to see him,
Fang Yu tidied up and changed into his official uniform, only to be startled by Ding Hui, who had already woken up and started helping him get dressed.
"I didnāt do anything last night!"
His words only elicited a roll of the eyes from Ding Hui.
"If you want to be my husband, you can do it; if not, just sleep honestly. Dilly-dallying just to put on clothesāletās go out. Iāll be at the Prison all day. You can come by if youāre free."
Ding Huiās straightforwardness left Fang Yu speechless. By the time he came to his senses, Ding Hui had already left the room, and Fang Yu hurriedly followed.
As he was pondering how to start a conversation, Mi Hengpeng was also accompanying them, so Fang Yu simply decided to remain silent.
Since their new residence was located inside the Foolish Underworld, Fang Yu quickly parted ways with Ding Hui, who headed to the Prison.
Looking at Ding Huiās retreating figure, Fang Yu scratched his head, feeling somewhat indescribable.
"Sir?"
Urged by Mi Hengpengās reminder, Fang Yu reported to Stormwind Tower, while Mi Hengpeng was arranged to wait outside the building.
"Youāve arrived?"
Zhuo Xueer looked somewhat uneasy and said with a bit of coyness.
"Dong Xingzhou has been inactive for half a month, now fallen into despondency, wandering in and out of Luoli Square frequently. Junior Brother Diao, go to Luoli Square on my behalf, find Dong Xingzhou, and give him this letter to encourage him to pull himself together and recover swiftly."
This was a command from above, not her personal wish.
Given her character, she paid no heed to places like Luoli Square, a brothel district; she would have gone straight there to find the person.
Everything was just a formality, performed for the outside world to see.
The real mission was known only to Diao Deyi; even she, as the Reserve Deputy Captain, had no right to interfere.
Indeed, heād latched onto powerful support.
Watching Fang Yu, Zhuo Xueerās expression was complicated.
She had an inkling that Junior Brother Diao wouldnāt stay in her team for long.
Outstanding strength, favor from the higher-ups, and an excellent mission completion rate...
Zhuo Xueer closed her eyes to ponder.
If Junior Brother Diao was destined to leave her command, she planned to make good use of his strength before that time.
"Lady Zhuo Xueer, do you know which brothels Dong Xingzhou frequents?"
Fang Yu had visited Luoli Square before; it was the brothel hub of Tianyuan Town, with a multitude of such establishments. Without a specific name, Fang Yu wouldnāt know where to go to meet.
Zhuo Xueer quickly reported several brothel names, essentially giving Fang Yu a direction.
"Yes."
Fang Yu took the orders and was about to leave when Zhuo Xueer called out to him.
"What about handling that girl from the Li Family? If you canāt manage it, send her away soon."
"Madam, everything is still being arranged. So far, itās been smooth."
Zhuo Xueer:...
Your smooth progress puts pressure on me.
Who knows when the Li Family will come to claim their person.
With a helpless wave of her hand, she let Fang Yu leave.
Exiting Stormwind Tower, the waiting Mi Hengpeng caught up quickly, and they both swiftly left.
Inside the building, Zhuo Xueer was contemplative.
The last assessment for the Reserve Deputy Captain was about to begin, so use Junior Brother Diao, that sword, at that time.
"Lady Zhuo Xueer."
Suddenly, a pleasant voice was heard at the door.
It was indeed Suo Fengxiang.
"Lady Zhuo Xueer, Iāve arranged everything for Liu Ningran. Although she is still unconscious, her injuries have stabilized."
As Suo Fengxiang spoke, her eyes darted around. Without waiting for Zhuo Xueer to speak again, she continued.
"I just saw Junior Brother Diao has taken on a mission. Heās just been in a melee and hasnāt fully healed; it might be inconvenient. Shall I go and assist him?"
Thatās hitting me right in the face with calculations.
Zhuo Xueerās lips twitched slightly, but then her expression returned to calm, and she said something surprising.
"You Shuyang has returned."
As soon as the words fell, Suo Fengxiangās face visibly displayed a mix of huge surprise and panicked confusion.
She quickly lowered her head and tremblingly said,
"Senior Brother You, when did he return? Why didnāt he come to see me?"
"He reported back at dawn and should be resting at home now."
"I, Iāll go see him!"
Before Zhuo Xueer could say more, Suo Fengxiang turned and left.
But just then, Zhuo Xueer spoke up.
"Wait! Senior Brother You seemed a bit off when I saw him last night; be careful."
Zhuo Xueer was too late; Suo Fengxiang was already long gone.
"Indecisive, always wanting the next best thing... nevermind, as long as he can do the work for me, I donāt care what they do in their private time; let them fuss among themselves."
Zhuo Xueer had several missions on hand. Initially, she only intended to assign the newcomer Fang Yu some night patrol tasks in the wilds, which are a standard trial for all newbies, before keeping him in the team to assist her with important matters.
But now, Zhuo Xueer changed her mind.
There was a promising mission, perhaps perfectly suited for a new but powerful comer like Fang Yu.
"The demon that annihilated Meiye Village has been located, lurking around Sunset Mountain..."
The wilds symbolize danger.
Risk also signifies opportunity.
Assigning such missions in the wild often brings significant merit, greatly aiding in the promotion to Deputy Captain.
"Diao Deyi, consider this a favor I owe you. Once I become the Deputy Captain, I will definitely repay you."
...
Bang!
Suo Fengxiang bumped into someone at the turn of the corridor.
This would have been an impossibility in the past.
Her heart was in turmoil.
"Are you alright?"
She hastily helped the person up, who turned out to be a woman dressed in Research Demon Mansion attire.
The woman calmly looked at her, stood up, and dusted herself off.
"Iām fine."
Then she walked away.
Such an odd girl!
Under normal circumstances, Suo Fengxiang might have been more attentive.
But her mind was not on that now.
All she wanted was to see Senior Brother You as soon as possible; it had been days and she had a lot to share with Senior Brother You.
But there was one topic she would absolutely never bring up.
That was the existence of Diao Deyi...
On one hand, thereās Senior Brother You, whom she has long held dear.
On the other hand, thereās the intriguing Junior Brother Diao.
How, how troubling!
Her heart was in turmoil again.
Yet Suo Fengxiang failed to notice that the woman from the Research Demon Mansion was muttering to herself.
"Blue Star Demon... Blue Star Disease... demon..."
"Blue Star Great Demon!"
Aside from Ding Hui, many people in the Research Demon Mansion are responsible for various research aspects.
While not as outstanding as Ding Hui, some have discovered new research findings.
Chen Shuxuan was one of them.
The attacks of demons, along with the consecutive days of chaos, had made many overlook some issues, some details.
She, however, had captured them.
And she had reported them to Lord Ding Hui.
But Lord Ding Hui, preoccupied with other research, simply affirmed the hypothesis concerning this new type of Blue Star Demon, gave her authority to continue in-depth research with her team.
Lord Ding Hui, however, decided to focus on other matters.
"If our hypothesis is correct, the Blue Star Great Demon behind the scenes, manipulating thoughts and implanting memories, could be of the skeletal level, glorious level, or even an unprecedented, inscrutable level of supreme Great Demon!"
"This could be near apocalyptic for Tianyuan Town!"
"Why doesnāt Lord Ding Hui take this seriously? It must be because my research is not thorough enough, and I havenāt gained Lord Ding Huiās trust!"
"Work hard! Work harder! Keep working hard! Iāll go and dig out that manās eyeballs today, see if I can get something out of him. If he falls into a comatose state again, Iāll dissect his brain, and conduct direct tests on it."
Under Ding Huiās guidance, the capable individuals in the Research Demon Mansion are all more or less madāitās just that they restrain themselves before the public.
...
You Mansion.
Licking the blood clean off his hands, You Shuyang showed a satisfied look on his face.
On the ground was the body of a middle-aged man with an empty chest cavity.
He was You Mansionās old steward, who had served many years with unwavering loyalty, yet he never imagined dying at the hands of the person he trusted most.
And at this moment...
Creak.
The door opened.
A person dressed as a guard stepped into the room and immediately showed a look of astonishment.
"Big brother, having meat so early in the day?"