The ghost's sudden proximity made Fang Lin'an jump backward in fright. Realizing what Lu Xuesnow had just asked, he nearly exploded with outrage: "That's my Little Martial Uncle! Forget about your Sweet Pea, even ancient princesses wouldn't be worthy!"
"So what's his name?" Yun Jianyue was genuinely curious too.
"Si Wuming," Fang Lin'an mumbled, reluctantly betraying his revered uncle's name.
Yun Jianyue clicked her tongue: "Weird name. Sounds kinda ominous, huh."
Just as Fang Lin'an was about to erupt, ready to defend the honor of his Little Martial Uncle's perfectly non-ominous name, the oppressive resentment emanating from apartment 404 abruptly vanished.
"Holy cow, that was fast! How long was he even in there? Three minutes, tops?" Lu Xuesnow was stunned, instinctively calculating how long she might have lasted against Si Wuming.
After a quick mental tally, she concluded maybe sixty seconds.
She was, in fact, being generous. Si Wuming had spent a minute walking there and only another minute resolving the S-Class vengeful spirit.
Hearing this, Fang Lin'an proudly puffed out his chest as if the praise was solely for him: "Of course! My Little Martial Uncle is the genius of the entire supernatural world! You know what 'genius' means, right?"
While Fang Lin'an was still gushing endlessly about Si Wuming's brilliance, two lean, long-legged men in black approached.
One flashed an ID: "Supernatural Response Bureau. You'll need to come with us."
The SRB reported directly to the highest authorities, with branches in every major city, though unknown to the general public. Even within government circles, those aware of its existence were vanishingly few.
In City A, the SRB occupied the top floor of a downtown office building. Shielded by specialized wards, the entire floor was inaccessible to ordinary people.
Yun Jianyue and Lu Xuesnow were separated and led into different interrogation rooms. The two men who brought them in – Cai Zeyu and Du Minghao – began questioning them. Cai Zeyu interrogated Yun Jianyue.
Yun Jianyue was docile and cooperative, recounting the entire incident truthfully. As for Lu Xuesnow, lacking in strategic thinking, she spilled everything in a torrent, including the gruesome details of how Wang Hui had dismembered her.
After completing the interrogations, Cai Zeyu and Du Minghao returned to the office to find Si Wuming seated in a chair while Fang Lin'an stood awkwardly before him, resembling a scolded child.
"He's just a junior. No need to be so harsh," Du Minghao chirped, stepping forward with a grin. He raised his hand to pat Si Wuming's shoulder in appeasement, but meeting Si Wuming's utterly impassive gaze, he promptly retracted it and changed his tune: "On second thought, juniors need strict discipline! Otherwise, they'll cause unimaginable disasters."
Fang Lin'an shot Du Minghao a venomous look: "You're the same generation as me! What are you barking about?"
Du Minghao smirked shamelessly: "Your Little Martial Uncle and I are colleagues. Doesn't that elevate my seniority?"
"Enough clowning around," interjected Cai Zeyu, the consummate professional, eternally focused on business. "What about the statement from the A-Class spirit?"
Switching gears, Du Minghao turned serious. Comparing notes with Cai Zeyu, they found Yun Jianyue and Lu Xuesnow's accounts aligned closely, though Lu Xuesnow's contained her unique, personal ordeal.
"Bizarre," Du Minghao mused, stroking his chin. "A newly formed vengeful spirit shouldn't possess such lucid consciousness. This Lu Xuesnow isn't just clear-headed; she conversed calmly, showing none of a spirit's typical traits."
Cai Zeyu reviewed the transcripts and spotted a pattern: "When Lu Xuesnow manifested as a spirit, her mind was chaotic. All she knew was finding someone to sew her body together and get revenge. Her clarity returned after she encountered Yun Jianyue."
"Here's another oddity," Du Minghao added. "Why did Lu Xuesnow become a spirit? Dismemberment cases number dozens, perhaps hundreds, annually. Many met far crueler ends than hers. Why did she turn into a vengeful spirit immediately upon death?"
Both men exchanged bewildered glances before their eyes simultaneously turned towards the silent figure of Si Wuming: "Any ideas?"
Si Wuming shook his head. The reason eluded him too.
Du Minghao flipped through the dossiers pulled up by Si Wuming just moments ago. As he reached the penultimate page, his brows knitted: "One year ago, Lu Xuesnow was in a car accident. Both she and Yun Jianyue were in a small county town. The blood bank was running low, and coincidentally, both share blood type A. Lu Xuesnow received a 400ml transfusion from Yun Jianyue."
"So Lu Xuesnow has Yun Jianyue's blood in her body?" Fang Lin'an slapped his thigh in sudden realization. "I think I recall reading about a similar case in my sect's archives. Should I head back to the Mystical Pavilion Library to look it up?"
"Do it," Cai Zeyu approved. As deputy chief of City A's SRB second unit, he had the authority. "This one's on you."
Fang Lin'an didn't leave immediately. "What's the plan for Lu Xuesnow?"
According to SRB regulations, spirits who haven't killed humans fall outside their jurisdiction for imprisonment or elimination. Ultimately, spirits belong to the underworld. Provided they don't plague the living, they are the Ferrymen's responsibility.
Meddling in underworld affairs risked earning them the wrath of… that entity.
Still, Lu Xuesnow was an A-Class spirit. While she wasn't killing now, who could guarantee she wouldn't later?
Ferrymen were scarce these days; underworld officials were overwhelmed, their work backlogged for decades. When would they ever get around to collecting an A-Class spirit like Lu Xuesnow?
As the dilemma hung in the air, Si Wuming spoke up: "Lu Xuesnow likely can't endure prolonged separation from Yun Jianyue. Her rationality seems significantly tied to her presence."
"Huh? Is that so?" Cai Zeyu was puzzled.
Without another word, Si Wuming stood and slowly moved towards the exit. Despite his youth, he moved with the weary languor of old age.
"Where are you headed?" Cai Zeyu asked.
"Off duty."
With that, Si Wuming clocked out. He vanished as quietly as a wisp of smoke, leaving no stir behind.
The clock now read 8:00 AM. Even the night shift was over.
Seeing his Little Martial Uncle leave, Fang Lin'an also made a hasty exit. Only Cai Zeyu and Du Minghao, the designated unlucky duo, remained behind, doomed to yet more overtime.
A series of tests confirmed Si Wuming's suspicion: Beyond three hours away from Yun Jianyue, Lu Xuesnow's mind fogged over, accompanied by violent urges typical of vengeful spirits.
They informed Yun Jianyue of this limitation, advising her not to stray too far from Lu Xuesnow.
Yun Jianyue, however, wasn't ready to leave. She had more questions.
"Your Majesty," Du Minghao pleaded, exhaustion weighing heavily on him, "please, just go. We want to clock out too."
Yun Jianyue simply beamed, looking every bit their commanding officer: "Just a few quick questions. Answer them, and you can go home."