"All killed in action?" Shen Bai was slightly surprised to hear this.

These were members of the Observatory in a Capital City.

For them all to be killed in action was an immeasurable loss for the Observatory.

However, Shen Bai was pleased to hear that the Wild Taoist Sect and the Wild Buddha Sect had suffered such heavy losses.

After all, both were enemy forces.

With that, the official business was mostly concluded. Shen Bai didn’t press the matter further and steered the conversation toward trivial anecdotes from the Jianghu.

Shen Bai had been through a great deal on his recent trip, so he and Qin Shuang shared their respective experiences.

Qin Shuang had a playful and mischievous personality around Shen Bai. Upon hearing him mention facing danger several times, she immediately became fussy, putting on an exaggerated show of being terrified.

With company, breakfast naturally lasted longer than usual.

By the time they finished, it was already approaching Noon.

The two didn’t linger. They left the street and headed straight for the Observatory.

...

「Fenglin State, the Observatory.」

The place had shed its usual solemn atmosphere, now adorned in festive red.

Red cloth and decorative silk balls hung everywhere. Even the Observatory’s main plaque was trimmed with a border of red fabric.

Throughout his service, Liu Wufeng had been exceptionally upright, living solely off his salary.

He could have afforded a house in Fenglin State, but for the sake of his duties, he had always lived within the Observatory, just like Elder Mu.

Therefore, his wedding banquet was also being held at the Observatory.

Shen Bai and Qin Shuang’s arrival immediately drew the attention of the busy Observatory members.

All eyes turned toward them.

The man was dashing and handsome, the woman as beautiful as jade.

He was the famous Eight Extremes Young Master, currently the talk of the town, and she was the newly accepted disciple of the Academy’s Dean.

In the Jianghu, either one of them alone was enough to cause a stir. Seeing them walk in together as a pair, it was impossible for them not to be the center of attention.

"Lord Shen, it’s been a while."

A voice called out.

Shen Bai turned to see Huang Guang and Kong Fang approaching.

The two of them had always been rather flighty, but as Shen Bai looked at them now, he noticed they carried an air of maturity.

"Did something happen during your assignment?" Shen Bai asked.

’A person’s character only changes like this after they’ve been through something out of the ordinary.’ Shen Bai knew this well.

Huang Guang nodded. "This assignment was incredibly difficult. We escaped death several times before finally completing the mission."

Kong Fang added, "After facing death, we see things a lot more clearly. When we got back, we decided we’d spend less time at the Music Bureau and more time improving our skills."

A brush with death can drastically change a person, making them more mature.

Clearly, Huang Guang and Kong Fang had undergone a transformation during their assignment. They were far more reliable than before.

"Stay safe in the future," Shen Bai said. "You only get one life. You have to stay alive to complete more missions."

The two nodded.

Shen Bai then noticed they were carrying flower baskets, clearly helping to decorate for the wedding banquet.

"You two should get back to it," Shen Bai said. "Lord Liu’s wedding is a major event. Don’t let me hold you up."

They nodded in agreement and left to continue their decorating elsewhere.

"Well, well. Seeing you two together is a rare sight indeed."

Long Yan, dressed in festive red, sauntered over to Shen Bai.

"Young Shen Bai, what do you think? Do you like my outfit?"

She spun in a circle before him, her tone playful.

"It’s very nice," Shen Bai said. "Landlord Long, bright colors suit you much better than your usual attire."

Long Yan covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled. "You little charmer. You’ve gotten much smoother with your words since you’ve been away. Alright, I won’t disturb you two. Qin Shuang, why don’t you go help decorate your master’s wedding chambers? And Shen Bai, Elder Mu is looking for you. He wants you to go see him."

Qin Shuang quickly agreed. After exchanging a few cheerful words with Shen Bai, she headed off toward Liu Wufeng’s wedding chambers.

Shen Bai was puzzled, ’wondering what Elder Mu could want with him’, but he headed for the resource room nonetheless.

The resource room, usually a quiet and somber place, was now decorated in vibrant shades of red and crimson.

Elder Mu was sitting in a chair, cheerfully sipping some wine and cracking a couple of melon seeds from time to time, looking completely at ease.

As soon as he saw Shen Bai enter, Elder Mu immediately poured him a cup. "I rarely drink in here," he said, "but today is a joyous occasion. Come, have a couple of drinks with me."

Shen Bai nodded, sat down beside Elder Mu, and downed the cup in one go. "The Fenglin State Observatory hasn’t been this lively in a long time."

"That it has. Lord Liu’s wedding has certainly diluted the usual seriousness around here," Elder Mu said, popping a shelled peanut into his mouth.

"Right, I called you over because there’s something important I need to discuss with you."

Shen Bai asked curiously, "What is it? Don’t tell me another Demonic Force has appeared."

Elder Mu shook his head. "Ever since you wiped out the Demonic Forces in Fenglin State, all that’s left are a few insignificant clowns, nothing to worry about. No, this time, I have a big surprise for you."

With that, Elder Mu took something from a nearby drawer, placed it on the table, and slid it toward Shen Bai.

Shen Bai’s gaze fell upon the table, where a wooden box now sat.

The box was shut tight, so Shen Bai couldn’t see what was inside.

But the moment Elder Mu produced the box, Amber, who had been snuggling contentedly in Shen Bai’s arms, suddenly lifted its head and let out a series of urgent cries. MEOW! MEOW! MEOW!

Its cries were filled with an urgency, as if it had just spotted its favorite treat.

"What is this?" Shen Bai mused, rubbing his chin.

He and Elder Mu were as close as grandfather and grandson, so he naturally took the wooden box into his hands.

When he opened the box, a perfectly round bead lay nestled inside, quietly emitting waves of a cold, sinister aura.