Chapter Fifty-Six: Grade B Order

October 26th, early morning.

Heavy gray clouds hung low, as if poised to crush the world beneath them at any moment.

On the cliffs above, three stone faces gazed out, their features unmoved as the morning wind swept across them.

Inside the dining hall, the air was thick with the fragrance of breakfast, a humble spread laid out on the narrow table. Most eye-catching among the dishes was a plate of steamed fish.

Liu Shuangling had skillfully crushed every bone in the fish until none remained a threat; nothing was left but the tender, silky flesh.

Bai Yujing picked up a piece and let it melt in her mouth before swallowing. “Zhuying, how’s your investigation into the mastermind going?”

“No progress yet. There are far more information brokers than I’d anticipated.”

Zhuying’s expression was cold, her delicate features enhanced by a subtle smoky makeup, her slender fingers even paler beneath a sheen of violet nail polish.

She continued, “I learned yesterday, after questioning several brokers, that every minor boss in this city answers to a bigger boss. You could call them branch offices of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion. There must be hundreds or even thousands of brokers in Shanghai City alone.”

“Well, there’s no shortage of wealthy and influential people here. If you want to get close to them, you have to use someone they can trust,” said Tiya, interjecting.

Coming from a noble family, she understood such entanglements all too well.

Liu Shuangling reminded her, “You made sure they wouldn’t leak anything about your questioning, right?”

“I used illusions to make them forget what I’d asked,” Zhuying replied honestly.

In the depths of her black irises, a blood-red mandala pattern flickered with a bewitching beauty.

Listening to the exchange, Bai Yujing felt a surge of satisfaction. The three of them were closer than when they had first met. They were starting to care for each other’s affairs. Even if it was just a casual remark, such concern would have been unthinkable at the beginning. This was progress.

…

Cleaning, cultivation.

After the routines were called to a halt, Liu Shuangling went to the scripture room’s washbasin. She wiped the sweat from her skin with the towel hanging there, then stepped out through the doors into the morning light.

A rush of cool air brushed across her chest, as if her white T-shirt and bra were no barrier at all. Liu Shuangling stretched where she stood, her curves accentuated by the early sun, the soft fabric of her shirt rising and falling with her movement.

“Ah—” she sighed contentedly, then switched her Demon-Hunting app online before stepping out toward the main building.

On either side, tall watchtowers reached for the sky, their shadows cast long by the slanting sunlight—like two giant swords plunged into the earth.

All around, plum blossoms bloomed in red and white, their petals trembling gently in the wind. The air was filled with their faint, lingering sweetness.

Tiya and Zhuying were waiting there, one radiant as a queen, the other as cold and sharp as a rose with thorns.

“How did your training go?” Liu Shuangling asked with a smile, sounding for all the world like a top student probing her peers about their progress.

She believed herself the fastest learner, but she wanted to suss out the others’ pace.

Tiya folded her arms, grinning. “Not bad, better than yesterday. I think I’ll master it soon.”

“Same here,” Zhuying answered succinctly.

Liu Shuangling felt a pang of urgency. She couldn’t afford to be left behind; she had to master the Absolute Barrier script as quickly as possible.

As she pondered, a figure leapt down from the top of the tower, landing lightly on the flagstones.

“First thing online today, we’ve been assigned a specific Class B mission.” Bai Yujing’s voice was steady and strong. “I’ll be guarding the Central Spirit Library for a week. Remember to bring breakfast there from now on.”

“Alright,” Liu Shuangling replied.

Bai Yujing raised her right hand in front of her, signaling for the others to place their hands atop hers.

Liu Shuangling hesitated, surprised by this sudden idea, but placed her hand down. Her palm was smooth as jade, radiating a gentle warmth.

Tiya and Zhuying followed suit.

Bai Yujing covered Tiya’s soft hand with her other one and gave a firm pat. “Let’s do our best!”

“Let’s do our best,” the three echoed, almost absent-mindedly.

Bai Yujing let go. In an instant, her figure vanished.

…

With a dull pop, the air burst and a swirl of dust rose from the ground as Bai Yujing appeared at the entrance of the Central Spirit Library.

This was one of the largest spirit libraries in Xia—the only two were here in Shanghai and the capital. The others in various cities simply couldn’t compare; the cost of construction was too high.

The entire library was built from the finest spirit-lustrous stone, its walls inscribed with advanced defensive, detection, and sealing scripts, making the building itself a massive amalgam of high-grade enchantments.

At all times, two ninth-grade spirit masters were stationed within to provide the spiritual pressure needed for the scripts.

Library staff worked in a closed system: once hired, they lived entirely within the library, not leaving until retirement. The rules were strict, but the security and secrecy of the Central Spirit Library were unmatched.

Two constables from the Six Gates stood guard at the entrance.

Bai Yujing pushed open the heavy wooden door, which creaked softly on its hinges.

Inside, the lobby was vast, the ceiling soaring overhead, with benches tucked into the corners for resting. At the center was a semicircular front desk, behind which sat six receptionists.

Ten large doors lined the hall: nine led to the nine major sections of the library’s holdings, and the last was for staff use only.

The familiar scene brought a wave of nostalgia. Bai Yujing remembered long nights spent here, studying until dawn.

He couldn’t help but feel sentimental as he approached the reception.

Before he could speak, a woman with round glasses and chubby cheeks, her hair in soft curls, smiled at him. “Back again, I see.”

Bai Yujing paused in surprise. “You remember me?”

“Of course. Men as exceptional as you are hard to forget.”

A sweet smile blossomed on Xiao Youxuan’s face.

In all her years working here, she’d never seen anyone rise so quickly through the ranks, borrowing one advanced script after another, always pushing beyond previous limits. Coupled with Bai Yujing’s striking masculine aura, she couldn’t have forgotten him if she tried.

Bai Yujing felt a secret thrill at the compliment, though he kept his tone modest. “You’re too kind. I’m not here to borrow books this time. I’ve been assigned by the Six Gates to guard the library for a week. My number is 7431.”

“Well then, I’ll leave the place in your care,” Xiao Youxuan replied, her eyes crinkling with a smile as sweet as honey.

Bai Yujing, for his part, was puzzled. He had no memory of this smiling receptionist—had he been too absorbed in his training back then to notice?