Mo Chuan stared at the demonic cultivator before him in disbelief, his lips twitching.
Mo Fei?!
Had this little girl become like this as soon as she woke up?!
Wasn't the Cheng Ying Sword a weapon-type ability? How could it have demonic energy?!
Mo Chuan's mind was exploding with information, rapidly processing the fact that his sister had become a demonic cultivator and contemplating how to compensate for the losses and casualties she had caused.
Just as Mo Chuan's CPU was about to overheat, Mo Fei, who had fainted on the ground, suddenly curled up and trembled, murmuring in a low voice, "Brother... where are you... Brother..."
Mo Fei's voice attracted Mo Chuan's attention. He sighed helplessly, walked to Mo Fei's side, bent down to pick her up in a princess carry, and first turned back to her hospital room.
No matter what, he had to check on Mo Fei's condition first. If the hospital suffered any losses, he could just borrow some money from his aunt or the bank and figure out how to repay it later. He just hoped there were no casualties...
As it turned out, the moment Mo Chuan returned to the room, he encountered someone completely unexpected.
In the otherwise empty room, the old beggar who had fought with Mo Chuan over beef noodles earlier was sitting on the ward's reclining chair, happily eating porridge in his left hand and a bun in his right.
Cha Zhu was about to engage in a verbal sparring match with Mo Chuan, then openly declare his purpose in front of Mo Chuan's astonished gaze, and finally wrap up his mission and leave. However, he didn't expect to receive a surprise from Mo Chuan right away.
As for the alarm outside? He came out on a secret mission and would avoid using force if possible. The fight with Zhao Qingfeng was purely a spar.
"Elder? How did you...?"
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Cha Zhu almost choked to death on a bun. He quickly coughed a few times, stood up from the ground, and said, "You're really playing wild! The alarm outside hasn't even cleared, and you're holding a..."
Halfway through, Cha Zhu's voice grew quieter, and his brows gradually furrowed into the shape of the character "Chuan" because, from a distance, he could already feel the potent demonic energy emanating from the woman in Mo Chuan's arms.
"The hospital entered a defensive state because of her..." Cha Zhu walked closer to Mo Chuan, gesturing for him to place Mo Fei on the reclining chair.
"..." Although Mo Chuan didn't know why the old man was there, his intuition told him that this person was probably not a bad guy. Moreover, the man likely knew Mo Fei was a demonic cultivator the moment he saw her, but his reaction indicated no ill will.
So, Mo Chuan gently placed Mo Fei on the reclining chair and turned back to look at Cha Zhu.
Cha Zhu first took out a small red string bracelet from his embrace, then infused it with spiritual energy. Only after the three brass bells on the red string flashed a golden light and jingled a few times did he put the bracelet on Mo Fei's wrist.
Amidst the crisp and soothing sound of the bells, Mo Fei's brows gradually relaxed, her breathing became steady, and she fell into a deep sleep once more.
From the ceasing alarm outside and the approaching footsteps, Mo Chuan knew that the hospital staff had arrived.
...
"Mr. Mo Chuan, Miss Mo Fei's vital signs are basically stable, but please do not leave her for extended periods from now on to ensure her mental stability."
"Alright, thank you, Doctor. The trouble caused this time..."
"It's fine. The hospital suffered no losses and no casualties. You just need to pay for the surgery, medical, and hospitalization fees."
After a few more words with the doctor, Mo Chuan returned to the ward and saw Mo Fei, who was drinking water on the bed, and Cha Zhu, who was fast asleep on the reclining chair.
As if hearing Mo Chuan's footsteps, Mo Fei put down her cup, and Cha Zhu rubbed his eyes as he woke up, both looking at Mo Chuan simultaneously.
"Bro..." Mo Fei's eyes turned red, and tears immediately welled up. Any teenage girl who had gone through these hellish few hours would be on the verge of a mental breakdown and then succumb to emotional collapse upon seeing their most important person again.
"Wah—hic—wah—"
Mo Chuan simply held Mo Fei quietly, letting her cry in his arms.
"Cry, it's good to cry it out."
...
After Mo Chuan had settled Mo Fei, he stepped out of the ward and saw Cha Zhu waiting for him on a seat in the corridor.
"Old man, you..."
"This old man is Di Zhi Twelve, codenamed Cha Zhu," Cha Zhu said while chewing a bag of small fried dough twists. "I came here to find you for observation and testing."
Mo Chuan was stunned and immediately cupped his fists in a bow, saying, "Greetings, senior. Thank you for your assistance, senior. Mo Chuan will surely repay your kindness with overflowing gratitude."
Cha Zhu waved his hand and said, "This old man's visit this time is mainly to inform you: you have basically passed the hidden assessment. If you enter the Imperial Capital University with an invitation letter for further studies, you will directly be admitted to the special class."
"Special class?"
"It's a small class composed of eight students. All training and teaching are independent of other regular classes," Cha Zhu said, emptying the bag of twisted dough. "These small classes are for dealing with the World University League during the sophomore and junior years. Every school has them, but their recruitment methods differ. And because the information is relatively confidential, most normal people are unaware of them."
"Oh... I see..."
Including Cha Zhu, five people had already recommended Mo Chuan to study at the Imperial Capital University. It seemed he should indeed make it his first choice.
As for the eight schools led by Qingzhou University? Sorry, their invitation letters were invalid with Mo Chuan, so Mo Chuan couldn't go.
However, Cha Zhu's latter words interrupted Mo Chuan's thoughts:
"Secondly, it's about the Supernatural Abilities Administration Bureau. You are now officially a member of the Central Headquarters of the Supernatural Abilities Administration Bureau, in the special reaction squad for ghosts and monsters. However, considering your age, studies, and other special circumstances, the higher-ups have decided to let you continue working under Zhang Henshui. We'll discuss further after you meet the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors."
"Thirdly, it's your next mission. Given that you previously mentioned that the ghost boss, suspected to be an underling of the Yan Luo Hall, gave you a travel ticket and you went there, the higher-ups have decided to assign a captain and two team members to help you in Huzhou. You will meet them the day after tomorrow afternoon. Ask Zhang Henshui for the specific time and location."
"Finally, this is my personal suggestion," Cha Zhu said. "This old man remembers that your sister's ability is the Cheng Ying Sword, right?"
"Yes..."
"The Cheng Ying Sword is one of the Ten Great Famous Swords of Longguo. Legend has it that it was a companion piece to Emperor Tang of the Shang Dynasty, forged by four master sword smiths using copper from Dongshan and fire from Cuiyang during the twilight hours. They successfully created a sword with a dual soul."
"The yang soul is named 'Zhao Ri' (Daylight), guarding the power of strength and uprightness, being the most honest; the yin soul is named 'Ye Ying' (Night Shadow), guarding the power of gentleness and flexibility, being the most cunning."
"However, the sword's true soul follows its owner. The state of the owner's sword heart determines how the Cheng Ying Sword transforms."
"Your sister clearly has some psychological issues of paranoia and willfulness, so under the temptation of Night Shadow, she chose Night Shadow."
"There have been records of Cheng Ying Sword ability users turning into demonic cultivators before, but that was a very long time ago... My suggestion is, if possible and you trust me, I will take her to the Ten Thousand Swords Sect on Mount Wan Jian in the Imperial Capital." Cha Zhu glanced discreetly at the ward and said, "I know the principal of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, and she should be able to help your sister."