"Not bad, not bad. Uncle Wu, you have turned into quite the connoisseur of hit shows. From now on, I will know exactly who to ask about these things!" Ying Ziyu said approvingly.

"First it is Grandpa Wu, then Uncle Wu—tell me, could you not address me like a normal person? We are of the same generation, after all. Would it kill you to call me Brother Wu?" Wu Chengtian said helplessly.

At that, Ying Ziyu suddenly set down her snacks and sat up straight. She looked him in the eye with a solemn expression and nodded. "It would."

"..." Wu Chengtian was utterly at a loss for words. He could only pinch his nose and accept his fate, then asked instead, "Why are you back today? Is it the weekend again already?"

The school was not far from here, but Ying Ziyu usually still lived in the dormitory and only came back on weekends and holidays. With Wei Zhao gone these days, after all, there was little point in her returning every day.

"Uncle Wu, you must be from Mars. Do you really not know that tomorrow is the first of October?" Ying Ziyu said, her face full of astonishment.

"Ah? Does that not mean today is the end of the month?" Wu Chengtian gave a start. He could think of the television no longer. He rose hastily and headed for the door. "I have to go buy groceries right away. Keep an eye on things upstairs for me, and remember to check every half hour."

"I know, Steward Wu. Just go buy your groceries in peace." Ying Ziyu waved him off impatiently, again and again.

Wu Chengtian had by now become the new generation's Uncle Qing, handling everything here, great and small, to the point that he even did the shopping and cooking himself. He had once gone so far as to enroll in a dedicated cooking class; these days he could turn out quite a fine dish. One could only say his retirement life was bored to a truly extraordinary degree.

By long-standing custom, the end of each month was the day this whole crowd gathered. Apart from Ying Ziyu, Qiu Lingshan, Xu Shilan, Cheng Yiyi, and Sun Jingyan would all come tonight, and Lai the Fatty, Kang Xiaobo, Yu Bing, Han Xiaopo, Zhao Qitan, and the rest of the core underlings would all be present without a single one missing.

To be sure, on ordinary weekends a portion of them would come as well, but after all everyone was scattered across different places, and none of them had retired early and come running over to serve as a full-time steward the way Wu Chengtian had. Each had his own affairs to attend to, and it was impossible for everyone to gather every weekend. But the end-of-month gathering was immovable as a mountain: even those with other commitments arranged things in advance or simply declined them outright. It was an important gathering, belonging to this crowd of theirs.

Whenever this day came, it was time for Wu Chengtian to get busy. With so many people gathered together, merely arranging food and drink was a major undertaking; every trip to the market he hauled back a whole cartload, and strangers who saw him took him for a little street vendor dealing in groceries. Every time a new security guard joined the residential compound, he would be questioned once, and by now he had grown used to it.

Wu Chengtian swept through the market in one great shopping spree, picking and choosing, haggling over every price, every inch the auntie who had steeped in market life for decades. Given his strength and his family background, one could never have imagined he would turn out like this; yet now he took real delight in it. One could only say that time truly can change everything.

Wu Chengtian was busy and blissful when his phone suddenly rang. Seeing Qiu Lingshan's name on the display, he picked up at once. "Sister-in-law, your timing is perfect. Whatever you want to eat tonight, just order away—I am at the market right now, and once I get back the chance will be gone."

Qiu Lingshan laughed at his words, then said apologetically, "Sorry, I have an urgent assignment on my end. I am afraid I will not be able to make it tonight. Give everyone my apologies."

Wu Chengtian was by now the chief steward of Wei Zhao and his circle. Whoever had business had to report it to him, and if anyone wanted to know how someone was doing, they need only ask him—he had it all down pat.

"An urgent assignment?" Wu Chengtian could not help but be taken aback. Puzzled, he said, "Sister-in-law, you are deputy director of the Bureau of Mysterious Investigation now. What important assignment would require you to take the field in person? Everyone knows about the end-of-month gathering. Director Feng would not be assigning you work, surely?"

"That was indeed the case before, but this assignment is very unusual. The entire Bureau of Mysterious Investigation has been called in on an emergency basis. It is no small matter." Qiu Lingshan's tone was somewhat grave.

"Could some clan or sect be stirring up trouble again?" Wu Chengtian was startled. Ever since Wei Zhao had brought the great and small clans and sects of the mundane world under one hand, the Bureau of Mysterious Investigation had stood at the zenith of its power. In ordinary times no one would dare provoke it; even those ancient clans of deep foundations had to submit to its governance. But now that Wei Zhao had been gone three years, it was entirely normal that some should begin to stir restlessly.

"It should not be that. This time we received word that a number of cultivators of unknown origin have suddenly appeared in the mundane world, and their strength seems unfathomable. But just what their background is, and what they mean to do by appearing so suddenly, is still unclear. Only, other clans and sects have caught wind of it, and if these people truly mean to make trouble, there will be a great disaster without fail. So we must be on careful guard," Qiu Lingshan said.

"If they are not from the clans and sects, then could they have been sent by the Red Conch or the Center?" Wu Chengtian said with a frown.

It was no wonder if one or two hidden masters emerged; but for a whole band of masters of unknown origin to appear all at once—that truly called for careful vigilance. Ordinary clans and sects did not have such strength, and in any case they were more or less under the Bureau's supervision. The only powers he knew of that remained were the Red Conch and the Center.

"I already asked Brother Dafeng a moment ago. There is no word on his end for the time being, and by my reckoning it should not be them this time." Qiu Lingshan paused, then went on, "But according to Brother Dafeng, the Center does seem to have been brewing some plan lately. It is only that he is currently responsible for poison-refining alone, and cannot yet get wind of anything else."

"But if it is not the Center, then who could it be?" Wu Chengtian said in perplexity. In a matter like this, the Center was without question the chief suspect; if that could be confirmed, at least they could take targeted precautions. But if these people did not come from the Center, and their identities and origins could not even be determined, then matters would truly be difficult.

"That is precisely what we urgently need to find out. The whole Bureau is gathering intelligence from every quarter as we speak; perhaps we can tease out a clue or two. All right, no more talk for now—I have a meeting to attend at once. Pass this news along to everyone, and have them keep watch and take precautions in the days ahead. In any case, caution can do no harm." Qiu Lingshan urged. (To be continued.)

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