Guangren looked at Wu Rendi and said, "This kid just asked me how long it took you to refine your Seed. Well? Aren't you going to explain it to him?"
Wu Rendi didn't respond to him. Instead, he looked at me and said in his uniquely indifferent tone, "I'm not your father, and you're not my son. Why should I tell you anything?"
That line almost made me choke. Not my son, but I'm your father? Way to make sure you never lose, huh?
After speaking to me, Wu Rendi turned to Guangren, who was already sitting cross-legged on the floor, and said, "Just now, you had the chance to take the Seed out, but you didn't. That's not like you."
Guangren smiled faintly and returned his gaze, "Would you have let that situation happen?"
Wu Rendi didn't reply. Instead, he pulled out a pale yellow wax capsule and tossed it to Guangren. Without a moment's hesitation, Guangren caught it, crushed the wax open, and revealed a black pill the size of a ping-pong ball. He held it under his nose and sniffed, then looked up and smiled at Wu Rendi. "After being locked up by you all these years, I suppose it's a blessing in disguise. At least I won't have to bother with this Three-Year Cycle for a while."
With that, he popped the pill into his mouth, chewed a few times, and swallowed. Exhaling deeply, Guangren smiled cheerfully. "Speaking of which, your own Weakened Phase is coming up, isn't it? So, where are you planning to hide this time? This place is quiet enough—you could just stay here a few days. I'll keep you company. It's only thirteen days, blink and it's gone."
"You'd better worry about yourself," Wu Rendi sneered coldly. "If I decide to stay away next time, you've only got three years left to live. You've seen what happens to those who miss the next dose. You know the consequences better than I do."
Though Guangren still wore a smile, it had grown stiff. His confidence clearly wasn't what it was a moment ago.
Wu Rendi didn't spare him another glance. He turned back to me and said in his usual cutting tone, "Let's go. Your master's so scared he's about to pass out. He won't cry in front of you."
Guangren gave a snort but didn't respond to Wu Rendi. Instead, he turned to me and said, "Tell him this—he's built up hundreds of enemies over the years. Maybe no one dares touch him now, but that might change soon."
Wu Rendi acted like he hadn't heard a word and walked toward the exit. I couldn't afford to offend either of them. Wu Rendi was out of the question, but even Guangren—stripped of his powers as he was—could still mess with me the next time I refine the Seed. That alone would be a nightmare.
I repacked the dishes, which had barely been touched, back into the food box. Just as I was getting ready to leave, Guangren suddenly said, "Tell the guy who brought the beer—next time, don't bother with all the fancy stuff. Just make a pot of ham, a plate of tofu, prepare them carefully, and bring a jug of yellow wine. That's enough."
He knows about Sun Fatty? I was startled. But I had more urgent matters—I needed to ask Wu Rendi something. I responded politely and hurried out with the food box, chasing after Wu Rendi's retreating figure.
Thankfully, Wu Rendi wasn't walking fast. I caught up quickly and asked, "Director Wu, there's something I need to ask you. Am I also going to 'reset' every three years? Will I need to take the same kind of pill you gave Guangren? What happens if I don't?"
To my surprise, Wu Rendi actually stopped walking and looked at me with a half-smile. I braced myself for another one of his classic replies like "Who are you to me? Why should I tell you anything?" But this time, what came out of his mouth was:
"I'll only say this once. If you don't understand, don't ask again."
Same sharp tone, but… this was the first time the man had actually answered me. It was practically a miracle.
Wu Rendi continued, "You, me, and the two Yangs—Yang Xiao and Yang Jun—are different from Guangren. Yes, we also go through a three-year Weakened Phase, but it's not the same as his. Something went wrong when Guangren became immortal—he relied on external force to gain his current state. During our cycle, we only lose our immortality and spellcasting abilities temporarily. The Seed inside you will also go dormant for thirteen days. But Guangren's situation is trickier. Without that pill to regulate him, he'll lose his immortality entirely. Worse yet, if he dies during that window, his soul will vanish—no reincarnation, no next life."
After saying this, Wu Rendi glanced back in Guangren's direction, then fixed his eyes on me again. "Remember today's date. Three years from now, it'll be your job to bring him the medicine. I'll give you the formula when we're back. I'm not handling that part anymore. Guangren is your responsibility now."
Wu Rendi's words made me pause for a moment. It sounded like he was hinting at something. I asked, "Director Wu, are you saying you're not going down there anymore? Then how long is Guangren going to stay locked up?"
To be honest, that was good news. If Wu Rendi wasn't going to the fifth sublevel, then the two short swords I snuck from the warehouse might not be discovered anytime soon.
Wu Rendi gave me a flat look and replied, "Since when did my having an answer become a given just because you have a question?"
Classic Wu-style retort. In an instant, our fragile rapport was reset to default. He didn't say another word and walked off with big strides, leaving me—the Deputy Director—standing there, carrying two large food boxes and trudging forward all alone.
By the time I made it to the upper level, Wu Rendi was nowhere to be seen. Even when I took the elevator back to the surface, there was still no sign of him. But just as I stepped out of the elevator, Sun Fatty suddenly came barreling down from the stairwell, shouting angrily, "Lazi! It's been a whole damn day and night! Where the hell were you?!"
"What do you mean a day and night?" I was startled by his panicked state—when had I ever seen him this agitated? I glanced at the clock hanging across from the elevator. It was 4:30 p.m. Confused, I looked back at Sun Fatty. "I've only been down there for, like, six hours. How is that a full day and night?"
My response made Sun Fatty's eyes go wide. He blinked several times before replying, "Lazi, what the hell did Guangren do to you? You went down there yesterday around noon and never came back. Not gonna lie, I was looking for you last night, waited until midnight, still no sign. I stayed in the surveillance room and stared at the elevator feed all night. If I hadn't seen you soon, I was going to find Wu Rendi and demand answers."
A full day and night? His words shocked me. I pulled out my phone and checked the date—he was right. A whole day had passed. I stared at the screen, speechless. Sun Fatty didn't press further. Instead, he led me to his office. After pouring me a glass of water, he sat down behind his desk and waited for me to speak.
I mentally reviewed everything that happened on the fifth sublevel. Eventually, I figured the problem must've occurred during the moment I "died." Guangren had gone through something similar, but he got up pretty fast. Why did it take me so much longer?
Reading my face, Sun Fatty clearly had a pretty good idea. He handed me a cigarette and said, "Take your time, Lazi. Think it through. If anything's confusing, I'll help you figure it out. I'm on the outside of all this, which sometimes means I can see things more clearly."
I looked at him, took the cigarette, lit it, and said, "Even if you didn't ask, I'd still tell you. Guangren left a message for you…"
I recounted everything that happened on Sublevel Five. Sun Fatty listened intently, his eyes blinking constantly. Strangely enough, he didn't interrupt even once. After I finished, we stared at each other for a full minute or two before he finally spoke.
"So Old Wu handed Guangren over to you…" he muttered. "Not gonna lie, is he planning on never going down there again? Or maybe… maybe three years from now, he won't even be in the Bureau anymore?"
"C'mon, don't be dramatic," I said. With Wu Rendi standing right in front of me earlier, I hadn't thought much about it. But now, with Sun Fatty pointing it out, it did feel like Wu Rendi was being unusually proactive. Still, I said, "Even if he wanted to leave, would Director Gao really let him go? You think Boss Gao would just wave goodbye to someone like Old Wu?"
"We'll see," Sun Fatty chuckled, then shifted the topic. "Let's talk about Guangren. That guy's as sly as they come—probably smart enough to go toe-to-toe with Director Gao. So here's the thing, Lazi. Not saying it's definite, but your little… death… lasting a full day and night? I'm thinking two possibilities."
He drew out the suspense for a moment, then said, "First, you only recently became one of the white-haired folk. Your body's still adapting, so it takes longer for you to come back. You're no match for someone like Guangren who's been doing this for centuries. Second…"
He paused, then narrowed his eyes. "Guangren might've messed with you while you were unconscious. That would explain why it took you so long to wake up. And maybe—just maybe—Old Wu only went down there because you hadn't come back yet. Maybe the whole 'medicine delivery' was just a cover."
His second theory hit closer to home. I stared at him and said, "Guangren messed with me? What for? He better not be using me for some weird experiment."
"Who knows?" Sun Fatty shrugged. "But I doubt it's anything too bad. Old Wu went down himself—if something were really off, he would've noticed."
Then he looked at me strangely and said, "By the way, Lazi… not gonna lie, you haven't eaten in a whole day and night. Don't you feel hungry?"
It was like he flipped a switch. The moment the words left his mouth, my stomach started growling like a beast. Up till then I'd just felt groggy—not hungry at all. I'd assumed the fogginess was a side effect of refining the Seed. But now that the fog had lifted, the hunger came crashing in—hard. My heart was racing, my hands trembling.
No time for courtesy—I opened the food box right there in his Deputy Director's office. The dishes were long cold, and I didn't care that Guangren had used his chopsticks on them. I grabbed the food with my hands and tore into it like a starving wolf. Even Sun Fatty, who always claimed he ate like there was no tomorrow, rolled his eyes.
"Lazi, slow down! Don't choke! I'm not taking your food. For God's sake, show some manners! You ever see Old Wu or the Two Yangs eat like they just escaped famine? Put that abalone down! Swallow the matsutake first before you grab anything else!"
The hunger was so familiar. Just days ago, when I woke from my two-year coma, I'd felt this same gnawing emptiness. I hadn't expected to go through it again so soon. Not until I'd finished more than half the food did the hunger subside. With food in my belly, the panic finally faded.
Sun Fatty, seeing I'd calmed down, poured us each a shot of Moutai and was about to propose a small drink. But just then, his office phone rang. He looked surprised—clearly not expecting a call.
"Hello? Yes, it's me. Director Gao… yes, sir. Don't tell me—something big again? Don't say Lin's back with another barrel of demon acid… Damn it, sorry, that was a jinx… Understood. I'll head over now. Yes, Shen La's here with me—I'll bring him along."
He hung up, gave me a bitter smile, and said, "Lazi, full yet? Good. Time to get moving—something's happened again. Let's go. Conference room."