Chapter 8 Special Office

In the midst of chaos and turmoil, Fang Zhenbang and Qiu Xiaoling sat quietly like chickens around a stone table in a corner of the inner courtyard. They occasionally stole glances at Lin Yangfeng, who sat in a wheelchair, withdrawn and exuding dark energy, swallowing hard, afraid to utter a word.

Just moments ago, a horrific event had occurred—one so unbelievable that no one would believe it if told. The slender, jade-skinned young man had effortlessly lifted the electric wheelchair, which weighed at least a hundred kilograms, and in that very position, had carried their iron-willed, violent captain into the house without them even realizing it!

Fang Zhenbang thought to himself, who could have imagined such a thing? Witnessing their captain being taken, he had no choice but to pull along the involved party, Qiu Xiaoling, and follow into the inner courtyard, watching as the shopkeeper casually placed their captain by the pond in front of the rockery… Both he and Qiu Xiaoling sat down inexplicably, as if they were guests at the Jade Accumulation Studio.

As for the shopkeeper, Yan Zhen? He had dived into a room in the west wing, reportedly to prepare a grand feast in the kitchen.

Fang Zhenbang and Qiu Xiaoling exchanged glances, then both turned their heads away.

—They weren’t very familiar with each other.

Everyone remained silent.

The atmosphere was strangely eerie.

About fifteen minutes later, Yan Zhen emerged, carrying a large wooden platter at least a meter square, laden with seven or eight bowls and plates, each containing a meticulously prepared dish or fruit and rice, along with a wine jug and a large wine cup.

In the next moment, Fang Zhenbang and Qiu Xiaoling sprang aside as if propelled by springs.

They could tell that the shopkeeper had no regard for them; his mind was solely on Lin Yangfeng, so these exquisite dishes had nothing to do with them.

Without any visible effort, the large wooden platter vanished from Yan Zhen’s hands, and simultaneously, the bowls and plates appeared on the stone table.

In the center lay a headless fish nearly a meter long, its scales removed, the skin scored with decorative cuts, seemingly deep-fried in hot oil, transforming the originally tender white flesh into a golden, crispy delight that wafted a mouthwatering aroma.

Surrounding this large fish were three large plates, all filled with carefully crafted roasted meats. One plate contained pieces of tail meat from some animal, skinned and cut into segments, each as thick as a wrist, perfectly suitable for gnawing; another plate held assorted sashimi, likely comprising eighteen different varieties, arranged in floral shapes of pink and pearly white, each complementing the other in vibrant hues; and the last plate featured a roasted leg, the origin of which was unknown, but its enticing aroma made one’s mouth water.

Next, there were two medium bowls, one filled with stir-fried beast ears; the other contained long chives that were not chives but Zhu Yu, lightly sautéed; and a large soup bowl held a clear broth made from an entire bird resembling a quail. Additionally, there was a bamboo tube, half an arm’s length in diameter, filled with steamed Five-Colored Rice, which released an intense fragrance the moment the lid was lifted.

Each dish was incredibly enticing, and each bore a hint of the bizarre.

Fang Zhenbang sniffed, feeling a surge of warmth rise from his dantian, filling him with energy. Qiu Xiaoling, though not sensing the dantian energy, also felt a fullness from the aroma, so much so that she was afraid to breathe too deeply.

Of course, the most astonished was Lin Yangfeng.

The moment Yan Zhen appeared, his gaze was fixed on the platter, filled with astonishment—these dishes were made from ancient exotic beasts and herbs, each infused with pure spiritual energy! In a world where pure spiritual energy was scarce, he could not tolerate impure substances, leaving him perpetually hungry… After so many years of hunger, he could only obtain some pure spiritual food when absolutely necessary, allowing him a little sustenance; as for being full? That had never happened.

Lin Yangfeng did not notice that his eyes were greedily fixed on the food, as if ready to pounce and snatch it all away!

Yan Zhen noticed the look in Lin Yangfeng’s eyes, and his own filled with compassion.

“Come eat, it’s all yours.” He blinked, thought for a moment, and decided to play along with the amnesiac Dan Zai, “So, how should I address you?”

Lin Yangfeng had already appeared beside the stone table the moment Yan Zhen finished speaking. Yan Zhen quickly handed him chopsticks and poured him a drink from the wine jug.

The jug contained White Tree Sap, which had no alcoholic scent, resembling a sweet soup of red lacquer, and smelled delightful.

Lin Yangfeng took the chopsticks, inhaled deeply, “I’m Lin Yangfeng; you can call me Captain Lin.” Then, his chopsticks flew, and the table was soon obscured by the shadows of his rapid movements, with the contents of each plate swiftly diminishing.

First, the two medium bowls were emptied in a flash, followed by a third of the clear broth disappearing from the large bowl, then the entire large fish was lifted as if merely licked, with both flesh and bones vanishing, another third of the broth gone, half of the Five-Colored Rice in the bamboo tube consumed, and a cup of White Tree Sap drained… Yan Zhen was quick to refill, and the other two large plates were also rapidly devoured, as if something were swallowing them whole, leaving all bowls and plates looking as if they had been washed clean.

Finally, Lin Yangfeng’s movements ceased. Holding the cup, he finished the last sip of White Tree Sap, then let out a small burp, the violent look on his face softening slightly, his eyes reflecting a hint of satisfaction.

Yan Zhen’s clear and pleasant voice rang out, “Captain Lin, are you done eating?”

Lin Yangfeng slowly picked up the fruits Yan Zhen had given him earlier, nibbling while responding with a noncommittal “Mm.”

He was full; since his birth, he had never felt this full. In fact, these foods evoked a faint sense of familiarity, as if one or two items were something he had eaten before, but that memory was very distant, perhaps from when he was very young, one of the most delightful foods in his recollection. So after this meal, not only did the vitality in his muscles increase, but the persistent fatigue that had shadowed him for countless years seemed to be somewhat dispelled, allowing his decayed and weakened body to radiate a glimmer of life from within.

As the saying goes, “A short mouth cannot criticize,” having enjoyed such a spiritual feast, even Lin Yangfeng, whose temper and patience were notoriously thin, could not dwell on the humiliation of being “carried” in earlier.

Despite Lin Yangfeng’s cold response, Yan Zhen was overjoyed, quickly saying, “If you liked the taste, how about coming to eat every day? You can have whatever you want; I’ll cook for you.”

Lin Yangfeng paused, then directly refused, “No need, thank you for this meal. I’ll prepare a thank-you gift to send over.” After saying this, his wheelchair buzzed as he turned to leave, “Fang Zhenbang, Qiu Xiaoling, you two come with me.”

Fang Zhenbang and Qiu Xiaoling hurriedly followed.

Yan Zhen panicked; why was Dan Zai leaving so soon? He was more than willing to cook for Dan Zai every day; how could he eat such a meal and not return? Wouldn’t that leave him hungry again? Dan Zai was really stubborn; he wasn’t intentionally losing Dan Zai, but Dan Zai just wouldn’t forgive him. How fierce…

Lost in thought, Yan Zhen chased after Lin Yangfeng, but in his haste, the ground cracked beneath him. He quickly recovered, but it slowed him down. By the time he reached the door, an invisible force blocked his path. He could clearly see that it was Dan Zai glancing back at him, and with that glance came the obstruction… Dan Zai didn’t want him to follow, Dan Zai…

Yan Zhen halted, gazing wistfully at Lin Yangfeng’s retreating figure, not daring to violently break through that force to chase after him. He sighed softly, disappointment lacing his voice, “If you’re tired and don’t want to come, that’s fine; just tell me where you live, and I’ll bring you food every day…”

On the wheelchair ahead, the tall young man with sharp features heard this and paused slightly. But soon, he maneuvered the wheelchair forward, leaving Yan Zhen and the entire Jade Accumulation Studio behind.

Yan Zhen pouted; saying that was useless. He would check on Dan Zai’s whereabouts later and deliver food once he found him. Didn’t humanity have a saying, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way”? As long as he persisted, Dan Zai would surely forgive him.

With that thought, Yan Zhen suddenly felt happy again.

After all, he had found his precious treasure! Wherever Dan Zai went, he would know.

·

The Special Affairs Bureau, abbreviated as the “Special Bureau,” was a mysterious department known to the upper echelons of Huaguo but unknown to the common people, hidden in a secret office area in City B, difficult for ordinary folks to find.

After taking Qiu Xiaoling’s statement, Fang Zhenbang sent her back and kindly escorted their task force captain to rest before hastily making his way to the Special Bureau, knocking on the director’s office door.

Behind the desk sat a middle-aged man in military uniform, looking gentle and appearing to be in his forties, sitting upright as he processed a thick stack of documents, reviewing the applications atop them.

Upon Fang Zhenbang’s entrance, he looked up, his demeanor warm, “Xiao Fang, what brings you here?”

Fang Zhenbang took a deep breath and quickly detailed the entire incident, not daring to miss a single detail.

“Director Bai, I received some news yesterday…”

After laying out the entire sequence of events, he straightened his chest and abdomen, awaiting the director’s instructions.

Director Bai pondered, “So you’re saying that shopkeeper Yan became very enthusiastic upon seeing Captain Lin and even personally went to the kitchen to prepare a lot of dishes… You suspect… he fell in love at first sight with Captain Lin? And that this Yan shopkeeper is quite capable and difficult to deal with? He represents an uncontrollable factor?”

Fang Zhenbang replied loudly, “Yes! I suspect that the fruits and foods he prepared contain a large amount of spiritual energy, and his enthusiasm for the captain is quite strange, seemingly arising the moment he saw him, while the captain doesn’t seem to recognize him. So it’s very likely he fell in love at first sight, which is inconsistent with his initial demeanor.”

Director Bai nodded slightly, “That is a possibility.” He sighed, “If that’s the case, it’s not too bad; at least with Captain Lin around, it provides some restraint, and he can temporarily be categorized as part of the orderly side. However, we still need to keep an eye on his background… Since he has opened a shop, we should try to maintain a good relationship with him. If that lady Qiu really bought a hairpin that can ward off fire, you can send a team member with relatively high affinity to buy some items from his shop to deepen mutual exchanges.”

With that, Director Bai instructed Fang Zhenbang on several matters, concluding with, “This year we tested and found that the overall spiritual energy concentration across the country has risen by 1%, which has led to various disturbances. To maintain national order, we need to unite all possible forces. Do you understand, Xiao Fang?”

Fang Zhenbang replied solemnly, “Understood!”

·

After Fang Zhenbang left, Director Bai stood by the bed, rubbing his temples, his emotions complex.

Only the directors of each generation knew that Lin Yangfeng was not entirely a controllable entity; he had existed since the establishment of the Special Bureau, changing names every thirty years, always appearing as a disabled person. But they all knew that Lin Yangfeng was not disabled; it was because the spiritual energy of heaven and earth had gradually entered the Dharma Ending Age, and there was too little pure spiritual food in the world, forcing him to consume such food to maintain his activity. However, when food was scarce, his body grew weaker, and he could only sit in a wheelchair, rarely taking action, as each time he did so consumed a significant amount of energy, only exchanging his actions for the pure spiritual food they had accumulated through experience when the Special Bureau was in dire need.

In other words, Lin Yangfeng and the Special Bureau, as well as the country, only had a transactional relationship, with no special emotions involved.

No one knew what Lin Yangfeng truly was—human? Ghost? Monster? In any case, he needed spiritual food, had a violent temperament, and the national machinery was the easiest way to obtain such food. He was impatient, and coupled with the Special Bureau’s sufficient respect for him, this led to such a transaction.

Thus, the Special Bureau’s attitude toward Lin Yangfeng was also quite delicate.

Lin Yangfeng was undoubtedly their strongest trump card, ensuring the continuity of the Special Bureau. After so many years, it was impossible not to have feelings, but at the same time, they worried that if Lin Yangfeng had ample food and gradually regained strength year after year, would he still maintain such a stable state?

If Lin Yangfeng were to lose control, it would be the greatest terror for the entire Huaguo.

Director Bai sighed; with the increase in spiritual energy concentration in the world, demons and monsters were continuously appearing, and that shopkeeper Yan’s strange attitude toward Lin Yangfeng might be a variable.

In any case, as he said, before Lin Yangfeng lost control, they needed to unite all possible forces.