Chapter 11: The Exorcism Department and Moving Day

After performing the initial introductions with Zhang Daosheng, Zhou Yan wisely retreated to Luo Xuan’s side. He noticed her cold expression and realized that Zhang’s words from that night were correct; the young woman held a grudge against the man, likely stemming from the mysterious circumstances surrounding her father’s death.

Zhang Daosheng looked at Luo Xuan with a helpless expression. "Luo Xuan, it seems you still have reservations about me."

"Sword Lord Yinghuo is too kind," Luo Xuan replied stiffly. "I am but a minor dojo master; how could I possibly harbor such thoughts?" It was clear that she never bothered to hide her feelings, and her mood was plain to see.

As the high-ranking Sword Lord Yinghuo, Zhang Daosheng looked at her with a hint of shame. "I was the one who gave the final approval for your father’s mission task back then. It is only right that you blame me. However, there was no need for you to leave the Vermilion Bird Palace headquarters. You’ve wasted these three years—it is a true squandering of your talent." He looked at her with regret. "With your aptitude and the resources of the headquarters, you could have likely touched the threshold of a Grandmaster level by now, rather than languishing at the Mysterious level."

"It was not a waste," Luo Xuan said calmly. "With these three years, I kept my father’s dojo afloat and ensured my younger sister could finish high school and get into a prestigious university. I have nothing to apologize for to anyone."

Luo Ke reached out to grab her sister's hand and pulled a face at Zhang Daosheng.

Zhang sighed. "Well said, Luo Xuan. You sacrificed your own opportunities to support your family with a clear conscience. I am the one who let you both down." He turned to look at Cong Shiyun, who was standing nearby, minding his own business. "Luo Xuan will be joining the Demon Extermination Division soon, yes? Double her allocation of cultivation resources."

"Since Elder Zhang has spoken, it shall be done," Cong replied with a pleased expression. Having an Elder invest in the talent under his command was nothing but beneficial for him; he had no reason to refuse.

Zhang Daosheng nodded and continued, "I will expedite the process of restarting the mission during which Luo Huaiyi sacrificed himself. When the time comes, I will lead the team, and Luo Xuan will join us."

Luo Xuan stepped forward, her urgency plain. "When will that mission launch?"

Zhang looked at her with a gentle gaze. "With me pushing for it, it shouldn't take long. By the end of the month, it should be feasible. Until then, spend more time on your cultivation and familiarize yourself with the operation of divine machinery. Cong Shiyun will handle the energy requirements."

Cong chimed in with a smile, "Indeed, the Lihuo Pavilion in Wing City is prosperous enough to support that level of divine machinery consumption."

"I understand," Luo Xuan nodded, her gaze softening slightly. "Thank you, Elder Zhang."

***

Zhang Daosheng seemed to have come specifically to meet the three of them, and after a brief conversation, he departed with Li Guanqi. Before leaving, Li Guanqi exchanged contact information with Zhou Yan, agreeing to a rematch the next time they met. Zhou Yan could only wish him luck, as he didn't believe someone he had already surpassed would be able to catch up to him again.

After a brief discussion with the sisters and Cong Shiyun regarding the terms of employment at the Demon Extermination Division, Zhou Yan took his leave. Back at the apartment, he didn't converse much further with the sisters, and they all retreated to their rooms to rest. Tomorrow, Luo Xuan had her Mysterious-level promotion assessment, and Zhou Yan had a sparring match scheduled with Nie Luo from the military.

Early the next morning, Zhou Yan headed to the training grounds after a night of cultivation, but he did not encounter the diligent Nie Luo. He initially assumed the man was resting to conserve energy before their match. However, he soon received a notification from Cong Shiyun: the entire Mecha-Warrior regiment of the Wing City military had received orders from the Vermilion Bird Palace headquarters and had been deployed for a special mission. As the elite captain of the regiment, Nie Luo had departed overnight.

This meant that the exhibition tournament, in which Zhou Yan was representing Luo Xuan’s dojo, had come to a temporary end. His match with Nie Luo would have to be postponed until the latter returned.

Near noon, Luo Xuan, who had been gone all morning, returned to the apartment and called Zhou Yan into her room. "My Mysterious-level assessment passed," she told him decisively.

"As expected," Zhou Yan nodded. "Xiao Xuan, you always manage to accomplish incredible things for an ordinary person without making a sound." He reached behind him and pulled out a palm-sized, familiar yellow doll. "This is what we agreed on..."

Luo Xuan looked at it, pausing, but before she could speak, Luo Ke jumped up from the other side of the room. "A giant electric mouse doll!" She lunged, attempting to snatch it from Zhou Yan’s hand, but she swiped at empty air. By the time she turned back, the doll was already in Luo Xuan’s possession.

Luo Ke stood with her hands on her hips, pointing at her sister. "Big sister! You have no shame, snatching my doll!"

Luo Xuan glanced at her coldly, hugging the electric mouse and stroking it slowly. "I don't know who has no shame. This was a gift from Zhou Yan to me."

Luo Ke’s eyes widened in disbelief. She turned to Zhou Yan. "Zhou Yan! Tell me this isn't true!"

Zhou Yan smiled awkwardly. "It is true. Xiao Xuan commissioned it from me."

Looking betrayed, Luo Ke pulled out the smaller doll Zhou Yan had given her earlier, her eyes welling with tears. "But you gave her such a big one and mine is so small! Zhou Yan, I don't like you—"

Before she could finish, her voice was stifled by another large doll presented to her.

"This is?" Luo Ke looked at the palm-sized, wide-eyed duck doll, her eyes lighting up with stars.

"A Psyduck doll, for you," Zhou Yan said with a helpless smile. "If I didn't take it out, you’d be shedding little pearls of tears."

"Yay!" Luo Ke immediately snatched the doll and hugged it to her chest.

(ω)

Now, it was Luo Xuan’s turn to be unhappy. She stared at the Psyduck in Luo Ke’s arms for a long time, only looking away after Luo Ke hopped away to a safe distance, then shot Zhou Yan a glare. Zhou Yan scratched his head helplessly; how did giving gifts end up making people unhappy?

Fortunately, Luo Xuan didn't dwell on it and brought up the main business. "Zhou Yan, come with me to join the Demon Extermination Division this afternoon, and then we will go back to Tianzun City to move."

"So soon?" Zhou Yan was surprised. "Have you found a place to stay here? Or does the Pavilion provide housing?"

"Neither," Luo Xuan answered crisply. "But as staff of the Demon Extermination Division, our combined housing subsidies will be nearly ten thousand, enough for us to rent a high-end residence in any district in Wing City."

"Wow!" Luo Ke, hiding to the side, perked up again. Her little brain began to spin. "That much? How about we rent a five-hundred-dollar place in a village within the city and pocket the rest of the subsidy?"

"You’re overthinking it," Luo Xuan glared at her sister. "We pick the house, and the logistics department handles the lease. The money doesn't pass through our hands."

"Tch!" Luo Ke flopped back onto the bed to play with her dolls.

Luo Xuan looked at Zhou Yan. "Alternatively, you could choose to stay in the dormitory arranged by the Lihuo Pavilion—the apartment building we are currently in. It is in the center of Wing City, which is very convenient."

What kind of joke was that? Was there even a choice to be made? The sisters clearly didn't intend to exclude him, and Zhou Yan certainly preferred to live with them.

***

At 3:00 PM, led by Cong Shiyun’s deputy, Luo Xuan and Zhou Yan arrived at the upper floors of the administrative building.

"This entire floor is the office for the Demon Extermination Division," the deputy said respectfully to Luo Xuan. Though he was the deputy to the Pavilion Master of Wing City and usually didn't spare a glance for ordinary dojo masters, he was no fool. He could see the significance Cong Shiyun placed on the pair.

Luo Xuan nodded slightly. "So, we are to be on standby here?"

"Not quite," the deputy said gently. "Aside from the Division Chief who oversees the Lihuo Pavilion, experts like you are assigned to the 'Special Operations Group.' You will typically patrol inside and outside Wing City with your respective teams, and sometimes travel to subordinate cities to assist with abnormal incidents. Even without missions, you are expected to focus on your cultivation; there is rarely a need to sit in the office."

Luo Xuan acknowledged this. As they spoke, the deputy led them through the busy office, bustling with staff, and directly to the innermost sanctum, where they met the head of the division—the Chief.

The moment they met, Luo Xuan blurted out, "Sister Chu Wan, why are you here?"

Zhou Yan looked over and saw a mesmerizing woman with a perfect figure. Her true age was unclear, though she appeared to be in her late twenties. She wore her long hair in a neat bun and was dressed in a standard black skirt and white shirt. Her features were exquisite, like a blooming red rose, and a tear mole beneath her left eye added to her captivating aura.

She looked at Luo Xuan with a beaming smile. "Xiao Xuan, I’ve finally waited for you. It’s been three years since we last met, hasn't it?" She stepped forward and took Luo Xuan’s hand.

Luo Xuan seemed momentarily stunned. As she sat on the sofa, she asked again, "Sister Chu Wan, why are you here?"

The woman smiled. "I requested a transfer from headquarters about three months ago. Xiao Xuan, you never pay attention to your sister—it hurts my heart."

Luo Xuan lowered her head in embarrassment. "I... I’ve been busy with the dojo."

The woman looked at Luo Xuan with a smile, then turned her gaze toward Zhou Yan. "Xiao Xuan, is this handsome man standing next to Deputy Wang the first team member you’ve chosen?"

"Yes," Luo Xuan nodded, finally recovering from the surprise. "This is Zhou Yan, a student from my dojo. I’ve brought him along to join the Demon Extermination Division." She gestured toward the woman. "Zhou Yan, this is Senior Sister Chu Wan. We met when I was training at the Vermilion Bird Palace headquarters; she took great care of me back then."

Zhou Yan bowed slightly, neither servile nor overbearing. "Greetings, Chief Chu. I am Zhou Yan, part of Captain Luo’s team. I look forward to working with you."

"Good," Chu Wan nodded, her eyes lingering briefly on his prosthetic eye and mechanical hand. "Zhou Yan, I have heard your name many times these past few days. It is quite something to finally meet the legendary local genius who defeated Sword Lord Yinghuo’s personal disciple."

Zhou Yan shook his head lightly. "You are too kind, Chief."

"Quite humble," Chu Wan watched him thoughtfully, then smiled softly. "Now that you are in the Demon Extermination Division, we are all one family. Following Luo Xuan, I trust you will soon become a pillar of our division."

With the close relationship between Chu Wan and Luo Xuan, the simple employment procedures were completed even faster. Their new roles were finalized, and the urban district under Luo Xuan’s jurisdiction was determined. Learning that Luo Xuan wanted to be able to look after her sister after school started, Chu Wan waved her hand and assigned her the district bordering the Vermilion Star.

Following that, logistics staff were arranged to help the sisters and Zhou Yan find housing. With a generous budget, they quickly selected a spacious, quiet high-rise apartment. It was nearly two hundred square meters with excellent decoration. The owner, who worked for a giant conglomerate, had no intention of selling, but upon learning the tenants were from the semi-official Lihuo Pavilion, expressed a clear desire to cooperate. The lease was signed remotely.

With their new residence secured, Luo Xuan swiftly said goodbye to Cong Shiyun, requested a half-month preparation period from Chu Wan, and returned to Tianzun City with Zhou Yan and her sister. In less than three days, they wrapped up the temporary closure of the dojo.

Two days later, they packed their belongings and training equipment and successfully transported everything to Wing City.

The two-hundred-square-meter apartment, while smaller than the original dojo, offered a living environment ten times better. Zhou Yan even secured a large private room for himself. With his own space, he continued his cultivation according to his plan over the next ten days.

As his strength grew rapidly, the fifth journey into the Calamity Realm arrived quietly.

***

(Volume 3, Complete)