When I mentioned the two short swords, a twitch ran uncontrollably across Guangren's face. Before I could finish speaking, he abruptly interrupted me. "So now both Sin and Retribution belong to you?"
"What do you mean, Sin and Retribution?" The moment the words left my mouth, I realized what he meant. "You mean those two short swords? One is called Sin, the other Retribution?"
The smile vanished from Guangren's face without a trace. He stared at me coldly, not answering my question, and instead asked, "Do both blades belong to you now?"
Seeing the storm brewing behind his expression, I didn't dare tell the truth. "Not exactly mine… I saw them a few days ago in Director Wu's office. He wouldn't tell me anything about them. I was just curious, so I thought I'd ask you."
After I finished, Guangren crooked his finger at me. "Come here. Let me check your pulse again."
I wasn't sure what he was up to, but still extended my hand. Guangren placed his fingers on my wrist, and after only a moment, he looked up and said, "The Blade of Retribution has already accepted you as its master…" His tone carried a trace of sourness, which I could clearly pick up.
Seeing the lost look on Guangren's face, I asked, "You know about those two swords?"
"They used to be mine," he sighed. "Looks like they've ended up in your hands instead. They were a gift, from someone… significant, many years ago."
"Someone significant?" I cut in. "You mean Wu Ren—Wu Mian?"
Guangren snorted. "He's not that great."
Then Guangren began recounting the origin of the Blades of Sin and Retribution. The swords dated back to the Warring States period. During the war between Wu and Yue, the King of Wu conscripted all blacksmiths across the land to forge weapons. Eventually, copper and iron ran out. One nameless blacksmith of Wu melted down a sacred idol to forge a short sword. Only one was made at first. The day that sword was completed, the blacksmith's son was struck dead by lightning, and his wife went mad and threw herself into the smelting furnace. The sword rang out by itself the moment it was forged, and was deemed ominous—thus, it was named Sin.
The blacksmith buried the Blade of Sin deep underground. But not long after, he repeatedly dreamed of his wife and son's spirits wailing in agony, crying words he couldn't make out. Terrified, he consulted a renowned Wu-state shaman, who divined that their souls had been sealed within the Blade of Sin, unable to reincarnate. The shaman suggested forging a second sword to counteract the curse of the first, so that the trapped souls might be released and reborn.
Following the shaman's ritual, the blacksmith exhumed the Blade of Sin, which the shaman consecrated. Using leftover fragments from the original sword, the blacksmith forged a second blade identical in form. During a ceremony to honor his dead wife and child, the blacksmith suddenly fell into a trance and disemboweled himself with the new sword—atoning for his blasphemy against the gods. The new sword was taken by the shaman and named Retribution.
From that moment on, the two short swords were never seen apart. Eventually, they came into the hands of that "significant" figure Guangren had mentioned, and ultimately, they ended up with him.
Had I heard this story before joining the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation, I probably would've taken it seriously. But after everything I'd seen in the Bureau, I'd come across things far more bizarre than this. Compared to them, the origin of these two short swords didn't seem all that incredible.
"That's it?" I looked at Guangren. "Honestly, it doesn't sound like much. Kinda reminds me of the story of Ganjiang and Moye. I figured they'd be made from some extraterrestrial meteorite or something. You're telling me a no-name blacksmith made them?"
"You don't know shit," Guangren swore—a rare moment for him. He looked at me with exasperation. "The idol he melted down was a vessel idol—a statue forged from the discarded flesh of a real god. The blacksmith brought divine wrath upon himself, which led to his family's demise. But now that the Blade of Retribution has chosen you, the Blade of Sin will eventually follow. You'd better remember their properties: in terms of raw power, Sin surpasses Retribution—but Retribution naturally suppresses Sin."
"What does that even mean?" I asked, puzzled. "You're saying Sin is stronger, but Retribution can overpower Sin? That makes no sense."
Guangren gave me a glance. "If you understand it, consider it your destiny. If you don't… well, maybe that's just your misfortune."
"Guess I'll figure it out someday," I laughed awkwardly. "You've used these swords before, right? Any sword techniques or special moves I should know about? Might as well teach me."
Guangren chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "And what do you have to offer in return?" As he spoke, he deliberately jangled the chains on his wrists—clank clank.
Before I could react, a sharp and familiar voice rang out beside my ear, cold and sarcastic: "Shall I add four more chains for you?"
My heart skipped a beat. Of all the people I didn't want to see right now, Wu Rendi was at the top of the list—especially since he might find out about the swords. And now, I'd just been caught red-handed. Whatever excuses I had planned were now completely useless. My only hope was to confess proactively and try to show some sincerity.
I turned my head nervously and scanned the dark surroundings. Everything was pitch black—there was no sign of Wu Rendi. If it hadn't been for that unmistakable tone of voice, I would've thought I'd imagined it.
"Stop looking. Wu Mian isn't here." Guangren's voice had turned hollow. He sat back down on the ground and stared blankly into the darkness.
I didn't quite believe him. "If Director Wu's not here, then who said that just now?"
Guangren turned to me and gave a cold smile. "The body may not be present—but there are at least ten ways he could've made you hear his voice. And for someone like Wu Mian, those ten ways are child's play."
Guangren paused, then let out a long sigh and waved me away. "You should leave… Don't come back for at least ten days." I didn't understand why hearing Wu Rendi's voice had made Guangren change so drastically. No matter how I tried to probe him, he ignored me completely.
With no other option, I returned to the surface. I'd planned to find Director Wu and confess everything, but when I got back to Sixth Division, he was nowhere to be found. I searched the entire Bureau, but no one had seen him—not even the gate guards. I started to suspect that Wu Rendi had actually been down in the fifth sublevel all along, hidden by some special spell. Maybe he had something to say to Guangren, and drove me away on purpose.
Thinking back to Guangren's expression just now, I was increasingly sure my suspicion was correct. Since I couldn't find Wu Rendi anyway, I decided to put the matter of the swords on hold—at least let them "stay warm" for a few more days.
What I didn't expect was that, for the next three or four days, Wu Rendi remained nowhere to be found in the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation. During this time, Sun Fatty and Gao Liang were constantly on the move. They didn't say much, but it was clear to everyone they were dealing with the Lin Feng situation.
Sixth Division had little to do. With the two Yangs watching over things, there wasn't much chance of trouble. I was temporarily assigned to Second Division to help organize case files from recent paranormal incidents.
Because of the lingering threat of Lin Feng, I didn't dare wander outside the Bureau. The few times I did leave, I brought White Yin along, rushed out for daily necessities, and returned immediately.
In the blink of an eye, it was noon on the fifth day. Just as I was about to head to the cafeteria with Ximen Lian and the others (the kitchen had been fixed the day after we returned from Tianjin), a voice came crackling over the loudspeaker on Second Division's wall—Director Gao's secretary:"All investigators of Second Division, report to the main conference room within five minutes. Repeat: all investigators of Second Division..."
Everyone in Second Division looked visibly irritated. Clearly, something had happened again, and lunchtime was a bust. They'd probably have to make do with whatever they could eat in the car later. Technically, this had nothing to do with me, but I'd been bored stiff the past few days, so I followed them in, strolling casually into the conference room.
As soon as I entered, I noticed something strange—the two Yangs were already inside, seated in their usual spots. Seeing them here made me uneasy. What kind of situation required the attention of both of them?
Not long after Second Division had fully assembled, Gao Liang and Sun Fatty entered the room one after the other. This meeting was led by Deputy Director Sun, who didn't waste any time on pleasantries and got straight to the point:
"Today's situation is a bit tricky… About an hour and a half ago, a corpse frenzy broke out in the morgue of Kirin City Medical University Hospital. There are already confirmed casualties. The entire hospital has now been evacuated. Fortunately, since it happened during daylight, the outbreak hasn't spread beyond the hospital grounds."
Sun Fatty paused briefly here, glancing at the investigators of Second Division before continuing:
"This operation will be led by Ximen Lian. Mi Rongheng, Yun Feiyang... twenty investigators are to depart for Kirin immediately. Yang Xiao from Sixth Division will be in charge of support."
Everyone who was named looked visibly unsettled. Ximen Lian stood up as if to say something, but before he could speak, Sun Fatty raised his hand and said, "Sit down—we're not done yet."
The looks of confusion spread across the room. Once everyone was seated again, Sun Fatty continued:
"Now for the second incident. Late last night, just before midnight, a group of water ghouls attacked fishing boats off the coast of Fujian. Two vessels have sunk, and thirty people are missing. A local no-sail order has been issued for the area. This incident will be led by Old Mo. Xiong Wanyi... take fifty-three investigators and proceed to the coastal region. Yang Jun will provide support. Once the Kirin incident is handled, all participating investigators are to regroup in Fujian to assist."
After these announcements, a heavy silence settled over the room. Everyone's faces had darkened. While it wasn't unprecedented for one division to handle two cases simultaneously, such situations typically involved minor hauntings or possession complaints. When the Kirin assignment was announced, Ximen Lian already lacked confidence. Now, with a full-scale disaster reported in Fujian—and seemingly more severe—Second Division was being stretched too thin.
Their reactions were entirely within Sun Fatty's expectations. He was just about to offer a few words to boost morale when the door to the conference room swung open. Gao Liang's secretary, Wang Lu, hurried in, visibly flustered. She headed straight for Gao Liang and whispered something in his ear while handing him a folder.
Something else? Judging by Secretary Wang's expression, it wasn't a small matter. Sure enough, after just a few whispered sentences, Gao Liang's face changed. He flipped through the folder quickly, his expression tightening with every page. After taking a deep breath, he exchanged a few more hushed words with his secretary. When Wang Lu left the room, Gao Liang handed the file over to Sun Fatty.
Sun Fatty wore the same confused expression. He barely read two lines before muttering a curse into the microphone:"…What the f—"