Since that day, the white wolf would occasionally appear around the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation. Director Wu would tether it in different corners of the building from time to time. Perhaps it was because of that rope Wu Rendi had tied around its neck—ever since then, the white wolf's lethality had dropped significantly. Apart from occasionally baring its teeth, it showed no signs of aggression (though, to be fair, no one dared provoke it either). During this period, Sun Fatty grew increasingly familiar with the white wolf. Every time it showed up, Sun Fatty would somehow conjure up a vacuum-packed roast duck or grilled chicken or two as if by magic.
The white wolf's appetite was strange—it could devour four or five whole chickens without getting full, but at times, it seemed satisfied with just a single chicken wing. I could never figure out how it had managed to survive all those years in the Tomb of a Transcendent Beast.
And so, the days passed, and before we knew it, the New Year was fast approaching. Po Jun was finally discharged from the hospital, his recovery going surprisingly well. Zhang Zhiyan, however, remained in the hospital for physical therapy.
Four days after Po Jun's release, an elderly man with snow-white hair arrived at the Bureau. His exact age was impossible to determine—his face, neck, and hands were densely speckled with age spots wherever skin was visible.
The old man happened to arrive just as Director Wu was out walking the... wolf. They bumped into each other right at the Bureau's front gate. The elderly man seemed to recognize Wu Rendi. When he saw Director Wu walking out, he froze momentarily. Then, as if someone had punched him in the face, his expression twisted. He struggled to compose himself, forcing a smile that revealed a mouthful of pale dentures.
Wu Rendi gazed blankly at the old man. Under his stare, the elderly man's facial muscles began twitching uncontrollably, almost like the aftereffects of a stroke. Finally, unable to endure the pressure, the old man gave a dry chuckle and said, "Director Wu, it's been a long time. All these years, and you haven't aged a day. I must be blessed—imagine bumping into you as soon as I arrive."
Wu Rendi tilted his head and stared at him a bit longer before finally speaking: "Do I know you?"
"We met once, a long time ago. Director Wu, you've had countless matters to deal with over the years—it's no surprise you wouldn't remember an old man like me. Since you're busy, I won't keep you." Realizing that Wu Rendi wasn't interested in engaging, the old man forced another bland smile and was about to walk past. But as his gaze swept over to the white wolf at Wu Rendi's side, his left foot froze mid-step. His body wobbled slightly—he had to quickly retract his foot to avoid falling.
"That's Yin Bai? You just… tether it like that?" the old man asked, visibly shaken as he pointed at the white wolf.
Wu Rendi didn't even bother to respond. He furrowed his brow and asked again, "Have we met before?"
The old man sighed. "No wonder Director Wu doesn't remember me. Sixty-five years ago, at Yuhuatai in Nanjing, we crossed paths once. But it seems the phrase 'time changes all things' applies only to people like me."
Wu Rendi tilted his head again, seemingly trying to recall, but still couldn't place him. Eventually, he said, "Just say it—who are you?"
The old man looked somewhat embarrassed. He gave a dry laugh and said, "My name is Min Tianyuan."
"Min Tianyuan…" Wu Rendi repeated quietly. Judging by his expression, the name still didn't ring any bells. The old man was starting to look rather aggrieved. He added, "Well, I was never a particularly well-known figure. It's normal that you wouldn't remember me. But I do have an older brother—he had a bit more notoriety. His name was Min Tianzong. He used to be the chairman of the Religious Affairs Commission."
Thinking that the mention of Min Tianzong would finally jog Wu Rendi's memory, the old man looked hopeful. But Wu Rendi simply shook his head and asked, "And who's that?"
At that moment, Sun Fatty and I were just walking out through the front gate. We'd heard every word of the conversation just now between those two. Wu Rendi's response was clearly hard for the old man to stomach. When he spoke again, his tone was noticeably subdued: "Director Wu, don't tell me you've never even heard of the Religious Affairs Commission?"
To which Director Wu coldly replied, "The Religious Affairs Commission... do I have to know it?"
With that, he ignored the old man and continued forward, holding the white wolf by the leash. Sun Fatty and I exchanged a glance behind them—this was classic Wu Rendi behavior, that infamous temper of his.
Watching Wu Rendi's retreating figure, the old man let out a heavy sigh. As Sun Fatty and I walked past him, he suddenly called out, "Wait a minute—you two are from the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation, right? Could you do me a favor?"
"We're not," Sun Fatty replied before I could say anything. "We're just here on some business." The moment he heard that the old man was Min Tianyuan from the Religious Affairs Commission, Sun Fatty had already guessed most of the reason he came to the Bureau. He didn't want to get involved in this mess, so he grabbed my arm and started dragging me toward Wu Rendi.
Unexpectedly, Min Tianyuan chuckled and said, "Sun Desheng, Shen La, when did you two quit the Bureau? How about transferring over to the Commission instead?"
That stopped us in our tracks. Neither of us felt like walking forward anymore.
I turned around and looked at Min Tianyuan. "How do you know who we are?"
Min Tianyuan smiled faintly. Gone was the panicked demeanor he had when he first met Wu Rendi. Calmly, he said, "How I know you isn't important. Just go inform Gao Liang that the President of the Religious Affairs Commission, Min Tianyuan, needs to see him. Ask your Bureau Chief to arrange it."
There was something off in his wording. I narrowed my eyes and asked, "Wait, isn't the President of the Religious Affairs Commission Huang Ran? Are you pulling a coup?"
Min Tianyuan replied matter-of-factly, "That's where you've got it wrong. Huang Ran is the Commission's religious legal representative. I'm the President. Not something you two need to worry about—just go notify Gao Liang."
Before we could say anything else, the gate opened again. Lu-jie, Gao Liang's senior secretary, came out holding a walkie-talkie. She walked over and said to us, "You two don't need to be here. Go about your business."
Then, turning to Min Tianyuan, she said, "Director Gao is expecting you. Please follow me."
With that, she ignored Min Tianyuan entirely and walked off toward the gate. As she went, she spoke into the walkie-talkie, "Just one person… No fruit basket."
Watching their figures disappear through the Bureau's gate, Sun Fatty turned to me and asked, "Lazi, have you ever heard of this old guy before?"
Actually, Min Tianyuan's name shows up pretty frequently in the Bureau's archives. I nodded and said to Sun Fatty, "Back during the Commission's heyday, there were the 'Three Min Brothers'—Min Tianzong was the eldest and most famous. Min Tianyuan was the youngest. The second brother was Min Tianbiao, but he died young—died a hero."
"During the war against Japan, Min Tianbiao used a Prohibition Spell in Hebei Province. He offered himself as bait to lure ten thousand vengeful ghosts into a Japanese military camp. The spirits possessed the Japanese soldiers and turned them on one another. In a single night, over 110 were killed or wounded, including a lieutenant general named Mizukawa Ibu. Unfortunately, the heavens didn't cooperate—just as the spell peaked, a torrential rain came. The ghosts turned on him, and Min Tianbiao died from the spell's backlash."
I paused for breath, then continued, "But don't underestimate Min Tianyuan either. In terms of Daoist techniques and spellcraft, he's just as capable as his brothers. His most famous feat? When he was twenty, he publicly called down lightning atop Rain Flower Terrace in Nanjing, striking dead a grand priest of Shinto who was holding a soul-summoning ritual for fallen Japanese soldiers. And he walked away completely unscathed."
Just then I remembered something. Back in that Rain Flower Terrace incident, Wu Rendi was there too. At this point, I was already numb to questions about Wu Rendi's age—but I couldn't help wondering: aside from what's in the archives, what really happened that day?
Sun Fatty was wide-eyed, staring up toward Gao Liang's office. By now, Min Tianyuan was probably already seated on the couch across from the Bureau Chief.
"Looks like the Min brothers were all a damn handful," he muttered. "Lazi, not gonna lie—at first I thought this old guy came because of Huang Ran. But after hearing all that, I'm thinking it's not that simple. Bet there's some serious hidden agenda."
"Who cares who he came for," I replied. "Didn't you say you wanted to bond more with Yin Bai? She's gone—vanished. What now?"
When we were eating earlier, Sun Fatty heard from Wang Tianlei that Director Wu was seen walking out with Yin Bai. He immediately bought a roast chicken and dragged me outside. Just as we stepped through the gate, we'd run into Min Tianyuan and witnessed his encounter with Wu Rendi.
Now, seeing Wu Rendi and the white wolf resting off in the distance, Sun Fatty let out a sigh and looked at the plastic bag in his hand. "What else can we do? Let's head back. The chicken's untouched—maybe Old Jin will let me return it."
When we got back to the canteen, we saw Head Chef Old Jin leading a few junior chefs in cleaning out one of the private dining rooms. That room was normally reserved for Gao Liang's guests from outside agencies. Though in all the time I'd been here, I'd never seen it actually used.
But now it looked like a reservation had been canceled. The cold dishes were already being removed. Sun Fatty went up with his roast chicken and asked the chef, "Old Jin, I didn't touch this chicken. Can I return it?"
Old Jin's eyes bulged. "No returns on food once it's sold! Sun Dasheng, you'd better not piss me off right now—I'm already in a bad mood."
But Sun Fatty didn't get mad. Instead, he put on a grin and stepped forward. "Come on, who in the Bureau dares to cross you? Not gonna lie—aren't they afraid you'll spike their food with croton beans?"
Old Jin gave him a side-eye and grumbled, "It's your precious Bureau Chief. Had his secretary notify me yesterday morning that he'd be hosting guests today—told me to prepare something high-end. I even stewed fire-dried shark fin and killed fresh lobsters, all ready to go. And now what? Just now Lu-jie comes down and says the whole thing's off. Just like that. You tell me who's gonna buy all this? And he made it clear: this meal wouldn't come out of the canteen budget. I bought all the ingredients out of my own pocket!"
Hearing that, Sun Fatty gave me a look, then turned back to Old Jin with a smile. "Relax, it's not the end of the world. You cooked it already—afraid no one will eat it? Old Jin, even if the Bureau Chief won't give you face, I will. But I just had lunch. Save the food for tonight—I'll bring people to eat."
A grin spread across Old Jin's face. "You sure? I'll give you a discount. Gotta give you a discount—how about 5% off? Deal. Hey, you—go refund this chicken for Dasheng."
Then he turned to Sun Fatty again, still smiling. "Dasheng, my man, I'm running a small business here—I can't take big losses. Let's settle up first, yeah? Just to be clear up front."
He whipped out a calculator and tapped away rapidly. "RMB 6882 (≈ USD 960). Let's round it off—you pay RMB 6880 (≈ USD 959)."
Sun Fatty burst out laughing. "Old Jin, seriously—who carries seven or eight grand in cash? I work in the Bureau. It's not like I'm gonna disappear. I'll bring the money when I come tonight."
Old Jin still looked suspicious, but he had no better option. For now, he could only hope that Sun Fatty actually brought the money later.
Outside the canteen, Sun Fatty seemed to be in an excellent mood. I walked beside him and said, "Dasheng, you're really footing the bill tonight. Want me to chip in the eight-eighty?"
Sun Fatty gave me a glance and said with a smile, "Why fight over that? We've got a guest treating us. Perfect time to ask around about all the mess going on in the Bureau lately."
With that, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
"Master Xiao? Where are you? Not gonna lie, you busy tonight? Haven't seen you in ages. Let's have a meal…"