Chapter 121: I Lick~ (Part I)

Qin Ye took a deep breath and gently gripped his phone.

The "Distinguished Mentor Sequence"… only those in this sequence were eligible to run for associate professor. He didn’t know what other benefits it might entail, but the discount on Yin Spirit Stone exchanges was already attractive enough!

He could not stay in the Special Investigation Division (SID) for too long. Five years? Eight years at most; it would be hard to justify staying any longer after that. He had to climb the ranks, first to gauge the true strength of the SID, and second, because higher positions granted access to special privileges. But as people grew more familiar with him, it was only a matter of time before he slipped up.

An Emissary of Hell constantly loitering in front of a Judge of Impermanence?

Did he really think the SID was blind?

This candidate sequence for Distinguished Mentor was the first thing he needed to secure.

He opened his chat messages. There were dozens of them—friend requests, group chats, even messages from the likes of Sister Ba and Sister Zi…

"Do you realize how freakish you are?" Lin Han said through gritted teeth. "A fifteen-day mission, and you finished it in one? Are you trying to make the rest of us look bad? Aren't we here specifically to learn from you?"

Qin Ye smoothed his bangs with the air of one standing at the lonely, frigid heights of success.

Foolish mortals…

With your intelligence, you could never understand the loneliness of an Emissary of Hell…

"You can listen in when I talk to Dr. Yu later. By the way, who exactly is this old man?"

"Old man?" Su Feng raised an eyebrow at him. "Heh, heh, heh… 'Old man,' let me tell you, this old man is one of the three founding doctors of the SRC who first predicted the imbalance of Yin spirits! He reported it to the central government over a dozen times, urging them to implement countermeasures. He has been with the SRC since he was twenty, right from its inception. You could say that even the theses and findings from the First Cultivation University must pass his assessment!"

Qin Ye gasped, staring at the old man's retreating back with wide eyes.

Holy crap… I’ve managed to commit a massive blunder without even realizing it…

Lin Han continued, dropping another bombshell: "If he gives you his approval, then to put it simply, no one in the academic world will dare to pick at your work! Do you have any idea how thick a thigh this is to hug? You are incredibly lucky. Let me tell you, promotion to associate professor depends on teaching credits, but promotion from associate professor to full professor depends not just on credits, but on whether you have your own research projects! Whether you have actual results! Did you think it was easy to become a professor in a department?"

Qin Ye’s eyes flickered as his mind raced.

The SRC was different from the SID.

The SID was a combat force, while the SRC was a theoretical department. The First Cultivation University… come to think of it, it was closer to the SRC.

If nothing else, theories and findings would surely be tested at the First Cultivation University before being rolled out. Moreover, the various research projects at the university, the student internships, and the dissertations of mentors and professors would certainly be submitted to the SRC rather than the SID.

In other words…

If he acted like a happy little sycophant and kept old man Yu happy… then wouldn’t the process of going from associate professor to professor—and from there, further engaging in "self-theft"… no, *rationally allocating* the cultivation resources of the living world—become much easier?

Instantly, a pile of messy schemes bloomed in his mind.

At that moment, the portrait frame shifted again, pulling him back from his fantasies of reaching the peak of life, marrying a wealthy beauty, and becoming a CEO.

"Excuse me for a moment. Tell Old Yu I’m going to the restroom; nature is calling." Without another word, he grabbed the frame and dashed away.

"What the hell are you moving for? There are countless cultivators on-site, are you trying to get us killed?" He ducked into a public restroom and growled.

Su Dongxue’s spirit floated out, only to be shoved back in by Qin Ye. She murmured with dissatisfaction, "You’re being mean to me."

Qin Ye rolled his eyes, let out a long breath, and hissed through gritted teeth, "If you don't want to die, keep quiet."

"Okay… um… Sir, can I ask you a favor?" Su Dongxue whispered softly.

"Speak."

"That very handsome brother from earlier… could you grant his soul to me in the future?"

Qin Ye froze for three seconds before realizing she meant Lin Han.

"…Do you have any taste at all? My magnificent face has been right in front of you for ages, and you dare look at another man? Besides, let me tell you, he’s nothing but a sewing needle—looks good, but useless!"

Su Dongxue said tenderly, "Sir, I saw it in Song Jiafang’s soul. They don't say 'sewing needle' for that size anymore; they say: 'Your concubine cannot sit down.' I’ve checked, he is not a sewing needle, and one can sit quite comfortably. His physique is also perfect."

What the hell kind of "cannot sit down" talk is that! And when did you check! How come I didn't know?!

Qin Ye: "…Very well… then how do you describe a big one?"

Su Dongxue’s voice carried a hint of shyness, sounding like a lazy black cat, incredibly seductive: "Old friend, that stabs the heart."

…

Qin Ye expressionlessly wrapped his Yin energy around the portrait frame, stifling her voice completely. He turned to Arsace with a serious expression and said, "I think the Underworld needs to strengthen its construction of spiritual civilization. It’s unacceptable that anyone with such poor quality can become a Judge of the Dead… Anyway, time is short. I want to ask, if I want to catch this old gentleman’s attention, what kind of content do you think I should throw out?"

Arsace looked at him with disdain. "It would be better if this 'spiritual civilization construction' started with you. As the saying goes, if the upper beam is crooked, the lower ones will be askew. Honestly, I worry about the future morale of the Underworld… Back to the point, you have many options."

She pondered for a few seconds and said in a low voice, "Some spirits are likely extinct by now. Try telling him about the Nightmare Spirit. This type of Yin spirit has very distinct characteristics, is extremely rare to encounter, but every time one awakens, if left unchecked, it can become a Malignant Spirit at the Impermanence level within a year, and possibly even reach the Incarnation level within three. Even in the old Underworld, they were at the top of the wanted list."

She meticulously detailed the characteristics and methods of appearance for a Nightmare Spirit. Qin Ye closed his eyes, pondered, and repeated it back to ensure he had memorized everything before stepping out.

Once back in the car, he rested for twenty minutes. Soon, the vehicle came to a stop.

When he opened his eyes again, they had arrived at the edge of the Second Ring Road in Daishan City. It was 4:40 AM, and even a provincial capital showed signs of fatigue.

The silent flow of traffic and the vibrant advertisements and LED screens had already dimmed.

Old Yu was the first to exit the car, heading toward a residential complex. This complex was heavily guarded; even at four in the morning, several security guards were patrolling rigidly.

"One of the most high-end developments in Daishan City—Blue Water Blue Sky," a man in a white coat sitting in another car smiled at Qin Ye. "It’s one of our temporary staging grounds. Bringing you here means Old Yu attaches great importance to this project. Everything tonight will be recorded in the SRC database."

Qin Ye nodded and followed the group inside. Su Feng and Lin Han followed sneakily behind. He felt the portrait frame move several more times and cruelly suppressed it.

*Woman, even if you aren't pure enough or qualified to bear my children, how dare you think of another man while you are by my side?*

The landscaping of the complex was quite good, the streetlights looked new, and the roads were wide enough to race cars. Following Old Yu to a detached villa, the old man finally stopped.

"You can watch the monitors downstairs; I will conduct the questioning alone in the recording room upstairs."

"Yes." With no objections, Old Yu led Qin Ye upstairs.

The interior was decorated in a very retro style, typical of ancient China. Upon reaching the second floor, only Old Yu and Qin Ye remained. They stopped in front of a giant landscape painting screen.

There were six chairs in front of them. Old Yu sat in the center chair and gestured to the one next to it: "Please."

As soon as he sat down, a man in a suit brought over two cups of tea. Qin Ye took a whiff—it was fragrant, like the scent of dew-covered grass in the morning, and the fatigue from two sleepless nights began to dissipate.

"Good tea," he couldn't help but praise, while taking a look at the man.

*Soul-Detaining…*

Old Yu was merely a ghost official-level cultivator, yet he was being protected by a Soul-Detainer. In a place like Daishan City, where he hadn't seen a single Soul-Detainer in all his time there, this was a very high-spec arrangement.

And that was just what was on the surface.

Old Yu took a gentle sip, closed his eyes, and looked relaxed. He murmured, "Yunwu Peak Clear Heart Tea—only those who have achieved a Second-Class Merit or higher are qualified to purchase it. It costs ten thousand per gram, the same price as the mother tree Da Hong Pao. It has the effect of gathering true energy, focusing the mind, and eliminating fatigue. It’s very effective, though only for cultivators."

One of the privileges of a Second-Class Merit?

Qin Ye narrowed his eyes. In other words, the higher one’s position or merit, the more one could touch the high-level treasures of the SID and SRC vaults?

He had already decided to be an excellent sycophant.

"Everything we say here will be recorded. This project is critical to me, so please, Mr. Qin, be as detailed as possible." Old Yu opened his eyes and extended a hand. "Honorary Researcher, recipient of a National Special-Class Merit, one of the three academicians of the Yin Spirit Research Division. Nice to meet you."

"Qin Ye. A lowly Soul-Detainer."

They shook hands briefly. Yu Guohui smiled, "You are anything but lowly. An 18-year-old Soul-Detainer is unprecedented… Anyway, let’s not talk about other things. Come, tell me, what exactly did you encounter down there?"

Qin Ye began to speak bit by bit, very carefully. He didn't even hide the existence of Su Dongxue’s spirit, though he claimed she had dissipated immediately.

He spoke for a full hour. Yu Guohui interjected from time to time to ask about details—questions that seemed simple but always hit the nail on the head.

Finally, the conversation concluded. Yu Guohui rubbed his chin with his right hand, his eyes burning, his chest heaving, and fell into deep thought.

"Old Yu…" Qin Ye watched the other man’s expression intently, probing, "Was it helpful?"

It had to be helpful if he wanted to keep casting the hook.

Such a thick thigh—how could he not hug it tight?

Yu Guohui seemed to wake from a dream and slapped the armrest: "How could it not be helpful? It is tremendously helpful!"

"It’s true… Yin spirits really do have different species! Just like human history, different regions led to different races… This will have a proactive effect on how we guard against Yin spirits in the future!" He sighed and took a sip of tea: "Little Qin, do you have any ideas of your own?"

It was just a casual question, but Qin Ye smiled: "I do."