Mythology Returns! Starting with Folklore and Strange Tales

In an instant, the cheerful and timid boy's demeanor changed completely, and the mask on his face seemed to come alive. The four eyes on his forehead stared intently at the arena, and the fangs protruding from his lips exuded an indescribable sense of antiquity and vastness.

"Heh!"

The young man, with ancient and wild steps, pulled a palm-sized three-pronged fork from his pocket and hurled it toward the arena.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Wei's eyes lit up slightly, and he symbolically raised his hand.

A concentrated burst of malevolent energy emanated from his body, heading towards the trajectory of the fork being projected.

But whether it was because the fork flew too fast or because Zhang Wei's angle of attack was wrong, the fork grazed past the evil aura, and the suddenly exploding blood-red mist stopped the examiners who had realized something was wrong at the same time and jumped onto the arena to block it.

Faced with the malevolent energy that could break the rules and harm the body, the two examiners, unable to bear it, instinctively protected themselves and forcibly twisted their bodies to land on the edge of the arena.

In that brief moment of delay, the small, exquisite fork traced a beautiful arc in the air before piercing straight into Liu Ruyan's brow.

The fork tip penetrated three-tenths of an inch into the flesh, but there was hardly any blood flowing from the wound.

But Liu Ruyan's gaze visibly dulled and withered.

In just a few breaths, after the two kind examiners bypassed the evil mist left behind by Zhang Wei's mistake, they came to Liu Ruyan's side. Looking at her pale body and the fork that was glowing with light after drinking blood, they looked at each other and shook their heads helplessly.

"Fang Xiangshi?"

Just as the two examiners stood up to say something, the door on one side of the examination room was pushed open from the outside, and a tall, imposing figure strode in.

"Chu. Bureau"

"Director Chu!"

"Okay, leave things here to me!"

The newcomer's appearance perfectly matched Zhang Wei's stereotype of a big shot: a square face, slicked-back hair, and a kind and gentle smile that always carried an aura of intimidating authority. His burly physique, which seemed to burst out of his casual clothes, combined with his height that was a head taller than the transformed Zhang Wei, brought an immense sense of oppression as soon as he appeared.

It was impossible to see how he moved, but with a light step, he appeared on the arena, walking in a few steps. His sharp, knife-like gaze swept over Zhang Wei and the newly arrived youth, scrutinizing them from head to toe. His large, fan-like hand landed on the youth's shoulder.

"He's got plenty of drive, but he lacks patience. If he has the time, he should learn from the guy next to you. Although he also has a grudge against Liu Ruyan, he used a very good excuse. Even though everyone knows what's going on, he didn't take direct action, so no one can find fault with him!"

"Of course, I'm not saying this to encourage you young people to use any means necessary, but sometimes waiting can lead to different results!"

Zhang Wei didn't feel anything when his thoughts were exposed. Although a year of social experience wasn't much, it was enough for him to keep a straight face when faced with things that didn't cross his bottom line, but a teenager couldn't.

However, high school students are not used to such things. Even through the metal mask, Zhang Wei could see the other person's reddened ears and neck.

Chu Xiong also saw these things, but he didn't stop there; he simply continued speaking:

"Based on Liu Ruyan's actions, she should be punished for all her crimes. She was originally eligible to have her pilgrim qualification sealed for ten years with a Soul-Locking Incense stick. During this period, she would be detained in the Black Prison without visitation, and she would not be allowed to evade punishment by any means. Her current welfare benefits would be canceled. After her detention, she would be transferred to a ten-year review. During this period, she would be under the watchful eyes of the staff and would not be allowed to leave the Taihang area without application. She could only apply for internship qualification again if she did not commit any major offenses."

"Twenty years—how many twenty-year periods does one have in a lifetime?"

"Don't even mention twenty years. Even if her access is restricted, with your talents, you'll have reached a point where she can't even dream of being there in the ten years she's spent in the Black Prison! If you're still angry then, you can use some tricks or set a trap. What good will come of that?"

"..."

"..."

The examiners present all looked helpless as they watched the bureau chief, who forbade young people from resorting to any means necessary, yet kept teaching them underhanded tactics.

In Taihang, everyone knows that Director Chu is extremely intolerant of incompetence and values ​​talent the most. And Liu Ruyan just happened to be on his shift; her bad luck is truly unbelievable.

Of course, if it were any other bureau chief, they wouldn't have done that, but these two young people wouldn't have had a chance to make a move; they would have killed Liu Ruyan first.

To put it bluntly, there may be some inspectors who are not firm in their resolve or whose stance is ambiguous, but within the Yanhuang Qixiang (Yanhuang Spirit) Bureau, every single one of the hundreds of bureau chiefs and deputy bureau chiefs stands firmly on the Yanhuang side.

Don't say it's impossible.

Under the immense pressure of mythology, you may not be the most skilled, but your will must be the most unwavering.

Otherwise, you won't even have the chance to be selected, let alone sit in this position.

"Haha, I've digressed a bit too much. Since things have come to this... alright."

"Considering that Liu San Niang's three souls and seven spirits have already been sealed within Liu Ru Yan's body, the other punishments will be waived for the time being."

"Xiao Wang, write an application and send it to my office later. Find a group and take my note to Lao Hao in the secular world to ask him for 800 patrolmen to flatten the Willow God Temple on Yunqiu Peak tonight. Keep an eye on the snake heads, snake bones and other resources. Take 10% as a reward, 20% to our two little victims, and take the rest back to the warehouse and seal it up."

After explaining to Sister Wang, the oldest among the examiners, the director immediately turned around and cursed, "Damn it, every time I come back for vacation, there are always some clueless troublemakers."

"Go ahead and do it! Xiao Dong, go and call the Shanhaiguan meteorological bureau, call Mu Jingyuan directly, and ask them if they're spineless and can't stand up. Damn it, if you can't control a bunch of bastards, then switch defense zones with us. They come to Taihang, we go to Shanhaiguan!"

"Uh...yes!"

The deputy, who had just caught up from the passage and hadn't even had a chance to catch his breath, could tell from his boss's tone that he was really angry. Although things certainly couldn't be as violent as his boss made them out to be, and he didn't dare to say a word since his boss had given the order, the deputy had to weigh the consequences.

Ugh, what bad luck!

......

At this moment, the boy whose shoulders were being pressed was still a little dazed.

He knew the bureau chief was venting his anger on his behalf, but he had gone too far, even cursing at other regions, which made him feel a little embarrassed.

If it were any of his former classmates or teachers from school, they would have certainly handled the situation involving Liu Ruyan, but the outcome might not have been the same. He had witnessed similar experiences more than once or twice.

But now, everything seems a little different?