High-level martial arts: Long spear with black flames to suppress demons.

Li Xiwan murmured as if suddenly realizing something, "No wonder he sleeps almost all day at school and often takes leave... Is he particularly busy?"

"Busy. He's the busiest nuclear-powered ox or horse in our entire Qingzhou District."

Old Zhao sighed, his tone tinged with heartache and helplessness.

"He has to follow up and investigate even the smallest matters at the grassroots level. When a major incident like last night occurred, he had to personally take up arms and be at the forefront. It's no exaggeration to say that if he hadn't personally intervened to handle that level of evil cultivators last night, no one in the entire Qingzhou District would have been able to control them."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiwan nodded thoughtfully. The image of Shen Chang'an, who had always been labeled a freak, instantly became tall and mysterious.

The atmosphere eased slightly, and Li Xiwan's fear subsided considerably. She mustered her courage and asked a question that had been lingering in her mind: "Um... Uncle Zhao, in the novels and movies I've read, shouldn't ordinary people like me who accidentally learn hidden secrets of the world be... silenced?"

"cough--"

Old Zhao couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Little brat, stop reading those dark and gritty novels. We are a legitimate official law enforcement agency of the Eastern Huang Kingdom, not some anti-human terrorist organization. What are you talking about?"

"but......"

Old Zhao changed the subject.

"To prevent social panic, we do follow a standard procedure for ordinary people involved in supernatural events—memory erasure."

Li Xiwan paused for a moment, then subconsciously touched her head: "Then... why wasn't my memory erased?"

Old Zhao put away his lighter, straightened up, and his expression became somewhat serious: "Because you withstood six hours of the Nightmare Illusion Array last night without collapsing. Your mental strength is extremely high, even far exceeding that of some official lamplighters. This means that you may very well possess cultivation talent."

Seeing the surprise in Li Xiwan's eyes, Old Zhao continued, "In this world, people with cultivation talent are extremely rare, practically one in a hundred. It would be a waste to simply erase your memories and send you back to the ordinary world, given your naturally resilient soul. Therefore, on behalf of the Zhenye Division, I intend to try and develop you."

"Develop me?"

Li Xiwan pointed to herself, her heart suddenly racing.

"Then... is it possible for me to become as strong as Shen?"

Old Zhao shook his head decisively, shattering her illusions without hesitation: "Impossible."

"Shen Chang'an's talent is the most monstrous and terrifying I've ever seen in my life, without a doubt. For others, cultivation is like rowing against the current, but for him, it's like riding a rocket. Do you want to reach his level? It's too difficult, or rather, it's simply unrealistic. But as long as you're willing to endure hardship, there's still a good chance of becoming an outstanding lamplighter who can stand on his own."

Li Xiwan nodded, not feeling disappointed, but muttered softly, "So Shen... is actually such an amazing person."

Seeing the girl's curious expression, Old Zhao simply pulled up a chair and sat down, starting a casual conversation: "Speaking of which, how's Chang'an doing at school? Is he pretty annoying?"

"I wouldn't say I'm annoying."

Li Xiwan thought for a moment and then told the truth.

"He was very withdrawn. For three years of high school, he did nothing but sleep or daydream, and hardly interacted with his classmates. Everyone... actually thought of him as a weirdo behind his back."

"When the first year of high school started, he beat up one of the school bullies so badly that he ended up in the hospital. It caused quite a stir. Everyone was afraid of him, so no one dared to get close to him."

Li Xiwan recalled.

It recounts everyday little things...

Old Zhao listened with great interest, then his eyes shifted, and he looked at Li Xiwan with a mischievous glint in them, teasing, "You remember even these little things so clearly. You're just a young girl, but you've been observing him quite closely. What, are you interested in our Chang'an?"

"Huh? No, no!"

Li Xiwan's cheeks flushed instantly, and she quickly waved her hand in denial. Then, somewhat awkwardly, she lowered her head and explained in a low voice.

"I... I just felt that he and I were in the same boat, so I paid more attention to him."

"Feeling the same way?"

Old Zhao raised an eyebrow.

"Um."

Li Xiwan clutched the corner of the blanket and said softly.

"When I went to the office to hand in my homework before, I overheard the homeroom teacher sighing and saying that Shen was actually an orphan without parents. As for me... my parents also divorced a long time ago and each remarried. I grew up amidst their endless arguments and excuses. Now I live alone, and I feel like... we are both people who have been abandoned by the world."

Upon hearing this, Old Zhao's teasing expression faded, and he sighed and nodded.

"This kid has had a tough life."

Old Zhao sighed inwardly, then stood up and patted the railing of the hospital bed.

"Alright, let's stop this small talk. You've just suffered a traumatic experience and need to rest."

"Stay here and relax for a few days. Think carefully about my proposal. If you agree to join us, I'll personally take you to the logistics department for a comprehensive talent test the day you're discharged."

Li Xiwan looked up, somewhat hesitantly asking, "Then... what if I still disagree after considering it?"

"Then I can only follow the rules, erase all your extraordinary memories of the past few days, and send you back to school safely so you can continue being a senior in high school."

Old Zhao smiled and reassured him gently, "Don't worry, our current memory erasure technology is very advanced. It's just like taking a nap, and it will definitely not damage your brain nerves."

Li Xiwan looked at Lao Zhao and nodded solemnly: "Okay, I will consider it seriously."

After settling Li Xiwan in, Old Zhao rubbed his throbbing temples, turned and left the medical department, heading straight back to the office building of the Qingzhou branch of the Zhenye Division.

As soon as I stepped out of the elevator, a refined and gentle young woman walked towards me.

"Director Zhao."

Xie He bowed slightly in greeting.

Old Zhao nodded, about to ask about the progress of the examination of the corpses of those evil cultivators from last night, when Xie He lowered his voice and quickly said, "Director, people from the Municipal Bureau are here and are waiting for you in Conference Room Number One on the second floor."

"Have people from above arrived?"

Old Zhao raised an eyebrow, his expression becoming more serious.

"Come on, come with me."

The two quickly went up to the second floor and pushed open the heavy door of conference room number one.

In the spacious conference room, a man sat imposingly at the head of the table.

The man's name was Fang Zhuo. He looked to be nearly fifty years old, with some gray hairs already growing at his temples.

But he showed no signs of the decline of middle-aged or elderly people. His body, tightly wrapped in a black combat suit, was strong and powerful. Even through the clothes, the outline of his chest muscles and arms exuded an explosive sense of strength, clearly the result of years of high-intensity physical training.

With each breath, a wave of spiritual energy, as steady as a mountain, faintly emanated throughout the conference room.

Peak of the Fifth Realm!

The second-in-command of the Beijiang Town Night Division, an absolute powerhouse.

"Director Fang".

Old Zhao stepped forward and greeted her respectfully, while Xie He tactfully poured two cups of tea and quietly retreated behind Old Zhao.

"Have a seat, Lao Zhao."

Fang Zhuo picked up his teacup, blew on the floating leaves, and looked up at Old Zhao.

"I heard things have been quite lively in your Qingzhou District these past few days? I just glanced at the briefing; there have been two consecutive appearances of primordial demonic energy, as well as evil cultivators. How's the situation?"

Old Zhao pulled out a chair, took a deep breath, and gave a detailed account of the battle that took place in the urban village last night. This included the ambush by four fourth-realm evil cultivators, the siege by eight puppets, and the rare and troublesome fifth-realm demonic puppet.

"What?!"

He slammed his teacup down: "Four fourth-realm cultivators, plus a fifth-realm demonic puppet? And... that kid Shen Chang'an fought the entire time with only one hand to protect a hostage?!"

"Yes, all killed. Hostages safe."

Old Zhao nodded, his tone revealing a hint of undisguised pride.

Fang Zhuo gasped, leaning back in his chair, his eyes filled with disbelief and admiration: "A monster... he's a complete monster! Eighteen years old... and under that level of attack, he single-handedly protected the hostages while slaughtering the entire enemy force. This kid's combat instincts and explosive power are simply born for killing!"

Seeing Fang Zhuo's lavish praise on Shen Chang'an, Old Zhao's eyes flickered, he leaned forward slightly, and spoke earnestly:

"Director Fang, since you also know what level of genius Chang'an is, then I'll be frank. With his current abilities, keeping this kid in our small, stagnant Qingzhou District is a complete waste of his talent and a huge waste of resources."

Old Zhao interlaced his fingers and argued forcefully: "In less than twenty days, Chang'an will finish the college entrance examination. I hope we can give him an opportunity. After he finishes the exam, transfer him directly to the provincial headquarters. There are better high-level secret realms there, and more top-tier cultivation techniques and resources. As for our Qingzhou District, you can just transfer any regular fourth-realm lamp bearer from the municipal bureau to be in charge."

Fang Zhuo's admiring expression faded slightly, his eyes darted around, and he picked up his teacup and took a tactical sip: "Old Zhao, I understand your feelings. Chang'an is indeed a good prospect, but the transfer... involves many factors, and it's not something I can decide alone."

"Director Fang, what's there to get involved in this?"

Old Zhao was unwilling to give up, and raised his voice a few decibels.

"A seed of this caliber should be sent to the most core areas for cultivation. It's unfair to him to spend his days dealing with trivial demon disputes in the old city, and occasionally having to take deadly shots for us!"

"Alright!"

Fang Zhuo suddenly put down his teacup with a dull "bang," directly interrupting Lao Zhao's words.

His sharp eyes were fixed on Old Zhao, his tone hardening and leaving no room for argument: "Old Zhao, you've worked in the Zhenye Division for so many years, don't you know the rules? The General Administration has its own arrangements regarding Shen Chang'an's resettlement! Our Beijiang City Bureau has no right to interfere!"

"Just trust the higher-ups at the Night Guard; this isn't something you or I can question. From now on, don't try to interfere with or speculate on their decisions!"

Seeing Fang Zhuo's stern warning, Old Zhao opened his mouth, but in the end he could only grit his teeth and lean back in his chair dejectedly.

"I see."

Seeing that Lao Zhao had given in, Fang Zhuo's expression softened. He sighed, took a document from his briefcase, and pushed it in front of Lao Zhao.

"Although we can't transfer him for the time being, the Municipal Bureau will definitely not treat him unfairly for his contributions this time."

Fang Zhuo pointed to the document and said, "A fifth-realm demonic puppet, plus four fourth-realm evil cultivators—this has completely reached the highest difficulty rating of an A-level mission. The Municipal Bureau approved the reward overnight; the mission contribution value has been directly increased to 10,000 points, plus 5 million in cash support."

Fang Zhuo paused, then emphasized, "These rewards will not go through the branch's public account, but will be paid into Shen Chang'an's personal account. They are considered additional compensation from the Municipal Bureau for his outstanding performance this time."

Upon hearing about the 10,000 contribution points and 5 million in cash, Old Zhao's expression finally improved a bit.

"Alright, I thank Director Fang on behalf of Chang'an."

Old Zhao nodded and put the document away.

"I will inform him."

"Um."

Fang Zhuo stood up, straightened the collar of his combat uniform, and glanced at his watch.

"Since there's nothing else, I'll head back to the Municipal Bureau. As for the surviving ordinary girl, handle the follow-up accordingly. Report any progress on the background of the heretical cultivator immediately."

"clear."

Old Zhao and Xie He both stood up to see him off.