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

It was early morning on June 7th.

The annual college entrance examination has officially begun. The morning rush hour in the entire Qingzhou District has given way to this exam, and traffic police can be seen everywhere on the roads maintaining order.

Li Yue escorted Shen Chang'an and Zhang Qingqing all the way to the examination hall of Qingzhou No. 1 Middle School.

"Check your ID card, exam admission ticket, and stationery bag again. Make sure you don't forget anything."

Li Yue kept giving him instructions from outside the car window, still worried.

Shen Chang'an casually tossed the transparent pencil case in his hand, but his gaze subtly swept over the dense crowd around him. He muttered to himself: In such an important occasion with a high density of people, as long as no monsters suddenly cause any trouble, he'll be fine. Otherwise, even if he has to hand in a blank paper, he'll still have to go and kill monsters first.

Just as the two were about to turn around and follow the crowd into the examination room cordon, Zhang Qingqing suddenly stopped.

She turned her head and looked at Shen Chang'an. Although her expression was still a little awkward, she managed to say with genuine sincerity, "Um... Shen Chang'an, good luck on your college entrance exam."

Shen Chang'an paused for a moment, then smiled slightly and nodded: "You too, do your best on the exam."

After saying that, the two turned around and disappeared into the vast army of examinees.

Shen Chang'an's prayers clearly worked; the exams went exceptionally smoothly these past two days, and the entire Qingzhou District was calm and peaceful.

Until the afternoon of June 8th.

As the piercing bell rang over the campus signaling the end of the last exam, the three-year high school life of all senior students officially came to a close at that moment.

Compared to his peers who were frantically tearing up their books or hugging and crying with their classmates in front and behind them in the exam hall, Shen Chang'an was not very moved.

He carried his pencil case in one hand and calmly walked against the flow of revelers towards the school gate.

He then took out his phone from his bag and glanced at it. The screen was clean; there was no emergency alarm from the Night Watch.

"Phew... I finally finished the exam without any problems."

Shen Chang'an breathed a sigh of relief.

As soon as he stepped out of the school gate, he ran into Li Xiwan, who had also just come out, by the roadside green belt.

"How did the exam go?"

Shen Chang'an asked casually.

"It was alright, I performed as expected, the questions weren't too difficult."

Li Xiwan smiled and tidied the stray hairs by her ear, then asked in return.

"And you?"

"I've written down everything I know how to do, and I've filled in everything I don't know how to do. I'll leave it to fate," Shen Chang'an shrugged, then asked.

"You've finished your exams, what are your plans now?"

Li Xiwan thought about it seriously: "I plan to pack my things tomorrow and move to the branch's dormitory. Anyway, I don't have much to do during the summer vacation. The branch has a special underground training ground where I can practice the basic spells that Uncle Zhao taught me every day."

Shen Chang'an nodded approvingly. This girl's diligence and temperament are indeed good material for fieldwork.

The two chatted as they walked along the sidewalk toward the agreed-upon parking spot.

As Shen Chang'an reached the end of the tree-lined path, he saw a familiar black sedan parked by the roadside. Old Zhao was leaning against the car door, chatting and laughing with Zhang Hai and Li Yue, who were standing next to him.

Seeing Shen Chang'an and Li Xiwan approaching, Old Zhao waved with a smile, "Over here! Our examinees are out!"

As he spoke, Old Zhao turned around, opened the trunk of his car, took out a large bunch of beautifully packaged sunflowers, and stuffed them directly into Shen Chang'an's arms.

Holding the flowers, Shen Chang'an complained with a look of disgust, "Old Zhao, why are you doing such mushy things, you're a grown man? It's creepy."

"Just take it, you brat, don't even appreciate it."

Old Zhao laughed and scolded.

"Given your solitary nature and your inability to charm girls, this is probably the first time in your life you've ever received flowers, and it's the bouquet I'm giving you."

Shen Chang'an looked down at the sunflower in his arms, thought about it carefully, and muttered, "You know what... it seems to be true."

After criticizing Shen Chang'an, Lao Zhao turned around and took a bouquet of lilies from the trunk, handing it to Li Xiwan: "Here, Xiwan, congratulations on graduating from high school and embarking on a new life."

"Thank you, Uncle Zhao."

Li Xiwan accepted the gift with both hands and thanked them politely.

Zhang Hai, standing to the side, glanced at Li Xiwan a few times and said with a smile, "Old Zhao, is this the new recruit you were talking about?"

"Yes, it's her."

Old Zhao turned to Li Xiwan and introduced her.

"Xiwan, this is Uncle Zhang, who was our branch's previous senior field agent."

Li Xiwan immediately stood up straight and bowed respectfully: "Hello, Senior Zhang. Hello, Senior Li. I am Li Xiwan."

"Oh my, this child is so polite and pretty."

Li Yue smiled and took Li Xiwan's hand, liking her more and more as she looked at her.

Old Zhao glanced at his watch: "Let's wait a little longer until the other two girls come out, then we'll go to the restaurant we booked and have a good meal to celebrate."

Seeing Zhang Hai and Lao Zhao discussing the Zhenye Division so naturally in front of Li Xiwan, Shen Chang'an instantly understood.

Clearly, Uncle Zhang already knew that Zhang Qingqing knew about the Zhenye Division. The elderly couple had both retired from the system, and now that the truth was out, they decided to stop pretending.

A few minutes later, Bai Yin and Zhang Qingqing also squeezed out of the crowd one after another.

Zhang Qingqing spotted the car parked by the roadside from afar, but when she got closer and saw Uncle Zhao standing familiarly with her parents, chatting and laughing, she couldn't help but be stunned. Although she already knew that her parents had also been members of the Zhenye Division, seeing people from these two worlds intertwined so harmoniously still felt somewhat unreal.

"Qingqing, what are you daydreaming about? Come here."

Li Yue smiled and waved.

Zhang Hai and Lao Zhao each took out the flowers they had prepared and handed them over. Zhang Qingqing hugged the flowers, and finally, a pure smile, the kind that should belong to a girl her age, appeared on her face.

"Alright, everyone's here. Let's get in the car and head to the restaurant!"

Old Zhao waved his hand, signaling everyone to get ready to set off.

Just as everyone was about to open the car door, Shen Chang'an stood next to Lao Zhao's car, subtly winking at Li Xiwan and Bai Yin, and nodding his chin towards Lao Zhao's car.

Bai Yin and Li Xiwan instantly understood each other.

"Um... Uncle Zhang, Aunt Li, Sister Qingqing, we can just ride in Uncle Zhao's car!"

Bai Yin grinned and pulled Li Xiwan into the back seat of Lao Zhao's car.

Shen Chang'an then got into the passenger seat.

He did this partly to give Zhang Qingqing and her parents some alone time; and partly so that the few of them, the servants of the town's night watchman, could chat about work while they were all in one car.

Old Zhao's black sedan drove smoothly through the evening rush hour traffic in Qingzhou District.

Inside the car, Shen Chang'an sat in the passenger seat, lowering the window halfway down, letting the evening breeze blow the stray hairs across his forehead.

"The exams are over. What are your plans for filling out your college applications?"

While turning the steering wheel, Old Zhao casually asked.

"Just apply to any local university."

Shen Chang'an didn't even think about it, his tone was very casual.

"A second-tier university is fine too, as long as it's close to home and close to the branch campus, so I don't have to go through all that trouble."

Upon hearing this, Bai Yin, who was sitting in the back row, immediately raised both hands in agreement: "Wherever the boss goes, I'll go! Anyway, with my brains, I'm not good enough to get into any good schools."

Li Xiwan, who was standing to the side, smiled and nodded. Although she had excellent grades, she clearly intended to follow in Shen Chang'an's footsteps.

Hearing the plans of these three young people, Old Zhao couldn't help but frown and earnestly advised them, "You young people need to broaden your horizons. Especially you, Chang'an, with your abilities, it's a waste for you to stay in a small place like Qingzhou. You should go out and see those big cities; the platforms and resources there are incomparable to those in Qingzhou. Xiwan has such good grades; she should go to a top university."

Shen Chang'an turned his head and looked at Lao Zhao with some helplessness: "If we all just pack up and leave, who will take care of this mess in Qingzhou District? Are you going to take a few support staff to fight monsters by yourself?"

"You can rest assured about that."

Old Zhao smiled.

"The allocation of human resources in various regions of our Eastern Empire is uniformly dispatched by the General Administration. Normally, it is indeed difficult for field personnel to be transferred across regions. However, for members of the Night Watch Division like you who are of college entrance examination age, the headquarters makes special exceptions."

Old Zhao paused for a moment, then continued, "As long as you pass the exams and go to other cities, the General Administration will immediately transfer several equally capable personnel from the surrounding affluent defense zones to temporarily fill the vacancies in Qingzhou District. After you graduate from university, whether you choose to stay in the local area or return to your original positions, the General Administration will make new arrangements. Therefore, the issue of defense vacancies is not something you need to worry about at all."

After listening, Shen Chang'an nodded thoughtfully: "So there's such a rule. That certainly saves a lot of trouble."

Then, Shen Chang'an changed the subject, looking at Old Zhao and asking, "By the way, you came to pick us up today so openly. Does Uncle Zhang and the others already know that Qingqing has discovered our work secrets?"

Old Zhao nodded and sighed, "How could Old Zhang not see it? He called me last night. Actually, he originally planned to find an opportunity to confess to Qingqing as soon as the college entrance exam was over. He's just moved up the plan by a few days."

……

Meanwhile, in Zhang Hai's car on the other side.

The atmosphere inside the carriage was both warm and unusually serious.

Zhang Hai gripped the steering wheel with both hands and glanced through the rearview mirror at Zhang Qingqing, who was sitting in the back seat, fiddling with a bouquet of flowers.

"Qingqing."

Zhang Hai broke the silence first, his voice gentle and deep.

"You probably already know about my and your mother's previous jobs, right?"

Zhang Qingqing paused in her work, looked up, and softly hummed in agreement.

"Then let's talk about our future plans."

Zhang Hai smiled.

Now that you know all this, what do you think of Chang'an?

When her father suddenly asked about Shen Chang'an, Zhang Qingqing's cheeks flushed slightly.

She recalled his godlike figure in the bathroom that day, and the way he scolded her under the streetlights last night, and awkwardly turned her face to look out the window.

"He... is fine."

Zhang Qingqing answered softly.

"It was a bit of a surprise. I didn't expect that someone who seemed so lazy would be like that behind the scenes."

"Chang'an, this child, carries a much heavier burden on his shoulders than you can imagine."

Zhang Hai sighed for a moment, then got to the point.

"You'll be filling out college applications soon, do you want to... go to the same university as him?"

This question made Zhang Qingqing's heart skip a beat. Instead of instinctively refuting or distancing herself as she usually did, she remained silent for a moment before vaguely saying, "I'm fine with anything..."

As people who have been through similar experiences, Zhang Hai and Li Yue could easily see their daughter's delicate, girlish thoughts.

The smile on Zhang Hai's face gradually faded, replaced by the serious expression of an old father.

"Qingqing, Daddy's going to tell you something today."

Zhang Hai said in a deep voice.

"No matter how things develop between you and Chang'an in the future, and no matter where you go to university, Dad only hopes for one thing—never get involved in the affairs of Zhenye Division again."

Zhang Qingqing paused for a moment and looked at her father in the rearview mirror.

"The true other side of this world is a hundred times more cruel and dangerous than you see."

A flicker of reminiscence and lingering fear crossed Zhang Hai's eyes.

"Your mother and I have suffered that kind of hardship before, and we've seen too many people we were having dinner with yesterday end up with a pension bill today. So, we will absolutely not let you get involved in this mess."

Sitting in the passenger seat, Li Yue turned around and gently took her daughter's hand: "Your dad is right. We just hope that you can finish college honestly, find a stable, ordinary job after graduation, and live a peaceful life. That's enough."

Seeing the atmosphere was a bit heavy, Zhang Hai quickly changed to a lighter tone and said half-jokingly, "Even if you can't find a suitable job after graduation, it's okay! My retirement pension plus savings are enough to support you comfortably for the rest of your life."

"At worst, if our family really can't make ends meet in the future..."

Zhang Hai laughed heartily.

"I can still swallow my pride and beg that kid in Chang'an to give you a job."

"Dad! What did you say?!"

Zhang Qingqing couldn't help but protest with a coquettish tone.

A burst of warm laughter immediately filled the carriage, completely dispelling any sense of distance.

Two cars stopped one after the other in front of a well-decorated, long-established restaurant.

This is a private room that Lao Zhao booked in advance to celebrate his children's successful completion of the college entrance examination.

At the dinner party, Zhang Hai and Lao Zhao clinked glasses and reminisced about their glorious years fighting side by side in the Zhenye Division.

Li Yue acted like a kind patriarch, constantly serving food to the children; Bai Yin was a complete optimist, eating with greasy mouth while still making everyone laugh.

Even the usually reserved Li Xiwan, and Zhang Qingqing, who was somewhat uneasy after learning the secret, gradually relaxed in this harmonious atmosphere. Only Shen Chang'an remained languid, occasionally responding to Lao Zhao's teasing.

Two hours later, the dinner ended amidst laughter and cheerful conversation.

Standing at the hotel entrance, Shen Chang'an called out to Zhang Hai, who was about to get into his car.

"Uncle Zhang, Aunt Li, I won't be going back to Guanlan Prefecture with you tonight."

Shen Chang'an said.

"There's a lot going on at the branch office lately, so I'm planning to move back to the branch office dormitory permanently. Xiwan will be moving there tomorrow too."

Zhang Hai nodded, knowing that the period after the college entrance exams was the busiest time of the year for the Zhenye Division. He patted Shen Chang'an on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Okay, work is important. But no matter how busy you are, be careful. Come home anytime you have time for a hot meal. Aunt Li has been saving your room for you."

"Understood, Uncle Zhang."

Shen Chang'an nodded slightly and watched Zhang Hai and his family of three get into the car and leave.

Afterwards, Shen Chang'an, Lao Zhao, Bai Yin, and Li Xiwan got into the car.

It was already past nine o'clock when I returned to the Qingzhou District Town Night Division branch.

As soon as I stepped out of the elevator, I saw Xie He standing at the office door, holding a stack of documents and waiting.

"Director Zhao, Commander Shen, Commander Baiyin."

Xie He greeted everyone respectfully in turn, and when he saw Li Xiwan, who looked somewhat unfamiliar, he nodded politely as well.

"Thank you for your hard work, Xiao Xie."

Old Zhao gave the instructions.

"Bring your prepared annual documents and come to Conference Room One for a short meeting right away."

A few minutes later.

The five people took their seats in Conference Room Number One. Xie He distributed a thick stack of documents to each person present, and then quietly stepped back to stand behind and to the side of Lao Zhao.

"Alright, now that your high school years are over, it's time to get back to work."

Old Zhao tapped the table and got straight to the point.

"Every June, our branch has three unwavering major events: a new round of talent tests, a 'consolation' activity for subordinate welfare units, and negotiations on the allocation of cultivation resources for the new year among the major families in Qingzhou District. Time is tight and the tasks are heavy, so let's divide the tasks now."

At this point, Old Zhao looked at Bai Yin: "Xiao Bai, I'm entrusting the visits to the welfare home and orphanage to you. You have a strong personality, and the children like you. Take advantage of the visits to screen them out and see if you can find any promising children who have slipped through the net."

"Mission accomplished! Meow!"

Bai Yin patted his chest, taking full responsibility.

"As for the consultation meeting on resource allocation..."

Old Zhao rubbed his temples.

"I'll handle this myself. Chang'an is all about flipping tables; he can't deal with those cunning old family patriarchs."

Shen Chang'an shrugged indifferently. What he hated most was playing cat and mouse with those old foxes from secular families. It was best that Old Zhao was willing to take on this hot potato.

"Therefore, Chang'an."

Old Zhao looked at Shen Chang'an.

"I'll be putting you in charge of security and leading the team at the talent test site."

"OK."

Shen Chang'an nodded and opened the documents in front of him.

"As for Xiwan, you're new to this, so focus on getting familiar with the environment and practicing basic spells during this time," Old Zhao said to Li Xiwan. "You can pick and choose to attend some of these events when you have time to broaden your horizons; you don't need to be responsible for any specific tasks."

After the assignments were completed, Lao Zhao pointed to Xie He behind him: "Everyone, take a look at the materials in your hands. If there's anything you don't understand or any specific details that need to be coordinated, feel free to ask Xiao Xie. She has prepared everything very thoroughly in the preliminary work."

Xie He quickly stepped forward, bowed slightly, and nodded.

The meeting room fell silent, with only the rustling sound of turning pages.

Shen Chang'an opened his own file.

This glance was enough to make Shen Chang'an frown. This year's talent test had a staggering 121 eligible young people from the entire Qingzhou District who had been sent for the examination.

Among them, apart from a small number of children of peripheral personnel directly managed within the district, the vast majority are heirs or collateral relatives sent by various secular families and financial groups of all sizes in Qingzhou District. The relationships behind them are intricate and complex, a veritable hodgepodge.

Moreover, according to the unified regulations of the Donghuang Kingdom's Zhenye Division, the initial screening teams from each district and county must be centrally organized and tested at the municipal headquarters. This is actually an unwritten rule for resource retention—after the test results are available, the municipal bureau has the privilege of giving priority to selecting and recruiting those with exceptional talent.

After the municipal bureau finishes its selection, those remaining are basically either mediocre talents or young masters and ladies from secular families who have been taken back and nurtured with money and resources. The truly promising talents who actually make it to a remote, small place like the Qingzhou district branch are extremely rare.

"One hundred and twenty-one young masters and ladies, and we have to go to the city from another district, that's really troublesome."

Shen Chang'an looked at the densely packed names on the list and closed the document with a headache.