Five days later, Liao Zihui gazed at the sunset outside the window, picked up his teacup, and silently took a sip.
Secretary Ling Sujun walked in, her deep-set eyes shrouded in darkness. "Chief Envoy, do we need to have everyone on full alert today?"
Liao Zihui pondered for a moment before asking, "Has the tea been distributed to everyone?"
"It was sent out the day before yesterday."
"Did you mix the Elixir into it?"
"It was mixed in, but the effects aren’t obvious. Should we increase the dosage?"
Liao Zihui took another sip of his tea. "Knock off work."
Ling Sujun bowed deeply to Liao Zihui, not daring to ask another question, and turned to leave.
Putting on his overcoat, Liao Zihui looked at the drawer before leaving his office. He opened the drawer and hesitated for a moment, then closed it again.
Deputy Envoy General Xia Shumin, holding two tickets to Xiaoyao Lodge, waited at the office door. Seeing Liao Zihui come out, Xia Shumin quickly greeted him. "Chief Envoy, I heard you like Jiang Mengting’s songs. There’s a special performance by her at Xiaoyao Lodge tonight. I’ve got two tickets for you so you can relax with your wife this evening."
Liao Zihui accepted the tickets with a smile. "Shumin, you’re quite spirited."
Xia Shumin laughed. "We used to have a lot of urgent tasks. I got used to the grind."
Liao Zihui nodded. "Youth is good; being young is really good. My wife doesn’t like Jiang Mengting. How about we go to Xiaoyao Lodge tonight and listen to some songs together?"
Xia Shumin waved his hands. "Honestly, I don’t like it either. I went to a concert when I was young. It was too noisy, the stage was too far away, and you just shouted along with a crowd without even being able to see the singer’s face."
"You can see them here! Concerts in Puluo State are different. There aren’t many people in a venue, and there are no microphones or similar devices. What you hear is the genuine sound, and what you see is the artist themselves. Let’s go together. We’ll have a couple of drinks and dinner at Xiaoyao Lodge. In about two hours, the show will be starting."
「...」
"Mengting, the show is about to start! You can’t be difficult now!" Steward Zhang from Xiaoyao Lodge was frantic. The concert was about to begin, and Jiang Mengting claimed she had a sore throat and couldn’t sing.
"My voice is hoarse, how can I sing?" she said. "Just post a notice at the door to reschedule."
Steward Zhang pleaded, "My dear lady, the tickets sold out a month ago! You’re asking me to reschedule now? Xiaoyao Lodge’s reputation will be ruined! I’m begging you, I’ll kowtow if I have to! Just get on stage and sing a couple of songs, at least as a gesture."
Jiang Mengting still refused to perform, so Steward Zhang quickly reported the situation to Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng had dinner with Jiang Mengting and personally fed her a bowl of lung-clearing, throat-soothing soup. Jiang Mengting recovered and was able to perform that night.
As the concert began, Li Banfeng sat in the audience. He looked up and saw Liao Zihui in a second-floor box.
Li Banfeng entered the box and sat next to Liao Zihui. Noticing his dark circles, he asked, "Chief Envoy Liao, you don’t look well. Have you been staying up late these past few days?"
Liao Zihui smiled. "Yes, I’ve had you on my mind. I thought you might visit the Defense Agency, but you didn’t come."
Li Banfeng expressed his surprise. "Since you’ve been thinking about me, why didn’t you come find me at Xiaoyao Lodge?"
Liao Zihui nodded. "I did come to find you last time, but you weren’t very welcoming."
Xia Shumin, grasping the nuances of the situation, greeted him. "This must be Mr. Li, right?"
Li Banfeng looked at Xia Shumin. "And how should I address you?"
Liao Zihui said, "This is the new Commander Xia."
Li Banfeng exclaimed, "A new Chief Envoy has arrived? Chief Envoy Liao, are you retiring?"
Liao Zihui sighed. "I’m looking forward to that day."
Li Banfeng turned to Xia Shumin. "Are you looking forward to that day too?"
"I haven’t..." Xia Shumin took a breath. He wanted to say he wasn’t, but felt that response wasn’t quite right either.
Liao Zihui said, "These kinds of things are usually not discussed in front of me. You two continue chatting here; I’ll go downstairs to listen to the music."
Li Banfeng felt a bit awkward. "How could we make you move? Commander Xia and I will find somewhere else to talk privately. This is definitely something you shouldn’t hear."
Xia Shumin chuckled awkwardly. "Mr. Li, you really have a sense of humor. Let’s just focus on the music."
Li Banfeng wanted to discuss the topic of retirement further with them, but mid-conversation, he suddenly felt a wave of heart palpitations.
He excused himself and rapidly left the box. Returning to his room, he entered his Portable Residence and said to the Old Man, "Let’s go to the station—the station in my territory."
「A few minutes later」
Having borrowed Hong Ying’s full might, Li Banfeng left the Portable Residence. He arrived at his own territory and headed toward the direction of the pioneering sensation.
The first person to appear in his sight was Cui Tiq.
Li Banfeng immediately dismissed the idea of responding to the pioneering, as allowing Cui Tiq to do so here would decimate the Strange Monsters in his territory.
But Cui Tiq was not the only one who had come to pioneer. Li Banfeng counted fifteen people in total. Waiting for a signal at the altar was Chu Huaiyuan.
Li Banfeng took out his Judge’s Pen and Projector. "Ah Bi, fly me over there. Ah Ji, give me a disguise and project the aura of a Local Deity."