Bureau of Paranormal Investigation

What Wu Rendi said made my heart skip a beat. I had no idea what was waiting down there, and I was just about to ask when he took the lead, descending the stairs without the slightest pause in his step. I had no choice but to hurry after him, keeping my eyes locked on his feet and carefully matching his every step.

It wasn't until we reached the bottom of the staircase that I realized: Wu Rendi had only stepped on the odd-numbered stairs, walking down in a perfectly straight line. Once you remembered the odd steps and stayed in line, it was nearly impossible to misstep.Just a side note—I had thought he was just trying to scare me, but a few months later, during the Bureau's great calamity, the number of people who died right here was far more than just a few.

At last, we arrived at the infamous Sublevel Five. There were still no lights, but somehow I could clearly make out everything inside. At a glance, it looked empty and unremarkable. Before us were two separate areas—one large, one small. The smaller section on the left resembled a storage room. An old bronze padlock, covered in green patina, hung at the door. But if something was stored in the legendary Sublevel Five, there was no way it could be ordinary.

I was still lost in speculation over what might be hidden in the storeroom when Wu Rendi pulled out a gleaming brass strip and tossed it to me. "From now on, you hold the key to this room. There's only one key. If you lose it, go join it."

Only then did I realize this brass-looking strip was actually the key. What I didn't understand was why he was giving something so important to me. I hesitated for a moment, then looked up and asked, "Director Wu, if you give me the key, what if one day you need to get in and can't reach me? Maybe I should go get a copy made just in case?"

Wu Rendi snorted. "Don't trouble yourself. Even without that key, do you really think I couldn't get in?"I gave an awkward laugh and quickly nodded. "You're right. There's probably no lock in this world that could keep you out."As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized I'd stepped right on a landmine. That sounded way too much like I was calling the great Director Wu a glorified lockpicker. With his temper, he wouldn't even need to raise a hand—just one or two of his signature cutting remarks would be enough to drive me mad.

Just as he narrowed his eyes and turned to look at me, I hurriedly changed the subject. "So, Director Wu, since you've handed me the key, would you mind showing me what's inside? I mean, there should be a handover, right?" As I spoke, I had already started walking toward the storeroom door.

"Who said we're going in now?" Wu Rendi looked at me like I was a fool and replied in his usual biting tone, "You'll have plenty of chances to go inside later. Hell, you could spend your next life living in there for all I care. I'll have Yang Xiao deliver your meals daily."That last line sounded less like a joke and more like he was handing down my fate.

Seeing how pale I'd gone, Wu Rendi seemed satisfied. He said no more, just turned and headed toward the larger area on the right. Since he hadn't said anything to the contrary, I had no choice but to follow.

The space was gourd-shaped—the deeper we went, the larger it became. The sheer pressure of Wu Rendi's presence made every second feel like a day. Just when I was starting to lose all sense of time, I saw something ahead that looked like a white human statue.

Wu Rendi finally stopped and spoke into the empty air. "Guangren, I've brought you a disciple."

As soon as the words left his mouth, a voice came from the direction of the statue. "Wu Mian, why so polite? If I'd done a better job teaching, I wouldn't have ended up locked down here for so many years."

Only then did I realize—the "statue" was a living person.

Focusing my gaze, I saw the man sitting cross-legged on the floor, completely motionless. He wore a white changshan in the style of the Republican era. Though he had just spoken, his head remained bowed, eyes fixed on the ground, without even the slightest movement.What left me utterly speechless, though, was his snow-white hair.

When did white hair start being mass-produced too...?

The white-haired man seated on the floor stirred slightly. After glancing up at me, he said, "Still, I'm a bit curious—what kind of person could actually catch your eye?"

Wu Rendi actually smiled a little, a rare sight. "That's easy," he said. "Just agree to take him in as your disciple, and the two of you can meet properly right away. Besides, if you take him on, maybe you won't be so bored anymore."

The white-haired man—Guangren—fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Give me one good reason—why don't you take him as a disciple? Why push him onto me?"

Wu Rendi turned to glance at me, then looked back at Guangren and replied, "Because if I lose my temper, I might accidentally kill him. Besides, you may not match me in real combat, but when it comes to teaching and passing on our craft, not even three Wu Rendies together could match one of you."

That made Guangren laugh out loud. "Hearing something like that from Wu Mian? I'll take it! I accept him as my disciple. But—I have one small condition…"

As he spoke, Guangren stood up. A clinking noise followed, and only then did I notice the chains on his limbs. Four iron chains, anchored to the cardinal directions, kept him bound within a three-meter radius.

I had already guessed that Guangren was imprisoned by Wu Rendi when he first spoke. But seeing the chains now confirmed it. Guangren tugged lightly at the chains and said, "If I'm going to teach this disciple of yours, isn't it time you got rid of these chains? You don't still think someone like me could stir up any real trouble?"

"No. Don't even think about it," Wu Rendi replied flatly, with a tone as cold and firm as iron. "Whether you teach him or not is up to you. If not, he'll just die early under my watch." Then he glanced over at me and added, "I was hoping to find you a proper teacher. But if it has to be me, well—tough luck for you." With that, he turned to leave.

Guangren let out another loud laugh. Wu Rendi stopped but said nothing, simply giving him a cold stare.

"All right," Guangren said after his laughter subsided. "Leave the boy here. I won't say I'll make him great, but at least he'll keep me entertained."Then, as if suddenly remembering something, Guangren's eyes lit up. "If you won't unchain me, at least bring me some decent food and drink. Starting tomorrow, tell the kid not to come empty-handed—pork, beef, lamb, fish, shrimp, crab—bring the good stuff. And as for alcohol… I've no idea what counts as good nowadays, but bring a few aged jars of something strong."

Wu Rendi was clearly surprised by the request. He glanced at Guangren and, in his usual sharp-edged tone, said, "What, no more fasting? Finally come to your senses? Might as well take it further—find yourself a woman, settle down monogamously. If you're lucky, maybe you'll even have a kid or two."

Guangren laughed instead of taking offense. "No wonder 'he' said you were petty and vindictive the first time he met you. After all these years, nothing's changed—if anything, you've gotten even sharper-tongued. Ha!"

Then he looked at Wu Rendi and added, "Fine, I'll take him on. How far he gets will depend on his own luck."

I'd thought Guangren might give me some kind of lesson right away, but to my surprise, he simply glanced at me again and said, "That's enough for now. Go back with Wu Mian. Just think about what food and drink you'll bring me tomorrow. The more impressed I am by your offerings, the more impressive the things I'll teach you."

Then he turned his gaze to Wu Rendi again. "Well, that's everything I had to say. By rights, I should invite you both to sit for a bit, but as you can see—aside from these chains, I've got nothing here." He rattled the iron bindings again. "At the very least, unchain two of them so I can move around a little. Even if you brought chairs and a table, I couldn't sit down like this."

Wu Rendi replied coolly, "Taking off those chains isn't out of the question. Like I told you before—cut off your limbs, and I'll take the chains off. Of course, even then, you still wouldn't be allowed to leave this floor. So, what's it going to be? Chains or amputation—your choice."

"What kind of choice is that?" Guangren gave a bitter laugh and slowly sat back down. "Fine, off you go. I won't see you out…"

He lowered his head and resumed his former still posture, like a meditating monk lost in a timeless trance.

Wu Rendi said nothing. He glanced at me once, giving me a subtle nod, then turned and headed for the exit. I trailed after him, too stunned by what I'd just witnessed to speak.

We didn't stop until we were back near the warehouse at the entrance to Sublevel Five. Finally, I asked, "Director Wu… who is Guangren exactly? He seems a lot like you—and maybe even like me."

Wu Rendi halted, looked at me, and sidestepped the question. "Don't go talking about him to just anyone. And while he's teaching you, he's going to try everything he can to trick you into removing those chains. Remember—no matter what happens, even if he collapses right in front of you, do not remove them."

"Yes, I understand," I nodded. Wu Rendi paused for a while, then, in a rare moment of gentleness, said, "As for who Guangren really is—don't dig too deep. When the time is right, I'll tell you myself."

That shut down any further questions. Still, I asked something that seemed unrelated: "The chains on Guangren—are they under a Prohibition Spell? Should I be careful not to disturb them next time I visit?"

"No. Just ordinary iron chains," Wu Rendi said as he began walking toward the stairs to Sublevel Four. "So long as you don't remove them, you can do whatever you want."

Before he climbed the steps, I managed one last question: "Ordinary chains can hold someone like him? He looks like someone on your level…"

Honestly, I hadn't expected Wu Rendi to answer. But he stopped, turned back, and stared at me coldly. After a long pause, he said, "Guangren's powers have all been destroyed. He only looks like one of us. In truth, he's weaker than a regular person."

I blurted out, "Who did that to him?"

Wu Rendi answered with a single word: "Me."

That was as far as I dared to go. One look at his frosted-over expression, and I swallowed all my other questions.

Wu Rendi said nothing more as we returned to the surface. Once we were back in the elevator, just as we were rising to ground level, he suddenly extended his hand toward me. "Take this," he said.

I stared blankly at his palm. In it lay a thin, metallic filament—a Dragon's Whisker, the finest tool for picking locks.