Once, I wanted to be a good person

Thinking this way, Fang Ze looked at the evening's harvest on the table.

It was a bag of something that looked like mushrooms, with a large cap and a short stem, the entire body was off-white and felt soft to the touch.

"What is this?" Fang Ze couldn't help but feel a bit hesitant as he looked at the harvest before him.

But trusting that any investigation of Miaomiao would yield something good, Fang Ze hesitated for a moment before placing his hand on the strange object, intending to let the [Late-Night Investigation Room] appraise it.

Surely enough, after a dozen seconds, information about the strange thing appeared in Fang Ze's mind.

Reciting the information about the strange thing, Fang Ze furrowed his brow slightly....

[Extraordinary Plant: Makeup Mushroom]

Ability: Once this mushroom is swallowed, the user can change their makeup style at will for 24 hours. If the user doesn't want to define their makeup style themselves, the Makeup Mushroom can automatically match the most suitable makeup to the user's current mood.

Note: The effect of the Makeup Mushroom lasts for 24 hours. Unless lifted by an Extraordinary Artifact or the user themselves, ordinary substances like rainwater or sweat won't ruin the makeup within these 24 hours.

Reciting the information about this Extraordinary Plant, Fang Ze found it hard to determine its value right away.

Is it highly valuable? For Fang Ze, it doesn't seem very useful. As a man, he wasn't interested in makeup.

Is it of low value? Women seem to like it a lot. They might even pay a high price for it.

The only problem is.....

Fang Ze looked at the bag containing only 10 pieces, which looked like they could only be used 10 times....

"Isn't this too few? Just 10 days' worth?"

"It can only be used casually among my people, not even worth selling."

"If it could be reproduced, that would be great...."

With this thought, Fang Ze decided to give a few to Bai Zhi, Little Bai Ling, and Miaomiao tomorrow to see if they liked them. Then, he would give a few to Little Grass to see if she could cultivate them.

If the women really liked these things and Little Grass could reproduce them, Fang Ze felt that these mushrooms could have some value and might even become a special product of his future territory for sale.

If the women didn't like them or Little Grass couldn't reproduce them, then this investigation's harvest would be quite a loss.

Thinking this way, Fang Ze didn't mind too much. He casually put the Makeup Mushrooms into his pocket and then returned to his chair, falling into a deep sleep.....

....

Nothing happened throughout the night.

The next day, Fang Ze got up, dressed, washed, ate with the help of the maids, and then went to work at the Security Bureau.

As soon as he arrived at the Security Bureau, a few urgent matters awaited him.

The first was the transfer he arranged with Deputy Officer Changqing to borrow the Black Shadow for case-solving. The Special Service Department directly drafted an official transfer request according to Fang Ze's requirements. Since Director Lan Bing knew the Black Shadow was Fang Ze's private subordinate, the request was directly forwarded to Fang Ze for him to handle.

The second was the report of last night's incident in Emerald City. The Emerald City Security Bureau and the Federal Defense Team, with the assistance of the Governing Hall, successfully eliminated the dangerous organization, the Rejuvenation Society, and captured nearly a hundred members.

Since the Governing Hall and the Federal Defense Team lacked the qualifications to interrogate and detain Awakener criminals, they were all detained at the Security Bureau.

And because the case was too significant, with personnel of such high levels involved, it was naturally elevated from the Emerald City Security Bureau to the State Security Bureau.

The third was a notification from the State Council, requesting Fang Ze to visit the council tonight, without specifying the reason.

After the leisurely days of the past few days, Fang Ze wasn't quite used to this sudden rush. Fortunately, the entire Judicial Department was already a well-oiled machine. So once Fang Ze made a decision, everyone naturally took over the tasks without him needing to worry much.

Among these matters, the most important was the interrogation of the Black Shadow at the Special Service Department. Since it involved Fang Ze's core secrets, he thoroughly discussed their cooperation with the Black Shadow.

For instance, he asked the Black Shadow to conduct the interrogation at night and to use some of his abilities during the interrogation to create some law force fluctuations to avoid suspicion from the Special Service Department.

He also asked the Black Shadow to first interrogate Councilor Huang but to knock him out during the interrogation so Fang Ze could use his abilities.

Moreover, Fang Ze requested the Black Shadow to be as mysterious as possible during the interrogation, to scare people without worrying about the result. Fang Ze would notify him as soon as he had the results.

As for how Fang Ze would simultaneously hide from others and notify the Black Shadow, he only gave a mysterious smile without saying much.

After sending off the Special Service Department and the Black Shadow, Bai Zhi immediately arrived.

No matter the occasion, Bai Zhi always maintained her noble elegance. Even though she was in a relationship with Fang Ze, she remained very reserved and distant in public. The only difference Fang Ze noticed was in her eyes....

Her once sharp eyes had turned into a gentle, watery gaze, and perhaps from not seeing Fang Ze for several days, her eyes looked at him with a seductive charm....

To be honest, Fang Ze liked this a lot. Just seeing her so different from her outward appearance made his heart skip a beat....

So after Bai Zhi handed over the Rejuvenation Society's prisoners, Fang Ze eagerly dragged her to his office.....

Then... he took out his Makeup Mushroom, intending to give it to her.

Bai Zhi had apparently never seen the Makeup Mushroom, so she held the off-white mushroom, curiously asking, "What is this?"

Fang Ze said, "A gift for you."

"A gift?"

No woman dislikes gifts, especially from someone they love. So, hearing Fang Ze's words, Bai Zhi's eyes lit up slightly.

Then, Fang Ze explained how to use the mushroom.

Upon learning that the mushroom could automatically change her makeup, Bai Zhi's interest was immediately piqued.

She hurried Fang Ze out of the office and started experimenting with the Makeup Mushroom.

Fang Ze waited idly outside the door, guessing what kind of makeup Bai Zhi would choose.

Moments later, Bai Zhi's voice came from inside, "Come in."

Fang Ze pushed the door open curiously, and upon looking up, he found that Bai Zhi's entire demeanor had completely changed.

The original Bai Zhi gave a feeling of nobility, elegance, and beauty typical of high society ladies. But now... although still beautiful, she exuded less elegance and more assertiveness, maturity, paired with her black-framed glasses, women's suit, black silk stockings, and long pointer...

"A teacher?!" Fang Ze looked at Bai Zhi in surprise.

For a moment, Fang Ze felt like his brain wasn't working: Wait... wasn't the purpose of the Makeup Mushroom to help women apply makeup quickly? Why does it feel like the use has deviated a bit?

While Fang Ze was thinking this, Bai Zhi coldly knocked the pointer on the table and said, "What are you calling out for? Don't you know to greet the teacher when you see her?"

Looking at Bai Zhi fully immersed in her role-play, Fang Ze was a bit puzzled: Are women really such strange creatures? Can they change personality and demeanor just by changing their makeup?

This... is too exciting?

After playing around with Bai Zhi for a while and watching her revert to her original makeup, Fang Ze interviewed her about her experience. Overall, Bai Zhi found the Makeup Mushroom very convenient and fun, especially for someone of her nobility.

After all, as nobility, there were numerous etiquettes to follow, and different occasions required different makeup styles, each with specific requirements. For important events, some makeup styles could even take two to three hours to apply, even with the help of maids, which Bai Zhi found irritating. But now with the Makeup Mushroom, everything felt so wonderful.

After receiving positive feedback from his first customer Bai Zhi, Fang Ze didn't end his investigation. He then pulled Little Bai Ling, who had come with Bai Zhi, to experience the Makeup Mushroom as well.

Like Bai Zhi, Little Bai Ling also gave the Makeup Mushroom a high rating.

Moreover, she provided Fang Ze with an important piece of information: as a merchant family, she could assure him that she had never seen such a mushroom in Xida State or the Eastern Administrative Region. This meant that the mushroom either originated from the Spirit Realm or was only produced in other administrative regions.

This made Fang Ze's eyes light up.

If the mushroom feedback was indeed so good and the market was so empty in the Eastern Administrative Region, then... this could indeed be a huge business opportunity.

The only problem would be whether Little Grass could reproduce these mushrooms and how to price them....

Thinking this, Fang Ze looked at Bai Ling, who was playfully using the Makeup Mushroom to turn herself blue, then green, then red, like a chameleon.

Yes, seeing them enjoy it so much, he couldn't price it too cheap. Otherwise, it would be a waste of their creativity...

After Bai Zhi and Little Bai Ling came to the provincial government, besides helping Fang Ze test his mushrooms, they also brought another important piece of news that caught Fang Ze's attention.

"What? Jiang Cheng came to the provincial government too?" Hearing Bai Zhi's words, Fang Ze furrowed his brow and asked, "Do you know why he came?"

While transforming her makeup into a youthful look, Bai Zhi shook her head and said, "No idea."

"I only accidentally saw his car and found out he was back at the provincial government."

"As for why he's here, I don't know."

Fang Ze didn't underestimate the significance of this, and with his keen mind, he easily connected Jiang Cheng's arrival at the provincial government to the exposure of Jiang Cheng's identity last night.

And in light of the State Council requesting him to go to the council tonight, Fang Ze couldn't help but have a bad premonition: Could it be that He Weidao and the others discovered something and wanted to confront me with Jiang Cheng?

Actually, if it was just a confrontation, Fang Ze wasn't worried. After all... he had anticipated this might happen and made sure to use the "Gu Qing" pseudonym when taking Jiang Cheng to prevent identity leaks.

However, what worried him was that Jiang Cheng was now his [Personal Deprivation] subordinate, and they had a mental connection.

If Fang Ze didn't appear before Jiang Cheng, he wouldn't recognize him, but once he appeared, a single glance would confirm that Fang Ze was his master.

Then, Fang Ze's identity would be exposed to Jiang Cheng, and given the Jiang Family and He Weidao's methods, Fang Ze was almost certain they had ways to undo the [Personal Deprivation], it was just a matter of the cost.

And once Jiang Cheng knew his identity, and if the [Personal Deprivation] was lifted, things would be utterly disastrous....

What should I do?

....

As Fang Ze was thinking this, at the same time.

In the provincial government of Xida State, in the countryside, in that rural courtyard.

He Weidao was sitting opposite to the father and son of Jiang Cheng, slowly sipping tea.

Picking up a purple bamboo teacup, slowly drinking a cup, He Weidao slowly spoke, "Yu Shu, do you know why I called you and your son here today?"

Hearing He Weidao's words, Jiang Cheng's father slowly shook his head and then said, "I don't know. Please enlighten us, Chairperson."

He Weidao glanced at Jiang Cheng, then said calmly, "I want to save your son."

"Save Cheng'er?" Jiang Cheng's father looked at Jiang Cheng; seeing Jiang Cheng also looked puzzled, he furrowed his brows as if "figuring out" something. He couldn't help but say, "Chairperson, if my unfilial son has offended you in any matter, I apologize on his behalf and ask for your forgiveness."

"If there's any problem, I'll apologize to you now on behalf of my unfilial son!"

Saying this, Jiang Cheng's father stood up and bowed deeply to He Weidao.

After bowing, he kicked Jiang Cheng lightly. Following his father's cue, Jiang Cheng also stood up quickly, bowing to He Weidao and saying, "If I have offended you in any way, Chairperson, I beg your pardon."

Seeing the father and son's attitude, He Weidao shook his head with a smile and said, "Yu Shu, it seems your situation in the Jiang Family is really difficult."

"Otherwise, with your old character, if you misunderstood me as threatening you, you would have confronted me head-on."

"I actually prefer your old unyielding self."

Hearing He Weidao's tease, Jiang Cheng's father's hand tightened slightly. But now, with their precarious position in the Jiang Family, they couldn't afford to make more enemies. So he pretended he didn't hear anything and stood quietly.

Seeing his compromising attitude, He Weidao shook his head slightly again and clapped his hands.

Following his clap, a man in a black uniform from the Special Service Department walked in from outside.

Coming before the three, the man first saluted He Weidao and Jiang Cheng's father, then said, "Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, today when Councilor Jiang entered the city, we conducted a soul scan on him by your order and found that his soul has some anomalies."

"But the specifics of the anomalies require further testing."