Only I Cultivate

"You're… welcome," Luo Li said softly.

Feng Fan had no idea, but his thanks meant a lot to her. Ever since she started hunting ghosts, this was the first time someone had thanked her.

The black mask on her face might have dulled the worst of the negative emotions from those around her, but it couldn't make people like her. Even those who understood her curse mark struggled with it, let alone strangers she had saved.

"Are you gonna eat that?" Feng Fan suddenly asked, shattering the moment.

Luo Li followed his gaze and saw him pointing at her half-eaten breakfast—a sandwich and an apple.

"No, I'm full."

"Then excuse me," he said, grabbing both without hesitation and digging in.

Luo Li watched him eat, and an odd thought popped into her mind. 'Is this… an indirect kiss?'

She quickly forced the thought away, her face returning to its usual cold expression.

"If that's all, you can leave."

"Sure, see you around." Feng Fan's words were muffled by a mouthful of food as he turned and left.

Mao Jiang had observed their interaction with mild interest, but as soon as Feng Fan was gone, his expression turned serious.

"Luo Li," he said, stepping closer. "The investigation is still ongoing, but we've found evidence that your attack wasn't random… Someone may have led Ma Chen to target you."

Luo Li's expression darkened. "A Spectral King?"

Only a Spectral King could command ghosts outside their own domain. A creature of that level shouldn't have had any reason to come after a low-ranking C-rank Hunter like her. 

But with her family's reputation and their high-ranking Hunters, it wasn't impossible.

Mao Jiang shook his head. "We're not sure yet. Hopefully, we'll have more answers by the time you're discharged."

"I understand, Director Mao. Thank you for your concern. The doctor said I should be discharged tomorrow."

Mao Jiang nodded. "That's good. Also, with Gao Shan gone, I'm thinking of assigning Feng Fan as your new partner, if he joins the organization. I'll talk to him today and run the tests."

"What?!" Luo Li frowned. "You can't be serious. He just awakened yesterday! He's barely an F-rank Hunter."

Mao Jiang sighed. "Luo Li, you know how hard it is to find someone willing to partner with you… because of your circumstances. Not only does Feng Fan seem to have no issue with you, but he also took down a Baleful Ghost on his first night. He's not your typical F-rank."

Luo Li sighed in resignation and eventually nodded. "I'll follow Director Mao's arrangements."

"Good. Then I'll take my leave. Report for duty after you're discharged. As for school, your classes are suspended. Since the year was ending in a month anyway, and more than half your class is gone… there's no point in going back. You and your classmates will receive your high school diplomas in a month."

With that, Mao Jiang left the room.

Outside, Feng Fan had already finished eating and was leaning against the wall, arms crossed.

"Since you've had breakfast, I assume we can head to the SIF headquarters now?" Mao Jiang asked.

Feng Fan gave him a look of dissatisfaction. "That was barely enough. Don't be stingy, old man."

Mao Jiang's eyebrow twitched. "Who's an old man? I'm in my prime!"

"If you buy me breakfast, I'll call you a young man."

Mao Jiang exhaled sharply. "Fine. I'll grab something at a drive-through on the way. Let's go."

Feng Fan's eyes lit up. "Good young man!"

👻👻👻👻👻

Feng Fan stood beside Mao Jiang in front of a nearly empty café. Aside from the receptionist behind the counter, the place was deserted. One might even wonder how it stayed in business.

"What are we doing here?" Feng Fan asked.

"Young people these days are too impatient. Social media is rotting your brains with all those dopamine hits," Mao Jiang muttered.

He greeted the receptionist, who nodded in return, then walked toward the storage room.

Instead of pushing the door open, he held his badge up to a scanner. With a soft beep, the door unlocked, revealing an elevator inside.

"Let's go. The real SIF is underground," Mao Jiang said.

Feng Fan raised an eyebrow. "Wow, you guys really ARE a shady organization, even having a hidden base and everything."

"Hmph," Mao Jiang pressed the button for the fifth floor, but instead of going up, the elevator descended five levels.

As they stepped out, Mao Jiang walked ahead. Feng Fan walked beside him while observing his surroundings on the way.

Contrary to Feng Fan's expectations, the people here didn't seem much different from regular office workers. They moved from room to room, took coffee breaks, and chatted casually. 

The atmosphere was far from the high-security, top-secret vibe he had imagined.

After a short walk, Mao Jiang stopped in front of a door guarded by two men. One wore a black suit and glasses, resembling a government agent who made a living by catching aliens. The other, dressed in a white coat, had the air of a scientist.

"Doctor Jin, Officer Lei," Mao Jiang greeted. "This is Feng Fan. He's here for testing."

Doctor Jin and Officer Lei gave him a nod of acknowledgment.

"Please, come in, Feng Fan," Doctor Jin said, pushing the door open while Officer Lei followed behind.

Feng Fan stepped inside, finding himself in a small room with two chairs facing each other and a wooden table in between.

On the table sat two strange devices he had never seen before. One looked like a ghost detector straight out of Ghostbusters, while the other resembled a medical device covered in wires.

"We'll begin now. Please don't make any sudden moves," Doctor Jin said.

He picked up the ghost detector and moved it toward Feng Fan's head. "This is a contamination detector. It measures the level of contamination in your body ."

Pressing the red button, he activated the device. The screen lit up, but nothing else happened.

"Huh? Is it broken?" he muttered, his face showing clear confusion.