"Zhou Li, are you going to be a high-ranking official in the future?" Huai Xu was still walking backward, his eyes unblinkingly fixed on Zhou Li.

"Why do you ask?"

"I overheard your conversation just now." Huai Xu, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, deftly avoided a stone bollard on the road. "I remember that Heavenly Masters rarely became high officials in the past," he said. "If they did, it was done very quietly. Master Ming never became one."

"What does 'done very quietly' mean?"

"The kind where others don't know about it, and even if you announce your official title, others still wouldn't understand it."

"That could possibly happen in this era too, right?"

"So, will you do it?"

"No."

"Then you're planning to be a civil servant, right?" Huai Xu blinked. "No wonder you skip classes with Li Daimao."

"Not really. It's just a nominal position, probably an external staff member."

"What's an external staff member?"

"...Maybe something like a temp worker?"

"I want some snacks."

"..."

Zhou Li felt a headache coming on. "Can you stop walking backward like this? I can't even see the road."

Huai Xu shook his head. "I want to!"

Zhou Li: ...

「Twilight hour.」

Zhou Li strolled leisurely to the recruitment spot. He saw Brother Nan, bored to exhaustion, and Baozi, who was quite content as long as she could scrounge some ice cream and milk tea. He, on the other hand, had used the excuse of 'taking Su Jue and Xiao Hua to meet Yin Le' to skive off for half the day and even took an afternoon nap. Just before leaving, he had even taken a quick shower. Now, it felt like he was out for a leisurely evening walk.

"Did you recruit anyone this afternoon?"

"No."

Brother Nan casually pulled a stool to her side and patted it, signaling Zhou Li to sit down.

"Where are Mianmian and Qian Qian?"

"We don't need that many people. They're in the dorm playing arena matches."

"I see... Have you guys had dinner?"

"Yes."

"What did you eat?"

"Clear Broth Goose, ordered takeout."

"Just you two?"

"Yeah~"

"That's pretty lavish…"

Nearby, Little Cousin was fixated on her phone but still unavoidably overheard their dull conversation. She thought for a moment, looked up from her phone at Zhou Li, and said, "Cousin, buy me an ice cream, and I'll head back to the dorm."

"Why will you go back to the dorm only if I buy you ice cream?" Zhou Li didn't quite understand at first.

"Because if you don't buy it, I won't go back."

"...I see."

Zhou Li sent her a small red envelope and watched her petite figure walk farther and farther toward the supermarket. He shifted his stool, moving closer to Brother Nan.

Brother Nan yawned, unfazed. "Why didn't you bring your Little Trash Cat out today?"

"She's at home watching Cat and Mouse."

Zhou Li glanced sideways and up, discreetly peering at the top of Brother Nan's head, and whispered, "Brother Nan, what do you want to do after you graduate? Have you figured it out yet?"

"Why the sudden question?"

"Huai Xu said yesterday..."

Zhou Li briefly recounted his nonsensical conversation with Huai Xu to Brother Nan, then continued, "But he's right. Before we knew it, freshman year was over. Once this semester ends, half our time in college will be gone. I've been thinking about it, and opening a pet shop seems viable. It might be a bit tiring, but at least it's related to my major."

"Related to your major? Are you studying veterinary medicine?" Brother Nan was surprised.

"Pets are living beings too..."

"So you're not going to the zoo to feed the animals anymore?"

"No, I'm not."

"No more photographing lions on the savannah?"

"We'll see about that later."

"Didn't you make a lot of money from demons?" Brother Nan glanced at him. "What you do isn't work; it's just finding something to pass the time. You haven't even figured out your own path yet. Look at me, I'm doing quite well."

"Think what you like."

"That could work," Brother Nan admitted with a nod. "But just don't sell dogs, alright? I beat up too many dogs when I was a kid, and I suspect they've marked me somehow—like with a scent or something. Other dogs decide I'm a bad guy as soon as they see me. Actually, I'm a pretty nice person, don't you think?"

"Yes."

Zhou Li was curious how she could say such obvious nonsense so seriously. Brother Nan really was extraordinary.

"But then—"

Zhou Li hesitated. "If we don't sell dogs, then we can only sell cats."

"Who says?" Brother Nan frowned, beginning to list options for him. "Besides cats, you can also sell mice, birds, snakes, spiders, pet fish, turtles, rabbits... There are plenty!"

Cats and their... snacks, Zhou Li thought.

"Eh!"

"What are you thinking of doing now?"

"You'll see," Brother Nan yawned again. "Let's close up shop."

"Alright."

Zhou Li saw her tuft of hair drooping, looking listless, and couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her. While packing up the tables and chairs, he said, "Go to bed early tonight and stop playing video games. You have class tomorrow morning. Come to the classroom early; I'll get you a serving of 'Crossing the Bridge' rice noodles... What would you like added?"

"The usual stuff."

"Okay."

They made two trips to carry the tables and chairs back to the dormitory. With that, the club's recruitment for the year came to an end, achieving virtually nothing.

Afterward, the two of them went out for a stroll, bought some Oden to eat, and walked along the quiet paths of the school. When it was time to part ways, Brother Nan insisted Zhou Li give her a kiss before letting him go.

「At home.」

Zhou Li picked up his carving knife, deliberated for a long time, but eventually set it down and picked up an ancient book instead.

This was a book of strange tales and anecdotes. It was perfect for reading as simple stories, or for deceiving oneself into thinking one was reading about Heavenly Masters and not slacking off.

That way, there's no guilt, right?

DING DONG. A message arrived.

It was an audio message from Xie Xiaohua, asking him a question.

After some thought, Zhou Li decided to create a small group and pulled Su Jue into it as well. He figured they would likely encounter many of the same problems initially, plus Su Jue might be too shy to ask him directly.

Zhou Li: From now on, you can ask questions in the group.

Xiao Hua: Got it.

Su Jue: Okay.

He began to answer Xiao Hua's questions.

Perhaps because he projected a more approachable image to them, Xiao Hua didn't go to Yin Le and instead kept pestering Zhou Li, the half-baked expert, with questions.

One question after another.

Even Su Jue seemed to have caught the bug and timidly asked him two questions.

Zhou Li replied to them while reading his storybook. He would read a passage, and they would have a new question. After answering, he would read another passage. Time passed very quickly.

Before he knew it, the night had deepened.

The two question-generating machines were still full of energy.

Zhou Li sensed they had a sense of crisis, an urgent desire to improve themselves, obviously influenced by Yin Le.

Originally, they studied spells to seek a sense of security. Now, they had gained an overwhelming sense of crisis instead. If given another chance, he wondered if they would still choose to join this rubbish club.

The book turned another page.

Zhou Li yawned as he read tales about Master Ming, supposedly compiled by an ancestor of the Jiang Family. One story claimed that Master Ming was not actually the first Heavenly Master of his era. According to this tale, the first was born in a foreign country but was sensed and killed by a demon immediately after birth. Master Ming was born at almost the same moment. The story further stated that this information came from a friend of the Jiang ancestor, who had heard it directly from Master Ming. This friend then relayed it to the Jiang ancestor, who recorded it. The implication was that if Master Ming took offense, he should seek out the friend, not the Jiang ancestor.

This had zero credibility.

The next section described stories of Master Ming and six female Heavenly Masters... also heard from some friend.

If Huai Xu knew about this, he'd probably storm back and plow the Jiang family's ancestral tomb all over again. Zhou Li, however, found it rather entertaining. It was like reading celebrity gossip on Zhihu. He knew it was fake, but it was amusing.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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