Chapter 60: Joining the Night Court

Chapter 60: Chapter 60: Joining the Night Court

He didn’t chat much with his sister.

Gu Qing gave her a few perfunctory replies and quickly took her home.

He then returned to the pet shop alone.

He helped Liu Zhiyi train the animals to farm Attributes,

and they began to chat:

"Sister Zhiyi, that whole story you told me about your family’s fall from grace... you were lying, weren’t you?"

"Half-truth, half-lie."

Liu Zhiyi’s tone was mild. "My family really did go bankrupt back then, and I did open a pet shop. It was only after I awakened my Beast Taming Ability that I stepped onto the Extraordinary path."

’Awakened her Beast Taming Ability?’

’So Sister Zhiyi is an Extraordinary Awakened, just as I thought... ’

Gu Qing asked curiously, "Sister Zhiyi, how did you awaken your Beast Taming Ability?"

Liu Zhiyi: "Out of desperation, I suppose."

Gu Qing: "?"

Liu Zhiyi said with a hint of reminiscence:

"When my family suddenly went bankrupt, the pet shop I’d worked so hard to build was forcibly sold off to pay debts. My life hit rock bottom all at once."

"To pay off the debts, I had no choice but to force myself to train pets day and night to sell them."

"And just like that, as I kept training them, one day I somehow awakened my Beast Taming Ability."

"Thinking back on it now, I guess you could say my Beast Taming Ability was forcibly squeezed out of me by life."

"After all, back then, if I didn’t work hard training pets to make money, I wouldn’t have even had enough for food."

"..."

Gu Qing couldn’t help but say, "Sister Zhiyi, that’s not how the script is supposed to go."

"Logically, shouldn’t it have been that you grew deeply attached to a certain pet, loving it like a sister?"

"Then one day, the pet tragically meets with an accident and kicks the bucket, and you, overcome with grief and anger, unlock your hidden potential and awaken a Superpower?"

"..."

Liu Zhiyi chuckled lightly. "Young man, you should watch less trashy novels and anime."

"Reality doesn’t have so many contrived tropes."

"Many opportunities arrive quietly, without the need for some tragic catalyst."

"Speaking of which, I really didn’t expect you to have stepped onto the Extraordinary path, just like me."

Liu Zhiyi propped her chin on one hand, looking at Gu Qing with a half-smile. "I have to say, we’re quite fated to meet."

’There it is again, "fated to meet"...’

Gu Qing suspected his ears had a built-in repeater; that phrase was constantly echoing around him.

As he thought this, he asked, "By the way, Sister Zhiyi, how come you don’t have to wear the Night Court’s black trench coat?"

Liu Zhiyi gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her beautiful, somewhat aristocratic eyes glinting. "Have you ever seen a school Teacher wear the student uniform to work?"

Gu Qing understood. The black trench coat was just the standard-issue uniform for the Night Court’s rank-and-file members.

Liu Zhiyi’s position in the Night Court was like a Teacher in a school; naturally, she didn’t have to follow the rules for the lower ranks.

No wonder she still carried the air of an intellectual female Teacher long after leaving her school job.

After all, being a leader in the Night Court wasn’t much different from being a Teacher in a school. Both involved managing people.

"So, Sister Zhiyi, did you open this pet shop across from my apartment complex to secretly investigate the true form of that shadow from tonight?"

Gu Qing asked curiously.

Liu Zhiyi: "Yes."

Gu Qing’s brow furrowed. "You opened it right across from my complex... does that mean the shadow’s true form... is hidden in my apartment complex?"

Liu Zhiyi: "It was, once."

Gu Qing: "It’s gone now?"

Liu Zhiyi: "Mhm. It only left that shadow behind to absorb negative emotions in the complex."

She knew what Gu Qing was worried about and added, "Now that the shadow has been eliminated, your complex is safe. You don’t need to move."

’Thank goodness...’

The anxiety in Gu Qing’s heart finally subsided. He then asked, "Sister Zhiyi, what exactly is the true form of that shadow?"

"It’s not clear yet."

Liu Zhiyi shook her head and said, "Most of the monsters hidden in this world are of unknown origin and leave no traces. It takes a long time of investigation to find anything out."

’Seriously?’

’There’s no prior experience or walkthroughs to follow?’

’You can only feel your way through and brute-force it?’

’Isn’t this starting out on Hell difficulty?’

’This is too much...’

Gu Qing shook his head internally.

"Oh, right."

Liu Zhiyi suddenly spoke up. "How do you know Lin Tianyang?"

"Sister Zhiyi, it’s a long story..."

Gu Qing recounted the whole story from start to finish: how he was traveling with Zhou Yuan, got ambushed by Assassins, turned the tables and dealt with them, then met Lin Tianyang, and how the latter invited him to join the Night Court.

After he finished, Liu Zhiyi looked up at him.

"So, what have you decided about joining the Night Court?"

"Before tonight, I was still considering it."

Gu Qing smiled. "But now that I know Sister Zhiyi is also in the Night Court, there’s nothing to hesitate about. I have to join."

Liu Zhiyi smiled charmingly. "Since you’ve decided to join, find Lin Tianyang when you go back to school on Monday and have him walk you through the application process."

The two of them sat there, chatting idly while training the pets in the shop together.

Before they knew it,

two hours had slipped by.

[You trained animals with your friend Liu Zhiyi for over an hour] x2

[Beast Language Ability +1] x2

[Beast Taming Skill +1] x2

[Beast Taming Skill has accumulated 100 points. You can obtain the Attribute—Essence Blood Enslavement]

[Current points obtained: 4]

Gu Qing glanced at the text notifications.

He quickly dismissed them,

not wasting time looking at them for long.

Just then,

Liu Zhiyi checked the time and stood up.

"It’s getting late. I’m going to close up. You should head back and get some rest, too."

"It is pretty late. I won’t disturb you any longer, Sister Zhiyi."

Gu Qing replied with a smile.

Then, the two of them worked together to tidy up the shop.

Once everything was tidy,

Gu Qing said his goodbyes and left,

heading straight home.

The moment he got home,

he immediately opened WeChat to contact Lin Tianyang.

[Gu Qing: Brother Yang, I’ve thought it over. I’ve decided to join the Night Court.]

[Lin Tianyang: Looks like tonight’s Extraordinary incident is what made you finally decide.]

[Lin Tianyang: Are you free next Monday? The new recruits the Night Court is bringing in for the first half of the year are all gathering for an entrance test on that day.]

[Lin Tianyang: As long as you pass the test, you can officially join the Night Court.]

[Gu Qing: I’m definitely free. I can skip class anytime.]

[Lin Tianyang: Alright, then let’s set it for 2 PM on Monday. I’ll drive over to pick you up.]

[Gu Qing: OK!]

After ending the chat,

Gu Qing put down his phone and reviewed the night’s events.

He realized he had a fatal weakness:

He couldn’t fly.

If he ever encountered an enemy that could fight in the air, he would be completely helpless.

Just like that bizarre shadow from earlier.

It was intangible.

It could fly and scale walls.

Normal methods couldn’t even touch it.

He had been completely powerless against it the entire time.

’Once I successfully join the Night Court next week, I’ll have to see if there are any good labels inside for farming Attributes.’

’For example...’

’A flight Attribute.’

’A Spiritual Attack Attribute.’

’An invisibility Attribute.’

’An X-ray vision Attribute.’

’Or even a possession Attribute, and so on.’

’In short, I’ll farm a bit of every Attribute and do my best to build myself into a hexagonal warrior with no weaknesses.’

’The Night Court is an Extraordinary Organization, and everyone in it is talented. There are bound to be plenty of Extraordinary labels.’

’I can definitely have a blast farming there.’

Anyway,

tomorrow was Sunday.

He wondered if Sister Zhiyi would open the shop as usual.

’Before, I thought Sister Zhiyi not opening on Sundays was too whimsical, that she wasn’t the practical type of woman.’

’Thinking about it now, I feel so ashamed.’

’How could she be lazy and whimsical?’

’She’s clearly a high-ranking official with important matters to attend to, okay?’

’She probably spends her Sundays out on secret missions, not taking a so-called day off.’

The thought that Liu Zhiyi was a leader in the Night Court gave Gu Qing a strange little thrill.

’My relationship with Sister Zhiyi isn’t that deep, but we did have a brief Teacher-student relationship.’

’Plus, we live so close now, we can see each other on weekends whenever.’

’Isn’t she basically my connection and backer?’

’Once I join the Night Court, I’ll tell everyone I meet that Sister Zhiyi is my Teacher, my big sister.’

’I’ll leverage any connection I can, make it sound as close as possible.’

’To get ahead in life, you have to be shameless!’

...

PS: Putting my bowl out, asking for monthly and recommendation tickets!