July, when the might of summer was at its zenith, sunlight lay upon the road like molten gold.
A pot-bellied middle-aged man had his two sparse eyebrows practically twisted together. Wiping sweat with a towel handed to him by his driver, he shifted his legs, lifting his leather shoes from the asphalt that had already softened and grown sticky, and set them on the stone base of the mountain road guardrail.
He glanced at the young man beside him who was fanning himself with his hand, and urged, "Little Sun, on such a hot day, let's wait in the car. Your junior won't even answer her phone; who knows when she'll show up. Any more sun, and I'll start oozing oil."
The young man surnamed Sun shook his head and smiled, saying, "Boss Du, you get in the car and enjoy the AC. I'm a proper spiritualist, after all—a bit of sun is nothing I can't handle."
The fat on Boss Du's cheeks quivered. He edged closer to the luxury off-road vehicle parked nearby, letting the cool air drifting from the driver-opened window relieve some of the heat. "Not that I'm criticizing, but this junior of yours has quite the eccentric temper. It's only a few dozen kilometers—I'd have just sent a car to fetch her. What's the point of agreeing on a time and waiting here directly?"
Little Sun replied with a smile, "She took another commission near here and wanted to handle them both in one trip."
Boss Du's expression darkened slightly. He muttered under his breath, "You spiritualists take commissions like taxi drivers now? You even do ride-sharing?"
Sensing his employer's displeasure, Little Sun rubbed his right shoulder but maintained his smile. "Please understand—my junior is an orphan. Life hasn't been easy for her since childhood. Otherwise, the academy wouldn't have given her the green light to take outside jobs before graduating."
Boss Du pulled out a cigarette case, hesitated, then stuffed it back into his pocket, his eyes full of suspicion. "Little Sun, give it to me straight. You've been graduated for years. If even you can't handle a job, handing it off to your junior... aren't you deliberately taking care of her so she can earn the commission? You've been my assistant for half a year; you know my temper. We aren't short on money. What we need right now is efficiency. Starting work on that hilltop one day earlier saves us tens of thousands at minimum."
Little Sun's smile grew more strained. He flexed his right hand and said softly, "Boss Du, I've told you—this junior of mine is a famously gifted girl at the Second Academy. The ruins we're investigating are very high-grade. If her skills weren't up to par, the academy wouldn't allow her to take the job. To tell you the truth, even if my right hand weren't injured, I'm not her equal."
Boss Du curled his lip but said nothing more, only wiping irritably at the beads of sweat about to roll off his forehead.
After waiting a while longer, Boss Du raised his hand to check his expensive wristwatch and frowned. "Only five minutes left. Why don't you call again?"
Little Sun pulled out his phone, scrolled to the number in his contacts, and pressed his finger over the dial icon without tapping it. He murmured, "She's always punctual; she's always early. By rights, she should be here."
After another half-minute, just as he was about to dial, his ears twitched slightly, catching a string of sounds from the bend below the mountain road. His eyes lit up, and he laughed, "Here she comes, here she comes. Finally."
This place was on the western outskirts of Dongding City, an area only recently stabilized for development. The mountain road wasn't fully completed; at this hour, basically no idle wanderers would be about. Apart from people related to the local ruins survey project, probably only the occasional passenger taxi passing by at the mountain's foot.
Boss Du hadn't heard an engine and said puzzledly, "I'm watching the road down there. I don't see any car coming up?"
Little Sun smiled. "My junior is rather frugal. She hasn't bought a car yet."
"I didn't see a taxi pass by from below either. Is she running up the mountain?"
Ignoring Boss Du's slightly mocking tone, Little Sun looked toward the bend in the winding mountain road below. Sure enough, a bicycle soon appeared, hurtling along at high speed.
The bicycle was clearly quite old. Where a bell should have been, only the base remained. However, the entire vehicle was clattering and rattling so much that it truly needed no additional noisemaking device.
Buying such an antique in a nearby village, paying more than ten yuan for it would count as being ripped off.
The one who was pedaling so furiously that the cranks might as well have been the legendary Wind-Fire Wheels, forcing that dilapidated bicycle to speeds worthy of a moped, was a young girl whose face still retained a hint of childishness. Her midnight-black, medium-length hair was tied in a short ponytail that swayed left and right behind her head, exposing a smooth forehead below her widow's peak, covered in beads of sweat.
Her eyebrows were thick and straight, like two small swords slanting above her eyes, their tips pointing toward her straight nose bridge, dividing a pair of bright, almond-shaped eyes with slightly upturned corners just right.
Her thin lips were being tightly bitten by her fine white teeth. Sweat converged from both sides to her small chin, an unbroken line nearly dripping continuously. Blown by the headwind, it fell precisely into the hollow of her collarbone, soaking a large patch of her short-sleeved shirt's neckline.
But that plain top was already nearly soaked through. In the sunlight, the sports bra underneath was clearly visible. The bra wasn't large, and the hem of the short-sleeved shirt had been tied up high. That supple yet powerful waist confidently displayed the striking abdominal muscle lines on either side of her navel.
Those lines tapered into the waist of her faded denim shorts. From the other end extended taut, full, long legs containing evident strength. Because she was pedaling madly, the slightly raised outlines of her muscles constantly expanded and contracted, as if bursting with boundless vitality.
No matter how you looked at it, she didn't resemble a student currently attending Dongding City Second Spirit Academy—her skin tone was even darker than Little Sun's, like undiluted honey.
Boss Du's eyebrows knitted together. Based on his experience as a renowned real estate businessman, which spiritualist—especially a powerful female spiritualist—wasn't an elegant, noble, dignified, fair-skinned beauty?
Moreover, she was already doing off-campus missions. If she truly had strength, how could she be short on money? Why would she ride such a dilapidated bike—probably older than she was—up the mountain?
He knew Little Sun always looked after juniors from the Second Academy, but the one footing the bill and making the final call was him, the boss. It couldn't be too excessive, right?
"Sun Shenglai," he said unhappily, using his full name. "Are you sure this foolish wild girl can handle it? That hilltop absolutely must break ground within ten days. Don't you go getting me sued by the Ruins Protection Association!"
Boss Du hadn't originally intended to add the word "foolish," since the girl did look quite sharp and capable.
But just as he opened his mouth, he discovered that this genius girl had actually taken the wrong road on her bike.
After coming around the bend, the winding mountain road split at a fork—one path continued circling up the mountain, while the other ran level along the outer side toward a small village called Hanmengzhuang more than ten kilometers away.
The two of them and the car were waiting on the outer level road, while that junior who indeed hadn't been late rode straight up the climbing path.
Sun Shenglai hurriedly raised his hand and waved it back and forth, shouting, "Little Meng! Over here, over here!"
The girl glanced back, her expression changing. She squeezed the brakes hard, swinging the bike sideways, her long leg touching the ground in a handsome emergency stop.
After a slight hesitation, she didn't return to the fork. Peering over, she actually lifted the bicycle and tucked it under her arm, jumped over the guardrail, and slid straight down the steep slope of at least seven or eight meters between the two roads.
Boss Du's face went pale with fright, and he shouted, "Hey, hey! Are you trying to get yourself killed!?"
Sun Shenglai also instinctively ran two steps forward, but then immediately thought of something and stopped, only shaking his head with a bitter smile.
The worn heels of her old mesh sneakers were harshly battered by the gravel on the slope, and her pure cotton white socks were covered in kicked-up dust. Yet the dust-covered girl showed no sign of discomposure. After landing with exceptional lightness and agility, she even leisurely straightened the large canvas backpack behind her. Leaning the bike casually by the roadside, she used her fingertips to brush aside the messy hair stuck to her forehead by sweat as she walked toward Sun Shenglai, smiling. "So, am I late?"
Sun Shenglai sighed with a smile. "You still had almost a minute. Was it worth jumping down for that?"
She pulled her phone from the side pocket of her backpack, swiped away several missed calls, and raised an eyebrow. "Three o'clock means three o'clock. I hate being late the most."
Boss Du came over, a kind and friendly smile spreading across his chubby face. "Classmate... your surname is Meng, right?"
"Yes, that's me." She extended her right hand. Several thin bracelets on her wrist knocked together with a light, crisp sound. "You are the client for this job, right? I'm Meng Qingtong. Qing as in clear, tong as in pupil."
True to her name, her eyes were indeed clear and bright; her dark pupils seemed able to gaze straight into one's heart.
After shaking Boss Du's hand politely, Meng Qingtong continued, "Although Dean Fang referred me to the Ruins Protection Association for this designated job, and Senior Brother Sun also gave a recommendation, the commission letter hasn't been formally signed yet. If you feel I'm unsuitable, Boss Du, there's still time to change people."
Her voice was crisp, sweet, and pleasant, and she spoke quickly. It made Boss Du freeze for a moment, not reacting in time. He replied blankly, "Change people? Change to what person?"
She pulled a towel from her backpack, pulled off her hair tie, and tilted her head to wipe her scattered, sweat-damp dark hair. With a subtly self-mocking tone, she said, "Just a reminder: if you think I'm too young, not strong enough, or asking too high a price, you can still regret it before signing. Once it's signed, if you breach the contract, I won't be so easy to talk to."
Sun Shenglai didn't wait for Boss Du to speak before cutting in. "Rest assured, once signed, there won't be a breach. We'll just negotiate the specific terms before signing."
He turned his face to shoot Boss Du a glance and added, "Junior, Boss Du is a layman. Before we talk, why don't you show him a thing or two?"
Meng Qingtong raised a brilliant smile. "Senior Brother, you know I major in Spirit Talismans and minor in Spirit Arrays. Making a move is just burning money. It's completely incomparable to you Spirit Law cultivators. Showing my skills is fine, but what about the cost? Will it be reimbursed?"
Meeting Sun Shenglai's inquiring gaze, Boss Du said generously, "No problem. I may not have studied that spirit art stuff, but I know a little. Little Sun, help me keep watch—let's not under-reimburse Miss Meng and cause her to lose out."
Meng Qingtong put the towel back in her backpack, took out a bottle of water, tilted her head back and guzzled several mouthfuls, then put it away. Casually pulling out two faint yellow talisman papers from nearby—about two fingers wide and a span long—she turned to look at a small peak to the northeast beyond the guardrail, shaped like a camel's hump, and asked, "Boss Du, the place where you want to build the spiritualist hall is over there, right?"
Sun Shenglai answered, "That's right. That peak has the densest spiritual energy nearby; calling it a convergence of spiritual veins wouldn't be an exaggeration. But the location is so remote that the upper echelons of Dongding's spiritualists had no interest in developing it, which is how Boss Du won the bid. What we didn't expect was the discovery of ruins—and not low-grade ones either—increasing the time cost significantly. You know how efficient the Ruins Protection Association is. If this drags on any longer, the project will really be a blood loss."
Meng Qingtong nodded to show she understood. Picking up her backpack, she walked to the guardrail. "Then... let's talk directly at the site. Once we agree, we start work right away."
Before her words fell, she raised her hand and flicked it. The two talisman papers floated into the air.
"Streaming Light, activate!"
A crisp shout rang out. One spirit talisman instantly transformed into a soft orb of light, enveloping the other talisman and turning into a shining meteor that flew toward a gentle slope she pointed at.
As the orb of light landed, her wrist turned. "Form-Swap Shadow Shift, activate!"
The talisman core on the falling paper flashed explosively. In the light, the surrounding air showed faint distortion.
In the blink of an eye, Meng Qingtong's slender figure appeared within that light, while the dimmed talisman paper slowly landed where she had originally stood.
Boss Du's eyes widened as he leaned on the guardrail to look over. He said in disbelief, "Wh-what kind of talisman is this? It can actually teleport? I've never even heard of it! Movies don't even show this, right? Little Sun, do you know any spirit law with a similar effect?"
Seeing Sun Shenglai shake his head, he said puzzledly, "Isn't Spirit Law known as the head of the six major systems?"
Sun Shenglai spoke softly with a hint of pride as if sharing in the glory. "Boss Du, it's not the gap between the Spirit Law and Spirit Talisman systems, but between her and me. Since you know something about the spirit arts system, you should know the general division of four grades and twelve levels, right?"
Boss Du looked at Meng Qingtong, who was sitting with her backpack hundreds of meters away on the gentle slope, drinking water leisurely, and nodded with a serious expression.
"What we normally call a Divine Talisman refers to the highest tier—Upper Grade A. Because it has the greatest difficulty and strongest power. And the 'Form-Swap Shadow Shift' just now counts as one of the most difficult even among this tier's spirit talismans." Sun Shenglai smiled. "Now do you know why she's called the Second Academy's genius girl?"
Boss Du's eyes lit up. He grabbed Sun Shenglai's hand and said urgently, "Let's go, let's go, get in the car, we need to hurry over too. Let's sign the commission letter first! Little Sun, she keeps calling you Senior Brother. When you get the chance, persuade her. The grand development plan has just started; real estate is definitely the future of the Nine Great Districts. When she graduates from the Second Academy, she might as well come work for me. I can hand this spiritualist hall directly over to her to manage..."
Sun Shenglai shook his head, cutting off his boss's endless chatter. He raised his hand to form a seal before his chest, muttered an incantation under his breath, and finally called out softly, "Auspicious Cloud Technique!"
A mist rose beneath his feet, quickly condensing into a white cloud even larger than the off-road vehicle beside them.
He controlled the cloud, steadying Boss Du as they ascended together, flying toward Meng Qingtong. He laughed, "Hold on tight. The car is too slow; we'll go this way. Other matters can wait until after this commission is completed."
The speed of the soaring auspicious cloud was roughly between that of a glider and a hot air balloon. A few hundred meters took only a moment.
But after the two landed, before the excited Boss Du could open his mouth to deliver his rehearsed speech, he saw Meng Qingtong stand up, her expression serious, and extend her hand toward Sun Shenglai. "Senior Brother, lend me your phone."
Sun Shenglai handed over the phone, frowning slightly. "What's wrong? Is yours out of battery?"
Meng Qingtong shook her head and turned to look at a cliff face below the peak, wreathed in wisps of spiritual energy, draped with a curtain of vines. "My phone is too old; the spirit pattern attachment grade isn't high enough. I'm afraid... I won't be able to see the true state of these ruins."
Sun Shenglai's expression changed slightly. "Uh... you mean my previous survey was wrong?"
"Just now, in the spiritual energy ripples of these ruins, I sensed an extremely rhythmic fluctuation," she said, raising the phone. Her slender fingertips rapidly tapped several times before the lens on the back panel, activating the transparent spirit pattern attached to it and switching the system to spiritualist mode. "I think... it seems to be a heartbeat."
"You're kidding?!" Sun Shenglai started, cold sweat breaking out all over his back. "These are ruins over fifteen hundred years old. They haven't been disturbed for at least fifteen hundred years."
Meng Qingtong placed one hand on her hip, aiming the activated survey frame at that curtain of vines, and said with anticipation, "Then guess what kind of old monster we'll run into."