24: Will-o'-the-wisps and punk teenagers

A few hours ago, at midnight.

Underworld Building, 18th floor penthouse. The surroundings were pitch black, save for the central room which was brightly lit.

Shang Wan Ning put down the spinning pen in her hand, rubbed the space between her eyebrows, and stood up to walk to the floor-to-ceiling window. She took a Meiziwei lollipop out of her handbag, peeled off the wrapper, and popped it into her mouth.

"Not as good as the cola flavor." She frowned, seemingly dissatisfied with the taste.

Shang Wan Ning leaned against the window, gazing at the night view outside. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, her eyes filled with frustration.

"Xiao Si, are you sure they are the Underworld Marshals, Black and White Impermanence?" Shang Wan Ning's tone carried a hint of doubt.

"Host, once items from the System Mall are sold, there are no refunds." Xiao Si's reply left no room for negotiation.

"Holy crap! That's a predatory clause! Believe it or not, I can report you guys." Shang Wan Ning angrily took the lollipop out of her mouth and pointed at the screen in front of her.

"Host, do you even know the channel to report the system?" Xiao Si's attitude was calm yet heart-stabbing!

"I... I..." Shang Wan Ning was left speechless by the question, momentarily at a loss for words. Her face flushed red with anger, yet she was helpless.

"This is consumer fraud!" Shang Wan Ning slumped onto the sofa, the fire in her heart difficult to quench.

"Host, actually, Black and White Impermanence look quite decent," Xiao Si tried to comfort her.

"Quite decent? Are you okay?" Shang Wan Ning felt her sense of aesthetics had been severely challenged and couldn't help but complain.

"Host~ Da-da, just accept reality!" Xiao Si sighed helplessly; even the system hadn't expected this outcome.

Rewinding time to two hours ago, Shang Wan Ning remembered how she had happily finished a full day's work, all for the sake of getting off early to return to the Underworld and see the "Black and White Impermanence" she had spent sixty million incense value to summon.

However, the moment she saw Black and White Impermanence, the sight before her eyes left her instantly dumbfounded.

They were wearing bizarre outfits, their hair dyed like the Hulunbuir Grasslands, giving off a total 'I am Shamate' vibe.

Shang Wan Ning quickly closed her eyes. Her mind was suddenly filled with thunder, lightning, and torrential rain... as if she had been struck by a bolt. Following that, she imagined a crisp slapping sound ringing out, hitting her hard across the face.

When she opened her eyes again, the Shamate image continued to play in her mind like a piece of avant-garde abstract art.

"Xiao Si, in this day and age, there are actually still Shamate... Shamate Underworld Marshals?" Shang Wan Ning struggled to spit out the word "Shamate," feeling as if her mouth had been scalded.

"Host, this is being unconventional, pursuing the cutting edge of fashion. It's like... like... sorry, Host, Xiao Si really can't make this up anymore. They really are an eyesore."

"Now you know it's an eyesore? Calling them Shamate is being polite."

"Isn't it because we can't return them? Xiao Si doesn't want to wash her eyes either! Why don't you look at their status panels, Host? At least then you might feel a bit better."

"Fine!" Shang Wan Ning said irritably.

She clicked open Black and White Impermanence's panels:

Identity: Black Impermanence Hei Jing (Underworld Marshal)

Cultivation: Early Fourth Stage

Dharma Treasures: wailing stick, life-reaping hook

Note: A 'Ghost Fire' youth who loves motorcycles!

Identity: White Impermanence Bai Xuan (Underworld Marshal)

Cultivation: Early Fourth Stage

Dharma Treasures: wailing stick, life-reaping hook

Note: A Shamate youth who loves Older Sister Types!

"Heh, heh, heh, heh!"

"Host, that's not the point?" Xiao Si guiltily withdrew the panels, as if they were her fig leaf.

"This Old Lady wouldn't have remembered if I hadn't looked. Have you ever seen employees who ask the BOSS for a motorcycle and a hand-kissing ceremony on their first day of work?"

Xiao Si was silenced by the retort and could only slip away quickly. When Big Boss Shang was in a fit of rage, nobody dared to come and cool her down, especially during these few days of her 'special period.'

A 'knock, knock, knock' sound suddenly rang out, pulling Shang Wan Ning's thoughts back. She bit off the lollipop in one go, the sound like a crisp firecracker.

She said, "Come in!"

The person who entered was Ling Qi, dressed in a qipao that showcased her tall figure perfectly, like a pearl blooming in the darkness.

Shang Wan Ning stared for a few more moments, and her anger instantly dissipated by half!

Seeing the BOSS dazed, the corners of Ling Qi's mouth curled up slightly.

"It seems You Wu was right, the BOSS is indeed a fan of beauty! In that case, those flirty types shouldn't even dream of surpassing me to get the BOSS's favor in the future—not even a female mosquito." A cloud of black aura rose from Ling Qi, like a black lotus flower.

Shang Wan Ning stood up in shock. One moment she looked charming and graceful, the next she was emitting black aura!

This change left her amazed. "A woman's heart is like Haidilao! No matter how you fish, you never know what you'll pull up next!"

Looking at the candy wrapper in the trash can, Shang Wan Ning sighed and said, "Are they trained yet? They didn't make things difficult for you, did they? After all, you're only at the third stage, and their strength is much higher than yours."

Ling Qi adjusted the gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of her nose. "BOSS! Although my cultivation isn't as high as the two Ministers, Black and White, as the Secretary-General, my position is higher than theirs. I doubt they'd dare."

"That's good then!"

Ling Qi nodded coldly and turned toward the door. "Come in! A ten-thousand-word self-reflection!!!" She emphasized the word "self-reflection" heavily—like two heavy stones smashing onto the ground with a dull thud.

She grumbled in her heart, "Hmph! To deal with them, the sharp weapon of a self-reflection is all that's needed."

Hei Jing and Bai Xuan walked into the office, trembling with fear.

"Hello BOSS, Secretary-General!" The two bowed at a 150-degree angle, their foreheads almost touching the floor.

"Mm! Not bad, you look somewhat like ghosts now."

Their faces were clear and handsome, their features revealing a faint youthful air, their black eyes clean and bright. However, the most eye-catching thing was the tufts of fluorescent green grass atop their heads.

Under the warm, hazy light, this green grass emitted a vibrant aura—in short, it was "glowing green."

"It's just this hair?"

"Sorry BOSS, time was tight. I will take them to dye their hair later."

"Mm! Thank you for your hard work, Secretary-General. Remember, any other color is fine, but green must absolutely never appear again!" Shang Wan Ning said through gritted teeth.

Perhaps no one would have imagined that the first time Shang Wan Ning met Black and White Impermanence, she was nearly blinded by the green light.

For a long time to come, Shang Wan Ning would suffer from PTSD regarding the color green.

"Understood! BOSS! Then let's proceed to the next stage."

"Proceed~"

"Hand in your self-reflections first," Ling Qi said expressionlessly.

Bai Xuan and Hei Jing exchanged a glance and obediently handed their self-reflection letters to Ling Qi.

Ling Qi took the letters, gave them a cursory glance, and nodded with satisfaction.

"Read them out to the BOSS." Ling Qi crossed her arms, looking serious.