Chapter 20: The Special Investigation Division

Restaurant
Private Room
Li Jianguo listened to the report from his subordinate on the other end of the phone, unable to suppress the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth any longer. The marking work on the ancient bridge had gone smoothly; the first slab of bluestone had been safely removed, and the relocation efforts were progressing without a hitch.
“Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!”
He hung up and exclaimed three times in succession. Raising his wine glass to the two people seated across the round table—a masterly elder and a younger companion—he said, “The two of you have shown me immense favor. If there’s ever anything you need, don’t hesitate to call on me.”
Zhang Yuheng smiled, lifting his teacup and clinking it in the air with Li Jianguo.
Bai Xian, dressed in fresh, clean clothes, took a sip of Maotai in light of the extra 150,000 yuan now in her account.
Immediately, she felt a fiery rush from her nose all the way down to her stomach. She’d had spirits before, but since her transformation into a female body, her taste buds seemed far more sensitive, the sharpness of the liquor magnified several times over.
“Cough, cough… Could I have a bottle of cola, please…”
The waitress in a cheongsam at the door promptly brought her a glass of lemon cola.
Bai Xian gulped down most of it in one go before finally regaining her composure.
Turning around, she found both men in the room watching her, and her cheeks flushed red.
Annoyed, she snapped, “What? Is drinking cola against the law?”
Li Jianguo quickly laughed it off.
“Not at all, not at all, drink whatever you like.”
Bai Xian scoffed and continued to clutch her cola, drinking deeply.
Li Jianguo said, “Let’s eat, let’s eat, we can talk as we dine.”
Despite his words, the three—a businessman, a Taoist, and a “regular person”—found themselves with precious few topics in common. If not for Li Jianguo’s skillful social graces, the conversation would have stalled long ago.
The wine flowed, the dishes were sampled.
As the meal drew near its end, Bai Xian took out the “Dragon-Slaying Sword” and placed it on the table.
Sheathed, the sword no longer radiated the ominous aura it had in the illusion world. Its black scabbard enveloped the snowy blade, the guard engraved with the Taiji yin-yang symbol, and the hilt adorned with the Eight Trigrams of Taoism.
It looked more like a piece of modern craftsmanship, a decorative artifact.
“How should we deal with this sword?”
Li Jianguo, a bit tipsy, was evidently quite interested in the weapon. Seeing Bai Xian produce it, he reached out to touch the hilt.
“If I were you, Mr. Li, I wouldn’t touch that sword.”
Zhang Yuheng sipped his tea, his tone laced with warning.
Li Jianguo froze mid-reach, pursing his lips and awkwardly withdrawing his hand.
Bai Xian shot the smiling old Taoist a glance.
“Tan Yangzi was a predecessor of your sect. Shouldn’t you retrieve her sword and preserve it at your temple?”

Zhang Yuheng shook his head at her words.
“Taoism has evolved into hundreds of sects. Though Tan Yangzi was a Taoist practitioner, she was not of the Yushan branch. Besides, you were the one who took the sword—it’s only right that you keep it.”
“But this should count as an antique, right? Are you sure it’s safe for me to keep it?”
The old Taoist replied, “Unless you tell someone, who would know it’s an antique?”
He glanced at the sword on the table; it certainly didn’t look like something from the Ming Dynasty.
“Old man, why do I feel like you’re scheming against me again?”
Zhang Yuheng stroked his beard and laughed heartily.
Just as Bai Xian was about to press further, the door to the private room was knocked upon.
Bang, bang, bang!
Before anyone inside could respond, two middle-aged men in formal suits pushed the door open and entered.
Li Jianguo, as the host, immediately stood up.
“Who are you? Waiter, security…”
He called out twice, but there was no answer from outside; instead, the bespectacled man in the suit took a small booklet from his breast pocket.
“We’re from National Security. We need to speak with these two. Mr. Li, please step outside for a moment.”
At the mention of National Security, Li Jianguo’s demeanor faltered, but he still managed to stand his ground.
“I’m friends with Director Wang from the Public Security Bureau. Is there some kind of misunderstanding?”
He made to take out his phone and call Director Wang, but the other man, who had yet to speak, stepped forward with a firmer tone, “Please step outside, Mr. Li.”
Upon hearing this, Li Jianguo silently put away his phone and walked dazedly out of the room, even closing the door behind him.
The door closed, leaving Bai Xian alone with the two men and Zhang Yuheng.
“Greetings, Master Zhang. Please forgive our intrusion.”
The two newcomers cupped their hands in respect to Zhang Yuheng, who rose and returned the Taoist salute.
With formalities exchanged, the two turned their gaze to Bai Xian, who was calmly observing them.
When the door had opened, Bai Xian, at Zhang Yuheng’s signal, had discreetly put away the sword.
Now, she blinked her large, watery eyes, sizing up the pair.
“Let me reintroduce ourselves. We’re staff from the Special Investigation Division. My name is Gao Sheng, and this is Wang Pan. We’re here specifically for you.”
Bai Xian pointed to her own nose.
“Me?”
…
With Zhang Yuheng’s guidance, Bai Xian quickly understood their identities and intentions.
Just as they’d said, the two were indeed from National Security, specifically from the Special Investigation Division.
The full name of the division was the “Special Incident Investigation Division,” a department established by the state to manage people like herself—those with extraordinary abilities.

Their purpose this time was to register Bai Xian.
Once she understood Gao Sheng and Wang Pan’s identities, Bai Xian stiffened slightly.
Clearly, they had come prepared, and her real identity was likely…
“Master Zhang, we must ask you to step outside as well.”
Zhang Yuheng was taken aback.
“I have to leave too? Very well, very well.”
The door opened and closed again, leaving only Bai Xian and the two civil servants inside.
Wang Pan produced a tablet computer, while Gao Sheng took the seat previously occupied by Zhang Yuheng.
“There’s no need to be nervous. We’re simply here to register you, and ask a few questions.” Gao Sheng paused, then continued, “First question: should I address you as Mister or Miss?”
“Pfft! Cough, cough, cough…”
Bai Xian hadn’t expected that question right out of the gate, and the cola in her mouth sprayed everywhere.
Gao Sheng wiped his cheek with a tissue.
“According to our investigation, your name is Bai Xian, male, twenty-four years old, resident of Jiulong District, Yu City. Father Bai Yaobin, mother Zheng Xuan, and a younger brother currently in his final year of high school… An ordinary office worker, until July 25th, when Bai Xian vanished.”
“At the same time, a girl named Bai Xian appeared, using his phone, identity, even following his routines and habits…”
“Can you explain this?”
Bai Xian’s lips twitched; her greatest secret was laid bare in the open, making her complexion pale.
But now was also the best time to reveal her cards.
So Bai Xian took a deep breath, intending to confess everything to the state—the green book and her transformation.
But as the words reached her lips, a sense of danger suddenly surged within her, causing even her hair to stand on end.
She was certain that if she dared to mention the green book or the crossing over, she would almost certainly disappear from this world.
…
…
“So, you’re saying that your transformation into a female body was due to your cultivation technique.”
After Gao Sheng had finished, he fell silent, and only Wang Pan’s typing could be heard.
Bai Xian’s face was pale, watching them with nervous anticipation.
After a moment—
“Second question, Miss Bai: your master is…”
“Wait!” Bai Xian interrupted him, “Is that it?”
“What do you mean, ‘is that it’?”
“The reason for my transformation.”
“Miss Bai,” Gao Sheng adjusted his glasses, “Let me emphasize: our job is merely to register you. The reason your cultivation technique resulted in a gender change is not within our scope. If you wish to understand it, you can ask your master directly.”