A Hero’s Return and a Shocking Revelation

“Sister Annian, you don’t have to do this. I was just speaking casually.”

Bai Wanwan watched Chu Annian gently stroking her forehead. From this angle, looking up, those majestic lines obscured half of Bai Wanwan’s vision, making one unable to help but exclaim, ‘Viewed from the side, a peak; from the front, a range…’

Chu Annian already possessed a beautiful figure. Enhanced by the form-fitting, waist-cinching professional attire, her elegant curves approached perfection.

It was unclear whether it was a flaw in the uniform’s design, or if Chu Annian’s ‘scale’ was simply too grand.

Regardless, from this vantage point, one could discern that the shirt buttons over her ‘southern hemisphere’ were strained, stretched a few degrees wider. Through the slight gap, a glimpse of purple lace could be clearly seen, encasing a tempting expanse of snowy white skin.

Despite Chu Annian’s typically cold demeanor towards both people and matters, akin to an untouchable snow lotus on an icy mountain…

…when she shed these layers, Chu Annian was undeniably a true beauty.

“Oh, it’s fine,” Chu Annian reassured, “just rest well. You’re a great hero of our Special Events Investigation Bureau now.”

Chu Annian didn’t mind at all, even though her legs were beginning to feel numb.

Yet, to ensure Bai Wanwan could rest properly, she merely curled her toes, enduring the tingling numbness spreading through her legs.

“What exactly did you experience inside that Spirit Realm?”

Chu Annian was immensely curious. She had just taken Bai Wanwan for a full body examination, revealing nothing seriously amiss.

There were only multiple muscle strains across her body, appearing as if from excessive exercise. While not life-threatening, they would likely be painful for two or three days.

However, compared to the feat of conquering an extremely dangerous Spirit Realm, these minor strains were truly nothing.

Even a normal-level Spirit Realm meant a near-certain death upon entry; one would barely escape with their life, let alone a place like the extremely dangerous Stitched-Lip Hospital.

“My memory is quite blurry,” Bai Wanwan admitted. “I only recall fighting the ghost inside.”

“Then I caught their leader and affixed a talisman to it.”

Bai Wanwan retrieved a talisman from her pocket and handed it to Chu Annian. She refrained from mentioning her ‘summoning gods’ ritual, simply stating that she could draw a few minor talismans.

“What is this?”

Chu Annian, momentarily forgetting her numb thigh, took the talisman and slowly unfolded it.

“Ciallo~(∠・ω< )⌒☆?"

Chu Annian read the contents, her face a mask of confusion.

"Wrong, wrong! It's this one."

Bai Wanwan quickly snatched the talisman back, then produced another one.

"The purpose of this talisman is to make the person it's affixed to uncontrollably speak whatever is written on it."

Chu Annian nodded, quietly reading the words on this new talisman. She had heard of people who possessed the art of drawing talismans and chanting incantations; such individuals even existed within the Special Events Investigation Bureau.

"'Bai Wanwan is within this realm, free from all taboos?'"

"Is merely this enough?"

Chu Annian struggled to comprehend. Could Bai Wanwan truly conquer an extremely dangerous Spirit Realm simply by capturing its master and forcing them to utter those words?

No, that couldn't be right… The masters of Spirit Realms were always elusive, their presence rarely revealed. Even the first step of capturing a Spirit Realm master was incredibly difficult to achieve.

Chu Annian couldn't make sense of it, not in the slightest.

Yet, Bai Wanwan had indeed emerged, and the Spirit Realm had indeed been conquered. The leaders of the Special Events Investigation Bureau were currently busy researching the remnants of that very realm.

"That's enough."

Bai Wanwan nodded. Honestly, she had been lucky this time; the Spirit Realm's master had been careless, allowing her to succeed.

Had she encountered a more cautious Spirit Realm master, one who refused to show themselves even unto death, Bai Wanwan, no matter how capable, would have found herself in a truly troublesome predicament.

"I also brought the Spirit Realm's master back with me."

Bai Wanwan pointed towards the burlap sack. Her words sent a jolt of shock through Chu Annian, nearly making her leap from her spot.

"What did you say? Are you serious?"

Before Chu Annian could even finish her sentence, as if to confirm Bai Wanwan's astonishing claim, the bulging burlap sack beside the hospital bed suddenly began to thrash.

Chu Annian had noticed the sack Bai Wanwan brought in earlier, but she had never imagined… that it contained the master of the Stitched-Lip Hospital Spirit Realm.