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Main Hall, Dream Protection Bureau.

Duyun leaned forward, her arms folded across the counter as she lay flat against the surface. Her brown tail wagged weakly with a lack of energy, and her fox ears were drooped despondently.

“Sigh…” Duyun let out a heavy breath, propping up one side of her face with her hand. She stared at the holographic projection on the ceiling, her expression clouding over with a touch of melancholy.

Suddenly, the transport pad lit up. Duyun’s attention was instantly snatched away; her droopy ears pricked up, her entire demeanor shifted into high gear, and she snapped into a straight posture.

Uncle Shui stepped off the pad first, carrying a large bag, followed by Xu Feng, who hopped down behind him. They were back from their mission.

“Uncle Shui! Feng! Congratulations on a successful return!” Duyun beamed, her smile growing noticeably warmer when her eyes landed on Uncle Shui.

“Miss Duyun, here is the hair conditioner I picked up for you.” Uncle Shui handed the exquisitely packaged box to her, set down the large bag, and began logging the incident summary in the nearby handwritten ledger.

Duyun bent down to tuck the box into a cabinet before asking, “Uncle Shui, how much was it? I’ll transfer the money to you in a bit.”

“It’s just a small amount, don’t worry about it. Consider it a return gift for the flower tea. If you ever run into trouble buying things in the future, just let me know. If I can do it, I’ll certainly help.”

“Then I’ll be troubling you quite a bit in the future, Uncle Shui,” Duyun said with a smile, as if the gloom from moments ago had never existed.

Uncle Shui finished writing and put the pen down, handing the ledger to Duyun. He then called out to Xu Feng, who was standing a short distance away.

“Feng, I’m going to go hand in the harvest from this dream-state. Wait for me here and stay with Miss Duyun for a while, alright?”

“Sure thing!” Xu Feng gave an “OK” gesture with her right hand.

“I’ll leave the child in your care then, Miss Duyun,” Uncle Shui added, and Duyun gave him a look that clearly said leave it to me.

“It’s a small matter. Go on and get to work, Uncle Shui.”

Uncle Shui didn’t linger. He headed toward Elevator No. 4 while Duyun watched his retreating back. It wasn’t until the elevator doors closed that her gaze reluctantly drifted back to Xu Feng.

So it’s Miss Duyun’s unrequited love. I had the wrong target from the start, Xu Feng thought, sizing up Duyun and shaking her head in pity.

Noticing the gesture, Duyun looked puzzled and naturally had to ask, “Miss Feng, why the head-shaking? Are you feeling unwell?”

Whoa, she called me ‘Miss.’ I really was being a bit rude just now, Xu Feng thought.

She jogged over, entered the counter through the side sliding door, and stood on her tiptoes next to Duyun. She waved her hand, signaling for Duyun—who was several heads taller—to lean down.

“Do you have a secret to tell me?” Duyun knelt slightly to accommodate her, humoring Xu Feng’s request as one would with a child.

“I wanted to tell you, Miss Duyun… Uncle Shui has been married before,” Xu Feng whispered cautiously, as if sharing a monumental secret.

Duyun’s expression didn’t flicker. Instead, she looked Xu Feng in the eye with an incredibly optimistic gaze.

“Aren’t you worried, Miss Duyun?” Xu Feng tilted her head, confused. Isn’t this a devastating blow to a crush?

“I understand what you mean, Miss Feng. But most of the people in the Bureau know about Uncle Shui’s history. Besides, I know that when it comes to liking someone, only you can truly understand what that feeling is worth.” Duyun clasped her hands over her heart and lowered her head slightly. The faint crimson blush on her cheeks made her feelings crystal clear.

Xu Feng felt like she had meddled a bit too much and scratched her cheek awkwardly. “You have a very open-minded view of love, Miss Duyun.”

“Perhaps. But if it weren’t for Uncle Shui, I would have been doomed to an eternal sleep in a dream disaster.” Duyun seemed disinclined to dwell on her own past, brushing it off with a brief mention.

“Do you like him just because he saved you?” Xu Feng wondered if love was really that simple.

Duyun paused, clearly contemplating. A moment later, she gave Xu Feng a firm answer.

“Of course not. When I was first rescued, my mind was a mess; I couldn’t even tell who Uncle Shui was. It was only later, with the help of the Bureau, that I gradually regained my sanity.”

“So Uncle Shui must have helped you a lot during that time, right?” Xu Feng guessed, her eyes blinking as she waited for the answer.

“He actually didn’t visit often. But speaking of helping people, Uncle Shui does the most work out of anyone. It’s probably related to his personality—that of a cheerful, easygoing ‘Uncle,’ right? Hehe.” Duyun suddenly chuckled, as if remembering something pleasant.

“An ‘Uncle’ personality… everyone calls him Uncle Shui.”

“Yes. ‘Shui’ represents his power, but ‘Uncle’ describes his way of dealing with the world. Aside from Doctor Daoyan, I can’t think of a senior more experienced than him.” Duyun pressed her fingertips together and rested her chin on them, a dreamy look in her eyes.

“So what exactly do you like about him?” Xu Feng returned to the root of her question.

“Hmm… I like his day-and-night persistence. I like the way he looks when he’s hunched over his desk seriously handling affairs. I like how he enthusiastically helps us whenever we hit a snag. When he smiles and I hear his voice, I feel a sense of peace and stability—as if as long as Uncle Shui is there, everything can be handled with composure.”

Duyun paused as if teasing, looking down to see Xu Feng’s reaction.

Xu Feng narrowed her eyes, thinking back. It’s true. He had saved her from the mist and shown her all sorts of care; it definitely fit his character.

“And besides, Uncle Shui is actually a very great person. Have you read novels? For example, a great immortal from a major cultivation sect who relies on sheer strength—they usually have a moment of arrogance that leads to failure, right?”

“Yeah. And Uncle Shui?”

“Uncle Shui started as just a regular D-rank person. To prevent the disaster that happened to him from happening to others, he resolutely joined the Bureau. He worked hard, taking it one step at a time, until he reached his current A-rank status. He stands at the very front line against abnormal dreams. How can someone not like a person like that?”

Duyun rested her face in her hands, her expression one of both admiration and fantasy.

Xu Feng thought about the people she had met at the Bureau so far; nearly everyone seemed to be on good terms with Uncle Shui. Even that man named Feiguang treated him with great respect, despite having turned against him for some unknown reason.

“Miss Duyun, do you know Feiguang?”

Hearing the name, Duyun froze. She immediately crouched down to Xu Feng’s level. “How do you know that name?”

“I met him. He tried to capture me, but Uncle Shui arrived and drove him away.”

“Oh, that was a close call. Feiguang is not to be trifled with. He was Uncle Shui’s first student. He studied sword techniques and mist incantations under him. His strength might even slightly exceed Uncle Shui’s now. It’s just a pity he turned out to be an ungrateful wolf and betrayed the Bureau.” Duyun shook her head, feeling a deep sense of regret.

“Why? Why did he betray you?” Xu Feng pressed.

“No one knows. Not even Uncle Shui. It was very sudden. When Feiguang left, he only left a single note. That whole ordeal was a huge blow to Uncle Shui.” Just as Duyun finished speaking, Uncle Shui stepped out of the elevator.

“Feng, let’s go for your testing.”

“Oh! Coming, Uncle Shui!”

In Xu Feng’s eyes, Uncle Shui’s image seemed to have grown a bit taller.

“A-choo!”

Feiguang, who was riding a bicycle, suddenly sneezed. He steadied the handlebars and rubbed his nose.

Was someone just talking behind my back? Could it be Teacher?

Feiguang didn’t dwell on it. He looked down at the message on his phone screen. It read:

Deliver the sprouted Dream-Seed to the Vampire lady.