One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

As the bullet train slowly pulled into Tianjin Station, Nie Lingfeng was gazing absently through the train window at the urban jungle of steel and concrete.

The towering buildings stand side by side like silent giants, casting long shadows in the afternoon sun; on the crisscrossing overpasses, the traffic flows like metallic blood, ceaselessly rushing forward; in the distance, huge GG signs flash with colorful neon lights, stubbornly proclaiming the city's hustle and bustle even in the daytime.

He hadn't witnessed any of this for a full ten years.

Carrying a snow-drinking knife carefully wrapped in brand-new, thick cotton cloth and securely tied with nylon rope, and a black nylon travel bag issued by the company with the "NaDuTong" logo, he followed the bustling crowd off the platform. His feet touched the polished marble floor, surrounded by a cacophony of announcements, conversations, and the rumble of suitcase wheels. For a moment, he felt a surreal sense of disrepair, as if in another world, and his steps unconsciously faltered.

"Nie—Ling—Feng—?"

A clear and articulate voice came through the crowd.

Following the sound, I saw two men with strikingly different airs standing beside a pillar on the platform. The one on the left, around thirty years old, was tall and slender, wearing a well-tailored dark gray suit and a dark red striped tie. He wore gold-rimmed glasses and exuded a refined and scholarly air, clearly the kind of person who was methodical and meticulous. He held up a hastily found cardboard sign with a large "Nie" scrawled on it in black marker.

The man standing next to him was a completely different story. He was about the same age, but had a carefree and unrestrained air. He wore a Hawaiian shirt with an exaggerated tropical floral pattern, with only the bottom two buttons buttoned, revealing a small patch of his muscular chest. He wore loose beach shorts and flip-flops, and had an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth. He was idly scrolling through his phone, his fingers flying across the screen.

Nie Lingfeng composed himself and stepped forward: "I am Nie Lingfeng."

The man scrolling through his phone—Xu Si—immediately looked up upon hearing the sound, shoved his phone back into his pocket with a "thud," and his sharp eyes instantly scanned Nie Lingfeng from head to toe. His gaze paused slightly when he saw the long, slender object on Nie Lingfeng's back, which, despite being fully covered, could not be concealed. Then, a big, cynical smile bloomed on his face.

"Hey! The real person is much more energetic than the blurry, pixelated candid photo Lao Hao sent over!" Xu Si stepped forward and patted Nie Lingfeng's shoulder firmly without any hesitation. "I'm Xu Si, I manage some odd jobs here in North China. This is my third brother, Xu San, the deputy head of our branch. He's in charge of the accounts, writing reports, and keeping an eye on me to prevent me from causing trouble."

Xu San, wearing glasses, adjusted his frames, seemingly somewhat exasperated by Xu Si's way of introducing him. However, when he looked at Nie Lingfeng, his gaze was gentle and professional: "Welcome to Tianjin, Comrade Nie Lingfeng. You must be tired from your journey. Director Hao Yi has already provided us with the basic information."

Xu Si's attention was clearly still on Nie Lingfeng's outfit. He clicked his tongue, pointing at the generic, shapeless tracksuit Nie Lingfeng was wearing—a gray-to-khaki color—that was standard everywhere. "Hey Xiao Feng," he said, "Old Hao and his Southwest branch are so stingy! They only gave you this 'logistics warehouse clearance' style outfit? No way! Tonight, your brother Si has to take you to get some new clothes! We brothers from North China have to look our best when we go out! And while we're at it, we'll arrange a whole-house welcome party to wash you down and get rid of that mountain bumpkin vibe!"

"Xu Si!" Xu San's brows furrowed immediately, his tone carrying a warning, "Mind your influence! Don't bring your corrupt practices from outside into the company, and especially don't set a bad example for the new employees!"

"How can this be called a bad trend? This is called humane management and humanistic care!" Xu Si stretched out his arm and naturally put it on Nie Lingfeng's shoulder, looking like two good buddies. He leaned closer and lowered his voice, but Xu San could hear him clearly, "Little Feng, listen to your brother. A man should see the world and enjoy life. You've been cooped up in those deep mountains like a savage for ten years, completely out of touch with society! Tonight, I'll show you the world and let you experience the essence of nightlife in a modern metropolis—"

"Have some steamed buns." Xu San interrupted expressionlessly, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Goubuli, a century-old brand. I've already booked a private room. It's a welcome banquet—formal, healthy, and with Tianjin specialties."

Xu Si's expression instantly fell, like a dog whose bone had been stolen, as he looked at his third brother with a mournful expression: "Third brother, are you really my brother... a welcome feast of steamed buns? Can't you be a little more creative?"

Watching the two brothers' back-and-forth "confrontation," Nie Lingfeng suppressed a laugh and wisely offered a way out: "Third Brother and Fourth Brother, thank you for your trouble. I'm new here, everything is new, so I'll just follow your arrangements. As for steamed buns... I haven't had proper meat buns in a long time." The last sentence was the truth, carrying a hint of genuine nostalgia.

Ultimately, a compromise was reached between Xu San's "principles" and Xu Si's "unwillingness": first, go to Goubuli to hold a "formal welcome banquet," and the subsequent activities... "to be arranged as appropriate."

Inside the private room of this century-old establishment, the antique decor exuded a sense of historical weight. Nie Lingfeng stared in a daze at the exquisitely arranged, steaming hot, thin-skinned, generously filled, and clearly defined eighteen pleats of the delicate xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) served by the waiter.

"Don't just stand there, pick up your chopsticks! Eat it while it's hot, it'll get greasy when it's cold." Xu Si had already picked up a piece without any hesitation and stuffed it into his mouth. It was so hot that he was gasping for breath but didn't want to spit it out. He urged indistinctly, "This is a Tianjin specialty. You definitely can't get this authentic stuff in the mountains."

Nie Lingfeng did as instructed, picking up one and carefully biting open a small hole. Instantly, the scalding hot and delicious broth flooded his mouth, mixed with the aroma of firm and chewy, perfectly seasoned meat filling, and the soft, juicy texture of the dough... His taste buds felt like they had been parched for a long time, and the explosion of satisfaction almost made him lose control of his expression.

"How is it? Does it suit your taste?" Xu San asked with a smile, taking small, elegant bites.

"...Delicious." Nie Lingfeng only uttered two words before he no longer cared about being polite and buried himself in the food in front of him. Although his movements were fast, they were not rough; he was just extremely efficient. In the blink of an eye, a basket of eight buns was empty.

Xu Si laughed heartily, stuffing food into his mouth while pointing at the empty steamer basket and shouting to the waitress, "Hey girl! Add three more baskets to this table! No, five! With my brother's appetite, we're making sure he's full today!"

In the end, the three of them devoured a total of eight baskets of steamed buns, with Nie Lingfeng quietly contributing five baskets by himself. When it came time to pay the bill, the young waitress looked at Nie Lingfeng's slender and upright figure, then at the stack of empty steamer baskets, her eyes filled with shock and admiration that "you can't judge a book by its cover."

As they left the steamed bun shop, the city lights were just coming on. Xu Si, still unwilling to give up, wanted to drag Nie Lingfeng to "experience the real nightlife of Tianjin," but Xu San, with the excuse that "there's important business tomorrow, and newcomers need plenty of rest to adjust," ruthlessly "escorted" him back to the employee dormitory that the company had arranged in advance.

The dormitory is located in a well-secured residential area, and the conditions are a significant improvement over the one at the Southwest Branch: a private single room with a kitchen, bathroom, and small balcony; fully equipped with a bed, desk, chair, and wardrobe; air conditioning, washing machine, and even a small refrigerator. Although the decoration is simple, it is clean, tidy, and has a lived-in feel.

Xu San carefully explained the usage of water, electricity, and internet, the location of nearby amenities, and the time to pick him up the next morning, before being dragged away by the impatient Xu Si. As the door closed, Xu Si could still be heard muttering discontentedly, "Third brother, you're so old-fashioned, you don't understand the needs of young people at all..."

The moment the door closed, Nie Lingfeng let out a long sigh of relief, gently placed his travel bag and Snow Drinking Knife in the corner, and then leaned back onto the soft single bed.

Finally... we're settled for now.

He stared at the pristine white ceiling, his mind quickly replaying their first meeting: Xu San was meticulous, principled, and a reliable "housekeeper"; Xu Si, seemingly carefree and unrestrained, was actually shrewd and straightforward, with sharp eyes—not a cunning person. The two brothers complemented each other, and their interactions were interesting. More importantly, judging from Xu Si's statement, "Old Hao wasn't bragging," and the brothers' attitude towards him, Hao Yi must have given him a very positive evaluation and recommendation.

"North China Branch... Xu San, Xu Si..." Nie Lingfeng murmured the two names, a slight smile playing on his lips. It was pretty much as he'd expected, and in fact, because of his personal experience, it felt even more vivid than the original story.

Tomorrow will be the day we truly "report for duty" and demonstrate our strength.

The next morning, the timely knocking on the door woke Nie Lingfeng from his light sleep.

Outside the door stood Xu San, still impeccably dressed in a suit, his hair perfectly neat.

"Good morning. Have you had breakfast yet?" His greeting, like himself, was meticulous.

"I've eaten, Third Brother." Nie Lingfeng waved the half-eaten instant rice ball and boxed milk in his hand—the food he had bought from the 24-hour convenience store downstairs last night when he was getting familiar with the surroundings.

"Let's set off then." Xu San turned around and led the way with steady steps. "The headquarters isn't far from here. There might be some traffic during the morning rush hour, so let's try to avoid it."

He drove a black Passat with a clean and simple interior, devoid of any unnecessary decorations. The car was filled with the faint scent of leather cleaner and the refreshing smell of Xu San's aftershave. Xu San drove steadily, keeping his speed below the speed limit, and his lane changes were done with meticulous signaling, perfectly matching the impression he gave off.

On the way, Xu San gave a brief introduction to the North China branch in a calm tone: it is mainly responsible for the management and coordination of non-human affairs in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and parts of Shandong. It has about two hundred permanent staff, clerical staff and field staff, and several departments. The temporary worker system is similar to that of other regions across the country, with independent task authority. The current head of the branch is Xu Si, who is mainly responsible for internal administration, logistics support and coordination and communication with headquarters and other regions.

"We've arrived." The car drove into a rather ordinary-looking logistics park, passed several rows of tall, standardized warehouses, and finally stopped in front of a warehouse numbered "B-7". From the outside, it looked like a slightly larger warehouse, with the roller shutter door tightly closed, and people occasionally going in and out through a small door next to it, wearing NexTong work clothes.

Xu San swiped his card to open the door and led Nie Lingfeng inside. Behind the door wasn't the pile of goods they had imagined, but a spacious, bright, and modern office space! Under the high ceiling, the open-plan office area was neatly arranged, with dozens of employees working at their respective workstations. The sounds of keyboards, phone calls, and hushed discussions filled the air. Transparent glass partitions surrounded the space, labeled "Dispatch Center," "Intelligence Analysis," and "Technical Support." Large screens on the walls displayed real-time maps of North China, mission statuses, and even satellite surveillance footage. Aside from the subtle, varying fluctuations of "Qi" in the air, it looked no different from any other busy technology company or logistics command center.

Xu Si was already waiting in the break area in the center of the office. Today he had at least changed into a plain-colored polo shirt, but the hem was still not properly tucked into his pants, and he had swapped his flip-flops for canvas shoes. He was holding a cup of coffee and talking to a technician. When he saw Xu San and Nie Lingfeng come in, he raised his hand to greet them.

"Perfect timing, saves me the trouble of calling and urging you." Xu Si downed his coffee in a few gulps, then precisely tossed the empty paper cup into the trash can in the distance. "Let's go, to the training ground inside. Old Hao raved about you on the phone, calling you an 'ancient martial arts gem' and 'with unlimited potential.' I need to personally assess you and see if you're a rough gem or... well, just an ordinary stone."

The training ground was located deeper within the warehouse, accessible through a heavy, soundproof door. The interior space was more regular in shape than the cave-like area in the southwest branch, roughly the size of one and a half basketball courts, with an astonishingly high ceiling. The floor was paved with a specially made dark gray, highly elastic energy-absorbing material, while the walls and ceiling were inlaid with matte energy-absorbing steel plates. In the corners were various training equipment: from common sandbags, speed balls, and barbells to traditional wooden dummies and stone weights, and even a weapon rack displaying gleaming, sharpened, and genuine cold weapons such as knives, guns, swords, and halberds.

"The place is a bit cramped, not as spacious as your mountain retreat, but it has everything you need, and the intensity is good enough that you won't break out." Xu Si strolled to the center of the area with his hands in his pockets, turned around, and looked at Nie Lingfeng with a leisurely air. "Come on, little Feng, stop holding back. Old Hao said you possess four unique skills: Cloud-Dispelling Palm, Wind God Leg, Heavenly Frost Fist, and the Six Secrets of Frost and Cold. It sounds like a martial arts story. Talk is cheap, let's see what you're really made of. Don't be shy, bring it on."

Nie Lingfeng placed his travel bag on the bench by the door, walked to stand opposite Xu Si, thought for a moment, and then asked seriously, "Fourth Brother, is it just a demonstration of the form of the move, or do we need to circulate internal energy... Oh, according to the local terminology, is it circulating 'Qi' to demonstrate the effect?"

"Of course, it's about circulating 'Qi'!" Xu Si raised an eyebrow, seemingly thinking the question was redundant. "What else am I supposed to watch? Watch calisthenics? Don't worry, this room is specially designed for testing and training people with supernatural abilities. As long as you don't think about making a hole in the ceiling or blowing up the foundation, you can do whatever you want. I'll take responsibility if it breaks."

"Alright then." Nie Lingfeng nodded, revealing a slightly shy and apologetic smile. "I'll try... to hold back a bit, afraid I won't be able to control it."

Xu Si laughed: "Oh ho, you've got some big talk, kid! Fine, I like your confidence! Come on, let your brother Si see for himself!"