The job change is a bizarre and calamity; the nation begs me to tone it down.

But Su Qiong clearly didn't think so. She tightened her grip on the crystal, lowered her head, and remained silent for a few seconds.

In those few seconds, a lot of things went through her mind.

As I said before...

This brat in front of me was a newbie who had just changed jobs not long ago.

Gu Xu at that time.

Although he has already shown a talent that can be described as extraordinary.

But in her eyes, he was still a junior who needed to be taken care of.

He is a younger brother who needs to grow and needs to be protected.

But now? This younger brother has reached a height she can only look up to.

He killed three Origin-level beings in one night and single-handedly broke out of the Cloud Demon Realm.

Even the advanced materials she had dreamed of for countless years.

He pulled them all out of his pocket as if by magic.

Su Qiong didn't know what words to use to describe this growth rate.

But there was one thing she was very clear about...

This younger brother, who once needed her care, is now paving the way for her.

For a moment, Su Qiong felt a mix of emotions.

Gratitude? Of course.

Relieved? Absolutely.

But more than anything, it's a complex thing that's hard to explain.

That feeling of seeing your younger brother suddenly become more successful than you, that's probably what it's like.

I felt both proud and a little bit resentful.

And... she's still a little unaccustomed to it.

After all, Su Qiong has never been one to owe favors to others.

They are even less used to being helped by others—especially by juniors.

But this time, she couldn't refuse.

Because this thing is so important to her.

It was so important that she had no reason, nor any right, to refuse it.

There was a long silence.

Then he raised his head, looked at Gu Xu, moved his lips, and said two words.

"Thanks."

These two words are nothing special.

But just those two words...

The other three people present were taken aback.

Li Weiguo was stunned.

Zhang Daoxuan was stunned.

Jiang Shu's eyes widened in surprise.

Because they know Su Qiong too well.

How many times in her life has she said thank you?

Those present could probably count on their fingers, but not even one hand could be full.

So when those two words came out of her mouth, the impact was even greater than when Gu Xu said "false god" earlier.

And what about Gu Xu?

Naturally, he was also stunned.

However, his eyebrows quickly rose, and his gaze towards Su Qiong instantly became wary.

"No... Sister Qiong."

Gu Xu stared at Su Qiong with suspicion, looking her up and down twice, his tone serious: "You haven't been possessed by someone, have you?"

Su Qiong: "..."

Gu Xu's face was visibly full of concern, but the smile hidden within that concern couldn't be concealed: "You're thanking me? This doesn't seem right."

"This is so unlike your usual persona!"

Jiang Shu, who was standing next to her, couldn't hold back anymore and covered her mouth, laughing so hard that her shoulders were shaking.

Li Weiguo and Zhang Daoxuan didn't laugh, but the curve of their lips betrayed them.

And Su Qiong...

Her lips twitched suddenly.

Her expression, which had softened slightly due to her emotion, returned to its previous state visibly within two seconds.

"Get lost."

The next moment, Su Qiong squeezed out those two words through gritted teeth.

However, upon hearing this, Gu Xu wasn't annoyed. Instead, he smiled sincerely: "That's right! That's exactly the feel of it!"

"Thank goodness, I wasn't possessed!"

Seeing this, Su Qiong took a deep breath; she was now filled with regret.

I regret saying those two words just now.

If she had known this brat would react this way, she would never have said that.

But since things have come to this, there's no point in saying more.

Su Qiong chose the wisest course of action—to ignore him.

Then, he kept stroking the crystal with his fingertips.

The warm energy surged into her body again, causing her to tremble slightly.

The hope for advancement, after many years, has finally been rekindled.

Although he verbally cursed Gu Xu.

But only she knows what she really felt inside.

Seeing this, Jiang Shu leaned closer to Su Qiong and whispered, "Sister Qiong, the legion commander is really good to you."

Su Qiong glanced at her sideways but didn't reply.

But he didn't refute it.

At that moment, Gu Xu's expression changed: "Alright, enough joking around."

He looked up at the window—the colorful lights on the horizon were even brighter than before, and the entire night sky of Longjing was illuminated with dazzling lights.

It looks good.

But in this case, looking good means trouble.

"We can't wait any longer in the secret realm."

Gu Xu turned around and walked towards the door.

"Sister Qiong."

As he reached the door, he paused, glancing at Su Qiong again: "Hurry up and advance your cultivation. By the time I return, I hope you'll already be a Saint!"

After saying that, he left the house before Su Qiong could reply.

Su Qiong stood there, watching Gu Xu's departing figure, clutching the Essence of Hell Blood in her hand, the warmth from her fingertips surging up her heart in waves.

She didn't move, and neither did Jiang Shu.

Li Weiguo and Zhang Daoxuan didn't move either.

The four of them remained quiet, listening to the footsteps in the corridor gradually fade away.

After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Shu broke the silence first, leaning close to Su Qiong's ear: "Sister Qiong, the legion commander has left."

"I'm not blind."

Su Qiong's tone returned to its usual level.

"Then why are you still staring at the doorway?"

Su Qiong then turned her gaze away from the doorway and glanced at Jiang Shu expressionlessly.

That glance had a rich meaning; roughly translated, it meant...

If you say another word, believe me, I'll smash this Essence of Hellblood on your forehead right now.

Jiang Shu wisely shut her mouth and took a half step back.

Su Qiong didn't look at her again, but lowered her head and focused her gaze back on the deep red crystal in her palm.

"This kid..."

After an unknown amount of time, she muttered something under her breath.

The sound was so soft that only he could hear it.

His tone contained emotion, relief, and a tiny bit of resentment.

After saying that, she carefully put away the essence of the prison blood.

I looked up and glanced at the increasingly bright, multicolored light outside the window.

His expression turned serious in that instant.

Gu Xu said that he hoped she would be a saint by the time he returned.

Then we can't let him down.

She has many other flaws, but there's one thing about her—she never owes anyone anything.

Especially this kind of favor.

You've paved the way for me, so I'll walk it and show you.

Su Qiong took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and turned to walk towards the door.

"Sister Qiong?"

Jiang Shu was taken aback: "What's this...?"

"Go for the next level!"

Su Qiong uttered two words without turning her head.

……

Outside the General Staff Building.

The moment Gu Xu stepped out the door, the night wind, carrying raindrops, rushed towards him.

He looked up at the sky.

The colorful light surged in the clouds, even more spectacular than what I had just seen in the office.

Clearly, the energy overflow from the secret realm has begun to affect the real world.

"We need to hurry."

Gu Xu muttered something to himself, then a thought struck him.

Black mist surged from beneath his feet, and the ghost sedan chair silently appeared before him.

The sedan curtain was lifted, and the ghost bride was already sitting inside, her head slightly tilted under the red veil, as if waiting for him.

Gu Xu climbed into the sedan chair and leaned against the soft cushions.

"Let's go, let's set off!"

The sedan chair shuddered and disappeared into the shadows, vanishing without a trace.

At the very moment he left, the seven-colored light in the sky above Longjing shone even brighter.

It sounded like a urging, yet also like a warning.