Stepdaughter of a wealthy family? The little darling of a Beijing tycoon

Chen Hai had expected Shen Jingshu to show surprise and curiosity, after all, this secret base was the result of many years of hard work by the Bureau of Affairs, combining Xuanmen formations with modern technology, and ordinary people would definitely be shocked when they saw it.

However, Shen Jingshu remained calm throughout, her eyes showing no emotion, and she even nodded slightly, clearly having noticed the fluctuations of spiritual energy from the array surrounding the area.

Chen Hai was secretly amazed, becoming even more certain that Miss Shen's abilities were far more profound than they had anticipated.

He strode to the giant boulder, his fingertips rapidly pressing and operating in the hidden parts of the boulder, triggering several secret mechanisms.

The next second, the once seamless mountain slowly trembled and split open to both sides. Amidst the rising dust, a hidden staircase passage suddenly appeared before the two of them, deep yet brightly lit.

Shen Jingshu remained calm as she followed Chen Hai into the passage. Once they were fully inside, the cracked mountainside slowly closed again, sealing perfectly. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary mountain wilderness, with no indication that it contained the entrance to a secret base.

The passageway was long and narrow, with energy-saving sensor lights installed on both sides, casting a soft glow that illuminated the path ahead clearly, without any sense of darkness or oppression. The two walked along the passageway, their footsteps echoing softly in the quiet space. After a few minutes, the view suddenly opened up before them.

The brightly lit, modern base came into view, completely unlike the cave-like appearance I had imagined—a spacious lobby, neatly arranged office areas, a dedicated Xuanmen cultivation room, and a case analysis hall, all fully equipped.

The passersby were dressed in different clothes and walked in a hurry. Each of them carried a faint spiritual energy fluctuation, clearly indicating that they all knew some esoteric arts and had real skills.

"Miss Shen, this is the core base of our Special Affairs Bureau. No one outside knows about it. All paranormal cases and mystical affairs are handled here." Chen Haibin walked over and patiently introduced the location, his tone full of pride. "The bureau is divided into several departments, such as the Mystical Affairs Case Handling Group, the Formation Group, and the Spiritual Object Management Group. You don't need to be assigned to a fixed group. You have independent case-handling authority and can contact me directly if you encounter any problems."

Shen Jingshu looked around and nodded slightly, secretly acknowledging that this Special Affairs Bureau was not just for show; it did indeed have many capable people, and its combination of array formations and technology was quite ingenious.

"Ms. Shen, this is the onboarding office."

Chen Hai led Shen Jingshu into a quiet and elegant office. Inside sat an elderly man with gray hair and a calm demeanor, who appeared meticulous and experienced.

As soon as Chen Hai entered, the old man stood up and nodded respectfully: "Captain Chen."

"Take care of Mr. Zhou and help this Ms. Shen with her onboarding procedures." Chen Hai said in a friendly tone, then solemnly introduced, "This is Ms. Shen Jingshu. She officially joins our Special Affairs Bureau today as a specially appointed consultant. She doesn't need to be in the office regularly and is not subject to daily attendance regulations. From now on, I will personally handle all her affairs."

The old man was slightly startled upon hearing this. The specially appointed consultant was of an extremely high level, and there were very few of them in the entire bureau. He quickly nodded in agreement, and his gaze toward Shen Jingshu became more respectful.

Chen Hai then turned to Shen Jingshu and asked in a humble manner:

"Ms. Shen, according to the bureau's regulations, we need to register your major to facilitate future project allocation and resource matching."

Our department is currently divided into many specialized fields, including those specializing in array formations and barriers, talismans for exorcising evil spirits, fortune telling, physiognomy and yin-yang analysis, as well as feng shui, geomancy, and locating auspicious burial sites.

What is your area of ​​expertise or major?

After Chen Hai finished speaking, he pondered for a moment and whispered to himself, "Miss Shen must be most skilled in physiognomy and fortune telling, right? Last night, you identified a wanted criminal and deciphered his past just by looking at his face and hands. Your skill in this area is truly exceptional."

Shen Jingshu lowered her eyes slightly, pondered for a moment, and calmly said, "I know a little bit about the formations, talismans, feng shui, fortune telling, and yin-yang divination you just mentioned."

"……A little bit?"

The office fell silent the moment the words were spoken.

Chen Hai and Lao Zhou, who was handling the onboarding process, were both stunned. They looked at each other, their eyes filled with disbelief.

In the cultivation of the Xuanmen (Taoist school), specialization and profound knowledge are paramount. Human energy is limited, and the categories of arts and techniques are numerous and clearly defined. If a person can master even one art or technique in their lifetime, they are already exceptionally talented and one in a million.

Most fortune tellers are not skilled in using talismans to ward off evil spirits, and those who are experts in array formations are often not good at feng shui divination. This has been the unchanging norm in the esoteric world for thousands of years.

But Shen Jingshu, who is so young, actually said that she knows all subjects?

Old Zhou had lived most of his life and worked in the Special Affairs Bureau for decades. He had met many Xuanmen cultivators, but this was the first time he had encountered such a statement. He couldn't help but wonder: Could it be that the young girl was just young and impetuous and liked to talk big?

But he had seen countless people and was well-versed in the ways of the world. He also noticed that Shen Jingshu had a calm demeanor and extraordinary bearing, unlike someone who was pretentious and boastful. Perhaps it was because young people were shy and unwilling to show their weakness, so he did not expose her in public, but silently suppressed his surprise and doubt in his heart.

Chen Hai regained his composure, suppressed his shock, and asked politely, "Then may I ask which master Miss Shen studied under? If it's convenient, please tell us so that we may have a better understanding."

"I cannot reveal the secrets of our sect," Shen Jingshu said calmly, neither humble nor arrogant.

"I was being presumptuous." Chen Hai immediately stopped asking questions.

Following convention, Lao Zhou carefully considered his words in the "Skills" section of the employee file and finally wrote down "fortune telling and physiognomy." In his view, this was the only skill Shen Jingshu had displayed that truly amazed everyone; the other skills were merely the young girl's modesty.

After entering all the information, Lao Zhou took out an exquisite ID card and a small badge and handed them to Shen Jingshu.

The identification documents are low-key and formal, and are uniformly labeled as belonging to members of the National Natural Resources Department.

This is the public name of the special metaphysical department, used to deceive the public. The general public only sees it as an ordinary natural resources research department. Only those inside know that under this seemingly ordinary name, it controls all the scheduling and handling of all evil spirits, supernatural phenomena, and supernatural events in China.

The inside of the certificate clearly reads: Special Consultant: Shen Jingshu.

The onboarding process was concise and efficient, with no obstacles throughout.

After completing the procedures, Chen Hai personally led Shen Jingshu through the base, introducing each area to her in detail: the case analysis room, the talisman refining room, the array deduction room, the spiritual object storage room, the case archive building... He explained the bureau's rules, authority, and daily scheduling mode in detail along the way.

After touring the entire base, Chen Hai stopped and asked with a smile, "Ms. Shen, what do you think of our bureau after the tour?"

When ordinary newcomers first see a hall full of Xuanmen cultivators, a complete cultivation system, and a hidden base of mechanisms, they are all filled with shock and amazement.

Only Shen Jingshu remained calm, a faint smile playing on her lips, and nodded gently: "Not bad, very good."

Without being dazzling, flattering, or surprising, he remained calm and composed, undisturbed by any disturbance.

Looking at her calm demeanor, Chen Hai felt even more admiration for her and fully understood that this young consultant, Shen, had a vision and perspective far beyond that of the ordinary cultivators in the bureau.

He solemnly instructed, "Ms. Shen, your special consultant status grants you high authority. You are not required to work regular hours, clock in or out, or be bound by the bureau's rules and regulations. You can continue your studies, life, and spiritual practice as usual; you are completely free in your daily life."

Going forward, if the bureau encounters any challenging paranormal cases or mystical crises that are beyond human control, I will contact you individually for assistance. Otherwise, no one will disturb you.