Chapter 503: Universal Love Office

Chapter 503: The He Ai Shou

Jinling City, Shanhuang District.

A five-story building of entirely black brick stood in the corner of the district, its exterior seamless, no joints visible between the stones, a single unified form. The narrow, towering entrance, from afar, resembled a vertical inkstone.

The eaves jutted outward, blocking sunlight, casting the doorway into a deep, shadowy darkness. A chilling, bone-deep cold permeated the solemn space, as if it sought to devour all who dared enter.

In the culture of the Great Ming Empire, black was deemed the "Heavenly Mysterious Earth Yellow" of the five colors, specifically the "Heavenly Mysterious." In the Mo Xu texts, black represented the orthodoxy of Mohist thought, the truest embodiment of the "Universal Love" principle.

Thus, this was the He Ai Shou, under the Mo Xu's jurisdiction—a place where all Mo Xu disciples would tremble at its mere reputation.

Tock. Tock. Tock.

Zou Siu Jiu. No, now he should be called Yin Ying, stepping up the long staircase, he strode into the He Ai Shou's grand doorway with dignity.

The barbarian had struck Yin Ying's head with a single punch, shattering it completely, leaving him no chance to understand the internal patterns and speech habits within the He Ai Shou.

The man was highly satisfied with Zou Siu Jiu's response, patting his chest. "We're monitoring the various dreams and schemes within the Mo Xu. The personnel in charge of succession are sitting nearby, half-asleep, racing against time to catch up on their rest."

He glanced around, saw no one noticing, and pulled out a chair to sit beside Zou Siu Jiu.

For instance, the Shangxianyuan, overseeing talent cultivation and recruitment; the He Ai Shou, handling internal investigations; the Feiguan, studying weapon development; the Feiluan, researching audio's effects on the body and spirit. Even the formless Ming Ghost Realm was divided into five, each with deep divisions, each responsible for activating and enabling their respective Ming Ghosts.

Zou Siu Jiu mentally cursed, then gently pushed aside the man's arm, his face showing gratitude: "Truly, thank you."

"Of course it's real. How else could Deputy Director Liu Xianzhou have the authority to oversee our He Ai Shou and Shangxianyuan, these two critical departments?"

"Yin Ying, you've returned. Any gains?"

Zou Siu Jiu's mind churned, but his voice softened: "Any news?"

Regarding the Mo Xu's internal structure, Zou Siu Jiu had some understanding.

According to the He Ai Shou's regulations, such surveillance must be continuous across the twelve hours. Without adequate rest, such intense work would easily cause one's consciousness to drift into Huang Liang Dreams—or be invaded by Huang Liang Ghosts, turning one into a fool.

The atmosphere behind the door wasn't as cold and silent as the corridors, but rather rather lively, over half the ten workstations occupied, black cables dangling from the ceiling, connected to their neural nodes.

According to Liang Hui's intelligence, the one tracking Yin Ying was a investigator from the [Wu Sect].

"How many methods."

Zou Siu Jiu was shocked: "Is this real?"

These people's eyelids twitched constantly, their eyes clearly spinning rapidly behind tightly shut lids.

Zou Siu Jiu stood in the center of the He Ai Shou's hall, looking around—everywhere he saw investigators in black robes, men and women alike, all hurrying past without a thought for him.

[Special Investigation Room—Room One]

"For us in this line of work, taking a beating is all too normal. But Yin Ying, rest assured—once orders come down, you needn't lift a finger. I'll personally fetch Liang Hui and make him understand just how we handle those who offend the He Ai Shou!"

Red beams of scrutiny swept over his features, confirming no anomalies, then embedded into the hall's pillars as metallic faces with closed eyes.

The only thing possibly shared among them might be the few permanent Huang Liang Dreams established since the realm's inception.

The five major departments each had their own stance toward these civilian organizations.

The man leaned in, pressing his mouth: "Yin Ying, have you ever wondered why even the third-ranked Ming Ghost, Qi Zhu, died in our He Ai Shou's hands? Yet above still treats the remaining fugitive ghosts with such importance, forcing us to monitor and investigate them and their suspects across twelve hours?"

As the carriage's brass scale slid from "One" to "Four," the carriage door opened again.

Zou Siu Jiu noticed the other's expression of confusion, once again resenting Li Jun in his mind.

Unable to figure out where the information came from, Zou Siu Jiu heard the words and immediately smiled.

"Lowly."

Zou Siu Jiu felt relieved, thinking with his rank and status, he needn't sully himself by working alongside these lowly investigators.

He felt Yin Ying seemed a bit strange today, though he couldn't quite pinpoint why.

The sharp clack of wooden clogs echoed in the vast hall, its floor a dazzling black and dark stone.

A famous one here was the Tianzhi Hui, once led by Zhao Qingxian.

"Hmm, I see. Thanks for the reminder."

Zou Siu Jiu rolled his eyes, grumbling: "I truly wonder why above still keeps Liang Hui alive. Qi Zhu's already dead, and the others have no connection to him. The chance of them contacting him is negligible. By right, Liang Hui's useless—why not just eliminate him? Why waste manpower on him?"

"Lowly!"

A cold female voice scolded in his mind, but Zou Siu Jiu merely smiled, taking a step into the carriage on the hall's left.

That rigid fake face displayed such a human-like expression, making the man pause.

Zou Siu Jiu sneered, opening the door marked [Wu Sect].

"A group of blacksmiths, not even properly tending the forge, yet studying how to deal with their own kind through Confucian texts—how fascinating."

The He Ai Shou was the most ferocious faction opposing them. Their "He Ai Shou" had a major role in tracking and crushing these "non-traditional" organizations. Such groups numbered over ten.

"Hurry up, get things done. This face of yours is so repulsive, even I feel sick!"

"In the recent operation, Meng Shi, deputy director, and his research group all perished in the War Zone. Rumor says they were buried at sea, and their bodies haven't been found yet!"

"What can be done? Just get scolded like a dog, as usual."

The man speaking was Yin Ying's colleague in the [Wu Sect], also a Mo Xu seventh-rank investigator.

Zou Siu Jiu strode in with bold steps, his face a mask of cold arrogance, no hint of scheming or guilt.

Otherwise, he might've considered abandoning this identity, lurking outside the He Ai Shou, trying to procure another "shell" to use.

"Not much, just some recent rumors. Not sure if Yin Ying's interested in hearing?"

Due to the reasons of Wu Xu, the Mo Xu had suffered greatly from other factions, with heavy casualties within. The Elder Council debated whether to continue supporting Wu Xu, causing the Mo Xu to split into the five independent departments today.

As soon as the words fell, the scolding voice of the guard echoed in Zou Siu Jiu's mind.

Damn it, dragging it out.

Zou Siu Jiu suppressed the urge to drag the other into a dream, feigning confusion: "Why?"

"We're colleagues in the same office, you're being too formal."

[Special Investigation Room—Room Two]

Since Guardian Yu's arrival of this spirit-specializing Mo Jia armor, Zou Siu Jiu found infiltrating such matters increasingly natural.

At the corridor's deepest end was a door twice as wide as ordinary ones, its projection displaying text declaring it the He Ai Shou's Special Investigation Room director's office.

Before the "Division of War," all Mo Xu leaders followed the "Ruler" as their supreme authority, the Ruler Hall and its Elder Council being the unquestioned highest leadership. Their position in the Mo Xu even surpassed today's Confucian New Forest Party, Daoist White Jade Gate.

Before Zou Siu Jiu appeared a similarly laid-out black marble corridor, flanked by tightly closed doors, neither metal nor stone, projecting dark green text.

Beyond the Ruler Hall's five departments, the Mo Xu had, in recent decades, spawned several civilian organizations outside the Ruler Hall's jurisdiction.

The man smiled, retracting his arm, but seemed reluctant to end the conversation with Zou Siu Jiu. After all, women in the Mo Xu were rare, and those working in the He Ai Shou were even scarcer. Though this "Yin Ying's" face wasn't original, in this situation, there was no condition to pick and choose.

"What?""

If not for his infiltration skills, how could such a lapse occur?

Yet the man's thoughts halted mid-air, his shoulder rising slightly as he laughed, "Liang Huo isn't so simple—he's known Chizhu since youth, and these years, Chizhu has maintained contact with him under false identities in the Yellow Milky Dream Realm. Those traitors who owed Chizhu loyalty likely know Liang Huo. If they seek to avenge Chizhu, Liang Huo would be their prime target." His words lingered, "You know this, so stop with the provocations. Be careful—the Director might overhear and reprimand you."

"That bastard, must be starving to death."

Even the wailing that seemed to drift through the air had long become background noise, as people busied themselves with their own affairs.

Yet after the death of the previous Zushi, no successor emerged capable of rallying the masses.

A grotesque smile flickered on his face as he reached to grasp Zou Sijiu's shoulder.

Zou Sijiu effortlessly restored Yin Ying's icy demeanor, a thread of resentment lingering at her eye corner. She leaned slightly toward him, her voice tinged with wistfulness: "I was also provoked by Liang Huo. He not only refused to cooperate but sneered at me. Without the superior's strict orders forbidding it, I'd have dragged him back to the joint love department long ago."

The five divisions still retained their original organizational structure, each housing its own array of functional departments.

"Of course there's interest."

The Eastern Division, the most inclusive of the five, had even admitted Zhao Qingxia, whose Tianzhi Association background made her a prime example.

Beyond these orthodox and unorthodox factions, there were also free-form groups like Liang Huo's—those who neither allied with nor opposed others.