Jiang Huihui's expression turned wary at once. "What do you want?"
"Haven't decided yet. For now, just owe me a favor—I'm swamped with trouble lately," Xu Mu said to her.
"Trouble? What happened?" Jiang Huihui asked, curious. "Don't tell me that Lin Yan made a move on you?"
"That's not your concern. Just answer me—does what you said on the phone still count?"
Xu Mu figured that someone like Jiang Huihui—who hated evil and brimmed with a sense of justice—would keep her word once she gave it. And as a Intermediate-level cleaner, her strength had to be solid; having her around in the future would be a big help.
Jiang Huihui thought for a moment, then said, "Of course it counts. But your request has to be righteous for me to agree."
"Relax, justice to the brim. I've made it this far purely on my Justice Points," Xu Mu said with a smile.
He himself was at the Mystic Art Realm, so he didn't need Jiang Huihui for small matters. He only needed help for things that were inconvenient for him to handle personally.
"That's fine, then." Jiang Huihui nodded. "Can we head over now?"
"Alright."
Xu Mu agreed, then headed back to the car. "You're not riding with us?"
"I'll take my scooter, or else I'll have to come back for it." She glanced at him. "Do you two know the way?"
"Nope."
Of course, Xu Mu knew the Sanitation Bureau was right next to the new factory Feng Yue had opened. But if she rode the scooter and he followed in the car, who knew how long it would take.
"How about I take you there?" Jiang Huihui patted the back seat. "Have her wait here for now. Once we arrive, just send her the address."
"Works for me."
Xu Mu walked to the car to brief Meng Wanyue, then hopped onto the back seat of Jiang Huihui's scooter.
"Hold tight, I'm driving!"
Jiang Huihui twisted the throttle. As the speed picked up, the breeze caught her loose hair, and it brushed across Xu Mu's face with a faint, refreshing fragrance.
"When are you coming to my house?" she asked from the front. "My grandpa's been wanting to meet you."
"I'm busy lately—when I find the time." Xu Mu looked ahead suddenly. "Uh… pretty sure you just ran that red light?"
"Obviously! I ride the scooter so I can run red lights," she said, blowing a big bubble as she spoke.
—
Twenty minutes later, Jiang Huihui brought Xu Mu to the Sanitation Bureau. Xu Mu sent the location to Meng Wanyue, and before long, she arrived and parked by the curb.
She hurried over, calling from a distance, "Manager Xu."
"Let's go in," Jiang Huihui said after a glance at Meng Wanyue. Hands in her jacket pockets, she headed inside. Xu Mu lightly patted Meng Wanyue's back, and they followed.
They looked around with curiosity. They'd heard the Bureau's reputation, but had never been inside.
There were lots of trees within the grounds. The concrete paths were cracked in many places. The buildings weren't tall—four stories at most—and many had peeling paint.
Xu Mu found it hard to believe that this was the stronghold of the Dragon Nation's most mysterious organization—the cleaners.
As Jiang Huihui led the way, cleaners passing by nodded respectfully. It seemed a mid-level cleaner did carry some weight.
Just then, a voice came from beneath a distant willow tree.
"Huihui! Long time no see."
All three looked over.
A man in a black cleaner's uniform walked over with a smile. He also had two white stripes. He looked just past thirty, wore long hair tied into a simple braid down his back, his cheeks were lean, and his eyes defiant—as if born with a sense of superiority.
Xu Mu noticed his uniform wasn't quite the same as Jiang Huihui's. To be precise, he had an extra white armband at the upper arm, marked with a black cross "十". Beside him stood a middle-aged man in a suit, holding documents—likely a Bureau staffer.
"Lü Pinlong, it hasn't been long—only a few days." Jiang Huihui's face was displeased. She turned to Xu Mu and the others. "Let's go."
"Huihui, what's the rush? For me, a day apart feels like three autumns," Lü Pinlong joked, stepping in front of her. He glanced at Xu Mu and Meng Wanyue. "And you two are?"
"None of your business." Jiang Huihui grabbed Xu Mu's arm. "We're leaving!"
Lü Pinlong's eyes fixed on her hand, then he blocked Xu Mu. "Huihui, don't tell me this is your boyfriend?"
"Nope," Xu Mu said with an easy wave.
"Yes. Got a problem with that?" Jiang Huihui glared at him.
"Of course I do. I like you—if you move on, I'll be heartbroken." Lü Pinlong chuckled and dropped a hand onto Xu Mu's shoulder.
Before he could exert force, Meng Wanyue lashed out with a kick. Lü Pinlong let go of Xu Mu at once and caught her ankle with a backhanded grab.
"Well now, miss, that's quite a temper," he said, amused.
Meng Wanyue tried to yank her leg back, but his grip was iron. His eyes wandered, openly sizing up her figure.
Swish!
Meng Wanyue raised her hand and slashed down with force—an almost transparent cutting wave swept toward him.
Xu Mu recognized it at once—Opening-the-Mountain Palm, the move he'd taught her.
Seeing it, Lü Pinlong retreated, but the cutting wave pursued relentlessly and was on him in a blink.
Bzz!
The air trembled. Lü Pinlong lifted his hand and caught the slash outright.
Crack!
He clenched his fist and shattered it. Golden motes flickered at his palm.
Meng Wanyue stared, incredulous, at the shimmering light.
Mystic Art Realm!
"Amazing. The young lady even used a technique on me," Lü Pinlong said, dusting off his hands with a cold smile. "Then I should return the favor, shouldn't I?"
"Stop! Lü Pinlong, they're here for registration under my lead—you will not run wild," Jiang Huihui barked.
"I'm running wild? Huihui, I like you, but you can't just lie with your eyes open," he said, smiling toward the middle-aged staffer. "Old Zhang, be the judge."
"Jiang Huihui, he was on the defensive the whole time. That woman struck first," the staffer said.
"That's because you were about to attack Manager Xu," Meng Wanyue shot back. As a former killer, her senses were razor-sharp—she'd seen his fingers tightening. If she hadn't intervened, his grip alone could've crushed Xu Mu's bones.
"I was about to? How impressive—you can see the future now?" Lü Pinlong's eyes narrowed, a chill flashing within. "No one leaves until I get a satisfactory explanation."
Jiang Huihui's eyes turned vicious. This clingy pest was too much.
At that moment, from deeper inside the Bureau, a man walked over with a cigarette dangling from his lips. He wore a gray short-sleeve shirt, messy hair, carrying a box in one hand, a big backpack, and a fishing rod slung over his shoulder.
"Brother, it's you," Xu Mu greeted with a smile, recognizing Du Yan.
"Xu Mu?" Du Yan came closer. "Didn't expect to see you again so soon."
"Heading out to fish again?"
"Just woke up. Got a feeling today—no way I'm coming home empty-handed," Du Yan said around his cigarette, stretching with a long yawn.
On the side, both Jiang Huihui and Lü Pinlong stared at Xu Mu in disbelief.