Xia Jin was an orphan, and for him, the Fourth Bureau was his family.
When he heard Zhouzhou's words, a warmth flickered in his eyes. He lowered his head, nodding slowly. "Alright."
He too longed to go back. But the island they had once been on had been attacked after they accidentally revealed their location due to the drugs they had been injected with. Since then, the location had been moved. He wasn't sure where "ho" was anymore. Moreover, he was sowhat... afraid to know.
The mories of what had happened before caused a montary flash of pain in his eyes. Although it wasn't intentional, those events were still a consequence of their actions.
Ye Lingfeng could tell what he was thinking just from looking at his expression.
"It's not your fault," Ye Lingfeng said, his voice firm. "And no one was hurt. Though the attack ca out of nowhere, we are always prepared for unexpected situations. The island's security was tight, so we quickly dealt with the intruders and made them retreat. Moving was just a precaution, to avoid any further exposure."
Ye Lingfeng paused for a mont, looking directly at Xia Jin. "You've been missed. Don't you want to go back and see everyone?"
Though the others were still alive, there would be many more chances to et. But for Xia Jin...
As Ye Lingfeng's words sank in, Xia Jin's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed. He couldn't resist the temptation of going ho, and slowly nodded. "Alright."
Almost as soon as he nodded, Zhouzhou's face lit up with a bright smile. She grabbed his hand, practically bouncing with excitent. "Yay! That ans when I go back, I can see Uncle Xia too!"
Xia Jin couldn't help but laugh, reaching out to rub her head. His heart, which had been tense, felt lighter now.
eting the little girl again felt good. With her around, everything seed to brighten up.
He finally allowed himself to relax, and together, they boarded the plane to head back to the Fourth Bureau.
Before takeoff, Zhouzhou received a call from Li Yuanming.
As soon as she picked up, he asked, "Zhouzhou, didn't you say you were coming back? How long has it been? I've been waiting forever! The vegetables are practically rotting!"
Zhouzhou smacked her forehead. She had completely forgotten to inform her master. "Sorry, Master, I've been really busy lately. I won't be able to co back for a few more days."
"Few more days?" Li Yuanming grumbled, holding his chest. "How many more days do you think I have left? I'm an old man, not a young one! What do I need more of, huh?"
Zhouzhou sighed. "Master, stop pretending. I've already calculated it. You're going to live to be a hundred."
He was sixty this year, and with his strong constitution, living another forty years was no problem.
"With your lung capacity, you could probably go on forever," Zhouzhou added, teasing him.
Exposed, Li Yuanming snorted. "I've got plenty more 'few days' left, but those vegetables aren't going to wait!"
"If you don't co back, I'm going to give all those vegetables to the pilgrims!"
Zhouzhou had no idea when she'd be able to return, so she looked up at Ye Lingfeng for help. They had previously agreed that she would go to the island for training during the winter and sumr breaks.
After thinking for a mont, Ye Lingfeng replied, "We'll go back tomorrow."
They'd first visit Li Yuanming, and knowing how quickly they could finish the food, Li Yuanming would probably be asking them to leave soon anyway. It was perfect timing.
Zhouzhou nodded enthusiastically. "Okay, Master. I'll co see you tomorrow."
"That's more like it!" Li Yuanming said with satisfaction. "I still have things to do, so I'm hanging up now."
Without another word, he ended the call. Then, he imdiately grabbed a basket and headed to the back mountain to pick vegetables.
"Zhouzhou is coming back tomorrow!" he announced to anyone within earshot, his smile widening with each word.
Zhouzhou was still unaware of what was happening on this end, but her heart had already been filled with longing.
She couldn't wait to go back to the mountain.
"Dad, can we stay a little longer when we get to the mountain?" Zhouzhou asked, her eyes sparkling with excitent.
Ye Lingfeng nodded. "Of course we can."
Zhouzhou's face lit up. "Great! When we're there, I'll take you to have fun. The mountain is so much fun! We can catch fish, gather bird eggs..." She licked her lips as she spoke.
Ye Lingfeng chuckled. "You'll make your master jealous if he hears that."
"Why?" Zhouzhou blinked at him innocently.
"Because," Ye Lingfeng said with a smirk, "You're not going back just because you miss him. You're going back because you want to enjoy yourself."
Zhouzhou thought for a mont and nodded seriously. "He'll probably cry too."
Not real tears, of course. He'd fake it, pretending to cry that she wasn't filial, calling her an ungrateful disciple. It was one of Master's old habits.
Ye Lingfeng chuckled again, finding it amusing. He had no doubt that Zhouzhou's dramatic flair was sothing she learned from Li Yuanming. He smiled to himself, amused at the thought of their teacher-student antics.
Xia Jin, who had been listening quietly, chuckled as well, clearly entertained by their playful exchange.
After flying for more than three hours, the plane began its descent. Xia Jin's heart raced as he looked out the window, spotting the familiar island below.
Ye Lingfeng noticed his tense expression and spoke up. "When we returned earlier, Director Zhao brought your remains back. He said, 'The Fourth Bureau is always our ho. We live as people of the Fourth Bureau and, when we die, our souls will belong to it.'"
Upon hearing those words, Xia Jin's heart slowly eased, and his eyes grew a little moist.
Ye Lingfeng patted him gently on the shoulder but said nothing further.
Before long, the plane touched down, and they disembarked. They went directly to the cetery.
Zhouzhou, full of energy, led the way, calling out cheerfully, "Grandpa! Uncles, aunties, brothers, sisters, I'm back!"
As soon as her voice rang out, a group of spirits floated over, surrounding her with smiles.
"You're finally back! You should've been here ages ago. Didn't you go on break already?"
Zhouzhou, not needing to hide anything, told them everything about what happened with Qiu Guoliang and the Brian family.
After hearing the story, the spirits' faces grew grim, their fists clenched, full of rage.
"I'd love to kill them!"
How dare they treat their comrades like this?
Many of these spirits had known Qiu Guoliang personally, and even if they hadn't t him in life, they had crossed paths during their ti in the afterlife. Qiu Guoliang was soone they held in high regard, and after his mission, they hadn't seen him for a while, worrying that he had perished.
But they never imagined that the outco would be far worse than they had anticipated.
Everyone was seething with anger.
Just then, Xia Jin stepped forward.
When they saw him, the spirits were overjoyed, rushing to greet him. "Xia Jin!"
After a brief greeting, they all turned their gaze to the grave marker. It was a new one.
When Zhao Xinghua brought Xia Jin's remains back half a month ago, it had been freshly erected.
There were flowers and food placed at the base of the tombstone, all of which had been Xia Jin's favorites when he was alive.
Seeing this, Xia Jin felt a lump rise in his throat.
Ye Lingfeng placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Everyone has missed you. This place will always be your ho."
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