INHA Chapter 17

Because of the chief’s explanation earlier, the attention focused on Xu Dongyou gradually decreased over time.

It was believed that in a few more days, no one would remember this incident.

Xu Dongyou returned to school to attend classes as usual. Since the true cause of the student’s death could not be made public and everyone had seen him jump on his own, the police had to classify it as a suicide.

However, the school and the authorities provided a large compensation to the family of the deceased out of humanitarian concern.

As for the body, since it was not contaminated by any evil influence, it was returned to the family of the deceased.

The matter was concluded.

However, as members of the Handling Bureau, there were still follow-up tasks to complete such as submitting a mission report. Once it was approved, the corresponding mission points would be awarded.

Fortunately, the entire team participated in this incident, so Tian Ze handled the report submission.

Tian Ze, with a grand gesture, assigned the follow-up task to Zhao Liu.

In less than a few hours, Xu Dongyou received a notification from the Handling Bureau’s system about the points.

A total of five points, which meant one point per person.

However, the chief had mentioned trying to have the entire team handle this incident together; otherwise, there was no need for so many people to be involved.

Therefore, an additional point was awarded to each person.

Everyone was very satisfied and happy.

Xu Dongyou increasingly hoped to improve his abilities so that he could become an independent handler.

Speaking of this, Xu Dongyou remembered the reward for the supreme mission, which seemed to have no news yet.

He wondered what good things the headquarters would provide.

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became.

After two or three more days, the Handling Bureau staff realized they couldn’t find Xu Dongyou anymore. Realizing that no matter how much they envied wouldn’t change anything, they dispersed and went about their own tasks.

The hall returned to its usual calm.

The chief promptly urged Tian Ze to quickly call Xu Dongyou over to start learning how to use spiritual energy.

Tian Ze complied.

When Xu Dongyou arrived at the Handling Bureau, he cautiously and discreetly wore a hat.

Tian Ze said, “Everyone’s abilities and focuses are different. Generally, you gradually become aware of what you’re good at during the course of missions. But for the basics, you can go to the practice room to watch instructional videos. You can only use your memory to retain the information; you are not allowed to record or take anything out.”

Xu Dongyou nodded, feeling both curious and nervous as he entered the practice room. The Handling Bureau thoughtfully provided separate practice rooms, and he could vaguely see a few people inside, intently watching videos.

Xu Dongyou chose a practice room. As soon as he entered, a semi-transparent screen popped up in front of him, displaying different categories.

There were categories for talismans, formations, weapons, and more.

Uncertain of what he was good at, Xu Dongyou decided to get a general understanding of each category’s characteristics and then choose one that interested him to start learning.

He opened the videos one by one. After Xu Dongyou finished gaining a general understanding, four hours passed.

Xu Dongyou stretched his shoulders, feeling extremely sore, with his bones protesting loudly.

He stood up to move around a bit, then sat back down, pursing his lips in serious thought.

Based on his current understanding, talismans seemed to be the most versatile. They could be used for both offense and defense, were very flexible, and were extremely easy to carry.

A thick stack of talismans could fit in a pocket without any problem.

The issue, however, was that these ready-made talismans were very expensive. Simple talismans could be purchased at 1 point for three, but the more advanced ones were increasingly costly.

It was a significant expense.

Many handlers were reluctant to buy them and often chose to purchase special blank talisman paper produced by the Handling Bureau to draw their own.

However, the patterns of the talismans are very complex and require infusing spiritual energy into a special vermillion ink produced by the Handling Bureau, and then carefully drawing them out.

Some people with low spiritual energy can often only draw one talisman and need a week to recover.

Xu Dongyou’s spiritual energy was considered very high among newcomers, so he might try to pursue the talisman path.

Talismans have diverse functions, such as immobilizing resentful spirits and ghosts when used with incantations, which also require spiritual energy to control.

As for arrays, they are highly functional but come with the most limitations.

They are best suited for preemptive setups and ambushes.

Zhao Liu specializes in arrays, which is why Zhang Wu needed to block the resentful spirits in front, giving Zhao Liu at least a minute to set up the array behind.

Tian Ze, on the other hand, leaned towards weaponry, which includes enchanted tools with significant destructive power but requires exceptional skill to use.

There are also other enchanted tools, such as spiked clubs, long swords, etc., but these are very inconvenient to carry. Especially in urban areas, carrying these items can easily attract attention and cause panic.

Therefore, they must be stored in the car trunk and taken out when needed, but it might be too late by then.

So most who use weapons choose smaller, more convenient ones, though these have high usage thresholds. As a result, more handlers currently choose talismans and arrays.

After careful consideration, Xu Dongyou decided to choose talismans as well.

Having determined his future path, Xu Dongyou began learning how to use spiritual energy from the tutorial videos, which required him to close his eyes, concentrate, and carefully sense the energy within his body.

Then, he was to try to focus this energy into his palms.

However, the tutorial also mentioned that while most people succeed in the first step easily, the second step usually takes at least three days to accomplish.

So, it’s crucial not to get impatient. Being patient will make success easier.

Xu Dongyou remained calm, closed his eyes, and carefully sensed the energy within his body. However, the more he felt, the more he sensed something was off.

He was bewildered when he felt two distinctly different energies in his palms.

Why… are there two?

Moreover, the energy in his left palm seemed to have a faint white mist floating around it, which could be easily overlooked if not carefully observed.

In his right palm, there was nothing visible, but Xu Dongyou could indeed feel the energy lurking there.

Could this be related to his identity as a member of the demon clan?

Feeling uneasy, Xu Dongyou dispersed the two energies. He couldn’t calm down to continue studying, so he left the practice room.

Tian Ze immediately approached and asked, “How did it go? Have you decided on your path?”

Xu Dongyou carefully looked around, ensuring no one was nearby, before leaning in and whispering, “Captain, I encountered a small problem while sensing my spiritual energy.”

He emphasized “small problem” in a softer tone to indicate it wasn’t a big issue.

Tian Ze didn’t think much of it and waved his hand. “Tell me about it. As someone with experience, I might be able to help.”

Xu Dongyou extended his hands and, in a very quiet voice, said, “While sensing the spiritual energy, I felt two kinds of energy in my hands.”

Tian Ze reacted strongly, exclaiming, “What?!”

Xu Dongyou was a bit nervous. “Captain, please keep your voice down.”

Tian Ze, still shocked, lowered his voice and asked, “Are you serious?”

He then thought of something and said to Xu Dongyou, “Could this be related to your identity?”

After all, Xu Dongyou wasn’t human but a member of the demon clan.

Xu Dongyou had the same thought. He was puzzled, “Do demon clan members also have both demonic energy and spiritual energy within them?”

Tian Ze was at a loss for words.

Faced with Xu Dongyou’s inquisitive gaze, Tian Ze realized he couldn’t just admit he didn’t know. Given the seriousness of the situation, he thought for a moment and said, “I’ll ask the chief about this.”

Xu Dongyou nodded.

A few minutes later, the chief sent a message, saying he didn’t know either. However, he went to the top floor to ask Elder Chen. Elder Chen was also shocked and surprised, and he said he would thoroughly research demon clan information over the next few days and then inform Xu Dongyou.

Elder Chen also mentioned not to worry too much, as having two kinds of abilities is a good thing.

After Tian Ze relayed this, Xu Dongyou breathed a sigh of relief and smiled happily. His eyes curved like crescent moons, making others want to smile along with him. “Then I’m relieved. Thank you, Captain. Please also thank the chief for me.”

As for Elder Chen, Xu Dongyou planned to thank him personally over the weekend.

Tian Ze felt a surge of pride, feeling that his role as captain was even more impressive and important. “You’re welcome. So, have you decided on your path?”

He nearly forgot the main matter.

Xu Dongyou told Tian Ze that he chose the path of talismans and explained his reasons.

Tian Ze wasn’t surprised. “Many people in our bureau choose that path. Since your spiritual energy is high, you can draw some talismans and sell them if you ever need more points.”

Xu Dongyou agreed. He could also exchange points for some RMB to buy a gift for his brother.

On his way back to school, Xu Dongyou remembered he forgot to ask Tian Ze about the ghost baby’s mother.

He quickly used his spiritual energy watch to contact Tian Ze and mentioned this matter.

Tian Ze soon replied, saying he used the bureau’s system to find the ghost baby’s mother and mentioned that Ren Haiming had been sentenced to death for killing the baby.

The student who jumped to his death at school had been classified as a suicide, so they couldn’t inform the woman that Ren Haiming had actually killed two people.

The woman was stunned for a long time after hearing the news and finally said, “Thank you for telling me.”

Then she left.

Tian Ze added that the woman had a new boyfriend and was about to get married. Perhaps when she agreed to Ren Haiming’s suggestion to send the child to the countryside, she had already decided she didn’t want the child.

So, upon hearing the news of the child’s death, she was silent for only a few seconds.

Xu Dongyou felt a pang of sadness.

If she didn’t want the child, why give birth to it?

Why bring the child into this world?

Because of this, Xu Dongyou was in a low mood for the next few days but still persisted in practicing spiritual energy control in hidden corners of the school, determined to improve his abilities.

On Saturday, Xu Dongyou first went to the top floor of the Handling Bureau to thank Elder Chen for his help.

Elder Chen, smiling, pulled out a pot of tea.

Xu Dongyou hesitated for a few seconds but obediently drank it all, then let out a satisfied burp before asking Elder Chen if there was a way to determine if someone was a demon.

Elder Chen seemed to understand Xu Dongyou’s thoughts and said, “Once a demon transforms into human form, there’s no way to tell if they are a demon. In fact, I’ve already looked into your background and your parents’. Would you like to know?”

As the only offspring of the demon clan, he naturally needed to know everything about them and even sought help from the Chief.

Xu Dongyou bit his lip and finally replied, “I… want to know.”

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