The cars honking in the morning, crowded buses, hurried office workers, students running with backpacks on their backs, these scenes intertwined together, and the tense and busy life officially began.

There was still time, Wang Xuan found a small restaurant on the roadside, ordered a pancake, a cup of sweet soy milk, and a bowl of salty tofu pudding. He felt that the sweet and salty dispute between the north and the south could be put to rest.

"Did I come early?" He found himself the first one to arrive at the office. Liu Xue, who loved to dress up, arrived ten minutes later, and the others arrived one by one half an hour later.

There was nothing to do in the morning. Wang Xuan sent and received a few emails, briefly dealt with two drawings, and then quietly studied the Daoist scriptures.

Of course, he was also paying attention to his old colleague, Chen Yongjie, who loved to make phone calls and invite people to go fishing.

Sure enough, there was a problem. Wang Xuan's heart jumped.

In the morning, his old colleague made several phone calls in a row, talking about fishing, the storm last night, and the sunny weather this morning.

In his opinion, his old colleague was speaking in code!

Never mind the fishing, he had personally experienced it in the Greater Khingan Mountains. The storm last night must be referring to the removal of the Grey Blood Organization, and the sunny weather today should mean that all parties were keeping a low profile.

And... Wang Xuan felt that something was off about everyone!

For example, that guy with black-framed glasses, talking on the phone about killing all night and feeling sleepy now.

The two sisters who loved to play mahjong were also whispering to each other, saying that fortunes change and luck is not permanent, they will fight again next time.

And that colleague who was a bit sentimental and loved to write poetry, came early in the morning and recited a poem: "I hang a string of fireworks in the sky, with a bang, it explodes so brilliantly, stunning the world."

Wang Xuan's heart was pounding. Who were these people?!

Could it be that they all participated in an operation last night, piloting warships to destroy a batch of enemy spacecraft?

Finally, Wang Xuan even felt that something was off about Liu Xue, the girl next to him who was applying lipstick in front of a small mirror. She said the color of the lipstick was not right, she liked a melancholic red, a blood-red color with a touch of sorrow, that was when it had a serene beauty.

Listen, everyone in the room was speaking in code. Wang Xuan suddenly felt a headache. He sat there quietly, forcing himself to concentrate and study the Daoist scriptures.

Finally, it was time for lunch. The mood of his colleagues was good, and they took Wang Xuan, the newcomer, to a newly opened restaurant outside the design institute to try it out.

Wang Xuan ate without any taste, his mind was elsewhere. He wanted to ask them, but he was afraid of being too abrupt and direct.

After lunch, it was the older colleagues who were more stable. One of them approached Wang Xuan privately, but a sentence almost made him turn around and leave, because the old colleague asked him if he wanted to go fishing.

After the dangerous experience in the Greater Khingan Mountains, almost being locked onto by the Grey Blood Organization's spaceship, Wang Xuan didn't want to wade into similar muddy waters anymore.

"Young man, you are still young, still passionate, still have youth and tears, cherish it."

Wang Xuan asked him with a straight face, if he wanted him to be bait again?

"What are you thinking? I'm just inviting you to go fishing in the abandoned machinery factory behind the design institute. There is a small lake there, overgrown with reeds, and the wild fish are fat."

Wang Xuan looked at him suspiciously. Did his old colleague just indirectly admit that he was a high-ranking member of the exploration organization?

"It's me." As if knowing what he was thinking, the old colleague admitted directly, saying, "Let's go, we just had lunch, we can chat while walking and go fishing for a while." He was well-prepared, with various fishing gear in the trunk of his old red car.

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On the way, Wang Xuan couldn't help but ask, what are the identities of his colleagues in the office?

His old colleague Chen Yongjie was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but burst into laughter, saying, "Where did you think we were? Do you really think our retirement office is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers? They are just a group of normal men and women who love playing games, playing mahjong, writing sentimental poems, dressing up, and watching horror movies. The only abnormal ones are you and me."

Wang Xuan was speechless and couldn't come back to his senses for a long time. Finally, he said, "You are the abnormal one, I am normal!"

Chen Yongjie looked at him in surprise and said, "Are you really normal? I heard that with one slap, you wiped a beautiful woman's face clean, and within a few days, you killed five people."

"That's a rumor and slander, I have never killed anyone!" Wang Xuan quickly corrected. He followed the law and only injured five people in self-defense.

"It's all the same." The old colleague nodded.

Wang Xuan didn't want to explain to him anymore. He wanted to ask what his identity was and how he ended up working in such an inconspicuous place.

The old colleague brought him to the lake in the abandoned machinery factory and set up the fishing rods, saying, "I am Qing Mu's master, running between New Planet and Old Planet. No matter which side I am on, I need a peaceful job as a cover. Don't you also like it here?"

As soon as Wang Xuan heard this, he understood. Qing Mu had long been prepared and guarded against him. When he had just graduated, he arranged for him to be with his master.

Even if Wang Xuan hadn't chosen to join the exploration organization, with this old colleague by his side, he would probably be persuaded to join sooner or later.

"You guys planned this!" Wang Xuan sighed, but what else could he say? His old colleague had already revealed his identity, showing his sincerity.

"Don't have any worries. Last time, we calculated and arranged it carefully. The Grey Blood Organization's spaceship couldn't threaten you at all. If they dared to show up, they would be shot down. Forget about it, let's not talk about these things. I heard that you are practicing the Golden Body Technique, so I have a gift for you."

The old colleague handed him a book that seemed to have been around for a while, with a sense of age.

Wang Xuan took it and opened it, carefully reading it. He showed a surprised expression as he read through it. The book recorded various plants, minerals, and strange creatures.

"Is this reliable?" He flipped through a few pages and suddenly felt like he had opened up a whole new world.

For example, the book recorded Moonlight Silver, an extremely rare and special mineral. When the ore was struck, silver liquid would flow out, which needed to be consumed immediately, otherwise it would quickly evaporate, dissipating like bright moonlight.

If an ordinary person could drink some, it could invigorate their flesh and blood. For those practicing the Golden Body Technique and Iron Cloth Shirt, it was the most effective, considered a great tonic that could accelerate physical improvement.There was also a certain type of golden mushroom, which when ground into powder and made into soup, could increase bone density, nourish the bone marrow, and produce new blood with more vitality, gradually improving the body's constitution.

The more Wang Xuan read, the more absurd he found it. He had never heard of these things before, and he felt that even if he referred to an encyclopedia, he wouldn't be able to find the actual items.

For example, it mentioned a certain type of mountain snail, which lived in the rocks and was considered a rare mountain treasure. If caught, dried, and ground, taking a dose daily for half a month could extend one's life by five years.

The more Wang Xuan read, the more skeptical he became. He had perused the Compendium of Materia Medica and other such texts in his spare time, but he had never seen any of these strange and unusual things.

His old colleague, Chen Yongjie, spoke up, "Don't be so skeptical. These things are recorded in the ancestral halls of Taoism and ancient Buddhist temples. This book is just a compilation, and it also includes some strange items mentioned in the bamboo slips from the pre-Qin period."

Wang Xuan was taken aback and said, "But after so many years, who has seen them? They have been extinct for many years."

"You can't see them on the Old Planet anymore, but that doesn't mean they don't exist in deep space," the old colleague smiled.

Wang Xuan keenly noticed that he mentioned deep space, not the New Planet, and felt a subtle difference.

The old colleague suddenly pulled on his fishing rod, shook his head regretfully, the fish had escaped, he didn't catch it. He continued, "These strange items have been found by some people in the past decade or so. Although the quantity is not much, they have caused quite a stir. Hmm, someone even found the Immortal Grass, but unfortunately, they couldn't pick it."

Wang Xuan quickly flipped through the book, found the page about the Immortal Grass, and its description was simply dreamy. Consuming one plant could extend one's life by two hundred years.

"So, people on the New Planet are going crazy. Extending life by two hundred years is equivalent to two new lives for ordinary people. The old guys in the financial circles, the heads of the Life Research Institute, etc., are all going mad and taking action."

Wang Xuan was indeed emotionally stirred, but he quickly became alert again. This old man loved "fishing", and now he might be up to something again.

"It sounds like it's quite lively over there. You gave me this book and told me these things to whet my appetite. What are you up to? Out with it!"

"Young people these days think too much. Not like in our time, we were all simple and good young men. You're overthinking it," the old colleague shook his head, then suddenly pulled on his fishing rod and finally caught a... turtle.

"Go away, stop messing around, I'm fishing!" The old man removed the turtle and threw it away. In his words, this thing looked like it had just been released not long ago, half-dead, not a tonic at all.

"The quota to go to the New Planet is very tight, young man, you have to work hard." As he was leaving, the old colleague said this.

However, ever since he finished talking about these things, Wang Xuan had been on guard against him, slightly suspicious. Even if he wanted to go to the New Planet, it would be better to bypass the old colleague.

When he returned home that night, he practiced the old techniques, pondered the transformation stone, and thought about the strange flowers and herbs and various minerals mentioned in the book.

"Studying the Taoist collection during the day and practicing the old techniques at night, this kind of life is not bad. I'll consider going to the New Planet after a while. For now, I'll see if I can find the transformation stone."

There was a thousand-year-old temple outside the city, and Wang Xuan planned to visit it soon.

Tomorrow was Saturday, and he planned to go home early to see his parents. The distance was not too far, and he usually went back once every two weeks.

"There's a mountain near my home, and there seem to be some legends about it, something to do with a fairy." Wang Xuan had a thought. Although he couldn't go to the thousand-year-old temple for now, he could take a walk in the mountain when he went home.

Plans can't keep up with changes. That night, Wang Xuan had a nightmare. He dreamt of a woman in white clothes and red shoes, with long hair draped over her shoulders. Her beautiful face was streaked with two lines of blood, and she kept getting closer to him, almost touching his face, which woke him up.

Ever since he started practicing the old techniques, he had been sleeping soundly and had never had a nightmare. But tonight was a bit strange.

Wang Xuan adjusted his breathing to calm himself down. Soon he fell asleep again, but an hour later he woke up again, feeling a cold wind on his face, and once again dreamt of the woman with two lines of blood tears on her face.

He realized that something was wrong. He was in big trouble. He didn't believe in these things, but the reality was that as soon as he fell asleep, he would dream of that woman.

"It seems I can't go home tomorrow." He didn't understand what was going on, and he didn't want to rush home. It seemed that he had been contaminated with something bad.

That night, Wang Xuan fell asleep and woke up again and again until dawn. He immediately contacted his old colleague, Chen Yongjie. He felt that Qing Mu couldn't help him now.

"Is that so?" The old colleague was very serious, and he didn't disbelieve it. As a seasoned explorer, he had personally experienced some abnormal events that he still couldn't explain.

"Don't worry, I'll have someone send you a talisman later. It was drawn by an old Taoist priest who has lived for over a hundred years. It's very useful."

The old colleague did as he said, and had it delivered in the afternoon.

However, when night fell, the unsettling strange phenomenon appeared again, and the so-called Taoist talisman burned directly, almost setting Wang Xuan's bedding and hair on fire, leaving him dumbfounded.

The situation worsened in the second half of the night. After finally falling asleep, he was awakened by a cold chill. He felt something in his arms, covered in hair, with a pair of terrifying eyes open, staring at him!