"First, was the bracelet you gave me tampered with?" the demon spider asked.
"No, I gave it to Lord Bai Zhi with sincere intentions, simply hoping to improve Lord Bai Zhi's impression of me, so that later I might... might seek an opportunity to establish a contract with Lord Bai Zhi..." the young woman said in a trembling voice.
The demon spider thought to itself: As expected. At that point, she still hadn't given up on the idea of taming me, planning to play the affection-building game here...
But she overlooked one thing: the demon spider was not an NPC but a Boss. There was no affinity progress bar — only a rage meter.
"Second, what is that pendant of yours?"
"It... it is the Saintess's token, capable of warding off evil and protecting its master. That it showed disrespect to Lord Bai Zhi just now was truly not my intention — it activated on its own. There are times when even I cannot fully control it..."
By now, the black crystal pendant had already fallen back into the unfathomably deep cleavage, completely out of sight.
For no reason at all, the demon spider suddenly felt an impulse to personally retrieve it...
But it forcefully suppressed the urge.
"Third, you said the Jiuli Sect's sacred artifact can truly enable Transformation? And you can actually use it?" the demon spider continued to ask.
"The sacred artifact is certainly capable of that, but for me to truly use it, I would need to obtain the Sect Leader's permission."
The demon spider inwardly scoffed. "Painting a rosy picture" was nothing but an empty promise after all.
"..."
After the demon spider asked a few more questions about the Jiuli Sect and the Secret Keepers Bureau, it released the silk bindings on Yang Shining and the fox.
Just as it sensed Yang Shining's mood slightly relax, the demon spider abruptly asked:
"After you go back, will you expose my location?"
It sensed that Yang Shining's mind instantly tensed up again.
"No."
Yang Shining shook her head. "I know that even if I rallied the entire sect, we would be no match for Lord Bai Zhi — unless the Sect Leader came personally, but the Sect Leader has been in seclusion for many years now."
"More importantly, I won't gamble with my own life."
Straining its senses, the demon spider did not detect any hidden emotions in her mind.
"Lord Bai Zhi, I have a presumptuous request." Yang Shining suddenly lowered her head.
"If I am able to assist Lord Bai Zhi in advancing, would Lord Bai Zhi be willing to lend aid should my Jiuli Sect ever face a crisis?"
After two seconds of silence, Bai Jie said calmly: "If such a time truly comes, I will consider it."
"You may leave now."
Yang Shining froze for a moment, then, holding the fox, departed wordlessly with rapid steps, clearly wishing to get as far away from this back mountain — this place that had left her with psychological scars — as quickly as possible.
Bai Jie did not bring up matters related to Agents with her.
Those few drops of Mutagenic Venom were merely seeds. Whether Yang Shining could become an Agent would depend on observing the changes those seeds nurtured, and on probing the shifts in her future intentions.
"Big Sister Bai Zhi, why didn't you eat that human and the hairy weirdo?"
The little snake leaped out of the pool, landing precisely atop the demon spider's head.
The demon spider replied with a slightly doting chuckle: "That was a handmaiden and a power bank. They might prove useful in the future."
Ever since being snarled at by that stinky fox, Bai Jie had found Bai Huahua much more agreeable — at least she was soft, smooth, and obedient.
It had to be said, sparing Yang Shining's life was the riskiest decision Bai Jie had made since its reincarnation, but also the one with the greatest potential payoff.
Whether it was the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox or that miraculous black crystal pendant, both demonstrated that Yang Shining's value was not something a mere Wu Gu Clan inner disciple like Long Ge could compare to.
Of course, Bai Jie had not placed all its hopes for advancement and Transformation on the Jiuli Saintess and that sacred artifact either.
It still had to rely mainly on itself.
...
The back mountain was very lively today.
Because Yang Shining had left in the morning, and at noon, the demon spider had returned to its web nest, taken a nap, and upon waking...
It discovered eight additional orb-shaped, blue-glowing gelatinous objects.
"Eight?!"
"What kind of sequence progression is this..."
"Sigh... When will this ever end?"
After a bout of lamentation, the demon spider quickly accepted reality. It had to admit, its adaptability seemed to be growing stronger and stronger...
Not long after, Lin Binbin and Long Ge arrived as well.
"Lord Bai Zhi."
The two called out in unison, both wearing stiff expressions, clearly not happy with each other.
"You've come at a good time. Tell me, what have you discovered?"
Bai Jie's telepathic voice, unlike its usual detachment, carried a hint of anticipation.
Long Ge spoke first:
"Lord Bai Zhi, based on the investigation of our clan's scouts, Wang Miaoyin has indeed vanished. There is no trace of her on campus or in the vicinity. Even the Criminal Investigation Department is looking into her disappearance, though they haven't publicly announced that she is missing yet."
Vanished?!
She's really not on campus anymore, and I wasted my time sweeping several buildings and found nothing... Bai Jie grumbled inwardly.
The previous task Bai Jie had assigned to the two of them was precisely to help it investigate Wang Miaoyin's whereabouts and to keep an eye on recent anomalous events in Yongan City.
Lin Binbin continued:
"Several murders have occurred in the South District. The victims are all young males, and when found, their bodies were all desiccated."
"Surveillance footage shows that the common intersection point for these males was a young woman with a graceful figure... suspected to be Wang Miaoyin."
"Furthermore, a large number of law enforcers are converging on the South District, as if preparing for something."
Bai Jie nodded slightly. Because Lin Binbin had excelled in underground ring fighting, he had gotten acquainted with the ring's behind-the-scenes boss and, through some gray-market channels, could learn about law enforcement movements and progress. This was not surprising.
The South District... That was an old urban area. Come to think of it, Bai Jie hadn't really been there since starting university.
Since anomalous events were occurring there, it now had reason to make a trip.
"I understand."
As the noble voice fell, both men's expressions grew solemn.
It was time for rewards and recognition. Bai Jie injected Long Ge with a drop of Mutagenic Venom and gave the Wu Gu Clan's Qiankun Pouch to Lin Binbin.
As for the bracelet containing a mustard-seed space that Yang Shining had given, Bai Jie kept it for itself — after confirming the bracelet had no tampering, it had discovered that the space inside the bracelet was even larger.
Bai Jie explained: "'Spirit Fluid' is not a case of 'more is better.' If one's own will is not strong enough yet absorbs too much Spirit Fluid, there is instead the risk of losing control and transforming into an anomalous creature."
This left Lin Binbin overwhelmed with gratitude. After the Mutagenic Venom's transformation, his physical body could now contain and channel spiritual energy, so using the Qiankun Pouch was naturally no issue.
Additionally, Bai Jie gave one young Devourer Demon Spider each to Lin Binbin and Long Ge.
That's right — "gifted"!
Bai Jie no longer bothered to hide it. Since these little ones came in an endless stream anyway, it directly told the two Agents: "These are bestowed upon you. Take good care of them; they can protect you at critical moments."
As the saying goes — one child is a flower in the garden, many children bring many troubles, no children at all, and you're a living Bodhisattva.
Bai Jie now still had three Devourer Demon Spiders and eight spider eggs at its side. Were it not for the fear of making the Agents think the little spiders were worthless,
it would have happily given all eight spider eggs away too!
"Thank you, Lord Bai Zhi!"
The two who received the Devourer Demon Spiders were overjoyed, as if they had obtained a priceless treasure. Their enthusiasm was even higher than when they received the "Spirit Fluid."
Long Ge, in particular, had long envied the little golden spider in Lin Binbin's hands.