Chapter 120 Divine Chosen Affairs Department, Yu Xing Returns to City Seven

Chapter 120: Yu Xing Returns to Seventh City with the Divine Chosen Affairs Department

Fresh from her shower, Yu Xing’s loosely buttoned shirt hung over her slender frame. Her damp hand clutched her terminal as she turned, half-sitting, half-leaning against the desk. The desk faced the window, and the light streaming in illuminated the steam rising visibly from her wet hair.

She lowered her gaze to the terminal, about to tap Sui Yue’s avatar, when a call request from Sui Yue came in again.

Yu Xing raised an eyebrow and accepted.

The next second, Sui Yue’s voice crackled through the terminal. “Yu Xing?”

“It’s me.” Yu Xing adjusted herself into a more comfortable position. “Miss me?”

“Where are you?” Sui Yue’s voice was urgent. “When can you come back? Grandma’s in trouble!”

At these words, the smile instantly vanished from Yu Xing’s face. She shot to her feet, asking, “Trouble? What kind of trouble? Did the surgery go badly? It’s okay even if it didn’t go well; she can get a mechanical body if needed.”

“Grandma was taken away,” Sui Yue’s voice was hoarse, clearly distraught. “Two days. I’ve been trying to find you, but you had no signal. I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to find someone to help, but I don’t know anyone at all…”

Sui Yue was clearly panicking, and even Yu Xing felt a pang of anxiety.

However, she remained relatively calm, unlike Sui Yue. She had her own means and knew many influential friends, like Miao Yuanjin, who stood beside her.

“Don’t panic,” Yu Xing calmly reassured Sui Yue. “Calm down and explain clearly. What exactly happened to Grandma?”

Slightly steadied by Yu Xing’s words, Sui Yue said, “I… I don’t know…”

Yu Xing frowned, clearly displeased with this answer. How could he not know?

Sui Yue continued, “It seemed like there was a problem with the organ cultivation… I’m not very clear on it. That day at noon, a group of people suddenly arrived—not just doctors. They looked very serious, said some things I didn’t understand in the ward, and then took Grandma away.”

Yu Xing analyzed Sui Yue’s words in her mind: a group of serious people, not just doctors. Who could they be?

Unable to deduce anything for now, Yu Xing asked, “And then? What did they say?”

“I couldn’t understand anything they said. I just heard them mention organs and contamination.” Sui Yue, like the original host’s family, came from the lowest social stratum. Uneducated, having only interacted with others from similar backgrounds, he knew almost nothing about the world. Even when people spoke directly to him, he wouldn’t understand their meaning.

Yu Xing understood immediately: Grandma’s cultivated organs were contaminated?

But if cultivated organs were contaminated, that was the hospital’s responsibility. At most, they would just draw more blood and restart the cultivation. Why take Grandma away? The only plausible explanation was that Grandma herself had a problem.

So Yu Xing immediately asked a crucial question, “Was Grandma conscious when she was taken away?”

“Huh?” Sui Yue paused, then very firmly replied, “Yes, she was conscious. Before they took her, she even said she wanted porridge. I had just finished making a pot of pumpkin congee at home, and she drank half of it.”

Hearing this, Yu Xing relaxed slightly. Human contamination was divided into two levels. If someone completely transformed into a contaminant, they could only be killed and eliminated. But as long as they retained their consciousness, it meant they hadn’t been fully contaminated and could be purified to remove all contamination. Since Grandma was conscious at the time, the problem wasn’t insurmountable.

But then another problem arose. Yu Xing asked, “It’s been two days, and Grandma still hasn’t been sent back?”

“No,” Sui Yue said. “Later, one of those people—a very… somewhat frightening person—questioned me alone. He asked about Grandma’s condition, if she had any relatives or friends. He also asked about my relationship with Grandma and if she had shown any recent abnormalities. I told him everything, and then he was about to leave. I also asked him where they were taking Grandma, and he said it wasn’t for me to know.”

At this, Yu Xing was somewhat confused. Grandma’s situation didn’t seem like the usual treatment for an ordinary contaminated citizen.

Yu Xing couldn’t help but run a hand through her hair, which was still dripping. Miao Yuanjin, sensing from Yu Xing’s expression and words that something was wrong with her grandmother, asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I have to go,” Yu Xing said, looking at her. “I need to return to Seventh City immediately.”

Miao Yuanjin said, “But the internship isn’t over yet.”

“It… doesn’t matter anymore.” Yu Xing took two steps forward. “I have to go back right away.”

“But you can only take the train back to Seventh City, and the journey will take several days,” Miao Yuanjin said, sensing Yu Xing’s urgency.

She knew Yu Xing only had two relatives, and her brother was missing, so her grandmother absolutely could not be in trouble.

So she said, “We can ask for leave. I’ll go back with you. On the way, I can ask my family to help look into the situation. If it’s not too difficult, they might be able to resolve it.”

“Mm-hmm.” Although Yu Xing appeared calm, her mind was in turmoil. Too distracted to express gratitude, she spoke into the terminal, “Wait for me, I’ll be right back.”

Miao Yuanjin tossed a towel onto Yu Xing’s head. “First, dry your hair. I’ll go ask for leave and buy the train tickets.”

News of Yu Xing’s leave quickly spread. As she left the dormitory, fully dressed, Zhao Lan and Da Ya came over to ask, “What’s wrong? Is there trouble at home?”

“Yes,” Yu Xing nodded. “My grandma’s in trouble.”

Family emergencies were unavoidable. Zhao Lan said, “We’ll go back with you.”

Yu Xing forced a smile. She understood their concern for her; who wouldn’t care about someone they loved? But she truly wasn’t in the mood, and besides, more people didn’t necessarily mean better.

“No need,” Yu Xing said. “Miao Yuanjin said she’d go back with me.”

Zhao Lan understood immediately. Given Miao Yuanjin’s family background, if even she couldn’t solve the problem, then she and Da Ya would be even more useless.

“Then let us know if you need any help at all,” Zhao Lan said.

“That’s right,” Da Ya added. “We won’t be going outside the Walls anytime soon, so you can always reach us.”

Yu Xing nodded. “I’m leaving.”

She turned and headed downstairs, but before she even left the dormitory building, someone was hurrying up the stairs.

Di Shensi looked up and met Yu Xing’s gaze. He asked, “Family trouble?”

“Yes,” Yu Xing replied, clutching her bag as she stood on the stairs.

“What happened?” Di Shensi’s tone was calm yet firm. “Perhaps I can help?”

“I don’t know,” Yu Xing frowned. The reason she was panicking now was precisely because she didn’t know what had happened. If she knew, she could address the problem specifically, but the problem was she didn’t know.

“Officer, could you please move?” Yu Xing said. “I need to get to the station.”

Di Shensi didn’t move. Instead, he said, “I’ll drive you.”

With that, he turned and went downstairs. Yu Xing followed him out of the dormitory building, where they met Miao Yuanjin, who was rushing over.

“Leave’s approved, tickets bought!” Miao Yuanjin called out loudly. “I’ll get Ai Wei to take us to the station.”

Di Shensi strode past Miao Yuanjin, dropping a single sentence: “Follow me.”

If she remembered correctly, Di Shensi had arrived in City 24 with Yu Xing’s group; he was also a newcomer to City 24. Yet, she had no idea where he got a hovercar. He drove like a maniac, nearly scaring the farm’s cows to death. From their departure to the station, it took less than ten minutes.

After getting out of the car, Yu Xing and Miao Yuanjin, pale-faced and unsteady, said goodbye to Di Shensi. Di Shensi looked at Yu Xing through his glasses and instructed, “You can contact me for anything you need. There’s no need to be shy.”

Yu Xing thought to herself that if necessary, she would definitely contact him; the phrase “be shy” was quite unfamiliar to her.

“Go on,” Di Shensi waved.

Yu Xing and Miao Yuanjin stiffly turned and entered the station. Looking at the bustling station hall, Miao Yuanjin finally revealed an expression of confusion and exasperation. “Why did he drive so fast? The train won’t leave early. We’re still going to have to wait in the waiting lounge this early, aren’t we?”

Miao Yuanjin, of course, bought first-class tickets, and the two went to the first-class exclusive waiting lounge.

At this time, there weren’t many people in the waiting lounge. As soon as they sat down, a staff member came over and quietly asked if they needed anything.

If it weren’t for the long distance and the fear of exposing her identity, Yu Xing would have wished she could fly back on a broomstick. What else could she possibly need?

Miao Yuanjin, however, remained relatively calm. Holding her terminal, she prepared to contact her family and casually said to the staff, “Do you have meals? We need two portions of food.”

“Certainly,” the staff replied with a smile, then left. “Please wait a moment.”

Then Miao Yuanjin spoke into her terminal, “Brother, it’s me.”

A magnetic voice came from the other end of the terminal, “Oh, it’s you. I thought you’d sacrificed yourself outside the Wall. So you’re back alive?”

Miao Yuanjin’s face darkened. “I’ll tell Grandpa you cursed me!”

“…” The other end instantly fell silent, then sighed helplessly, “Alright, fine. Back from a mission? Have you already contacted Uncle and Aunt? And you still remembered to call me—I guess I didn’t spoil you in vain.”

“No,” Miao Yuanjin said. “You’re the first person I contacted after returning from outside the Wall.”

The other end fell silent again, then spoke in a strange tone, “Really? You’re not just sweet-talking me, are you?”

“No, I’m telling the truth,” Miao Yuanjin said seriously. “I can swear to the Moon God!”

This finally made the other party unable to sit still. “You… I get it. There’s definitely no good news waiting for me…”

Miao Yuanjin thought to herself that he was indeed the brother who had watched her grow up and understood her. She said, “Don’t say that. I just have a small favor to ask. We’re family; helping each other is only natural. If you refuse over such a small matter, how do you know you won’t need my help someday? Remember, when I was little, Grandpa said I was his heir.”

“That was when you were three! Grandpa was just joking!” the other party retorted angrily. “Who tells a three-year-old the truth?”

Complaints aside, he couldn’t ignore his sister’s request. Relieved to hear Miao Yuanjin was back safe and sound, he finally asked, “Alright, what is it?”

“Well, I have a friend who’s saved my life. Her grandmother’s in trouble. Can you help me look into it…?”

As the call ended, the staff member arrived with two meals.

City 24 was an agricultural city, so the station’s food offerings were richer than those in other cities. These two meals were not only generous in portion but also had a balanced ratio of meat and vegetables, immediately making them look appetizing.

Miao Yuanjin pushed one meal toward Yu Xing. “You haven’t eaten all day. I’m so hungry I feel weak. You finish all of this.”

The journey from City 24 to City 7 took several days.

Every day, Yu Xing contacted Sui Yue, asking about his current situation. Sui Yue’s answer was the same every day: no news.

Miao Yuanjin also kept pressing her brother. At first, he didn’t take it seriously, but gradually, he became more earnest. Two days later, he finally gave Miao Yuanjin an update: “This matter isn’t simple. City 1 has already sent people, and the information is being kept very tight. This isn’t under military jurisdiction, so it’s hard for me to inquire. I’ll go find Auntie; she should have a way.”

Putting down her terminal, Miao Yuanjin turned. Yu Xing was staring at her without blinking.

In just two days, she felt Yu Xing had grown thinner. Her lips were pale, and her eyes were bloodshot.

“How is it?” Yu Xing asked.

“Oh, my brother said this isn’t under military jurisdiction, so he can’t interfere,” Miao Yuanjin said. “He’s going to find my aunt. My aunt is a high-ranking official in the Divine Chosen Affairs Department.”

Yu Xing nodded, marveling inwardly at the Miao family’s extensive network—they had people in every department.

At the same time, she was deeply grateful to Miao Yuanjin. Without Miao Yuanjin, she would only be able to worry helplessly.

Seeing Yu Xing’s calm reaction, Miao Yuanjin breathed a sigh of relief. Everything she had just said was true; she hadn’t lied to Yu Xing, though there were some details she hadn’t told her.

Although her cousin was in the military, given his rank and the Miao family’s status, the Divine Chosen Affairs Department would normally not conceal ordinary matters from him. The fact that they weren’t telling him meant it wasn’t a small matter; in fact, it could be very serious.

She glanced uneasily at Yu Xing, then quickly averted her gaze. She couldn’t let Yu Xing suspect anything. At the same time, she prayed to the Moon God in her heart: *Please, Yu Xing’s grandmother must be safe. Yu Xing is already so pitiful; she only has her grandmother left. Please, merciful Moon God, protect Yu Xing. Yu Xing is also a faithful believer of the Moon God.*

On the third day, Miao Yuanjin’s aunt contacted her.

“Auntie!” Miao Yuanjin’s aunt was a serious person, not someone she could casually act cute with.

Before she could speak, her aunt said, “Is your friend with you right now?”

“Yes,” Miao Yuanjin glanced at Yu Xing. “We’ll arrive in Seventh City by noon the day after tomorrow.”

“Then tell her some things aren’t convenient to discuss over the terminal,” her aunt said. “I will personally come to the station to pick you up the day after tomorrow at noon.”

“Oh, okay,” Miao Yuanjin agreed. Before she could say anything more, the call ended.

“How was it?” Yu Xing asked.

Miao Yuanjin herself was a bit bewildered. She honestly replied, “My aunt said it’s not convenient to discuss now. She said she’ll pick us up when we arrive in Seventh City, and she’ll tell you in person then.”

Yu Xing reluctantly accepted this explanation, but her mood grew even heavier. Was the situation very serious? Why could it only be discussed in person?

Amid such worries, the train finally arrived at Seventh City Station.

Yu Xing had barely slept on the train these past few days, as sleeping would bring strange dreams. Sometimes she dreamed of the original host’s life, sometimes of things from Earth. Strangely, the Earth in her dreams felt unfamiliar.

She even dreamed of her childhood, of her mother locking her outside for an entire day in the middle of winter over a small matter.

When she woke up, she suspected her mind was playing tricks on her, because her mother had always been so good to her, even specially bringing a mango-flavored birthday cake to the mental hospital on her birthday, something none of the other patients received.

Yu Xing was shaken awake by Miao Yuanjin as the broadcast reminded passengers to disembark with their luggage.

“We’re here,” Miao Yuanjin said. “Let’s get off quickly.”

*I’ll finally get news about Grandma!*

Yu Xing sprang to her feet, striding quickly ahead of Miao Yuanjin. “Let’s go, let’s go! Quickly!”

Following the exit signs towards the station exit, Miao Yuanjin excitedly waved from afar. “Auntie! We’re here!”

Yu Xing looked in that direction and saw a tall woman in a black belted trench coat. Her hair was neatly pulled back, and her gray eyes were almost devoid of emotion.

Hearing Miao Yuanjin’s voice, those gray eyes lifted slightly, and a hint of emotion finally appeared—a faint smile.

“That’s my aunt. Doesn’t she look impressive?” Miao Yuanjin said, her face lighting up when talking about this aunt. “She’s a very powerful Divine Chosen, a Beloved of the God of Disease. I just don’t know why she has such a bad relationship with Grandpa; she hasn’t been home in years.”

As they spoke, the two arrived before the woman.

The woman scrutinized Miao Yuanjin from head to toe, then smiled. “Very good. Yuanjin has grown up, much more mature than before.”

Miao Yuanjin puffed out her chest, a proud expression on her face.

The woman’s gaze shifted to Yu Xing. She said, “Hello. My name is Miao Nianzhen, Yuanjin’s aunt, and also the Deputy Minister of Seventh City’s Divine Chosen Affairs Department.”

“Oh, hello,” Yu Xing felt that Miao Nianzhen didn’t quite resemble the Miao family, at least not Miao Yuanjin at all. She quickly introduced herself, “I’m Yu Xing, I…”

“I know,” Miao Nianzhen said flatly. “You are the sole Beloved of the God of Misfortune. We all know you.”

Yu Xing froze, feeling something was off.

“Auntie,” Miao Yuanjin didn’t notice this; she anxiously said, “About Yu Xing’s grandmother…”

“Come with me.” Miao Nianzhen raised her hand and placed it on Miao Yuanjin’s shoulder, cutting her off, then turned and walked out of the station.

Outside the station, a black hovercar was parked. Miao Yuanjin opened the car door and gestured for Yu Xing to enter. “Get in.”

Without much thought, Yu Xing got directly into the car.

Only after getting in did she realize there was already someone in the back seat: a silver-haired man Yu Xing had never seen before.

Miao Yuanjin was about to follow, but Miao Nianzhen pressed her hand on Miao Yuanjin’s head and pushed her away. Miao Nianzhen swiftly got into the car, rolled down the window, and said to Miao Yuanjin, who was still bewildered outside, “You’ve finally returned. Go see your parents and grandfather.”

With that, the car quickly started and sped away from Miao Yuanjin.

Miao Yuanjin stood frozen for a long moment before realizing what had happened. Her aunt had taken Yu Xing away alone right in front of her—this wasn’t normal!

She immediately pulled out her terminal and frantically messaged Miao Nianzhen, but Miao Nianzhen had blocked her messages.

Inside the speeding car, Yu Xing glanced at the man sitting to her left. The man was also looking at her, his narrow eyes full of scrutiny.

“Hello,” Yu Xing said. “I’m…”

“I know you,” the man smiled. “The sole Beloved of the God of Misfortune, right?”

It seemed Miao Nianzhen was telling the truth; everyone really did know her. So Yu Xing skipped the greetings and asked directly, “Where are we going?”

The man shrugged, and Miao Nianzhen, sitting in the front, said, “You’ll know when we get there.”

The car drove very fast, and soon it reached the vicinity of Old Era Park. Yu Xing thought they were going to the church, but the car turned in another direction and stopped in front of a building with a very modest entrance.

Miao Nianzhen stepped out with her long legs and beckoned Yu Xing. “Come down, follow me.”

Yu Xing got out of the car, with Miao Nianzhen leading the way and the silver-haired man walking behind, sandwiching Yu Xing between them.

Entering the unassuming gate, they found an even more modest courtyard. The ground was paved with concrete-like slabs, looking very old, with cracks even appearing in some places.

After walking through the courtyard and climbing two steps, Yu Xing saw a plain, unadorned sign that read: “Divine Chosen Affairs Department.”

This was Seventh City’s Divine Chosen Affairs Department? It looked… quite unremarkable.

Entering the main hall, people were coming and going, everyone in a hurry. Suddenly, someone nearby called Yu Xing’s name, “Yu Xing?”

Yu Xing turned her head and saw Bai Qinghe, holding a stack of items.

Bai Qinghe was quite surprised to see Yu Xing here. “What are you doing here? Weren’t you interning with the military?”

Meeting an acquaintance somewhat eased Yu Xing’s tension. She instinctively showed a smile. “I…”

“Less talk,” Miao Nianzhen said from ahead. “Keep up.”

Only then did Bai Qinghe notice the others. “Minister Miao?”

Miao Nianzhen didn’t even glance at Bai Qinghe, striding forward. Yu Xing followed closely behind Miao Nianzhen.

Bai Qinghe watched the three leave, his brows slowly furrowing. Yu Xing, who was supposed to be interning outside, had suddenly returned, and she was brought back personally by Minister Miao? Had something happened? As the captain of the second team, he knew nothing about it.

Yu Xing was led into a dim, small room. The room contained only one table and three chairs. Two chairs were placed on the outer side of the table, and one chair was placed on the inner side. The chair on the inner side was connected to a strange machine behind it.

Miao Nianzhen led her to the inner chair and said, “Sit down.”

As soon as Yu Xing sat down, someone from outside pushed the door open and asked, “Can we begin?”

“Yes,” Miao Nianzhen said.

So the newcomer walked up to Yu Xing, clasped their hands together, and began chanting under their breath.

Yu Xing felt very uneasy. She gripped the armrests of the chair with both hands and asked, “Excuse me, what is this for?”

“Don’t move,” Miao Nianzhen said. “It’s just a purification for you.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a light even more dazzling than Miao Yuanjin’s holy light descended upon Yu Xing. Yu Xing felt bewildered; she was perfectly fine, so why purify her?

The holy light lingered on Yu Xing for a full ten minutes. After that, the Moon God Chosen retracted their divine skill and turned to Miao Nianzhen, saying, “No problem, she has no contamination on her. I’ve checked very carefully.”

“Understood,” Miao Nianzhen nodded, then dismissed the person.

Afterward, she closed the door and sat opposite Yu Xing. The silver-haired man turned on the light, and the sudden brightness made Yu Xing’s eyes uncomfortable. By the time Yu Xing reopened her eyes, the silver-haired man was also sitting opposite her.

“It seems your glasses are useless then,” Miao Nianzhen said. “I’ve seen your records. Your eyes had surgery and are fine now, so why do you still wear glasses?”

Yu Xing’s body involuntarily tensed; everything here made her uneasy.

She said, “Why did you bring me here? Where’s my grandma?”

No one answered her question. Miao Nianzhen and the silver-haired man both stared silently at Yu Xing.

After a while, the silver-haired man asked, “How much do you know about your grandmother’s situation?”