Seeing Qingque humming a little tune while she worked, her colleague sitting nearby jumped in surprise.
In his memory, Qingque had never been the type to enjoy her job.
She clocked out right on the dot every day and dragged herself into work like she was heading to a funeral.
So seeing her cheerfully plugging away today for the first time ever made his scalp tingle. Had she suddenly fallen to the Demonic Yin Body and gone on a rampage?
If he knew she'd been so excited about work last night that she couldn't sleep, arriving at the Taibu Division before dawn, he'd probably beg for a few days off just to be safe.
Something unusual like this had to mean trouble.
If you're out to get revenge on society, don't drag me into it.
With a knot of anxiety in his stomach, the colleague kept working while sneaking glances at Qingque.
Luckily, she didn't show any signs of the Demonic Yin Body.
It was just that smile she couldn't wipe off her face that kept him on edge.
Time flew by.
He looked up, and the setting sun hung like blood in the sky.
The fierce sun dipping below the horizon burned like flames.
The evening clouds on the horizon blazed as if set alight, turning the whole sky a deep crimson.
The Xianzhou folk lived in pocket realms.
By rights, there shouldn't be any day-night cycle.
But they'd added one on purpose, to mimic the passage of time.
After all, the Xianzhou people had once lived on planets, and they were used to gauging time this way.
As evening fell, it was dinnertime before anyone realized.
Everyone stood up, calling to friends and heading to the cafeteria for a meal.
This was one of the rare breaks in the day, but unfortunately, they couldn't leave the premises—otherwise, Qingque would've bolted to play cards ages ago.
"Qingque, you not grabbing dinner?" her colleague beside her asked cautiously.
She'd been watching her all day.
Aside from that stubborn grin she couldn't suppress, nothing seemed off. She didn't look like she was about to succumb to the Demonic Yin Body.
That gave her the courage to speak up.
"Ah, you go ahead. I'll eat some late-night snacks after I clock out," Qingque replied.
The colleague nodded slightly and didn't press.
Sometimes the cafeteria food just didn't sit right, so they'd wait till after work for snacks instead.
Guess today's menu wasn't to Qingque's taste.
"Alright, I'm off to eat. See you later."
She waved at Qingque and headed to the cafeteria.
Qingque smiled back, then subtly watched everyone's movements.
She'd schemed all last night and confirmed dinner time was the perfect window to slip away.
Most people headed to the cafeteria then, and anyone left behind probably wouldn't notice her.
She scanned the room.
Qingque nodded in satisfaction.
Just as she'd planned.
Now was the ideal moment to sneak out.
She took a deep breath, steadying her racing heart.
Then she struck a working pose and activated the Immortal Technique the Heavenly Mandate Taoist had taught her.
The so-called Heavenly Mandate Taoist was Yun Ge.
Since she'd forgotten to ask his daoist title yesterday, Qingque didn't know what to call him.
So she'd borrowed the "Heavenly Mandate" from his banner as his title.
"Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell!"
Qingque whispered the move to herself.
In the next instant, her body blinked several meters away.
Her hands rubbed together in excitement as she followed her plotted route and quietly slipped out of the Taibu Division.
The Cloud Knights guarding both sides were changing shifts and missed the faint footsteps in the hallway.
Her invisibility timed out just as she escaped the building.
Qingque's legs went weak with thrill, and she dropped to her knees on the ground.
She threw her arms wide, hugging the sky, drawing stares from passersby.
"Mommy, what's that sister doing?"
"Don't look. Probably some cultist doing performance art."
The mother and child's whispers reached Qingque's ears.
Her mouth twitched involuntarily.
Feeling the weird looks from the crowd, she forced herself to stand.
Escaping that cage felt too damn good—she'd gotten a bit carried away.
She ducked into an unnoticed corner and cast Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell again, then dispelled the clone.
The invisibility had a time limit, but the clone could linger, so she had to nix it to avoid misunderstandings.
Now it was like she'd gone fully invisible, blending seamlessly into the crowd as she strolled into Changle Tian's parlor.
The crisp clacks of jade tiles clashing filled the air, and Qingque felt like she was at a world-class concert, her whole body floating on air.
"Boss, got any open seats?"
"Plenty, of course." The boss chuckled.
But then something nagged at him—this voice sounded familiar.
Puzzled, he turned and saw Qingque leaning on the counter, grinning at him.
"Well, well, am I seeing things?"
"If it isn't our lifetime member, Qingque?"
"Off work already? Finally got time to cut loose?"
Qingque laughed it off at his questions. "Don't remind me of the sad stuff. Just get me a table!"
Due to the special nature of Emperor's Jade Tiles, the parlor was divided into zones.
If you wanted to play with friends, you could book a private room—pricier, but cozy.
If you just wanted to play, the main hall let you join random tables. Matching with strangers could be its own kind of fun.
"There's a table with three waiting for one more."
The boss fiddled on the counter console and pointed to the corner.
Three young folks about the same age sat there, chatting and laughing.
"Sounds perfect."
The vibe looked friendly, so Qingque nodded approvingly and waved grandly.
"Boss, send over a few cups of Immortal's Joy Tea—put it on my tab."
The parlor banned gambling, so equipment rentals barely broke even. The real money came from drinks.
Qingque footing the bill like this? Her mood must've been sky-high.
The boss grinned and agreed, sending someone to prep the tea and snacks.
Moments later, Qingque carried the cups to the corner.
"You folks look like you're one short. Mind if I join? Have some tea, and let's play while we sip."
They were stunned by the offered Immortal's Joy Tea but warmed right up—everyone knew the hall was for open tables.
Her gesture won them over instantly, and they waved her to sit.
Once seated, Qingque finally took a good look at them.
The two on her left and right wore Craftsmanship Division uniforms—probably from there.
The one across from her sported common Xianzhou garb, a smile playing on his lips like a storyteller.
"Now that we're all here, shall we start?" the apprentice on her left asked, picking up a cup of Immortal's Joy Tea with a grin.
"Come on, come on—tonight, I'm going to dominate!" Qingque rolled up her sleeves, raring to go.