Fated | Fangs Of Fortune [ZhuYi]

Chapter 16 : Elite Team [Messy Ver]

For the first time in eight years, the Demon Hunting Bureau was bustling with activity. Servants darted back and forth, cleaning the halls and preparing supplies for the incoming guests. Sitting on the stairs leading to the main chamber, Zhuo Yichen watched it all with a bittersweet smile.

The sight of servants tidying the neglected grounds stirred memories long buried. His gaze drifted to the stone path leading to the entrance and he could almost see his brother standing there, waiting for him to return every time he went outside to meet Zhao YuanZhou. Always patient, always worried. The memory of his brother's concerned expression tugged at his heart.

A single tear slipped down his cheek as his grip on his sword tightened—not in anger, but in a gesture akin to an embrace.

"Xiao Zhuo"

Yichen startled slightly, turning to find Wen Xiao seated beside him on the stairs. He hadn't even noticed her arrival.

Quickly wiping the tear from his cheek, he forced a warm smile. "Wen Xiao"

She returned the smile with a bittersweet one of her own. "It feels nice, doesn't it? For so long, it was just the three of us and the kitchen staff doing everything. Now, with people arriving, it almost feels...alive again."

"It does" Yichen replied softly, the nostalgia evident in his voice. But then his smile dimmed, replaced by a faint sadness. "Though it'd feel better if he wasn't here"

Wen Xiao lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry"

Yichen shook his head. "It's my choice to let him stay, Wen Xiao. Don't blame yourself" His voice grew firmer. "And I won't kill him, not before I've cured you. You're the one who's been with me all these years. You saved me. Now it's my turn to return the favor."

Wen Xiao looked at him with a mixture of pride and sorrow. "You've grown, Xiao Zhuo" she said, ruffling his hair affectionately.

Yichen frowned, his composure breaking just a little. "Don't do that. I'm not a kid anymore."

"But I'm still your aunt" she teased, her playful smile shutting down any further protests.

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Meanwhile, outside the Bureau's massive doors, Bai Jiu, a boy with a wooden backpack strapped to his back, was struggling to push the entrance open. He huffed and puffed, but the heavy doors wouldn't budge.

"Zhuo-gegeee!" he yelled, his voice echoing faintly in the evening air. He tried again, louder this time but it still didn't seem to reach inside.

A shadow loomed over him and he froze. Turning slowly, he found himself face-to-face with a growling figure.

"AHHHHHHHH!" Bai Jiu screamed, his high-pitched shriek piercing the air.

The figure winced, covering its ears in frustration. "Kid! It's me!"

"Yes! The demon!" Bai Jiu shrieked again, still in that ear-splitting tone.

Zhu Yan glared at him, his patience wearing thin "You knew who I was, yet you still screamed like that?! You nearly shattered my eardrums!"

Bai Jiu stuck out his tongue defiantly, but Zhu Yan ignored him with a smirk. "Step aside" he ordered, placing his fingers on his lips with a gesture. Whispering a single word, "Open." the doors swung wide without so much as a creak.

"Finally fixed after a week" Zhu Yan muttered as he stepped inside, Bai Jiu trailing behind him.

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