The air conditioning in the break room hummed as it blew out a refreshing breeze, while the sun blazed brightly outside the glass window. Bai Xianxian tidied up her workstation and let out a drowsy yawn.
Dream-state Taoist Cultivation was draining too. She remembered that once, when she was a child, the First Elder had overdone it with talisman drawing and nearly depleted his body—he'd had to recover with ginseng supplements.
Every profession required a healthy body, after all.
Bai Xianxian glanced at the time and decided to catch a nap for an hour or so. It wasn't like she was actually here to work in the morgue anyway. Once she woke up refreshed, she could take care of whatever Yu Anding had asked her to do.
She propped her backpack on the desk, found a comfortable position, and dozed off.
She hadn't been asleep for long when the half-closed office door was pushed open and someone walked in. Their footsteps paused briefly as they passed her—just a moment—before continuing inward, noticeably quieter than before.
Half-conscious, Bai Xianxian heard the air conditioner remote beep twice, and the cold air that had been blowing directly at her back seemed to shift direction, no longer as chilly.
She drifted off into an even deeper sleep.
She didn't know how long she'd been asleep when the office phone rang with a sharp jingle. Startled awake, Bai Xianxian rubbed her eyes and looked over—Chen Lin had already picked up: "Hello, the morgue."
The landline's voice was crystal clear in the quiet office: "Inpatient building, Gastroenterology, 13th floor, bed 7. Come pick up the body."
Chen Lin said, "Got it."
After hanging up, he noticed Bai Xianxian staring at him in a daze. He seemed to hesitate for a moment before saying, "A patient has passed away."
Bai Xianxian's drowsiness vanished instantly. She sucked in the drool at the corner of her mouth and stammered, "Do… do you need my help?"
Chen Lin glanced at her twice, then lowered his eyes. "No need. I'll go alone."
Bai Xianxian felt a wave of relief, but then it hit her—he'd be wheeling back a fresh corpse in no time. A chill ran through her entire body, and she shot up from her seat. "Then I'll go wander around! Haha, it's my first day today, gotta familiarize myself with the place, haha—"
Chen Lin gave a small nod.
The moment he left, Bai Xianxian grabbed her bag and bolted.
It was almost lunchtime. She wandered around the building a couple of times before receiving a WeChat message from Yu Anding:
— Uncle Yu: Xianxian, this is the hospital's colleague group chat. Feel free to join if you want.
— Uncle Yu: How's it looking? Is it… heavy? Don't laugh at me, but I've been on edge this whole time!
Bai Xianxian clutched her chest and let out a mournful whimper.
Do your duty where you stand. What's coming will come, and what needs to be seen must be seen.
As the saying goes, the unknown is the scariest thing of all. Rather than trembling in fear, she might as well check whether this place had any ghosts and how many—at least she'd be mentally prepared.
Just get it over with! Then go eat!
Bai Xianxian clenched her fists, mustered her courage, and ran to a secluded corner with her backpack. She formed hand seals and recited the Heavenly Eye Opening Incantation.
After a flash of spiritual light, Bai Xianxian didn't dare open her eyes.
What if there were ghosts squatting right in front of her, grinning at her?
Sure, the chances were slim under the blazing midday sun, but—
Better safe than sorry!
She didn't want to faint again.
She dawdled with her eyes shut for a while when a doctor happened to walk by. He took a couple of steps, then turned back and asked with concern, "Young lady, is your eye injured? Need help?"
Bai Xianxian instinctively opened her eyes.
As far as she could see, there was nothing—just the doctor speaking to her.
She let out a sigh of relief and waved her hands repeatedly. "No, no, just got some sand in my eye. Thanks, doctor!"
The doctor smiled and nodded.
Noon was traditionally when yang energy was at its peak. Bai Xianxian furtively scanned her surroundings for a long while and didn't spot so much as half a ghost. What Yu Anding had asked about—whether it was "heavy"—was really about whether the Yin-Sha Energy was heavy.
The dead all carry Yin Energy. Those who die with grievances carry Resentment Energy, and in more severe cases, it becomes Malevolent Aura.
Places like hospitals inevitably accumulate some Yin Energy.
Bai Xianxian figured that wherever Yin Energy gathered would be where lingering spirits congregated. She'd planned to look around and check, and if things were serious, she'd perform a cleansing—it would put Yu Anding at ease and give her peace of mind too.
But she went from the outpatient building to the inpatient building, then to the medical technology building, and even the cafeteria and logistics area. Not a single spirit, not even a trace of Yin Energy.
If she hadn't seen the Patriarch last night, she'd have suspected her Heavenly Eye Opening Incantation had stopped working.
But nothing was nothing.
This hospital was as clean as a Taoist temple.
Bai Xianxian found it both astonishing and absolutely delightful.
See! The unknown really was the scariest thing! A hospital as clean and safe as a temple—what was there to fear? She didn't know the reason, but after some thought, she chalked it up to the municipal hospital having excellent feng shui!
Having completed her first task, Bai Xianxian was thoroughly satisfied and replied to Yu Anding.
If she told him outright that there was nothing, he might actually worry more. So she wrote: I've checked. Very little. I've already handled it. Don't worry, Uncle Yu.
Yu Anding was indeed reassured: "With you here, I'm at ease! It's almost noon, let's go to the cafeteria for lunch—our hospital has great food!"
Bai Xianxian replied with a smiley face and headed happily toward the cafeteria.
The staff cafeteria wasn't open to the public. Bai Xianxian, wearing her blue one-piece work uniform, walked up to the entrance. Before she even showed her work ID, the cafeteria auntie waved her in.
Her uniform was too iconic. Nearby, someone clicked their tongue and remarked, "The morgue is hiring again? And it's a young girl—kids these days sure have nerves of steel!"
Bai Xianxian thought to herself, Not really, not really at all.
It's all just a matter of making a living.
Bai Xianxian pulled her eating utensils out of her bag and happily ran over to queue up for food.
Not being eager to chow down means you've got a bad attitude! One serving of fish-fragrant eggplant, one of sweet-and-sour pork ribs, one of spicy chicken gizzards, plus a marinated egg and a glass of ice-cold watermelon juice—nice!
Employees trickled in one after another to eat, and the cafeteria was buzzing with noise. Bai Xianxian held her bowl and scanned the room, spotting Chen Lin in an instant, sitting alone at a corner table.
There was no helping it—amid a sea of white coats, his dark blue one-piece work uniform was just too conspicuous.
Bai Xianxian stuck the spoon in her mouth, carrying her big bowl in one hand and the watermelon juice in the other as she walked over.
The moment she sat down, Chen Lin looked up at her.
It was the first time Bai Xianxian had seen him without a mask on.
No wonder those girls had asked for his WeChat—he was really good-looking.
Before, just looking at his eyes and brows, she'd thought he was refined and elegant. But now that his whole face was visible, she realized he wasn't actually the delicate type at all. His high nose bridge made his eye sockets look deep, and his handsomeness was striking—the kind of intense, bold-featured good looks.
The only thing was his lips were a bit thin, and paired with his perpetually downcast eyes, it gave him a somewhat cold and heartless air.
Seeing Bai Xianxian sitting across from him, he froze for several seconds, a flicker of hesitation and surprise—unbefitting his cold CEO aura—passing through his deep, dark eyes.
Bai Xianxian bit her spoon and asked with a smile, "Can I sit here?"
Chen Lin slowly set down his chopsticks and lowered his eyes again. "Sure."
That's what he said, but Bai Xianxian noticed his eating movements had become a little stiff.
Social anxiety, confirmed.
Bai Xianxian felt a bit guilty and picked up her bowl again. "I'll just move somewhere else."
Chen Lin paused. "It's fine." He glanced up at her, black hair brushing slightly against his brows, and said in a very low voice, "You only know me here, so just sit here."
Bai Xianxian could even detect a hint of sincerity in his flat, uninflected voice.
She almost burst out laughing.
This socially anxious handsome guy didn't actually think everyone else was as afraid as he was of eating at the same table with strangers, did he?
Oh, suddenly she found him adorable!
He was clearly uncomfortable eating with a colleague he'd just met, yet he was still trying to consider the other person's feelings. Without the eerie atmosphere of the morgue as a backdrop, he was just a warm, thoughtful sweetheart!
Bai Xianxian set her bowl back down. "Alright then!"
So Chen Lin lowered his head again and quietly resumed eating.
The city hospital's food was indeed good—much better than the university cafeteria. Bai Xianxian finished her bowl, let out a burp, and picked up her cup to sip the watermelon juice.
Chen Lin finished eating too, and the first thing he did after wiping his mouth was put his mask back on. He glanced at Bai Xianxian across from him and said quietly, "I'll head back first."
Bai Xianxian waved at him. "See you in a bit!"
The watermelon juice was so good—she wanted another cup!
And maybe another marinated egg too.
From behind her came Yu Anding's voice: "Xianxian, does our hospital cafeteria suit your taste?"
Bai Xianxian turned around. "Uncle Yu, you eat here too?"
Yu Anding nodded with a smile, got his food, and sat down at the same table as her. After chatting for a bit about how the work would go, Bai Xianxian thought of something and asked, "Uncle Yu, that colleague of mine—Chen Lin—how long has he been working here?"
Yu Anding thought for a moment. "Chen Lin? Quite a while, I'd say. I remember he was already a veteran employee here when I was transferred over." He clicked his tongue twice. "That young man is a good guy—willing to do any dirty or rough job. It's just that he talks too little and doesn't like interacting with people. The other colleagues think he's gloomy and are actually a bit scared of him."
Yu Anding picked up a meatball with his chopsticks. "But I think that young man has an upright heart—he's a good person!" He lowered his voice mysteriously. "Otherwise, how could he work so steadily in the morgue for all these years? He must be filled with righteous energy, impervious to all evil."
Bai Xianxian thought what he said actually made a lot of sense.
After finishing lunch, while the Heavenly Eye was still open, Bai Xianxian took another stroll around the hospital. Still, she found nothing—no ghosts, no spirits, not even a single shadow when she returned to the morgue on the top floor.
The entire floor was bathed in sunlight, clean and bright—practically the perfect office space.
Her first day on the job passed by in idle loafing.
The hospital didn't follow a nine-to-five schedule; everything was shift-based. But since Chen Lin had been the only employee in the morgue before, he spent most of his time sleeping there.
Now that Bai Xianxian was here, it wouldn't be right to leave her colleague to work the night shift alone. Although her actual job wasn't guarding the morgue, she couldn't just completely ignore it.
After dinner, she went to ask Chen Lin, "Have our shifts been scheduled yet?"
Chen Lin was uploading the day's work records. When he heard her question, he hesitated for a few seconds before looking up and saying, "You go ahead and leave. I'll take the shift."
Bai Xianxian said, "That won't do."
Chen Lin glanced at her twice. "…It's scarier here at night than during the day." He said in a low voice, "You'd be even more frightened."
Bai Xianxian: !
Could it be that he'd seen through all her fear during the day?!