The small red bird perched on the shoulder of the woman with short, crimson hair had brilliant orange-red feathers. Its beak and talons were pure gold.

Zhong Chenghuai had never seen a bird with such striking, pure colors before. Furthermore, he couldn’t sense the slightest aura from it.

He simply assumed the beautiful bird wasn’t a Guardian Beast, but a pet the woman kept.

Normally, the Evolution Shop would have been closed by this time. But since Zhong Yi hadn’t returned yet, Zhong Chenghuai prepared to take one more customer.

Just then, Zhong Chenghuai saw Zhong Ling hurry over to greet the woman.

"Master Lin Zhuo, are you here to see the Young Master?" 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Upon seeing Zhong Ling, Lin Zhuo fondly placed a hand on her shoulder.

Lin Zhuo was quite fond of Zhong Ling, a little girl who, despite being only thirteen, was already very mature.

Lin Zhuo was just over 1.7 meters tall, so Zhong Ling only came up to her shoulder.

This made the gesture of her resting a hand on Zhong Ling’s shoulder look perfectly natural.

"That’s right, Xiaolingdang. I do have some business with Xiaoyi."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Ling said quickly,

"Master Lin Zhuo, the Young Master isn’t here right now. But I just got off the phone with him, and he said he’ll be back in five minutes."

"Please, come in and wait."

When Zhong Ling had eaten with Zhong Yi at the Daytime Food Shop, she had learned that "Master" was a special form of address for the group known as Celestial Destiny Seekers.

Lin Zhuo and Wen Tao’s Deputy had addressed Zhong Yi the same way, so naturally, she couldn’t be impolite.

Zhong Chenghuai had initially taken Lin Zhuo for an ordinary customer. But now, hearing how Zhong Ling addressed her, he scrambled to his feet and went to greet her as well.

He greeted Lin Zhuo enthusiastically while shooting a questioning glance at Zhong Ling, inquiring about their guest’s identity.

’Even if she was facing a high-ranking figure at the captain level of the Ghost Suppression Bureau, there’s no need to use a term like ’Master,’ is there?’

Seeing Zhong Chenghuai’s questioning gaze, Zhong Ling playfully stuck out her tongue.

Zhong Ling had returned several hours before Zhong Yi, but there were many things she hadn’t mentioned to Zhong Chenghuai.

That included the fact that Zhong Yi was a Celestial Destiny Seeker!

’After all, this matter is of great importance. If it’s to be told, Zhong Yi will naturally be the one to say it. It’s not my place to be spreading this information.’ Zhong Ling considered both herself and Zhong Chenghuai to be Zhong Yi’s Servants. ’And a Servant’s only duty is to be loyal. There’s no reason to reveal the master’s affairs, not even to a fellow Servant like Zhong Chenghuai.’

During the time she had waited for Zhong Yi in front of the Horned Demon Secret Realm, Lin Zhuo had already learned about his situation.

She knew that the old man before her, like Zhong Ling, was a Servant who had been by Zhong Yi’s side for many years.

So, Lin Zhuo decided to introduce herself directly.

"Xiaolingdang, it seems you haven’t told anyone about Zhong Yi becoming a Celestial Destiny Seeker."

"My name is Lin Zhuo. I am a Celestial Destiny Seeker and also a Director of the Ghost Suppression Bureau."

"I’ve come to bring something for Zhong Yi."

Lin Zhuo’s words struck Zhong Chenghuai like two bolts of lightning.

The first bolt confirmed a legend Zhong Chenghuai had heard in his youth: Celestial Destiny Seekers really did exist in this world!

The second was that Zhong Chenghuai never imagined he would one day meet a Director of the Ghost Suppression Bureau.

This woman, who looked to be barely in her twenties, was actually one of the two supreme leaders of the Ghost Suppression Bureau!

For a moment, Zhong Chenghuai had no idea how to react. Just then, Zhong Yi’s figure appeared in his line of sight.

Amid his excitement, Zhong Chenghuai let out a sigh of relief.

He was excited because Zhong Yi was a Celestial Destiny Seeker!

The relief came because he truly didn’t know how to host a Celestial Destiny Seeker, let alone one who was also a Director of the Ghost Suppression Bureau.

Lin Zhuo was, without a doubt, the highest-status person Zhong Chenghuai had ever met!

When Lin Zhuo turned her head, her gaze fell upon Zhao Kai, who was walking beside Zhong Yi, and her expression turned a little strange.

’Zhong Yi and I only parted a few hours ago. How did he end up with Zhao Kai?’

But then, a look of realization dawned on her face.

Lin Zhuo had always known of Zhao Kai. The incident in Zhuxue City back then had been a major one.

Even before Zhao Kai arrived in Starlight City, Lin Zhuo had heard the rumors about him.

After Zhao Kai came to Starlight City, Lin Zhuo had personally gone to see him.

Zhao Kai was a Four-finger Creator, after all. At the time, everyone in Starlight City who knew of his existence wanted to recruit him.

It was just that his injuries were far too severe—so severe that no faction, including Lin Zhuo herself, could do anything about them.

It wasn’t a question of the cost; rather, no price was high enough to restore him.

Otherwise, even if investing resources failed to recruit the Four-finger Creator, simply forming a good relationship with him would have yielded considerable benefits.

Now, seeing Zhao Kai walking like a normal person, it naturally meant he had been healed by Zhong Yi.

’To recruit a Four-finger Creator right after becoming a Celestial Destiny Seeker...’ Lin Zhuo suddenly felt she had underestimated Zhong Yi.

Originally, Lin Zhuo had planned to arrange for one Three-finger and two Two-finger Creators to assist Zhong Yi.

’It seems that won’t be necessary now!’

As Lin Zhuo’s gaze fell on Zhao Kai, his eyes were also fixed on her.

Lin Zhuo knew of Zhao Kai, but he had no memory of her.

Before coming to Starlight City, Zhao Kai had been completely dispirited.

When he first arrived in Starlight City, people from numerous factions came to see him all at once.

When Lin Zhuo had visited him, she hadn’t revealed her identity as a Celestial Destiny Seeker.

Therefore, to Zhao Kai, Lin Zhuo was a complete stranger. However, the small red bird on her shoulder sent a chill down his spine.

It even caused his Lifebound Guardian Beast, the Shield Crystal Armor Dragon, to roar within his Soul Base!

Still uncertain of Lin Zhuo’s identity, Zhao Kai looked at her with deep apprehension.

Zhong Yi smiled and waved at Lin Zhuo.

"Sister Zhuo, next time you need something, just give me a call. It’s easier for me to come to you."

"Xiaolingdang and the others just finished making dinner. Sister Zhuo, would you like to come in and have some with us?"

"Xiaolingdang is an amazing cook!"

Lin Zhuo didn’t hesitate at all, laughing heartily as she replied,

"You were already praising Xiaolingdang’s cooking back at the Daytime Food Shop. Now that I have the chance, I must certainly give it a try."

Originally, Big Bell, Zhong Ling’s Contracted Substitute Puppet, was preparing to make six dishes. Normally, Guardian Beasts like Hong Ji wouldn’t eat at the table.

Six dishes would have been more than enough for the three of them—Zhong Yi, Zhong Ling, and Zhong Chenghuai.

However, Hong Ji kept handing ingredients to Big Bell, and these ingredients all had bones, making them difficult to prepare.

Hong Ji acted very friendly toward Big Bell, but Big Bell couldn’t shake the feeling that Hong Ji was giving off a vibe of, ’You’d better hurry up and cook for me, or I’ll slaughter you.’

This resulted in a total of eleven dishes for dinner. For five people, eleven dishes was still an incredibly lavish meal.