Chapter 1: An Immortal Lives Beside Me

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"Zhou Qing! It really is you!"

Inside the restaurant, Qin Jiajia looked at her "blind date" across the table, her lips curling up unconsciously.

This was her third time going on a blind date.

Previously, under her second aunt’s relentless pressure, she had already been forced to meet two other candidates—a process that could only be described as chickens flying, dogs jumping, and smoke signals rising from every corner. Her relatives’ comments were relentless: "How can you not get along with someone with such good conditions? You’re too picky." "Personality isn’t about compatibility, it’s all about compromise." "Why reject so quickly? Spending more time together won’t cost you a thing." The whole ordeal left her utterly drained, both body and spirit.

She had made up her mind: if she were introduced to another candidate, she would decisively refuse—even if it meant falling out with her relatives—no more adding anyone as a contact, not even if she had to put on a show of tears, tantrums, and threats.

But the moment she saw the third profile her second aunt presented, her resolve wavered in an instant.

It was her college classmate: Zhou Qing.

"Since graduation, it’s been three years since we last met, hasn’t it? What a small world to run into you like this."

As she spoke, her words brimmed with delight. "Time really flies, doesn’t it? I remember the first class meeting in freshman year, the first time I saw you, back then..."

In her memory, Zhou Qing had always been an outsider—he couldn’t type on a computer, didn’t know how to scan a QR code with WeChat, and even struggled a bit with Mandarin. All his daily habits made him seem like a shut-in elder disconnected from the world for a decade.

She never asked about his background, out of respect for his pride, but from various clues she surmised he’d come from a remote, impoverished village—probably only able to attend university thanks to a scholarship.

Perhaps it was sympathy for someone in need, or perhaps a sense of duty as class president, or maybe her own small-town upbringing created a sense of kinship. Whatever it was, she’d always lent him a hand over those four years—teaching him to type, secretly applying for financial aid on his behalf, doing all she could to help this solitary old soul reconnect with the world.

Over time, her efforts yielded two main outcomes:

First, he no longer defaulted to sending only the smiley face emoji on WeChat.

Second, he became her closest "friend" during her university years.

Now, reunited after so long, she couldn’t help but feel nostalgic. After reminiscing, their conversation naturally shifted to recent news.

"Are you still working at the same place as before?"

"Yes, still there," Qin Jiajia replied, resting her chin on her hand. "It’s a government job, after all. Unless something major happens, there won’t be any changes. Plus, I’ve won ‘Employee of the Year’ three years running. From what my boss says, I should be promoted soon—and then I’ll qualify for housing."

"I see," Zhou Qing nodded. "That’s a fair reward for your efforts. Congratulations."

"Oh, it’s nothing, just luck..." She deflected modestly, but her voice betrayed her pride. Despite her efforts to remain reserved, her animated expression gave her away.

Across the country, securing a government position in Liangzhou City was notoriously difficult, but the benefits were equally renowned. For a young woman from a modest background, this job was enough to make her a legend among her relatives, the talk of the town, and the pride of her ancestors.

To her, it was something to be proud of—and Zhou Qing’s praise meant more to her than any family compliment.

As they chatted, the dishes arrived one after another. The topics at the table shifted as naturally as the chopsticks.

"Enough about me. I remember you started as a librarian, right? But my aunt said now you’ve transferred to the community office on Jianguo Road?"

There was a hint of hesitation in her voice: "Is that a civil service position or a contract job? What do you actually do?"

"It’s just community service—helping residents with daily problems," Zhou Qing answered as he picked up some food. "It’s not a government post. I’m on a labor contract, renewed every six months."

The curve of Qin Jiajia’s lips faltered. She’d already heard that Zhou Qing had drifted from job to job since graduation—several positions in just a couple of years, all the kind of basic jobs usually done by retirees. Now, hearing it confirmed from his own mouth, she was even more puzzled.

Community office work wasn’t exactly a promising career, and now he didn’t even have a permanent contract. How was this different from working on a construction site?

Actually, construction might pay better.

"That’s... fine too." She struggled to keep her expression neutral. "Those jobs usually aren’t too demanding, right? So what do you do in your free time?"

She tried to rationalize privately—maybe he was just earning some income while studying for professional exams...

"It depends. If someone calls, I’ll play cards or chess with them. If not, I go home and play games," he replied, oblivious to her thoughts. "These days, I’m playing Heroic League and Fate’s Divinity."

Qin Jiajia was momentarily speechless. After a long pause, she couldn’t help but ask, "Have you... ever thought about your future?"

"My future?"

"Competition is tough everywhere now. Big companies lay off people all the time, small organizations offer even less security... If, just hypothetically, your job changes in the future, what will you do?"

"I’ll just find a new job then," he said lightly, as if he hadn’t noticed her concern at all. "The bigger the place, the more restrictions. For now, this is easy and gives me free time—so I’ll stick with it."

"But you can’t just drift forever. You should have a plan, some security."

Qin Jiajia tried to be patient. "Big cities have many opportunities. You could use your spare time to get a certificate, or apply for a permanent position. I’ve met a lot of people at work—if you want to move in a certain direction, I can help..."

"Thanks, but I really haven’t thought about those things," Zhou Qing replied with a smile. "Life is unpredictable. No matter how much you plan, things change. Instead of worrying about what-ifs, I just want to enjoy life as it comes."

His tone was as calm as ever, unaffected by her concerns.

During college, it was precisely this unruffled temperament that drew her to Zhou Qing and made her persistently help him—she even developed a vague crush, which would have blossomed if all her hints hadn’t been completely missed.

But now, sitting across from him, she felt as if she were facing not a pane of glass, but a wad of cotton—her words had no impact at all.

Qin Jiajia stared at the man before her. Only now did she notice he wore a tasteless sweatshirt and slightly worn-out sports pants, his features exuding the lazy air of someone just out of bed. He didn’t look like a young man in his early twenties, but more like a dispirited retiree.

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In that instant, she suddenly realized that the man before her was just... ordinary. So ordinary, in fact, that he could vanish into a crowd without a trace.

He wasn’t dazzling at all—it was only her memory that had cast a halo over him.

"Enjoying the moment... well, that’s not so bad either."

A wave of disappointment rose in her throat, and even the food before her lost all flavor. After picking at her meal for a while, she quietly took out her phone to pay the bill and found an excuse to gather her things and leave.

Stepping through the restaurant’s doors, Qin Jiajia took a deep breath to cool her overheated mind.

In her worldview, since she had struggled so hard to leave her hometown, she must establish herself in the city and build a stable, respectable life—if only to live up to her family’s expectations and years of hard work.

She had always assumed Zhou Qing, coming from poverty, would be even more driven. But reality proved otherwise; in just a few years, he had become a capybara, content to lie flat, a clump of mud drying in the corner.

There’s nothing more disillusioning than seeing your once-idealized figure fall from grace.

And nothing more dangerous than finding yourself still faintly drawn to someone, knowing full well how far they’ve fallen.

A sudden, inexplicable anger welled up in her. She stood by the roadside, arms crossed, stewing in her own frustration.

But the feeling didn’t last long; her phone vibrated in her pocket, interrupting her mood. Glancing at the caller ID, her expression changed instantly and she hurried to answer.

A composed female voice came through the receiver: "Xiao Qin, there’s an emergency meeting coming up. Come to the office now—I need to brief you."

"Yes, Director Li, I’ll be right there."

Hanging up, Qin Jiajia took another deep breath, forcing the unpleasant "blind date" from her mind.

Let that clump of mud keep lying there! Building her own career was the true path in life—men were only going to slow her down!

She opened her ride-hailing app, called a taxi to the office, and an hour later was standing outside the conference room. Her attire was immaculate, her makeup freshly touched up, and she had once again become the confident, professional woman everyone trusted.

"Director Li, I’m here. What’s this meeting about...?"

She composed herself and asked the woman in formal attire by the door.

Hearing her voice, the department head, Li Yulan, looked up. Her gaze behind her glasses was as sharp as a blade.

"This is a special meeting. Important information will be announced, and all seven team leaders are present."

A joint meeting of three departments?

The phrase sent a jolt through Qin Jiajia. She worked at the Environmental Investigation and Defense Bureau, or EIDB, whose main duties included identifying sources of unrest and coordinating crowd control. Each meeting usually signaled a disaster or incident.

A meeting involving all seven teams was unprecedented in her experience, reserved for major earthquakes, catastrophic floods, and large-scale nuclear alerts—events affecting millions.

"What do you need me to do?" she asked instinctively, straightening up. "Set up the room? Organize documents? Greet the leaders? I’ll get ready..."

"No, this situation is even more unusual," Li Yulan’s tone dropped. "You don’t need to do secretarial work this time."

Qin Jiajia noticed something different in her superior’s eyes—a hidden message.

Her next words confirmed it.

"I recommended you personally. With approval from above, you’re authorized to know the content of this meeting. You’ll attend with me."

Li Yulan placed a hand on her shoulder. "Normally, your rank wouldn’t grant you access to this level of information. I made an exception because of your abilities. Seize this opportunity—do you understand?"

It was as if a drop of hot oil had fallen into ice water—Qin Jiajia felt her blood boil.

An unprecedented event, an exclusive channel of information—even if only cracked open—could overturn her entire life.

This was a clear sign of promotion—a foot in the door to the core of the department. After years of hard work in this cold city, this was the dawn she had been striving for.

"Thank you for your trust," she said as respectfully as she could. "I’ll do my best."

Apparently satisfied, Li Yulan nodded slightly and walked toward the conference room.

"Come in with me. You don’t need to speak—just take notes. Record everything in detail. Whatever you hear, do not question or doubt—just remember."

Qin Jiajia nodded, watching Li Yulan place her hand on the door handle and gently push it open.

As the door swung wide, a chill seemed to sweep out. Inside, a long table was set; several leaders sat on either side, all with grave expressions. The atmosphere was so heavy it was nearly tangible, reminding her of the "aura of death" described in martial arts novels.

Each of these people had the power to decide her fate with a word. Though she’d weathered many storms in her years at the bureau, she still felt a chill under their collective gaze. She forced herself to calm down, followed her supervisor quietly, and took a seat in the far corner, waiting anxiously.

"Everyone is here. Let’s get straight to today’s agenda."

With a signal from the table, Li Yulan moved to the front, switching on the projector.

"By now, you’ve likely heard rumors of recent ‘Extraordinaire’ incidents."

"In recent times, a series of events caused by supernatural forces have occurred worldwide. Without any external aid, the individuals involved have displayed abilities that defy the laws of nature—such as conjuring fire from thin air, manipulating others’ minds, or altering the environment."

"These people are known variously as sorcerers, divine children, or onmyoji around the world. In our context, we call them ‘cultivators’."

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With just that introduction, Qin Jiajia felt her worldview shudder as if by a magnitude-ten earthquake.

Cultivators? Supernatural powers? This... was the “major event” her department was facing?

As she struggled to process this, the briefing continued.

"From our interactions, most cultivators have ways of thinking very different from ours. Some are willing to cooperate with authorities after communication, but there are also extremists who regard human life as worthless. For example, these individuals we previously discovered..."

Li Yulan turned, pressing a button on the slide projector behind her.

Photographs appeared on the screen—most taken from surveillance footage—clearly showing figures wielding fire and lightning. If not for the high-level meeting, Qin Jiajia might have thought she was watching a fantasy TV drama.

"Subject 762, able to summon thunder and enhance himself with it. First discovered in southern Jin Province; caused a massive thunderstorm that disrupted the power grids in Yongji and Ruicheng..."

"Subject 4201, first discovered in Laos, attempted to sacrifice thousands of people to gain power. When the local government intervened, he escaped military strikes, killed hundreds of border troops, and crossed into China..."

"And then there’s 6492, 7926, 11580..."

"By all available intelligence, these individuals are already significant threats to social stability. We initiated suppression protocols, but..."

Li Yulan paused, and for an instant, Qin Jiajia thought she saw her superior’s expression twitch.

"But before we could act, a new presence appeared in Liangzhou."

Li Yulan picked up a manila folder stamped "Confidential" and withdrew several documents.

"Subject 25892. First detected in Liangzhou—abilities unknown, origin unknown... Everything about him is a mystery."

"The only certainty is that all the cultivators I just mentioned died at his hands."

Li Yulan’s voice dropped, the pressure in the room intensifying until Qin Jiajia hardly dared to breathe.

"One month ago, a massive surge of spiritual energy was detected outside Liangzhou. When we arrived, we found the remains of the individuals mentioned earlier. Only one person had entered and left the area during the relevant time period."

"Over the past month, we’ve tried to make contact, and then discovered something astonishing."

Li Yulan licked her lips, as if she herself could barely believe what she was about to say.

"Unlike most cultivators who act boldly, Subject 25892 behaves exactly like an ordinary person."

"His thinking is closely aligned with modern society. His actions are indistinguishable from anyone else’s—he lives a routine life, even forged an identity to attend university, now rents an apartment in this city, and has changed jobs several times."

"Our intelligence shows his various roles include worker, librarian, beverage salesman... Apart from the incident a month ago, he has never shown his abilities. None of his classmates or colleagues ever suspected his true identity."

Silence fell. Everyone lowered their eyes, deep in thought.

"What is his goal?" someone finally asked.

"Unknown," Li Yulan shook her head. "His uniqueness makes it difficult to investigate. On the surface, he seems genuinely intent on living as a regular person, experiencing normal life. Why he does this, no one can say."

"Any ideas for negotiation?" another specialist inquired. "After a month of contact, there must be some breakthrough?"

"As I said, his uniqueness makes it hard to probe further. And he apparently doesn’t want anyone disturbing his current life."

Li Yulan gave a wry smile. "We’ve tried many approaches, most unsuccessful. Only during our last contact, half a month ago, did he show interest in two video games mentioned by our specialist—Heroic League and Fate’s Divinity—and said he might try them. That’s our only lead."

Even the specialists at the table—and Qin Jiajia in her corner—were left bewildered.

A cultivator of unmatched power, who could reduce enemies to dust with a gesture, whose name struck terror among his kind, was now hiding among the millions of Liangzhou, living as an ordinary man, playing Heroic League and Fate’s Divinity.

Wait! Wasn’t this information a bit... disjointed?

"As hard as it is to believe, that’s all we know so far."

Li Yulan shook her head gently. "You’ve been gathered here to discuss next steps for dealing with Subject 25892. This concerns all of us—and all of Liangzhou."

She set the documents on the table and pushed them toward the group.

"Here is the complete file on Subject 25892. It's now open to all departments—please contribute your ideas."

As the documents were laid out in the open, Qin Jiajia couldn’t restrain her curiosity and glanced at them.

A blurred photo was printed at the top—taken from the side. The subject wore an unfashionable sweatshirt and sweatpants, dressed like a retired old man.

"Extraordinaire Subject 25892, male, residence: Liangzhou, abilities: unknown, background: unknown, rating: unassessable."

"Current name: Zhou Qing."