Volume 1, Chapter 137: Lodging a Complaint

After obtaining the list of construction workers from the school, Chi Xingwan immediately forwarded it to Xiao Yue, who in turn passed it along to their hacker associate, Yu Huan.

Yu Huan’s efficiency was remarkable; she quickly tracked down the current whereabouts of those individuals.

"Fortunately, most of them are working locally. The furthest one is in a neighboring city, so let’s start with the main group."

Large-scale construction crews typically have stable rosters. Although six years had passed, and some had moved on to different jobs or industries, the majority remained with the original crew.

The three of them—plus one spirit—arrived at a park under construction in the suburbs of Yanjing. Workers scurried about the site, and engineering vehicles moved in and out, kicking up clouds of dust.

Dong Xuezhi drifted through the site, carefully observing every worker before floating back to Chi Xingwan’s side. She shook her head. "They are the ones from back then, but when I drifted near them, I felt nothing."

If she felt nothing, it meant these people had no connection to her.

"No matter, let’s go find the others."

They got back into the car. Not long after they drove off, Chu Fangfei suddenly slammed on the brakes, cursing, "What the hell!"

Chi Xingwan leaned forward from the backseat to see Tim and Maria blocking their path.

Chu Fangfei unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out. "Are you two insane? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to jump out and block a car like that?"

Tim ignored Chu Fangfei, his eyes locked onto the backseat, specifically in the direction of Dong Xuezhi.

"You found the ghost. Why haven't you eliminated her?"

His tone was abrasive, filled with clear anger and resentment. He couldn't accept being outperformed by Chinese spirit masters. He and Maria had worked so hard to find her, and yet, these Chinese spirit masters, who had seemingly wasted time on irrelevant matters, had somehow beaten them to it.

"Hand her over!" Tim demanded coldly.

Dong Xuezhi asked, "Are those your companions? I smell the same scent on them as I do on you."

Chi Xingwan’s eyes turned icy. "The only thing we have in common is perhaps the nature of our work."

Dong Xuezhi replied, "I understand. Just as there are good and bad people, there are good and bad ghosts. And in your profession, there are good and bad ones too, right?"

"Something like that," Chi Xingwan said. In reality, the position of a spirit master—dealing with both the living and the dead—was far more complex, but there was no need to explain that to Dong Xuezhi.

"Stay in the car, I’ll go check this out."

Chi Xingwan stepped out of the vehicle to find Tim and Maria arguing with Chu Fangfei.

Chu Fangfei was nearing an explosion. "Why should we hand her over just because you say so? Who do you think you are, trying to climb over our heads?"

Maria stood with her hands on her hips, retorting, "How rude! Are all Chinese spirit masters as ill-mannered as you?"

"Are all spirit masters from the Secret State as arrogant and ignorant as you?"

Chi Xingwan pulled out her phone and dialed Xu Hengyang’s number.

Xu Hengyang answered almost instantly. "Hello, Xingwan, is something the matter?"

Chi Xingwan turned on the speakerphone. "President, is the leader of the Secret State delegation available?"

On the other end, Xu Hengyang replied, "What a coincidence, he is here at the high tower. I’ll go find him."

Tim and Maria tensed up. Tim shouted, "Hey, what are you doing? Are you going to tell on us just because you're in the wrong?"

Chi Xingwan replied, "Since I can’t reason with you, I’ll speak to your leader."

Mr. Smith’s voice came through the phone, causing Tim and Maria to shudder.

"Consultant Chi, how can I help you?"

Chi Xingwan spoke without reservation. "Mr. Smith, when you requested to join us on this mission, you claimed it was to learn from and exchange ideas with our Chinese spirit masters. Am I correct?"

"That is correct."

"But you didn't mention that I would also have to babysit unreasonable, troublesome children."

Mr. Smith paused for a moment. "It seems Tim and his companions have caused trouble. I apologize to you on their behalf."

Chi Xingwan was slightly surprised by his response, so she softened her tone. "It’s not quite that they caused a catastrophe, but Tim Olson and Maria Jones are highly critical of the methods used by our Chinese spirit masters. I believe there is no need for them to continue following us on this mission."

Tim panicked. "What do you mean? Are you trying to kick us out?"

"Tim, show some respect!" Mr. Smith commanded.

Tim immediately wilted, though he still tried to defend himself. "Mr. Smith, Maria and I weren't being unreasonable. We were simply proposing better solutions, but the Chinese spirit masters refuse to communicate with us."

Chu Fangfei snapped, "You dare shift the blame? You were the ones with your ears plugged with filth, acting like deaf dogs, refusing to listen to a word we said!"

Maria’s face turned bright red. "You—you crude, low-class, disgusting commoner!"

"Maria!" It was the first time since the call began that Mr. Smith sounded truly furious.

Maria’s face went pale. She knew she had crossed a line, and she had done it in front of Mr. Smith, the President of the Chinese Spirit Masters Association, and their consultant.

They wouldn't let this go.

Sure enough, Xu Hengyang said, "Mr. Smith, we organized this exchange convention in the spirit of equality and harmony, but your representatives have insulted our people in such a manner. Do you find this appropriate?"

There was no trace of anger in his tone, and his words were not harsh, yet they carried a weight of oppression that was palpable even through the phone.

Mr. Smith replied, "I apologize. Our children are somewhat undisciplined, but please believe that these are not their true intentions."

"Some things, once said, cannot be taken back," Xu Hengyang stated.

"I understand," Mr. Smith replied to Xu Hengyang. "I will certainly provide you with an explanation."

He then turned his attention to Tim and Maria on the other end of the line. "Since Consultant Chi feels you are not a good fit, return at once. Michelle, you will continue to follow Consultant Chi and learn from her."

Tim and Maria hung their heads in despair. Once the call ended, Maria collapsed to the ground, broken.

"Tim, what do I do? Mr. Smith will never let me off for this."

Tim was equally lost. "Who are you asking? Do you think my situation is any better than yours?"

Michelle stood by the car, watching them. Although Tim was her fiancé and Maria her companion, she felt a strange sense of relief.

Chi Xingwan signaled for Chu Fangfei and Michelle to get into the car. "Let’s go, we’ve already wasted too much time."

The three of them climbed in, and Chu Fangfei started the engine. The car sped off, leaving Tim and Maria behind.