The next morning, Nian Xifeng rose as usual to make breakfast for Nian Yuchi. After finishing, he walked straight into her room without knocking.

Nian Yuchi was fast asleep, completely unaware someone had entered. If this were anywhere else, you’d have to say this girl had nerves of steel.

Xifeng sighed helplessly, watching Yuchi sprawled on the bed, a trickle of silvery drool glistening at the corner of her mouth. He stepped to the bedside and poked her shoulder.

"Lazybug! Time to wake up!" he murmured softly.

"Mmm... five more minutes..." Yuchi mumbled, rolling over without opening her eyes.

"Five minutes, okay? Or we’ll be late!" Xifeng hadn’t woken early himself, so time was tight.

"Okay..." Yuchi smacked her lips and immediately drifted back to sleep.

Xifeng turned away with another sigh.

Five minutes later, he entered again without knocking. "Yuchi! Time’s up!" he whispered right into her ear.

"Mmm... just a little longer..." she slurred, half-buried in her pillow.

"Not this time! Up you go—unless you want me to use my *ultimate technique*!" Xifeng adopted a stern, mock-authoritative tone.

"Mmm... meanie brother!" Yuchi pouted, her lips pressed into a cute pink bow. Her just-awoken face was slightly flushed, impossibly endearing.

"Enough pouting. Up!" Xifeng scooped her up in a princess carry and headed for the bathroom. Yuchi instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, nestling against his chest, eyes still half-closed as she savored these last moments of drowsiness.

Xifeng looked down at her, utterly resigned. *What can I do? I’m her brother.* He knew she’d probably fall apart without him—though truthfully, he felt the same.

After getting her ready, Yuchi finally came fully awake at the dining table, gazing at the spread of food with pure bliss.

Once breakfast was done, Xifeng cleared the dishes and headed to the kitchen.

*Knock. Knock. Knock.*

"Yuchi, door!" he called from the kitchen to where she sat dazed in the living room.

"Coming!" Yuchi hopped up, her white bunny slippers *pattering* against the floor as she shuffled to the entrance.

She opened the door to find Han Yuying standing there, bright and cheerful.

"Morning, Yuchi!" Yuying waved.

"Morning, Yuying..." Yuchi replied, still half-asleep, her eyes barely open.

Seeing Yuchi’s drowsy state, Yuying pounced, pulling her into a tight hug and rubbing her cheek against Yuchi’s. "Hehe, sleepy Yuchi is so soft and cute! Rub rub rub!"

Startled fully awake—as if injected with adrenaline—Yuchi pushed her away. "Stop it! That tickles! Come in already!" She led Yuying to the sofa, then called toward the kitchen, "Bro! Yuying’s here!"

"Got it!" Xifeng’s voice echoed back.

After freshening up, Yuchi returned to the living room where Xifeng and Yuying were chatting. "Yuchi, time to get ready for school," he reminded her.

"Okay!" She stood up, grabbing her bag.

As she opened the door, Xifeng called after her, "Be careful on the way!"

"I know, I know! I’m not a kid anymore—I can take care of myself!" Yuchi protested, puffing out her cheeks.

"Well, to me, you’ll always be my little kid. What can I say? I’m older." Xifeng grinned, that infuriatingly smug look plastered on his face.

"Tch. Ignoring you now. Off to school!" Yuchi huffed and stomped out. Xifeng shook his head, smiling wryly. Only when she vanished around the corner did he return to the living room.

Han Yuying waited on the sofa.

No need to ask why.

Xifeng sat across from her. "When do we leave?"

"Anytime! I told my teammates we’d be a bit late," Yuying replied helpfully.

"Right. Let me tidy up first—won’t keep you waiting long." He stood to prepare, though "preparing" really just meant a quick sweep of the apartment. Done in minutes, he returned with a small smile. "Ready. Let’s go."

"Okay!" Yuying beamed back.

They headed out together toward the Adventurers’ Guild. Along the way, Yuying filled him in.

"Tasks here can be solo or team-based. We’re doing teams—safer that way. One person’s strength can’t match a group’s." She walked beside him, explaining as they navigated the bustling streets. "Sure, the pay gets split, but it’s better than earning nothing alone. Higher efficiency, lower risk."

"Tasks have four ranks: Heaven, Earth, Human, Yellow. Since our team’s new, we can only take Yellow-rank jobs. To level up? We need to complete at least three Yellow tasks before qualifying for Human-rank."

Xifeng listened silently. He already knew all this—he’d taken Heaven-rank tasks as "Uncle Feng," after all—but speaking up would blow his cover. Best to stay quiet.

"What about your teammates?" he finally asked.

"You’ll meet them soon!" Yuying’s eyes sparkled. "Not many—just six of us now, including you and me." She kept it vague, playing up the mystery.

"Looking forward to it," Xifeng said lightly. No need to pry. Answers would come.

Soon, they reached the Adventurers’ Guild. Five bold characters were etched onto a mysterious metal plaque above the massive entrance. The building dwarfed everything around it.

Inside, a wall of noise hit them like a tidal wave. The vast hall teemed with people—some seeking teams, others taking solo jobs. Everyone wore rank badges on their chests: yellow for Yellow-rank, blue for Human, gold for Earth, black for Heaven. These badges stored personal data, preventing fraud and fatal overreach.

Temporary teams formed based on the highest-ranked member. Most sought peers of equal rank—unless they wanted a risky free ride.

Yuying led Xifeng to a quiet corner where her team waited in the rest area. "Hey! Brought the guy!" she announced cheerfully.

*Xifeng raised an eyebrow. "Brought the guy"? Sounds suspiciously planned.*

"Meet my team," Yuying said, pointing to the leftmost member. "This is Lin Cheng, our captain."

"This is Xifeng-ge, the one I told you about!" she introduced him to the others.

"Hey there!" Lin Cheng greeted first.

"Hello," Xifeng replied politely. He disliked strangers, but manners mattered—especially with future teammates.

"This is Ke Feng." Yuying gestured to the second member.

"Hi. Yuying’s mentioned you," Ke Feng smiled warmly.

"Hello," Xifeng returned the smile, unsure what else to add.

"And this is Xianxian." Yuying indicated the other girl.

"Hi!" Xianxian waved enthusiastically.

"Hello." Xifeng kept it simple.

"Last one’s Cheng Runchen." Yuying pointed to the final member.

"Hi."

"Hi."

Their exchange was brief and stiff.

"Alright, everyone’s here. Let’s get started!" Lin Cheng stood up. The group followed him toward the reception desk, Yuying and Xifeng trailing behind. Xifeng already knew their plan—he simply fell into step without a word.