Chapter 12: The Proud Daughter of Heaven

"Ran Qingchen!?"

Lu Renjia showed a look of astonishment.

To the side, Jiang Shouzhong's eyes flickered slightly, but he remained silent.

Lu Renjia smacked his lips and said, "Goodness, shouldering the grand cause of exorcism on a little girl's shoulders—that's quite a bold move from the higher-ups."

"She has an impressive family background, a prestigious master, and is recognized by the noble consort as her sworn sister, not to mention she holds the title of the new generation's top prodigy... She can handle it."

Although the girl's words were complimentary, her eyebrows were mocking, and her lips curled into a cold smile.

Li Nanshuang was not a jealous person, but the reason she felt uneasy about Ran Qingchen was precisely because of the praise "the top prodigy of the new generation."

Being fond of martial arts, she had tried to seek a match with her several times.

However, the other party always avoided the challenge.

On top of that, she had defeated another youth prodigy, Murong Nan, who was as famous as Ran Qingchen.

So in Li Nanshuang's eyes, Miss Ran of the Ran residence was just like Murong Nan, a "social media star" created by marketing.

"Boss, I heard that Ran Qingchen got engaged to an undercover agent from the Liushan Division. Is this gossip true or false?"

Lu Renjia asked in a low voice.

Li Nanshuang's luscious pink lips curved up in a smirk as she spoke, "It's true."

"What!?"

Lu Renjia's face was a picture of shock, his voice shrill like a eunuch from the palace.

In an instant, bewilderment, jealousy, and discontent filled his heart.

How could such a goddess from heaven marry a mere undercover agent?

Who had such dumb luck!

Am I, Jia, not worthy?

"Who is it?"

Lu Renjia clenched his fists, ready to fight for his cause.

Li Nanshuang patted Zhang Yunwu's broad shoulders, laughing, "Of course, it's our Erniu."

Erniu was the nickname Li Nanshuang had given to Zhang Yunwu.

Being able to withstand a couple of moves from her and having a physique as robust as an ox, with a personality that was honest and straightforward just like an ox's, he possessed immense strength; hence, he was given this nickname.

Lu Renjia's face stiffened as he realized the girl had played him.

Zhang Yunwu looked bewildered for a moment before scratching his head and murmuring,

"Boss, my wife is named Zhao Di, whom you have met. She's not Miss Ran. You must be mistaken."

The previously teasing Li Nanshuang's lips twitched twice, and she waved her hand, speechless, "Forget it, talking to you, a brute ox, is truly boring. Go stand over there and stop stealing the spotlight."

"Oh."

Not understanding how he had upset the boss, a confused Zhang Yunwu took his place to the side.

Li Nanshuang rolled her eyes dramatically.

Feeling cheered by the revelation, Lu Renjia laughed and said, "So, the rumor about Ran Qingchen marrying an undercover agent of the Liushan Division is just a false rumor, not true after all."

"I don't care about these things. What does it have to do with me whether it's true or false?"

Li Nanshuang hung the wine gourd at her waist, walked over to the corpse, and while examining it, she asked Jiang Shouzhong, "Braised noodles, give me a rundown of the situation here."

"Braised noodles" was naturally the nickname Li Nanshuang had given to Jiang Shouzhong.

Because of Jiang Shouzhong's handsome appearance and his clever mind, many of Wind Thunder Hall's cases were solved by him, and he was jokingly called the "hallmark" of Wind Thunder Hall by Lu Renjia.

Additionally, Jiang Shouzhong often spoke little and seemed somewhat dull.

Since Li Nanshuang herself liked eating braised noodles, she straightforwardly called him "Braised noodles."

Jiang Shouzhong organized his thoughts and briefly repeated to the young girl what he had just told Yuan Anjiang.

"So you mean it's just a minor case," she said.

Li Nanshuang delicately yawned, her porcelain face slightly bleary as she rubbed her eyes and said, "Then, just like before, you all handle it. I'm going to get some sleep; come find me if you run into difficulties."

Li Nanshuang's hands-off approach left the three people present with a look of helplessness.

Previously, Lu Renjia had tactfully protested, suggesting that the leaders of other halls often lead their members to work on cases personally, which was both efficient and good for team unity.

The girl had scolded him for this protest.

In Li Nanshuang's own words,

"I am the ace of our Wind Thunder Hall. If I get involved personally, wouldn't that just spoil all of you? I'm training you all!"

Eventually, she reluctantly accompanied them on an investigation after much pestering.

In the end, they realized it made no difference whether she was there or not.

"By the way, Braised Noodles, how is your body doing? Are you still having nightmares these last few days?"

Li Nanshuang looked at Jiang Shouzhong with concern.

Half a month earlier, Jiang Shouzhong had been injured by a demon during an investigation, causing him to have frequent nightmares. Li Nanshuang had even specifically invited Zhang, the top doctor in the Capital, to treat him.

Thinking of the strange dream that had been recurring in the past few days, Jiang Shouzhong felt gloomy inside, but still smiled and said, "I'm much better, although I still have them occasionally."

Li Nanshuang said, "I asked Zhang, and he said it's normal. Many people who are injured by demons have nightmares due to the shock, but it should pass after some time. If it really doesn't get better, I'll find another doctor for you."

There's no denying that Li Nanshuang took good care of her subordinates when it came to these matters.

The money for Ms. Zhang's medical treatment was mostly advanced by her.

Jiang Shouzhong shook his head, "No need, besides, is there a better physician in the Capital than Zhang?"

"That's true," Li Nanshuang's delicate face showed a trace of self-reproach, "Anyway, it's also my fault for not considering everything. In the future, if you encounter a demon that you can't handle, you must come find me and not overexert yourself. Also, don't"

"By the time you come, the demon would have already run away," Lu Renjia muttered.

"What?"

Li Nanshuang glared with her almond-shaped eyes.

Lu Renjia immediately changed to a smiling face, ingratiating himself, "What I meant was that the boss has so many official duties and works night and day; it really pains us to see you tired from running around."

Li Nanshuang sighed reluctantly, "Ah, there's nothing I can do. Who asked for a boss with such outstanding abilities? They keep sending down a heap of tasks. But for you, I don't mind the exhaustion. As long as you can understand your boss, that's good enough."

Lu Renjia nodded again and again, "Understood, understood, very much understood."

Zhang Yunwu, sidelined for once, showed a rare flash of quick-wittedness and chimed in with a grin, "Having a boss like you is our good fortune."

At that, Li Nanshuang couldn't help but light up with a smile.

A shallow dimple appeared on the girl's cheek, which immediately improved her view of that stubborn ox, "Erniu, you've improved, not bad. I like honest subordinates like you."

"Honest people speak the truth."

Lu Renjia continued to curry favor, "They say that our Wind Thunder Hall's Jiang is smart, but the true wise leader is you, boss. You are our face. Right, Zhang?"

Saying this, he winked and gestured at Zhang Yunwu to lavish more praise on their boss.

The public funds were running low, so they'd have to ask the boss for more.

Zhang Yunwu nodded vigorously, "Right, the boss is very smart. I often saw the boss playing chess with the old men on the street, and she never lost."

"Sometimes, pieces mysteriously went missing from the chessboard, and those old men falsely accused the boss of stealing them. But they told the truth after the boss taught them a lesson"

"Cough cough cough!"

Lu Renjia suddenly started coughing violently, as if he'd choked on his own saliva.

Li Nanshuang's smile momentarily faltered.

Seeing that the atmosphere had turned awkward, Lu Renjia quickly changed the topic,

"Boss, Jiang often has nightmares; he couldn't have been tainted with Demon Energy, could he? I feel this guy has been pretty gloomy recently."