The next morning, while I was jogging, the old conman suddenly appeared in front of me!

I was startled and quickly stopped, asking, "Master, you’re out already?"

The old conman grumbled, "What do you mean 'out'? As if I’ve been in prison. Damn kid, stop wasting time. I’m in a hurry and need to quickly sneak back. Take me to your house, now!"

I immediately ran towards home as fast as I could.

While running, I asked, "Master, why the hurry?"

"I stole the Hidden Energy testing machine. Can you blame me for being in a rush? If I get caught, I’m finished! The higher-ups will erase me!" the old conman replied.

I asked, "Master, what exactly is the underworld like?"

"Wait until you die and see for yourself," he responded shortly.

I was left speechless.

But honestly, the old conman was a real trooper, risking his life to steal the equipment for my testing. For that, all previous grudges were forgiven!

After all, I’m not a petty person.

Once we got back to my room, the old conman waved his hand, and my bed instantly disappeared!

I clapped and praised, "Master, that’s amazing!"

He didn’t pay me any attention. With another wave of his hand, a large machine suddenly appeared in my room!

I guessed that this must be the Hidden Energy testing device he was talking about, but how did he do it? Such a big thing just appeared with a wave of his hand…

The old conman urged, "Quick, step into that circle."

The machine resembled an X-ray device from a hospital. After I stood in place, he fiddled with the machine for a bit. A beam of light enveloped my body.

The next moment, the fabric on my right shoulder suddenly caught fire!

Although I didn’t feel any heat, I instinctively slapped at the flames.

It took a while before I finally put out the fire. By the time I looked up, the old conman had already put away the machine. He came up to me, patted my shoulder, and said seriously, "Not bad, just like me, you have fire Hidden Energy!"

"Let me tell you, Xiao Long(Bruce), fire Hidden Energy is the most powerful of all Hidden Energies! Enjoy it!"

"Master, catching fire means I have fire Hidden Energy?"

"Exactly," the old conman nodded. He then conjured up a notebook out of thin air and handed it to me, saying, "Luckily, your Hidden Energy is the same as mine. This notebook contains the methods for cultivating fire Hidden Energy. Study it yourself."

"Also, don’t come looking for me unless it’s absolutely necessary. It’ll be troublesome if we’re discovered. If not just me, you’ll be in trouble too!"

"Master, what if I can’t understand the notes?" I quickly asked.

"I’ve written it thoroughly and comprehensively. You’ll definitely understand!" the old conman reassured me. "Alright, Xiao Long(Bruce), I’ve got to hurry back. Give my regards to Murong. Also, if she comes back, use the Communication Talisman to contact me. I know how to help her reincarnate."

With that, the old conman vanished.

He left in such a rush, and I still had so many questions!

How does true qi circulate? What exactly is the underworld? What’s Hidden Energy really about? How can the old conman conjure things out of thin air… Damn!

He disappeared my bed, but didn’t bring it back!

Master, you sure know how to give me problems!

How am I going to explain this to my parents? Should I tell them it was a dream and I ate too many cookies?

Forget it. Let’s check the notes first. I opened the first page, which only had two lines of neat handwriting:

"Hidden Power exists at the right shoulder of the human body. After activation by the Hidden Energy Detector, you can feel this faint energy."

I quit my job as a waiter and decided to stay home to study Hidden Energy.

After two whole days of feeling, I finally sensed the faint energy.

Another three days passed before I could easily use Hidden Energy, like lighting a finger on fire. Of course, I didn’t feel any heat… But it worked as a great lighter!

Despite this, I was beyond excited!

After all, this was a superpower!

Who else could casually turn their finger into a lighter? And as I kept researching, my Hidden Energy level would only improve!

Maybe in a few days, I could set my whole hand on fire.

Just as I was in high spirits, I heard my mother’s voice from the living room, "Xiao Ling, I’m happy you came to visit, but why buy all these things? Don’t do it again next time."

Xiao Ling? Xu Xiaoling is here?

I quickly got up and walked out the door.

Xu Xiaoling handed me a beautifully wrapped box, smiling as she said, "Happy birthday."

"Eh? How did you know today is my birthday?" I asked in surprise.

Xu Xiaoling grinned, "Auntie told me last time. It’s the 21st of the 6th lunar month, so it’s today!"

I glanced at the beautifully wrapped gift box in her hand and asked, "What’s inside?"

"A phone. The Sanlu Galaxy S."

"No way, it’s too expensive. I can’t accept it," I protested.

Although I didn’t have a phone, I knew from reading the newspaper that this model was extremely expensive.

"It’s not expensive. I got it through connections at a special price. I thought you should have a phone. It’s not convenient to contact you otherwise," she insisted.

My mom chimed in, "Son, take it. When Xiao Ling’s birthday comes, just return the favor."

Since my mom had already spoken, I didn’t argue. I opened the gift box, and inside was a sleek black phone with a SIM card already inserted. The carrier was China Lu Dong, with the Shenzhou Hang plan. It looked fine to me…

Later that evening, my mom invited Xu Xiaoling to stay for dinner. While she was busy in the kitchen, Xu Xiaoling and I watched TV and chatted. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

I thought it was my dad, but when I opened the door, it was Cheng Dong.

As soon as Cheng Dong saw Xu Xiaoling sitting on the sofa, he was surprised and asked, "What’s going on here?"

"She’s visiting. What’s up? Got a client?" I whispered.

"Yeah, big client. Let’s go outside and talk," Cheng Dong said mysteriously.

I pulled Cheng Dong inside and smiled, "Dongzi, you came at the perfect time. My mom’s making dinner, you should stay and eat with us."

I whispered, "Stop being so mysterious, we’ll talk later."

After dinner, Cheng Dong and I stood on the balcony, and I asked softly, "Dongzi, a big client?"

"Yeah, Xiao Long(Bruce), this time the payment is a million!" Cheng Dong replied.

"A million?!" I gasped in surprise.

"They want you to go with them to a place, the duration is uncertain, and the payment is by the day. One million for half a month, and if it goes beyond that, it’s another million, and so on."

I furrowed my brow. "Where are we going?"

"I don’t know. The client is very mysterious and won’t tell us exactly where. But I can assure you it’s not human trafficking, because the person who contacted me is the VP of Huaxia Group. You know Huaxia, right? They’re a huge company with over a hundred billion in funds."

"How did you get in touch with them?" I asked.

Cheng Dong shook his head. "They approached me. Your home address is mysterious, and you don’t have a phone… To be exact, they got the information from Boss Qian.

They’re secretive, but the payment is tempting. Xiao Long(Bruce), think it over. Don’t worry, I didn’t give out your address to anyone. I even took several detours to avoid being followed."

I thought for a moment, then said, "The payment is extremely high, so they must be planning something dangerous. And they’re specifically looking for a Taoist, so they probably want to deal with ghosts, especially really powerful ones!

At my level, I can handle weak spirits, but anything too strong is beyond me."

That was the truth. Even someone as strong as the Female Hero would be a challenge, let alone ten of me.

But the money was very tempting. If I took the job, I could pay off my debts. And since it’s a big corporation, they should be trustworthy.

In the end, money won out over reason. Screw it, I’m going for it!

I looked at Cheng Dong and said, "I agree!"

Cheng Dong said, "Xiao Long(Bruce), they’re not idiots. They won’t give out such a big payment for no reason. They want someone who’s truly capable, not just a scammer."

"If you’ve made up your mind, you need to go for an interview at Huaxia Group tomorrow. Once you get there, just go to the front desk and ask for Vice President Chen Jianmin. He knows your name, and once you tell him, he’ll meet with you. You’ll probably need to show your skills before they decide whether to hire you."

I nodded, "Got it, I’ll go check it out tomorrow."

The next morning, I went straight to the Huaxia Group—Qiling City branch. I smiled at

the girl at the front desk and said, "Hi, could you help me find Vice President Chen Jianmin?"

"Do you have an appointment?" the girl asked.

"No appointment. Just call him and tell him Zhang Xiaolong is here. I think he’ll see me," I replied.

The girl made a call, said a few words softly, then turned to me and said, "Mr. Zhang, Vice President Chen will meet you on the seventh floor. Please wait in the meeting room."

"Thank you," I said, then took the elevator to the seventh floor and followed the signs to the meeting room.

The door was open, but the room was empty.

I walked in and sat near the door.

After a while, a young female employee came in with a cup of tea and placed it in front of me. "The Vice President is still in a meeting. Please wait a moment."

"Thanks," I replied politely.

After almost half an hour, a middle-aged man walked in. He looked to be in his late forties, walking with steady steps and sharp eyes. He nodded at me. "Zhang Xiaolong, sorry to keep you waiting. I’m Chen Jianmin…"