Trainee Tribunal Agent

Zhu Meng stroked the thick bristles of his beard.

In truth, this was not his first time dealing with the Totem Serpent — he had heard more than enough about its extraordinary sensing capabilities.

Since the court guards he'd brought were unable to give pursuit, dispatching trainee Tribunal Agents was a sound call. There was no shortage of trainees to draw from, and it didn't even need to be limited to them — anyone who aspired to join the Tribunal and was already in its reserve pool could be mobilized just as well.

With that wave of the Tribunal's young elite bearing down on her, there was simply no way they couldn't bring in Tang Yue — a woman who had only just been inducted as a full Tribunal Agent!

"Go. Mobilize every available hand. Tang Yue is to be apprehended." Zhu Meng issued the order.

The court guards saluted and immediately carried out Councilman Zhu Meng's instructions, summoning trainee and reserve Tribunal Agents alike.

Zhejiang Academy, Jinxi Campus. Inside a student dormitory, a young man cried out with barely contained excitement: "Brother, are you serious?!"

"Why would I lie to you? This operation specifically requires reserve and trainee Tribunal Agents. The moment I got word from above, I had your name added to the list..."

The voice on the other end carried a rough, unpolished quality.

"I can't thank you enough — I've always wanted to get into the Tribunal. Even just being a trainee Tribunal Agent would give me a massive edge in the Main Campus competition down the line," Liu Yilin said, practically vibrating.

"This is a rare opportunity. Word has it that standout performers could even be bumped straight to full Tribunal Agent on the spot — the future would be limitless!"

"Straight to full Tribunal Agent... Brother, what exactly is this mission?" Liu Yilin pressed.

"I don't have the details yet. Rumor is it's connected to that skyscraper serpent incident downtown. Don't ask too many questions right now — just pack your things and get over here. Your big brother is only a trainee himself; getting you this chance wasn't easy."

"Right, right — I'm on my way."

*Straight to full Tribunal Agent.* If he earned that title, the Tribunal would essentially be handing him a guaranteed path to High-Level Mage!

What was the real gap between one Mage and another?

Grinding away in isolated cultivation?

Of course not!

What Mages truly needed most were resources — a powerful faction with serious backing that was willing to invest in you.

The Tribunal was, without question, the dream destination for every student in the academy. Picturing how a strong showing on this mission could secure him a place among its ranks, Liu Yilin felt something in him ignite.

Opportunities like this — a minnow's chance to leap straight through the dragon gate — didn't come around often. He, Liu Yilin, absolutely had to seize it.

"Liu Yilin, where are you headed?" His closest friend looked at his loaded-up state with some confusion.

"Off to carry out a Tribunal mission."

"Sure you are," the brown-haired guy laughed. "Yeah, being a reserve Tribunal Agent sounds good around campus, but come on — I know how far that is from the real thing. There's no way the Tribunal is actually sending you out on a mission."

"I'll tell you this: if the mission goes smoothly, I'll be promoted to trainee Tribunal Agent very soon. And if I'm really lucky, maybe I'll jump straight to full Tribunal Agent — after that, who in all of Zhejiang Academy could hold a candle to me?" Liu Yilin said.

"That's actually a thing?" The brown-haired guy could tell he wasn't joking.

"Without a doubt."

They headed west.

Given that the operation needed to stay discreet, Mo Fan hadn't even dared take his beloved War Wolf. Instead, he and Tang Yue slipped out of Hangzhou entirely on foot.

By the time they reached the outskirts of the city, the sky was just beginning to lighten. Mo Fan noticed the fine sweat on Tang Yue's forehead, her expression drawn and tense. He smiled. "Your divine creature is even more useful than my little tagalong."

"Your little tagalong?" Tang Yue asked.

"Lingling — from the Azure Sky Hunting Firm, my partner. Haven't seen that little rascal in ages. Kind of miss her, honestly."

"Oh, you mean Leng Qing's little sister." Tang Yue's features softened. "Leng Qing is one of the finest Tribunal Agents we have — the female agent I admire most. When the Black Church came after you and I couldn't get free, it was Leng Qing who told me to approach the Azure Sky Hunting Firm. I just never imagined you were actually one of their hunters... Strange. The Azure Sky Hunting Firm only recruits the elite of the elite — how on earth did someone like you end up joining?"

"I really don't appreciate that phrasing," Mo Fan said. "Makes it sound like I'm completely ordinary."

Tang Yue laughed at that, and some of the tension drained from her expression.

Her gaze drifted to the Totem Bead resting close against her body, then back toward the towering silhouette of Hangzhou behind them.

"Teacher Tang Yue, you can stop worrying," Mo Fan said, giving her shoulder an easy pat. "With me here, I guarantee you'll both make it safely to White Mountain."

"Thank you..." A faint guilt stirred in Tang Yue's chest.

She hadn't expected things to unravel this fast. The Tribunal had almost certainly issued an arrest warrant by now — and she'd dragged Mo Fan onto that list along with herself.

All she'd originally wanted was for Mo Fan to escort the Totem Serpent alongside her to White Mountain. He was an outsider, someone she trusted, who could help her sidestep the traitors within her own clan. But Zhu Meng had already obtained authorization seals from the two most authoritative Magic Associations in the country, forcing Mo Fan into the position of openly opposing a Tribunal Councilman.

"Teacher Tang Yue, the way I see it — after risking my neck like this for you, the only fitting way to thank me would be to give yourself to me," Mo Fan said with a perfectly straight face.

*Tsk tsk.* Teacher Tang Yue's figure — those generous curves that looked about ready to pop a button, that perfectly rounded backside leaving not a single crease in her skirt — Mo Fan had spent no small amount of class time letting his mind wander. And thinking back to that charged, push-and-pull moment in the taxi's backseat, all heat and barely restrained tension... he was convinced that a woman this stunning was simply too rare to pass up, especially given the solemn promise he'd once made to his old man Mo Jiaxing about carrying on the Mo family line.

"If you truly manage to see everyone safely through this crisis..." Tang Yue bit her rosy lip, hesitating for a moment before finally saying, "I'll agree to it."

Mo Fan's jaw nearly hit the ground.

Was Teacher Tang Yue actually agreeing to give herself to him?

"Teacher Tang Yue, you're not pulling my leg, are you?" Mo Fan managed.

Tang Yue met his eyes — not a trace of humor in her gaze. She looked away quickly, though, and in a rare moment of openness, let the truth pour out: "My father left when I was very young. The only thing I remember him saying — the phrase he kept repeating — was that even when he wasn't by my side, he would watch over me like the stars, a silent guardian gazing from afar... I didn't understand what he meant then. Not until the divine creature's form appeared beneath the waters of West Lake. Mo Fan, you may not fully believe that it truly protects this city — and honestly, I can't say with certainty it hasn't done wrong. Our clan only keeps the tradition of offerings because our ancestors passed it down. But it has genuinely protected me, every single moment without fail. It has watched over me all these years. Now, in its most vulnerable hour, I truly want to do everything I can to protect it — to help it through this time. It means so much to me. You're willing to take such an enormous risk to help me. Whatever you ask of me, I won't think it's too much."

Mo Fan rested a gentle hand on Tang Yue's shoulder, offering what quiet comfort he could for the emotion rising in her.

It was plain to see — the Serpent was to Tang Yue what a father was to a daughter. Family.

*And I'm not going to take advantage of her at a moment like this.*

Not that he'd been stirred to nobility by her words, exactly. The truth was, Mo Fan had thought it through: if he kept pressing his luck with Teacher Tang Yue, the Serpent — which clearly doted on her without limit — might just decide to swallow him whole one day. Not even his bones would survive.

A smart man knew how to read the room.

When a woman says nothing is too much to ask — don't actually take her at her word.