Chapter 21: Withholding My Deposit

On the way back, Mo Qianxun’s stomach kept growling. She had only eaten a single dry piece of bread all morning, and she was starving.

"What’s wrong? Didn’t you eat over there?" Squad Leader Wang chuckled at the duet coming from Mo Qianxun’s stomach.

"Don't even mention it. I only had one piece of dry bread over there. You wouldn't believe it—that bread was as hard as a brick; it was enough to wear down my teeth." Just thinking about that bread made Mo Qianxun’s teeth ache.

"Oh? You really had it rough. Don't worry, we’ll make you something delicious once we get back," Squad Leader Wang said with a smile.

"Oh, thank you so much! You have no idea, over there, I was constantly thinking about getting back. I was truly cold and hungry the whole time."

"Isn't that supposed to be a magic world? How come there was only one type of food?"

"Don't get me started. There were plenty of food options, but bread was the only thing you could carry and eat on the move. If it weren't for the time limit on this delivery order, I would have made sure to eat my fill before heading out."

"..."

Upon returning to the base, Mo Qianxun was summoned to Zhao Jianguo’s office.

"The DNA test results are out. You and An Junjie are indeed father and daughter," Zhao Jianguo said, handing the report to her.

After reading the report, Mo Qianxun kept her head lowered, lost in thought.

"Qianxun, are you alright?" Zhao Jianguo asked, watching her with concern. Having been an orphan for over twenty years and endured so much hardship, he feared she might collapse upon suddenly discovering she had parents—and a family in comfortable circumstances at that.

"I’m fine. What is the attitude of the An couple?"

"Mr. and Mrs. An already know An Xin’s true identity. Judging by their recent actions, they don’t seem to want to protect her anymore." Zhao Jianguo handed her a file folder. "This contains a record of what they’ve been doing lately."

Mo Qianxun didn’t open it immediately. Instead, she looked at Zhao Jianguo. "Uncle Zhao, I want to see them for myself."

"...Fine. I’ll send someone to help you arrange a meeting. The special base is estimated to be completed in a month; you probably won’t have much time to deal with the An family once that happens." Once the base was finished, Mo Qianxun would likely be stationed there for a long time.

"I understand."

"There is another piece of good news. The Nine-Nether Grass you brought back has fully bloomed. Old Wang and his team used one plant for experiments and discovered that the extract can rapidly repair dead human cells. For people with disfigurement or large-scale scarring, this medicine will be a godsend once it’s released." Zhao Jianguo’s face was filled with excitement. So many heroes—especially firefighters who suffered severe burns and facial disfigurement while saving lives—had been forced into retirement.

A smile touched Mo Qianxun’s face. "Really? That’s wonderful! Oh, right, Sister Mei’er said this Nine-Nether Grass also has the effect of stabilizing the soul."

"Stabilizing the soul? Our country does have a department dedicated to soul research." Zhao Jianguo thought for a moment and then laughed. "Interesting. If they find out about this property of the Nine-Nether Grass, the supply we have won't be enough to go around."

Mo Qianxun suddenly remembered the Marrow Cleansing Pill and quickly took it out. "Uncle Zhao, this is a Marrow Cleansing Pill. Sister Mei’er said it can remove impurities from the human body and strengthen one's constitution."

"...A Marrow Cleansing Pill? Like the ones in cultivation novels?" Zhao Jianguo, who had been binge-reading novels lately, stared at the pill for a few seconds before holding it with trembling excitement. Something fictional from a novel had now become reality?

"I suppose so. But the process of cleansing the marrow is supposedly quite painful. It’s best to warn them before they take it."

"It’s fine. Even if we use it, we’ll prioritize the people out on missions. They are used to struggling through dangerous situations; they should be able to handle the pain. Besides, we only have this one bottle for now. Let the research institute study it first; if they can find a substitute, that would be even better."

"A substitute for a Marrow Cleansing Pill? That would probably be difficult, considering the plants in our world don't contain spiritual energy."

"It doesn't matter. Even if there isn't any now, there will be in the future. The people at the Agricultural Institute are already attempting to cultivate the Nine-Nether Grass."

"That will require a massive amount of spirit stones, won't it?"

"Perhaps, but when it comes to spirit stones, the more, the better."

-----------------

Not far from the An family villa, a discreet black sedan was parked by the roadside. Mo Qianxun sat inside, watching the An couple get into their own car.

"Should we follow them?"

"...No need. I’ve already seen them. Let’s go back." Mo Qianxun’s mind was filled with the images of the couple. Mrs. An seemed to be a very gentle woman, and An Junjie projected the image of a loving husband. So, these two were her parents?

Mo Qianxun didn't head straight back to the base, but instead returned to her rented apartment.

"Find a seat, I’ll pack my things and then we can leave." She poured them some water and, after telling them to make themselves at home, she went into her bedroom to pack.

While packing, she called her landlord to inform him she was moving out. The landlord agreed readily, but they reached an impasse when it came to the security deposit.

"Sir, how can you do this? We agreed that the deposit would be returned when I moved out."

"Young lady, it’s not that I don’t want to return your deposit, but because of what happened last time, many people have been complaining to me. They don’t want to live near you, but I couldn't find you, so I had to watch several tenants move out. You have to compensate me."

"Sir, don't you think you're being unreasonable? I still had half a month left on my lease, and I didn't ask you for a refund on that. Now you want to withhold my deposit? Isn't that too much?"

"You've worn out my property, and I haven't even charged you for the wear and tear! You know what? You're at home, right? Just wait there, we're going to settle this properly." The landlord hung up the phone.

Mo Qianxun, fuming, threw her phone onto the bed and sat down angrily. When she looked up, she saw a row of heads peeking through the doorway.

"Um, we weren't trying to eavesdrop. We were just a little worried about you," Squad Leader Wang said, scratching his head in embarrassment.

"It’s fine, there was nothing to hide."

Squad Leader Wang and the others crowded in. "So, he’s withholding your deposit?"

At the mention of it, Mo Qianxun felt a surge of anger. "Tell me, how can someone be like that?"

Squad Leader Wang and the others nodded in agreement. "That is indeed very unreasonable. Don't worry, you have us. We'll keep an eye on things, and if he tries to cheat you out of your money, we’ll take it to the police station to get it sorted."