The next morning, sunlight pierced through the cracks in the curtain, landing squarely on Ji Chen's face.
He jolted upright—only to freeze in horror.
His body was covered in a thick, black, sticky residue that reeked of rot and filth.
"What the hell—?!"
He bolted to the bathroom and scrubbed for thirty minutes straight before the foul grime finally washed away.
Staring into the mirror, Ji Chen realized something was different.
His skin looked clearer. Smoother. His eyes were sharper, more vibrant. And most shockingly—his nearsightedness was completely gone.
He could see individual dust particles drifting in the air. He could hear the muffled television from the neighbor's apartment next door.
He lowered his gaze to the faint jade imprint on his palm. The events of the previous night had not been a dream.
He clenched his fist, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.This world... is far more interesting than I imagined.
Back in the office bathroom, Ji Chen stood in front of the mirror again, adjusting his collar. It had been a week since the jade scroll had fused with him.
Every night, he practiced the breathing method from the Grand Art of Celestial Genesis, and every night, his body changed—bit by bit.
He unfastened the top button of his shirt and examined his collarbone. A dark mole that had been there since childhood was now gone. He touched his cheek—the acne scars from high school were smoothing out.
And his eyes—once at 5.0 diopters of nearsightedness—now saw better than 20/20.
Knock knock."You still in there, Ji Chen?" came a familiar voice. It was Wang Lei, his colleague.
"Yeah, coming out."
Ji Chen stepped out of the stall, putting on a casual smile.
Wang Lei gave him a long once-over, then smirked. "You've been hitting the gym or something? You look... different."
"Really?" Ji Chen chuckled, squirting soap onto his hands. "Maybe I've just been sleeping better."
"Sure, sure." Wang Lei leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Xiao Zhang from Marketing asked me yesterday if you got plastic surgery. Said your whole... vibe changed. Her exact words were, 'he's glowing like some immortal now.'"
Ji Chen laughed dryly, but alarms were going off in his head.
He hadn't realized the changes were that obvious. If his coworkers were noticing, it wouldn't be long before others did.
And he still had no idea who—or what—the "Night Owl Society" truly was.
Back at his desk, Ji Chen opened his browser and hesitated before typing:Night Owl Society + paranormal.
He'd searched it before. As expected, the results were mostly conspiracy theories and clickbait. But this time, something new caught his eye: a forum called Mystic Threads.
One post in particular stood out:
"Mysterious group called 'Night Owl' linked to several supernatural deaths. Appears across major cities. Avoid contact."
Ji Chen frowned, heart sinking.
"Ji Chen, this is Su Wan, the new intern. She'll be shadowing you for the next month."
The voice belonged to his supervisor, Manager Li.
Ji Chen scrambled to close his browser tab and looked up.
Standing next to Manager Li was a young woman in a crisp white blouse and navy pencil skirt. Her black hair was tied into a sleek ponytail, and a polite smile tugged at her lips.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Su Wan." She extended her hand.
Ji Chen reached out instinctively—but the moment their fingers touched, his jade imprint flared, sending a faint sting through his palm.
His eyes narrowed slightly. There was a silvery glow around her. Faint. Almost invisible.
He quickly pulled back. "Ji Chen," he replied, keeping his expression neutral.
Over the past week, he'd shaken hands with dozens of people. No one had triggered a reaction like that.
"Su Wan is top of her class at A University's business school," Manager Li added with a smile. "Make sure you take good care of her. Oh, and how's the report for Friday's presentation coming?"
"Just finishing the final review," Ji Chen said, stealing a glance at Su Wan, who was still studying him with a curious gaze.
After Li left, Su Wan pulled a chair over and sat beside him. "I've heard you're the youngest core analyst in the company. I'm looking forward to learning from you."
Her voice was soft but unusually crisp—like it bypassed his ears and went straight into his mind.
Ji Chen nodded and opened the project files, but found it strangely hard to focus.
Every time Su Wan leaned closer, a light fragrance would waft over—not perfume, but more like fresh bamboo after the rain.
Even more unsettling was her emotional "temperature."
Ji Chen had learned to sense emotional energy through the breathing technique. Most people fluctuated—warmth when excited, cold when anxious.
But Su Wan?
She was constant. Cool. Controlled. Like she was hiding something.
"This data model is well-designed," she said, pointing at the screen. "But wouldn't the accuracy improve if you added a time-based variable?"
Ji Chen blinked. That was the exact adjustment he'd thought of last night.
"You're right. I was just about to run a simulation with that." He opened another sheet. "Here's the preliminary result."
Su Wan leaned in closer to look. A few strands of her hair brushed against Ji Chen's arm.
That's when he saw it.
On the inside of her wrist was a faint, pale-blue mark—shaped like a feather.
"What's that?" he blurted.
She pulled her sleeve down, still smiling. "Just a birthmark. Can you explain the background of this project to me?"
They spent the rest of the morning working side by side. Su Wan absorbed information at an astonishing pace. Complex workflows? Understood after one explanation. Outliers in reports? She spotted them instantly.
By lunchtime, Ji Chen felt exhausted—not from work, but from trying to act normal while observing the walking enigma beside him.
In the cafeteria, he picked a corner seat with his tray of food. A moment later, Su Wan appeared and sat down across from him.
"Mind if I sit here?"
Her tray was shockingly simple: plain white rice, stir-fried vegetables, and a bowl of soup with ingredients Ji Chen couldn't even identify.
"You eat so little?" he asked, glancing at his own plate—piled with red-braised pork and fried chicken legs. Suddenly, it felt... greasy.
"I prefer a lighter diet," Su Wan replied, sipping her soup gracefully. "How long have you worked here, Ji—sorry, I mean, Ji Chen?"
"Over two years," he said, biting into a chicken wing. "And you can just call me Ji Chen. No need to be formal."
She smiled. "Alright, Ji Chen." Then, after a brief pause, she asked casually, "Do you have any hobbies? Like... qigong or tai chi?"
Ji Chen's chopsticks froze midair."Why do you ask?"
"You give off a... unique aura," she said, her eyes locking onto his. "As if you've trained in something."
His palm suddenly burned. The jade imprint was reacting.
She's testing me.Was she connected to the Night Owl Society?
"I jog sometimes. Nothing special," Ji Chen said, forcing a smile. "What about you?"
"My grandfather taught me some traditional health practices growing up," Su Wan said, putting down her chopsticks. "With how chaotic the world is lately... it's smart to know a little self-defense."
There was an edge to her voice. Ji Chen was about to follow up when Su Wan suddenly turned toward the cafeteria entrance, brow furrowing ever so slightly.
Ji Chen followed her gaze.
Several unfamiliar men in repairman uniforms were chatting with admin staff near the doorway.
Nothing looked suspicious—But Su Wan's entire body had gone tense.
"What is it?" Ji Chen asked in a low voice.
"Nothing," she replied, checking her watch. "Lunch break is almost over. Let's head back."