While Chen Longfei was having a heart to heart talk with his mother, in the corner of the Cloud Realm, Chen Tengfei was observing the person in front of him with interest.
"You said your name was Jin Ling, right?" Chen Tengfei asked.
The man named Jin Ling nodded his head.
"Yes, sir," he said, his shrewd eyes glinting under the light.
"Good, good..." Chen Tengfei nodded his head in satisfaction.
"You do know what you signed up for, right? I'll be sending you to the Phantom Realm, to none other than the Head of the Shadow Demons, Xu Chao..." Chen Tengfei said.
"You should know that Xu Chao isn't someone you can fool easily. In fact, I've sent one spy to his manor already, and that person is already dead..."
Chen Tengfei observed Jin Ling's expression -- there was not an ounce of fear in the latter's face. There was only excitement, trepidation, and eagerness. Chen Tengfei nodded his head in satisfaction.
"Good, good... What I want you to do when you arrive in Xu Chao's mansion is to check the political situation, gauge Xu Chao's overall power, monitor him, and, if possible, recruit him. Make him bow to me," Chen Tengfei said.
Jin Ling knelt down and put his right hand over his heart.
"Master! I will go through fire and water to make sure your dreams come true! Please rest assured, I will complete this task without any mistakes!" Jin Ling declared.
Chen Tengfei nodded his head with a smile blooming on his face.
"Good. Make sure you do not fail me."
Jin Ling bowed his head, hiding the glint in his eyes...
***
Back in the Phantom Realm, Chen Longfei looked at his mother in confusion.
"You're saying that... 'Feng Yongrui' isn't from the Phantom Realm...?" Chen Longfei asked, his brows knitted together.
"Correct," his mother replied, smiling.
"...Then where is he from?" Chen Longfei's face turned dark. "Don't tell me he's from the Cloud Realm?!"
"Hahaha... son, calm down. If he really is from the Cloud Realm, do you really think your spies wouldn't find out about it?"
Chen Longfei calmed his beating heart. That's right, he was too impulsive... But what did his mother mean?
"Do you remember the 'Nephilim'?" she asked.
Chen Longfei's eyes widened and he almost gaped at his mother. The Nephilim!
This world was divided into three realms, the Human Realm (also known as the Jade Realm), the Phantom Realm and the Cloud Realm. The Cloud Realm and Phantom Realm had always been at odds with each other.
However, according to legends, there was actually another type of realm above these three realms -- the land of the gods. Although the people from the Cloud Realm were referred to as "immortals", they actually had lifespans, they could die, and they weren't able to choose their own fates.
But the gods... the gods were different. According to legend, high above the three realms there was the land of the gods, where beings that could not be described lived...
There was little to no sources regarding these gods, but the inhabitants of all three realms believed, to a certain extent, that the land of the gods was real.
As for the Nephilim, these people were half-gods. They could be half-god and half-immortal or half-god and half-demon, but never a half-god and half-human. After all, humans were too weak. Even if a god married a human, their offspring would die before even being born.
While there was little to no evidence regarding the gods, the Nephilim was a different story. Legend has it that the hero who helped the Cloud Realm fight against the Phantom Realm back in the days was a Nephilim.
There were countless stories, songs, ballads, and praises sung to this Nephilim. To the inhabitants of the Cloud Realm, this person was a hero, a warrior, and a respected member of the Cloud Realm. There were even some who worshiped him.
As for the Phantom Realm, they did not worship this Nephilim, but that didn't mean they didn't know of his existence. Many demons who had fought during the great war would tell their grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren about this Nephilim, the one who struck fear inside their hearts and killed a thousand men with one swoop of his sword.
The gods were legends, beings that could not be touched. But the Nephilim... Although they were rare, they were real. People had once seen them, touched them, and talked to them. So, to a certain extent, people still believed in their existence.
"Mom... you're saying that this 'Feng Yongrui' is a Nephilim?!" Chen Longfei asked, incredulous. "No... how can you say that even though you've never met him?!" Chen Longfei asked.
The woman chuckled. "Isn't it just a guess?" she asked. "I'm not one hundred percent sure yet..."
Chen Longfei took a deep breath. "Perhaps... we should test him?" he suggested.
"That's a good idea," the woman nodded.
"If he really is a Nephilim... then I definitely have to recruit him!" Chen Longfei said, clenching his fists tightly. With the help of a Nephilim, was there anything that the Phantom Realm had to fear? They would practically be invincible!
***
Meanwhile, Feng Yongrui was eating in the cafeteria with Big Brother and the rest of the gang. Salron, one of the most talkative ones of the group, was talking with his mouth bulging from the sides.
Salron was talking about one of the newest servants who had been brought to serve in the outer part of the mansion.
"His name is Jin Ling," Salron spoke, his mouth bulging as he scooped another mouthful of rice.
"You know what? He's actually a nobody," he said. Salron paused to chew on his food.
"He's a nobody?" Miktor interjected. "If he's a nobody then why are you talking about him?"
"Is it because you're also a nobody?" Miktor teased.
Salron rolled his eyes.
"Stop being mean. That Jin Ling guy... he was a nobody until yesterday. Actually, he was one of the orange-clothed servants. You know, the ones who only do menial tasks..." Salron took a big bite of his food.
"But yesterday, there was a problem with the accounting and the Master was furious. It seems like there was something wrong with the number of supplies or something. Anyway, who knew that the nobody would step up and solve the problem?!"
Salron smacked his lips and drank a sip of water. "You know what? The Master was so pleased that he directly promoted him to a blue level servant. AND! He'll be in charge of some accounting and stuff..."
"Tsk, tsk," another servant clicked his tongue. "You're just jealous he got promoted so quickly..."
"Of course I'm jealous!" Salron cried. "Who does that punk this he is?"
"Calm down," Miktor said, smiling as he scooped some rice.
"Isn't it just a promotion? I bet he won't be able to handle the stress... He'll definitely slip up. And by that time... won't he be miserable?" he snickered.
Everyone else at the table laughed, and Feng Yongrui also gave a small smile.
"Eh? Fool, what about you?" Miktor saw the small smile that Feng Yongrui had and asked.
"Aren't you jealous?"
Feng Yongrui winced when he saw the pairs of eyes staring at him.
"Well... I am... but, as Miktor said... won't he get stressed eventually? After all, working as an accountant isn't all fun and games... I think I prefer my current job right now," Feng Yongrui said.
"I don't want to change my job or get promoted even if I get the chance," Feng Yongrui added.
There was silence for two seconds before everyone burst into laughter.
"Pfft~ Hahaha!" Miktor couldn't hold it back and laughed.
"No wonder you're called the Fool... There really is nothing inside that head of yours," he snickered.
Big Brother, who hadn't said much, stretched out his hand and patted Miktor's back rather harshly.
"Don't be rude," Big Brother growled lowly.
"Aww... Big Bro, why do you care about him so much?" Miktor whined, unfazed.
"I can't help getting jealous..." he added.
Big Brother rolled his eyes.
"It's not easy for that Fool. You know he still has a younger sister to take care of. You know he isn't smart, and to top it off, his magical prowess is just..." Big Brother eyes Feng Yongrui as if afraid to hurt his feelings.
Feng Yongrui smiled wryly but didn't say anything.
Big Brother sighed. "Anyway, you know he's like this... Don't keep bullying him," Big Brother warned.
"I know, I know," Miktor said, smiling.
"Anyway," Salron spoke, "Let's talk about that pretty servant that just arrived... I heard that someone already confessed to her on the first day..."
With the conversation being redirected, Feng Yongrui was able to breathe more freely. He ate the rest of his dinner in silence, feeling rather guilty towards Big Brother inside his heart.
After all, Big Brother seemed scary, but he had been really good to Feng Yongrui.... Feng Yongrui felt bad hiding things from Big Brother and lying to him.
In any case... Feng Yongrui changed the topic and thought about what Salron had been talking about.
Jin Ling, was it? Hm... Feng Yongrui was rather curious...
***