Now that they understood what had really happened, Yuan Weiyuan was able to stay calm, but Lou Junchi's dissatisfaction with the SEIU was on the verge of erupting.
He had originally been a quiet classical music composer. Socializing and self-promotion weren't his strengths, so he never gained much recognition. Still, he loved the craft and never cared much for fame.
Joining the SEIU had seemed like the perfect opportunity: high salary, good benefits, and a supportive environment for his creative work.
He had agreed to share his cultivation experiences and occasionally carry out organizational tasks. No one had said anything about committing serious offenses. Losing a year of lifespan was one thing, but now even the afterlife would be affected?
The deputy director had dragged them out in the middle of the night to visit Master Song, all because he was worried about his father. Yet no one from the top had offered an explanation to those who were dragged into this mess.
"Why should we suffer for their recklessness?"
He had assumed Master Song was behind everything, but now it turned out she was only someone with connections in the underworld. She had even tried to stop the SEIU's reckless plans.
And the higher-ups? Even now, they were unrepentant and still refused to treat her with basic respect.
"Disgusting."
He would have been better off working alone, the way he used to. Being broke was better than getting dragged into disasters by irresponsible leadership. With that thought, Lou Junchi stood up and handed over a business card.
"Master Song, thank you. I was out of line earlier. If there's anything you need in the future, call this number. I'll do whatever I can."
He bowed deeply to Song Miaozhu, then left in a hurry.
That business card was from his old solo studio, the one he'd used before joining the SEIU. After he was recruited, the organization had upgraded his gear and he hadn't been back much since.
Yuan Weiyuan sensed things were going sideways and quickly chased after him.
"These people, seriously! Coming and going as they please. They don't even close the door," Chen Yuanyuan grumbled as she got up and shut it.
"Miaozhu, why don't you come sleep downstairs with me tonight? What if they lose it again and come knocking?"
"No need," Song Miaozhu replied. "I'm not even tired. A bit of spiritual circulation and I'll be wide awake again. I still need to call my friends in Lingcheng and book my train ticket for tomorrow morning. You go get some rest."
"Fine. But scream if you need me!" Yawning, Chen Yuanyuan left to retract her timed email. She'd pulled plenty of all-nighters before, but never one this late.
Once she walked her friend out, Song Miaozhu returned and placed a call to Zhao Huoyan.
"I've already spoken to the higher-ups through video. I told them everything. I passed on the underworld's public notice to the Jiangcheng SEIU branch too. That's the end of this. No matter what your superiors ask me to do next, if it involves the underworld, I can't help them. I won't help them."
There was a long silence on the other end. Then Zhao Huoyan's voice came through.
"I understand. Thank you. If you hadn't warned us in advance, the Lingcheng branch would've been caught up in it too. If the central office gives you trouble, I'll do my best to shield you."
Song Miaozhu was so surprised that she asked without thinking, "Do you even know what you're saying? Just today, Feng Jinwen still wanted me to hand a petition letter directly to the Prefecture Office in Fengdu!"
"I regret not doing more back then," Zhao Huoyan said. "I should have thrown everything I had at stopping the central office. All I did was pass on your warning. That's not enough.
So many members of the organization have now suffered irreversible consequences. Even those who became ghosts weren't spared. If our leaders are wrong, we should try to correct them. We can't just stand by and let them keep making the same mistakes.
And if they know they're wrong but keep going anyway, that means their personal agendas have taken over. That kind of leadership has no place in our organization. The SEIU is a young agency, still feeling its way forward. That makes it all the more important to stay alert to problems within."
His voice was both heavy and firm. Song Miaozhu believed him completely. He really meant it. It turned out he wasn't blindly loyal to his superiors. He was loyal to the mission, to the country, or maybe to the people. She sighed. If the central SEIU had more people like him, things never would have reached this point.
"If the underworld sends out any more notices useful to the living world, I'll let you know."
"Thank you."
…
After that call, the fire in her chest that had been burning since her video meeting with the SEIU leadership finally died down.
The pot of porridge was still good. It had just been tainted by a few rats.
There were still good people in the SEIU. Only a few had rotted, not the whole barrel.
She called Zhao Mumu and Chen Shuanghe for a group chat. Talking to them was much more relaxing. She shared the contents of the punishment notice and the evening's events. They gave her the latest internal gossip from the SEIU. They exchanged information freely.
That was when Song Miaozhu learned that everyone on the punishment list had received their warning through a dream sent by a ghost messenger in the early hours of the morning.
Since ghosts were already a known factor in the SEIU, most members reported the dream right away. And that was when they discovered that many people from the central office could no longer be reached.
When they went to check on them, those people were found unconscious at home.
Some even looked significantly older.
The central office had tried to contact her immediately, but she hadn't answered her phone. It wasn't even on her. So they reached out to the Lingcheng team, asking them to find her.
Lingcheng confirmed she had gone to Jiangcheng, but they didn't know where she was staying. They even activated Sky Eye surveillance and finally tracked down her apartment. Then they asked the Jiangcheng team to go knock on her door.
"They stirred up that much just for me? I must be really famous now in the SEIU," she said wryly.
"Fame isn't the problem," Chen Shuanghe said. "The real issue is that at a sensitive time like this, the SEIU came for you in such a high-profile way. Anyone who's on the punishment list and doesn't know the truth might start imagining things."
"You don't have to worry about misunderstandings," Zhao Mumu suddenly said.
"Huh?" Chen Shuanghe blinked. She had agreed with that point earlier.
"Miaozhu, Shuanghe, go look at the SEIU app," Zhao Mumu said. "Someone posted the entire underworld punishment notice, the full list of names, and even your past rejection of the SEIU's offer to sell Grade-4 Paper Clothes. It includes your warning not to interfere with the underworld. Lou Junchi from the Jiangcheng branch... now that's a real man."