We drove back to Zhe Jiang Building with Yao Yao. As expected, Xie Bi'an was already there. This time, she was wearing mortal clothes, still petite at 1.5 meters, but she wore a pair of high-heeled leather boots, making her appear slightly taller. She sported tight black leather pants that accentuated her legs, a matching black leather jacket with rivet accessories, and her hair was tied in a high ponytail. Coupled with her round dimples, she had quite a rock-and-roll vibe reminiscent of Deng Zi Qi.
Xie Bi'an was sitting on a sofa in the building's lobby, with three shopping bags from Bali Family placed beside her, though it was unclear where she had found them.
I introduced them to each other. Yao Yao and Xie Bi'an exchanged perfunctory handshakes. Xie Bi'an was quite reserved and didn't speak much, while Yao Yao also showed little interest in strangers. With many people coming and going in the lobby, I couldn't say much. I peeked into the shopping bags: one set was cyan, and two were white, both adorned with gold thread embroidery, similar in material to the imperial robe the Little King of Hell wore when I first met him.
"Thanks, An'an, have you eaten? Let me treat you to a meal," I said.
"No need," Xie Bi'an stood up, patting her leather jacket. "I have work tonight. We'll be in touch."
"Okay, I'll see you off—" Before I could finish "you," Xie Bi'an had already vanished.
Several unfamiliar female streamers nearby looked at me with confusion, perhaps thinking they had misseen. To avoid embarrassment, I could only practice my greetings to the air, "Hello everyone, ah, ah, ah."
Yao Yao, hands in her pockets, squinted her eyes and gazed in the direction Xie Bi'an had disappeared. About ten seconds later, her eyes returned to normal.
"What are you looking at?"
"She left so quickly."
"Wasn't she running?" I asked with a smile.
Yao Yao shook her head. "Judging by her aura, she was clearly walking. If she were running, she would have been much faster. I don't understand, what method was she using?"
"It's definitely not Qing Gong. Maybe it's a magnetic field," I guessed. If I imagined Xie Bi'an as a self-aware magnetic field, it would explain her ability to appear and disappear at will and move instantaneously. It should involve high school physics.
Unfortunately, my physics knowledge isn't very good.
Yao Yao called Lao Ba, Huang Xiao Xian, to come down. The three of us changed our clothes in the car in the building's underground parking lot.
Mine was similar to an ancient constable's uniform, a short-sleeved top and pants, along with a pair of boots. They were real leather boots with shoe sizes inside, clearly items from the mortal world. They were likely custom-made by the Yin Messenger's office in the human realm. A character was emblazoned on the chest: 善 (Shan - Goodness). I didn't know what it meant.
Their clothes, although made of silk, were not skirts but also pantsuits, and they felt rather tight. However, the shoulders and the hem of the collar had some skirt-like decorations. They also wore small leather boots, all in a standard size 36, which both of them could fit into. They looked more like female characters from a fantasy game. If they were equipped with exaggerated greatswords, they would be like two female "warriors."
There were no characters on their chests; the characters were on their backs, and they were different. Yao Yao's character was "美" (Mei - Beauty), and Lao Ba's was also "美." True, Goodness, and Beauty?
"...This doesn't look like a mage either," Yao Yao frowned.
"It'll do." I switched seats with Huang Xiao Xian, who liked to drive. In the back seat, I called Lin Chi, asking her to help me investigate the family situation of Prefect He. Lin Chi had the relevant information on her computer and quickly sent me a file, including Prefect He's resume, his wife's occupation, and information about their children.
We are mages, after all. We need topics to discuss.
At 6:32 PM, we arrived at Hong Bin Lou in the West Market. A man in his thirties, wearing a jacket in a bureaucratic style and carrying a briefcase, was standing at the entrance, looking around. As the three of us got out of the car, the man noticed our peculiar attire and immediately approached us, bowing and asking softly, "Excuse me, among the three of you, who is Master Huang Xian?"
I nodded. "I am Huang Da Xian, this one (Yao Yao) is Huang Er Xian, and that one is our younger sister, Huang Xiao Xian."
Huang Xiao Xian is her real name, you can check her ID if you don't believe me.
"Oh, all three of you are?" the man said, looking left and right with apprehension. This was a rather secluded restaurant located in an alley, with most of the parking spaces in front empty. It might only cater to high-ranking officials like Prefect He, perhaps it's a "private club" as I didn't see any "Hong Bin Lou" signage.
"The three of you, please follow me." The man led us directly through the main entrance.