As the Dragon Department's anomalous individuals cleaned up the bloodstains within the company, Ye Ling dismissed them all before entering his office.
Bai Qiao was already waiting there.
Restless in the office, Bai Qiao jumped up from her seat as Ye Ling entered, greeting him with a rather flustered tone, "Mr. Ye!"
Ye Ling gestured for Bai Qiao to sit down and approached, saying, "I apologize for what just happened at the company."
Bai Qiao stammered, "It-it's fine, I-I'm okay..."
Although she said so, the fear in her eyes was undeniable.
Everything that had just happened had surpassed Bai Qiao's comprehension; she barely recognized the world anymore.
Even Ye Ling, whom she thought she could rely on, now seemed utterly foreign to her.
Seeing Bai Qiao's state, Ye Ling sighed slightly, but quickly composed himself and smiled at her, "Are you willing to listen to me explain?"
Ye Ling's original plan was to first build a closer relationship with Bai Qiao, gradually correcting her distorted mindset before exposing her to the cultivation world.
Years of hardship and the bullying she endured in college had left Bai Qiao prone to extreme reactions. If she were to suddenly gain immense power without caution, she might inadvertently become a demoness.
This was precisely why Ye Ling hadn't taught Bai Qiao cultivation from the start.
However, Yun Shanhe's sudden arrival with a group of Dragon Department anomalous individuals to cause trouble had exposed the world of anomalous individuals to Bai Qiao, completely disrupting Ye Ling's plans.
Now, there was no way to hide the matters of the anomalous world from Bai Qiao.
Fortunately, Ye Ling had quietly transmitted a message to Bai Qiao before taking action, instructing her to hide in the office. Otherwise, if she had witnessed someone's head being crushed or their body split in half, she would likely have gone mad by now!
Bai Qiao currently only knew that people had died outside the office, and that Ye Ling was most likely responsible.
While she was somewhat frightened by the events, she also understood that Ye Ling had acted to save her. Amidst her fear, she still harbored gratitude towards him.
Now that Ye Ling was willing to explain, Bai Qiao couldn't bear to refuse. She nodded, "Yes, Mr. Ye, please tell me."
Ye Ling smiled gently and said, "Actually, in this world, many people possess supernatural powers. They can fly through the heavens and burrow through the earth, capable of almost anything. They are known as anomalous individuals, and the circle formed by these individuals is the anomalous world."
"The rules within the anomalous world are vastly different from ordinary society. It is a place where the strong rule, and the laws of the ordinary world cannot restrain anomalous individuals. Therefore, killing is commonplace within the circle."
"However, because the power of anomalous individuals is too immense, excessive interference with ordinary society could easily lead to the collapse of the entire world. Thus, there is a covenant within the circle: anomalous individuals must not reveal themselves to ordinary people."
"For this reason, ordinary people are generally unable to access this circle. You have always lived in ordinary society, surrounded by ordinary people, which is why you were unaware of the existence of anomalous individuals."
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Bai Qiao was still a bit bewildered. However, after witnessing what had just transpired, she could grudgingly accept Ye Ling's explanation and asked, "Then why did you, Mr. Ye, hire me to work here and have so many anomalous individuals pose as company employees?"
"I am just an ordinary person; I shouldn't be worth such great effort from you, Mr. Ye, right?"
Bai Qiao got straight to the point, and Ye Ling felt a bit awkward. He cleared his throat twice and then explained, "Actually, I have some connection with your father. He asked me to look after you."
"It took me considerable effort to find you. After seeing your situation, I had originally planned to let you slowly adapt to normal life before gradually guiding you into the anomalous world. I didn't expect things to go awry."
"Mr. Ye is my dad's friend?" Bai Qiao frowned, scrutinizing Ye Ling, her expression practically screaming 'I don't believe you.'
Her father had died in a car accident when she was five. Ye Ling looked no older than her, and when her father passed away, Ye Ling was likely still in elementary school. How could he possibly be her father's friend?
Facing Bai Qiao's skepticism, Ye Ling simply chuckled, "Little girl, don't judge a book by its cover. The anomalous world is filled with capable individuals, and those who can maintain their youthful appearance are as numerous as fish in a river. Don't be fooled by my youthful appearance; in reality, I am much older than you imagine."
"Alright... I'll take your word for it, for now."
Bai Qiao didn't dwell on this matter too much and continued, "Why did those people want to capture me earlier? Didn't you say anomalous individuals can't interfere with ordinary people? Why was I targeted?"
Ye Ling couldn't immediately answer Bai Qiao's question and could only shake his head, "Actually, I'm not sure why they targeted you. But the group behind them is the Shadow Hall. They wouldn't target you for no reason. There must be some reason behind this, and it needs to be investigated thoroughly."
"However, speaking of which, you possess the Innate Sword Embryo, a natural cultivation genius. They might have wanted to capture you because they desired your body."
"Desired... desired my body?" Bai Qiao's face instantly flushed red, and she was completely taken aback.
She hadn't expected Ye Ling to crack such a joke with her.
However, thanks to Ye Ling's sudden jest, Bai Qiao's tense and fearful emotions were somewhat alleviated.
Seeing Bai Qiao's flustered state, Ye Ling burst into laughter and continued, "Alright, enough joking. Since you are now aware of the existence of anomalous individuals, I won't beat around the bush. I wish to take you as my disciple. What do you think?"
"Mr. Ye wants to take me as his disciple?" Bai Qiao's eyes lit up instantly, and she leaped up from her seat, "Is this true?"
After learning about the existence of anomalous individuals, Bai Qiao didn't know why, but she felt an immense desire to possess such power herself!
Now that Ye Ling wanted to take her as a disciple, it was precisely her most cherished wish.
Seeing Bai Qiao's excitement, Ye Ling continued, "Although I don't place much importance on ceremony, the matter of apprenticeship should be treated with solemnity. If you are willing to become my disciple, kowtow three times."
"Yes!"
Bai Qiao, with almost no hesitation, immediately knelt before Ye Ling and kowtowed, "Disciple Bai Qiao pays respects to Master!"
"Rise."
Ye Ling waved a gentle breeze, softly lifting Bai Qiao, and continued, "Now that I am your Master, I am obligated to protect you."
"Rest assured, with me protecting you, from this day forward, no scoundrels will be able to harm you."
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Bai Qiao's heart skipped a beat. She gazed at Ye Ling dazedly, her eyes instantly welling up with tears, "Master..."