21 The Newcomer

"Tighten the reins, yes, lean forward, that’s it... Don't be nervous. If you're tense, the horse will be too. Awkward, I said it's awkward... Shi Nian!"

Lu Zhiyao lunged to catch her, but the girl on the horse had already tumbled off, and the two of them crashed heavily to the ground. Shi Nian’s chest ached from the fall; she looked up from where she lay on top of Lu Zhiyao, her face a mask of grief and despair.

That was the third time.

Falling off the horse like this—it had happened three times already. She really couldn't take it anymore!

This was the Miyun training base. Ever since Shi Nian had officially signed the contract half a month ago to join this so-called "Time-Space Management Division 7," she had been undergoing entry training here. Much like the courtyard house in the city center, this was a vital stronghold for Division 7, but it was far larger. In addition to villas for members to live in, it boasted multiple training grounds, including swimming pools, shooting ranges, equestrian fields, and combat arenas, as well as leisure facilities like a library, dance studio, bridge room, billiards room, and bowling alley. When Shi Nian first arrived by car, she was so dazzled by the sights that she couldn't believe she was actually going to live there.

"Aren't you all living a bit too lavishly?!" she had remarked.

Because her first impression was so wonderful, Shi Nian had been full of anticipation for the training. Coupled with the fact that she had undergone similar training at her previous job, she thought she had a handle on things. However, on the very first day, they gave her a brutal wake-up call!

They actually made her get up at five in the morning!

It felt as if Shi Nian had been transported back to her university military training. Before dawn every day, she was forced to wake up, run three laps around the base, and then engage in various physical drills. There were dedicated coaches who followed her everywhere, recording every metric; if she slacked off, the punishment was doubled. That would have been bad enough, but every afternoon and evening, she had to undergo intensive training in historical knowledge. Once again, Shi Nian experienced the "cramming" style of education with Chinese characteristics. Documents were piled in front of her, and regardless of whether she understood them or not, she had to memorize every single one.

She was in agony. She clung to Su Geng’s leg when he came to visit, begging for help. He looked embarrassed and said, "This is all necessary. The last time was an accident, but for future missions, we have to ensure you have as many skills as possible to survive in that era."

Shi Nian: "..."

She knew it! You can't just sign a contract without thinking, and money is never earned easily! *Wuwuwu*, is it too late to breach the contract now?!

If she had persevered through the earlier training based on her love for the job (or rather, the salary), she truly couldn't handle this last part...

Su Geng looked at Shi Nian’s disheveled state and worriedly said, "This won't do. If you can't learn to ride, it will be very troublesome in ancient times. What if you need to travel in a hurry?"

Lu Zhiyao scrambled up and growled, "Lose weight! You must lose weight! If you slam into me a few more times, my life will really be over!"

Shi Nian looked at the horse nearby, feeling deeply troubled. She had been frightened by a horse as a child, leaving her with psychological trauma, and she was extremely resistant to riding again. The previous coach couldn't teach her either, which was why they brought in Lu Zhiyao. Unexpectedly, she hadn't learned to ride, and her instructor had almost been crushed to death.

Lu Zhiyao’s competitive spirit flared. He grabbed Shi Nian and tried to push her back onto the horse. "I don't believe I can't teach you today! Get up there!"

Shi Nian screamed in terror, "Let go! What are you doing? Don't think that just because you're a minor, you won't go to jail for killing someone! Ahhh, help! Let me go!"

As the two were struggling, Su Geng’s phone vibrated. He checked it and called out to them, "Stop messing around."

Shi Nian and Lu Zhiyao, tangled on the ground in an awkward position, looked back simultaneously. Su Geng said, "The Captain’s message. We’re to return to headquarters immediately for a full meeting."

Shi Nian blinked. "Everyone? Even me?"

"Of course."

She felt inexplicably nervous. "Do you know what the meeting is about?"

Su Geng thought for a moment and smiled. "At this hour, with everyone present... I imagine it's a welcome meeting, now that your employment documents have been fully vetted."

Shi Nian had heard early on that besides the four of them, there were three other members in Division 7. Half a month after signing her contract, she was finally going to meet them all.

In the conference room, she stood nervously and said, "Hello everyone, I’m Shi Nian. I’ll be your colleague from now on. I’m new here and don't know much, so I hope you can help me. I also hope to make friends with all of you. Thank you."

This introduction, which sounded like a child's, caused a three-second silence in the room before applause broke out. The woman sitting across from Shi Nian laughed. "So this is the newcomer the Captain personally went to pick up. How cute."

Shi Nian looked at her. The woman had fair skin and crimson lips, her long hair cascading in waves down her back. There was a heroic air about her brows, yet her appearance was alluring. Her eyes, bright as gemstones, were observing Shi Nian with keen interest. "Hello there, I’m Meng Xia."

Su Geng said, "Shi Nian isn't just cute; she’s also very capable. Don't underestimate her, Xiaxia."

Meng Xia raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I heard about that. During your interview trip, you met Emperor Wu of Han, right? And you even became his consort?"

Shi Nian: "...Yes."

"What a coincidence. At the same time, I was in the Northern Song Dynasty, and I even met Emperor Gaozong, Zhao Gou."

Shi Nian had heard that during their time in the Han Dynasty, Meng Xia and another member, Zhang Ke, were also working on a mission. She asked curiously, "What were you doing in the Northern Song?"

"Ensuring the smooth collapse of the Northern Song."

Shi Nian: "..."

Meng Xia giggled. "Just kidding. We were helping the Song royal family successfully flee south. It was chaotic—much worse than your time in the Han Dynasty. We stayed there for eight months."

Spending eight months in the chaotic final years of the Northern Song... Just imagining it made Shi Nian shiver. It seemed she wasn't as unlucky as she thought; her luck was actually quite good!

Nie Cheng’s gaze swept over Shi Nian, and he suddenly closed his folder. "Right, now that everyone has met, let’s move to the next issue. Lu and Su are about to head out on a new mission. Xiaxia and Ke, you two are responsible for helping them prepare. This time, we cannot be as rushed as we were in the Han Dynasty. It must be foolproof."

"A new mission? There’s a new mission?" Shi Nian was confused, then she suddenly realized. "The strings have moved again?!"

"Yeah, didn't you feel it?" Lu Zhiyao asked.

Shi Nian shook her head. She had learned a lot over the past few days, knowing that these so-called "strings" were ethereal existences. Normal people couldn't feel them, but since they possessed special abilities, they could perceive the fluctuations and even determine which era the vibrating string belonged to.

Seeing that everyone looked like they understood what was happening, she suddenly felt empty, as if she were being excluded. Weren't they a team? Weren't they the same kind of people? Why was she the only one who couldn't feel it...

"You’ve just joined; many of your reactions aren't sensitive yet. Don't overthink it," Nie Cheng said calmly, looking at her.

Shi Nian bit her lip, unsure if he was telling the truth. "But..."

Lu Zhiyao suddenly interrupted, "Oh, these things are normal. It’s no big deal. Let me summarize the situation for everyone. The era with the fluctuation this time is between 1510 and 1521 AD, which is the Zhengde reign of the Great Ming Dynasty. The specific incident of the anomaly isn't known yet; we'll only be able to determine that once we arrive."

His interruption was so abrupt that everyone at the table looked over. Lu Zhiyao shuddered and stammered, "W-what?"

Meng Xia rested her chin on her hand, a mocking smile on her lips. "Not bad, the kid is growing up. He even knows how to be chivalrous toward ladies..."

Lu Zhiyao’s face turned red, and he snapped, "Nonsense!"

The topic shifted, and everyone began to discuss the details of the operation and what needed to be prepared. Shi Nian listened in silence until the meeting adjourned.

That night, Shi Nian did not return to the training base.

A room had been prepared for her in the courtyard house—the same one she stayed in the night she returned from the Han Dynasty—and it was officially assigned to her. Shi Nian lay on the soft bed, still thinking about the day's events. An hour ago, Su Geng and Lu Zhiyao had officially departed for the Ming Dynasty. The departure point was still the garden with the rockery. That was when Shi Nian learned that the reason they had spent a nine-figure sum to buy this courtyard was because the key to time travel was hidden within that rockery.

The dragon vein of the capital, passed down for thousands of years—even for them, it was the only way to travel back to the past.

Shi Nian had to admit that she still had many questions about this team. Seven people with superpowers traveling to various eras to correct history—that was the part she knew, but there was much more she didn't know. For instance, the "Old Man" they had mentioned many times. Shi Nian had asked Su Geng who he was, but Su Geng said he didn't know either.

"Only the Captain has met him. At most, we’ve taken his calls, but we’ve never seen him in person. I can only tell you that the team’s existence today is due to the Captain’s implementation, but the one funding it behind the scenes is him."

He must be someone with a very prestigious background... Shi Nian thought, and the next second she realized she was stating the obvious. Not to mention anything else, could an ordinary person buy this courtyard or establish such a massive training base in Miyun?!

Shi Nian sighed and picked up her phone to browse Weibo to change her mood, only to find a new text message she hadn't noticed from a few hours ago.

"Your savings account ending in xxxx received a deposit of 287,484.40 RMB on April 9th at 16:13:09. Current balance: 287,484.40. [China Construction Bank]"

???

What was going on? She had always used the Industrial and Commercial Bank; when did she have a Construction Bank card? Wait, 280,000... Such a large sum of money suddenly reminded her that Nie Cheng had promised her 500,000, but he said it had to wait for approval from above and had never been transferred.

In this situation, was the approval finally complete? But why was it short by more than 200,000?!

Could it be that because she couldn't feel the strings, they were deducting her salary? This was her life-risking money! This was intolerable!

Shi Nian stormed out of her room, searched around, and finally saw the lights on in the common room. She pushed the door open to see Nie Cheng and two other men sitting on the sofa, talking in low voices.

Hearing the door, all three men turned. Nie Cheng raised an eyebrow. "Something up?"

Seeing others present, Shi Nian forced herself to restrain her temper. She walked over, pulled him aside, and asked, "What is this?"

Nie Cheng glanced at the phone screen she shoved in his face. "Oh, you received it? That’s your salary."

"My salary..." Shi Nian gritted her teeth. "My salary was supposed to be 500,000. How did it become 280,000! On what grounds are you deducting my money?"

Nie Cheng remained silent, making Shi Nian even angrier. "I know I might have some shortcomings since I just joined, but you said it yourself—I’m a newcomer, it’s inevitable. Plus, the amount was agreed upon. You can't just..."

As she spoke, she couldn't help but feel aggrieved. If they had agreed on 280,000 from the start, she would have happily accepted it. But when a set amount is suddenly reduced, it makes her feel completely disrespected. Did they also realize her value wasn't that high, which is why they were treating her like this...

Nie Cheng looked at the girl's expression, his gaze shifting slightly. A moment later, he sighed softly, "I didn't deduct your salary."

"Then why am I missing so much?"

"Taxes."

Shi Nian: "..."

Nie Cheng said earnestly, "For a 500,000 salary, the personal income tax and social insurance/housing fund contributions total 212,515.60 RMB. After deductions, that is indeed what remains."

Shi Nian couldn't catch her breath. After a long while, she said incredulously, "You guys actually pay taxes?!"

Nie Cheng: "Of course. We are law-abiding."

Shi Nian: "..."

Seeing the two of them staring at each other, a soft chuckle came from the side. "Ms. Shi, don't hold it against him. Nie is just like that; he’s not very good at pleasing ladies."

The man was blond with blue eyes, wearing gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose, and his smile was gentle and elegant. Shi Nian had recognized him that afternoon—he was the foreigner who had been with Nie Cheng at the museum, named Bliss. So, he was also a member of the team.

Shi Nian let go of Nie Cheng, feeling a bit regretful for her aggressive display just now. In truth, more than caring about the money, she was worried. Joining such a special team without demonstrating the required ability always left her feeling insecure...

Seeing Nie Cheng watching her out of the corner of her eye, Shi Nian turned her head away to hide it, wanting to say something to change the subject, but her expression suddenly froze.

It was as if a beam of white light had passed through her mind, instantly illuminating the whole world, and her eyes widened sharply.

What was going on? That feeling just now...

She clutched her heart, which was pounding violently, and looked blankly out the window. Just now, she seemed to have sensed something, but what, exactly, was it...

"What's wrong?" Nie Cheng asked.

Shi Nian’s face turned pale. "I feel... uneasy. That direction—what’s in that direction?"

Nie Cheng’s expression changed. The three men exchanged glances and stood up simultaneously. "The dragon vein!"