The uneven, pothole-ridden road rumbled beneath the tires of a BMW as it sped past.
In the front passenger seat, Lin Jingqiu clutched her seatbelt, the overwhelming force of acceleration nearly causing her heart to leap into her throat.
"Senior Sister, what exactly is going on?"
Zheng Qing's eyes remained fixed on the road ahead as she pressed harder on the gas, weaving through traffic, cutting lanes, and running red lights like traffic laws were mere suggestions.
This was what one might call a government-sanctioned privilege.
She hesitated for a moment, then chose to explain. "This is a demonic cultivator we've been tracking for quite some time. Ever since he snuck into Qingshi, he's committed more than five incidents already—each one more brutal than the last."
"They say the cultivation technique he practices relies on consuming human flesh and blood."
Her eyes glinted with a cold light. "If it weren't for that bizarre Earth-Burrowing technique he uses, we'd have caught him long ago."
She turned briefly to glance at Lin Jingqiu. "Initially, he showed up at Qingcheng Mountain and was severely wounded by Peak Master Qi from the Second Peak. That's when he escaped into the city."
"What?!" the girl cried out, stunned. "If he's so vicious and terrifying, how come I've never heard about any of this?"
Zheng Qing stomped on the accelerator again, and the BMW's frame shuddered in protest.
"You weren't on the mountain back then. It's natural you wouldn't know."
Seeing the tension on Lin Jingqiu's face, she added in reassurance, "Don't worry too much. Even though he's a third-layer Qi Refining cultivator at his peak, he's seriously injured right now—his strength's probably down to a tenth of what it used to be."
"And this time, the team leader called us personally. That means they've likely pinned down his exact location. As long as we move in early and set up an ambush, it shouldn't be a problem to take him down."
Lin Jingqiu gave a half-understanding nod.
Zheng Qing sighed softly. "The main issue is that the higher-ups gave a hard order: no large-scale police mobilization, and he must be captured alive."
"If not for that, he would've been taken care of long ago."
Having said her piece, Zheng Qing returned her focus entirely to driving.
The car raced along. Lin Jingqiu watched the blur of cityscape flash past the window and unconsciously tightened her grip on her palms.
One important reason she had insisted on coming along was because she had investigated—Chen An's orphanage was, indeed, the Sunflower Orphanage.
And when they parted ways at school, he had told her he was heading there.
A third-layer Qi Refining demonic cultivator…
Even though her senior sister said the man's strength had plummeted, Lin Jingqiu still had a bad feeling.
She knew Chen An was hiding something—perhaps a legacy or some secret method—but she still couldn't help worrying.
After all, this was a case so serious even the national agencies were being forced to tread carefully.
—
At Qingcheng Mountain, atop Qingyue Peak.
The voices in Luo Cong'an's mind had started again.
"That slut… that whore… what's her condition now?"
"She's trapped in the Tenfold Phantom Realm. She can't escape. Can't escape! Hahaha…"
"Why haven't you just killed her already?!"
"I want her to suffer—truly suffer, to taste the cruelest pain this world has to offer!"
"The worst punishment isn't death. It's not loss. It's to remember forever."
"Let her stay trapped there for eternity!"
The chorus of whispers became unbearable. Luo Cong'an calmed her mind, forcibly pushing them all out—leaving only the very first voice behind.
At least that one still retained some shred of reason, could still be reasoned with.
She couldn't help but ask, "That person they keep mentioning… that… that…"
She opened her mouth, trying to say the name—but couldn't.
"Tch, still playing the saint? Say it with me: 'That slut. That whore.'"
For reasons she couldn't understand, saying the words slut and whore filled Luo Cong'an with a guilty pleasure—like they were the right words to use for that woman, the one they kept damning over and over.
"Quit the nonsense," she said coldly. "Speak. Or I'll erase you, too."
The voice scoffed, "I am you. You are me. Erase me? Where exactly would you start?"
Still, it relented and gave an answer.
"She's called Su Chichi. A filthy woman through and through. She never deserved to be Master's disciple!" A surge of emotion rose in that voice, tinged with rage.
Luo Cong'an frowned. "Can you just explain things properly? You're all over the place—I don't understand a word of this."
"You don't need to understand," the voice said. "When we find Master, and we merge once more, you will understand."
Luo Cong'an didn't argue the point. Instead, she asked again, "Then what exactly did Su Chichi do to make you all so… furious?"
The question brought a chilling silence.
A long, long moment passed before a voice finally spoke again, slow and gritted through invisible teeth.
"She killed Master."
Luo Cong'an froze. Those five simple words inexplicably struck a chord deep within her, igniting a flicker of grief and fury toward someone she had never even met.
No. That's not me, she reminded herself.
"Then why? Why would she commit patricide?"
The voice snapped—no longer calm, no longer logical, but frenzied and writhing with madness.
"Why?! Why would she?! Why?!"
The cries inside her mind threatened to split her skull open.
Over and over, the voices roared a single line:
"How dare she?! How could she bear to do it?!
The echoes of rage tore through her soul like barbed wire.
Luo Cong'an staggered to the stone wall, clenching the hem of her Daoist robe tightly in her fists.
—
Qingshi wasn't a large city to begin with. Both Qingcheng Mountain and the Sunflower Welfare Home were located in the same general direction.
Thanks to Zheng Qing's law-defying, high-octane driving, they arrived at the welfare home in less than twenty minutes.
The moment the car screeched to a halt at the front gate, a voice called out from the nearby convenience store.
"This way."
Zheng Qing led Lin Jingqiu over.
Inside the tiny store stood quite a few people—seven or eight at a glance, both men and women.
Among them was Zhang Yong from Zheng Qing's own unit, and others temporarily drawn from Group Two and Group Three.
All of them were veterans of the Bureau of Paranormal Affairs.
As for the store's owner, they had clearly been sent away with some fabricated excuse, the space temporarily requisitioned as a field base.
Wang Que, the team leader, nodded when he saw Zheng Qing—but the moment his eyes fell on the young girl behind her, he frowned.
Before he could speak, Zhang Yong barked, "Zheng Qing, who the hell is this kid? This operation is high-level—can you cut the crap for once?"
He already had issues with those Daoist types from Qingcheng Mountain.
As soon as Zhang Yong spoke, the others inside turned to look as well.
Some crossed their arms, others frowned, but no one said anything immediately—likely wary of Zheng Qing's background.
Zheng Qing's expression was icy. "She's my junior martial sister. And she's also a genuine cultivator who has stepped into the Qi Refining stage."
Once you reached Qi Refining, you could channel spirit power into talismans.
Even if a newcomer could only use a few before being drained, it still meant stepping beyond the realm of mortals.
To the authorities—who were still desperate for cultivators—this was a blessing in disguise.
That was one of the key reasons Zheng Qing had brought Lin Jingqiu along.
Even if the girl didn't yet know any techniques, the talismans she carried could already make her a valuable asset in this operation.
—