"The Special Security Bureau sent you here, presumably to negotiate with me. By sending a representative filled with malicious intent, should I take this as a reflection of your Bureau's attitude?"
"It seems I've been too kind to you. I came willingly, not wanting to disrupt social order or affect the general public, so I extended a gesture of goodwill. Yet, you've mistaken my kindness for weakness, thinking I'm a pushover. If this is the Special Security Bureau's attitude, then I see no need for any discussion."
"Bring on the army to encircle me, or an artillery barrage to level this place—I'll take it all on. I've been wanting to test it out anyway, to see just how far a body of flesh and blood can go against modern weaponry."
"But you had better make sure you kill me in one go. Back then, when the Celestial Court tried to eliminate the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, their failure only helped him forge his Copper Skin and Iron Bones and gain the Eyes of Golden Flame. He then wreaked havoc in the Celestial Palace and fought his way to the Lingxiao Palace. What the Great Sage Equal to Heaven could do, I can do as well. The only question is, the Jade Emperor could go to the Western Heaven and ask the Tathagata for help. In this modern world, can you find a True Buddha to suppress me?"
Yi Beidou's tone was calm, but his words made Sun Hanlin and Zhou Baiwei turn pale with fright. Their breathing grew ragged, and cold sweat streamed down their backs.
Coupled with the increasingly terrifying killing intent and aura radiating from Yi Beidou, the two of them could barely stand steady. Zhou Baiwei wanted to offer an explanation, but now she didn't dare make a sound.
If things truly escalated to that point because of how they handled the situation, even dying ten thousand times would not be enough to atone for their failure.
'Knowing Yi Beidou's personality, he would actually go through with it. This man wasn't like others who had achieved Body Ascension and still had worldly ties. He only had an aunt and a cousin, and judging by the situation, he was completely immune to threats. He was the type to choose destruction over compromise.'
'Headquarters' strategy was flawed; they never should have sent Ma Changping. But then again, who could have predicted this man's perception would be so sharp, as if he possessed Divine Communication?'
"Mr.... Mr. Yi, please calm down. We handled this poorly, and I apologize. Please believe me, the vast majority of our staff at the Special Security Bureau have good intentions toward you. But in any organization, differing opinions are inevitable, and we can't just make a unilateral decision."
"In fact, Ma Changping was only accompanying me this time. I am the person in charge."
Sun Hanlin, being a high-ranking official after all, quickly composed himself and spoke to Yi Beidou with a deep bow.
"Differing opinions? Can't make a unilateral decision? It seems your status is insufficient; your words carry no weight. I've told you before, if you want to have a serious discussion, then find someone who is my equal. Do you think I'm easy to fool just because I'm young and inexperienced with the ways of the world?"
Yi Beidou's tone remained calm, but his gaze grew sharper, and his aura became increasingly dangerous.
"No! That's not it at all! Mr. Yi, I hope you understand, even the Director-General of the Special Security Bureau sometimes has to make certain compromises..."
Sun Hanlin said hurriedly.
"Then your Director-General's status is also insufficient. Tell him to find someone whose words actually mean something. Your Special Security Bureau presides over Donghua, governing the Cultivation Circle and the Martial Arts Realm. I refuse to believe you don't have a true, virtuous master capable of keeping order."
Yi Beidou said coolly.
Sun Hanlin started to say something else, but Yi Beidou cut him off with a wave of his hand. "That's enough. You can go now. Don't come back to bother me. And one more thing—that man I struck down? Without the help of a master who has achieved Body Ascension, I doubt he'll live for more than three days. You'd better hurry."
With that, Yi Beidou turned, walked into the courtyard, and returned to his villa.
The expressions on Sun Hanlin and Zhou Baiwei's faces changed. They hurried over to check on Ma Changping's condition.
Ma Changping was lying limp on the ground, unconscious, his breathing shallow and rapid.
RRRIP!
Zhou Baiwei ripped open the front of Ma Changping's shirt and saw that a dense, spiderweb-like pattern of black veins had appeared on the spot where Yi Beidou had struck him.
"A Soul Stealing technique! This man is utterly without restraint!"
Sun Hanlin took a deep breath, a helpless, bitter smile appearing on his face.
'Before he came, he had only considered that the trip might not go smoothly. He figured Yi Beidou wouldn't be easy to deal with and that it might require some extra effort.'
'Who could have known? The man wasn't just difficult—he hadn't even let them get a word in.'
'The other masters in the country who had achieved Body Ascension at least showed some deference to the secular government. They were polite to people like them, at least on the surface. After all, Immortals do not contend with the mortal world.'
'When the Emperor summoned Zhang Sanfeng to the palace, he simply avoided the summons.'
'But this man was different. At the slightest disagreement, he threatened to wreak havoc in the Celestial Palace and turn the world upside down. This was already far beyond their ability to handle.'
'What was more terrifying was that he might actually possess the power to do it.'
"Get him back to the branch office, quickly. I'll report this to Minister Zhao immediately."
Sun Hanlin said in a grim voice.
"Director Sun, I'm worried there might be trouble with Yi Beidou. Should I stay behind and keep watch?"
Zhou Baiwei said with concern.
"Alright. But try your best not to anger him again. At the same time, Xiaozhou, you need to be mindful of your own safety."
Sun Hanlin pondered for a moment before finally nodding. He, too, was worried that their visit had provoked the man and that he might do something rash.
"I know how to deal with him."
Zhou Baiwei nodded.
Soon, Zhou Baiwei returned to Yi Beidou's villa.
"I told you not to come back and bother me. Didn't you hear me?"
Yi Beidou's gaze turned to Zhou Baiwei.
"I was worried they might actually send an army to besiege you, so I came back to be your hostage,"
Zhou Baiwei said earnestly.
"A hostage? Is it that they don't trust me and think I'll make a preemptive strike, so they sent you to watch me? Besides, if it really comes to that, I won't need a hostage."
Yi Beidou said calmly.
"How can you say that? My family is quite influential. If you take me hostage, you can at least guarantee safe passage out of the country for your aunt and cousin,"
Zhou Baiwei said.
Hearing this, Yi Beidou paused. He nodded, seeing the logic in her words, and said, "Very well."
'Success! I've got him wrapped around my finger!'
A smile crept onto the corners of Zhou Baiwei's lips. She felt like she was finally getting a handle on this guy's temper.
However, in the next instant, her vision blurred. Yi Beidou was suddenly in front of her, tapping several points on her body.
Her body went limp and she collapsed to the floor. She felt completely drained of strength, but her mind remained perfectly clear.
"What are you doing?!"
Zhou Baiwei was horrified. She watched as Yi Beidou went into another room, emerging a moment later with a coil of hemp rope he'd found somewhere, and proceeded to tie her up.
"If you're going to be a hostage, you should look like one."
Yi Beidou hoisted up the tightly bound Zhou Baiwei and unceremoniously tossed her into a corner of the living room.
"Why did you tie me up?! I'm not going to run away! Untie me, now! I have to pee! I need to go to the bathroom!"
Zhou Baiwei yelled.
"If you're not worried about the embarrassment, feel free to take care of it right where you are."
Ignoring her, Yi Beidou turned and headed up to the second floor.
As if he were someone who could be so easily manipulated.
「Meanwhile.」
At the Kyoto Special Security Bureau Headquarters, Zhao Ping received the report from Sun Hanlin, and his expression instantly turned grave.
'He possesses a Dharma Eye, able to perceive good and evil... If he can sense that, can he also sense danger? A person like this is the hardest to deal with. It's impossible to take him down without being prepared to pay the price of a city thrown into chaos. I never imagined his mind had such a peculiar quality. It seems it really was my mistake. I never should have sent Ma Changping.'
'Now that it's come to this, it's truly not something I can handle anymore.'
Zhao Ping sighed.
Although he was the current Director-General of the Special Security Bureau, he was, in many ways, just a figurehead. Many things required consultation and negotiation.
He took out a secondary phone and dialed a number. 'It seems I have no choice but to trouble the person I answer to.'
He had to dial three times before the call finally connected.
"Hello, Xiaozhao? I'm out in the garden. What's the matter?"