No matter what the situation was in Jincheng, according to the agreement reached after Li Yunxian’s parents divorced, Li Yunxian was indeed under the care of Xia Congyun.
For a while, it was nearly impossible to get a seat at the banquet Xia Congyun was hosting.
At first, Xia Congyun didn’t realize the severity of the matter and happily added over ten tables. But as things escalated, she finally understood the seriousness and hurriedly refused any later guests.
This decision was both timely and accurate.
It ultimately saved her life.
Hunters were one step ahead of ordinary cultivators at night, so only a very small number of hunters received invitations.
Li Yunxian frowned upon hearing this.
What happened next didn’t need to be explained by anyone else—she could already guess the situation.
“Did anyone get hurt?” Li Yunxian interrupted, asking aloud.
The other party paused, then looked at Li Yunxian’s youthful face and reassured her: “Don’t worry, Ms. Xia was only a little shocked.”
Li Yunxian wasn’t asking about that.
More than an hour ago, Li Yunxian had already video-called Xia Congyun and confirmed that her biological mother was unharmed.
“I mean, did anyone get injured?” Li Yunxian repeated her question.
Most hunters are cowardly by nature, and according to what they said, only a few received invitations; most were ordinary cultivators.
If hunters still took action under these circumstances, either the stakes were so high that the risks were negligible, or those few hunters were quite powerful.
Or more likely, both.
It was only then that the Special Management Bureau personnel realized the key point in Li Yunxian’s question. They hadn’t expected that her first concern would be about injuries.
Recalling the Golden Light of the Interrogation, they softened their gaze when looking at Li Yunxian.
They replied, “Some people were injured, but our Commissioner and the Director showed up without prior notice and caught those responsible quickly. Now, more than half a year has passed, and everyone is fine.”
Li Yunxian nodded, took out a storage talisman from her pocket, and handed it over. “I don’t know who helped out at the hotel back then. Please help me pass this token of thanks to them.”
She added, “Those who were injured, please give them more.”
The Special Management Bureau agents were momentarily stunned, unsure if they should accept it.
In theory, they were not allowed to take anything from others, but according to Li Yunxian’s words, this wasn’t simply a gift for them.
Although many cultivators had gathered at the scene, quite a few from the Special Management Bureau were present.
***
After a brief hesitation, one of them took it and instinctively glanced inside the talisman.
Instantly, his eyes were dazzled by the countless spiritual materials and magical items packed inside.
When he looked back up at Li Yunxian, his expression betrayed a complex mixture of emotions.
Some people… after just a few months of training, didn’t just advance from Qi Condensation Stage 2 to Stage 6—they even realized the dream of sudden wealth that everyone secretly hopes for.
Taking a deep breath, he solemnly said, “The situation back then was complicated, so those who acted at the scene…”
“Stop!” Li Yunxian made a pause gesture.
“You don’t need to explain. Handle it as you see fit.”
“We’re all cultivators, and all of you in the Special Management Bureau have chosen to undergo the Interrogation to face the most complicated situations head-on.”
“From the moment we met, you’ve been professional and responsible in handling things.”
“So I trust you. There’s no need to explain so much.”
In truth, Li Yunxian didn’t want to waste time on these details. She went straight to the point: “Have you reached any conclusion about why those hunters targeted my mother?”
Her words were almost choked back, but the man responsible for explaining the situation, sensing the trust and respect in her tone, nodded silently and responded accordingly.
“The reasons are many.”
“First, they projected their own motives. After you revealed the herbal bath formula, they believed you must have more than just that—that you probably had something even better.”
“It’s just…”
“They can’t find you, so they think if there are other formulas, Ms. Xia might know them.”
This reason wasn’t surprising.
In the game world, they were on entirely different levels. If she showed them, the worst consequence would be that she could no longer enter the ‘All Things’ realm.
That cost, in Li Yunxian’s eyes, wasn’t too high, so she had few qualms.
But in reality, many more factors needed consideration.
So far, Li Yunxian had only revealed the herbal bath formula she insisted on using herself and a resurrection pill formula given to her teacher.
The former was public—partly for general demand, partly for the safety of those connected to her.
She needed to make it worthless.
As for the latter, Li Yunxian believed a Nascent Soul-level formula wouldn’t affect her teacher much.
Even so, she had thought carefully, yet trouble still arose.
“Anything else?” Li Yunxian asked.
After gauging Li Yunxian’s calm expression, the man considered his words carefully before continuing.
“Also, they think that since Ms. Xia gave birth to a child like you, there could be a second, even a third…”
Upon hearing this, Li Yunxian couldn’t help but chuckle.
Suddenly, everyone from the Special Management Bureau felt a chill run down their spines.
Li Yunxian asked no further questions.
At this point, safely resolving the problem was pointless.
The most effective solution was to eliminate the source of trouble.
“What level are the nearby heterodox beings around Qin City?” Li Yunxian inquired.
Everyone could sense the anger beneath Li Yunxian’s calm facade.
They instinctively felt nervous.
They all realized what Li Yunxian intended with that question.
The man in charge hurriedly said, “At least four are known to be at the Golden Core stage—one is a hunter, two are heterodox beings, and one is a heteromorphic beast.”
“There are about thirty Foundation Establishment cultivators.”
Jincheng is relatively powerful in Yuehai Province, so Qin City faces greater dangers—far more difficult than Jincheng.
Nearby heterodox beings around Jincheng don’t even have any Golden Core-level entities—only a few Foundation Establishment wanderers.
Two Foundation Establishment cultivators are enough to keep Jincheng stable, and after Director Chen advanced to Golden Core, there have been no external threats.
He said this hoping Li Yunxian would calm down after realizing the power gap.
But she didn’t.
After hearing this, Li Yunxian nodded slightly, glanced calmly at Yu Anle, who had just been released.
“Anle, please protect my mother these days. I’ll be back soon.”
“Ah? Oh…” Yu Anle responded dazedly, blinking as Li Yunxian’s figure vanished from sight.
Yu Anle recalled the only time she had seen Li Yunxian act.
On the arena, facing Shen Bofeng, everyone knew Li Yunxian hadn’t fought at full strength.
No one knew Li Yunxian’s true limits.
But now… she seemed to have seen them.
A level of strength utterly impossible to react to.
Regardless of Li Yunxian’s swordsmanship skill, just that speed alone—without any technique—could rival the top three of the Four Great Academies in debate.
And Li Yunxian’s swordsmanship was still very strong.
“What is she going to do?” Yu Anle asked the crowd in the hall, still frozen in place and clueless.
Only then did the Special Management Bureau realize they hadn’t been mistaken—Li Yunxian was rushing out in a fit of hot-bloodedness.
The agent responsible for briefing Li Yunxian and calming her emotions showed a bitter expression.
A Qi Condensation Stage 6 cultivator, no matter how strong, has limits.
Before anything major happens, they had to bring Li Yunxian back.
Faced with Yu Anle’s question, he dared not say more.
They had already lost one child; if they lost another, everyone in the Special Management Bureau would probably have to write self-criticisms.
“It’s fine. We’ll handle it. Why don’t you go stay with Ms. Xia?” He had learned to speak softly.
Yu Anle still looked confused but obediently replied, “Okay.”
She knew to follow orders.
Of course, her obedience wasn’t to this Special Management Bureau agent, but to Li Yunxian.
After leaving Tiantong Academy, they naturally belonged to the same task force.
Within the task force, there only needed to be one voice.
Undoubtedly, Li Yunxian was the one who spoke for their group.
The Special Management Bureau hastily arranged everything.
Some were assigned to look after Yu Anle, some were responsible for reporting new developments, and most were tasked with capturing Li Yunxian.
The last group was the largest, but finding Li Yunxian wasn’t the most complicated part.
Thanks to modern technology, and to Li Yunxian having registered with their bureau, uploading her information into the city system took less than a minute.
Her location was immediately confirmed through city road recognition surveillance.
She was on a bustling cultivator street near the edge of Jincheng.
As if sensing the surveillance gaze, Li Yunxian looked up calmly on the screen, her gaze seemingly piercing through the monitor, staring straight at the observer.
The observation team froze for a few seconds as one was about to report her location to teammates.
The next moment, they saw Li Yunxian unsheathe her spiritual sword.
Without any hesitation about the surveillance, she stabbed toward someone a few meters ahead.
The strike was incredibly steady and precise—completely impossible to react to.
A streak of light seemed to flash on the screen as the target’s side was pierced.
No injury, no bleeding.
Something inside the clothes blocked Li Yunxian’s sword.
It was a storage talisman.
Or rather, Li Yunxian’s sword was meant to destroy that talisman.
As the storage talisman was broken, countless items exploded out from the person’s side.
The audio from the surveillance was unclear, but they saw the man Li Yunxian targeted change his expression drastically.
He didn’t respond like a normal person would to an accident—no anger demanding compensation.
Nor did he assume Li Yunxian was a heterodox being and immediately fight.
Without hesitation, he turned and fled without delay.
But his escape speed was no match for Li Yunxian’s sword.
She barely gave him any distance before her second strike pierced his heart.
Blood gushed out.
Less than three seconds had passed since Li Yunxian looked up at the monitor.
Everyone watching hadn’t even reported her position to their teammates yet.
Perhaps there was no need to.
In that short time, Li Yunxian had already vanished from the surveillance.
The street was in chaos.
The footage showed screams, heightened alertness, and someone immediately dialing the Special Management Bureau.
“Someone on Department Store Street was attacked by a hunter—severely injured and near death!”
Yes, severely injured and near death.
Li Yunxian’s speed was too fast; the opponent hadn’t died instantly.
But there was no saving him.
His heart had been instantly pulverized into a bloody pulp.
After the call, the person quickly assessed the scene and suddenly froze. “Wait! Something fell out from the wounded man’s side…”
“No, that…”
“There’s a spiritual core!!”
“Wait, his face is a Disguise Item!”
“This is the real hunter!!”
Then, the Special Management Bureau agents watching the surveillance exchanged stunned looks.
“What… what’s going on now?!”
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