Yang Xiao couldn’t have been clearer about what he was seeing. It was obviously Wu Peide collecting compromising information on the officers of the Patrol Defense Bureau, to use it at crucial monts to coerce them into doing things that were to his advantage.
He continued reading, but when he saw the na on the third docunt, he couldn’t help but freeze for a mont—it was Xi nxiu.
It wasn’t surprising that both his and Beibei’s dirty laundry was being controlled. They had successively served as captains of the investigation team at the Patrol Defense Office, representing the most formidable power of the office on the surface. But why would soone like Xi nxiu, a marginal figure within the investigation team, have compromising material worth collecting?
Impatient to read on, Yang Xiao first saw a blurry photo. Judging by the decor, it appeared to be from a disreputable place, which fitted Xi nxiu’s tastes. Yang Xiao suspected it was a kind of spa or massage parlor catering to special services.
But the second photo showed Xi nxiu sitting opposite a woman, both on a massage bed, facing the direction of the cara. Sitting rigidly upright, Xi nxiu’s face was clear, even in the dim light.
His face bore no trace of his usual frivolity. His eyes were deep, his expression even bordering on stern—a far cry from the Xi nxiu Yang Xiao rembered.
The investigation below revealed the woman’s identity: she was the head of a private investigation agency, and additionally, one of the founding mbers of a group known as the Hehuan Sect Apostles Union within the city.
According to the author of the report, Xi nxiu was providing intelligence to the woman. It was specially noted that the purpose was unclear, as there was no evidence of any financial transactions between them nor any intimate physical contact. This man’s reasons for frequenting such places were rely a facade.
Feeling the chill on his back, Yang Xiao couldn’t believe that fun-loving Xi nxiu had such an identity behind his back. So people had ntioned in passing that Xi nxiu had ways of acquiring rare commodities on the market, but at the ti, Yang Xiao hadn’t thought much of it. Now, it seed there was much more to Xi nxiu than t the eye.
Without waiting any longer, Yang Xiao grabbed the last report, which unsurprisingly belonged to Director Nalan. He was curious what secrets the top leader of the Lin’an Patrol Office hid. He had already guessed so of it had to do with Lu Youdao.
This report was more exquisitely detailed than the others, even bearing a cover with the words "Top Secret" boldly marked in red.
Taking a deep breath, Yang Xiao turned to the page of the top-secret file containing black material about Nalan Shuo. He didn’t find anything about Lu Youdao inside, not even a single photograph. The content regarding Nalan Shuo was surprisingly scant, just a few lines suggesting involvent in the trafficking of Evil Cultivation Grudge Eyes, which had been confiscated. There had been informants who provided similar clues, but before the matter could be thoroughly investigated, these individuals disappeared without a trace, their whereabouts and fates unknown.
This clue actually matched up with what Fu Qingzhu had previously shared with him. Fu Qingzhu had told him that many Resentful Eyes related to Evil Cultivators had gone missing in Rongcheng, and the last traces of them led to the Lin’an Patrol Bureau he was part of. However, the final informant was silenced by Fu Qingzhu, and the lead was thus cut off.
"Brother, you must never let this last report leak out. Whether it’s true or false, it won’t be good for you," Fu Qingzhu cautioned.
Yang Xiao nodded, fully aware of the gravity of the situation. He collected the four reports, stuffing them back into the brown paper bag, "Is it okay if I take these with ?"
"Of course, don’t worry. I’m the only one who knows about this, and I’ve checked thoroughly—there are no copies. These are Wu Peide’s personal treasures; he’d never dare to share them with others," Fu Qingzhu assured, nodding firmly.
"That’s good to hear. These things are very important to . You’ve really helped out, Brother Fu," Yang Xiao patted Fu Qingzhu’s arm.
"We don’t need to say things like that between us," Fu Qingzhu waved his hand earnestly.
After chatting for a bit longer, they decided to part ways—it was a special ti, and having the two of them seen together for too long could prompt suspicion.
Yang Xiao returned to the apartnt with the parchnt bag in hand, and once in his room, his expression turned unusually somber. On one hand, he was relieved, thinking that it was a case of "unintentional success," as he never would have learned of these things had he not helped Fu Qingzhu this ti. On the other hand, he felt a chill run down his spine; he had always been cautious in his actions, but he hadn’t realized there were so many eyes watching him from the shadows.
Indeed, the Apostles Union, as one of the three old and influential powers in the country that could hold its own against the Patrol Defence Bureau and Chamber of Comrce, truly had its formidable aspects. Not only did it have the most number of Apostles, but their intelligence capabilities were also terrifying.
As for Wu Peide, the deputy leader he had killed, he wasn’t known for his strength within the senior ranks of the Rongcheng Union but was in charge of intelligence and infamous for his cunning and deceitful nature. Even so, his direct combat abilities were noteworthy; after all, he had dodged the strike from the Human Bone Staff. If it weren’t for having the Ghost Lantern, which severely countered the Ghost Hitting the Wall technique, ordinary people would have found it quite difficult to escape.
Moreover, Yang Xiao had the advantage of a surprise attack, completely avoiding the sentries outside the door. The Soul-Capturing Mirror was simply tailor-made for assassination.
After reviewing the reports once more, Yang Xiao carefully put them away, knowing that keeping such items in the house was definitely not safe. He took out the Soul-Capturing Mirror and hid the parchnt bag inside the Mirror World. Of all the people, Xi nxiu had shocked him the most; it seed he had truly underestimated him.
He cald himself down and pondered—the woman Xi nxiu had contacted was special; she was not only the head of a civilian investigation agency but also one of the founders of the Hehuan Sect. Now it looked like this group, known as the Hehuan Sect, might not be as clean as it seed.
Yang Xiao also knew soone in the Hehuan Sect, a friend from his book club, Li Qingxuan. Yang Xiao planned to find an opportunity to et him and subtly probe for information.
At the sa ti, Yang Xiao suddenly realized sothing. The last ti the Yu Yuan Sect captured Li Qingxuan, afterwards, he asked Li Qingxuan for the reason, but he adamantly denied knowing anything and even feigned ignorance, shoving the problem back onto Yang Xiao.
There were too many issues at the ti, and Yang Xiao didn’t think much of it, assuming it was his own involvent that led to Li Qingxuan’s capture. But now, linking these events, it seed not so straightforward.
"Hehuan Sect..." Yang Xiao couldn’t help but reassess that na.
That night, Yang Xiao didn’t sleep soundly; he had many strange and bizarre dreams. First, he walked into an alley, and at the end of the alley squatted two figures with their backs to him, shoulders twitching occasionally, making strange hissing noises.
When the two people turned around, they were to his horror Xi nxiu and Li Qingxuan. They sat on the ground, faces lifted, looking at him with a sinister and twisted smile that was extrely terrifying and foreign, as if he had never truly seen through these two people.
Suddenly, they leapt up, arms outstretched to grab him, behaving like zombies. Yang Xiao turned and ran in fright, but as soon as he reached the mouth of the alley, he was stunned; a thick fog had risen from nowhere.
The fog had the color of deathly ash, feeling abnormally cold. Yang Xiao hugged himself, shivering as he searched for a way out. Soon, he heard a strange noise not far away. Following the sound, he found a blood-red coffin.
The noise was coming from inside the coffin. Listening closely, he heard a man’s deep, hoarse voice, but the specifics were unclear, almost as if he were crying, with intermittent thumping and scratching—as if soone were trapped inside.
What was more horrifying was that the more Yang Xiao listened, the more familiar the voice sounded; he was certain he knew the person, but he just couldn’t rember who it was.
His urgent desire to help overca his fear. Yang Xiao approached and used a lot of strength to finally lift the lid of the coffin. The sight inside scared him out of his wits. A twisted human figure was cramd inside, with elbows and knees neatly broken, dangling strangely, and a pair of muddy black old boots were placed on the person’s feet.
"Captain, save , I... I’m in so much pain, it hurts so much!!" The face in the coffin shockingly belonged to Zhuge Zhi Jie.
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