"So, is it still possible that Wen Xianghua’s death was orchestrated? And could the person behind it still be Liu Yuxin?"
"There’s a high probability Wen Xianghua’s death was a setup, but whether Liu Yuxin was the orchestrator isn’t so easy to determine. Forget it; we have plenty of ti. We’ll investigate slowly."
「Early in the morning」
Just as the sun peeked over the horizon, most citizens of Chang Le City were still asleep when three black sedans drove into the police station.
"Stop! Who goes there?" The gate guard imdiately shouted upon seeing the cars, but the three vehicles didn’t stop, rushing further into the police station grounds.
"Report! Three black cars have ignored warnings and entered the police station! I repeat, three black cars have forced their way into the police station!"
WOO WOO WOO—
The alarm blared, startling the guards who had worked the night shift. They hurriedly grabbed their weapons and rushed out of their offices.
WHOOSH! A crowd sward out of the office building. The three cars stopped in front of the police station’s main office building.
The car doors slowly opened. About a dozen special operatives from the Tianjian Bureau, dressed in red military uniforms, stepped out. They were led by three individuals in black Tianjian Bureau uniforms.
"Who are you?"
"If you’re not blind, you should recognize these uniforms. I hear you’ve arrested Wen Xiaorou; I’m here to take her."
"So, you’re from the Tianjian Bureau. However, our Inspector Wu has given orders that no one is to take Wen Xiaorou."
"Wu Yao?"
"Yes!"
"Not even the Tianjian Bureau?" The speaker’s eyes suddenly turned cold, their gaze like a sword piercing straight into the eyes of the Senior Inspector.
"Inspector Wu said, especially not the Tianjian Bureau."
The Tianjian Bureau Lieutenant Colonel suddenly chuckled. "This Chang Le City police station has certainly gotten bold, thinking it can push the Tianjian Bureau around. Wu Yao wouldn’t have dared to speak like this even when he was still with the Tianjian Bureau."
The Lieutenant Colonel produced an official docunt. "These are your Chief’s orders. Are they valid?"
"Normally, the Chief’s orders are valid. But in Wen Xiaorou’s case, they are not."
"Then, are the orders of the Tianjian Bureau’s Chief valid?" the Lieutenant Colonel asked again, his expression growing colder, ready to act if he heard so much as a hint of refusal.
"Director Zhang, don’t tease my n like that." A light laugh ca from the office building’s entrance. Wu Yao strolled over, an egg pancake in one hand and soy milk in the other. "Apologies, I just arrived at the station."
"Inspector Wu, quite dedicated, starting work this early?"
"I was worried that if I ca in late, the station might have been raided."
"Alright, no more nonsense. I’m here on Chief Liu’s orders to take Wen Xiaorou. Inspector Wu, surely you wouldn’t disregard Chief Liu’s orders?"
"Chief Liu is the head of the Huzhou Sky Sword General Bureau. How could I dare to disobey him? However, I’ve also received orders that no one is to take Wen Xiaorou, nor is anyone to have any contact with her. This puts in a very difficult position..."
Zhang Qi snorted. "Hmph! In Huzhou Province, those orders of yours won’t hold up either."
"Forget it, it’s no use explaining to you. You can explain it to him yourself." With that, Wu Yao quickly dialed a number.
Wang Lan was cuddling the soft Jiang Xinyu in bed when the ringing of his cell phone suddenly woke him.
"Hello—" Wang Lan asked lazily.
"I am Zhang Qi, Director of the Action Departnt of the Chang Le City Tianjian Bureau. Under orders from Chief Liu of the Huzhou Sky Sword General Bureau, I am here to take custody of the suspect Wen Xiaorou..."
"Denied!" Wang Lan retorted without hesitation.
"Hello, I’m not asking for your permission; I’m notifying you."
Wang Lan instantly beca alert. He hadn’t encountered soone so brazen in a long ti. Who on earth is this guy?
"Where are you now?"
"Chang Le City police station!"
"Fine. Got it. Wait for for five minutes." Wang Lan promptly hung up.
Wu Yao, who had listened to the exchange between Zhang Qi and Wang Lan, wore an incredulous expression, his eyes wide as if he’d seen a ghost.
"What’s wrong? Is there a problem?" Zhang Qi and Wu Yao were old acquaintances. Although they hadn’t been particularly close, they had worked together before. Zhang Qi was rather unimpressed by Wu Yao’s current expression.
"Do you have any idea who that was on the phone?"
Zhang Qi asked, "Who else could it be?"
"What the hell? When did I say it was?" Wu Yao looked at Zhang Qi with a smugly satisfied expression, unable to resist giving him a thumbs-up.
Zhang Qi pressed, "So it’s *his* order making you so confident, isn’t it? Who else could it be? Besides *him*, who could make you act so boldly?"
"!" A voice cut in. The expressions of all the Tianjian Bureau mbers changed instantly. They instinctively stepped back, assuming an attack stance towards Wang Lan.
Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu appeared as if from nowhere; no one present had sensed their arrival. Zhang Qi looked at Wang Lan skeptically, his brow furrowed slightly.
"You are..."
Wang Lan pulled out his ID and held it in front of Zhang Qi. The Tianjian Bureau insignia on the ID made Zhang Qi frown again. Soone from the Tianjian Bureau system? Who could be this brazen?
Zhang Qi took the ID and opened it. A single glance was enough to make his face turn ashen.
He imdiately snapped to attention and saluted. "Greetings, Commander!"
Although Zhang Qi hadn’t heard of anyone in the Tianjian Bureau system achieving such a high rank, he was certain this ID was genuine.
"Return my ID."
"Oh, yes!" Zhang Qi respectfully handed back the ID with both hands.
"You’re here to take Wen Xiaorou? Did Liu Yuxin send you?"
"Yes... I am under orders to take Wen Xiaorou. She is closely connected to Director Wen’s disappearance."
"You cannot take her. However, this Soul Bead contains the truth of the matter. You can take it back with you," Wang Lan said, handing the Soul Bead to Zhang Qi.
"Yes! Then... shall I return to report?"
"Go ahead!"
Zhang Qi decisively turned and left. In less than a minute, the three vehicles were gone from the police station courtyard.
"Since the mystery of Director Wen’s disappearance is solved, why not let them take Wen Xiaorou?" Wu Yao asked. "Hasn’t the truth co to light? Her judgnt should be a matter for the military court."
"This is far from over. On the contrary, things are becoming even more complicated and confusing. Keep Wen Xiaorou here. Arrange for experts to protect her closely. I’m afraid soone might still try to kill her to silence her."
"Understood!"
Wang Lan requisitioned a vehicle from the police station and drove Jiang Xinyu back to central Huzhou Province. Instead of going directly to the Tianjian Bureau, he returned to the official dormitory.
Wang Lan dialed Mr. Jin’s phone number. As soon as the call connected, Mr. Jin’s incredulous voice ca through.
"It’s only been five days, and you’ve already solved the case?"
"Mr. Jin, you give too much credit. While the cause of Wen Xianghua’s death is clear, there’s still much more to this case than ets the eye."
"Has his death been confird?"
"Blown to smithereens, completely annihilated. Death confird."
"What exactly happened?"
Wang Lan recounted in detail the mories he had extracted from Wen Xiaorou’s mind. After listening, Mr. Jin, on the other end of the line, fell silent, his tone growing heavy. After a long pause, he finally let out a deep sigh.
"Persistent evildoing leads to self-destruction! That bastard Wen Xianghua, he really outdid himself, didn’t he? Keeping assassins and death-sworn warriors to commit murders and robberies for him. His cris are ten tis more severe than Zhou Shen’s three years ago!"
It was a long while before Mr. Jin’s fury subsided a bit. "What are your thoughts?"
"Wen Xianghua’s death was very likely a setup. The person who orchestrated it knew him extrely well, even about the existence of his Shadow Guard. They also knew Wen Xianghua had been searching for the Star Origin Flow for years. Mr. Jin, do you know anything about the Star Origin Flow?"
"The Star Origin Flow is a legendary Star Martial Skill from the Huzhou region. This legend begins with Zhang Lingxian, who ascended two thousand years ago.
The Zhang Family in Huzhou was one of the eight major Star Martial families in Huaxia two thousand years ago. Their family’s lineage was said to be inherited from the Ancient Immortal Gate. At that ti, attaining immortality had beco a myth, and not many people believed in it. However, Zhang Lingxian was the only one recorded in history books as having ascended to immortality.
Historical records contain a special biography of him. He awakened his talent at age ten, entered the Star Sea Realm at twenty-two, achieved the Star Soul Realm at thirty, and reached the Supre Realm at forty-five. At that ti, he was known as a Supre Master, a Land Immortal.
The current topography of Zhangjiajie is rumored to have been created by one of Zhang Lingxian’s techniques, the ’Million Sword Decision.’ However, this is rely folklore; official histories do not record it.
Subsequently, Zhang Lingxian announced he would go into seclusion. This seclusion lasted twenty-two years. When he erged again, the sixty-seven-year-old Zhang Lingxian had miraculously rejuvenated before everyone’s eyes, transforming from an elderly man with white hair back to his youthful appearance.
After that, Zhang Lingxian claid to have comprehended the Dao and chose an auspicious day to ascend to the Immortal World.
This news shook both the imperial court and the common people. Even the emperor of the Great Hall Dynasty traveled great distances to witness the event. On the chosen auspicious day, Zhangjiajie was filled with nearly all the Star Martial Warriors of that era, and countless curious onlookers, drawn by the news, also gathered.
Historical accounts state that no fewer than ten million people gathered. At least ten million crowded there to witness Zhang Lingxian’s ascension.
Then, before everyone’s eyes, Zhang Lingxian summoned the Ascending Immortal Stage. At that mont, auspicious clouds danced, cranes circled, ethereal immortal music played, and the Gates of Heaven swung open. Zhang Lingxian took a flying leap, stepped into the Immortal Sect, and entered Heaven’s Realm."
"Immortality truly exists?" Wang Lan asked in surprise.
"Others might not know, but surely you do?" Mr. Jin retorted, his voice tinged with annoyance.
Wang Lan cald down instantly, suddenly rembering that his mother also seed to have ascended to the Earth Immortal World back then.
"Are you saying Zhang Lingxian’s ascension was by the sa thod my mother used to leave?"
"Probably. Hasn’t the Heavenly Court already vanished? What people at that ti called ascension was likely a journey to that Earth Immortal World, though they didn’t realize it then.
After Zhang Lingxian’s ascension, he left a Cultivation Technique to posterity, which is the Star Origin Flow. Naturally, this technique beca regarded as one that could lead to immortality. At first, out of awe for Zhang Lingxian’s ascension, no one dared to covet the Star Origin Flow. But as ti went on, this deterrent effect weakened, and the number of those targeting the Zhang Family grew.
A thousand years ago, the last of the Zhang family bloodline was found by the notorious East Factory, and after that, the Zhang family lineage was completely severed."
"I see."
"By the way, do you think the person who set up Wen Xianghua could be Liu Yuxin?"
"I’ve been pondering that too. All indications point to him, yet my intuition tells it might not be. The Star Origin Flow is crucial here; anyone plotting against Wen Xianghua would first need to obtain it. By the way, do you have any information on the Star Origin Flow? I’d like to review it."
"Yes, I’ll send the details to your phone later."
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