"And that’s what happened. I placed a mark on the fleeing Illuminati member, and I was just about to meet with Yu Fei when you arrived, Mr. Yan..."

Han Qiubai spoke concisely. In just a few moments, she explained everything clearly: why she had come to Tianning County, the Heavenly Pride Martial Artist assessment, and being tailed by the two thugs, Monkey and Zong.

Yan Sea recalled something, his expression turning strange.

"On my way here, I saw an Illuminati cultist trying to escape. I killed him on the spot. I suspect he was most likely the one you marked as bait."

"Er..." Han Qiubai was momentarily stunned. But considering he was Yu Fei’s teacher and had rushed over after receiving a distress call, it made sense.

Yu Fei suddenly asked, "Mr. Yan, what about the scene?"

"I’ve already notified the Martial Arts Administration Bureau. They’ll be here soon," Yan Sea said casually.

He then looked at Han Qiubai. "What are your plans, Mr. Han?"

Han Qiubai glanced at Yu Fei. ’There’s no issue with his Heavenly Pride status. I’ll write a full report about him killing the third-realm cultist.’ However, this wasn’t the right time or place to ask about his college entrance exam choices.

After some thought, she had an idea.

"Another student came with me. Besides confirming the Heavenly Pride nomination, our mission is also to clear out the cultists here in Y-City. The local Martial Arts Administration Bureau has little experience dealing with them, so I’ll be investigating covertly for a while."

Yan Sea nodded. "That works. Yu Fei, I have a suggestion. You’re still a student, so focus on your studies. I’ll help you handle the aftermath. Just let me know if you need anything. Don’t let these trivial matters disrupt your cultivation."

"Okay, Mr. Yan. That would be for the best. In any case, thank you, Mr. Yan and Senior Sister, for your help today."

Han Qiubai smiled radiantly. "In that case, Junior Brother, let’s add each other as contacts. We can talk later."

After the two added each other, Yu Fei left. Yan Sea and Han Qiubai would handle the scene. They were in basic agreement about Yu Fei’s future involvement in this matter: they didn’t want him getting entangled in the conflict with the Illuminati.

If Yu Fei’s talent were to be exposed, it would surely attract even more powerful enemies.

On his way back, Yu Fei saw wailing police cars and ambulances rushing toward the scene. Inwardly, he was not as calm as he appeared.

Today, he had killed someone with his own hands—the first time in his two lives. While it didn’t cause any physical reaction, he still felt a sense of unease. ’The path of martial arts is a path to the extraordinary, but it’s also a path of slaughter. If I want to reach the top, my hands will likely be stained with a lot of blood.’

Yu Fei had already come to this realization.

When the Martial Arts Administration Bureau and the Public Security Bureau arrived, Han Qiubai revealed her identity as a trainee investigative specialist. Wang Jie immediately deferred to her authority.

In terms of administrative hierarchy, the Martial Arts Administration Bureau was a local garrison department. Its personnel were mostly in the first three realms of Body Tempering. They were responsible for governing civilian Martial Artists and providing armed support to the Public Security Bureau.

The Safety Bureau, as the superior department to the Martial Arts Administration Bureau, had a strict entry requirement: one must possess the strength of the fourth martial realm, the Inner Qi Realm. Therefore, in terms of both power and status, Han Qiubai outranked Wang Jie, even though she hadn’t graduated yet and was only a college junior.

Monkey was eventually rescued, becoming the sole MVP of the losing side, as all his teammates were dead.

Although she wasn’t hopeful, Han Qiubai still wanted to see if she could get any useful information. With the deaths of Mr. Qian and Steel-Knife, the trail of the Illuminati members in Tianning County had gone cold again.

The sun rose as usual. The world bustled on, and the deaths of two cultists caused no ripples. After the 836th college entrance exam ended and the brief celebration faded, the small county fell back into tranquility. Except for Di Yunliang and his associates.

Inside apartment 504 of Anju District, a simple cross stood in the living room. The wooden beams were still flecked with wet cement, looking as if they had just been torn from a construction site.

The original coffee table and sofa were nowhere to be seen.

Mrs. Li knelt behind the entrance, her head pressed to the floor, not daring to breathe.

Miss Lanhua was dressed in extremely conservative and plain clothes today, kneeling beside the cross with a bald man.

Di Yunliang was gagged with a ball, and Cheng YuanYu was tying him to the cross with a rope.

This rope had previously been used on Guangzai. It was a special steel-alloy cord, typically used for restraining large beasts. Even with Di Yunliang’s Inner Qi Realm cultivation, once tied securely, it would be nearly impossible to break free.

It wasn’t that Di Yunliang had some sort of fetish. In fact, he considered himself one of the few sane people in the divine cult. But how could a sane person ever understand the mind of a psychopath?

On the brightly lit living room floor, a red candle as thick as a cup and a foot tall was burning. A girl in red leather was intently straightening chopstick-length iron wires, heating them red-hot in the flame, and setting them aside—calling it "disinfection."

At this moment, Di Yunliang was scared out of his wits, trembling like a leaf.

He never imagined his two ’superiors’ would disobey orders and act on their own.

And that would have been one thing. If they had succeeded, he could have just figured out a way to clean up their mess. But those two pieces of trash failed to capture their target and got themselves exposed instead. ’Truly all ambition and no skill.’

By the time their underlings noticed something was wrong and the news reached him, it was too late. He even had to learn that his two men had been beaten to a pulp through an informant he had paid off in the Martial Arts Administration Bureau.

’The divine cult is short on everything except psychos. There are always some messes happening.’ He could tolerate all of that. He had long expected as much.

But why the hell did the Rose Envoy have to come for an inspection at this exact moment?

And why did this psycho, without a single word, immediately set up a cross to hang him on?

Cheng YuanYu was tying his hands and feet. You could tell he was a man of particular tastes; Di Yunliang was currently being bound with the special steel-alloy cord in a kinbaku-style suspension.

After tying Di Yunliang’s hands and feet, Cheng YuanYu saw there was still a length of rope left. He thought for a moment, then threaded it up from between Di Yunliang’s legs, around his chest, looped it once around his neck, and gave it a vicious tug.

Veins instantly bulged all over Di Yunliang’s body as his eyes widened.

Even for an Inner Qi Martial Artist, the nature of his vital spots hadn’t changed.

He stared daggers at Cheng YuanYu.

’That old dog. And after I treated him so well all this time.’

Just then, Cheng YuanYu crept closer, patted him lightly on the shoulder, and mouthed some words.

"Mr. Liang, have a safe trip!"

Di Yunliang suddenly felt like crying. ’This old dog might be vicious, but at least he still has a shred of humanity.’

Just as he felt a flicker of gratitude, he saw Cheng YuanYu reach into his pocket and snatch the cigarette case containing his last Black Emperor.

"MOTHERFUCKER, YOU SON OF A BITCH... FUCK YOUR MOTHER..."

Di Yunliang glared furiously at Cheng YuanYu, but the ball gag muffled his tirade, turning all the sounds into grunts and moans that utterly failed to convey his rage.

’I must have been blind,’ Di Yunliang thought. ’How could I ever think this old dog had any humanity?’