"Sent her back? Sent her back! How is that possible? Haha, haha!"

Nie Sheng laughed with a touch of madness, his voice so loud it triggered the motion-sensor lights on the nearby residential buildings.

"Are you insane?! Yelling and screaming like that!"

An irate resident had already thrown open their window and started cursing.

"You all want them, you all want them! Then take them all!"

Nie Sheng suddenly went berserk. He reached into his coat, pulled out twelve brocade boxes, and scattered them in all directions as if tossing flower petals.

"You’re courting death!"

The man in black hadn’t expected this. His figure shot upward like a phantom as he chased after the brocade boxes.

"AHH!"

The person who had just been yelling from their window let out a wail and collapsed, blood streaming from a wound on their head.

Clearly, the enraged Nie Sheng hadn’t shown him any mercy!

"They’re all yours."

With a flicker of his body, Nie Sheng took advantage of the moonlight to make his escape.

"Damn you! I’ll kill you!"

Seeing this, the man in black stuffed the two boxes he’d managed to grab into his pockets and immediately chased after Nie Sheng.

In just a moment, the sound of their footsteps faded into the distance.

Having watched the whole spectacle, Zhao Rui couldn’t help but feel a little curious about what was inside those boxes.

’What kind of treasure would make a Martial Artist defy the Government Office, resorting to murder and robbery just to get it?’

"What’s going on?"

Just then, Miao Miaomiao, noticing the silence outside, pushed open the door to the Martial Arts Hall and walked out, asking with a curious expression.

Zhao Rui didn’t hide anything and explained what had happened.

After hearing the story, Miao Miaomiao couldn’t help but ask, "That man in black... he can’t beat you, can he?"

"Hm?"

"Why didn’t you just wait for him to collect all the boxes and come looking for you, then just snatch them all from him!"

"Ahem!"

Zhao Rui let out a slight cough. "Miaomiao, you’re still a student. Don’t meddle in adult affairs."

"You just didn’t think of it, did you!"

Miao Miaomiao gave him a look, covering her mouth to stifle a giggle.

"Yeah, right. The less trouble, the better. It’s not like I’m invincible."

Zhao Rui shook his head and smiled.

’In my heart, you are invincible... well, except for Master!’

Miao Miaomiao didn’t say this out loud. Instead, she gave a radiant smile and said, "I know! By the way, since all the boxes were thrown away, should we go pick them up?"

"Pick them up for what? I didn’t even take what was handed to me, and you want me to go pick them up now? Just like you suggested, let them go find them."

"Okay!"

Miao Miaomiao smiled radiantly and said no more, casually clearing the chicken soup from the table.

By now, it was already getting late.

After closing up the Martial Arts Hall, the two of them drove home.

「A quiet night passed.」

The next afternoon, Zhao Rui received a call from Zheng Huai Peak, who told him that three Grandmasters from the Thirteen Martial Alliances were dead.

Additionally, Nie Sheng was missing.

Zhao Rui was secretly alarmed. ’This guy is completely insane. Including Qiao Si Niang, who died earlier, that’s four people killed, one seriously injured, and one missing—all for some treasure.’

’And they were all Grandmasters!’

’If this had happened in Lincheng City, it would’ve caused an absolute uproar.’

"The higher-ups are furious. They’ve ordered a province-wide investigation and want the case solved within a week..."

Zheng Huai Peak said with a frown.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Rui recounted what he knew.

"A Demon Skill? Why has it been so chaotic lately? Last time, that Nie Bin fellow threw all of Jeju City into a panic..."

Zheng Huai Peak sighed, then reminded Zhao Rui to be careful, worried that he might get dragged into it.

"Right, I’ve got it under control."

Zhao Rui smiled, and the two of them hung up.

That evening, before it was completely dark, Zhao Rui had just seen off a few kids who stayed for extra practice and was preparing to close up.

The sound of nearly imperceptible footsteps approached.

"If you hadn’t shown up, I wouldn’t have known how to deal with scum like you. Now that you’re here, everything has become clear."

Zhao Rui spoke unhurriedly as he closed the door. "I don’t like getting involved in grudges, but if a piece of trash like you dares to provoke me, I’d be more than happy to send you to meet the Demon Ancestor!"

The shadowy figure’s footsteps faltered. In a sinister voice, he asked, "Where is it?"

"I don’t have it. You haven’t found them all yet? Your efficiency is a little low!"

"Give it to me, and I’ll spare your life!"

"I told you I don’t have it, but you refuse to believe me. You believe what others say, but not me. Are you an idiot?"

"You’re courting death!"

"Let’s go somewhere else. I can’t go all out here."

Without waiting to see his reaction, Zhao Rui leaped up, his figure flashing like lightning as he sped into the distance.

The man frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, then bounded onto a second-floor balcony in a single leap and quickly gave chase.

Under the cover of night, the two blurry figures moved like phantoms—now you see them, now you don’t, gone in a flash.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they arrived at an abandoned village cemetery on the outskirts of the city.

The man in black scanned his surroundings and sneered, "Did you come here to pick out your own grave?"

Zhao Rui shook his head. "I know you’re using a Demon Skill."

"Oh? And what of it?"

The man in black said, sounding slightly puzzled.

"What a coincidence. I use a Demon Skill too!"

As Zhao Rui finished speaking, the True Qi around him began to boil. Under the influence of the Heavenly Demon Illusionary Sound Technique, the colorless, formless True Qi inside his body instantly turned a viscous, jet-black.

"I’ve never had a chance to use the full power of my Illusionary Sound Technique before. Today’s the perfect opportunity to have some fun!"

Zhao Rui’s smile remained as gentle as ever.

But that expression, combined with the swirling black True Qi and the cry of a night owl, was enough to make anyone’s heart tremble.

"You..."

The man in black’s pupils dilated, his face a mask of utter astonishment. But before he could finish his sentence, Zhao Rui had already waved his hand, sending out several streams of black True Qi.

The streams of True Qi pierced the air, carrying a strange, vibrating Sound Wave. They rushed toward the man in black like vengeful spirits coming to claim a soul.