Chapter 373: Chapter 372: Sacred Association, Trap within Trap

Countless questions surfaced in Lian Ningxin’s mind.

Gazing at Li Jing, who had blocked her attack with a single finger, she retreated a few steps and stood still at a distance, speaking coldly.

"Who are you, really?"

"I think I’ve made it very clear. I’m just an ordinary patrol officer."

Li Jing said with a smile.

"You’re full of shit!"

Lian Ningxin snorted.

"Believe it or not."

Li Jing shook his head, waving his hand to take out a pair of handcuffs.

"You’re no match for me, and there’s nowhere to escape in this subspace. I suggest you surrender."

Seeing this, Lian Ningxin frowned slightly, her expression was hesitant for a moment, then she slowly lifted her hands.

Then, her significantly enlarged body gradually returned to its original fragile form.

Seeing her seemingly ready to surrender, Li Jing raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.

Without further thought, he walked forward with the handcuffs.

The moment he approached, Lian Ningxin, who had been holding up her hands in surrender, suddenly smirked, revealing a playful smile.

Li Jing, noticing the change in her demeanor, frowned.

This woman, is she still going to resist?

The next second.

Lian Ningxin spat out a black liquid from her mouth and nose and fell backward.

The sudden change stunned Li Jing.

Before he could react, Lian Ningxin was already lying on the ground.

A black, sticky liquid gushed heavily from her mouth and nose, and her vital signs quickly weakened.

Li Jing’s face went extremely pale at this sight.

He moved two steps closer.

The collapsed Lian Ningxin was still breathing slightly, but her pupils were gradually dilating – she was clearly not far from death.

On the brink of life and death.

Lian Ningxin looked at Li Jing, and managed a grim smile.

Li Jing watched her smile, silent.

To be honest.

He didn’t understand.

He always held back a bit, but as soon as Lian Ningxin realized that she couldn’t resist, she chose suicide without hesitation. Why?

She could have at least ensured her own safety by cooperating a little bit.

If she knew enough and was willing to speak up, she could even have negotiated a certain degree of leniency.

Watching as Lian Ningxin was on the verge of death, Li Jing voiced his confusion.

"Why do this to yourself?"

His calm words barely forced the dying Lian Ningxin to open her nearly closed eyes.

Perhaps it’s true that people’s words become virtuous as death approaches.

In response to Li Jing’s confused words, Lian Ningxin spoke with great effort.

"You wouldn’t understand."

After uttering these three weak words, she smiled tragically.

"Compared to falling into the hands... of a... patrol officer, the consequences of... betraying... the Sacred Association... are far more..."

Before she could finish her sentence, she completely lost consciousness.

Seeing this, Li Jing frowned deeply.

Lian Ningxin was dead.

Leaving him with one big question that he couldn’t wrap his head around.

The Sacred Association?

What the hell is that?

This woman...

Wasn’t she a member of the Witch Gu Sect?

Li Jing flicked his finger, releasing a red arc of electricity while grappling with the question in his mind.

Fire Thunder fell.

It ignited Lian Ningxin’s body.

Li Jing didn’t know what method this woman had used to kill herself.

But he could vaguely feel it.

Whatever Lian Ningxin used to commit suicide wasn’t simply lethal, something bad seemed to be brewing inside her body.

This body couldn’t be taken back to the real world.

The body of Lian Ningxin, who had already killed herself and lost her life, didn’t have any resistance. The Fire Thunder ignited her, and she instantly turned into ashes.

Li Jing looked at the place where her existence had been completely erased, his face not looking too good.

Just when the intention of the matter seemed to be taking a clear turn.

Right in front of his eyes.

The clue was broken.

All things considered, everything was back at square one.

The only progress worth mentioning was the words "Sacred Association" that he had heard from Lian Ningxin.

Taking a deep breath, Li Jing took out the Boundary Stone and dispelled its energy.

Then, he returned to the real world.

Just as he returned, he saw more than ten patrol officers hovering on the scene of the car accident left by Lian Ningxin.

Upon seeing this, Li Jing frowned.

Seeing him return, the more than ten patrol officers hovering around immediately took out their spirit weapons. One of them who seemed to be the leader pulled out his credentials and spoke.

"I am Shi Lin from the Special Action Group of the Capital Inspection Headquarters. Li Jing, you have violated multiple regulations and are suspected of abusing your position for personal gain. According to the regulations of the Patrol Management Punishment, I ask you to surrender immediately and come back with me to the Headquarters for questioning."

Faced with this statement, Li Jing’s frown deepened.

The over ten patrollers in front of him were clearly coming after him, and they were from the Special Action Group, not the Crimes Investigation Department.

This, this is clearly not right.

Let alone that the others have come for me.

The first to intervene in a regular homicide should be the Crimes Investigation Department.

Only after the case is preliminarily assessed, the Crimes Investigation Department will consider if it’s necessary to hand it over to other departments within the patrol system, including the Major Crime Unit.

It seems.

I’ve stumbled upon a trap within a trap...

Lian Ningxin has been closely watching the five men held captive by Liu Shi.

And behind her, there must be others observing, ready to adapt to any changes at all times.

And the power backing those people is enormous.

They could label my actions as a crime in an instant, and dispatch the Special Action Team.

In that case.

It does make sense why Lian Ningxin chose to commit suicide while revealing the term "Sacred Association".

She knew that once she was in someone else’s control, her death would be inevitable.

The Sacred Association, huh?

Sure sounds interesting.

Li Jing’s tightly knitted brows relaxed slightly, and he raised his hand in silence.

Resisting arrest, that’s definitely not an option.

Given the circumstances, all he could do was to go with the flow.

Others pulling strings behind the scenes, well, it wasn’t exactly bad news for him either.

Considering the current situation, Li Jing thought of a scenario he should have anticipated earlier.

Assume that Lu Qifei’s death was indeed the handiwork of the Witch Gu Sect.

Counting the incident with Liu Shi, the Witch Gu Sect has attempted to infiltrate the capital at least twice in over twenty years.

If they have managed to attempt twice over several years, they might have tried many more times.

If they have tried many times, they may not fail every time.

Looking at the current situation.

It seems like they have succeeded.

They have successfully infiltrated the capital, gaining considerable influence.

Thinking again.

"Sacred Association" as mentioned by Lian Ningxin implies that the Witch Gu Sect isn’t the only power involved, there are others.

These powers could either be hidden world sects like the Witch Gu Sect, or worldly forces.

What’s certain is.

They hid really well and didn’t want to be discovered.

Lost in thoughts, Shi Lin, who led the team here, saw that Li Jing did not intend to resist, so he took out a pair of handcuffs and put them on him.

"Sorry, I’m just following orders."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing looked at him in surprise and nodded slightly.

Responding to the man’s nod, Shi Lin showed a hint of helplessness and took him away by Sky Control.

...

About an hour later.

Li Jing sat alone in one of the interrogation rooms of the Capital Inspection Headquarters, silently sorting out his thoughts.

There was nothing else he could do.

After being arrested and put in the interrogation room, no one came to see him, they just locked him up in the room.

As he was thinking, the door of the interrogation room creaked open.

Li Jing looked up upon hearing the sound.

He saw Liu Shi walking in with a gloomy expression.

Seeing his mother-in-law after being detained for almost an hour was a genuine surprise for Li Jing.

"Mom, why are you here?"

"You got arrested, how could I not come?"

Liu Shi gave him an annoyed glance, vented, and sat down across from him.

"If Sisi found out about this, she’d nag me till the day I die."

After grumbling a bit, she switched to telepathic communication.

"You must have successfully intercepted that person who was working in the shadows. Did you get anything?"

"She committed suicide in the Subspace."

Li Jing responded through telepathy, and then continued.

"Before she died, she mentioned an organization called the ’Sacred Association’. Mom, have you ever heard of it?"

"Sacred Association?"

Liu Shi blinked, shook her head, and used telepathy to reply.

"Never heard of it."

Having denied it, she then strangely communicated something.

"This is quite serious. Although I don’t know what this ’Sacred Association’ is, it is clear the opposition was very prepared. The tables have turned; we aimed to fish out the culprit, but ended up being the ones fished out."

Receiving this thought, Li Jing couldn’t help but laugh.

Liu Shi’s words hit the nail on the head.

Internally chuckling, Li Jing communicated back.

"Mom, rest assured, I’m not going to have any major issues here. Even if this ’Sacred Association’ is capable, it won’t bother me, not to mention Jiang Uncle is backing me. He won’t let anything happen to me."

"You, I’m certainly not worried about you!"

Liu Shi responded through telepathy, chuckling and continued communicating.

"Don’t think I can’t see through your sly little plan. Even without Jiang Liao’s intervention, Longyu won’t be able to do anything to you."

At that, Li Jing remained silent, mentally communicating back.

"This time, I don’t know how long I’ll be detained. It doesn’t seem that the people behind this are trying to deal with me but rather they’re looking for an excuse to restrict my movements for a while. During that period, they might try to shift something or cover up something."

"Do you need me to use some means to keep an eye on things?"

Liu Shi communicated telepathically.

"No need."

Li Jing shook his head in response to the transmitted voice, then sent another voice message across.

"Mother-in-law, you still have the Liu family to take care of behind you, and you yourself are the target for some people. It’s just that they hit a brick wall with you, don’t give them the opportunity. Mother, please don’t get involved in this matter. Please take care of Sisi for me. Because of this incident, I’m already completely exposed and it’s hard to assure that those who are lurking around won’t target those close to me. Give me some time, I will handle this matter."

Facing such words from her son-in-law, Liu Shi’s attitude was rather straightforward.

"Alright, take care of yourself, I’ll look after Sisi."

Just as she was about to say something more, a good-looking female inspector walked in from outside.

At first glance of Liu Shi, she was taken aback a little.

Seeing this, Liu Shi responded with a seductive smile.

Then, under Li Jing’s silent gaze, the arriving female inspector promptly rolled her eyes and collapsed.

Watching the female inspector collapse, Li Jing turned his head with a strange look on his face.

"Mom, did you not enter the jail to visit through the regular channels?"

"Tch!"

Liu Shi made a face, saying,

"The way you talk, do I look like someone who would break the law? At least, I did greet someone when I entered the Patrol Inspection Agency."

"..."

Li Jing.

The interior of the Patrol Inspection Agency was under surveillance.

Liu Shi’s Silent Shadow had very limited effect here.

Therefore, he never thought that Liu Shi would sneak into the interrogation room.

But reality showed him,

That he was too naive.

His mother-in-law was more reckless than he had imagined.

Li Jing had an expression of both laughter and tears on his face. Liu Shi again imitated Sisi’s playful gesture of sticking out her tongue, then stood up and said.

"I should go now. You should have quite a few acquaintances here at the Patrol Inspection Agency. Please help me block this matter a little! Intruding the interrogation room is not a major crime, but if someone wants to pursue it, I might be detained for a few days. You wouldn’t want Sisi to be unprotected without me, would you?"

"..."

Li Jing was speechless.

Besides feeling ridiculous, he was somewhat moved.

Liu Shi claimed to be very confident in him, yet she was clearly somewhat doubtful of his situation.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have secretly come to see him.

On the other side,

After saying that, Liu Shi didn’t pause; she swiftly left the interrogation room with light steps.

Before leaving, she didn’t forget to point at the unconscious female inspector lying on the ground.

Afterward,

The female inspector who had lost consciousness moments ago groaned and gradually came to.

Realising she was lying on the ground, she quickly got up and looked around cautiously.

Seeing that there was no one else around and that Li Jing was quietly seated, she looked at him suspiciously.

"Inspector Li, did you attack me just now?"

Clearly, she didn’t remember seeing Liu Shi; she just knew that she had inexplicably passed out. Li Jing shrugged and gestured to his handcuffs, saying indifferently.

"You can eat anything, but you can’t just say anything. I’m wearing handcuffs here and don’t have the strength to do anything to anyone. Moreover, I fully understand the consequences of attacking an inspector. Do you think I would be so stupid?"

Normally, the handcuffs were quite persuasive.

But on Li Jing’s hands, their persuasive force was rather limited.

The female inspector didn’t know that he was already a Seventh Realm cultivator.

But as the person who was about to interrogate him, she was very aware that this young inspector standing before her had already stepped into the Sixth Realm.

The limit of regulation handcuffs was to bind those of the Fifth Realm.

On a Sixth Realm’s hand, it was completely useless.

At this moment, Li Jing was wearing them just because he was willing to.

However, faced with Li Jing’s gesture, the female inspector didn’t know what to say.

At least, he was wearing his handcuffs properly, not trying to break free.

If he wanted to attack her, regardless of how powerful Li Jing is, he would at least have to break free from the handcuffs.

Moreover, what Li Jing said made sense.

If he attacked an inspector, even if he didn’t hurt her at all, if anyone wanted to pursue it, it would still be a case of assaulting an officer.

Li Jing was not that stupid, and there was no need for him to do so.

Mystified as to who knocked her out, the female inspector straightened her skirt and sat down opposite Li Jing.

"Inspector Li, although I don’t know whether you did it or if there are others here, I can tell you straightforwardly that your current situation is not good. I advise you to not make any unnecessary..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Li Jing looked at her.

"Inspector, you should provide evidence when making an accusation. Do you have any evidence proving that I have done something to you?"

"..."

The female inspector choked.

Against this hit, she restrained her irritation.

The key is, Li Jing spoke reasonably, and she couldn’t refute him.

Muting the words that she hadn’t finished, the female inspector took out a small notebook, placed it on the table and opened it.

"We are all inspectors, I won’t beat around the bush with you, Inspector Li. Let me briefly describe the situation you are facing..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Li Jing scrutinized her.

"What’s your name? You didn’t tell me. This is against the procedure."

"..."

Interrupted again, the female inspector’s mouth twitched, she gritted her teeth and said,

"Zhou Miaomiao, Discipline Inspection Office of the Patrol Inspection Agency."

"Zhou Miaomiao?"

Li Jing raised an eyebrow and said,

"Nice name."

Zhou Miaomiao remained silent, a vein appeared on her forehead but she managed to suppress her anger.

There was no other way.

The man before her was no ordinary individual.

His history was quite spectacular.

Background-wise.

Even though he was merely a detective with the Major Crime Unit of Jianghai City North City Branch within the inspection system, he held an additional position as an action consultant for the Management Bureau with over ten thousand personnel under his command.

Experience-wise.

Li Jing has assisted the Bureau Serious Case Group twice in cracking two startling major cases in the capital.

At the Management Bureau, he achieved the remarkable merit that few others in Longyu had earned and learned the forbidden skill.

He had recently gained notoriety in the Chongyuan Holy Realm, making him the topic of discussion among the upper levels of the capital for a remarkably long time.

In terms of strength.

At just twenty-three, he was already in the Six Realm.

In the face of such a level and natural talent.

His position within the system was unimportant.

Even amongst the Hidden World Sect, such a prodigious being was a rare sight.

Zhou Miaomiao reluctantly took on this tough task.

Normally, someone like Li Jing shouldn’t be dealt with by a "working girl" from the Discipline Inspection Office like her. The director should handle it personally.

However, her unreliable director gave in after reading Li Jing’s resume, claiming she was more approachable because she was more attractive and pushed the matter onto her, continuously harassing her not to offend him.

If it wasn’t for the fact that she couldn’t fight her own director and the Discipline Inspection Office was a pleasant place to work, she wouldn’t have wanted to deal with this issue.

Zhou Miaomiao had been working at the Discipline Inspection Office for more than a day or two.

She had an inkling.

There must be something more to the sudden accusation against Li Jing for abusing power for personal gain.

Apart from anything else.

Li Jing was merely a detective from the Major Crime Unit of Jianghai City North City Branch.

What power could he possibly wield in the capital?

Isn’t that nonsense?

Unless he was directly authorized by relevant personnel from the Capital Inspection Headquarters or was compelled by circumstances, he didn’t even have the most basic law enforcement power in the capital.

Zhou Miaomiao took a deep breath and managed to muster a smile.

"Detective Li, we’ve already gone through the necessary processes, can we get to the main topic now?"

Li Jing glanced at Zhou Miaomiao, who was clearly strong-willed but managed to keep her temper in check, and gestured for her to proceed with a smile.

He understood.

Zhou Miaomiao was here to engage with him because she had "taken up the challenge in a time of crisis".

They were all detectives.

He saw no reason to make things unnecessarily difficult for her.

Just like how he dealt with Liu Shi beforehand.

If the ones behind all this couldn’t get to him, all they could do was try to detain him under the guise of an investigation.

Seeing that the person in question was finally cooperating, Zhou Miaomiao opened the floodgates of dialogue.

"Detective Li, we summoned you because the headquarters has received an anonymous report accusing you of abusing your position for personal gain. I do not know who reported this, and even if I did, I am not at liberty to tell you. As a detective, you know our rules and there is no need for me to explain."

With that, she continued.

"The reality at hand is, you have indeed been involved in actions you shouldn’t have been conducting in the capital. You know what I’m referring to, right?"

Upon hearing this, Li Jing nodded in agreement.

Zhou Miaomiao’s words made her stance clear.

All she lacked was to express outright, just like Shi Lin, that she was only following orders.

Every detective was shrewd.

The troublesome part was.

The reality in front of them left Li Jing no room for excuses.

The headquarters did authorize him to review Lu Qifei’s old case files, but it was essentially Jiang Liao using his connections. He had not officially notified the headquarters about his covert investigation.

If it was just an investigation, it would have been overlooked.

But now, six lives were lost.

And one of them had died in the subspace.

While the deaths were not directly by his hand, they all occurred during his investigation.

That was the crux of the issue.

Sensing Li Jing’s compliance instead of further complication, Zhou Miaomiao pursed her lips and said.

"Procedure-wise, Detective Li, you do have a suspicion of dereliction of duty, which can be interpreted severely or lightly. First, I need to confirm something. You were taken into custody by the Special Action Team when you emerged from the subspace, and only you emerged. Where did the others go?"

After saying this, she added with a lift of her eyes.

"Don’t try to fool me. There was a seriously damaged high-end sedan at the scene. According to information provided by the Xiyue City Traffic Management Office, it belongs to a sensitive individual from the local business department."

"She’s dead, suicide."

Li Jing replied calmly.

Even though the badge on Zhou Miaomiao’s shoulder represented her rank as a fourth-level detective, which denoted a Fifth Boundary cultivation level.

The Discipline Inspection Office she belonged to was a bit special.

Like the Internal Affairs Department in the Management Bureau, it held high authority.

It had access to many secrets.

Even though Zhou Miaomiao did not explicitly point out the real identity of Lian Ningxin.

But implying that the latter was a sensitive figure indicated that she was aware of her true identity.

Since the person was already dead, there was no need to hide.

On the other side.

Zhou Miaomiao was not surprised to hear that Lian Ningxin had died.

With only Li Jing emerging from the subspace, she had deduced a lot and was merely going through the motions by asking.

After jotting a few notes down on the paper in front of her, Zhou Miaomiao lifted her head again.

"Detective Li, do you have any way to prove that the victims committed suicide and were not killed by you?"

"No."

Li Jing shook his head.

...