Chapter 238 - 121: Who Are You?
Yang Fan’s eyes slowly cleared.
"Where am I? Zhao Rui? Why are you here? Who is she?"
"We’ll talk later!"
Zhao Rui cut off Yang Fan’s chatter and walked toward the woman.
Yang Fan raised an eyebrow, his gaze drifting lecherously over the woman’s exposed skin. He chuckled. "Brother Rui, she’s not bad. You’re not getting any ideas, are you?"
"You just slept with her!"
Zhao Rui said flatly.
"Holy shit!"
Stunned, Yang Fan glanced down at his own... exposed and chilly parts. His face instantly flushed red. He covered his crotch with both hands, scrambled to the bed, and wrapped himself in a blanket.
"What the hell is going on?"
Yang Fan’s mind was a complete mess.
"That’s a question for her!"
Zhao Rui stared at the woman, a glint flashing in his eyes as he instantly activated the Charm Immortal Technique.
"AARGH!"
The woman suddenly shrieked in pain. Her mouth twisted, her eyes rolled back, and she passed out cold.
Zhao Rui withdrew his gaze, his expression grim. "What a powerful Secret Technique," he said in a low voice.
"What happened?"
Zheng Huai Peak asked curiously.
"Someone placed a Divine Soul Secret Technique on her. The moment she’s targeted by an Enchanting Skill, it triggers. In the best-case scenario, her consciousness scatters. In the worst, she dies on the spot."
Zhao Rui shook his head. "It seems the person behind this is no simple character."
"I’ll take her back first, then."
"Mm."
Zhao Rui nodded and tapped several points on the woman’s body with his Mirage Finger technique.
Then he said to Yang Fan, "You, come over here and get her dressed."
"Me? You got it!"
Upon hearing this, Yang Fan scrambled over. With a lecherous look on his face, he started dressing the woman, his hands "accidentally" groping her countless times.
"Uh, can you two step outside for a second?"
"..."
Zhao Rui, who had already turned his back, snapped angrily, "Just get it done. You’re going to get yourself killed over a woman one of these days, you bastard."
Yang Fan gave an embarrassed laugh, quickly reined in his thoughts, and finished dressing the woman.
Once that was done, Zheng Huai Peak took the woman to his car and escorted her back to the Provincial Patrol Bureau.
Zhao Rui, meanwhile, took Yang Fan back to his apartment.
「Half an hour later.」
Tian Lili, having received a call from Yang Fan, tiptoed into Zhao Rui’s rental apartment, looking nervous and embarrassed.
"B-Brother Zhao, I’m so sorry!"
Zhao Rui gave a cool nod but said nothing more.
He didn’t have a very good impression of Tian Lili.
Yang Fan, however, had shed his usual timid demeanor. He glared at Tian Lili and snapped, "If it wasn’t for Zhao Rui, I’d be dead by now. And you’re still out there causing trouble. How can you be so stupid!"
"I’m sorry, Yang Fan, I was wrong!"
"Fine. Since you did contribute a little, I’ll forgive you,"
Yang Fan said, raising an eyebrow and tilting his head back slightly.
"Now that you two have made up, go find somewhere else to stay. I have things to do, so I won’t be keeping you."
Zhao Rui said irritably.
He’d thought Yang Fan would take this opportunity to break up with Tian Lili.
But he never expected the guy to choose to make up with her.
’To each their own.’
’Maybe it’s true love.’
Yang Fan’s personality was too erratic, and he had terrible judgment when it came to women.
It wasn’t as if he hadn’t tried to warn him about these things before.
But ultimately, it was Yang Fan’s own path to walk.
"Wait, Brother Rui..."
Yang Fan started to say something, but when he saw Zhao Rui’s dark expression, he pursed his lips and pulled Tian Lili out of the apartment.
After the two had gone, Zhao Rui packed a few things and rushed to the Wall-Facing Chamber in Mingcan Courtyard.
This was where he actually spent most of his time now.
’Soul Shackles! The Profound Gate Locking Skill from the Demon Secret Techniques! Could the person behind this be on the same level as the Old Demon?’
Zhao Rui wracked his brain, trying to devise a way to access her memories without triggering the shackles.
He thought about it for two whole days.
On the evening of the third day, under a sky full of stars and a bright moon, Zhao Rui finally rose to his feet and exhaled a long, turbid breath.
’I’ll give it a try, at least.’
After a long time, Zhao Rui finally managed to derive a new method from his Charm Immortal Technique, one that wouldn’t directly touch the Divine Soul’s memories.
The method was similar to Puppetry; it could briefly deceive the Soul Shackles and allow him to glean a few fragments of information.
「An hour later.」
Zheng Huai Peak brought Zhao Rui to the detention center, where they retrieved the woman.
The woman looked completely haggard now, with none of her former enchanting allure.
The Mirage Finger wasn’t merely an Acupoint Technique. It was capable of Locking Essence, which meant it would gradually activate on its own to seal the target’s Inner Strength True Qi.
This would eventually leave the target completely powerless.
If it hadn’t been for this property, Zhao Rui wouldn’t have been able to replicate the Finger Technique so quickly.
"Where is your meeting point? Who performed the Transmission on you?"
"Black Dragon Mountain... Wenggu Cave! The Div— AARGH, I don’t know!"
The woman shrieked in pain, clutching her head as she stumbled around.
Zhao Rui quickly chopped the back of her neck, knocking her unconscious. He shook his head. "Knowing the location is enough."
"Be careful. I’ve already reported this to the Patrol Bureau and the Martial Arts Association..."
Zhao Rui nodded. "I’m making a trip to Emei Mountain. Call me if you need anything."
"Why are you going to Emei Mountain?"
"To find some old broad."
"..."
Majestic Mount Emei stood tall in the land of Shu, its sheer cliffs soaring ten thousand fathoms, scraping the heavens and cleaving the earth.
Its seventy-two peaks were like the green edges of swords pointing to the firmament. When the sea of clouds billowed, it resembled a great turtle floating on the ocean.
The Golden Summit hung suspended above the empyrean, looking down upon the snowy Gongga mountain range as if they were subjects prostrating in deference.
Below the Cliff of Self-Immolation, mist churned and roiled, and within the deep ravines, a white dragon seemed to faintly appear and disappear.
「One day later.」
Gazing at the magnificent and imposing mountain range, Zhao Rui couldn’t help but click his tongue in admiration.
’When will I be capable enough to snag a mountaintop like this, build a mansion, and play the part of a lofty master?’
’With such beautiful mountains and clear waters, it would definitely be better than that little hill at Mingcan Courtyard.’
Since he was coming alone this time, Zhao Rui didn’t inform anyone from the Emei Sect. He simply followed the tourist route straight up to Golden Summit Mountain.
The Emei Sword Sect was located on the mountainside across from Golden Summit Mountain.
To be honest, he hadn’t wanted to come. That old nun always had a sour look on her face, as if the whole world owed her something.
But aside from knowing her location, Zhao Rui didn’t know anyone else there.
Most importantly, the old nun had experience dealing with this kind of threat.
When he reached the summit, Zhao Rui glanced at the opposing peak. It was wreathed in mist, with rays of rosy light occasionally breaking through, making it look like a celestial paradise.
Zhao Rui estimated the distance, then scanned the nearby peaks. Choosing the point with the shortest gap, he leaped into the air and soared toward the Emei Sword Sect.
He clutched a handful of branches, tossing one down every so often to push off of and remain airborne.
After a great deal of effort, he finally landed safely on the mountainside where the Emei Sword Sect was situated.
’Forget comparing myself to the Old Demon, I’m not even in the same league as that one Sect Leader from the Demon Sect.’
Zhao Rui shook his head, clearly dissatisfied with his performance.
"Who are you?"
Just as Zhao Rui was brushing the dampness from his clothes and preparing to walk toward the Sword Sect, a crisp voice rang out from a nearby peak.
Zhao Rui followed the sound and saw a young girl dressed in ancient-style clothing sitting primly on a cliff not far away.
The girl held a longsword in one hand and a pair of binoculars in the other, and was glaring at him with an unfriendly gaze.