I Am Your Natural Enemy

Wen Yan thought for a moment, then made a phone call to Feng Yao.

When Feng Yao answered the phone, he said, "The people on the list are already being apprehended; we've basically locked down their locations. There's just one who seems to have caught wind of something and has already fled Nanwu County. Our colleagues there have apprehended him, and he will be escorted back tomorrow."

After some thought, Wen Yan took a wild guess, cropped a picture from the list, and sent it to Feng Yao.

"Did you see the screenshot I sent? Is it the person I've circled?"

"Hey, how did you know?"

"Just take a look at his transaction history. The largest one—this fellow was cautious and used cash. Unfortunately, while his transactions lack detailed records, the recipient account must have clear records of the fund's source. He probably doesn't even know about these things."

Feng Yao didn't speak. After looking at the records, his voice became somewhat strange.

"Are you implying it's related to the one in the river?"

"That I don't know. But I'm guessing he ran off so quickly—others hadn't even received the news, yet he caught wind of it. Where did he hear it from? Probably from a Ghost."

"The one in the river wouldn't stoop so low as to rely on people engaging in illegal enterprises to donate money for building him a temple, would he?"

"That's unlikely. I think this person probably knows something and was planning to spend some money to buy a title. Besides, after looking at that account's transaction inflows, it's likely he donated a large sum out of a desire to compete with others. After we catch him, investigate thoroughly to see where he got his information. However, make a note of this for now. It will give our colleagues a reason to reject applications later. Suspected money laundering—a perfect, ready-made excuse."

"Oh, and there's one more thing I want to ask you."

"Go ahead."

"Ghosts don't have any protective measures, right?"

"That's true, they don't. But it's also forbidden to arbitrarily kill innocent Ghosts. If they've harmed people, they're generally executed on the spot."

"Alright. If we catch any Ghosts who are confirmed to be problematic, send them to Lord Zhu. Since Lord Zhu personally handles their interrogation and capture, we should show some deference and reciprocate the gesture."

"That's not a problem."

"Are Demons involved in this matter?"

"We haven't found any yet."

"Alright, let's leave it at that."

Wen Yan didn't interfere further; whether it was arresting or interrogating people, it wasn't his responsibility.

He went to the basement, tidied it up, and also properly stored the few items he had gotten from Zhang Laoxi.

These few items were equivalent to a stable key that could open a portal to Fuyu Mountain.

He took out a box and placed them inside. In the future, there might be more of these special keys, so for convenience, he wrote the name of each item on it.

After tidying everything, Wen Yan continued to check the Shelves. The portal that had been continuously open to the Nether Soul Realm had, up to now, shown no other reaction. It seemed he wouldn't be catching any fish.

He turned to look at the Flying Sword, which was still hovering around the basement, feeling somewhat disappointed at not being able to witness its prowess in combat.

Moreover, his Third Great-uncle Master had already been out for a day. To prevent any accidents, it was time to send him back.

The Third Great-uncle Master was, after all, considered the current mountain guardian of Fuyu Mountain and couldn't leave casually. Being out for a day this time was already an exception.

It was precisely because the Third Great-uncle Master himself cultivated Flying Swords and was particularly patient—having to stay on the mountain for twenty to thirty years in the early stages to nurture his sword—that he was perfectly suited for this position.

Anyone else would have become restless long ago.

Wen Yan took down the Wooden Sword that was placed on the Shelves, and the portal vanished. When he put it back up, the portal that appeared this time showed a hospital ward. On the bed, Zhang Laoxi had become gaunt and was still on an IV drip.

This was a serious illness indeed.

But the Third Great-uncle Master said that Zhang Laoxi had forcibly performed Yin Spirit Leaving the Body for seven days. In the end, he didn't die but survived and also stopped his soul from wandering. This could be considered a blessing in disguise, as his future cultivation of the Yin Spirit would be much easier than that of ordinary Taoists.

Watching the sleeping Zhang Laoxi, Wen Yan passed through the portal, gave him a bit more Yang Energy, then returned and closed the portal.

Next, he opened the portal leading to Fuyu Mountain and sent the Third Great-uncle Master back.

Before leaving, the Third Great-uncle Master looked at Wen Yan with a somewhat amused expression and couldn't resist offering a word of advice.

"Stop looking. You're not cut out for Flying Swords. You couldn't bear doing it day in and day out for decades."

"It's nice to just get a glimpse every now and then."

Shaking his head, the Third Great-uncle Master returned to Fuyu Mountain. His expression suddenly turned solemn. He formed a Seal Technique with his hands, his fingers together like a sword, and pointed towards the distance.

In the next moment, the slowly hovering Flying Sword suddenly vanished. Then, a sharp sword cry emerged in the distance, a white streak appeared in the sky, and the faint sound of wind and thunder rolled in.

Wen Yan's eyes widened. Good heavens, that speed! It definitely broke the sound barrier in under half a second!

Outside the portal, he performed a bow, feeling completely satisfied.

"Thank you, Third Great-uncle Master."

After closing the portal, Wen Yan finally understood why, although Flying Swords were so troublesome, many still pursued this path.

With the speed just now, by a conservative estimate, it could travel a hundred kilometers in no more than five minutes.

He wondered how long the Flying Sword could maintain such high speed and how it could be controlled if it moved beyond his line of sight. Indeed, he had many questions.

「In a tributary of the West River in Luoyue County.」

A Ghost fell into the water and was led by a Water Ghost all the way to the bottom of the river, into a building submerged in the riverbed.

Most of this structure was buried in mud and sand, which a group of underwater Demons was clearing away.

It was vaguely discernible that this structure had once been a temple. The plaque was gone, but inside, some stone-carved characters remained.

Guilong Temple.

The Ghost didn't enter the temple but bowed respectfully outside.

"My master sent me to greet the Dragon God and to ask if he has any interest in becoming the Dragon God of another river."

An Old Turtle swam out.

"Which river?"

"A new river, one that has never had a Water God," the Ghost said, somewhat proudly.

The Old Turtle was rather surprised. Are there still new rivers without a Water God these days?

"Who is your master?"

"If the Dragon God agrees, he will naturally find out."

But in the next moment, the surrounding water surged, forming a dragon's claw that seized the Ghost and crushed it to oblivion with a single grasp.

"What insolent creature dares to come here playing tricks? And you think you're worthy to speak to me like that?"

The Old Turtle was startled and quickly lowered its head.

A voice came from inside the Guilong Temple.

"In the future, any such riffraff who try to use us while hiding their true intentions should be killed directly. Don't bring them before me to pollute my sight."