Volume 2, Chapter 45 – Resolution

Watching Cerredo stand up, the security personnel nearby immediately closed in, forming a triangular formation. Someone even put a hand to his waist, eyes fixed on the guitar case on Bai Xiang’s back.

“It’s fine.” Cerredo waved them off. “Just send one person with us. I’ll go up to the ninth floor with her.”

One of their own?

The security guys were all burly white or brown-skinned men. Hearing that, they relaxed a little, though their curiosity about Bai Xiang’s identity only grew.

The white ponytail at the back of her head didn’t raise much alarm in them. They were all from abroad, used to dyed hair— something like that barely registered, and none of them thought too hard about that possibility.

After all, even if common folk in Great Yu were conservative and didn’t encourage hair dyeing, it wasn’t like the number was actually zero.

That was the beauty of a surprise operation.

Bai Xiang’s lips curled under the mask.

Judging from Cerredo’s reaction, the afternoon’s results had only just reached him. But this arrogant white man— if he could toss a Great Yu classic like the Subduing-Tiger Arhat Sutra around so casually, it was clear he didn’t care much about his own reputation.

Which directly meant he had no idea who she was.

If she came back after tonight, things might look very different.

Cerredo led the way, Bai Xiang followed, and the selected guard walked a step behind and off to the side, close enough to be between the two of them without blocking her path.

Minghui Tower was a multi-use complex— mall on the bottom, hotel in the middle, offices on top. From the eighth floor up, you needed a special elevator card to use the express lifts.

Because of that, going straight to the ninth floor on her own wasn’t really an option.

There were cameras in the fire stairs.

Any forced entry would just startle the snake in the grass.

With Cerredo leading, it was different. When they reached the ninth floor, Bai Xiang immediately saw two Great Yu men in black suits guarding the entrance to the lobby— and the moment those two saw her, their expressions clearly shifted.

Did they notice my hair?

“Mr. Cerredo.” The one on the left stepped up right away. “May I ask, this is…?”

“She’s someone sent over from our company.” Cerredo sounded displeased; he hadn’t expected to be questioned for bringing one person in.

He’d been treating Bai Xiang as an executive sent by Reef Co., while he himself was the general agent for their business in Great Yu.

Being “hassled” by a partner company like this only made his own business ability look lacking.

Is that so?

The two Nanmu security guards were a bit lost. They’d just been dragged into a meeting, where the security captain had gone over the facial and body features of a few key people— one of whom was Bai Xiang.

This masked girl really did look a lot like her… White hair could be dyed, fine. But those amber-gold eyes— were those contacts?

The two exchanged a quick look and both thought of Cerredo’s infamous romantic reputation.

Find someone with a similar build to impersonate her… so that trick exists too?

They had “understood,” but Bai Xiang had no intention of letting them off.

She hadn’t come here today to go through the motions. Once things kicked off inside, the noise on this floor would be huge; she didn’t want the two at the door slipping away or tipping anyone off.

“Can I teach them a lesson?” she asked Cerredo.

Both guards and Cerredo froze.

That level of arrogance… Cerredo was now completely convinced she really was from the company. He smiled and nodded. “Of course.”

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Getting stopped like this made it look like he lacked standing with the partner company. But if he could smooth over the aftermath of something at this level, it would prove his business skills weren’t lacking at all.

“You two—” The guards glared and reflexively reached for their waists— only for Bai Xiang to step in, driving an elbow up into one man’s stomach.

At best, their cultivation was just past the seventh segment of Nurture the Spirit. Even if they had Entered the Dao and their eyes, hands, and bodies were greatly enhanced, there was no way they could keep up with Bai Xiang’s movements.

Bang!

Before the other could draw his stun baton, she drove a knee up into him. Both men were knocked out by the pain and collapsed like piles of mud.

“Nice.”

Cerredo clapped in delight. “Once your commission is settled, can I hire you as my bodyguard?”

He still thought I was someone Reef had sent, and yet he dared to speak to me in that flippant tone.

Bai Xiang gave him a look.

This Cerredo’s background clearly wasn’t simple.

Same for the guard beside him— the man’s gait and movements were unnaturally stiff; odds were good all four limbs had been replaced with prosthetics.

Ignoring him, Bai Xiang walked down the corridor with the guitar case on her back, and soon ran into another group of black-clad security rushing over.

Their faces were full of conflicting emotions. At first they glared at Bai Xiang, then they turned puzzled looks on Cerredo, unable to make sense of what was going on.

Bai Xiang didn’t change her pace, walking straight toward the cluster of men.

Her movements were unhurried, her steps relaxed— like she was just strolling down a street. That alone put enormous pressure on anyone facing her.

Someone broke under the pressure and charged, swinging a fist at her.

Bai Xiang didn’t move her feet. She raised a hand to catch his punch, then used his own forward momentum to fling him away, smashing him through the glass wall along the side of the corridor.

Crash—!

Was that a bit too loud?

Cerredo’s eyes bulged. He finally felt something was wrong.

But it was too late. Along with several muffled grunts and the sound of shattering glass, the whole group of black-clad men fell at Bai Xiang’s feet. She set down the guitar case, unzipped it, and drew her life-bound sword from its scabbard.

“You’re from Great Yu?”

Cerredo realized how bad this was and turned to run. His bodyguard stepped up to stop Bai Xiang from giving chase.

She drew Feixiang Heaven across his throat, body sliding past him at an angle. By the time she walked toward Cerredo, the corpse hit the ground behind her with a sound like metal cans crashing together.

Cerredo’s face was chalk white. He pressed himself against the wall, one hand frantically jabbing the elevator button. When he saw Bai Xiang emerge, he trembled all over.

“Y-you can’t kill me…” he stammered.

“My father is Viscount Cerredo of the Sami Federation—”

His voice ended as abruptly as the flash of sword light.

He blinked in shock, then pressed both hands to his neck and looked down to see them full of blood.

“Heh…” He tried to lift his eyes and say something more to Bai Xiang, but only a faint sound came from his crushed windpipe.

Cerredo collapsed.

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Bai Xiang turned again and saw yet another batch of armed security pouring in from the far end of the corridor.

Without anyone above Condensing the Aspect among them, taking care of these people barely took any effort. In no time at all she had forced her way into the inner office area, where she saw an extremely provocatively dressed woman cowering under a desk, shivering.

“Who’s in charge at Nanmu Consulting?” Guessing she was some kind of secretary, Bai Xiang asked her.

Just then, more footsteps sounded. Bai Xiang turned and locked eyes with three black-clad men coming around the corner, all frowning.

One of them was the sleazy-faced man who had escaped from the construction site that afternoon— his expression changed the moment he saw her.

Maybe because he now had two companions and Bai Xiang was alone, he didn’t back down. Instead, his lips moved in a low whisper as he said something to the other two.

The man on the left was short and stocky, with yellowish-black skin and temples bulging high on both sides. As he walked toward Bai Xiang, the smile on his face turned slowly twisted.

The one on the right was tall and lean, a longsword on his back. His gaze was very serious as he moved into position, blocking the other side with the sleazy man so the two of them sealed off her retreat.

All three advanced together, six eyes locked on every tiny movement of Bai Xiang’s body.

Suddenly, Bai Xiang let go of the guitar strap with her left hand.

“Ha!”

The stocky man lunged at once. When his foot landed, it cracked the floor tiles, and he drove a punch straight at her.

He was wearing gloves.

Metal gloves with a silver sheen. When he clenched his fingers, inch-long spikes extended from the joints— even a graze would strip the flesh right off.

Clang!

The tall man drew his sword in the same instant, a clear sword-light slicing in from the side toward Bai Xiang’s chest and abdomen, aiming vaguely for the gap on her left.

Add the sleazy man’s sword to the mix, and the three of them sealed off every path of retreat, forcing her into a direct clash.

Three-on-one?

Are these guys confused about who’s surrounding who…

Facing the encirclement, Bai Xiang didn’t adopt any kind of defensive stance. Instead, she drew her feet together, standing straight, and raised Feixiang Heaven upright before her like a ritual offering.

Seeing her pull that strange move, the tall man finally seemed to remember something. He opened his mouth in a hurry, trying to speak.

But it was too late.

Zheng—~~~!!!

She used Only Regret Summer Is Short again, but this time, the ringing blast of her vibrating sword was no longer like the clear chirping of cicadas. It sounded more like metal scraping against metal.

Sharper.

And wilder.

In an instant, a tidal wave of sound fused with blood-red qi-sha, exploding outward in a near 360-degree blast with no blind spots.

The stocky man took the brunt of it. Even mid-punch, his face twisted into a teeth-aching grimace. His footwork was forced to slow as he crossed his arms in front of himself.

The tall man clenched his jaw as qi-sha blasted him off his feet. As he flew backward he kept swinging his sword— steel ringing again and again— but his shoulder, side, and thigh still burst into blood under the slicing qi-sha.

The one who came out best was actually the sleazy man— he had been furthest back to begin with, and when the wave hit he simply ducked behind the stocky man, using him as a shield. Now he slipped out from behind, and white light shot from his scepter, stabbing toward Bai Xiang from over three meters away.

Bai Xiang drew her sword-qi tight to the blade, letting the white light coil around the edge.

The sleazy man’s face lit up at first. He yanked his weapon back— only to hear a harsh clang as his Double-Serpent Sword shattered into several pieces mid-motion.

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“Kill her!”

He finally grasped how troublesome a “lone” Bai Xiang really was. The stocky man roared the order and charged her again.

Bang bang!

Bai Xiang was just about to meet him when a prickling sensation shot through the back of her head. She darted sharply to the side, and then the continuous rattle of gunfire rang out.

Well then, no need to hold back anymore.

Her eyes went cold. She suddenly swung a sword at the source of the shots. In midair, her qi-sha gathered into a half-moon shadow, flashing through to slice carpet and floor tiles alike, cutting through seven or eight cubicles and the employees hiding behind them.

Clang!

Spinning with the momentum, she slanted her blade to meet the stocky man’s metal glove. Bai Xiang snapped her wrist, and the blade began to vibrate at high frequency.

Shhk!

At first, the glove managed to block the edge, but once the vibration started, it couldn’t withstand it. The blade bit in through the gaps between the fingers, slicing from the center of his palm all the way up to his elbow.

“—!”

The stocky man’s face changed drastically. He didn’t scream; instead he gritted his teeth and spread his arms wide, trying to wrap her up in a bear hug.

Another rush of air came from behind. Out of the corner of her eye, Bai Xiang saw the sleazy man darting in from the side. She focused on driving the Wrist-Vibration to its limit. Feixiang Heaven cut through the resistance of the stocky man’s joints, then swept from his arm across his shoulder.

Slash!

Scalding blood sprayed through the air. In the same motion, she rolled qi-sha into her left hand and snatched at the tall man’s striking longsword, catching it mid-swing.

“You…?”

Zheng!

She squeezed, sword-qi wrapping her palm like razors and shredding the blade. Then the qi-sha exploded forward like a pressure wave, carrying countless metal fragments with it and punching the tall man’s entire face into a bloody sieve.

Thup-thup!

A dirty-white mass sprayed out behind his skull. His body twitched and toppled bonelessly backward.

It all happened too fast— so fast that when the sleazy man’s forward rush finally carried him to her, he was stunned to realize he was the only one left.

At this distance, it was too late to run. He made a snap decision, dropped the scepter, flung both arms wide to the sides, body forming a neat, square “trident” shape, and yelled, “I surrender!”

But the sword didn’t stop.

It came straight down into his skull, slicing his shocked expression neatly in two.

Plop!

As the corpse hit the floor, Bai Xiang flicked the blood from her sword and lowered her head slightly, standing alone in the middle of the scene.

All around, the carpet and tiles were either shattered or cleanly sliced apart. Blood and body parts formed a ring, and only the small patch of floor beneath her feet remained untouched.

The sight completely shattered any thought of resistance in the onlookers.

The office staff crawled out one by one from their hiding spots.

Without Bai Xiang saying a word, they obediently lay down on the floor with their hands over their heads.

……

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Ten minutes later, Minghui Tower was surrounded on all sides by police cars and armored vehicles.

Because this involved forbidden Demon Pool experiments, even Huang Qian had rushed over this time. When he arrived on scene, he found Tao Shuohua and Bai Xiang standing beside a fire equipment cabinet. Tao was in a ridiculous pink nightgown, and was laying into Bai Xiang at full blast.

“Honestly, you! Something this big and you didn’t report it in the group?”

Bai Xiang nodded. “I suspected there was a mole.”

“And you didn’t come to me in private either? Am I the mole?”

Bai Xiang frowned. “I don’t know if the mole lives with you.”

Tao Shuohua nearly exploded. She had never seen such a bullheaded rookie in her life.

What is happening?

Huang Qian was completely lost. He was just about to ask when he saw Zhang Daoming and Cao Chuan coming around the corner of the corridor, each holding a thick stack of document files.

“It’s been confirmed.” Zhang Daoming looked at Huang Qian. “Nanmu Consulting Security Co. colluded with the Sami Federation’s Reef Co. to raise Demon Pools, spread Demon Pools, and conduct illegal, forbidden Demon Pool experiments.”

“These are the evidence files their secretary hid away.”

“What about Xie Hui?” Huang Qian asked.

Xie Hui— chairman and president of Nanmu Consulting.

“The crime of Demon Pool experimentation is too great. Hiding evidence wouldn’t be nearly enough to spare him the death penalty. He swallowed a bullet already.” Zhang Daoming shook his head. “So yes, it was the secretary who stashed these. She really can keep her life.”

If they were only talking about the Demon Pool evidence, the fact that the ‘offender’ who attacked the construction site that afternoon had shown up here already made the case ironclad.

What these materials decided was whether they could drag out even more people, and whether they could locate the large-scale lab used to raise Demon Pools.

As for Cerredo’s death, none of them cared.

Great Yu had been the hegemon too long to bother putting on a friendly face for foreign barbarians. Now that it was confirmed Reef Co. had been deeply involved in the case, Cerredo’s death wasn’t enough to offset the crimes he’d helped commit. Zhang Daoming was even planning to report it upward, asking the Bureau of Protocol and Guests to file a formal censure— at the very least, the Sami Federation would have to give an explanation.

“Anyway, let’s leave it at that…”

Looking at Bai Xiang— expression calm, no idea whether she was faking innocence or just genuinely dense— Tao Shuohua found she’d completely run out of anger.

First day on the job for a rookie, and she’d dropped a super-sized bomb on her.

If she scolded the girl, well, this was a major contribution.

If she didn’t, this kind of behavior was absolutely not something they could encourage.

On top of that, the case would need the Demon Suppression Office to step in on behalf of the State Chancery going forward. Tao Shuohua decided to send Bai Xiang home to rest first; they’d notify her later about any developments.

“Report!”

A Chilong Army soldier came jogging over.

“All the surveillance has been destroyed!”

Everyone froze. “And the tapes?”

“All destroyed!”

In unison, Huang Qian, Zhang Daoming, and Tao Shuohua turned to look at Bai Xiang.

But Bai Xiang was staring at the fire cabinet, studying the sign-in sheet posted on it.