Volume 2, Chapter 91 – Contact (Two-in-One)

Zhang Daoming hadn’t slept well last night.

The thunder had been too loud, booming and constant, and worst of all completely irregular. It scared his little daughter so much she’d run to his bed wanting to sleep with him—this time she didn’t even mind the cigarette stench on him.

In a while he still had to assign more people to the northern district to search for someone… Ah, how come the moment she comes back, there’s a pile of trouble.

He got up in the morning feeling a bit listless. Zhang Daoming brewed himself a strong cup of tea—and suddenly heard his phone ring.

First it was text messages. His superior, Lu Xueling, had suddenly sent three messages in a row, each one phrased differently but all asking if he wanted to go travel in Jiangnan when he had some free time.

“Jiangnan” here didn’t mean southern barbarian backwaters like Ze and Qi, but Xuzhou and Luezhou—lands of clear waters and green hills with a pleasant climate, indeed very suitable places for rest and recuperation.

But why would he bring up something like that with me out of nowhere?

On alert, Zhang Daoming backed out to check and found that besides Lu Xueling, quite a few other people he knew had also texted him.

Some, like Lu Xueling, asked whether he wanted to “go away for a bit” during this time. Others were rambling in incoherent panic, asking him in a rush about “the situation inside the Circuit.”

What the hell is all this?

Was Lu Xueling trying to get him to leave Chilong Circuit?

Had he decided Chilong Circuit was about to get turbulent?

As soon as that thought surfaced, something in Zhang Daoming shifted.

He worked his phone again, scrolling through the morning news, and sure enough saw a bulletin—the whole of Chilong Circuit had, in the small hours yesterday, suffered a temporary loss of signal and network due to extreme weather. The relevant agencies, under the supervision of the Roads Directorate, had already completed emergency repairs. What followed was boilerplate, officialese apologies for the incident, telling the many citizens not to worry about it and so on.

The signal and the net were cut last night too?

Zhang Daoming stared, eyes wide.

Now he knew why all those texts had come in a bunch… A bad premonition hit him at once—something big had definitely gone down in Chilong Circuit last night!

And it was something bad for the Inspectorate in particular! Otherwise, why would Lu Xueling and the others be so eager to urge him to run?

In fact, he didn’t even need to speculate. The network signal had only just come back when someone from the Inspectorate called, informing Zhang Daoming of two very bad pieces of news.

“Shenming Dojo and Qingya Dojo?” Zhang Daoming held the phone, his face full of disbelief. “They were both attacked last night?”

Forty minutes later, he appeared at the foot of Qingya Mountain, heading up with a cluster of inspectors around him—and had been especially careful not to wear his uniform.

This matter was too big; he really didn’t dare show up in uniform. He didn’t want citizens seeing it and starting to guess that something had happened on Qingya Mountain. For now, he still wanted the news contained.

“Boss.” His trusted subordinate, Han Li, had already been waiting at the scene. Seeing him arrive, Han Li let out a visible breath of relief and led his assistants over to meet him.

“We’ve basically got the situation more or less figured out.”

“The incident site is the villa district on the back mountain. Including key figures like Zhao Xinlian and the household servants, a total of eighty-two people—none of them made it.”

“Who did it?” Zhang Daoming asked on reflex, then realized that wasn’t the main point and hurriedly pressed, “What about Zhou Jing’an?”

Zhou Jing’an’s relationship with the Inspectorate wasn’t exactly good, but it wasn’t bad either.

The old man had his boundaries. He didn’t want the Inspectorate’s hand meddling too much in the Zhou family’s businesses, but he wouldn’t resort to brute-force resistance either. Instead, he’d grease the wheels with money and use his own name and prestige to lend the Inspectorate his endorsement; the two sides had even cooperated over the years.

For example, the previous “Trade Tower crash case” had ultimately required inviting this True Person to take action before the malicious Demon Pool behind it could be completely destroyed.

“He probably isn’t back yet,” Han Li guessed. “He took Zhou Ji earlier to attend the grand ceremony at Qizhou University, so he should be on the road right now.”

None of the people on-site objected; they truly hadn’t found a corpse belonging to Zhou Ji—he’d been dragged out into the rain by Bai Xiang and deliberately chopped into bloody sludge.

A whole night of rain had long since washed those remains off to who-knew-where. Confirming his identity would require extracting tissue and doing a genetic test, which would massively delay the Inspectorate’s investigation process—something Bai Xiang had quite intentionally set up as interference for Zhang Daoming.

She did trust Zhang Daoming more than most, but she was unwilling to rule out the possibility that he’d been killed and the Inspectorate had fallen into enemy hands.

So muddying the information was necessary.

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She needed to buy herself time to rest.

Which made this whole thing a serious headache…

Zhang Daoming’s head started to ache again.

This was too big. Counting servants, the Zhou household had lost over eighty lives in a single night. It also implicated the Jiangnan noble clan, the Nanxiang Zhao clan—Zhao Xinlian’s natal family. Her marriage to Zhou Jing’an had definitely not been a matter of “marrying down.”

And now, never mind the Zhao clan of Nanxiang coming to demand answers—he might not even be able to withstand the fury of Zhou Jing’an himself, a Core realm True Person. Once that man came back and learned of this, he was certain to turn the world upside down. The Inspectorate’s headquarters building might well get torn down by his own hands.

How had things gotten to this point?

Who would dare to do something like this?

Who would dare offend a Core realm True Person for no reason?

As if thinking of something, Zhang Daoming asked again, “Then what’s the situation on Nanping Branch Road?”

He was trying to analyze the two attacks together to see if he could find any leads.

“Over at Shenming Dojo…” Han Li’s expression was a little odd. “There are signs out front that Core realm experts fought there. They found two swords: one looks like it was struck by lightning, with the hilt and guard all shattered; the other was cut straight through the middle into two pieces. We haven’t yet confirmed which famous swords they are.”

Core realm experts crossing swords!?

“What about casualties?” Zhang Daoming was already feeling numb.

“Along with the two swords, they also found a mutilated corpse with an unrecognizable face. In the drainage ditch next to the flagstones there was a pileup of blood and mud—probably belonging to another body. They’re in the process of confirming the identities…”

“I’m asking about the Bai family!” Zhang Daoming growled.

Angering Zhou Jing’an and the Nanxiang Zhao clan was already bad enough.

If something happened to the Bai family on top of that, they’d also be offending Yuming Sword Dao.

He didn’t even dare picture the scene of all sides coming over to demand accountability… Maybe if he lost only his official hat and not his head along with it, that would already count as a decent outcome?

“The Bai family!” Han Li shivered in fright. “As for the Bai family… aside from Bai Xiang and her younger sister Bai Zhuqing going missing, there were no casualties!”

Wasn’t that actually the worst possible news!?

Zhang Daoming almost collapsed on the spot.

He didn’t even dare imagine what would happen if the blood and sludge from the drainage ditch tested out as Bai Xiang’s…

Damn that Lu Xueling! Why didn’t he warn me earlier!

Thoughts in chaos, Zhang Daoming turned his head to look at the steps ahead.

A crowd of people was gathered at the bottom of the steps—all disciples recruited into Qingya Sword Dao. They didn’t count as regular citizens, so it was inevitable they’d know some of the inside story.

These people’s family backgrounds were complicated, too—some were commoners, others were children of the powerful. There was no way this sort of lockdown could be kept up for long, at most until the early hours of the morning… The murders here were definitely going to hit the news.

“Beep-beep-beep—”

His phone suddenly rang.

Zhang Daoming glanced at the caller ID and hurriedly picked up. “Hello? Sir Xu?”

“You know about both cases already, right?” This time, Xu Zhe dropped his usual laid-back tone and got straight to the point.

This was exactly the sort of crispness Zhang Daoming wanted. He nodded hard. “Yes! I’m at Qingya Mountain right now!”

“You can pull your people back,” Xu Zhe said.

Zhang Daoming nodded again—then froze. “Huh?”

“Bai Xiang colluded with the demonfolk of Zhengwo Dao, cultivating demon arts and committing wanton slaughter. After discovering this, Zhou Jing’an gathered people to launch a midnight raid on Shenming Dojo—but both of them were killed by that Bai Xiang.”

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Xu Zhe lobbed another bomb. “What happened on Qingya Mountain was clearly her going to settle scores. The Inspectorate can issue a wanted notice now.”

“Hold on! Sir Xu!”

The news was too shocking. Zhang Daoming walked a few steps away and covered the receiver. “…How is that possible?”

“How is it not possible?” Xu Zhe’s tone actually turned a little odd. “That Bai Xiang’s cultivation speed far exceeds anything normal. If it isn’t demon arts, what else could it be?”

He could put it that way, but—

Zhang Daoming’s expression twisted.

She was a disciple personally taken on by one of the Nine Daos. If she were using demon arts, would Xiang Xian really not know?

“Worried about Yuming Sword Dao?” Xu Zhe chuckled softly.

“Chief Inspector, you don’t need to worry. I’ve already received an urgent report from Yujing. Xiang Xian’s own disciple, Liang Yu, personally stated that her master still harbors resentment over that tragedy from seventeen years ago. Xiang Xian likely colluded with the demonfolk of Zhengwo Dao as well—she must be trying to use demon arts to seek another breakthrough!”

There was… there was something like that!?

Zhang Daoming’s pupils quivered. When it came to information out of Yujing, he really wasn’t as well-connected as Xu Zhe.

“The Inspectorate is an independent body. Even the Roads Directorate can’t interfere with the Chief Inspector’s side,” Xu Zhe continued. “I’ve delivered the news. Whether you issue a wanted notice or not is entirely up to you.”

“I’m at the Southern Army Camp myself, together with Commandant Huang. If you have questions, Chief Inspector, you’re welcome to come find me anytime.”

“I’m coming right now!” Zhang Daoming made up his mind on the spot. “As for the wanted notice… I’ll discuss it in detail after I meet with the Watchman!”

He still kept a bit of caution, not fully believing Xu Zhe’s words.

Elsewhere, at an inn near the northern district, the owner had just received two strange guests.

Their figures and voices were definitely female, but both wore dark black raincoats with their hoods pulled up; from the front you could only see a pale chin.

The owner also noticed the swords on their backs, and, smart man that he was, didn’t ask a single question—he took their money and gave them a room.

“We’re disciples of Shangqing Sword Dao.”

Bai Xiang suddenly said this to the owner.

“This trip has been exhausting. We’re worn out in body and mind and don’t wish to be disturbed by anyone.”

As she spoke, she pulled a few large-denomination bills from her pocket and handed them to him.

Shangqing? From Zezhou?

“You got it!”

Catching the bills, the owner beamed and assured Bai Xiang, “Forget those fools who don’t know better—even if the inspectors come asking, I’ll tell them there’s ‘no one here’!”

Anyone who could run an inn in this neighborhood was no ordinary person; basic discernment was a must.

He couldn’t care less who these two actually were. They were generous with their money and clearly not people to mess with—no way was he wading into those muddy waters.

Turning to head downstairs, the owner immediately went to notify the local thugs who drifted through the area, telling them not to bother this room.

In the room, it wasn’t until the door shut that Bai Zhuqing finally relaxed. Her whole body collapsed onto the floor; she couldn’t even be bothered to twitch a finger.

From last night until now had just been too much. Even with her “one hundred percent trust” in Bai Xiang, with that trust hanging there like a safety line above, now that her nerves were finally easing she still felt the impact had been overwhelming.

“If you feel gross, go take a shower.”

Bai Xiang took off her stab-proof suit and hung it on the rack, then unstrapped her sword and set it on the table.

“I’ll keep watch for you. When you’re done, just go straight to sleep—I’ll sleep after you wake up.”

Of course Bai Zhuqing agreed. Halfway through her shower, though, a wet little head poked out. “Auntie, want to shower together?”

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Bai Xiang was sitting on the edge of the bed fiddling with her phone. Hearing that, she looked over with a rather strange expression.

“I was just thinking it’d save time…” Bai Zhuqing slowly shrank back. “If you don’t want to, Auntie, then forget it…”

After she finished, Bai Xiang took her turn.

Bai Zhuqing had simply been dragged out from home, but Bai Xiang’s exhaustion from travel was very real.

Even with her powerful spirit, a day’s journey wasn’t much, and dealing with two Core realm True Persons had seemed almost effortless, not looking like it had taken much out of her.

But one couldn’t forget she’d spent enormous effort earlier comprehending sword arts.

All of it added together meant a severe drain on her mental strength. She needed a proper period of rest to recover her peak condition.

Unwilling to wear the inn’s bathrobe, Bai Xiang stepped out stark naked after her shower.

She’d been all ready to ask Bai Zhuqing, “What are you staring at?” but when she came out she saw the girl already curled up on the bed, fast asleep.

Looked like she really was exhausted too.

She didn’t sense any prying on the level of spirit, and the qi presence in the surroundings was fairly calm. At ease, Bai Xiang put on her clothes, sat down, and took out two bottles of pills, swallowing them one after the other.

These were Leize Pills and Tiger-Marrow Pills.

Each bottle had originally held twenty-four pills; now only eighteen remained in each.

She’d taken some last night when her sword arts broke through—Leize Pills to help her comprehend the Shangqing Sword Formula, and Tiger-Marrow Pills to further supply the energy needed to cultivate that formula.

Then there was the energy for her qi core—another bottomless pit that ordinary food alone could never hope to satisfy.

Now that my sword skills are formed, I’m no longer lacking in ways to kill.

It’s just this qi core’s progress… I don’t know if it’ll get stuck at the final step the same way my Transforming Qi did.

As she cultivated, Bai Xiang was also summing up her experiences.

After swallowing large amounts of Tiger-Marrow Pills and Jade Spirit Pills, her qi core’s progress had surged last night, further driving the strengthening of her body to the point that she could take a Core realm slash head-on with physical strength alone.

After that, though, the progress dropped off sharply. She didn’t know if there was yet another threshold, let alone how to break through it if there was.

But for now, her combat strength should be enough.

After completely digesting the remnant souls of two Core realm experts, Bai Xiang’s qi presence surged up another notch. When she opened her eyes, it was as if golden light flickered there, and the mental wear and tear had actually been fully replenished—she no longer needed sleep to restore her spirit.

The qi core’s progress had grown noticeably; this time she truly felt something was in the way… as if an invisible barrier had appeared above her head, and no matter how the qi core pressed upward, it just couldn’t break through.

Am I supposed to devour more souls?

Two Core realm experts weren’t enough to feed you? Even if one of them was a tainted remnant soul, this kind of consumption is still…

Her gaze flickered. Bai Xiang pulled out her phone and glanced at the likes of Bai Shengju lying in her blacklist.

She’d already texted Bai Shengju separately, warning him that she might soon be wanted by the Sword Dao world, telling him not to worry and to try his best to bring First Uncle and Second Uncle back to the dojo.

Because in the next few days, Chilong Circuit might plunge into chaos. On its other sides, Shenming Dojo was ringed by sheer rock walls—ordinary people wanting to attack it by force could only come up the long front steps. It barely counted as easy to defend and hard to attack; dealing with rioters shouldn’t be an issue.

In reality, rioters were the best-case scenario.

If Chilong Circuit had truly fallen under enemy control, then neither the Inspectorate nor the Chilong Army could be trusted—and the Chilong Army, with its heavy firepower, was far more terrifying than any mob.

But… if their target was her, they probably wouldn’t shell the dojo outright.

Grandpa and the others would be treated as hostages, and the indirect kind at that—the Chilong Army troops stationed to guard Nanping Branch Road definitely wouldn’t know the truth. If someone really had killed the Commandant and seized control of the army, there was no way they’d dare reveal what had actually happened.

That would be her chance.

Her fate and life or death would basically be decided in the next twelve hours.

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Lost in thought, Bai Xiang’s phone suddenly buzzed.

It was from that female reporter who was always full of big ideals, Wang Lim.

This woman had previously lent her news van to drive Bai Xiang around as she settled scores with various Sword Daos, and that’s how the two had gotten acquainted. For a time, Bai Xiang had even thought of using her connections to inquire about Qingyun Pharmaceuticals.

Later, after joining the Demon-Suppressing Division and gaining access to its intelligence database, she’d let go of that idea. No matter how you looked at it, there was no way a reporter could have more intel than the Demon-Suppressing Division. There was no need to take the long way around.

She glanced at the message: the other woman had gotten wind of something through her channels, warning Bai Xiang that “higher-ups might be about to issue a wanted notice on her” and asking what on earth she’d done.

Bai Xiang didn’t reply, instead checking whether any of the other messages she’d sent earlier had gotten responses.

She’d texted Yu He, Tao Shuohua, and others, but so far it was like stones sunk in the sea. That was basically the worst-case scenario.

What had they run into?

Had it been the same as on her side—had other forces of the State Chancery and the Demon-Suppressing Division also been ambushed and cut off?

Bai Xiang didn’t make any rash moves. She sat quietly on the edge of the bed, adjusting her state, and before she knew it, several hours had passed.

At one point, Bai Zhuqing woke up once to ask if she wanted to sleep, was refused, and then had her ankle grabbed and vibrated until she fainted again, sinking back into peaceful slumber.

Finally, at around four in the afternoon, Bai Xiang got what she’d been waiting for.

【Beep-beep-beep—】

【Heaven-Breaking Sword (Yu He): The plan changed—we were forced to move early. They’re really up to something big!】

【Heaven-Breaking Sword (Yu He): Where are you? I honestly don’t know who I can still trust right now. Nothing happened to Shenming Dojo, did it?】

Bai Xiang replied immediately, first confirming Yu He’s identity.

【Baizhixing (Bai Xiang): Tell me where we first met.】

【Heaven-Breaking Sword (Yu He): …Across from No. 1 High.】

【Baizhixing (Bai Xiang): What’s your situation over there?】

【Heaven-Breaking Sword (Yu He): Last night Qingyun Pharmaceuticals tried to move a batch of goods out of the factory overnight. We realized the news might have leaked and they were using it to dodge the inspection. I tried to contact Tao Shuohua but got no response from her, so I just took people and charged straight in! We found that inside Qingyun Pharmaceuticals’ plant—their lab has been conducting human experiments all along!!! And it very likely involves a Demon Pool!!!】

Yu He had used multiple exclamation marks; it wasn’t hard to imagine how furious he was.

【Baizhixing (Bai Xiang): So it failed?】

【Heaven-Breaking Sword (Yu He): It failed… They were definitely prepared in advance. We didn’t manage to get much evidence out, and the losses were huge… Right now I’m the only one still able to move.】

【Heaven-Breaking Sword (Yu He): Oh, right—your gear’s been stashed at this location. [map coordinates]】

【Heaven-Breaking Sword (Yu He): Your Aunt Tao specially prepared it for you… Anyway, it’ll definitely help you defend yourself. Chilong Circuit might start getting chaotic soon. Go grab it as soon as you have time.】

He clearly had no idea what level Bai Xiang was at now—he probably figured she could at most manage to protect herself.

Bai Xiang memorized the address and the pickup method, then continued asking: 【Where are you now.】

Yu He sent back an address. It was also in the northern district, and not far from where Bai Xiang was.

【Heaven-Breaking Sword (Yu He): Someone’s tailing me… Don’t come.】

【Baizhixing (Bai Xiang): Wait there.】

【Heaven-Breaking Sword (Yu He): ?】

But Bai Xiang had already powered off her phone, gotten to her feet, and walked over to the bed to shake her little sister awake.