Chapter 152 - 151: My Identity as the Jianghai Sword God is Exposed?

"WEE-WOO—WEE-WOO—"

Beneath the night sky, sirens wailed. Armored vehicles parked along the roadside, forming a veritable wall of steel. Dozens of police officers disembarked and cordoned off the alley entrance with orange-yellow caution tape.

「A few minutes earlier.」

After killing the Demon who had ambushed him in the night, Xia He didn’t hesitate. He immediately called headquarters for backup and reported the situation.

An armed convoy quickly arrived on the scene and sealed off the surrounding area.

「Inside the orange-yellow police tape.」

"Holy shit, that was fucking close!"

Xia He, wrapped in a blanket, squatted trembling in a corner. A cigarette dangled from his lips as he stared at the Demon who had been riddled with holes like a sieve, his heart still pounding with fear.

’An Innate Realm expert, resorting to a sneak attack?’

’He has no martial virtue whatsoever!’

’Good thing...’

’Thank god I managed to use the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needle just now.’

’If I had been even a step slower, I’d probably have been captured and turned into a human stump.’

’Damn it!’

’Trying to play dirty?’

’Well, I’m even dirtier than you are!’

’Good thing I went to see Old Qin this afternoon.’

Xia He blew out a smoke ring, dispelling the chill around him, and glanced toward the alley entrance.

Just then, a black sedan pulled up outside. The officers on guard nearby quickly parted to the sides. The Commander got out, lifted the caution tape, and slowly walked into the alley.

"Commander, you’re here."

Seeing him, Xia He quickly stood up and saluted.

"At ease. No need to get up."

The Commander said lightly, his sharp gaze sweeping over the corpse in the middle of the alley. The area was marked with evidence tags; the crime scene had been well preserved.

The man with insect-like arms lay on the ground, his face covered in a dense cluster of pinprick holes. His eyes were wide open, clearly frozen in a state of shock and disbelief.

"You killed him?"

The Commander asked slowly, pacing over to the body. He crouched down and carefully examined the deceased’s wounds.

"Just a mere Innate Realm expert. Nothing worth mentioning!"

Xia He answered subconsciously, but then he had a second thought. ’That sounded a bit too arrogant. The Commander is also in the Innate Realm. Isn’t this a blatant slap in his face?’

At that thought, he quickly corrected himself. "Commander, this Demon was extremely dangerous! To him, I was the one who was nothing worth mentioning... I almost died!"

"..."

The Commander fell silent. He gave Xia He a meaningful look but said nothing. He simply placed a hand on the corpse, channeled his Star Force, and guided it into one of the holes.

Searching, probing.

The next moment, a silver needle passed through flesh and blood, slowly floating out of the hole. It hovered above the body, emitting a bone-chilling cold.

"This is?"

The Commander’s brow furrowed slightly at the sight. He reached out and carefully pinched the end of the needle.

According to the feedback from his Star Force probe, this was the true cause of the Demon’s death.

Minutes ago, several Cold Needles had pierced his body like a sudden squall, breaking through his Star Force defenses and shredding everything in their path.

In just an instant, this Demon had met his end...

"How is this possible?"

The Commander was shocked. He turned to look back at Xia He, his voice filled with suspicion and disbelief. "You’re the one who used this silver needle, aren’t you? Where did you get it?"

"My master gave it to me, Commander!"

Xia He declared loudly, not blushing in the slightest as he began to lie with practiced ease.

"With Jianghai City in such chaos, he—my esteemed master—was worried, so he sent me a few things for self-defense!"

As he spoke, he patted his chest and said with lingering fear, "I was so incredibly lucky today..."

"Is that so..."

Hearing this, the Commander frowned imperceptibly and walked slowly toward Xia He. A flash of impatience crossed his eyes but was quickly concealed.

’This ’master’ again...’

’It was the same story with the Array last time.’

’Who on earth is this person?’

’To possess such incredible methods?’

’My investigation over the past few days has turned up a few possible suspects, but I can’t be sure. As for who it really is, I’ll have to wait for Xia He to slip up and reveal something.’

At this thought, the Commander forced a smile and clapped Xia He heavily on the shoulder. "Not bad," he said encouragingly. "Keep up the good work. I’ll make sure your contribution is recorded."

"Yes, sir." Xia He, feeling unnerved, nodded in response. "May I head back first, Commander?"

"Go get some rest. I’ll find you later if anything comes up."

"Yes, Commander!"

With that, Xia He turned and walked toward the alley entrance. He let out a breath of relief, as if a great weight had been lifted, and quickly disappeared around the corner.

The Commander watched his retreating figure and shook his head slightly.

’Likes to keep secrets, does he?’

’I, your Commander, will find out who your master is sooner or later!’

...

「The next day.」

「Inside the library.」

Soft, soothing morning music played. Benches were scattered about the outdoor rest area, and birds were leaving their nests.

After clocking in, Qin Yang picked a chair, sat down, and bought a steaming hot morning tea, enjoying his meal in the lovely daylight.

Under the table, the little fox chased her own tail in circles. After a few laps, she affectionately rubbed against Qin Yang’s leg.

"Master, the Elixir Pills you refined are simply divine~"

"When I woke up this morning, my tail felt all tingly, like the fur is really about to grow back!"

As she spoke, she jumped into Qin Yang’s lap and playfully teased him with her tail.

"Here, feel my tail... see if it’s grown yet."

"No need. As long as you feel it’s working, that’s all that matters."

Qin Yang grabbed Xiaobai by the scruff of her neck, gently lifted her onto the ground beside him, and said leisurely, "Don’t block my view. If they’re working, then just eat more."

"Mhm, mhm! Master, you’re so good to me!"

Hearing this, Xiaobai grew even more affectionate. She looked up, rubbed against Qin Yang’s pant leg, and began happily fawning over him, entering her "suck-up fox" mode once again.

"Your fur growing back is good for me, too."

Qin Yang just smiled, not saying much more. He continued eating the wontons on the table, already calculating in his head how long it would take for Xiaobai’s fur to grow back.

’The more fur Xiaobai has...’

’...the more materials I can pluck from her.’

’She’s a purely renewable resource!’

’And from the Middle Stage of the Innate Realm, no less!’

’From now on, I won’t have to worry about Artifact Refining Materials.’

’Not bad, not bad. The Fox Race is a treasure from head to toe. The books really weren’t lying!’

...

Just then, in front of the library’s time clock...

"BEEP—"

"Clock-in confirmed: Li Qing! Arrival time: 7:42 AM."

After clocking in, Li Qinghe pressed the button on the machine and walked on, her head down as she scrolled through her phone.

She scrolled through the news every morning; it helped her wake up and catch up on what was happening in Jianghai City.

Suddenly, a short video news clip caught her eye.

"Huh?"

Li Qinghe’s eyes widened. She watched it twice, as if she had seen something utterly unbelievable, and froze on the spot.

After carefully confirming that she hadn’t misseen what was in the video, she looked up angrily, scanned her surroundings, and immediately strode toward Qin Yang, stopping right in front of his table.

"Master, you lied to me again!!!"

"?"

At the table, Qin Yang wiped a bit of meat from the corner of his mouth and stared at the furious Li Qinghe, completely baffled.

’Wait a minute...’

’What’s gotten into this girl so early in the morning?’

"What did I lie to you about?"

Qin Yang frowned. "Explain yourself clearly."

"Grandmaster is clearly in Jianghai City, and you dared to lie and tell me he wasn’t?!"

Li Qinghe wiped away her tears, her voice a mix of urgency and anger. "Is it fun to mess with your own apprentice every day?!"

"???"

Hearing this, Qin Yang was baffled once again.

’What is this nonsense?’

’Did my cover get blown?!’

’No way!’