Archfiend

Chapter 15: Apology

 Mao Ba’er stood up like a human with a swish and pulled the door open. “Look! No one’s even here!”

Xu Yangyi raised his brows as well. Indeed, there wasn’t even a single person. Then… the question was, what had he just heard moments ago?

He had clearly heard someone named Manager Su at the door talking aloud. Manager Su and Mao Ba’er had spoken quite clearly on a cooperative arrangement, price, and share, however… there really wasn’t anyone at the entrance!

“Isn’t there someone at the left? Someone that wanted the doctor to change their medication?”

The dog scouted out and returned. “Nobody at all.”

“Was it your imagination?” Mao Ba’er looked at Xu Yangyi suspiciously. “In fact… even if you brag, we’ll still be good friends… if you’re willing to give me a clear explanation about how you learned of my deal with the Bountiful Treasures Pavilion.”

Xu Yangyi narrowed his eyes and didn’t answer the other. Instead, he released his spiritual sense. A thought sprang into his mind. Perhaps… it wasn’t a trick of the ear.

Just as he unleashed his spiritual sense, he immediately felt it was different, a totally clear difference from before! In the past, his spiritual sense had also been clear, but in comparison to now, it seemed to have been once covered with a film of mist!

The flower was red. Yet in his eyes, he sensed even more layers of red that were more vibrant, like he could clearly see its color composition. To the extent that he could see the honeybee on the flower vibrating its wings.

Or perhaps it could be said in such a way that the world had become even more realistic.

He was in a sickroom on the tenth floor, but the flower garden was on a lower level outside the hospital, nearly 150 meters at the side of the national highway! Even if he was a Qi Condensation cultivator, he shouldn’t have been able to see something 150 meters away to the most minute of details! A hundred meters was the max!

But more importantly was sound. Every sound, the buzzing of the honeybee’s wings, the discussion of the patients on the floor below, and the hailing of a car 200 meters away… seemed to be at the side of his ear. He could even hear the middle-aged driver as he slightly coughed.

His eyes slightly narrowed. He hadn’t heard incorrectly… Instead, his spiritual sense had unexpectedly strengthened! Moreover, it had suddenly expanded by roughly a third in size!

Xu Yangyi forcibly suppressed the throbbing of his heart. To a cultivator, spiritual sense could be said to be on the same level of importance as their qi sea. It was the eyes, ears, and tongue of how cultivators perceived the world, equivalent to a human’s five senses. It also comprised…

The perceptive and absorbing strength of qi! In other words, his perception and absorption rate of qi was over a third stronger than a cultivator of the same stage!

An art or treasure that could upgrade spiritual sense wouldn’t exist these days by any stretch of the imagination! This era of Cultivation Civilization was also known as Saddharmavipralopa or the End of Days. Qi had already become incomparably thin, and matters such as cultivating to Foundation Establishment in a hundred days, like in novels, could no longer appear. Presently, to achieve Foundation Establishment in a hundred years was considered top-notch. Spiritual sense would only advance following a cultivator’s elevation in realms. Never had there been a precedent for such a sudden advancement!

“Pretty boy… you alright?” Like a dried well, Xu Yangyi’s complexion was without a single ripple. Mao Ba’er asked nervously, “Is it… because you didn’t rest well enough that you’re suddenly hearing things?”

“Maybe.” Xu Yangyi shut his eyes and leaned against the sickbed. “Pack things up. In several days, we’re going to leave Sanshui City.”

Thud thud thud… At the same time, a knocking sound suddenly echoed out. As he called out for the knocker to enter, Xu Yangyi saw a large bouquet of flowers with over a dozen people following behind.

They were all officers from the Disciplinary and Investigations Unit. This time, all of them were present! They followed the lead of Vice Captain Chen!

“Captain Xu, has your health improved?” Vice Captain Chen respectfully set the large bouquet of flowers on a table and stood sincerely at Xu Yangyi’s bedside. “I heard you’ve been unconscious for over ten days. We’re really sorry; we didn’t think that scumbag would’ve set up explosives. If it weren’t for you, Captain Xu… We don’t even know if we’d be able to see our children again.”

Vice Captain Chen’s words revealed heartfelt admiration, deference, and respect. His aggression from the past several days when Xu Yangyi had just taken up post had long since disappeared without a trace.

“Just doing my job.” Xu Yangyi looked at the big bouquet of sword lilies—symbols of good health—and laughed, “Thank you for the flowers, everyone.”

“T-There’s no need for thanks… No, I want to say that Captain Xu doesn’t need to give thanks!” Old Zhu took a step forward and sighed deeply, “Some people said you were a paratrooper before. They said you were sent down to fill the numbers, and I actually believed it, too… Captain Xu, we… we…”

“We declined the commendations of the Provincial Public Security Department.” Vice Captain Chen revealed a shameful look. “Captain Xu… we were all waiting on you, but they didn’t want to hold off any longer. The case had dragged on for too long. You may not know, but Sanshui City has been so worried for the past month that even night classes were canceled. There was no one on the street… They wanted to immediately announce this information, I…”

“No need to apologize.” Xu Yangyi didn’t care at all. Calming the people’s hearts was the first order of business after a strange incident. “This is what you should’ve done.”

The mood inside the hospital room had become a bit awkward.

In the past, none of them were used to looking at Xu Yangyi. For a paratrooper to drop down all of a sudden and then take charge over a major case was akin to a sheep leading a pride of lions. Above all else though, they had nearly flown into a seething rage when Xu Yangyi had stated that he was personally handling the case. [1]

It wasn’t until they regained consciousness that they became aware that Xu Yangyi had saved their lives at the key moment. According to the report, their close proximity to the explosives the criminal had planted had led to partial memory lost.

Thinking back to their display in the past, they drummed up enough courage to get together and come visit. 

It was embarrassing… how could they set face aside? They were all in their thirties and forties, but they had judged Xu Yangyi by his appearance. In the end, he had saved all of their lives and single-handedly apprehended the criminal. When Chief Zheng had announced this information, the entire police force had been left without words.

After a brief period of shock, their guilt had swelled forth like a tide, and yet… they were embarrassed. After stewing around for a good while, it wasn’t until these feelings had reached their boiling point that they carefully selected a large bouquet of flowers, and came together to the sickroom.

“Is there anything else?” Xu Yangyi had roughly grasped their intentions. “I have to get re-examined soon and then I’ll be transferred afterwards. How about all of you wait for me to leave the hospital, and then we’ll chat again?”

Transferred?

Their feelings of embarrassment weakened in a flash and were replaced with a bubbling reluctance to part ways. Everyone looked at each other in surprise. They seemed to recall that Xu Yangyi had indeed said that he would be transferred after the case.

Before, they had been overwhelmingly in support for such a thing! But now…

While they had been quite willing in the past, they were just as reluctant now!

Was this a joke?! Which department wouldn’t be willing to have such a friggin’ awesome captain? Not to mention a mortal achieving the Dao, even chickens and dogs would ascend to the heavens and reap an abundant harvest by staying under another’s tutelage! [2]

“Captain Xu!” Vice Captain Chen pursed his lips, suddenly stood up, and bowed seriously. “I apologize!”

Together with him at the head, everyone behind him bowed at the waist and said in chorus, “Our apologies!”

“It’s fine.” Xu Yangyi shook his head. 

Just as he was about to speak, Vice Captain Chen immediately followed up. “No! There’s something else! If I don’t say this, I’m afraid my dreams won’t be at peace later on!”

“At the beginning, we judged you by your cover. Captain Xu… I truly didn’t expect… that you would be s-so…” Old Zhu pursed his lips, reflected over his words for two seconds, and then said wholeheartedly, “Awesome, frickin’ awesome! Nobody dared to accept this case in Nantong Province, but you busted it in three days flat! I, Old Zhu, accepted the last-sitting captain, Captain Gong. Now, I accept you!”

“Captain Xu, please accept our apologies.” Officer Qin said as well. “We didn’t bring a present, but these are our heartfelt feelings. If it’s because of our past attitudes that have drawn your misunderstanding…”

“I guarantee it absolutely won’t happen again!” Vice Captain Chen straightened out his waist and patted his chest. “Say no more. I accept this captain. Based on qualifications, it originally should’ve been my turn. However, only those who are capable may take this seat! If you tell us to go south later on, we sure as hell won’t go north!”

Xu Yangyi understood. They didn’t want him to leave…

Concerning Vice Captain Chen’s apology, he really didn’t put it to mind. Even though things had been difficult before, he hadn’t even taken it to heart. This was because he wasn’t a person walking parallel with them. This wasn’t belittling them but rather that which angered him was different from the root of ordinary people. 

Because of their superiors making things hard for them, annoying colleagues, and increases in prices, ordinary people would swear up a storm in public, but he wouldn’t. He was only anxious if his cultivation was unable to make progress, simply worried he wouldn’t see the end of the Grand Dao.

“I’m sorry.” He stood up and was supported up by his colleagues of barely several days. “This is a command from the top of the chain. My coming here was only to handle this case. I’ve finished, so I have to return.” His words were clear and to the point. Anyone could hear that this was a matter that couldn’t disobeyed.

“Can’t… Can’t the rules be bent?” Vice Captain Chen gritted his teeth, irreconcilably. With such a capable captain, he truly didn’t wish for someone else to transfer Xu Yangyi out! 

Xu Yangyi shook his head and laughed, “There’s a chance we’ll meet again.” 

Even when all the agents of the Disciplinary and Investigations Unit left the sickroom, their hearts were still at odds with Xu Yangyi’s coming departure.

“Hey, Old Chen, do you still remember what happened that night?” Old Zhu furrowed his brows and asked, “I can’t remember anything at all… I only remember… it seemed that something incredibly serious happened… We owe Captain Xu a pretty big favor…”

“I don’t remember, either…” Vice Captain Chen smiled wryly and shook his head. “However, I’m in the same boat as you. I keep getting a nudge at the back of my mind that if it weren’t for him that night, we all would’ve died there.”

“Me too!” 

“It’s weird… It’s the same for me as well.” 

“I keep on thinking that I owe him a big favor, but I can’t even recall anything.”

As the line of people descended down stairs, Vice Captain Chen was the last to raise his head and look back towards the sickroom on the tenth floor. He kept on having a kind of feeling. That perhaps this would be the last time he would see Xu Yangyi.

“As expected…” He shook his head and followed after the crowd. “How could a talented person possibly be willing to stay in such a backwater place like Sanshui City…”

Swish… The blinds lowered, and Xu Yangyi gently raised a slat, his gaze wavering a tad bit.

“What? Are you a little sad you don’t have any mortal friends?” Mao Ba’er stood beside him, using his paw in the same manner to brush the blinds aside. “Pretty boy… We haven’t been normal people for a long time… This society is at peace from the outside but beneath it lies a maelstrom of living fossils that have crawled along since ancient times… Besides, existences like ours exceeds that of ordinary people. Who said it? For the paths we have chosen, we must press on to completion even if we are brought to our knees.” [3] 

Clack… The blinds softly lowered, and Xu Yangyi laughed, “It’s rare of you to speak like a human. Help me get in touch with Sanshui City’s Bountiful Treasures Pavilion. I need to get an appraisal right away.”

“What about you?”

Xu Yangyi tapped his wristwatch. “Of course, I have to submit my exam grade now.”