Chapter 102 - 101: Sent In

Chapter 102: Chapter 101: Sent In

For some time now, Gu Qingyin had been pondering how to cleanse Huo Xinghai of his Karma.

After much thought, she concluded that doing good deeds was the fastest way to accumulate merit. For instance, letting Huo Xinghai personally take care of Lin Wu and the evil Heavenly Master backing him.

At her words, Lin Wu barely hesitated before flatly refusing, "Impossible!"

Gu Qingyin stared at him thoughtfully. "Is that person very important to you?" she asked curiously. "Are you willing to suffer a fate worse than death for her?"

"What do you mean?" Lin Wu’s expression tensed.

Gu Qingyin smiled. "If you don’t talk, I can send you to the Xuan Technique Association tonight. What will happen to you after that... I don’t need to spell it out, do I?"

Before Lin Wu could even react, Xia Zelin’s expression changed dramatically.

The Xuan Technique Association’s punishments for evil Heavenly Masters were notoriously terrifying. It was said that the more powerful a person was, the harder they were to bind by rules. Without severe penalties, how could they possibly manage all those Heavenly Masters, each with their own unique abilities?

Gu Qingyin was a little surprised. It seemed Lin Wu wasn’t as afraid of serving his sentence at the Xuan Technique Association as other Heavenly Masters were.

She narrowed her eyes and said in a low voice, "I’ll ask you one last time. Who is that person?"

Lin Wu remained silent, as if he’d gone mute.

Gu Qingyin stood up, pulled a talisman from her shoulder bag, and pinched it between her fingers. With a flick, it ignited. A wisp of green smoke drifted out, coalescing into a circular pattern that hung in the air for a few seconds before slowly dissipating.

Barely fifteen minutes had passed before there was a knock at the door.

Huo Yunjing waved his hand, opening the door while simultaneously turning invisible.

"Come in," Gu Qingyin called out.

The person outside pushed the door open, then stepped inside carrying a Peach Wood Sword. Standing in the entryway, he looked back and forth at the people on the sofa.

"Who burned the Summoning Talisman?"

The Summoning Talisman was one of the Mystic Association’s special runes. When burned, it could summon a Law Enforcement Heavenly Master team to the scene immediately.

Gu Qingyin lazily raised a hand, but before she could speak, Lin Wu, who was opposite her, shouted, "It was me! I discovered them using Xuan Techniques to swindle ordinary people out of their money and merit!"

The Law Enforcement Heavenly Master’s expression immediately soured as he looked at Gu Qingyin. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Gu Qingyin deadpanned a single word: "Blockhead."

"What did you say?!" the Law Enforcement Heavenly Master roared. "Insulting a Law Enforcement Heavenly Master is an additional crime!"

"And what’s the crime for a Law Enforcement Heavenly Master arresting the wrong person?" Gu Qingyin asked, perplexed. "After all these years, you’re telling me the problem of Law Enforcement Heavenly Masters not being able to tell who to arrest still hasn’t been solved? What exactly are those elders at the Mystic Association doing?"

The Law Enforcement Heavenly Master looked around suspiciously, then turned to the third person in the room—Xia Zelin, who had been trying his best to fade into the background. "You. Tell me who just burned the talisman."

Xia Zelin wanted nothing to do with this, but at this point, he had no choice but to see it through. He raised a finger and pointed at Gu Qingyin. "...Her."

Lin Wu’s face fell. ’It’s over,’ he thought.

Unexpectedly, however, the Law Enforcement Heavenly Master was extremely suspicious. He snorted coldly. "I see you two are in this together. Trying to trick me? Not a chance!"

The Law Enforcement Heavenly Master pointed his sword at Gu Qingyin. "I advise you to surrender without a fight. My sword has no eyes."

Gu Qingyin was so angry she laughed. "It’s not just your sword that has no eyes. I’d say you don’t have any either!"

This turn of events was completely unexpected. Xia Zelin was dumbfounded. He finally let out a short laugh and slumped into the sofa, giving up entirely.

’Let them do whatever they want,’ he despaired. ’A small fry like me has no say, and no one would believe the truth anyway!’

The enraged Law Enforcement Heavenly Master started fighting with Gu Qingyin. Lin Wu seized the opportunity to slip away, but not before shooting a glare back at Xia Zelin, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Xia Zelin’s face paled in horror. "Master Gu! Lin Wu is getting away!"

"Lin Wu?"

The Law Enforcement Heavenly Master paused, and Gu Qingyin landed a punch squarely on his eye. He grunted, took two steps back, and clutched his eye. "That man was Lin Wu? The wanted Lin Wu?"

Gu Qingyin rolled her eyes and chased after him.

The Law Enforcement Heavenly Master lowered his hand, his left eye clearly swelling up. His expression shifted, and he followed them out, only to stop after a few steps.

In the hallway, Gu Qingyin stood with her arms crossed, watching the show as Lin Wu fought with a middle-aged Daoist.

The Law Enforcement Heavenly Master recognized the Daoist as Liu Ergou and let out an imperceptible sigh of relief. ’Thank goodness. If Lin Wu had escaped, my career as a Law Enforcement Heavenly Master would have been over.’

Gu Qingyin, too, was impressed with her own foresight. Having Liu Ergou lie in ambush just in case had been an absolute stroke of genius!

Three minutes later, Lin Wu collapsed at Liu Ergou’s feet, with no strength left to get up.

Liu Ergou first nodded to Gu Qingyin before turning to the Law Enforcement Heavenly Master with a sigh. "Take him back."

He had just watched the Law Enforcement Heavenly Master go in, yet Lin Wu had still managed to run out. ’He must have mistaken his target again,’ he thought. ’Hmm... not that surprising, I suppose. It happens a few times every year.’

The Law Enforcement Heavenly Master cleared his throat, stepped forward, and took out a special pair of handcuffs to bind Lin Wu’s hands behind his back. Then he pulled an A4-sized registration form from his bag. "Could you please fill this out?"

Gu Qingyin took it and glanced over it.

Reporter, Subject of Report, Time of Report, Location of Report, Time of Arrest, Location of Arrest, and the final section: Complaint.

The Law Enforcement Heavenly Master subtly shifted his finger to cover the word "Complaint" at the top of the form. "You don’t need to fill this part out," he said softly.

Gu Qingyin rolled her eyes, yanked the form from him, and filled it out with a few quick strokes of the pen. As she handed it back, she plastered on a fake smile. "I hope there aren’t any ’accidents’ on the way back."

The Law Enforcement Heavenly Master stood a little straighter and said reassuringly, "Absolutely not."

Gu Qingyin’s lips twitched into another smile. "I won’t see you out."

The Law Enforcement Heavenly Master departed sheepishly with Lin Wu in tow.

Gu Qingyin and Liu Ergou returned to Xia Zelin’s guest room.

Xia Zelin had just been thinking the troublemakers were finally gone. His relief didn’t even last a few seconds before his spirits sank again.

As soon as the door closed, Liu Ergou couldn’t help but ask, "Why did you summon a Law Enforcement Heavenly Master? You were so against reporting this to the Association before."

Gu Qingyin didn’t hide anything. "I suspect the person behind Lin Wu has ties to the Mystic Association," she said.

Hearing this, Liu Ergou’s expression changed drastically. "Are you saying..." He glanced at Xia Zelin, who tactfully covered his ears. Only then did Liu Ergou whisper, "An evil Heavenly Master has infiltrated the Mystic Association?"

"Mhm," Gu Qingyin affirmed.

"Do you have any proof?" Liu Ergou’s brow furrowed. "That’s a huge accusation!"

Gu Qingyin shrugged. "No proof. But I’ve just sent the bait right to them. That person took a risk to save Lin Wu last time, so they probably won’t give up so easily this time either. Once they make a move, they’ll inevitably slip up and reveal themselves."

The only tricky part was that Lin Wu would probably talk about Huo Xinghai.

But Gu Qingyin had a feeling that, given her current relationship with the Mystic Association, they would probably turn a blind eye.