On the second floor of an uninhabited building, separated by a wide street, one could clearly see Lu Zhuang's hideout across the way.
The scene on the second floor could be summed up simply:
A locked room, four burly men in black, a bound and unconscious female investigator (scratched out) constable...
[Name: Zhao Jing]
[Age: 23]
[Bone Constitution: Blade of Geng Metal Bone]
[Cultivation Realm: Nine Apertures of Insight]
[Fate: Purple with Traces of Black]
[Evaluation: A constable of the Northern Suburb Magistrate’s Office, trained under the Divine Constable of the Imperial Capital. Fiercely righteous, a woman who rivals men in valor, with extraordinary talent, ranked 25th on the Hidden Dragon List. However, due to her overly blunt temperament, she was demoted to the Northern Suburbs, where she languishes in frustration.]
[Recent Events: Repeatedly reported matters concerning the Demon Summoning Cult but failed to gain her superiors’ attention. After days of tracking, she finally found Lu Zhuang as a lead, intending to follow the trail—only to end up surrounded.]"She’s no ordinary constable."
Li Mo confirmed his thoughts, feeling a headache coming on.
"Does this count as kidnapping an officer?"
Murong Xiao munched on a watermelon, his mouth stained crimson.
Huang Donglai sighed. "She wouldn’t listen to our explanation."
"…Dressed like this, and you were throwing poison mid-fight! Who would listen?!"
"Li Mo taught me this—poison doesn’t need to be tasteless or odorless. It should blend into the environment, catching people off guard. That’s why I created this Five Venoms Fist."
"......"
Li Mo thought that if he were in her place, he probably—maybe—definitely wouldn’t have listened either.
Not just then, but even now!
"We’re pretending to be Demon Summoning Cult members, not actually being them."
Li Mo emphasized.
"No need for you to remind us of that."
Huang Donglai, Xiao Qin, and Murong Xiao nodded in unison.
"Good. Wake her up and explain things properly."
Splash—
Xiao Qin dumped a bucket of water on her, giving her an impromptu bath.
Li Mo: "?"
Something felt off.
This was starting to look more like an interrogation!
"Ugh..."
Zhao Jing jolted awake, bolting upright as if resurrected from death. The moment she saw her surroundings and her current predicament, she nearly fainted again out of sheer terror.
Clenching her teeth, her heroic face twisted in humiliation:
"You shameless, despicable scoundrels! I won’t say a word! Go ahead and kill me if you dare!"
"......" What kind of villainous dialogue was this?
"Calm down first."
Li Mo summoned his Moonlight Spirit.
A serene, silvery glow enveloped the room, carrying an aura of tranquility.
Zhao Jing’s agitation eased. A flicker of confusion crossed her eyes—this spiritual presence bore an uncanny resemblance to the Frost Fairy’s. How could Demon Summoning Cult members possess such a spirit?
"You must be the ones here to meet Lu Zhuang. Four Insight Realm cultivators at once—how cautious..."
"No, we’re also investigating the Demon Summoning Cult."
"Hah! At this point, don’t even try to—"
Zhao Jing’s words died in her throat as she stared blankly at the man before her.
"We just didn’t expect Lu Zhuang to already be dead when we arrived."
Li Mo pulled back his hood.
This face—anyone who had seen the projection of the Imperial Landscape Scroll yesterday would recognize it instantly.
The Divine Hammer Little Tyrant?
Though, dressed in black robes and cackling like a villain earlier, it was a bit odd...
"You should know me. This is Huang Donglai—the one who fought you earlier. People call him the Phantom Poison Ghost. His methods are... unconventional."
"This is Xiao Qin, also a disciple of the Qingyuan Sect."
"And this bald monk is the Love-Burial Master..."
"?"
Murong Xiao’s face flushed red. He was about to protest when Zhao Jing’s gaze landed on him, forcing him to flash a grin stained with watermelon juice.
"Greetings. This humble monk is Love-Burial, a disciple of the Hanging Temple."
"Then why are you dressed like Demon Summoning Cult members? And why the villainous act?"
Zhao Jing was baffled, her brain on the verge of overheating.
"To avoid drawing attention. We were waiting for Lu Zhuang’s contact, not wanting to alert anyone. We had to act quickly—we just didn’t expect you to show up first..."
Li Mo swiftly explained the whole situation.
Zhao Jing finally pieced things together and nodded. "I see... It was all a misunderstanding..."
But then she frowned again.
"The Hidden Dragon Tournament is approaching. Why waste time investigating the Divine Power Powder?"
"The Divine Power Powder is a scourge that must be eradicated. Aren’t we on the same side, Constable?"
Li Mo declared with righteous conviction.
Faced with his handsome, earnest expression, Zhao Jing found herself unable to argue. She even felt a little moved.
And so, $2he Demon Summoning Cult’s Beast Hall quartet became a quintet.
As they discussed their next steps, they waited quietly for the contact to appear.
An hour later, the streets bustled with activity.
Suddenly, a peddler carrying a shoulder pole appeared at the corner. His disguise was impeccable—
but under the gaze of the Divine Fate Eye, nothing could remain hidden.
"That man’s from the Demon Summoning Cult’s Blood Refining Hall."
"Don’t act rashly. Stick to the plan."
Meanwhile.
Cloud-Stepping Pavilion.
Ying Bing had slept through the night for the first time in ages, ensuring she was in peak condition.
She changed into her Moonlit Immortal Dress and took out the Tribulation Body Jade. After a moment of hesitation, she decided to find a secluded spot before using it.
The heavenly tribulation’s commotion would be impossible to hide.
If she didn’t refine her body properly, how could she ever hope to deal with that childish brute whose physique rivaled divine artifacts?
Forty was melted into Taibai, the hammer treasure was playing with Little Moon—did he even have another hammer on him?
Ying Bing headed to the main hall, where the waiter immediately guided her to her usual seat. A note lay on the table:
[Eat well. I’ll be back by evening.]
"Where did he go?"
"The Hidden Dragon Tournament is so close, and he’s still running around..."
Her delicate brows furrowed as she absentmindedly rubbed the head of a doll on the table. After finishing her meal, she mulled over the matter while stepping outside.
She wandered through the bustling Imperial Capital, moving from the prosperous inner city to the outskirts.
"Maybe he’s busy with other matters..."
Ying Bing lifted her gaze, her cool, detached eyes freezing for a split second.
Before and behind her stretched a maze of disorderly streets.
Where was she?
"What route did I take to get here?"
The ever-stubborn Frost Fairy refused to admit she was lost again.
She earnestly retraced her steps—only to realize...
"Li Mo Road, Li Mo Street, Li Mo Alley..."
Ying Bing pressed her lips together.
She activated her Moonlight Spirit and cast the Shared Moonlight technique.
......
Buzz—
Buzz—
Just moments ago, the Beast Hall quintet, led by "Little Li Divine Envoy," had successfully gained the peddler’s trust—largely thanks to Li Mo’s expertise.
After all, everyone knew he was well-versed in the Demon Summoning Cult’s ways.
The peddler was about to lead them to the cult’s hideout.
But then, the ripple of Moonlight Spirit energy reached them.
Huang Donglai: "......"
Xiao Qin: "......"
Murong Xiao: "......"
Demon Summoning Cult Peddler: "?"
Li Mo: "!"
When watching movies, especially crime thrillers, there's always that cliché moment where the protagonist is hiding, and suddenly—their phone rings.
Li Mo never imagined that one day, he'd find himself in the exact same situation.
And of all places—in the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.