Chapter 313: Chapter 313: Hostile Forces Reappear
Take the person away, take the evidence and the gun too.
By this time, the domestic investigation can almost come to a pause again.
"Of course, the evidence this time is a bit lacking. It might only be enough to topple the big shot openly placed by Japan. To directly ferret out the hidden mastermind, it might still fall short," Lin Wan said.
"Do you know who this so-called hidden mastermind is?" Lu Zheng asked curiously.
"Of course, we don’t know." Lin Wan shrugged, "The clues are winding and he’s deeply hidden. No one knows who he is."
"Like in a movie."
"Movies are often inspired by reality, but reality often surpasses them," Lin Wan laughed, "After all, those who make movies are just directors and screenwriters, far removed from those big shots."
"Like Tony?"
Lin Wan sighed, nodding, "Yeah, like Tony. Who would’ve thought he was that kind of person behind the scenes?"
Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow, "So rumors about Freemasonry and the like are true?"
Lin Wan couldn’t help but laugh, "I’m just a small-time cop, how would I know?"
"Aren’t you with Interpol now?" Lu Zheng teased.
"Still just a small-time cop!" Lin Wan retorted, annoyed.
Lu Zheng burst into laughter.
...
Actually, what happened earlier was quite simple.
Lu Zheng followed the aura to the fat guy’s office, coincidentally overhearing the conversation between the two.
Upon learning that the previous car accident was an attempt to kill or cripple Lin Wan and seeing the evidence and guns being prepared to leave, Lu Zheng decided not to let him escape this time.
So, after casting some illusions and updating Lin Wan over the phone about the situation, Lu Zheng discreetly cast another spell on the fat guy, ensuring he would suffer in the days to come, then remained invisible nearby.
On the other hand, upon receiving Lu Zheng’s call, Lin Wan quickly matched up this fat guy with one of the suspects.
Lin Wan casually found an excuse and went with two local police officers to question the fat guy.
It wasn’t an arrest or bringing him to the police department for an interrogation, so there was no issue with an onsite questioning.
So...
When they arrived at the fat guy’s office, with calls from the secretary going unanswered and no response after knocking for a long time, everyone thought he might have encountered an accident, so they broke in.
They saw the fat guy in a dumbfounded state with a gun in one hand and documents in the other.
Caught red-handed with the evidence, problem solved easily!
...
It was dinner time, Lin Wan took some time to have dinner with Lu Zheng before entering into an intense overtime mode.
"This time, Japan should have learned their lesson and will probably send a squad to retrieve the evidence, right?"
"I don’t know." Lin Wan shook her head, "The situation here has only been notified to the headquarters, and not to the Japanese branch yet, and they might even choose to send it through an encrypted channel."
"Mail it?" Lu Zheng questioned, "Is it reliable to mail such critical evidence? Why wasn’t it mailed last time?"
"Wasn’t Mingmei there last time?" Lin Wan sighed, thinking of the Japanese policewoman whom she found quite congenial, feeling a sense of loss.
"So in a way, you’ve avenged her," Lu Zheng patted Lin Wan’s hand.
"Yes." Lin Wan nodded, "Alright, I’m off to work. There’s interrogations, verifications, and wrap-up to do, no fixed time, you head back to Hai City first. I’ll probably be back in three to four days."
Lu Zheng: ???
"Sorry." Lin Wan bit her lip, feeling a bit embarrassed, "But having just caught the person, time is really tight, so we have to rush the interrogation, definitely have no time to accompany you."
Lu Zheng blinked, rubbing his chin, "Won’t you still have to sleep and rest?"
"Of course." Lin Wan nodded, not getting Lu Zheng’s meaning.
Lu Zheng patted the back of Lin Wan’s hand, "Then it’s okay. Wish you a good dream tonight, let’s meet in our dreams."
Lin Wan’s eyes sparkled, "Sure, I’ll dream of you."
...
Lu Zheng’s Dream-Entering Skill wasn’t yet capable of making twenty years feel like a nap, but making one night feel like three days wasn’t much of an issue.
In this dream, Lu Zheng mainly explained to Lin Wan the thoughts and ideas of the "Taiyuan Mysterious Scripture" and guided her through some new cultivation postures, offering a bit of motivational talk.
Of course, formal cultivation would still have to wait until she returned to Hai City.
...
Early next morning, Lu Zheng returned to Hai City amid Lin Wan’s surprised and questioning phone calls, traversing through time.
"Buzz!"
Just after crossing over, the Peach Wood Pendant on Lu Zheng’s waist sent a series of sensations.
"Shen Ying!"
Lu Zheng’s pupils suddenly shrank, and the next second he sank into the ground.
...
Peach Blossom Plain, Taohua Village.
A smoky pink Peach Blossom Miasma spread for miles, waning against the swirling Peach Blossom Evil, producing soft "hissing" sounds.
Underground, the roots of an old peach tree intertwined with those of another peach tree, twisting, tangling, and striking, trying to snap or crush each other.
Spell seals flickered in the sky, erupting in bright flashes that, though blocked by various iridescent colors, nevertheless gained the upper hand.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Six Peach Wood Swords darted through the air, competing with peach blossom illusions in mid-air, even as magical powers slapped, nudged, swept, and blocked them, they relentlessly pressed forward, advancing step by step.
At this time, four strangers were standing in the front yard of Taohua Village.
One held a porcelain bottle with the mouth wide open, constantly releasing rotten Peach Miasma which wafted endlessly, filling the sky.
Another held a seal technique, standing with his back against a tall peach tree and trembling as its underground roots writhed.
A third had six Peach Wood Tokens floating nearby, emitting spell seals from the tokens, casting mind-befuddling and heart-ensnaring, sinister curses.
The last one maneuvered, wielding six Peach Wood Swords, weaving through, like a slippery monkey difficult to catch.
If Lu Zheng were present, he would immediately recognize that the second person was the middle-aged man who came to spy on Taohua Temple before.
On that day... well, it wasn’t even a fight, just an encounter. The person had fled after a brief exchange, and even though Lu Zheng and Shen Ying were on alert for a good while, expecting his return, they eventually let their guard down.
Who could have guessed that one or two months later, after even passing a New Year, he would return with three peers, just as formidable.
Each of these four had two to three hundred years of Dao practice, not much inferior to Shen Ying. This time, the four of them acted together, poised for a decisive battle.
At dawn, taking advantage of the fading night and disappearing Yin Qi, they struck in surprise!
However, Shen Ying was no pushover, her old peach tree’s roots widespread across Peach Blossom Plain, detecting promptly. After notifying Lu Zheng right away, she had the Eighteen Peach Blossom Celestial Maidens form a formation, then urged the old peach tree to join her in meeting the challenge!