What do you mean by saying that the corpses I sew are all ominous creatures?

Although I appeared to be perfectly normal on the surface, my brain was working at lightning speed.

That wasn't my imagination. Someone was watching me from the shadows.

Are they from the Qi family?

Because I arrested their people yesterday, they followed the trail and came after me?

Or are they remnants of the Guardians of the Cauldron?

Or perhaps, some other force lurking in the shadows of Jiangcheng?

No matter who I am, to confirm whether I am being followed, and for my own safety, I absolutely cannot just swagger back to Tingyuxuan.

Tingyuxuan is now my and Li Qing's base camp. The snake eggs entrusted to us by Master Liu and the Gu King brought back from the Southern Frontier are still kept there.

You could say that all my possessions are there.

If something happens in that place, it will be a huge problem.

Having made up my mind, I didn't go straight at the next intersection. Instead, I decisively turned the steering wheel and drove the car onto a side road leading to the old industrial area.

This road is not usually frequented by many people, and at this time of day it seems even more deserted compared to other places.

Tall sycamore trees line both sides of the road, their dense foliage blocking the light from the streetlights, making the whole street look somewhat dim and dappled.

I started driving in circles, deliberately choosing routes with little pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

At the same time, I activated my senses to the maximum.

Inside the dantian, the mercury-like evil pill began to slowly accelerate its rotation.

A stream of pure malevolent energy began to circulate along the meridians in my body.

At this moment, I have adjusted my physical condition to the optimal threshold for explosive power.

In the event of any emergency, the black bone needles hidden in my pocket can be shot out with lightning speed.

The cool sensation between my brows was brought out by me without reservation.

Combined with my "Qi Control" range, which has expanded to a range of fifty meters, it forms an invisible radar network that brings everything around my off-road vehicle under control.

I stared intently at the rearview mirror, observing every car that followed behind.

However, what I found both regrettable and somewhat troublesome was that the other party was very cautious in their actions.

Along the way, no matter how I tried or changed my route, my perception network could not detect any magical fluctuations belonging to a cultivator.

No vehicle was found to be suspected of following them.

The occasional passing vehicles were either pedestrians in a hurry to get home or trucks carrying goods.

No car stopped unnaturally around me.

The entire counter-tracking process lasted nearly forty minutes.

It wasn't until I parked my car on a quiet riverside road, surrounded only by the sound of the river water lapping against the embankment, that I was completely certain that there was no tail behind me.

I rolled down the car window, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag.

The river breeze brushed against my face, bringing a touch of coolness.

It seems that either their counter-surveillance capabilities are far superior to mine, or they decisively abandoned the tracking the moment they realized I was on guard.

Alternatively, that glance at the intersection was merely a long-distance confirmation; after confirming my identity and location, they left immediately.

Regardless of the situation, it shows that the person who has their eye on me is not only quite capable, but also exceptionally shrewd in their methods.

They are definitely not comparable to those three half-baked guys from yesterday.

I quietly finished a cigarette by the river and stubbed it out in the car ashtray.

Since the other party didn't choose to make a move at this time, there's no need for me to scare myself unnecessarily.

there is always a solution to a problem.

With my current strength, plus Li Qing's formation...

Unless you encounter a large-scale siege like the one that happened at the City God Temple that night, you should be more than capable of protecting yourself.

After confirming that it was safe, I restarted the car and drove around the riverbank again.

After confirming once again that nothing was missing, I drove towards Tingyuxuan in the old street.

When we returned to Tingyuxuan, it was already completely dark.

I pushed open the wooden door of the teahouse on the first floor and went up the stairs to the third floor.

As soon as I pushed open the door to the lobby, I was greeted by a strong smell of instant noodles.

Li Qing was wearing an oversized white T-shirt and sitting cross-legged on the sofa without any regard for appearances.

On the coffee table in front of him were two half-eaten buckets of pickled cabbage noodles.

In his hand was the magic sword that Old Man Huo had given him before his death.

At this moment, he took a soft cloth and carefully wiped the ancient runes on the sword.

Seeing me walk in, Li Qing didn't even look up and casually asked:

"Boss Chen, you're off work? Why are you so late today? Was there traffic?"

I walked to the water dispenser, poured myself a glass of warm water, took a sip, and said:

Traffic jams are one aspect.

The main thing is that something interesting happened on the way back.

I took an unseen 'friend' and drove around half of Jiangcheng.

Upon hearing this, Li Qing stopped wiping his magic sword instantly.

He suddenly raised his head, his previously lazy gaze instantly turning sharp.

"Are you being watched?"

Li Qing put down his magic sword, grabbed a tissue to wipe his mouth, stood up and walked over to me.

"What kind of people are you? From the Qi family?"

I shook my head and walked to the sofa to sit down:

I don't know.

The other person was very cautious. They glanced at me at the traffic light intersection, and by the time I noticed, they had already disappeared.

I drove around the old town and industrial area for almost an hour, using all my senses, but I couldn't find out anything.

The opponent fled immediately after missing his first attack; he's a veteran.

Upon hearing this, Li Qing frowned and paced back and forth in the living room.

"This is not a good sign."

Li Qing stroked his chin and analyzed.

"We arrested three members of the Qi family yesterday afternoon, and you've been targeted since you got off work today."

Although we did a fairly clean job yesterday, those powerful families might have some unorthodox methods for tracking and tracing.

If it really is the Qi family, then their actions are far too swift.

Furthermore, since they've tracked you down, why don't they take action?

"That's what I don't understand either."

I looked at the magic sword on the coffee table and said calmly.

"Perhaps they felt that fighting on the street would easily provoke the local customs bureau, or perhaps they wanted to play the long game and find out more about us."

However, Lu Yan called me at noon today; there's been a result regarding Lao Zhang's matter.

Afterwards, I recounted my conversation with Lu Yan at the cafeteria at noon to Li Qing in its entirety.

After hearing my explanation, Li Qing frowned even more deeply.

"A suicide squad? They released him willingly?"

Li Qing gave a cold laugh.

"The water in this river city is getting muddier and muddier."

What are they up to? Arresting people and then releasing them—isn't that just pointless?