Chapter 17 - The Traitor Within
Lu Yuan realized that Ji Yin was hinting at something. The very next second, he suddenly grabbed Ji Yin’s arm tightly and shouted:
“Sir Cultivator, actually I have one more crucial clue that I haven’t told anyone.
My sister has something special on her body—it’s very easy to locate her current position.
As long as the Internal Affairs Bureau acts now, you can wipe out the cultists in one go!”
Ji Yin was stunned for a moment. Then his expression turned cold as he stopped smiling.
“Still spouting nonsense? You really think I’m that easy to talk to?
Get lost!”
With a wave of his hand, Lu Yuan was sent flying by a slap, thrown straight out of the bureau and rolling onto the road outside the gate.
“What kind of trash is allowed to barge in here? Damn bad luck!”
Ji Yin dusted himself off, then addressed the staff:
“Ahem, in a few days, an important figure will be visiting Ningcheng.
So during this period, I’ll be going into closed-door cultivation. I’m not seeing anyone!
Don’t let people in to bother me like today. Got it?!”
“Yes!”
The staff responded in unison, all wondering what kind of big figure was coming.
Meanwhile, Lu Yuan struggled to get up. His whole body ached as if it had fallen apart.
He looked at the heavily guarded entrance and cursed angrily:
“Don’t bully the poor young man!
One day, I’ll make you all pay the price!”
The guards simply watched him coldly. One of them couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing.
With no other options, Lu Yuan leaned against the wall and slowly made his way back, his figure extremely pitiful.
After walking down a street, someone called out to him. Turning back, he saw Zhang Baocheng catching up from behind.
“Student Lu Yuan, are you hurt?”
“No…” Lu Yuan replied gloomily, lowering his head and continuing forward.
Seeing how miserable he looked, Zhang Baocheng tried to comfort him:
“Lord Ji Yin is known for his unpredictable temper. Even we get beaten often—you shouldn’t take it to heart.”
“I know, Brother Zhang,” Lu Yuan said dully. “He’s a cultivator. Of course he can do whatever he wants. What is someone like me in his eyes?”
Zhang Baocheng gave an awkward smile and walked alongside him.
“Student Lu Yuan, aren’t you going to the police station? I already called them for you.”
“It won’t help, right? In the end, it’ll still come back to the Internal Affairs Bureau…”
“That’s not necessarily true.” Zhang Baocheng’s tone turned serious. “The bureau doesn’t only have Ji Yin.
To be honest, I’m also a cultivator—a Two-Leaf cultivator.
As long as we can confirm the cult’s location, we don’t necessarily need Ji Yin’s approval.”
Lu Yuan noticed that “Two-Leaf cultivator” seemed to be a ranking system, but he didn’t ask further and remained silent.
As they walked, they unknowingly arrived at a secluded small garden, surrounded by dense red-leaf shrubs.
“Student Lu Yuan, what you said earlier—that your sister has something on her that can reveal her location. Is that true?”
“It’s true.”
“Then why didn’t you say it earlier?”
“I was worried you wouldn’t believe me.”
Zhang Baocheng pressed on Lu Yuan’s shoulder, somewhat displeased. “Student Lu Yuan, I’ve always believed you.”
“I know Brother Zhang has treated me well,” Lu Yuan replied.
“Then tell me what your sister has on her,” Zhang Baocheng said seriously. “Even though my rank isn’t as high as Ji Yin’s, I’m still a cultivator. Even if I encounter cultists, I can fight them.
Student Lu Yuan, I’ll definitely help you.
Just tell me how to find your sister, and I’ll immediately bring people to rescue her.”
Lu Yuan looked at him, seemingly tempted.
But after a moment of hesitation, he clenched his teeth and refused.
“Forget it, Brother Zhang. Cultists are dangerous. If I tell you, I might drag you into it.”
Zhang Baocheng smiled. “In our line of work, how could we be afraid of danger?
If it’s truly dangerous, I’ll call for backup. You don’t need to worry about that.
Now tell me.”
Lu Yuan shook his head. “Better not.”
He turned to leave, but suddenly realized his wrist had been seized in an iron grip.
Zhang Baocheng’s smile turned sinister.
“Student Lu Yuan, it seems you really don’t trust me.”
“Brother Zhang, it’s not that—I do trust you. Let go.”
The smile on Zhang Baocheng’s face finally disappeared.
“If you trust me, why won’t you say it?”
Lu Yuan was about to argue.
At that moment, a tremendous force struck his chest. His vision went black, and he lost consciousness.
Zhang Baocheng lifted him up, stuffed him into the trunk of a car, then drove toward the outskirts.
He didn’t bother tying Lu Yuan up or taping his mouth—there was no need. With his strength as a second-grade cultivator, keeping a normal student unconscious was effortless.
After driving for more than half an hour, the car finally stopped outside an abandoned factory in the suburbs.
The area was deserted. Weeds grew wildly along the roadside, and dismantled machinery was piled outside the walls.
Zhang Baocheng got out of the car and pushed open the rusty iron gate, which let out a grating creak.
“It’s me,” he said calmly.
Two shadows emerged from behind the wall. They had been on guard in the darkness and had now recognized him.
“Greetings, Guard Lord!”
“Mm.” Zhang Baocheng waved his hand casually. “There’s a student in the trunk—bring him inside.”
After speaking, he walked into the factory.
The place had long been abandoned. The air was filled with the decaying smell of machine oil and dust. The passageways were piled with construction debris, as if no one had passed through in ages.
But after winding through a dark corridor, the scene changed completely.
A row of beds lined the walls. The floor was littered with mineral water bottles and instant noodle containers. Under the dim light of a flickering emergency lamp, more than a dozen people were kneeling before a wooden statue, praying.
This was one of the cult’s strongholds in Ningcheng. Everyone present was a cultist—or as they called themselves, believers of the Holy Cult.
“Guard Lord!” someone noticed Zhang Baocheng entering and hurriedly knelt in respect.
Zhang Baocheng gestured lightly and asked, “Where are they?”
“Inside.”
Zhang Baocheng pushed the door open and saw Xiaobing lying on the ground with her hands tied behind her back, quietly sobbing.
Several people who had been sitting around eating porridge immediately put down their bowls and stood up straight.
“My lord.” A sallow-faced middle-aged man pointed at Xiaobing. “We have successfully brought her here.”
“Mm.” Zhang Baocheng responded coldly. “Did you check her when bringing her in?”
“We did. No one followed us, and the girl doesn’t have a phone on her. No one can find her,” the man replied with a fawning smile.
Smack!
A slap landed on his face, knocking him to his knees.
Zhang Baocheng roared:
“Useless trash!
Her brother already went to the Internal Affairs Bureau!
There’s something on the girl!
If I hadn’t been there, that bastard Ji Yin would already be leading people here to kill us!
A bunch of useless idiots—you can’t even handle such a simple task!”
ns216.73.217.39da2
and then Add to home screen.