Wearing a rabbit pajama set, Yanzhu pushed aside the rabbit ears blocking her vision and tossed them back with a flourish. Her face was hidden behind a pure black mask—or more accurately, a slab of black wood—that completely obscured her features. It was a menacing sight, yet for those who practice cultivation, one’s identity can still be discerned even through a mask.
Wenzhou looked at this strange figure in rabbit pajamas and a mask, his tone icy. "You come uninvited, Your Excellency? Do you have no regard for Tici'an?" He continued, "I didn't invite you, so don't you dare come here to make trouble for Tici'an! Leave at once and stop stirring up conflict."
Tici'an maintained branch offices in several cities, with its headquarters located in the Hidden Realm. In recent years, Tici'an’s reputation had grown significantly, presided over by the head of the Wen Family.
"Come uninvited? Hmph." It was as if she had heard a hilarious joke; she actually laughed out loud.
Yanzhu stretched and let out a yawn. "If the mountain won't come to me, I’ll come to the mountain." She added, "I didn't need an invitation to come here myself." Watching Wenzhou’s angry expression, Yanzhu grew even more delighted. "What’s the matter? Is this place so shameful that it can’t be seen?"
*If you’re unhappy, then I’m happy; after all, some things are built on the suffering of others.*
Wenzhou was about to retort, but Yanzhu cut him off. "Oh, it really is shameful, I suppose. After all, nobody likes a bunch of busybodies who have nothing better to do than pry into other people’s business." Yanzhu tilted her head and added.
Before the words had even faded, her mana transformed into sharp, resilient threads, slicing through the air with ruthless precision.
"Did no one teach you not to look at people you shouldn't be prying into? And to get caught on top of that—you’re truly idiotic!"
*And you were unlucky enough to be caught by me. Have the rats grown this stupid lately?*
Wenzhou couldn't dodge in time; the threads pierced through his shoulder blade. "You haven't even revealed your face—perhaps it is you who is afraid to be seen." *So, you've realized. Then I cannot let you live!* With that, he flew toward Yanzhu to attack.
*Wenzhou thought: I refuse to believe I can't handle some brash little girl!*
Yanzhu watched Wenzhou rushing toward her, a meaningful smile tugging at the corners of her lips. *Close quarters? You’ve run into your ancestor!*
"Little rat, you'd better be careful."
The two figures collided, locked in hand-to-hand combat.
Wenzhou broke into a cold sweat. As the battle intensified, each blow landing on flesh made him realize just how terrifying his opponent was. His own cultivation was no small feat, yet he was struggling to keep up with her.
*Could she be a prodigy from one of the great families?*
A second later, he dismissed the thought. *What kind of prodigy would be out doing something like this?*
Breaking into someone’s home in the middle of the night, starting a fight without a word, and blowing up their Tici'an offices just because—did they have no regard for them at all? It was utterly arrogant! Weren't they afraid of being held accountable by the Special Operations Bureau?
Yanzhu delivered a fierce punch toward Wenzhou. Taking the full force of the blow, Wenzhou stumbled back, the shockwave flattening the buildings on either side.
Wenzhou was filled with terror. *How is this possible! Her cultivation exceeds my own!*
*When did a person like this appear in Luocheng?*
Wenzhou had been in charge of Tici'an, and for years, no one had dared to cross him. Either people didn't want to bother with him, or those who did had been eliminated by him.
Yanzhu carelessly shook out her arm. "What’s the matter? Not calling for backup? Then I won't hold back." *Anyone tainted by what this man has on his hands deserves to die nine times over!*
*Besides, anyone who tries to move against the Yan family—dies!*
Yanzhu raised her hand and snapped her fingers sharply. A cluster of cerulean flames danced at her fingertips. The "Jiujiang Flame" surged toward Wenzhou.
Wenzhou was swallowed by the cerulean fire; he didn't even have time to scream before he was reduced to ash.
Wenzhou stared at Yanzhu with resentment. He couldn't understand why such a powerful figure had come knocking overnight!
*The Hidden Realm won't let you go. After I die, Tici'an will hunt you down. Just wait to die.*
Yanzhu looked at Wenzhou; his lips moved as if he were saying something, but she didn't hear it. "Unimportant. Time to go home and sleep." Her figure vanished into the night.
*Couldn't even get your last words out, how pathetic. Maybe you can seek your revenge in your next life; this one is over for you.*
To Yanzhu, this was no different from lighting a fire and then putting it out, before returning home as if nothing had happened. The timing was perfect.
Yaojiu, inside her Consciousness Sea, witnessed everything in fear. *It’s just… over, like that!* Yaojiu silently raised Yanzhu’s danger rating by several notches.
*Moving directly and without mercy—is she really that cold-blooded?*
*Can’t you show even a sliver of guilt for wiping out an entire branch?*
*She didn't even bother listening to his threats. Impressive. Truly ruthless.*
There were many with high levels of cultivation in the Hidden Realm, but to possess such profound mana in the restrictive Mortal Realm was shocking—it implied that without those restrictions, she could take on an entire army single-handedly.
Most people were unwilling to act because the Mortal Realm had too many rules, and the people from the Special Operations Team were always watching.
Yaojiu thought: *Yanzhu, are you not afraid?*
*You’re clearly just a young girl, yet you dare to take on a whole group!*
Yaojiu had seen it with her own eyes; she really was not afraid.
***
At the Tici'an headquarters in the Capital.
A woman in a professional uniform pushed open the doors to the conference hall and walked straight to the man in the main seat, leaning down to whisper:
"The Luocheng branch of Tici'an has been wiped out. There are no clues; we can't find the perpetrator."
The man in the main seat furrowed his brow. He let out a scoff. "Wiped out just like that? Useless, as expected." The destruction didn't affect the Capital, but he was curious about who would dare to move against their Wen Family’s Tici'an and do so without making a sound.
"Send Wen Lan to investigate. If anything is found, eliminate them!"
No one could threaten the reputation of Tici'an; if word of this got out, it would certainly not bode well for their name.
Everyone seated was shocked. What could have happened to require Wen Lan to get involved? Thoughts raced through their minds, but no one spoke a word.
The secretary received the order and left immediately, leaving nothing behind but the sound of her footsteps.
***
Yanzhu lay in bed, reflecting on everything that had happened recently, then closed her eyes. Caring about others was not as important as getting a good night's sleep.
Yanzhu’s philosophy: If you come to a mountain, there’s a path; if there’s no path, just carve one out. Nothing is a problem.
That night, for some, peace was gone. The destruction of the Luocheng Tici'an was bound to cause a stir, and the Special Operations Team would be busy.
Qin Huai grabbed his head and shouted: "Who is this! Why go around wiping out people's branches for no reason! And leaving no information—are you trying to work me to death?"
Several subordinates who had finished making their calls ran over, standing trembling to the side, waiting for Qin Huai to finish his rant. When he finally looked at them, they shook their heads one by one, signaling that there were no results.
They had already called everyone with status or power in Luocheng, and they hadn't found a single anomaly.
As the largest and most developed city outside of the Capital, for something like this to happen out of the blue, how would they explain it to the Special Operations Bureau tomorrow? Negligence? Incompetence?
Qin Huai could already see himself withered away by tomorrow’s meetings.
*WHO IS IT!!!*
*Don't let me find you. Constantly interrupting my time off—in the middle of the night, too! Couldn't you have found time during the day to wipe them out?*
*Did you have to do it at night? So annoying!*
*Working like a dog, up in the middle of the night, and getting nothing but grief.*
*This modern working dog refuses to work overtime!*
"Keep calling. Ask them one by one. Use a subtle approach, but don't show any mercy. If they have objections, tell them to take it up with the main bureau. And take the 'Searching Ruler' to the scene."