Chapter 40: The Zhulong of Zhong Mountain

Xu Ximing looked at the nonchalant girl with a complex expression. He opened his mouth, wanting to mock her naivety, but held back upon seeing her youthful face.

Forget it, she's still a child; there's no point in arguing with a kid.

However, to his surprise, while he restrained himself, the policeman next to him did not seem to want to hold back. "That's indeed a good idea, but he's just a mortal. Can his soul withstand soul-searching?"

Zhao Jiong was conflicted.

Soul-searching, as the name suggests, is a spell that directly affects the soul. The caster can see all the life experiences of the one being cast upon, making it a straightforward, quick, real, and reliable method for interrogation.

However, this technique also causes significant damage to the soul. Elder Ming Qi had once used it on a disobedient demon in the Demon Lock Tower, and the demon turned into an idiot afterward.

Though Zhao Jiong wanted to solve the case and catch the mastermind, he wasn't ruthless enough to turn an ordinary person into an imbecile.

Ling Ji glanced at him, surprised he would ask such a foolish question. "Can you visit someone's house and collapse it?"

Zhao Jiong: "..."

It seemed her understanding of soul-searching differed from his.

Seeing the youthful girl's face and knowing her identity, Xing Miao understood. "Ling Ji has a unique divine ability to observe souls without harming them."

Ling Ji—Zhulong, the deity of Zhong Mountain. When her eyes opened, it was day; when they closed, it was night. Her breath brought winter; her exhale brought summer. She could see a thousand miles, perceive the minutest details, explore the netherworld, and examining a person's soul was as easy as retrieving an item from her pocket.

This was a divine privilege.

Knowing she was a demon but not her divine nature, Zhao Jiong was relieved and stepped back, bowing to her. "I'll trouble you then."

Ling Ji raised her chin slightly and, in a flash, appeared in front of Xu Ximing, who was looking at them as if they were lunatics.

Seeing the girl suddenly before him, Xu Ximing's eyes widened in shock. The surprise momentarily overcame his fear. His light brown pupils clearly reflected the girl's figure, and the next moment, a pair of black eyes with a golden glow enlarged before him. Xu Ximing's consciousness sank, and his mind went blank.

Ling Ji's right eye gradually lost its color, turning from pitch-black to a light pearly white, rimmed with gold.

Zhao Jiong held his breath at the sight.

He had seen many splendid spells and experienced profound techniques, but none had ever shaken him like this. Just one look felt like a world apart.

Ten seconds later, Ling Ji withdrew her gaze, her right eye returning to its normal black color. She extended her index finger, drawing a few strokes in the air, and a man's face appeared. "It's him."

Zhao Jiong looked up.

The man seemed to be in his thirties, with ordinary features, single eyelids, and a flat nose. The only memorable detail was a black mole under his nostril.

"Click." Zhao Jiong took a photo of the man's face, edited the information, and sent it off.

His actions were smooth and uninterrupted.

"Who... Exactly are you people?" Just as Zhao Jiong was about to shower praises, a weak male voice interrupted. He turned to see Xu Ximing, whose face showed shattered beliefs and a sliver of remaining reason.

"Uh, there's no need for you to know that." Zhao Jiong quickly opened an app called "Memory Cleanse" on his phone, aiming it at Xu Ximing and pressing "Start."

"Wait." Ling Ji stopped him, stepped forward, lifted Xu Ximing's chin, and with her right pinky, which had turned into a sharp dragon claw, made a cut on his face.

A shallow bloodstain appeared on Xu Ximing's fair face, not long or deep, but fresh blood quickly oozed out, filling the room with the smell of iron. Ling Ji scraped a bit of blood and sniffed it.

"I see."

She released his chin, her bright eyes revealing understanding.

"Master." Xing Miao examined Xu Ximing but found nothing unusual. "Is something wrong with him?"

"His blood..." Jin Hong sniffed the air, her eyebrows furrowing as she stared at Xu Ximing, hesitant. "It seems to have a demonic aura."

"Hmm?" Xing Miao raised an eyebrow, surprised by this revelation.

Zhao Jiong's gaze swept over Xu Ximing like a searchlight. As a human without demonic power or Jin Hong's keen senses, he couldn't see anything unusual.

"He has the bloodline of a celestial deer." Seeing their confusion, Ling Ji explained, "Celestial deer are divine beasts guarding tombs in the celestial realm, resembling deer with long tails, capable of absorbing and suppressing evil."

Though divine, they were essentially high-ranking demons in the celestial realm, revered by mortals.

"I know about them." Xing Miao recalled, "The 'Book of Song' records: 'Celestial deer are pure spiritual beasts, shining in five colors. They appear when a ruler's virtue is complete.'"

"His celestial deer bloodline is extremely thin, likely a half-demon descendant after many generations. Though diluted, it still sets him apart from ordinary people."

Otherwise, he wouldn't have regained his senses so quickly from her spell.

"What are you talking about? Celestial deer? Half-demon?" Xu Ximing, regaining some clarity, was baffled. He understood every word but not their meaning together.

Despite being a science student, he had always excelled in language arts.

"In this case, we can't erase his memory." Zhao Jiong regretfully put away his phone, giving Xu Ximing a pitiful look.

"And we can't process him through normal legal channels."

Xu Ximing: "..."

Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?

Zhao Jiong sighed, calling his colleagues back in. "Take him to the Special Management Bureau for custody under Chief Shen."

Since he couldn't be sent to the Demon Lock Tower, Chief Shen, in charge of interrogations, was the next best option.

The colleagues complied without question, taking the bewildered Xu Ximing away.

"Master, I'll go see Hu Li, see if she recognizes this man." Although unlikely, Zhao Jiong wanted to try. His main goal was to have her help find the man.

As a long-term resident demon with official registration, Hu Li had far-reaching connections between both humans and demons, much more than him.

After all, age speaks volumes.

"I'll go with you." Ling Ji, dreading the thought of studying, eagerly chose to go out.

Though unaware of her enthusiasm's reason, Zhao Jiong welcomed her company, appreciating her abilities.

If she went, Xing Miao and Jin Hong naturally followed.

Jin Hong, having promised to help Xu Ximing retrieve his sister's videos, felt obligated to keep her word. Since Zhao Jiong mentioned Hu Li's influence, she wanted her advice to avoid aimless searching.

"Achoo." Hu Li, lounging on her sofa with a script and a glass of red wine, shivered, spilling wine on her script.

Setting the glass down, she blew on the script, instantly restoring it to its original state, with no trace of wine.

"For some reason, I feel trouble coming my way." Losing interest in her script, she set it aside.

Half an hour later, faced with two humans and two demons, Hu Li regretted not going out to avoid them.

"I don't recognize him." Glancing at the portrait on Zhao Jiong's phone, Hu Li couldn't recall him. "Does he have any special traits? Do you need my help?"

This was precisely what Zhao Jiong hoped for. "Yes, I suspect he has some unusual methods. Can you help find him?"

Though he had relied on colleagues from the major crimes unit, the suspect's ability to obscure Xu Ximing's perception suggested conventional means might fail.

Hu Li: "..."

Well, she had to follow through on her offer.

"Send me his photo."

After posting a missing person notice in her network, the timid carp spirit trailing Ling Ji approached Hu Li. "Can you help me with something?"

Noticing Ling Ji's disinterest, Hu Li smiled warmly. "Go on."

"It's tricky." After hearing the request, Hu Li frowned. "Such videos usually have dedicated buyers and clients. If the videos are with the hidden masterminds, it's hard to trace."

Initially, Hu Li agreed out of respect for Ling Ji, but realizing the case's relevance to hers, her attitude shifted.

"A well-connected media professional could help." Hu Li suggested, "They could track down the source, leading us to the buyers and the mastermind."

Jin Hong: "Doesn't your company have such people?"

Hu Li: "We do, but they lack the necessary depth."

For such sensitive information, only media veterans could quickly uncover the truth.

Like...

Hu Li pointed to a recently pushed news notification, indicating the icon. "Someone from their team."

Jin Hong looked where she pointed, seeing a lifelike phoenix ready to soar.

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