Clash of Pride and the Shadowed Pursuit

The smile froze on Xia Tian's face, rendering his expression momentarily bizarre. 

"Real bullets?" he murmured in disbelief. "Damn, Ling Yun, I almost shot you! Good thing your skills are top-notch, or I would have made an unforgivable mistake." 

Ling Yun was at a loss for words. Had this guy really fired without checking whether his bullets were real or not? Or had he become so accustomed to his role as a crime boss that human lives no longer held any weight in his eyes? Though Ling Yun's life was insignificant compared to the truly powerful figures of the world, being killed in such a careless manner was something he simply could not accept. 

"Someone swapped my bullets," Xia Tian's expression grew serious. "My memory isn't failing me—I loaded the magazine with rubber rounds." 

Ling Yun didn't care who had switched them. What mattered was that he had nearly been killed. Just as he was about to speak, both he and Xia Tian stiffened. 

Once again, an invisible force field erupted, and in an instant, two figures blurred into motion, vanishing from their original positions. A moment later, the muffled sound of a silenced gunshot echoed through the alley. Two bullet holes appeared—one on the tree behind Xia Tian and the other in the brick wall behind Ling Yun. 

Ling Yun was both shocked and enraged. What the hell was going on today? Another assassination attempt? This time, however, he saw the bullet hole clearly—its edges spiraled inward, the depth unfathomable. A rubber round could never have caused such damage. There was only one conclusion: the attacker was using real bullets. 

His gaze instinctively shifted to Xia Tian, who had only just tried to shoot him moments ago, and now, in a twist of fate, was himself the target of an ambush. How poetic. 

But before Ling Yun could relish in the irony, he noticed something strange—Xia Tian had been just as startled as he was, but in mere seconds, his expression transformed from shock and fury into excitement. Instead of taking cover, he leisurely walked into the alley and called out to the empty sky, "Xia Zhen, is that you? Come out already. No wonder someone managed to swap my bullets without me noticing. If it wasn't you, who else would have the time for such mischief?" 

A melodious, impish laugh rang through the air. 

"Hehe, Brother Xia Tian, I think you're the one with too much time on your hands. Shooting an esper with rubber bullets? What are you playing at, a children's cops-and-robbers game?" 

As the words fell, a young girl clad in a green combat outfit materialized mid-air. She descended gracefully, as though stepping down an invisible staircase, until she reached the ground. 

Her silky black hair cascaded down to her waist, her smooth forehead partially obscured by playful bangs. Her large, glistening eyes bore an uncanny resemblance to Xia Tian's. With a delicate, upturned nose and lips as soft and pink as cherry blossoms, her flawless complexion made her look like an exquisite porcelain doll—radiant with youthful charm and an irresistible allure. 

Xia Tian sighed. "Xia Zhen, jokes have their limits. I only just met Brother Ling Yun, and though I knew he could dodge bullets, how could I possibly risk firing a real one at him? Just now, I came within a hair's breadth of hitting him. Don't ever pull a stunt like this again." 

Xia Zhen pouted, glancing at the stone-faced Ling Yun with a trace of grievance. "How was I supposed to know you were meeting some random esper? And besides, what kind of esper is afraid of real bullets? We use live rounds in our training to hone our speed and reflexes. My sisters even train with machine gun fire! Look, he's perfectly fine, isn't he?" She jabbed a finger at Ling Yun. 

Before Xia Tian could respond, Ling Yun's brow furrowed. "If I threw a bomb at you, would you die?" 

"Obviously! I'm not invincible," Xia Zhen rolled her eyes. She was beginning to find this boy increasingly unimpressive. She had expected Xia Tian to be chasing after some legendary figure, but instead, it was just this ordinary-looking student—plain and unremarkable. And now, on top of her disappointment, she was being scolded. Irritated, she directed her frustration at Ling Yun. 

"So, what? You think you're invincible? That bullets can't kill you? Are you some kind of deity?" Ling Yun shot back icily. 

Xia Zhen was taken aback. She had assumed him to be a meek, unassuming boy—yet his words were razor-sharp, rendering her momentarily speechless. She had been doted on her whole life and had never been spoken to this bluntly. Her face flushed red with embarrassment and anger. "All espers train this way! If you can't dodge a bullet, that just means you're weak!" 

"Oh? So now you speak for all espers? You're the grand representative of your entire kind? What are you, a dictator? Or an empress ruling over her imperial harem?" Ling Yun sneered. "By your logic, if I trained with missiles and then used one on you, that would also be fair, right? If you got blown to bits, it would just mean you were too weak to survive, wouldn't it?" 

"You—!" Xia Zhen's frustration boiled over as she stamped her foot in fury, too enraged to formulate a retort.

"Could you both say a little less?" Xia Tian, who had been unable to get a word in, finally forced a genial smile, steeling himself to mediate between the two who were at daggers drawn. "It's your first meeting, yet you're already squabbling like two enraged roosters. It's not a big deal, so let's just drop it." 

"Ling Yun, this is my cousin, Xia Zhen. She recently joined China's Paranormal Division as an apprentice and is also an ability user. Don't underestimate her—she may only be twenty, but her abilities far surpass those of her useless older cousin," Xia Tian introduced her with a self-deprecating chuckle. 

Ling Yun didn't spare Xia Zhen so much as a glance, nor did he acknowledge her presence, which made her bite down on her silver teeth in frustration. 

"Xia Zhen, don't take it to heart. Just let it go. Besides, you were the one who acted rudely first. Speaking of which, Ling Yun is two years younger than you—he just graduated from high school. Though I only met him today, I truly admire him and genuinely want to be friends. Your brother Zhao Yu has a keen eye—his recommendation was spot on," Xia Tian said, slightly embarrassed as he tried to pacify her. 

Xia Zhen, still fuming over Ling Yun's indifferent attitude and the way he had retorted to her earlier, felt deeply affronted. Without so much as looking at him, she haughtily remarked, "Brother, I don't see anything admirable about him. His looks are average, yet he's arrogant. His strength is probably nothing remarkable either. I wouldn't be surprised if he came from some insignificant ability-user family, completely unaware of his own limitations. I think you've made a misjudgment this time." 

Xia Tian's expression darkened. "Xia Zhen, mind your words. That was exceedingly rude." 

Ling Yun quietly stepped beside Xia Tian. "Mr. Xia, I apologize, but I'd like to take my leave. Today has been nothing short of unpleasant. Initially, I was interested in exchanging insights with fellow ability users, but I've learned something new instead. If being an ability user means disregarding reason, imposing one's will on others, and constantly acting superior, then I must say—even with my meager strength—I would rather not be associated with such people." 

He gave a derisive smile. "Mr. Xia, you are the head of the Four Seas Group, a man of great influence. Someone like me, a mere nobody, shouldn't have had any intersection with you in the first place. Let's part ways here." 

Xia Tian sighed. "Ling Yun, do you look down on me? Are you saying this just to provoke me?" 

Ling Yun merely smiled again, saying nothing, then turned on his heel and strode away. 

"Hey, Ling Yun, wait a moment!" Xia Zhen had still been sulking, but upon hearing his words, a strange feeling suddenly welled up inside her—a mix of grievance and frustration, yet she had no retort. Deep down, she knew she was in the wrong, but with her pride as a young lady, she refused to back down. When Ling Yun had countered her so sharply, leaving her with no way to save face, she had stubbornly chosen to act unreasonably. 

She hadn't expected him to throw down such resolute words and walk away without hesitation. This boy was far too stubborn! Did he not realize that taking a step back would allow them both a way out? For some inexplicable reason, an odd, bitter taste filled her chest—an indescribable discomfort. If Ling Yun left now, carrying the impression that she was just a domineering, unreasonable young lady, Xia Zhen found that she couldn't bear it. 

She instinctively wanted to call out to him, but when she opened her mouth, she found herself at a loss for words. 

Ling Yun acted as if he hadn't heard her and continued walking, his pace unyielding. He had already reached the alley's exit and was about to turn the corner. Panicked, Xia Zhen grabbed Xia Tian's arm. "Brother, why are you just standing there? Hurry and stop him!" 

Xia Tian gave her a long, thoughtful look and chuckled. "I'm not in a hurry, so why are you? Earlier, when I asked you to take a step back, you refused. Instead, you provoked him even more, and now, you've successfully driven him away." 

Xia Zhen pouted. "He was the one who spoke against me first! I'm a girl—can't he just let me win once? Now look what happened! I was just a minor apprentice before, and now I've become the representative of all unreasonable and tyrannical ability users. Ugh, this is frustrating." 

Xia Tian laughed. "Oh, so you're aware of that? Don't worry. Watch me say just one sentence, and he'll come right back." 

Xia Zhen scoffed. "Yeah, right. Go on, then. Say it and prove me wrong." 

By now, most of Ling Yun's figure had disappeared around the corner, with only one foot still visible in their line of sight. 

Xia Tian suddenly called out in a loud voice, "Ling Yun, don't you want to investigate that strange middle-aged man?" 

The foot that had just stepped forward abruptly froze in midair. Then, slowly, it retracted. 

In the blink of an eye, Ling Yun reappeared before them, his expression taut with urgency. "You noticed it too? I was pursuing him, but when I reached this spot, he suddenly vanished. Just as I was about to give chase, you showed up, and I thought you were the one interfering." 

"I noticed him the moment I arrived," Xia Tian replied, his playful smile disappearing, replaced by an unprecedented seriousness. "But don't worry. I've already used a special tracking technique to lock onto his presence. He won't escape our sights." 

"What are you two talking about? So secretive," Xia Zhen interjected, looking utterly confused. 

Xia Tian ignored her and instead turned to Ling Yun with a grin. "A little test for you, Ling Yun—do you have any idea what kind of aura that strange middle-aged man carried?" 

Ling Yun fell silent, deep in thought. In truth, there was something oddly familiar about that man's presence, as if he had encountered it before. The aura itself was deeply unsettling—like the stench of a decaying corpse. 

Wait—corpse? 

A sudden flash of memory surfaced in Ling Yun's mind, along with words that Yu Xiujie had once spoken. 

"A corpse puppet... That's necromancy," Ling Yun blurted out.