Killing Aura

Guo Lan's willow-leaf eyebrows shot up. "Who the hell are you calling out? Looks like you're the one asking for a beating!"

Having grown up at Heyuan University, she could summon a crowd of juniors with one phone call. Combined with her fiery temper, she wasn't about to back down.

Huo Xuan said coldly, "If you're scared to lose, piss off right now. Don't just stand there being an eyesore."

The guy finally turned serious. "Fine, I accept your terms." He stepped opposite Huo Xuan, gaze locked on.

Huo Xuan's Hunyuan Stance shifted subtly, concealing the framework of Taiji Whip within.

The moment his opponent's shoulders twitched, lunging in with a whip-like kick, Huo Xuan saw the movement as slow as a snail's crawl. He leaned back effortlessly, evading the strike, then countered with a whip-arm swing—his upper arm the whip's handle, his forearm the lash, slicing through the air with a sharp crack!

Even Huo Xuan was surprised by the sound. He recognized it as the manifestation of Ming Jin (visible force)—specifically, the Explosive Jin. This explosive force required relaxed roots, weighted midsection, and a taut tip, honed over time until it could snap like a whip through air.

His opponent paled at the sound, hastily dodging forward—but too late. Huo Xuan's fist hammered his back, sending him flying like a scarecrow for three to four meters before crashing down.

Withdrawing his stance, Huo Xuan said, "If this were a death match, you'd be dead."

The guy staggered drunkenly, barely staying upright, his face shifting through shades of disbelief. "...Didn't expect you to be this good," he muttered, turning to leave.

"Hold it." Huo Xuan's voice was icy. "A thousand barks. Miss one, and I knock out a tooth. Run out of teeth, and I start breaking fingers."

The four stiffened, glaring furiously—until Huo Xuan's gaze turned glacial. "What? Need me to enforce it?"

The leader gritted his teeth. "...We admit defeat."

Thus, a surreal scene unfolded: four male students sprinting around the square, howling like dogs. Guo Lan watched in awe, giving Huo Xuan a thumbs-up. "Damn, that was hot. I'm officially a fan!"

With that, she took out her phone and recorded the bizarre scene unfolding on the field.

Whether they actually barked a thousand times or not, Huo Xuan didn't bother counting. Seeing the four on the verge of tears, he waved them over and lectured, "People should learn humility. Act like a prick, and you'll get struck by lightning. Now scram."

The four left without a word, not daring to look back.

The morning's little episode had at least livened things up. After practicing stances for a while longer, Huo Xuan received a call from Xu Feihu, who had already arrived in Jiangzhou. Xu Feihu was taking this trip extremely seriously—it could determine the course of his entire career—so he'd set off before dawn and arrived early.

Huo Xuan borrowed Guo Lan's car to pick him up from the airport. When Xu Feihu saw Huo Xuan, he was all politeness. "Brother Huo, I appreciate your help today. Has Director Feng arrived yet?"

"Not yet," Huo Xuan replied. "Let's find a place to sit and wait together."

They headed to a coffee shop in the airport, joining the crowd of waiting passengers for some casual conversation. Xu Feihu was in his forties, but his eyes had a habit of wandering toward the attractive women in the café—though he carefully avoided glancing at Guo Lan, not wanting to risk angering Huo Xuan.

Mid-conversation, Xu Feihu suddenly received a text. His face lit up, and he turned to Huo Xuan. "Brother Huo, an old comrade of mine just arrived. Mind if I go meet him?"

Huo Xuan smiled. "Of course. Bring him over."

Xu Feihu hurried off and returned about ten minutes later with a middle-aged man in a tracksuit. The moment the man approached, Huo Xuan shot to his feet, his gaze icy and locked onto him.

Through his clairvoyance, Huo Xuan saw a swirling mass of black mist clinging to the man's back, threadlike tendrils of it writhing around him. Within each wisp was a distorted face, howling like vengeful spirits—and Huo Xuan could almost hear them.

Ever since dispelling the evil from Xiaolong, he'd known that mysterious forces truly existed in this world—just not in the way ordinary people imagined.

The man had a crew cut and an unremarkable demeanor, but at Huo Xuan's reaction, his eyes narrowed. "Feihu, your young friend here has sharp instincts," he remarked.

Guo Lan, sensing none of what Huo Xuan did, found his behavior baffling. She tugged his sleeve. "What's wrong?"

Huo Xuan smiled faintly. "Nothing. Just that this gentleman carries… an unusually heavy killing aura."

A cold glint flashed in the middle-aged man's eyes before he smiled and nodded at Huo Xuan, taking a seat opposite him.

Huo Xuan also sat back down and asked, "Deputy Director Xu, how should I address this gentleman?"

Xu Feihu immediately perked up. "This is Song Shiping, my old comrade from the army. Back in the day, he was the top fighter in our entire military region—even the commander personally received him. Later, he joined a special forces unit. We lost contact for ten years, so I'm not sure what he does now."

Huo Xuan nodded. "Mr. Song must have killed quite a few people. Otherwise, his killing aura wouldn't be this heavy."

Song Shiping looked slightly surprised and studied Huo Xuan. "Young man, your perception is impressive. How did you figure that out?"

Huo Xuan smiled. "Intuition."

Song didn't press further and turned to Xu Feihu. "Feihu, I came to Heyuan for some business. Knowing you were here too, I thought I'd drop by. This young friend of yours is quite interesting—introduce us properly."

Xu Feihu quickly said, "This is Huo Xuan. He's got serious connections—my bureau chief was taken down with just one word from him."

Huo Xuan chuckled. "Deputy Xu, you're exaggerating."

Xu Feihu waved it off. "Brother Huo, if you don't mind, just call me Brother Xu. Titles are too formal."

Huo Xuan, also keen on building this relationship, smiled and said, "Brother Xu, if we're talking about someone extraordinary, it's your comrade here. Ten years apart—he must've lived quite the remarkable life."

At the mention of Song Shiping, Xu Feihu couldn't help turning to him. "Shiping, we haven't spoken in a decade. Which department are you with now? Can you share?"

Song Shiping grinned. "No big secret. I'm with the Ministry of State Security's Eighth Bureau—also known as the Counterespionage Investigation Bureau."

Guo Lan's curiosity instantly flared. "Uncle, aren't you worried about exposing your identity by telling us?"

Perhaps the word "uncle" was too devastating—Song's mouth twitched. "I could always silence you."

Though she knew he was joking, Guo Lan still shrank back slightly, drawing laughter from the group.

Huo Xuan suddenly remembered something. "Elder Li has a son named Li Yunfei—he should be in your Eighth Bureau too."

A sudden murderous aura emanated from Song Shiping as he demanded, "You know Li Yunfei?"

Huo Xuan replied calmly, "No need for tension. I treated his father's illness, hence my knowledge of Li Yunfei. I'm also aware he's a Shaolin-trained operative and your Eighth Bureau's top agent."

Song immediately relaxed, his gaze warming noticeably. "Correct. I was personally trained by Captain Li. To think you know his father - the revered Elder Li who's secured many privileges for our bureau. For curing him, you have my gratitude."

After staying about an hour, Song departed, leaving Huo his contact number for future assistance. The remaining trio waited another half-hour until Feng Yulong arrived.

Huo deliberately remained out of sight, sending Xu Feihu to receive the guest while he and Guo Lan secured a luxury hotel suite in Heyuan. Soon, Xu arrived with the Public Security Director.

Feng Yulong expressed immediate appreciation: "Xiao Huo, I'm indebted for your trouble in making this trip."

"You honor me too much, Uncle Feng." Huo gestured toward Xu. "This is Xu Feihu, Deputy Party Committee Director of Nangang County PSB, coincidentally in Heyuan on business. I entrusted him with your reception."

Feng's glance swept over Xu. "I do recall Comrade Xu."

Xu's heart surged with elation - this casual recognition from the Provincial Director carried immeasurable weight for his career prospects.