Lu Ding was still an Intern Investigator at 749 Bureau. And as the saying goes, “A monk for a day must strike the bell for a day.” One of the Bureau’s fundamental principles was to eradicate evil completely.

Nothing wrong with that, right?

He wasn’t interested in questioning why Thousand-Gold Old Man was there.

The fact was, he was there—mixing with the Tianli Cult.

Might as well take them all out in one go.

Killing him was already a favor. Not making him say “thank you” was even kinder.

Lu Ding glanced at the distant mountain valley, then leaped into the trees, swiftly navigating through the forest.

The moment he left—

Wen Yuquan and the others arrived.

It wasn’t that Lu Ding was that much faster.

It was just that he had ended the fight way too quickly.

Despite their best efforts to catch up, the three still arrived late.

“Oh hoh, well, that’s that. They’re dead. And hey, bonus prize—a dead old man.”

Yin Feng clapped his hands, summing it up in two words: Oh hoh.

Wen Yuquan’s face twitched with irritation.

Yin Feng stepped forward to inspect the brutally slain bodies. “Yep, it’s Ling Gu. And looks like Thousand-Gold Old Man was with her too. So, our primary target and the guy we were supposed to capture? Both dead. Killed by him. How the hell are we supposed to report this?”

“What, say we just went on a nature trip?”

“Spent the whole night wandering around, doing nothing? Damn it, even if we get contribution points for this, I wouldn’t feel right accepting them. What kind of mission is this?”

Then he turned to Yan Feifan.

“Hey, Yan Feifan, does Lu Ding always have such a high kill count? Ling Gu just threw out some tough talk, and this guy traveled across the country just to take her out?”

On the way over, Yan Feifan had given Wen Yuquan and Yin Feng a quick rundown of why they were even here.

And the more they listened, the more ridiculous it sounded.

They were all Cultivators of Qi. Who among them hadn’t suffered a little loss and thrown out some harsh words?

That’s normal!

But to actually track someone down and kill them on the spot for it…

“Yeah, that sounds about right,” Yan Feifan replied. “Lu-ge’s just cautious. He didn’t know if Ling Gu was serious or not, so he figured it was safer to check it out himself. He didn’t even know if she’d really be here. But when he showed up, turns out—yep, she was.”

“And she wasn’t his match.”

“So really… she was just unlucky.”

Wen Yuquan let out an incredulous laugh.

So that’s what happens when you’re too stunned to react—you just laugh.

“Fine, whatever. What’s done is done. Baiyao Ancient Town has a nice view. Let’s just pretend we came here for sightseeing.”

Yin Feng had no objections to that.

“Actually, I’m cool with a nature trip, but I wanna grab a drink with Lu Ding and get to know him. We seem to get along, and since we ran into each other, might as well make friends.”

He glanced around.

“But… where the hell did he go?”

Yan Feifan pulled out his phone. “I’ll text Lu-ge.”

But before his message even got a reply—

Wen Yuquan’s phone rang.

A voice message had come in.

From someone who should still be in the middle of fighting.

He played it.

A woman’s voice came through:

“This mission only had six people, right? Why is there suddenly an extra Intern Investigator? This guy’s a freak—who the hell called in outside reinforcements?”

“I swear to god, did Lu Ding really just run into the valley?!”

Yin Feng’s eyes widened.

“He what?!”

Without hesitation, he turned and bolted toward the mountain valley.

—

A few moments earlier, as Lu Ding had entered the valley in search of the Flying Centipede,

He had accidentally run into a fierce battle between a Tianli Cult sorcerer and a 749 Bureau investigator—Shi Yinghe.

The two had been locked in combat for over a hundred exchanges, neither gaining the upper hand.

Each had their own strengths, both already wounded.

But overall—Shi Yinghe was taking more damage.

“Formal Investigator of 749 Bureau,Shi Yinghe, known as 'The Smile That Turns Back.'”

“They say you hide your ultimate killing move in your long hair, and anyone who sees it never lives to tell the tale. But what if I don’t give you the chance to use it?”

In the darkness, shadowy figures flickered rapidly.

Suddenly—an attack shot forward.

Shi Yinghe swung her sword, slashing upward—clang!—metal clashed.

The attacker was sent flying backward.

A puppet, the size of a kettle, holding a bloodstained steel fork, hung upside-down from a tree in an aggressive stance.

Shi Yinghe’s eyes darted around, cursing internally.

Just my damn luck. Of all opponents, I get a puppeteer.

She did have a killing move. And yes, it was devastating.

But what was the use?

Her enemy wasn’t even here.

From the start of the battle, she had already destroyed several of his puppets.

But no matter how many she crushed, more kept appearing.

Like an endless supply.

She had tracked down the puppeteer’s hiding spot a few times,

but before she could finish him off, he always slipped away using his puppets.

If this dragged on, her fate would be sealed.

“Shi Yinghe, Shi Yinghe…”

“How about this—you beg me for mercy, and maybe, just maybe, I’ll spare your life. After all, I’d rather not be blamed for killing a 749 Bureau investigator, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Alright, alright! I beg you! Spare me!”

Shi Yinghe immediately threw down her sword and started pleading dramatically.

“Don’t kill me! I’ve had a rough life! I’m still a young, beautiful woman with no man and no money! Dying now would be way too soon! Please, have mercy on me!”

The puppeteer, hidden in the shadows, froze.

His expression turned extremely strange.

He was the one who suggested begging for mercy, but now that she actually did it…

What the hell was he supposed to do?

Most importantly—he never expected her to be this spineless.

She gave up so fast!

She even threw her sword away!

Sure, her surrender was probably mostly bullshit…

But still—what the f**?!

For a brief moment, the puppeteer was caught in an awkward dilemma.

And that’s when a voice spoke behind him.

“See? She did what you asked, and you’re still not happy.”

“Who?!”

The puppeteer’s heart seized.

He spun around, raising a short fork and stabbing backward.

A scream rang out—

His arm flew into the air.

Blood splattered.

Rustling came from the bushes as the puppeteer staggered out, terror in his eyes.

There was no point in resisting.

The person behind him was not someone he could afford to provoke.

Slow, steady footsteps followed.

Lu Ding emerged, stepping onto the puppeteer’s heel—CRACK!

“AAAHHHH!!!”

“You… who are you?!”

Shi Yinghe finally got a good look at him.

And when she saw the single star on his shoulder, her face mirrored Wen Yuquan and Yin Feng’s earlier reactions—

Pure shock.

Another Intern Investigator?!

Lu Ding sighed.

“Seriously, is that the only question you people know how to ask?”

Ignoring the puppeteer’s wails, he lifted him up effortlessly.

“Let’s try a different question—”

“Where’s the Flying Centipede?”

The puppeteer’s eyes widened in horror.

Under Lu Ding’s gaze, his already plain face warped into something unspeakably terrifying.

He trembled violently, pointing toward the valley.

“Th-There… over there…”

Lu Ding smiled.

“Great. Then take me to it.”

The puppeteer screamed.

“NO!! I’M NOT GOING!!!”

“Shi Yinghe!!! Shi Yinghe!!! You’re a 749 Investigator, right?! I’ll confess!!! I’LL CONFESS EVERYTHING!!! JUST DON’T LET ME GO WITH HIM!!!”