Wang City.
The sky, which had been oppressive all day, gradually cleared and became refreshing.
The streets slowly returned to order.
People yawned as they stepped out onto the streets.
Two office workers walked together, yawning and chatting.
"It's so strange. I'm usually not that irritable, but yesterday it was like I was possessed, running around the streets like a madman."
"Same here. I heard from a friend that his colleague, who was pulling an all-nighter, barged into their boss's house and woke him up while he was still half-asleep."
"Damn! That's harsh. I thought stopping cars with your body was already extreme."
"There's even crazier stuff. Last night, riots broke out on other streets, with a group of people holding up signs and protesting!"
"Protesting? What were they protesting?"
"It was... 'Down with the evil Su Muwan!'"
"?? Hey! You know what, now that you mention it, I had a dream where Su Muwan smashed the car I bought on loan, and I woke up the next day filled with rage!"
The affected people felt as if they had just woken up from a dream.
It was as if yesterday's possession was just a nightmare, and now they were awake... though there was still a lingering aftereffect.
At that moment.
Two or three members of the Cleaners, dressed in black combat suits, passed by.
Listening to the chatter of the crowd.
One of them curled his lips, wiped the longsword in his hand, and sighed, "What a shame. I didn’t even get to make a move before the evil spirit was gone."
"Cut it out. If you really encountered an evil spirit, you’d be scared stiff."
"How could that be? The evil spirits these days are nothing. How strong could they be?"
"You were off duty yesterday, so you didn’t see how terrifying those possessed people were. Their heads were flying off their bodies!"
"But it’s all fine now. Last night, a big shot stepped in and purified the evil energy!"
"Even the ordinary spirits in the center of Wang City are gone."
Hearing this, the skeptical one took out a detection device—a small, calculator-like portable instrument used by the Cleaners to detect spirits.
He turned it on and said, "That impressive? I don’t believe it."
As he showed it to the other two, the indicator on the device began to climb rapidly, starting from 0.
"?"
The three exchanged glances. "Is this data even possible?"
The next second.
Bang!
The needle hit its limit, and the device exploded.
??
The three looked up at the cloudless, calm sky.
It didn’t look like there were any evil spirits around. Was the machine just broken?
"Great, another one broken. Stop messing around and let’s keep patrolling."
"Today, the captains are all at the airport for the arrival."
"Arrival?"
"Yeah, over a hundred Taoists from Dragon Tiger Mountain are coming. I heard there’s an evil spirit capable of destroying the world hiding in Wang City, and the chaos from the past couple of days was its doing."
"Come on, that’s just nonsense. Evil spirits? I think we should be more concerned about that arrogant Su Muwan running rampant in Wang City. I heard she’s already extorted half the families here."
"Tell me more."
As they chatted, the trio passed by an outdoor café.
Seated at a table were three people.
Su Muwan, who had been happily eating a sundae, froze.
She slowly raised an eyebrow, then widened her eyes in disbelief as she watched the three swagger away.
"Excuse me?!"
"Are they out of their minds?!"
"What on earth did I do to them?!"
Su Muwan was stunned.
Can anyone explain this?
I just came to the city for breakfast this morning, and suddenly I’m hearing people badmouthing me?
Extortion?
Ask those families—didn’t they beg to hand over their money with smiles on their faces?
Su Muwan trembled with anger. Despite the summer heat, her heart felt cold.
Qin Luo watched Su Muwan, who was both furious and devouring her sundae, with an amused smile.
A young lady venting her anger with sweets—utterly adorable.
However, he had also picked up on a crucial piece of information.
The Taoists from Dragon Tiger Mountain...
had indeed sent over a hundred people.
Qin Luo found it particularly intriguing.
The target of these Taoists...
was sitting right in front of him, innocently eating an ice cream sundae.
Su Muwan chewed angrily, muttering, "Slander, pure slander."
"I haven’t caused any trouble since I arrived in Wang City!"
"This is how rumors start! What a bunch of jerks!"
"Qin Luo, don’t you agree?"
Qin Luo nodded in agreement. "Yeah."
"It might have something to do with my upbringing."
"I never slander anyone."
?
Su Muwan glanced at Qin Luo, then went back to eating her sundae.
I seem to recall you claiming someone groped you back in Jiangcheng.
That little streamer you accused is now a minor influencer, selling anti-spy and anti-slander tutorials.
Beside them.
Su Bailian elegantly sipped her coffee.
The air in Wang City was fresh and invigorating.
The coffee in Wang City was smooth and rich.
The people of Wang City...
She glanced at her phone, filled with notifications, and smirked.
Dumb but rich.
Ah~~ Too bad I can’t ask that Taoist master to calculate my fortune or give my dog, Boqi, a reading.
But finding a competent Taoist to do a reading wouldn’t be bad either~~
Oh, and one more thing.
Su Bailian pretended to sip her coffee while subtly observing Qin Luo and Su Muwan from the corner of her eye.
That’s right!
The main reason Su Bailian, despite her fear, insisted on tagging along as the third wheel was to figure out the relationship between Qin Luo and Su Muwan!!
What?
You ask what she’ll do with that information?
What’s wrong with just wanting to gossip?
Hehe, Sister Su, let me see what you and Qin Luo are up to these days!!
"Damn white lotus, what are you staring at?!"
"Ahem, ahem!"
Anyway! For now, I’ll just observe in secret!
.....
.....
Wang City Airport.
A large group of individuals in Taoist robes entered the VIP passage.
The massive crowd, all dressed in identical Taoist robes, moved in unison.
Some had calm expressions, others looked excited, and a few... were clutching their chests, clearly suffering from motion sickness.
The hundred-strong Taoist contingent immediately drew the attention of the airport crowd.
Click, click~!
Flashbulbs went off.
"No photography allowed here. Please delete the photos. Thank you for your cooperation."
"Okay."
"Also delete them from your recently deleted and recycle bin."
"Got it."
In the reception hall.
The captains of the Wang City branch of the Martial Arts Alliance and the Cleaners department were all present to greet the arrivals.
Over a hundred elite Taoists from Dragon Tiger Mountain had descended.
Even the well-traveled among them couldn’t help but feel awed.
Look at them!
These pure and righteous Taoists!
They’re the perfect allies in the fight against evil spirits!
Although...
The evil energy had already been dealt with.