After finally understanding the ins and outs from the furious Director Xiao, Xuan Ji couldn't help but sigh inwardly: "This old Xiao is truly the epitome of elite education. Although he has a temper worse than a pig or dog, he can still be upright when it matters."

Although he only had a vague understanding of the witches' spell, he almost immediately understood Sheng Lingyuan's intentions: "Old Xiao, listen to me first. Don't respond or explain about anything yet..."

Xiao Zheng retorted, "What nonsense! I don't even know what's going on. How can I respond?" 

"This Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly incident is something where the mastermind is deeply hidden, while we are out in the open. No one knows how long this has been going on, how deeply rooted it is in the organization, or who it may involve, right?" Xuan Ji knew that explaining was useless, so he silently took the blame for Sheng Lingyuan and casually pretended to be knowledgeable. "I knew you would do something impulsive like this. Have you ever thought about whether the principle of witchcraft has been officially recognized? Has it been accepted by everyone? I've never even heard of it. Can this thing be used as evidence in court?"

Xiao Zheng heard him still trying to argue and his tongue brewed a mouthful of fragrant air. "You mother--"

"Watch your language, leader!" Xuan Ji quickly advised, "You're already bald, if you start jumping around like a madman, others will think you're going through menopause!" 

Xiao Zheng felt that he didn't need to go to bed early, as he was not far from an early death. 

"Think about it, if that curse can only leave a mark, what will you do next? Arrest everyone with a mark on their forehead? And if they deny it, what can you do? Plus, if you startle the snake while trying to catch the grass, and the other party has more people and is more powerful, what will you do if they betray you? How will you handle the situation?" 

Xiao Zheng remained silent for a moment before responding calmly, "So, what do you suggest?" 

"Send another email later," Xuan Ji suggested with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Say that your hospital room was broken into by unknown individuals yesterday and your phone was stolen. The email they received contained a curse, and the department is currently organizing an emergency investigation. Warn everyone to be careful and then, under the guise of 'preventing infection,' isolate those who have fallen ill - meaning, separate and detain them. Do you understand what I mean? He broke into your room last night and wasn't caught on camera, but he definitely left some traces behind."

Xiao Zheng suddenly realized and looked towards the burnt energy meter and laptop. "You mean, they'll investigate the so-called 'curse' openly, but secretly investigate those who are isolated and under scrutiny?"

Xuan Ji grinned. "You're a genius, kid. I'll give you 101 points, not a point more, or you'll get too proud."

Xiao Zheng retorted, "Get lost!" 

Wang Ze held a piece of cream cake and scraped off all the cream with his fork. 

Hearing this, he paused and looked at Xuan Ji for a moment. 

Then he opened his cheeks and stuffed the whole cake into his mouth, like a pensive pufferfish.

"Since you've decided to investigate thoroughly, then let's investigate," Xuan Ji said slowly. "I suggest we split up from now on. You go back to headquarters in secret, and we'll stay here to wrap up things on this side of Dongchuan. So far, there are still many doubts about the second Yin Sacrifice ritual - after all, the first one by Bi Chunsheng used a thousand human sacrifices just to summon the first heavenly demon. Don't you think the fee for the second one is a bit low in comparison?"

Xiao Zheng paused for a moment and said cryptically, "We can trust the Wind God." 

Xiao Zheng had Wang Ze pass the phone, clearly said that he trusted them and was not intending to hide things from them. 

Xuan Ji looked up and smiled at Wang Ze, remembering the mysterious phone call in the park. He thought that the Wind God agents might not be so reliable, but he didn't argue and simply responded with a "got it." 

Xiao Zheng gave him a few more instructions before hanging up hastily, saying, "I'll settle accounts with you later regarding the matter with your sword spirit."

Xuan Ji heard the busy tone on the other end of the phone and didn't know if he should laugh or cry. 

He thought to himself, 'I don't even know how to settle this 'sword spirit' account myself.' 

His thoughts suddenly shifted to Sheng Lingyuan - why did he go to Old Xiao's hospital room in the middle of the night? 

Was it because he had accidentally struck him with lightning and wanted to make amends by healing him? 

That couldn't be right. The old demon wouldn't have such a conscience. 

As he thought about it carefully, Xuan Ji suddenly felt a bit scared - the witches' spell he had given to Xiao Zheng was written by Sheng Lingyuan, who was proficient in such "curses". At the time, he didn't feel any danger and just gave it away. Now, looking back, he realized that he had acted a bit recklessly. He never expected that the emperor would actually use the curse to visit at night.

If Xiao Zheng had not been honest and had chosen to secretly destroy the witchcraft curse the night before, what kind of "gift" would he have received? Would it still be a gentle and friendly "cleansing of the scriptures and marrow"?

"The entire teams of Wind God One and Wind God Two are now in place and has just taken over the Dongchuan branch. Director Xiao instructed us to listen to you and investigate however you see fit..." Wang Ze lowered his voice and spoke up to this point, only to find that Xuan Ji's face suddenly became serious, and he couldn't help but become serious as well. "Director Xuan, what's wrong?" 

Xuan Ji carefully chose his words and said, "There is a dangerous person, especially dangerous, the kind that can kill you with just one mistake."

Wang Ze asked, "Hmm, who?"

"Never mind who," Xuan Ji waved his hand. "The problem now is, if there is such a person, but you always unconsciously look at him through a filter, often unintentionally ignoring his level of danger, forgetting to guard against him - Mr. Wang, have you heard of this kind of psychological attack?"

Wang Ze paused for a moment and said, "Hmm, I have heard of it."

Xuan Ji had just spoken casually and didn't expect to hear an answer, but Mr. Wind God was indeed knowledgeable. He sat up straight to listen.

Wang Ze slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Love!"

Xuan Ji said, "...Let's go, let's get to work." 

An hour later, Xuan Ji had gathered himself both physically and mentally, and arrived at the Dongchuan branch of the Bureau with Wang Ze. 

The aftermath department, along with Gu Yuexi and Zhang Zhao, were already waiting there. The special forces team of "Wind God" were interrogating the disciples of Master Yue De.

"That's the so-called 'closed-door disciples' of Master Yue De," Gu Yuexi led Xuan Ji to a room outside the interrogation room.

Through the one-way glass, they saw a middle-aged man with a Mediterranean appearance, dressed in luxurious clothing with a designer belt visible from fifty meters away. He wore a jade pendant the size of a child's fist around his neck, seemingly unafraid of the burden of wealth causing cervical spondylosis.

"According to the testimony obtained by Director Xuan from the goat-bearded man in the witches' tomb, the suspect... and victim, Ji Qingchen, had contact with him," Zhang Zhao said. 

After accidentally coming into contact with the Mirror Flower Water Moon Butterfly on the black market, Ji Qingchen couldn't stop himself. When he ran out of butterfly eggs, he tried every means possible to get more. It was said that he used a beauty trap to get the address of the witches' tomb from Master Yue De's disciple, who was notoriously snobbish towards ordinary people.

Xuan Ji leaned forward a bit and asked, "Ordinary people?"

"Yes, Yue De Sect's disciples always look down on ordinary people," Zhang Zhao said. "Those particularly talented disciples act like half-immortals and don't usually interact with ordinary people. If it weren't for this disciple also being an ordinary person, how could Ji Qingchen have established a relationship with him?"

Xuan Ji asked, "Why did Master Yue De accept an ordinary person as his disciple? What's his background?" 

"Let me tell you a story," said Zhang Zhao. "It is said that this guy was once an entrepreneur who made his fortune through smuggling and avoiding getting caught. Later on, he went legit and started his own foreign trade company. He was successful in his youth, but as he aged, he became obsessed with superstitions. With his wealth and connections, he accidentally stumbled upon the real deal and spent a fortune to be introduced to Master Yue De. The master, being full of mortal needs and seeing this God of Wealth descend from the sky, gladly accepted him as a disciple. He didn't have much use for him, except to spend money on behalf of the master and his fellow disciples."

Xuan Ji immediately understood - this was what they called a "closed-door disciple," or in other words, a sucker.

The sucker in the interrogation room vehemently denied everything. "What forbidden place? I've never even heard of it, officer..."

"We're not officers." 

"Comrade government officials," the sucker immediately changed his tone, speaking loudly. He wiped the oil off his forehead and said, "My master said that I haven't even started my cultivation yet. I haven't even learned how to draw symbols or perform rituals. Even if there is a forbidden area, it's not my turn to go. Don't you need to reach a certain level of cultivation to participate in these sect secrets?"

Zhang Zhao rubbed his chin and said, "You make a good point, but unfortunately..."

Xuan Ji followed his gaze and saw a special device set up outside the interrogation room. It had a display screen connected to it, and several spiritual-type special agents were operating it. Spiritual-type abilities were truly a powerful tool for interrogation. Every image in the sucker's mind was presented on the screen in vivid detail. 

He claimed he had never heard of the forbidden area in the sect, but in his mind, he recalled a scene where he treated other disciples of the Yue De Sect to a meal at a high-end club. After three rounds of drinks, a group of drunken "masters" surrounded him and bragged about the forbidden area.

Gu Yuexi picked up the walkie-talkie and asked, "Ask him about Ji Qingchen."

In the interrogation room, the Wind God team's spiritual-type ability user was particularly good at following the team leader's instructions. 

He took out a photo of Ji Qingchen and asked the sucker, "Do you know this person?" 

As the sucker approached, he examined for a moment and said, "Hmm... seems familiar... Oh! I remember now, this is a wandering cultivator who traveled to Dongchuan. Ah, these wandering cultivators have no sect or clan, they are helpless and pitiful. He came to me through someone else, probably because he heard that I had joined a great master's sect and wanted to benefit from my resources. This person is quite unscrupulous, I don't like him at all. He's slick-tongued and even brought a little girl with him to dinner once... Tsk, what does he take me for!"

Wang Ze and Xuan Ji exchanged a glance - the lady in the plan that Mountain Goat Hu had confessed to was this little girl.

Their testimony matched up.

"What's the background of that little girl?"

"I don't know," the sucker shook his head as if he knew nothing, "no matter how pretty she is, she's just an ordinary person. Why would I bother asking about her?"

"Try to recall and tell us about this person's characteristics." 

"Um...quite young, not very tall, with a melon seed face..." The sucker followed the instructions and turned his eyes, trying hard to recall. 

Because the impression was not deep enough, he had to think hard, but the images in his mind were not quite right.

"My goodness," Wang Ze turned around and covered Zhang Zhao's eyes, "It's '21 and over', don't look!"

Zhang Zhao protested angrily, "I'm already 23!"

The sucker's brain had become a small porn film projector. After a mosaic, he didn't even know what he had said. At this moment, the female lead in the picture raised her head. She had a pair of fox eyes, not big, but seductive, with a flower pattern on her forehead, which just decorated her slightly wide forehead, making her look more enchanting.

Gu Yuexi and Wang Ze almost spoke at the same time. 

Gu Yuexi exclaimed, "Wait a minute, I think I've seen this person on a wanted poster before, with a tattoo on their forehead..."

Wang Ze cut her off decisively, "It's Hua Hu."

"I'm not just loafing around and using public funds for travel every day because it's my duty," Wang Ze leaned in closer to the screen, "The ones with the highest bounties are my 'old friends', and this woman...if I remember correctly, her code name is 'Hua Hu', from the 'True Nature Sect'."

Xuan Ji asked, "What's that?"

"The True Nature Sect," Yang Chao whispered like he was reciting a book next to him, "is an anti-social organization made up of people with special abilities. They believe that those with special abilities are superior to ordinary people and should rule over them. It's a crime for those with special abilities to marry ordinary people...they're just a bunch of extreme racists." 

"The Wind God team has been tracking these brothers for many years," Wang Ze took over the conversation, "The True Nature Sect believes that ordinary people should be treated like pigs, dogs, cows, and sheep. The 'human skin coat' incident that caused a stir a few years ago was done by this group of people. This woman is one of the main culprits, a spiritual-type ability user, and has been on the run."

Zhang Zhao scratched his head, "So what's the situation? An ignorant ordinary person used a wanted criminal as a 'beauty trap' prop, and tricked another ignorant ordinary person into revealing the location of the witches' tomb?"

"So the question is, who is the mastermind behind digging up the witches' tomb and writing the Yin Sacrifice ritual?" Xuan Ji pinched a cigarette and squinted, "Who was the person who sold the butterfly to Ji Qingchen for the first time? What role did the 'True Nature Sect' that you mentioned play in all of this?" 

Wang Ze stood up straight and said, "We'll have to ask the black market in Dongchuan." 

The special agents of the Wind God filed out, and at the same time, a dark cloud appeared out of nowhere, blocking out the sun.

The meteorological station in Dongchuan was facing an unprecedented crisis. 

Just as the morning news had reminded everyone to "be careful of sunburn," the sky over the city suddenly became like a typhoon was approaching. In the blink of an eye, dark clouds covered the sky, and the sound of wind and thunder continuously pounded the ground, as if an ancient dragon was disturbed and raised its head in anger and vigilance, emitting a deep roar.

The instigator of this thunderstorm was Sheng Lingyuan, who was currently on the top of the tallest building in Dongchuan City - the Financial Center Building. 

He looked up at the sky and saw thunderclouds gathering above him, watching him with a fierce gaze. If he stepped out of line even a little bit, they were ready to strike him down. 

The first time he killed Bi Chunsheng in Chiyuan, not only did he suffer from the backlash of of the Yin Sacrifice ritual, but he also attracted eighty-one heavenly thunders that obliterated his thousand-year-old spirit jade body. 

The second time he fought with Aluojin outside Dongchuan City, he only used a little bit of power to suppress the demon, but before Aluojin could be executed, the thunder punishment eagerly struck him first. Sheng Lingyuan knew that the world did not tolerate him, and the entire world was his shackle. If he acted recklessly, he would suffer the consequences. 

He tilted his head slightly and did not immediately retract his divine sense. Glancing at the lightning rod on the rooftop, he decided to take advantage of this "artifact" to explore the bottom line of the heavenly path. Thick black mist gathered in his palm, almost engulfing the rooftop. Within the mist, characters of witchcraft surged and grew larger as they rose into the air. 

Suddenly, Sheng Lingyuan flipped his palm, and the mist, containing countless witchcraft spells, was pressed down from the highest point towards the ground. In an instant, it covered the entire city of Dongchuan. At the same time, a "crack" like a silver bottle breaking sounded in his ear. 

Sheng Lingyuan had already moved three yards away - the lightning protection system of the building had overloaded, and the spot where he had just stood was now charred, with small electric arcs still hissing in the air.

Sheng Lingyuan turned his head and glanced at the charred rooftop. He probably understood that the power he was allowed to use by the heavens was only about one-tenth or one-twelfth, and perhaps not even as good as any demon warrior from years ago. 

For three thousand years, Chiyuan had been sealed, and the spiritual and demonic energies in this world had become equally scarce. The heavens had formed new rules, not allowing excessively powerful external forces to intervene.

Heavenly demons could only be considered half-demons, and they could still escape the heaven's grasp. But he...

In the next moment, the enraged Nine Heavens Thunder chased after him, striking him relentlessly. Sheng Lingyuan's figure was as fast as lightning, taking advantage of the lightning rod on top of the building that had attracted most of the thunder's firepower. 

He quickly suppressed his aura and chased after the witchcraft spells. The incantations, shrouded in black mist, wrapped around the power grid and city pipes, cutting through the wind and crowds like a living thing, searching for those who still carried the remnants of the butterfly aura. As the master of the spell, Sheng Lingyuan could clearly feel all the witchcraft of the witch people converging in two directions. 

One of them was the location of the "Qingping Division" branch, where the descendants of the "Qingping Division" had probably caught the thieves who dared to occupy the witch people's tomb. Although these descendants had mixed bloodlines and low cultivation, they were still capable, and Sheng Lingyuan glanced at them before retracting his gaze. 

The other location's aura was much more complex and somewhat suffocating. Sheng Lingyuan rushed through the streets of Dongchuan like a gust of wind, arriving at his destination. He looked up at the "Dongchuan Vegetable Market" overhead and then down at a lobster that had escaped and was strutting around with small steps. 

He hesitated and stopped in his tracks.

The "Dongchuan Vegetable Market" covered an area of 3,000 acres, spanning two subway stations. It boasted a wide variety of fresh seafood and meat, as well as dairy and vegetable products. It even broke the Guinness World Record for the number of food types available and became a unique tourist attraction. 

Sheng Lingyuan arrived in the early morning, and the purchasing staff of various restaurants and nearby residents looking for fresh vegetables were all wandering around inside. The steam from the early morning food stalls outside the market was billowing like a steamboat, and white-collar workers passing by were yawning in line. 

Once again, this ancient person was engulfed in the hustle and bustle of modern city life. 

Sheng Lingyuan used a trick to temporarily hide his figure and carefully avoided four or five citizens who were about to bump into him. Finally, he couldn't help but frown. The smell in the market was too mixed - the smell of strangers, the stench of animal blood and meat, seafood, and the rotting smell of uncleared garbage. It was all covered up, almost masking the curse's breath. No wonder those with evil intentions would choose to gather here.

He looked up to the east, thinking about summoning a gust of wind to clear the air when suddenly he caught sight of a man getting out of a "taxi" from the corner of his eye. The man was tall with slightly long hair casually tied back, his face sharp and angular. His deep-set eyes were piercingly bright, and his unshaven face gave him a rugged, dusty look. Around his neck hung a small piece of metal, no bigger than a fingernail.

Sheng Lingyuan noticed him because he emitted a rare aura of cultivation. Among the younger generation in this world, Sheng Lingyuan had only felt this aura from two people: a little demon who called himself "Xuan Ji," and this man, who could be considered a human.

Xuan Ji was a pure demon with no trace of humanity, but this man... could be said to be mostly human. 

Just as Sheng Lingyuan was sizing up the man, the man suddenly lifted his head with extreme sensitivity and accurately looked in his direction.