Chapter Nineteen: Yet Another Immortal

Inside the police car.

Qin Yang glanced at the two familiar officers and asked in a low voice, "What are you two doing in a place like this? Careful, or I’ll report you for corruption."

Both men rolled their eyes in unison, clearly aware that Qin Yang was only joking. One of them replied, "It's all because of a robbery yesterday morning. We're tracking the suspicious international jewel thief. We got wind this afternoon that they might show up here, but thanks to your little stunt, they’ll definitely use the chaos to make their escape. Now Captain Sun must be grinding his teeth in hatred for you. Instead of worrying about us being corrupt, you’d better think about whether you’ll get out of the police station in one piece."

"Damn it," Qin Yang cursed.

But then he suddenly remembered that his own death before had also been at the hands of a gang of jewel thieves. Could it be the same group?

The thought made his heart race—if he could bring them down, his own vengeance would be served.

But urgent as that was, his immediate problem was how to face Sun Qi’s wrath. All the way to the police station, he was thrown into the interrogation room. Sun Qi stormed in, fury blazing in her eyes. Had looks been lethal, Qin Yang would have died a dozen times over. The two officers shot him a look that said “good luck,” then hurried off.

“Qin Yang, assaulting people in public. Do you think you’re something special?” Sun Qi ground out, her teeth clenched.

Qin Yang scratched his head and said, “It was self-defense! You saw it—those guys were ganging up on me. I couldn’t just stand there and let them beat me up, could I?”

“Really? I didn’t see that,” Sun Qi sneered coldly. “All I saw was you hurting people.”

“Hey, that’s a false accusation!” Qin Yang protested.

Just as Sun Qi was about to continue, another officer came in. He glanced at Sun Qi, then at Qin Yang, and said, “Chief, there’s been a report accusing Qin Yang of intentional assault.”

“Who?” Sun Qi looked gleefully at Qin Yang, then asked.

The subordinate pulled out two files and handed them to her. “A laid-off female worker and a female student. The worker’s seriously injured. The student is accusing him of attempted rape.”

“What?” Qin Yang was stunned, his brows knitting tight. When had he ever bullied a laid-off female worker? And a female student? Which one was that? No, as far as he remembered, the privileged Qin Yang had never committed any heinous deeds in Hai Tian City, had he? But as Sun Qi read the reports, her face turned ashen. With a bang, she slammed her palm on the table so hard the whole desk seemed to shake.

Her subordinate, sensing trouble, hurriedly fled the scene.

Sun Qi, who loathed evil with a passion, now looked at Qin Yang as if she’d already sentenced him to death.

“I swear I didn’t do it. Would you believe me?” Qin Yang felt a pang of guilt. If they started digging into his past, this could turn very ugly.

“What do you think?” Sun Qi spat, her teeth grinding in rage. If not for repeated warnings from her superiors for being overly harsh, she’d have sent Qin Yang straight to the hospital by now.

Swallowing nervously, Qin Yang glanced at the files on the table and suddenly noticed that the alleged incident took place on December 23rd. He froze. Wait, the 23rd? That was the day before yesterday. The day before yesterday, he’d left the hospital and gone straight to rent an apartment—how would he have had time to assault a worker or harass a student?

“I’m telling you, I definitely didn’t do it. I have witnesses—more than one,” Qin Yang said resolutely.

Seeing his confidence, Sun Qi scoffed. “Witnesses?”

“That’s right. On the day in question, I was out renting an apartment. Didn’t your people already talk to Tao Caijie? She can vouch for me. And in the morning I was at the hospital—doctors, nurses, or even my discharge papers could prove it.” Qin Yang spoke with absolute certainty.

“And in between? What about those hours in between?” Sun Qi seized on the inconsistency, a triumphant look on her face. “I’ve seen your rental agreement—it was between two and four in the afternoon. And you were discharged in the morning, right? So what were you doing during those two hours in between?”

Qin Yang gave her an odd look. “Do you really think I could hurt a worker and then go on to assault a female student in just two hours? Isn’t that a bit of a stretch? It doesn’t add up.”

“It adds up just fine!” Sun Qi sneered. “For someone like you, it’s nothing unusual. I can easily imagine you attacking the worker who tried to protect the student, and then—”

“Hold on, what do you mean, ‘someone like me’?” Qin Yang protested. “I admit I’m no saint, but I’m not as terrible as you make me out to be. And two hours? You’re underestimating me! I’m perfectly healthy and sane—assaulting a female student, that would take at least three hours, wouldn’t it?”

Sun Qi flushed with indignation and snapped, “You? With your stamina? You’re nothing but a spent candle. Three minutes would be a stretch, let alone three hours!”

“Oh, come on! Are you questioning my abilities? If you dare, let’s put it to the test!” Qin Yang, anger flaring, blurted out without thinking.

Sun Qi, usually only hot-tempered when it came to solving cases, had already tolerated him once. Now, with evidence stacked against him, his arrogance made her snap. “Fine! If you dare, I’m not afraid of you!”

“Fine! I’ll show you I mean what I say!” Qin Yang, reckless as ever, was emboldened—after all, mentally, he was still a virgin at heart.

The two officers outside, upon hearing this exchange, broke out in a cold sweat. They rushed in to restrain the two before things escalated further. Only then did both come to their senses. Qin Yang rolled his eyes, muttering that today was anything but ordinary, and sat aside. Sun Qi’s face was flushed with anger, and she looked as if she wanted to skin him alive.

“Chief, Qin Yang’s lawyer has arrived,” called another officer from outside, peering in and clearly baffled by the strange scene.

Sun Qi took a deep breath, suppressing her rage. In a cold voice, she said, “Lawyer? With all this evidence and testimony, I’d like to see what defense he could possibly mount. Qin Yang, you’re bound to end up behind bars.”

“We’ll see about that,” Qin Yang retorted, sneering. “Luck is always on my side. I’m not the one going to prison.”

Meanwhile, the back-and-forth continued between Qin Yang and Sun Qi at the police station.

Now, let’s turn to the Golden Pavilion.

Golden Pavilion, Office.

Yu Wei was taken to another room for medical treatment.

Long Qiuhu lit a cigarette, his face dark, and asked, “Who is that kid?”

“I’ve already sent someone to investigate. But he might not be simple—he could have quite the background,” Cao Long replied, his brows deeply furrowed, worry etched on his face. Qin Yang’s words had left him shaken.

“Background? I’ve already sent people to deal with him. If I don’t teach him a lesson, I’ll quit Hai Tian for good,” Long Qiuhu muttered under his breath.

“Damn it, if your father weren’t the deputy mayor, would you even be throwing your weight around in my office?” Cao Long cursed inwardly, looking down on this entitled brat, but still maintained a façade of respect. Out loud, he said, “But we should still get to the bottom of this. For Qin Yang to dare hit Yu Wei, he must have something backing him. Don’t get worked up. Look, there are a few new girls here these days—go blow off some steam.”

At these words, Long Qiuhu’s eyes glinted with lechery, but then, remembering how Qin Yang had ruined his almost-certain conquest of Yang Yaxin, his anger flared again. With a huff, he stormed out of the office.

Cao Long muttered a curse, tidied up, and exited through the back door of his office. Winding his way through several corridors, he entered a room filled with the scent of sandalwood and antique charm. Inside sat a middle-aged man in Daoist robes. Cao Long approached cautiously and whispered, “Master Zhu.”

“Hmm? Oh, it’s you, Cao,” Zhu the Immortal lifted his eyelids briefly, then shut them again.

Cao Long hurried forward. “Master Zhu, I think I’ve run into trouble today. Could you take a look—is there still lingering deathly energy here? Am I plagued with bad luck?”

Zhu the Immortal shook his head. “I’ve already performed the ritual. There is no more deathly energy in the Golden Pavilion. My own energy is depleted; I need to recover. Haven’t you noticed that the cold, eerie feeling in the hallway has vanished?”

Cao Long started—only now did he realize that the chilling sensation that used to haunt the place had indeed disappeared. He’d been so anxious before that he hadn’t noticed, but now, relief washed over him. It was well known that the rear courtyard of the Golden Pavilion had always felt haunted. With guilt weighing on his conscience for the crimes committed there, he’d brought in this so-called master. To his surprise, it had actually worked.

In truth, Zhu the Immortal was baffled himself. He didn’t believe in ghosts or spirits—he made his living as a feng shui charlatan, rearranging buildings according to his own theories for luck. But the eerie feeling had never lifted—until just now, when it vanished completely. Delighted, he decided to keep up the act. If Qin Yang had been present, he’d have slapped him on the spot.

“Your powers are truly remarkable,” Cao Long flattered, his eyes darting. “But Master Zhu, there’s a problem. A young man saw through our secret earlier, and now he’s using it to threaten me. I’ve prepared a gift for you, but if this gets out, we’ll be in serious trouble.”

“Hmm?” Zhu the Immortal’s eyelid twitched. Could this be a real expert? But his expression didn’t change. “Oh? Is that so? Unfortunately, I’ve exhausted my strength. Unless you can procure a certain jade pendant, I won’t be able to use my powers again for half a year.”

“What jade pendant? Tell me, I’ll find it for you,” Cao Long said anxiously.

At this, Zhu the Immortal produced a yellowed photograph from his sleeve. It depicted a peculiar white jade pendant carved with the twin fish of the Taiji symbol. One glance and it was clear this was a treasure. “This Taiji Yin-Yang Jade was once my personal belonging, but I accidentally lost it here in Hai Tian City. If you can find it, I can offer you immense fortune. As for the one who saw through our scheme, just keep him at bay for now. Once I have the jade, I’ll have a way to handle him.”