Chapter 106: Resolution

Chen Jin’s fingertip was pressed firmly against the center of the aloof woman’s forehead, his Hunyuan Qi flowing through his finger to envelop her entire head.

The cold, proud woman could only stare at him, motionless. She had no other choice; otherwise, Chen Jin could have reduced her to a bloody pulp in an instant.

*Snap.*

Chen Jin flicked his other hand.

The group of people who had been thrashing about wildly on the rooftop all collapsed to the ground, falling into a peaceful slumber.

"Who are you people? Where do you come from? Where are you heading? And what is your objective?" Chen Jin posed these questions to the woman, not bothering to let them answer individually.

"Telling you who we are would likely do you no good. As for where we come from and where we are going, that would also be of no benefit to you. So, I can only speak of our objective. Naturally, we are here for the Yin-Sha primordial energy in this residential area," the woman replied with icy arrogance.

"You really are looking out for me, aren't you? It doesn't matter, though. I’ve already notified the Practitioners’ Association. They should be here soon to take you all away. Perhaps you can have a nice chat with them about life and ideals," Chen Jin said calmly, showing no sign of anger.

"Is there no room for negotiation?" the woman asked, her tone still frigid.

"What is your name?" Chen Jin asked.

"Shen Xinyue," she replied.

"I see. And them?" Chen Jin asked, gesturing toward the others.

"Lu Yaoxi, Zhuang Bufan, Han Han, Zhen Yiru," Shen Xinyue said, briefly pointing them out.

"Good, very cooperative. It seems you aren't lying." Chen Jin pulled a yellow talisman from his pocket—a tool specifically designed for detecting lies.

"Can you let me go now?" Shen Xinyue asked coldly. It seemed as though her entire personality had been reduced to nothing but cold adjectives.

"Me? Just you? You don't want them included?" Chen Jin asked, looking at her with a serious expression.

"Yes," Shen Xinyue nodded.

"Fine, I'll let you go." Chen Jin nodded, retracting his finger and slowly withdrawing his Hunyuan Qi.

As the sensation of pressure lifted from her head and the immediate threat vanished, Shen Xinyue retreated a few steps, then spun around and leaped onto a nearby platform.

*Thump.*

No sooner had she landed than she felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck. Her limbs turned to jelly, and she collapsed onto the platform.

Chen Jin drifted down beside her, a burning talisman clutched in his left hand.

"Why did you stop again? Are you that reluctant to leave me?" Chen Jin asked with a grin.

Shen Xinyue opened her mouth, but she lacked the strength to speak; she couldn't even muster her signature icy expression.

"Oh, they're here." Chen Jin shifted his gaze from Shen Xinyue and peered down into the alley below.

A group of people were walking through the alley—all police officers. Leading them was Zhuang Yue, followed by plainclothes officers carrying handguns; presumably, they didn't want to cause a panic among the civilians by wearing uniforms.

"That building," Chen Jin called out, pointing toward the opposite structure.

Zhuang Yue directed the officers toward the building while she herself leaped up to the rooftop, landing beside Chen Jin.

"How is it? Did you find out anything?" Zhuang Yue asked, casting a glance at Shen Xinyue on the ground.

"I don't know. They're yours now. Send me a copy of the report when you're done," Chen Jin said.

"Understood," Zhuang Yue nodded.

With that, Chen Jin drifted away.

In truth, Chen Jin did not fully trust Zhuang Yue, but he had no other choice. She was his point of contact with the state apparatus, and since he lacked his own private security or a secret prison, he couldn't possibly manage this many prisoners himself. Handing them over to Zhuang Yue was the only logical path.

Moreover, shifting the matter to the state ensured he wouldn't be implicated—a win-win situation.

Furthermore, he had left a wisp of his Hunyuan Qi on each of them, fused with his own consciousness. If he ever needed to, he could find an excuse to get close to them again, retrieve the energy, and harvest the information it had gathered. He wasn't worried about Zhuang Yue feeding him false information.

Descending from the building, Chen Jin restarted his electric scooter and rode off. As he rounded the corner, he spotted the little girl again, sitting at her doorway, gazing blankly at the sky.

"Little one, what are you looking at?" Chen Jin stopped and asked.

"Eek... ah!" The girl jumped in shock, scrambled to her feet, and dashed back into her house, forgetting even to shut the door.

"That kid has good potential. I wonder who taught her," Chen Jin muttered as he watched her disappear.

Because of the actions of Shen Xinyue and her group, most of the residents in this area had been hypnotized into a deep sleep; otherwise, the commotion on the roof would have surely sparked complaints about the noise. Yet, no one had complained. Most of them were under the influence, but this little girl was able to... wait, there was also an auntie.

Just then, the auntie ran out, looking furious. "You brat! Scaring our Niu Niu again—if you’ve got guts, don't run!"

Seeing the woman charging toward him, Chen Jin twisted the throttle and zoomed away.

As he listened to the woman's angry shouts fading behind him, his confusion deepened. The woman seemed to have no cultivation background whatsoever, yet she had remained unaffected by the hypnosis. It was truly bizarre.

Could it have something to do with the little girl? Chen Jin wondered, though he couldn't reach a definitive conclusion.

In any case, there was definitely something wrong with that residential area. The massive accumulation of Yin-Sha primordial energy above it was proof enough.

What was strange was that despite such a dense concentration of Yin-Sha, he hadn't heard of any ghosts or supernatural occurrences in the area. Typically, once spirits fused with Yin-Sha, they could manifest in the physical world, be seen by the naked eye, and even cultivate. If they were wicked, they became evil spirits; if they were good-natured, they might eventually cultivate into immortal spirits and achieve longevity.

The Yin-Sha energy in the sky was incredibly thick, yet there wasn't a single report in the local news of Xiahu County about haunting in that neighborhood.

The whole thing was eccentric. Chen Jin was curious, but he wasn't about to interfere. Curiosity killed the cat, and he wasn't sure if he was some destined hero capable of turning every danger into a blessing. He preferred to do what he could without overstepping. He was past the age of impulsive heroism; unless his loved ones were involved, or something truly stirred his jaded heart into action, he wouldn't risk his life. After all, one only has one life to live.