Chapter 74: Sudden Change

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An extra chapter—originally, I wasn't planning to add any before the story went live, but today is the birthday of a long-time reader, so here it is. Congratulations to "Runs Wild After a Full Meal" on your birthday—wishing you happiness always.

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Qin Ye jerked his head up abruptly. Su Feng stood before him, his mouth moving, but Qin Ye couldn’t hear a single word. Clenching his jaw, he forced out each syllable: “Did… you feel that?”

Each word felt as if it carried the weight of a boulder.

Su Feng stared at him intently, taking two seconds to confirm Qin Ye wasn’t joking. Suddenly, he yanked open his shirt—a gesture that drew everyone’s attention. Yet he paid no mind, pulling out a compass.

But on its face, the needle remained steady as always.

“What did you feel?” Su Feng quickly steadied Qin Ye, his voice gentle.

But Qin Ye could only see the movement of his lips—no sound reached him.

Thump-thump… His heartbeat inexplicably quickened. In that moment, it was as if the world had sealed him away. It was even worse than the three-day deadline he’d faced before.

Clearly, Zhou Xianlong was speaking. Clearly, echoes resounded from all directions. Yet he heard nothing.

No birdsong. No sound at all. There wasn’t even the faintest breath from those around him.

“Seeing ghosts in broad daylight…” Arthas ground her teeth. “Daylight wanderings… Bao’an City truly has a problem! If you think about it, those monsters who survived the collapse of the Underworld… there must be a connection. Individually, they could never rival those of the living realm… Only together…”

“But why… why do soul catchers of Cao Youdao’s level still survive here… and no one has come for this fat piece of meat that is Bao’an? Anhui’s defenses are far weaker than Sichuan’s…”

“The only answer… is that something is wrong with this place… All those old ghosts know it… None dare come!”

“What do we do?” Qin Ye’s hand had already found his waist. Scanning the crowd, he realized he was the only one who felt it. Whatever this was—it was likely targeting him.

There was nothing at his hip, but if real danger struck, he would draw his blade without hesitation.

“Be ready to run at any moment.” Arthas’s voice floated in his ear. Yet before she could finish, from within the silent world that isolated Qin Ye, a soft “tap” echoed out.

As if something had stepped onto the ground.

A shoe, perhaps.

He was hunched over and heard it distinctly—twenty meters behind him. Then came another: tap, tap.

In broad daylight, surrounded by the living, yet his hands and feet were ice cold.

Something… was approaching!

Tap… tap… The footsteps were unhurried. Qin Ye stole a glance behind him, but saw nothing.

“I can’t see it!”

“Of course not… Daylight wanderers… This is at least a Manifestation-level ghost! I’ve got it… Use the oldest method… Crouch down, look through your legs!”

Qin Ye drew a deep breath, bent lower until his head nearly touched the seat ahead, and whipped his gaze backward.

In the next instant, he nearly screamed.

Rows of seats. Logically, looking back, he should have seen only people’s feet, or the underside of the seats.

But he saw no feet at all. Instead… he saw another head!

It was as if someone had been crouched behind his seat all along, hanging upside down, head downward, face-to-face with him at the exact same angle, their gazes locking directly.

A violent terror surged from his face to his heart.

It was a woman.

A dead woman.

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Her long hair hung down in disarray, her face pallid and mottled with dark purplish livor mortis. Her eyes were empty, nothing but bottomless black voids. They were less than half a meter apart. And from her gaping mouth, countless jet-black insects writhed, scrambling madly outward.

Suppressing a scream, he clamped a hand over his mouth and hunched back down. But just then, a soft sound arose beside him.

Tap…

It stopped.

That thing… was right next to him, motionless.

“De… de-de…” Even with all his courage, this was the first time he felt his heart turn cold, his teeth clacking together lightly. The urge to manifest his ghost-blade was almost uncontrollable. If Arthas hadn’t kept gently jostling the Soul-Seal Orb in his pocket, distracting him, he would have already drawn it.

The suffocating oppression was overwhelming.

From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a splash of color.

A patchwork of rainbow hues, harshly pieced together, the fabric faded and tattered as if it had weathered countless years. It stood rigidly at his side.

Swallowing hard, he dared not move an inch. The figure didn’t move either, and in the bright daylight, its body cast no shadow on the floor.

One second, two… five… ten seconds.

Each second felt like a decade. On the eleventh, he suddenly sensed a chill colder than ice brush the top of his head.

It… was gently combing his hair.

Slender, icy fingers slid over his scalp, smoothing every strand, as he held his neck rigid, not daring to move.

In broad daylight—a ghost combing his hair.

Before judges and hundreds of soul catchers, no less!

“Hah…” He let out a shaky breath through clenched teeth, sweat pouring down his back.

After three seconds, as suddenly as it had come, the thing beside him vanished.

The sounds of the world seeped slowly back into his ears.

“9527? 9527, are you alright?” As he came to, he realized the cultivators on either side were supporting him, faces full of concern.

“I’m fine…” Qin Ye closed his eyes and slumped back, his heart pounding madly. Su Feng glanced at him several times—this wasn’t the time to ask more—he was just about to pull out a tissue when Qin Ye suddenly grabbed his hand.

Qin Ye’s grip was tight, his voice hoarse: “Tell me in detail… how you detected that trace of yin energy. And… how you assessed it…”

Su Feng’s eyes sharpened. “Did you… see something just now?”

Qin Ye said nothing, only nodded silently.

“But this isn’t the time to talk…” Su Feng cleared his throat. “Look carefully around you…”

Qin Ye frowned and looked up, suddenly realizing that everyone was staring at him.

Even those on the main stage fixed their gaze on him, some with a hint of displeasure.

“What’s going on?” He looked around in confusion and whispered to Su Feng, “Did something happen while I was out of it?”

“Mr. Qin,” Zhou Xianlong’s smiling voice came from the stage, “Why aren’t you coming up? As this year’s top ten model investigator, are you too excited?”

Dazed, Qin Ye stood up. The moment he did, thunderous applause erupted from all sides. His face was splashed across the massive LED screen, broadcast to thousands of households.

“So that’s an investigator?” “He’s quite good-looking… not what I imagined at all…”

Silence fell suddenly in the university’s TV room.

The student council room was equally still.

Zhang Linhua stared dumbfounded at the screen—his first thought was: Are you kidding me?!

His second: Godfather?

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“This guy…” A senior who’d processed Qin Ye’s transfer papers was equally stunned. “This… is our transfer student?”

“No way!” “You’re joking, right? We have an investigator at our school?” “No… it really seems true, I vaguely remember him. He came to pick something up from me that day…” “Holy crap… We’ve been hanging around with such a badass every day?” “Which dorm does he live in?”

Amidst the waves of applause, Qin Ye’s mind was in utter turmoil.

What on earth is happening?!

Could someone please explain it to me in detail?

Even the terror from moments before was dulled somewhat, and he managed a sheepish laugh, glancing helplessly at the stage.

“Was it too much of a surprise?” The judge’s gaze was sharp, having long since noticed Qin Ye’s discomfort. He smiled, “No worries, I’ll read it again.”

“Newly appointed Inspector S9527, who slew nine major predation zones in a single night, has made outstanding contributions to the peace of Bao’an City. Since joining the Special Investigation Department, he has worked diligently and selflessly. He is hereby awarded third-class merit and twenty thousand points of distinction.”

Applause burst forth, even more fervent now, as if propelling him onto the stage. Meanwhile, several gazes from the third row fixed on this “youngest soul-catcher in history.”

“That’s him?” A handsome, sharp-featured man raised a brow. “He looks a bit clueless to me.”

“Don’t underestimate him.” Su Feng clapped, tossing a retort, “Nine predation zones in one night—you think you could do that?”

The man clapped perfunctorily. “Who knows if it’s true. We’ll all be teaching anyway. There’ll be plenty of chances to spar—not just me… see for yourself.”

Su Feng glanced along the third row.

Every soul-catcher under thirty eyed Qin Ye with intense fighting spirit.

He shrugged, clapping absentmindedly. “Looks like… life at the First Cultivation University is going to be interesting…”

Qin Ye knew nothing of this.

How could he care about any of it now? The sense of terror from that brush with the supernatural was fading fast, for an even greater ordeal loomed before him.

Receiving an award…

Accepting it from Zhou Xianlong and two directors—three judges in all…

He was like the moon rising among the stars, the center of all attention—yet this moon stumbled and swayed as it walked.

His legs felt leaden. What if he couldn’t move at all?

At that moment, Governor Gao’s smiling voice rang out: “We invite Inspector S9527 to the stage to receive his award!”

That was definitely a prompt… absolutely a prompt…

Sweating profusely, Qin Ye forced a perfect smile. In his pocket, Arthas exclaimed, “Diligent? Selfless? Are they talking about you? The government of the living sure knows how to spin the truth!”

“Is this really the time for that?!” Qin Ye’s cheeks ached from his forced grin as he shuffled forward, muttering through gritted teeth, “Will I give myself away? Being this close to a judge, I can already feel my awe…”

In his panic, he wasn’t even sure what he was babbling about.

The blow landed as swiftly as a tornado, and he had nowhere left to hide in the storm’s eye…

“You take me everywhere, have you ever once felt awe?!” Arthas snapped back, then dropped her voice three octaves. “It should… be fine. The Yanluo Seal is the Underworld’s foremost artifact. No living soul can see through it. Plus, you have your inspector’s ID…”

For heaven’s sake, could you just give me a straight answer now?!

Qin Ye was beside himself with anxiety. The people on stage smiled at him, but their eyes all screamed: Hurry up!

Dear heavens, have you got the wrong guy? I never wanted to stand out like this!

Can’t you see how different I am from the rest?

As a soul envoy claiming a Special Investigation Department prize, with three million living witnesses… it felt as if he was destined to become the wolf among sheep…