Chapter 37: Wei Qingqiu in Peril

"Captain Wu, let's go to the crime scene to examine the bodies," Chu Tian suddenly spoke, drawing Wu Tai's attention.

"And who is this?" Wu Tai frowned, only then noticing the young man standing behind Long Tianjiao.

He had assumed Chu Tian was merely Long Tianjiao's junior companion, never expecting him to interject at such a moment. For a brief instant, Wu Tai was uncertain of Chu Tian's identity.

"This is my little junior brother, his name is Chu Tian," Long Tianjiao introduced him.

Chu Tian's aura was subdued, and from his appearance, he looked no different from an ordinary high school student.

Wu Tai studied him quietly, unable to discern anything special about Chu Tian. He wondered if such an unremarkable person could truly be Long Tianjiao's junior brother.

"Alright, follow me," Wu Tai said after a moment's hesitation, giving in for Long Tianjiao's sake. He turned and led the way toward the crime scene.

Chu Tian and Long Tianjiao exchanged a glance and followed.

Soon, the three entered the courtyard of a villager's home.

The moment they stepped into the front yard, a strong stench of blood assailed their senses.

Yet Chu Tian, having experienced mountains of corpses and seas of blood in his previous life, was already accustomed to the scent of blood and felt no discomfort.

Seven mutilated bodies lay scattered in the courtyard, three of them clad in combat uniforms, likely experts dispatched by the Ancient Martial Arts Bureau.

"There is also the body of a child inside the house. The murderer even showed no mercy to innocent children—truly abhorrent," Wu Tai said, clenching his fists in anger.

"Damn it, if I catch the killer, I won't let him get away easily," Long Tianjiao vowed, then stepped forward to examine the bodies.

She found wounds from slicing all over the corpses, blood pooling beneath them.

Yet none of these wounds were instantly fatal.

In other words, the victims didn't die from a single blow, but from excessive blood loss.

Before their deaths, they could only watch helplessly as their life drained away, drop by drop.

The murderer could have killed them in one stroke, but instead chose such a cruel method—how depraved!

"This kind of torture bears a striking resemblance to the methods of a foreign organization," Wu Tai mused.

"The Black Dragon Society," Chu Tian replied directly, voicing the answer in Wu Tai's mind.

"Xiao Tian, how do you know about the Black Dragon Society?" Long Tianjiao frowned.

"Fifth Sister, why are you so nervous? Do you suspect I've colluded with the Black Dragon Society?" Chu Tian was taken aback, realizing Long Tianjiao's suspicion, and couldn't help but laugh.

"What else?" Long Tianjiao retorted.

"I've fought against members of the Black Dragon Society before; I know their ways," Chu Tian said, moderating his tone. He referred, of course, to battles from his previous life, though such details could not be revealed.

Hearing this, Long Tianjiao grew more doubtful.

She had already investigated Chu Tian's background; he was previously just an ordinary high school student.

All the changes occurred ten days ago.

From that day, Chu Tian's personality transformed, and he became a martial artist.

Could ten days truly change a person so drastically?

Even if it could, how could Chu Tian have fought against the Black Dragon Society?

"Fifth Sister, this isn't the time to dwell on these matters. I suggest you call for reinforcements; this is not a task you can handle alone," Chu Tian said, realizing his slip and quickly changing the subject.

"Reinforcements? You don't believe in Fifth Sister's abilities?" Long Tianjiao frowned in displeasure.

"That's not what I mean. It's just that this opponent is different," Chu Tian shook his head, his tone turning grave.

"How so?" Long Tianjiao asked.

"Have you noticed how the killer took their lives?" Chu Tian countered.

"Isn't it obvious? He used blades or other weapons," Long Tianjiao replied earnestly.

"No, the murderer didn't use cold weapons," Chu Tian said firmly.

"What do you mean?" Long Tianjiao frowned again in confusion.

To her, if no cold weapons were used, how could there be so many slicing wounds on the bodies?

Chu Tian didn't answer. Instead, he pinched two fingers together and lightly traced the ground.

Clang!

Instantly, a long sword mark appeared on the ground, carved by Chu Tian's internal energy, as if split by an axe.

"External release of internal energy!"

"You are a Grandmaster of the Transformation Realm?" Long Tianjiao stared in astonishment, unable to believe what she was seeing.

If Chu Tian was a Grandmaster, everything made sense.

That explained why he could command such respect from the convicts in prison.

It turned out that Long Tianjiao had always underestimated Chu Tian's abilities.

She had thought he was at most an expert with internal energy, relying on his ancient martial arts skills to act superior in the mundane world.

She had no idea Chu Tian's strength far exceeded her imagination.

Wu Tai, too, realized that the seemingly ordinary high school student before him was anything but.

To break through to the Transformation Realm Grandmaster at eighteen—how could he possibly be an ordinary person?

"I was blind and failed to recognize the true dragon. Please forgive me, Master Chu," Wu Tai immediately bowed respectfully, his attitude extremely humble.

"No matter," Chu Tian waved his hand and said, "Just do as I say—report to your superiors and request reinforcements. This enemy is not one you can handle."

"So you're saying the murderer is also a Grandmaster of the Transformation Realm?" Wu Tai gasped, fear flashing in his eyes.

Chu Tian nodded. Even if he hadn't met the killer, he could guess with near certainty.

Meanwhile, at the Wei family residence.

A Maserati slowly approached the villa.

Wei Qingqiu wasn't driving herself; she sat alone in the back seat, clutching the protective talisman Chu Tian had given her.

Her mind replayed the events at the beach, and her cheeks flushed.

She must have been out of her senses then to agree to Chu Tian's offer of support.

How would she explain this to her grandfather when she got home? If the rest of the family learned she was being supported by Chu Tian, what would they think? What would they say?

Just then, the Maserati braked sharply, jolting Wei Qingqiu back to reality.

"What happened?" Wei Qingqiu frowned and looked at the driver.

"Miss, someone is blocking the road," the driver replied.

Following the driver's gaze, Wei Qingqiu saw a stranger in front of the car.

A tall, thin middle-aged man stood there, his eyes glinting with menace, staring intently at Wei Qingqiu through the car window.

Wei Qingqiu's heart skipped a beat.

Before she could react, the man gathered his energy and punched toward the Maserati.