"What are you doing?"
Li Xiaofei stepped forward to question.
"You handcuffed this lady earlier, and now you're trying to cuff my buddy? Are you out of your mind?"
"Comrade, please watch your words, or we can charge you with insulting a police officer," a policeman warned Li Xiaofei.
"Xiaofei, stay at home for now. I'll be back soon."
Yan Rufeng said calmly.
"Handcuff him."
"I, Yan Rufeng, have neither broken the law nor assaulted a police officer. On the contrary, I've been very cooperative with you. If you insist on cuffing me, go ahead and try." Yan Rufeng stood with his hands behind his back.
"I'm afraid the decision isn't yours."
Two policemen stepped forward, ready to take action.
"Are you resorting to violent enforcement?"
Immediately, an overwhelming pressure spread out, stunning the three policemen.
"This man remains calm under pressure and has an extraordinary aura. If we rashly cuff him, and he's not the real culprit, a complaint could get us in serious trouble."
"Should we handcuff him or not?"
The three shook their heads.
"Then let's go!"
Watching the police car drive away, Li Xiaofei was completely bewildered.
"That woman called the cops to arrest me, but she ended up being taken away herself, along with my buddy. Since when does getting arrested come with a 'buy one, get one free' deal..."
Yan Rufeng knew well why the officers wanted him — but there's no way the mundane authorities could uncover how Brother Leopard died or the disappearance of Song Jiaren, both of which were his doing.
Sitting with Xiaxia, he feared she might panic and say something wrong. He immediately used the Soul Searching Technique to erase from her mind the memory of him attacking Song Jiaren.
At the police station, despite severe interrogation, they couldn't extract any valuable information from Xiaxia and had to release her.
Xiaxia didn't leave the station. From her anxious expression, it was clear she was very worried about Yan Rufeng's safety.
In a secret room, Yan Rufeng, with his Divine Sense extended, eventually noticed a little girl being escorted by numerous armed officers to the room.
Apparently, the girl was here to identify the criminal. Without hesitation, Yan Rufeng used the Soul Searching Technique to probe the girl.
After erasing her memory of him, the girl appeared slightly dazed.
"Little girl, is it this person inside?"
Police Officer Wen asked gently.
The girl shook her head and said, "Auntie, I was thinking about that man's face on the way here, but suddenly I can't remember it anymore."
"What did you say?" Wen Tong sternly questioned.
"Boo hoo hoo!"
The girl was clearly frightened by Wen Tong's tone.
Seeing this, Wen Tong realized she'd overstepped; after all, the child couldn't handle such pressure. She calmed herself and managed to soothe the girl after some effort.
"Take her back," Wen Tong waved her hand and then lowered her head in deep thought.
"Officer Wen, how should we handle the suspect Yan Rufeng?"
"What else can we do? Release him," Wen Tong roared.
"Can't find the suspect, so taking it out on me? This Officer Wen truly lives up to her reputation as a tigress..." whispered an officer walking away.
Yan Rufeng was released, leaving Officer Wen in a state of confusion over Brother Leopard's mysterious death.
At the police station, Xiaxia saw Yan Rufeng coming out from a distance. She ran excitedly to him and hugged him tightly, saying, "I thought you really committed a serious crime."
"Alright, Xiaxia. Everything's fine now. Let's go home!"
As they walked away, Officer Wen turned to the officer beside her and asked, "What's the relationship between that woman involved in the disappearance case and Yan Rufeng?"
"It seems they're a couple now."
"A couple, so they are linked to both cases..."
Officer Wen couldn't shake a sense of unease and said sternly, "A fine pair. I want all the information on Yan Rufeng before dawn!"
"Yes, ma'am. I'll get right on it!"
"Hmph, trying to outsmart me? From now on, Yan Rufeng will be my key focus. I refuse to believe he won't slip up."
Officer Wen held her head high, her imposing figure making her appear even more cold and unapproachable...
"Knock, knock, knock!"
The knock woke the just-asleep Li Xiaofei. He hurriedly got up, exclaiming, "Out so soon!"
Opening the door and seeing a visibly shaken Xiaxia, Li Xiaofei mocked, "Accuse me of being a thief, and look who's the one who got arrested."
"Haha..."
"Shut up!" Xiaxia glared.
"Sheesh, so fierce!" Li Xiaofei teased.
"You,"
"What about me?"
"Xiaofei, stop arguing. Aren't you hungry?" Yan Rufeng questioned Li Xiaofei.
"I'm starving. Miss, care to join us for dinner?" Li Xiaofei smirked at Xiaxia.
"Buzz off. Who cares," Xiaxia shot Li Xiaofei a glance.
"Alright, stop it. Let's go."
Seeing the tense atmosphere, Yan Rufeng said to Xiaxia, "I'll ride with you."
Xiaxia, pulling Rufeng out the door, glanced back at Li Xiaofei with a huff.
"Who cares."
Feeling embarrassed by Xiaxia's attitude, Li Xiaofei reluctantly closed the door and followed them.
On the way, Xiaxia drove her white Reventon so slowly it irked Li Xiaofei who was following behind.
"Damn, she's doing this on purpose. Just wait; I'll deal with you later..."
The car stopped at a starred hotel in Zhongzhou. During dinner, Yan Rufeng told Xiaxia, "Take a day off tomorrow. I'll show you around."
Xiaxia, delighted, immediately agreed.
Li Xiaofei noticed Xiaxia's smug look.
"Rufeng, what about me?"
"Of course, you're coming too."
Feeling pleased, Li Xiaofei's joy drew Xiaxia's displeasure.
The three finished dinner late, around eleven at night. As they exited the hotel, Yan Rufeng noticed heated arguing in a secluded corner.
"Brother Nan, could you have imagined today would come?"
Brother Nan, the underground emperor of Zhongzhou, ruled decisively and ruthlessly, leaving no way back. Because of this, he made many enemies who wanted him dead.
With the auction of the jade Rufeng provided scheduled for tomorrow, rumors spread that it might have originated from a Cultivation Family, attracting various forces to Zhongzhou.
Another faction oppressed by Brother Nan also finally saw an opportunity with their newfound allies and took action against him tonight, making Brother Nan like a grasshopper on a hot plate.
"Hmph."
"You think you can threaten me, Brother Nan?" said a middle-aged man named Brother Nan, unafraid despite being outnumbered.
"Ha ha."
A voice scoffed, "Threatening you is an understatement. By the end of tonight, you won't see tomorrow's sunrise."
"Cut the crap and bring it on!" Brother Nan roared.
"Ha ha."
An elderly man, appearing kind and harmless, laughed, "Kid, you've got some guts, but it's laughable compared to me."
"Old man, you're quite bold too. Today, I'll see what you're made of," Brother Nan shouted.
Angered, the old man rushed forward and slapped Brother Nan.
"A Martial Cultivator!"
Brother Nan thought. It's the only explanation for him hitting me so easily. Brother Nan prided himself on being unbeatable in Zhongzhou.
The dignified elder, hands behind his back, coldly said, "Kneel and apologize to me, and I'll leave you a whole corpse."
Brother Nan wiped the blood from his mouth and spat at the elder.
"Kneel to you? Never!"
The elder, now furious, his kind face twisted into something terrifying.
"You chose death!"
The elder erupted with intense killing intent, gripping Brother Nan's neck. Brother Nan was on the verge of suffocation.
Suddenly, an invisible force repelled the elder, freeing Brother Nan to gasp for air.
"Who dares interrupt me? Show yourself," roared the elder.
"Ha ha."
"Your temper matches your age!"
"Don't think staying hidden can protect you from me," the elder sneered.
"Just you?"
With that, Yan Rufeng landed on one foot before the elder.