Xia Yunjie naturally didn't know that the elegant woman he was carrying was actually Qin Lan, the deputy director of the Jiangzhou Public Security Bureau, infamous in both the criminal underworld and law enforcement as the "Cold-Faced Rakshasa." At the moment, he was carrying Qin Lan up the stairs to his home. Fortunately, it was the middle of the night, and the stairwell was empty. Otherwise, anyone seeing Xia Yunjie carrying a woman home would undoubtedly jump to the wrong conclusions.
Once inside, Xia Yunjie placed Qin Lan gently on the sofa in the living room and exhaled deeply.
Carrying a woman up the stairs wasn't exhausting. What was draining was trying not to let his mind wander. For a young man full of vigor, holding such an alluringly ripe body in his arms without entertaining any improper thoughts required immense willpower.
After letting out a long breath, Xia Yunjie looked at Qin Lan again. This time, what he saw made his heart race. At some point, the buttons on her shirt around her chest had come undone.
Inhaling deeply and exhaling repeatedly, Xia Yunjie finally forced his gaze away from her and hurried to his room to fetch a blanket. Returning, he draped the blanket over her abdomen and turned on the living room fan for her comfort.
Having done all this, Xia Yunjie realized he was drenched in sweat. This baffled him. As a mid-stage Earth Shaman of the Two Cauldrons level, he had long since become impervious to heat and cold. Yet here he was, sweating profusely because of a woman. Shaking his head and silently chastising himself, Xia Yunjie headed to the bathroom for a cold shower.
Standing under the cold water, however, his thoughts kept drifting to the mature, peach-like beauty lying on his living room sofa. The more he tried to clear his head, the more his body seemed to heat up.
After the shower, Xia Yunjie returned to his room and lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. It was already 3 a.m.
His mind wandered to the events of the day—treating Cheng Ping's foot injury, the incident at the bar, and the enigmatic woman in his living room. Since arriving in Jiangzhou over a month ago, his experiences had never been as intense or stimulating as they were today.
Lost in thought, he eventually drifted off to sleep.
At five in the morning, the time of Mao (the early hours of sunrise), Xia Yunjie woke up as usual. This was the best time of the day for cultivation, as the rising sun brought a surge of energy to all living things.
Xia Yunjie rose from bed, faced east, and sat down. He began to breathe rhythmically, in sync with the flow of qi. As he breathed, it seemed that a ray of purple light emerged from the faint red glow of dawn in the east, shooting directly into his forehead and settling in his third eye, or Yin Tang point.
As the purple light continued to flow into him, a vortex formed between his eyes, as if a third eye had opened. Within the vortex, a light began to shine—a light that revealed an ancient, inverted cauldron of immense antiquity and mystery. The cauldron was adorned with intricate, arcane symbols and carvings exuding an aura of timeless power.
An hour later, at seven o'clock, Xia Yunjie slowly opened his eyes. Rising, he stood by the window and habitually touched the faintly fading cauldron-shaped mark on his forehead, his thoughts drifting back to a day eleven years ago when he was just nine years old.
Xia Yunjie was born in a Xia family village in Shangyang County, Jiangzhou, Jiangnan Province. According to the village elders, their ancestors were direct descendants of Xia Yu, the first emperor of the Xia Dynasty.
Legends said that the ancient Wu tribe was formed from the blood and flesh of the Great Pangu, as well as the primordial qi of heaven and earth. They possessed incredible powers, able to control the elements and all living things. It was also said that Xia Yu, who controlled the floods, divided the nine provinces, and cast the Nine Cauldrons, was an ancient Wu King.
Before the age of nine, Xia Yunjie had always treated these tales as mere myths, listening with great interest. But everything changed when, gravely ill and on the brink of death, he encountered his master, a gaunt old shaman named Wu Ze. It was then he learned that these legends, while perhaps not entirely accurate, were not mere fiction either.
Now, Xia Yunjie himself was a shaman, bearing the bloodline of the ancient Wu King Xia Yu. After that near-death illness, a faint, nearly imperceptible cauldron-shaped mark appeared on his forehead. During cultivation, the mark would glow faintly. His master explained that it was the sign of his awakened Xia Yu bloodline.
The shaman hierarchy was simple, divided into four major realms: Earth Shaman, Heaven Shaman, Profound Shaman, and Great Shaman.
A shaman stood between heaven and earth, commanding extraordinary powers. An Earth Shaman was grounded to the earth but had not yet achieved the ability to transcend the heavens. Only upon reaching the Heaven Shaman level could one break through the void and achieve transcendence. The Profound Shaman and Great Shaman realms were even more profound. The legendary Wu King Xia Yu, who cast the Nine Cauldrons, was said to be a Great Shaman, marking the zenith of the Wu tribe's power.
After Xia Yu, the Wu tribe began to decline. The Daoist and Buddhist sects absorbed parts of Wu traditions, rising in prominence. As the spiritual energy of the earth waned, these traditions also faded, leaving few true practitioners.
Xia Yunjie's master, Wu Ze, claimed descent from the ancient Great Shaman Wu Xian, renowned for divination, healing, geomancy, exorcism, and pest control. After saving Xia Yunjie's life and taking him as a disciple, Wu Ze devoted his remaining years to imparting all his knowledge, knowing his time was short. Xia Yunjie, bearing the bloodline of Xia Yu, surpassed expectations, excelling not only in cultivation but also in Wu Ze's specialty—divination.
However, Wu Ze feared Xia Yunjie might be tempted by power and wealth, losing himself in arrogance or causing harm. To temper him, Wu Ze made him promise to live humbly for three years after his death, working an ordinary job to build character.
Thinking of his master, Xia Yunjie instinctively turned the plain silver ring on his left pinky, engraved with a mystical mountain design. This was the heirloom of the Wu Xian sect, a branch of the Wu tribe.
Although the Wu Xian sect had nearly vanished due to war and decline, Wu Ze took solace in passing its legacy to Xia Yunjie, who carried the hope of revival.
"Master, rest assured. I will honor your teachings," Xia Yunjie vowed silently, determination filling his heart.
Clearing his mind, Xia Yunjie opened his bedroom door and headed to the bathroom.
As he glanced toward the sofa in the living room, he froze.
There lay Qin Lan, with only a blanket covering her from her navel to the tops of her thighs, barely concealing her most private areas. The rest of her body was exposed to the air. Scattered around the sofa were her white shirt, black pencil pants, yellow lace bra, and even a tiny pair of underwear. It was clear that beneath the blanket, she wore nothing.
Even with his disciplined mind from recent cultivation, the sudden sight made Xia Yunjie's blood surge. An uncontrollable heat rose within him, tempting him to step forward and uncover the blanket.
The sound of the door opening seemed to wake Qin Lan. As Xia Yunjie stood there, his gaze ablaze with desire, she opened her eyes.
Qin Lan, an experienced deputy director, remained composed despite waking in an unfamiliar place and seeing an unfamiliar man. Her mind quickly analyzed the situation.
However, when her eyes followed his gaze and landed on herself, even she panicked. Reflexively, she pulled the blanket up, only to expose her lower body. Realizing her mistake, she hastily covered herself completely.
Xia Yunjie, despite his youthful vigor, quickly regained his composure as she adjusted the blanket. The fire within him cooled, and he awkwardly said, "I didn't undress you."
"If not you, then…" Qin Lan trailed off, recalling her habit of sleeping in the nude. She froze, speechless.