Starting as the young master of a medicine shop, he practiced swordsmanship for twenty years.

Chapter 397 The Three Innocent Female College Students Who Died in Place of the Divine Intervention, and the Red-Clothed Taoist!
"Mr. Qin, are you alright...?"

The oppressive feeling of being plunged into an ice cave suddenly dissipated, and the three guards, as if waking from a dream, stepped forward with cold sweat on their foreheads, their voices full of concern and lingering fear.

"It's alright." Old Qin waved his hand, his tone indifferent, but his gaze turned to Lu Xuan, and his eyes instantly ignited with a burning light.

It was a burning passion mixed with admiration and conviction, as if gazing upon an unattainable monument.

"Don't be nervous. Old Master Lu is just testing your skills and how to react."

Can humans really reach such heights?

Old Qin stared at Lu Xuan, who was still sitting on the sofa, his heart churning with turbulent emotions.

He had held a high position for a long time and had met countless talented and extraordinary people, but none of them could compare to Lu Xuan.

With just an invisible force, three seasoned martial arts masters were rendered unable to move.

It turns out that human power can be so formidable that it defies all expectations.

"is that so?"

The leading martial arts master's Adam's apple bobbed as he slowly loosened his grip on the gun handle with his right hand.

A few drops of cold sweat quietly welled up and slid down his sharply defined jawline.

Old Qin was unaware of Lu Xuan's true terror, but the three of them had personally experienced it.

That oppressive force just now was not a test at all; it was the ultimate fear that made one's very bones tremble when facing death.

When that invisible force struck, the three of them felt as if their minds had been struck by a red-hot hammer, their minds went blank, and even their breathing became somewhat labored.

Not to mention raising his hand to resist, he couldn't even move his fingertips an inch.

It's no exaggeration to say that if this old man Lu were truly an enemy, he wouldn't have needed to make any move just now.

With just that overwhelming aura, everyone present would be mentally and physically shattered and die on the spot within seconds.

The manor of retired senior leaders on the outskirts of Mukushi City is lush with greenery, quiet and serene.

A simple, light gray villa, nestled under lush camphor trees, blends seamlessly with the surrounding pavilions and water features, exuding a low-key yet profound sense of grandeur.

At that moment, a sleek white sedan quietly drove into the estate. Its tires rolled over the cobblestone path with only a very soft sound, and finally came to a slow stop beside the lawn in front of the villa.

The car door opened, and the first person to step out was a middle-aged man in a black suit. He had a calm face, slightly graying temples, and an air of composure that came with long-standing authority.

He paused briefly, his gaze sweeping over the villa's tightly closed gate.

Then, two young men in dark suits followed closely behind the middle-aged man.

He stood tall and straight, with sharp eyes and his hands hanging at his sides, exuding a tense and wary aura.

The two of them silently followed behind the middle-aged man, walking slowly towards the villa entrance.

The crisp sound of the doorbell broke the tranquility of the manor, and a moment later, the villa gate was gently pulled open.

The woman who opened the door was in her thirties, dressed in clean off-white home clothes.

The corners of her apron were still covered in flour, and she looked like a nanny who took care of daily needs. She had just come out of the kitchen and looked a bit rushed.

"Hello, is Fang Hai here?"

The middle-aged man spoke first, his voice steady yet authoritative, his gaze calmly fixed on the nanny.

The nanny was taken aback. Just as she was about to respond, the young man behind the middle-aged man stepped forward, showed his identification, and spoke in a serious tone.

"We are from the Yifeng Province Procuratorate... We have a case that requires Fang Hai to come with us to cooperate with the investigation."

"Huh?" "Check..." These words struck the nanny like a thunderbolt. Her face turned pale instantly, and she unconsciously clenched the rag in her hand, subconsciously stepping aside to make way.

Finally, the nanny responded in a panic, "He...he's in the living room talking to the young master, I'll go get him right now..."

"No need, we can go by ourselves. Please keep quiet and don't disturb others."

The middle-aged man nodded slightly, his tone devoid of emotion. He then led two young men past the nanny with steady steps and headed towards the villa's living room.

Fang Hai's identity is intertwined with multiple pasts—he was once the head of the Liangqing City Security Bureau, wielding significant power over local security, and was also the former top leader of the Yingnan City Security Bureau.

More importantly, he was Lu Yuliang's direct superior back then, and the two had worked together in the same system for many years.

All these identities intersect in the shocking case of the deaths of three female university students at Yingnan University.

Back then, he and Lu Yuliang were deeply involved in the investigation of this case, and he was one of the few key figures who knew the core details of the case.

Inside a somewhat dilapidated resettlement house in Mukusei City, the light was dim and the air was filled with a faint smell of dust.

Lu Yuliang stood quietly by the window, his fingertips lightly tapping the cold glass, his gaze fixed on the bustling street below, exuding a calm aura.

Just then, the door clicked open from the outside, and two young men in casual clothes came into view.

They carefully helped an elderly man in his seventies walk slowly inside, one on each side.

Although the old man's hair was gray, it was combed meticulously. The wrinkles on his face were not deep, and his skin was firm, indicating that he took excellent care of himself.

At this moment, his eyes were unfocused, his lips trembled slightly, and he exuded an undisguised sense of disorientation, as if he had not yet recovered from some kind of shock.

After being helped to a chair opposite Lu Yuliang, the old man was still not fully recovered from his daze and his body was still swaying slightly.

Lu Yuliang broke the silence first, his voice husky with the patter of years: "Old Fang, long time no see."

Upon hearing the name "Old Fang," Fang Hai shuddered and hurriedly looked up.

His cloudy gaze fell on Lu Yuliang's face, and in that brief glance, the familiar features and eyes instantly awakened long-forgotten memories.

His lips trembled, his voice filled with disbelief and astonishment: "Old Lu...it's you? What are you doing here?"

The dejection and confusion he felt when he was taken away from the villa were instantly dispelled by this unexpected reunion.

Fang Hai's eyes widened, his face filled with utter bewilderment.

He froze in his chair, forgetting even to catch his breath, clearly not expecting to run into his former subordinate here.

"Old Lu, could it be... that you've fallen to the same state as me?"

Fang Hai leaned forward abruptly, a complex light flashing in his cloudy eyes—shock mixed with disbelief and speculation.

In his eyes, Lu Yuliang's current predicament is nothing more than a belated "natural" outcome.

Fang Hai leaned back in his chair, his voice filled with a worldly sigh.

"Old Lu, don't argue with that. Arguing is just self-deception—it's a deep-seated human flaw."
Greed, desire, and the lust for power, like vines, entangle the human heart; no "normal" person can truly resist that temptation.

After Fang Hai finished speaking, he paused, his fingers unconsciously stroking the armrest of the chair, a hint of self-mockery in his tone.

"Back then I thought you were an exception, but now it seems you were just hiding your true nature better than anyone else."

Lu Yuliang watched Fang Hai gesticulating wildly as he talked to himself and made wild deductions, a strange, indescribable look crossing his face. This guy, even at this point, his mind is still so unclear and terribly confused.

But Lu Yuliang had no interest in arguing with him about these irrelevant nonsense. His tone was crisp and to the point.

"Old Fang, do you still remember the murder case at Yingnan University twenty years ago, the three girls in dormitory 506?"
"what?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Hai's pupils suddenly contracted, his cloudy old eyes widened sharply, and the veins on his hands, gripping the edge of the table tightly, bulged.

Shock and terror surged in his eyes, and he even held his breath for a moment.

"You...you, Lao Lu," Fang Hai's Adam's apple bobbed violently, his voice trembling, filled with barely concealed panic.

Why did you suddenly bring that up...?

Lu Yuliang's face was as cold as if covered with frost. He reached out and picked up a transparent file bag from beside him.

The black talisman paper in the bag, with its torn edges and dark color, exuded an eerie aura under the light.

"Hmph," he slammed the file folder heavily on the table, making a dull thud, his eyes sharp as knives, piercing straight at Fang Hai.

"You'd better tell me honestly what this thing is—why did you have these talismans put up in dormitory 506 back then?"

You should know that these talismans are not for praying for blessings or warding off evil spirits, but for suppressing the spirits of the three girls who died tragically in the dormitory!

The next moment, the panic in Fang Hai's eyes vanished abruptly, his eyes narrowed slightly, and only a deep, unfathomable stillness remained in his pupils.

His unusually calm demeanor was completely different from the bewildered and incoherent old man he had been moments before.

He slowly straightened up, his tone so calm it was almost indifferent, as if he were talking about trivial matters unrelated to himself: "Old Lu, what are you talking about? I don't understand."

The feigned ignorance in those words couldn't be clearer.

Fang Hai concealed all his emotions and flaws perfectly, refusing to reveal even the slightest weakness.

"you!"

Lu Yuliang's chest heaved violently, his anger about to burst forth.

A calm, aged voice rang out at just the right moment, instantly silencing the tense atmosphere in the room.

"Yuliang, let me do it."

Before he could finish speaking, the door creaked open, and Lu Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, slowly stepping into the room.

When his gaze fell on Fang Hai, it was devoid of any warmth, filled only with utter indifference, as if the person before him were nothing more than a speck of dust.

Just as Fang Hai was filled with doubt, a golden ripple suddenly shot out from Lu Xuan's eyes.

The golden light vanished in an instant, disappearing silently into the void, as if it had never appeared at all.

However, in Fang Hai's perception, the world suddenly changed color.

Thousands of towering mountains suddenly descended, pressing down on his heart like the collapse of the sky.

That immense and overwhelming pressure instantly shattered his insignificant mind, making even breathing extremely difficult.

The next second, Fang Hai's eyes suddenly went vacant, and his whole body stiffened like a marionette.

When Lu Xuan asked a question, he mechanically responded, his tone flat and even, repeating each word precisely.

She was like a pre-programmed repeating robot, completely devoid of her previous composure and pretense.

A Grandmaster at the Core Formation Realm doesn't even need to lift a finger; simply by projecting their martial will, they can crush the spirit of ordinary people like Mount Tai pressing down.

That immense pressure, originating from the physical body and spiritual power, can easily tear apart the opponent's psychological defenses, causing their mind to shatter.

In a short period of time, they completely lose control of their brains and become puppets to be manipulated.

“The Taoist in Red…” Fang Hai’s eyes were empty as he mechanically repeated the name, his tone devoid of any inflection.

“It was him… he said he could help me avoid trouble,” he said, his Adam’s apple bobbing stiffly, the words spilling out uncontrollably.

"The method is... to use the lives of others as bait to shield the client from disaster."

"Those three female students from Yingnan University were not killed in a vendetta. They were just sacrifices that the red-robed Taoist priest randomly picked when I asked him for a favor... and they just happened to become substitutes to protect me from the calamity."

It turns out that twenty years ago, Fang Hai was at a crucial stage in his career advancement. At a high-end banquet, he was introduced to someone by chance.

He met a mysterious Taoist priest dressed in a red robe—the very same Red-Clothed Taoist priest who later became known as the Red-Clothed Taoist.

At that time, as soon as the red-robed Taoist saw him, he asserted that he would soon face a catastrophic disaster, his tone resolute.

"Your destiny is gloomy, and a calamity is imminent. If you do not resolve it in time, not only will your official career be ruined and you fall from grace, but you will also end up in prison and spend the rest of your life there."

"Where is the Taoist in red?" Lu Xuan asked calmly.

Fang Hai lowered his head slightly and mechanically replied, "He... he's in the Mingxin Temple in the city center."

Mingxin Temple is the largest Taoist temple in Liangqing City, with its flying eaves and bracket sets, making it exceptionally grand.

It's likely that there are many people like Fang Hai who have been caught in the crossfire of evil forces.

It was only through covert, official funding that the red-robed Taoist was able to build such an extremely luxurious "sanctuary."

In the deepest part of the secret chamber of Mingxin Temple, the flickering candlelight illuminated a figure in red.

He was an old man with white hair. His face was as pale as paper against his crimson Taoist robe. He was surrounded by an aura of death, devoid of any vitality or warmth.

Suddenly, his tightly closed eyes snapped open, his pupils contracted sharply, and his previously empty eyes were instantly filled with an intense, unyielding unease.

"Something's not right... Why am I feeling this palpitation?" he muttered to himself, his right hand gripping the small skull artifact hidden in his sleeve.

"Could it be... that someone intends to harm this mage?"

Those who cultivate magic have their physical bodies already connected with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, possessing an extremely keen instinctive vigilance.

At this moment, this chilling feeling and warning, originating from the unseen, spread throughout my body like a bone-deep infection; it was by no means a baseless figment of my imagination.

Before he could finish speaking, just as the old man in red was about to get up from his prayer mat, a loud crash came from the heavy iron door of the secret room.

The reinforced metal door was so violently struck that it bent and deformed, flying in like a piece of torn paper and crashing heavily onto the central altar.

In an instant, incense ash flew everywhere, ritual implements shattered, and blood-red copper bells rolled to the ground, turning the altar into a chaotic ruin.

Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, Lu Xuan's figure, standing with his hands behind his back, slowly entered. His black Zhongshan suit was spotless, and his steps were as steady as if he were treading on a mountain.

His gaze swept over the disheveled old man in red, his expression remaining indifferent, as if the earth-shattering commotion of destroying the gate and altar was nothing more than a speck of dust being brushed away.

"There's something I need your help with." Lu Xuan stood in the still-smoky chamber, his voice calm and even, as if he were talking about something trivial.

But there wasn't a hint of a request in those words!
(End of this chapter)