Wizards begin with Occlumency.

Mianliu River.

The Lotus Heart Boat is located on the central painted boat.

A woman whose appearance and temperament were very similar to Miss Hu Er sat in front of the dressing table.

This woman is one of Governor Hu's illegitimate daughters, and is Hu Songqi, the current leader of the "Witchcraft" organization who is punishing Yun Xinying from afar.

The mirror reflected not Hu Songqi's image, but a distant view of Hu Suqi's villa.

Ever since he managed to infiltrate the "Witchcraft" organization and take over Hu Suqi's identity as the witch leader, Hu Songqi has never let up on monitoring Hu Suqi.

Hu Songqi knew that in terms of magical skill, even though she majored in evil witchcraft and took a shortcut, she was still far inferior to Hu Suqi.

Therefore, after Hu Songqi became the leader of the witch doctors, he kept a very low profile.

Unexpectedly, this low-key style earned her the support of members of the "Witch" organization.

No matter how much support she received, Hu Songqi dared not act in Hu Suqi's name.

Even the surveillance of Hu Suqi was done under a layer of cover.

The image in the dressing mirror in front of Hu Songqi was extremely blurry because she was only using the "Ghost Eye" technique to monitor the latest mechanical achievement—the real-time footage captured by a camera—rather than directly monitoring Hu Suqi's villa with the "Ghost Eye" technique.

This was done to avoid the risk of being discovered by Hu Suqi.

She feared that one day, Hu Suqi would disregard blood ties and the meager sisterly affection she had, and come knocking on her door.

The reason she punished Yun Xinying so severely, breaking her bones all over her body and rendering her a cripple, was actually a combination of her guilty conscience and caution.

In order to advance further in the art of magic, Hu Songqi must explore the secret realm of the Valley of the Dead and obtain a secret manual of evil sorcery.

Targeting Li Shuwen was a last resort.

Hu Songqi was able to scheme against very few Void Realm martial artists.

After much deliberation, the most suitable candidate turned out to be Li Shuwen, who had broken away from the sect.

After his scheme failed right from the start, Hu Songqi immediately instructed the "Witchcraft" organization to sever all ties.

When Link left Fuli County and came to the provincial capital to conduct his investigation, Hu Songqi remained completely calm.

In any case, all preparations have been made in advance.

Even if Lin Ke is incredibly capable, even if he traces the Wei family back to Yun Xinying, it won't be a big problem.

Hu Songqi had already arranged Yun Xinying's exit.

At that time, all clues will be exhausted with Yun Xinying.

Even if Link wanted to investigate further, he wouldn't be able to continue.

Afterwards, they would stir up some trouble in Fuli County to divert Link's attention, and that would be the end of the matter.

Who would have thought that Yun Xinying would take it upon herself to go against the plan and ambush Link on her own?

Do you really think Hu Songqi is blind and deaf and can't see that very clever surveillance mark?

Can you guess what Yun Xinying went through?

From the moment Hu Songqi discovered Yun Xinying's defiance, he had a bad feeling, knowing that it was only a matter of time before Lin Ke found out about his existence.

But she couldn't just run away alone, giving up the wealth, status, and power she had worked so hard to acquire.

So she didn't go anywhere; she just waited in her own territory.

Let's see who comes knocking on our door in the end.

Hu Suqi, Shi Gandang, or Linke?

What she was really looking forward to was Hu Suqi!

Despite imitating Hu Suqi for nearly thirty years, Hu Songqi still harbors a strong desire to break free from convention and be herself again.

The prerequisite for breaking free from conventional thinking is to break free from the mental cage.

If he could defeat Hu Suqi in a head-on confrontation, Hu Songqi felt that he might be able to start anew.

Therefore, with mixed feelings and inexplicable anticipation, Hu Songqi stared intently at Hu Suqi's villa.

Bajiquan Martial Arts School.

After Link left, Shi hesitated for more than two hours before finally making up his mind.

He tidied himself up, put on his most formal attire, and, leaving the martial arts students behind, drove alone to Hu Suqi's villa.

When passing by a flower shop, Brother Shi remembered a travel guide he had read before and bought a large bouquet of roses.

After getting out of the car, Shi took the bouquet from the passenger seat, squeezed the small square box in his pocket, took a deep breath, and rang the doorbell of the villa.

"Who?"

A moment later, a cold female voice came from the speaker next to the doorbell.

Even without listening carefully, Senior Brother Shi could tell that it was Hu Suqi's voice.

"it's me."

Senior Brother Shi swallowed hard and spoke calmly.

"Who are you?"

Hu Suqi did not let Shi Shi in so easily, pretending not to recognize his voice.

However, as the daughter of a warlord who greatly admired mechanical development, Hu Suqi had cameras installed on the rooftops of both sides of the gate of her villa for surveillance purposes.

She could see Shi Shixiong's face very clearly, so how could she not know who was standing outside the gate?

Shi Shi felt a little bitter.

He knew that Hu Suqi was angry about what happened last night.

Taking a deep breath, Senior Brother Shi said, "Suqi, it's me, Shi Gandang. Please open the door; I have something very important to tell you."

"Shi Gandang? Which Shi Gandang?"

Hu Suqi asked curiously, "Is it Shi Gandang, who claimed to have something important to say, so he broke into a woman's room late at night and then left without a trace?"

These words immediately embarrassed Senior Brother Shi.

If it weren't for appearances, I'd love to take off my shoes and socks, dig a hole in the ground with my toes, and crawl inside.

With a squeak.

But at that moment, the gate to the villa opened.

"Come in, I want to hear what important things you, Director Shi, have to tell me during the day."

These words immediately stirred up Brother Shi's emotions again.

embarrassment?

What's so embarrassing about it?

If he can be let in, it means that Suqi is not really angry with him.

There is still room for redemption.

Before the doors could be fully opened to both sides, Senior Brother Shi pushed off with his feet, his figure flashed, and he quickly darted inside.

It moved so fast that it left afterimages in its wake.

The roses she was holding were perfectly protected by Senior Brother Shi's true energy.

Not a single petal fell.

"So? Do you think my senior brother can achieve his goal?"

Inside the Lotus Heart Boat.

The room where Hu Songqi was located.

Link's voice suddenly rang out behind Hu Songqi, who was intently staring at the scene at the gate of Hu Suqi's villa in the dressing mirror.

Even the phrase "appearing and disappearing like a ghost" doesn't quite capture the way Link makes his appearances.

It is quite obvious that Hu Songqi was greatly shocked by Link's appearance.

He suddenly shuddered.

"How did you get in?"

Hu Songqi slowly turned around and looked at the expressionless Link. "I have set up so many warning spells and traps. Even if your master Li Shuwen, a Void Realm Immortal martial artist, came, he might not be able to sneak into my room without alerting me."

"Oh, you're asking about that."

Link's lips curled slightly. "It's a secret. How could I tell you?"

Hu Songqi narrowed his eyes, no longer asking questions, but simply preparing to be on guard and ready to strike at any moment.

"Don't be so nervous. If I really wanted to deal with you, why would I need to warn you?"

Seeing this, Link spoke up to comfort Hu Songqi, indicating that there was no need to be so cautious and on high alert.

What do you want?

Hu Songqi remained wary and asked a question.

If he could easily resolve the immediate issue, Hu Songqi wouldn't want to fight.

She found it increasingly difficult to understand the person in front of her.

Rumors circulate that this person is merely a martial arts genius at the peak of the Condensation Realm.

However, Hu Songqi deduced from some clues that this person had most likely already entered the Unity Realm.

From seeing through Yun Xinying's magic and leaving that monitoring mark on Yun Xinying, Hu Songqi deduced that this person must have mastered some profound magic.

Moreover, judging from the way that mark exists, the magic this person possesses is very likely more authentic and traditional than Hu Suqi's ancient witchcraft, and more inclined towards "magic arts"!

Therefore, Hu Songqi really didn't want to fight Link, whose trump card was unknown!

"I only have two conditions. If you can agree to them, I might let you go."

Link held up two fingers, his tone extremely calm, but his words were incredibly arrogant.

Seeing Hu Songqi's brows furrowed, Link kindly offered a reminder: "Trust me, if I wanted to kill you, it wouldn't take three moves."

After reading the massive book Hu Suqi gave him, Link's ten years of arduous training in the Human Immortal Martial Arts had only two remaining purposes: to serve as a reference for perfecting the "Construct" system, and to see if breaking through to the Void Realm could be a valuable lesson for his future advancement to a Level 4 Sage after returning to the Wizarding World.

What allows Link to roam the world now is the secret technique he constantly creates under the influence of "inspiration," which conforms to the rules of this world and is based on mental power.

Move, stealth, break through barriers, defend, attack—you can do whatever you want.

Therefore, Link also became curious about the history of "magic" and "magicians" in this world.

Judging from the secret methods he has "created" so far, if the ancient sorcerers of this world had not made the wrong choice in the fundamental direction, they would have had the opportunity to develop to the scale and achievements of the true spirit wizards in the wizarding world.

There must be a reason why I took the wrong path of separating from the physical body and ascending to a higher realm of consciousness.

Perhaps the origin of witchcraft is not as late or as simple as Hu Suqi speculated.

Hu Songqi, who clearly specializes in evil witchcraft, naturally became the point of entry for Link to investigate these secrets.

"You tell me first, and I'll consider it before I can agree to your request."

Although Hu Songqi was furious at Link's arrogance, as a sorcerer whose realm and combat power in normal state were comparable to a peak Human Immortal martial artist of the Unity Realm, she had a certain ability to avoid danger and seek good fortune.

After Lin Ke calmly uttered those threatening words, Hu Songqi truly sensed a life-or-death crisis.

However, Hu Songqi was not about to give in so easily and wanted to bargain.

"You have no choice but to agree or not. You can only agree to this path without thinking it through."

Link gave a very clear stance, while also exuding a slight murderous aura.

Hu Songqi immediately sensed it.

She gritted her teeth, and finally gave in under the increasingly frequent crisis warnings: "I've agreed to everything, so go ahead and say it."

"The first condition is that you hand over all the information you have about witchcraft, magic, and sorcerers to me."

Link retracted his right middle finger, leaving only his index finger raised, and emphasized, "Remember, I want everything, including all information about secret realms like the Valley of the Dead. Don't try to hide or give me any evasive answers; I can tell."

"The second condition is that everyone involved in targeting my senior sister Li Sisi must be killed."

After a pause, Link added, "You can be yourself, but you have to leave the 'Witchcraft' organization and stop being a witch master."

"The first condition is fine. The second condition is too much."

Even though Hu Songqi had prepared himself mentally, he never expected to hear such outrageous conditions.

This infuriated her, and she was burning with rage.

Yet, under the increasingly oppressive killing intent and the coercive aura, they dared not even voice their opposition.

They could only raise objections in a perfunctory manner.

Link suddenly smiled: "You don't have to agree, then I'll kill you, and take my time to find it over the next few days."

Hearing these words, which showed no regard for her life, Hu Songqi felt a chill run down her spine.

She really wanted to risk everything and fight for it; maybe she could find a way out.

But she dared not, and was even more reluctant.

I was terrified of poverty and hardship when I was a child.

Hu Songqi couldn't bear to give up his current life of luxury and extravagance to become a pathetic, fleeing, and hunted-down stray dog.

"Okay, I agree!"

With the mindset that "as long as we're alive, we can always make a comeback," Hu Songqi gritted his teeth and agreed to these two outrageous conditions.

Before long, several ancient books, two bamboo scrolls, a map, and a thick handwritten magic manual were placed in front of Link.

"These are the materials you requested."

Hu Songqi pointed to the items she had taken from the safe in her room and said with heartache.

These were her livelihood, and she really couldn't bear to give them up like this.

"Um."

Link nodded, confirming that Hu Songqi hadn't hidden anything, and with a casual wave of his right hand, he instantly put the documents away somewhere.

This move left Hu Songqi wide-eyed with shock and envy.

"As for the people you asked for, I have already given the orders to come here to see me. You will need to wait a while."

After Hu Songqi finished speaking, he prepared to fight back with all his might, fearing that Link would go back on his word.

"Okay, I'll wait."

Link, however, waited quietly.

They weren't afraid that Hu Songqi might openly call for people to kill them, but secretly actually summon people to surround and attack them.

About ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

"Enter."

Hu Songqi glanced at Link, who was standing silently, and spoke up.

The door opened, and a dozen or so people dressed in various ways filed into the room.

There were scholars, courtesans, vendors, office workers, and even police officers...

"Greetings, Lord Wizard."

These people seemed not to see Link. After entering, they immediately knelt on one knee and bowed to Hu Songqi.

"Everyone's here, so I hope you keep your word!"

Hu Songqi ignored his subordinates and spoke to Link instead.

"Yes. Of course I keep my word."

Just as the dozen or so members of the "Witchcraft" organization who had been involved in targeting Li Sisi were feeling the worst, Link made his move.

Without any visible movement, he shattered their hearts almost instantly.

More than a dozen people fell to the ground and lost their lives.

The next second, Link vanished without a trace, just as he had come; Hu Songqi had no idea how he left.

Only a dozen or so corpses remained in the room, along with Hu Songqi, who was clutching his heart, still shaken by the experience.

Before leaving, Link gently pinched Hu Songqi's heart.

To show that what he said was true.

Kill her as easily as killing a chicken! (End of Chapter)