On a soft bed, a young woman lay unconscious, her head and eyebrows shaved bald.
Four large, twisted, crimson characters had been maliciously written on her shiny scalp and her chubby cheeks, making her look both pathetic and comical.
The accompanying police officer was breaking out in a cold sweat. He bowed slightly, cautiously looking up at the man before him, who had hair like fire and a face of demonic, world-toppling beauty.
The manâs eyes were dark and turbulent, like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
"Admiral Feng, when we found Miss Feng, she was, uh, already like this..."
"And itâs not that we ignored the writing on Miss Fengâs face. The ink is strange. Weâve tried everything, but nothing can remove it."
Unable to read the manâs thoughts, the officerâs heart pounded with anxiety as he whispered an explanation to absolve himself of blame.
"I know."
Feng Qianyan frowned, his reply clipped with immense irritation. He then closed his eyes and released his Divine Sense, delving into Feng Yinyinâs memories.
He quickly located the part of her memory that had been tampered with and discovered the truth of the matter.
Some of the policeâs earlier speculations were indeed correct. Feng Yinyinâs memories had been altered by a Half-step Ultimate Venerable.
To restore them, one would need at least the Cultivation of the Ultimate Venerable Stage.
But in the entire Empire, aside from hidden masters and unaffiliated powerhouses, there wasnât a single registered Ultimate Venerable Stage Powerhouse. No wonder the police were at a loss.
As his Divine Sense sped through the sea of memories, a woman with a graceful figure and a stunningly beautiful face appeared in Feng Qianyanâs mind.
The woman had long, ink-blue hair, her features as exquisite as a painting. Her expression was defiant and arrogant, and her movements were swift and decisive.
Gazing at that unreasonably beautiful face, Feng Qianyanâs heart trembled violently, and a powerful thought surfaced in his mind.
âThat woman... sheâs the one Iâve been looking for all this time...â
His heart suddenly grew warm. Realizing the situation, he quickly processed Feng Yinyinâs memories again before opening his eyes. His gaze, now fixed on the officer, was imperious and domineering.
"Transfer this case to me. Iâll handle it."
The officer was stunned by his words. "But, imperial law states that the Legion is not permitted to interfere in police matters."
"What? Do you need me to amend the law?"
The man narrowed his eyes, crimson flames swirling within them. His voice was turbulent and wild, radiating immense pressure.
The officer trembled, terrified, as sweat beaded frantically on his forehead.
âHow could I have forgotten? This living god of death before me isnât just the youngest admiral; heâs also one of the framers of the Empireâs laws, with the authority to amend them.â
"No, that wonât be necessary! Please, Admiral Feng, just coordinate with our chief. Once thatâs done, the case will be transferred to you."
"Mm."
The Ninth Legion was highly efficient. In less than half an hour, an adjutant had taken over the case.
Feng Qianyan used his Divine Sense to inspect the memories of all the victims. After getting a clear picture of the cause and effect, he processed their memories a second time.
This time, restoring the victimsâ memories to their original state to see the truth would require a Cultivation level that surpassed even an Ultimate Venerable.
"Close this case. The record will state: Feng Yinyin formed a clique and led a group in the long-term bullying of Ling Jiangtang."
"In a fit of rage, Jiang Tang tricked them, enacted a revenge plot, and the case is to be classified as self-defense. The âvictimsâ brought it upon themselves. No further investigation is permitted."
Feng Qianyan turned his head to instruct his adjutant.
The adjutant froze instantly.
âThe Admiral has never been fond of his sister, but to write in the official file that she was bullying someone... is that really appropriate?â
Seeing him hesitate, Feng Qianyan narrowed his eyes. "What are you standing there for? Do you need me to repeat myself?"
"No, sir. Iâll go close the case immediately."
*
ăFifth Star Zone.ă
Yan Chen had soaked in the Spirit Water for an entire night, and Jiang Yunnuan, who he refused to let leave his side, had no choice but to sleep in his arms.
The next day, the sky was bright.
Jiang Yunnuan slept until she woke naturally. When she opened her eyes, she was greeted by the sight of an alluring collarbone, but below it lay a patchwork of mottled scars.
She reached out to touch his cheek, her hand then drifting down toward the hard, firm length below his waist. Her voice, hoarse and dry from sleep, was lazy yet still incredibly pleasant to the ear.
"Youâre so badly injured all over your body, so why are your face and... this part... completely unscathed? Donât tell me the thunder tribulation has a mind of its own?"
Yan Chen: "..."
âOf course not!â
âThe thunder tribulation doesnât play favorites. Once it locks onto you, the bombardment is indiscriminate.â
âItâs just that I wanted to come back and see her. So, these two parts... they represent my entire dignity. I used all my power to protect them.â
âIt was precisely to protect those two places that the rest of my body was so gravely injured.â
"You want to know?"
"Iâm curious! Come on, tell me."
Jiang Yunnuan stretched, propping herself up to look at him languidly.
Her posture was clearly casual, and her expression held not a hint of intentional seduction, yet he felt his heartstrings being deeply tugged.
âAs expected, anything I like at first sight has an immense attraction for me.â
He raised an eyebrow, his gaze filled with pleasure as he admired the beauty before him.
"I protected them on purpose."
Jiang Yunnuan: "..."
âDuring a moment as dangerous as a tribulation, he actually had the presence of mind to give preferential treatment to parts of his own body?â
âWasnât he afraid that one careless mistake would get him blasted into smithereens?â
"DING DONG..."
Just then, the doorbell was pressed, the sound chiming from her Light Brain.
âSomeoneâs at the door? Who is it?â
Jiang Yunnuan paused. Her consciousness entered her Light Brain and she pulled up the surveillance feed, only to see a small military vessel parked outside the courtyard gate.
In front of the main gate stood a Beastman in a military uniform.
The Beastman looked to be in his thirties. He had a scar on his brow bone and a ferocious, menacing appearance, looking like someone not to be trifled with.
"Whatâs wrong?"
Seeing her distracted, Yan Chen frowned and spoke up.
Jiang Yunnuan quickly withdrew her consciousness from the Light Brain and looked up at him, a panicked expression on her face.
"Yan Chen, do you think there are other Ultimate Venerable Stage Powerhouses in our Empire besides you?"
"Definitely. Although I donât know who they are, I can sense that thereâs more than one Ultimate Venerable Powerhouse in the Eastern Empire. Why do you ask? Whatâs happened?"
âThereâs even a mysterious figure whoâs already starting to break through to the Ultimate Venerable Stage.â
Receiving a definitive answer, Jiang Yunnuanâs expression instantly turned grim.
"Iâm in trouble..."
"What kind of trouble?"
A hint of surprise appeared in Yan Chenâs eyes. He was curious about what she could have possibly done to attract the attention of an Ultimate Venerable Powerhouse.
"The day before yesterday, I went to the foster center to find my sister and ran into a group of girls bullying her. In a fit of anger, I beat them all up and crippled their Cultivation..."
She briefly recounted the events of that day, including how she avoided surveillance, erased all traces of the crime, and instructed Fu Yuan to tamper with their memories.
"Thereâs someone at the door. Theyâre from the military. Other than this, I canât think of any reason why the military would be looking for me."