Chapter 136: Much Smarter

Rong Qiaoyi gently brushed her fingers against the man's collar, savoring the vacant, dull expression in his eyes. A surge of immense satisfaction washed over her.

"I have been investigating this matter all along, and I never expected my suspicions to be proven true."

"I also didn't anticipate that this would deal such a crushing blow to you. If I hadn't uncovered this, controlling you would have been quite a nuisance."

As she spoke, she allowed her fingers to drift across his face. She felt her own spiritual energy circulating more smoothly than ever.

"Even if I lost the artifact to restore the deer spirit's power today, as long as I maintain a firm grip on your mind, do you think I can't find a way to reclaim all that spiritual energy from Shen Qingli?"

Her gaze roamed greedily over his body, and just as she prepared to siphon off a portion of Xie Jinchuan’s spiritual essence, a sharp, searing pain erupted in her abdomen.

She scrambled back two steps, only to see a gleaming, cold sword plunged deep into her chest.

A piercing shriek tore from her throat, "Ah!"

In an instant, the surrounding space shattered, collapsing as she was thrust back into the reality of the physical world.

Xie Jinchuan stood there, gripping the longsword, looking down at the woman before him with a cold scoff.

"Did you truly believe I would fall for your trick a second time?"

The agony in her chest was not merely physical; it was a violent tremor of her very soul. The barrier she had created to control him had been forged from her own spirit. When Xie Jinchuan had struck her within that construct, he had pierced her soul directly.

"Pfft!"

A fountain of blood sprayed from her lips. Rong Qiaoyi felt as weak as a newborn infant, left with nothing to face but impending death.

"You... you saw through my scheme all along? So those things I found... you intentionally let me see them?"

No wonder the investigation had been so effortless! No wonder every piece of information she sought fell right into her lap. She had never imagined that he had been baiting a trap for her all along.

Rong Qiaoyi looked at him and let out a chilling laugh. "Kill me or carve me up as you please. I’m done for anyway."

She turned her head away, expecting a flicker of pity from the man. Instead, a sharp pain pierced her heart, and in the next second, she lost all consciousness.

Watching the woman’s body wither and crumble into ash on the ground, Xie Jinchuan felt a lingering sense of unreality.

Could she really have died just like that?

He narrowed his eyes, his fingers forming a seal as he cast a sweeping scan of the area with his spiritual perception. Only after confirming that there was no trace of Rong Qiaoyi’s soul did he turn and walk away. Yet, a nagging suspicion remained—it felt too easy. But for now, there were no leads to follow.

Meanwhile, at the exact moment Rong Qiaoyi’s body perished, inside a small hotel not far from the rooftop, a figure suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood.

Father Chu, who was sitting nearby, watched the woman in terror, too frightened to speak.

"I never imagined he would actually kill me. Does this mean he no longer cares about restoring Shen Qingli?" Rong Qiaoyi wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth.

To prevent Xie Jinchuan from discovering her future machinations, she had staged this elaborate drama of a "fake death" to ensure her future movements would be unimpeded. However, forcibly splitting her soul to create a new vessel had pushed her to her limits.

She coughed softly, her eyes darkening with malice.

"Go back and investigate whether Shen Qingli and Xie Jinchuan have visited any auction houses recently, or if anything new has appeared in their home. Find out and report back to me immediately."

"Remember, your daughter’s life is in my hands now. And yours, too."

Seeing the crimson glint in her eyes, Father Chu nodded frantically and hurried away. He dared not call the police, nor breathe a word to anyone. The woman had planted something inside him; if he even thought about speaking out, he would suffer agonizing pain—and so would his daughter. It was terrifying!

Once Father Chu had left, a frail Rong Qiaoyi stood up and guided a prepared demon core toward her chest. She had once obtained a forbidden tome from the Nine Heavens, and everything she knew now was learned from those pages.

The book detailed a method: if one's soul were shattered, a demon core could be used to mend it. Furthermore, once integrated into the soul, the core would mask one's former identity, history, and aura, rendering them undetectable to the Celestial Realm.

Now that she had "died," she had to adopt a new identity. Only then could she proceed with her plans.

However, the pain of fusing a soul with a demon core was beyond what any ordinary person could endure. Rong Qiaoyi collapsed to the floor, her body convulsing, her form becoming grotesque and unnatural.

In the next moment, her face turned deathly pale, as if she had ceased to exist.

...

Gu Qingming looked at the notification of a bank transfer on his phone, his cheeks puffing out in an adorable display of indignation.

"Can you believe this Xie Jinchuan? He’s infuriating! What business is it of his that I sent gifts to my sister? Just because he’s rich, he thinks he owns the world, right?"

His manager, Ping Lang, silently ate his hotpot, watching Gu Qingming vent.

"Say something! Or are you paying for this meal today?"

The manager sighed, "Honestly, how should I put this? If you compare yourself to Xie Jinchuan, aside from your face, you really don't measure up to him in any other way. I’m just being honest, don't hit me."

The words were harsh, and Gu Qingming glared at him, snatching the plate of meat away.

"Eat less. You’re always telling me to watch my figure, you should be watching yours too."

Ping Lang was speechless. "I’m not a star, you know." But under Gu Qingming’s glare, he could only return to his meatballs. This guy was still such a child!

As he grumbled, a sudden, sharp pain struck Gu Qingming’s heart. It felt as if something were stabbing into his chest, and cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead.

"Ugh."

He let out a stifled groan, drawing Ping Lang’s attention.

"What’s wrong? What happened?"

Ping Lang asked nervously, reaching for his phone to call an ambulance, but the pain vanished as quickly as it had come.

"No, it’s nothing. Just a momentary heart pain."

He exhaled deeply, rubbing his chest, feeling a strange sense of unease. He looked at the full moon outside the window. In that fleeting moment of pain, he had sensed a repulsive aura.

It was the same aura he had seen in his dreams—the aura of that woman who had killed so many people. It was so detestable that it made him want to kill her!

"Why do you keep having chest pains lately? You need to get checked at the hospital tomorrow. I’ll go tell Shen Qingli now."

Ping Lang was anxious and immediately began booking an appointment and sending messages. By the time Gu Qingming tried to stop him, it was already too late.