Zhuo Yan had just stepped out the door when Zhou Qing Bie's phone rang again.
"Miss Yan, an investor from the academy has gone missing. Has your boyfriend contacted you?"
"No."
"Then I..."
"But I know where he is."
Just as Zhou Qing Bie was about to hang up, she clearly froze upon hearing this. A few seconds later, she excitedly repeated, "You know where he is!"
"Mhm." Zhuo Yan gave her the address and, at the same time, warned, "If there's still time, I will stop him from killing. Even if I can't, I don't want you to interfere. I will take him away. Don't even think about trying to apprehend him; I will always be on his side."
Zhou Qing Bie was deeply wary of her abilities and would not foolishly seek death. Zhuo Yan was merely giving her a subtle reminder to be cautious of others.
Zhou Qing Bie immediately reacted and replied, "I won't bring many people. I hope you can stop him as soon as possible. If this continues, the Qin family won't let this go."
Zhuo Yan scoffed at this.
"I'll try my best."
What would happen if he really intended to kill someone?
Would she kill him first to prevent him from killing?
Zhuo Yan mused as she got out of the car and walked towards the dense forest.
A scent of blood wafted with the cool breeze, silently spreading fear throughout every corner of the forest. Even though it was noon, it still gave off an unshakeable sense of chilling gloom.
This wasn't just the aura of ghosts.
He was with those monsters.
Zhuo Yan was not angry; a smile even played on her lips.
She suddenly understood something.
The main system had said that this world could resolve his doubts and determine if Jiang Chongyan was truly the culprit of the human realm's karma. She had always thought this was nonsense.
Now, it seemed, it wasn't impossible.
She had almost forgotten that the adorable, well-behaved, obedient, and sensible little darling in front of her was a great villain capable of blackening and destroying the world at any moment.
She had underestimated him.
An even colder aura emanated from an unknown source, accompanied by fine tendrils as thin as hair. They followed at her feet, occasionally probing with their tips before quickly blending into the lush green lawn.
Probing, retreating, probing...
Zhuo Yan remained unresponsive.
The fine threads, assuming she hadn't noticed, boldly straightened up and followed her. They occasionally wrapped around her legs, trying to make her trip, but she dodged them subtly.
Was it a coincidence?
The little monster, not long formed, was utterly perplexed.
Why could she always avoid it?
Disbelieving, it probed more boldly, coiling a part of its body into a ball and rolling it to her feet.
Zhuo Yan walked around it, her expression unchanged.
Finally, the little monster lost its patience.
Countless tendrils as fine as hair gathered before her, rising from the ground. Twisting around each other, they quickly formed a humanoid, emerald-green monster.
"You saw me! You're playing with me!"
The voice belonged to a sweet, petite young girl.
"Where is he? Lead the way."
"Who?" The little monster twisted its grotesque body in front of her, showing confusion. "When did you notice me? What are you doing here? Aren't you afraid of me?"
"Looking for someone. It should be your master. Where is he now?"
The little monster understood who she was referring to and became instantly nervous. "I don't know what you're talking about! You're here to capture us, you bad person!"
With that, it tried to flee.
Zhuo Yan clenched her hand. The scattered green threads of the little monster instantly felt as if they were being squeezed by something. The two ends struggled to escape, but the middle was bound together, unable to move.
"What did you do to me? Let me go! Bad person, let me go!"
"Take me to him, or I'll snap you in half right here."
With that, she tightened her grip.
The little monster shrieked in pain, its voice soft and pitiful, like a little girl who had been severely bullied, evoking sympathy.
But these were merely its tricks for hunting and escaping.
"Ah! Let me go! It hurts so much! I'll take you to him! I'll take you to him, okay? Let me go!"
Zhuo Yan loosened her grip but did not completely release it.
The little monster reluctantly led her deeper into the woods.
Before long, Zhuo Yan felt familiar energy fluctuations and auras.
Besides him, there were others.
"Benefactor! A bad person is here to catch you! Run!"
As Zhuo Yan was momentarily lost in thought, the little monster suddenly broke free from its bonds. Ignoring its own injuries, it let out a loud cry towards the front.
Zhuo Yan released it and quickly walked over.
The moment the little monster spoke, Jiang Chongyan sensed her arrival. He didn't run; his first instinct was to kill the person on the ground.
"Clang!"
A long sword suddenly appeared, blocking his attack and saving the person beneath his blade.
"No!"
Zhou Qing Bie arrived a moment too late. She saw Jiang Chongyan confronting the long sword, Zhuo Yan watching indifferently, and the person on the ground, pale and on the verge of death. This was from the Sudan Novel Network.
Fortunately, he was stopped.
Just as she breathed a sigh of relief, a majestic force suddenly appeared and struck towards Jiang Chongyan, who was resisting the long sword.
She only had time to see who had made the move, but she was powerless to stop it.
At the critical moment, the long sword turned, switching positions with Jiang Chongyan to block the attack of that force. Its body blazed with light, returning the power a thousandfold.
Qin Xiuran's triumphant smile from the surprise attack had not fully bloomed before he was struck down by the long sword with world-splitting force. The power uprooted the surrounding trees, smashing him into a pit more than ten meters deep, along with them.
All commotion ceased. More than ten minutes had passed.
The long sword, smugly self-satisfied, returned to Zhuo Yan's side, circling her continuously, flashing on and off like a small lantern, behaving as if it had done something good and was seeking praise.
Zhuo Yan slapped it to the ground with a palm.
"Overconfident."
The long sword slowly got up. Before it could voice its grievance, dark clouds suddenly gathered in the sky, and thunder roared, approaching them with the speed of a thousand miles.
Zhuo Yan moved her hand, and the long sword appeared in her grasp.
"Watch him for me!"
The male protagonist, if not dead, would be crippled. Heaven's will would not let this go unanswered.
Zhou Qing Bie looked up and saw Zhuo Yan point her long sword to the sky, defiantly facing it.
After his initial shock, Jiang Chongyan's first reaction was indeed to flee.
Zhou Qing Bie, the female protagonist, played her minor role, leading her trusted subordinates to surround Jiang Chongyan.
"Don't run around. Miss Yan has been looking for you these past few days."
Her subordinates found this inexplicable. Shouldn't they be apprehending him at this moment? Why waste his time with such nonsense?
Jiang Chongyan ignored them.
"Did Qin Xiuran say some nonsensical things about the separation of humans and ghosts? Look at Miss Yan; she dares to defy even the heavens. She won't care about such things."
Jiang Chongyan's eyes flickered.
Seeing that her words had an effect, Zhou Qing Bie quickly continued, "We won't hold you accountable either. As long as you don't kill anyone else, you can provide us with evidence, and I promise to ensure those people receive their just punishment. We can resolve all your worries. Please wait here for her to return."