"To the immortal, may I refuse to answer?"
The rat spirit asked obsequiously.
Chen Xiao remained silent. His reply was a slap.
"Immortal, please don't hit me, I'll talk, I'll talk..."
The rat spirit was truly terrified of being beaten. It spoke like a bullied child, "Immortal, you must have seen it too. I'm just a flower field tender. Because our Fire Spirit Rat clan naturally carries a very high fire attribute with its venom, and I am one of the best cultivators in our clan, I had the opportunity to transform and come here to tend the flower fields."
Chen Xiao asked, "What's so good about this flower field that you need to tend it?"
The rat spirit's eyes darted around. "Immortal, you're confused! If I hadn't worked so hard to till the soil, how could this land support the blooming of the Manjusaka flowers!"
Hearing this, Chen Xiao finally understood. So, this was how they cultivated soil rich in fire attributes.
It was a good method, but a bit hard on the rats...
"Mm, I understand."
Chen Xiao nodded slightly, then suddenly demanded, "You still have one last question unanswered. Who sent you here to tend the fields? What power lies behind you?"
Chen Xiao's roar made the rat spirit tremble all over. Then, it pleaded with a troubled expression, "Immortal, can I not answer this question? If I tell you, they will kill me. And immortal, it's best if you don't know either... Those people are not to be trifled with!"
"You mean, you think I'm afraid of them?"
Chen Xiao looked at the rat spirit askance, his gaze chilling.
The rat spirit, frightened by his gaze, trembled again and quickly shook its head frantically. "No, no, no, no, immortal. That's not what I meant. Immortal, your divine skills are peerless, and you are invincible in the world. How could you be afraid..."
If nothing else, the rat spirit's flattery skills were absolutely top-notch.
But unfortunately, Chen Xiao wasn't swayed by it. He impatiently ordered, "Stop the nonsense and speak quickly..."
"Alright, alright, I'll tell you then. Actually, the one behind me... uh uh uh..."
Before the rat spirit could finish speaking, it suddenly began to make muffled noises.
Chen Xiao's expression changed drastically as he glanced over. He quickly dodged to the side.
He noticed that the rat spirit's tongue had suddenly become enormous, filling its entire mouth. This caused it to only be able to make muffled sounds, unable to speak.
Chen Xiao's move to the side was also wise, because as soon as he moved, the rat spirit's head exploded. If he hadn't moved, he would have been splattered with blood!
Luoxi cautiously walked over and asked, "Chen Xiao, what's going on?"
Chen Xiao's face showed no surprise. "Someone must have placed a blood curse on this rat spirit. Once it was about to say something it shouldn't, the curse would erupt. That's what happened. Bang..."
Luoxi was startled by Chen Xiao's words and gave him a glare. "You're still in the mood for jokes? The rat spirit is dead. What do we do now?"
"What do you mean, what do we do? Isn't it all resolved? The thirteen members of the Chen family were killed by this rat spirit. As for the motive, it was because they didn't pay tribute to the rat spirit. You can write your report when you get back. And after this incident, it will surely be a great achievement for you!"
Luoxi thought about it, and it did seem to be the case.
Whether the rat spirit lived or died no longer affected the case. As for what power was behind it, it had no direct connection to the case, and they had no need to investigate further.
Song Zijian cupped his hands towards Chen Xiao and said with a laugh, "Brother Chen, we really owe you this time. If it weren't for you,茜茜 and I wouldn't have achieved any merit, and might have even lost our lives!"
Chen Xiao teased, "Alright, alright. Why are you learning to flatter like a rat spirit!"
Song Zijian: "..."
Regardless, the case could be considered closed. Although there were still mysteries, for Song Zijian, they were no longer within his scope of duty.
The three finally returned to the surface. The sky outside had completely darkened, with a bright moon and sparse stars. Song Zijian was in high spirits and suggested, "Brother Chen, let's go for a drink!"
"I have something to do at home. Next time!"
Chen Xiao politely declined. It wasn't that he was deliberately ignoring Song Zijian, but he felt his mother should be awake by now and he was eager to get back.
"Alright, we'll talk about it later. By the way, Brother Chen, you're so capable. Have you ever thought about joining our Demon Exorcism Division?"
Song Zijian asked with sincere earnestness.
Chen Xiao thought for a moment and refused again.
"I'm used to being a free spirit. I hate being controlled. However, if you encounter any trouble in the future, you can come to me. I will do my best to help if I can!"
Any normal person hearing this would assume Chen Xiao was just being polite. Song Zijian, for example, replied courteously, "Then I'll thank you in advance!"
But Luoxi was clearly not like a normal person. She said seriously, "You said it yourself, okay? If I encounter trouble in the future, I'll definitely come looking for you. Don't you go back on your word!"
Chen Xiao was speechless. It was as if he was responsible for her.
As the three chatted and laughed, Song Zijian's phone suddenly rang. He took it out and said, "It's the captain. I'll take it."
As soon as the call connected, a roar came from the other end. Even though Song Zijian hadn't put it on speakerphone, the three of them could clearly hear the roar.
"Song Zijian, what the hell were you doing? How many times have I called you, why didn't you answer?"
"Ah? Did you call me?"
Song Zijian was slightly stunned, then reacted. "Ah, it's like this, Captain. We were underground just now, so we might not have had a signal. Captain, let me tell you, I've learned a lot today. Guess what I encountered..."
As Song Zijian was excitedly spitting, the captain suddenly interrupted him with a furious roar.
"Song Zijian, I order you to stop investigating the case of Baguan Village. Close the case immediately!"
Song Zijian asked, confused, "Ah? Why, Captain? We have a major discovery..."
"You brat, haven't you understood what I said? Someone from above has already spoken. This case is not to be investigated further, understand?"
The captain said cryptically.
Song Zijian lowered his voice and asked, "Captain, can you give me a hint? When you say 'from above,' who do you mean?"
"Don't ask. Just don't worry about it. Don't mention anything about Baguan Village again. What were you saying just now? You went underground? You didn't damage anything in there, did you?"
The captain asked.
Song Zijian said nervously, "We didn't touch anything, but the monster inside, we killed it..."
"What?"
The captain shouted, roaring hysterically, "Song Zijian, Song Zijian, you've gotten me into serious trouble this time! I order you to return to your post immediately!"