Chapter 184 - 183: Believe Something So Far-fetched?

Chapter 184: Chapter 183: Believe Something So Far-fetched?

By the time Gu Qingyin arrived at the Mystic Association, two Special-level Heavenly Masters were already there. One of them was Liu Ergou.

"Qingyin." Liu Ergou flicked his horsetail whisk, stood up, and actually managed to look a bit like a transcendent master.

Gu Qingyin was a little surprised. "When did you pass the Special Level exam?"

Liu Ergou coughed, embarrassed. "I just passed."

Gu Qingyin was gratified. She patted his shoulder. "Not bad. Wudang Mountain has a worthy successor."

The other Special-level Heavenly Master had a strange look on his face. Not that you could blame him. After all, anyone would find it jarring to see a young person patronizingly encouraging a middle-aged man, right?

At this moment, Gu Qingyin turned to the other Special-level Heavenly Master. "And you are?"

Liu Ergou introduced the two to each other.

"This is Miao Yan of the Tan Family. He just turned thirty-five this year and is the Tan Family’s youngest Special-level Heavenly Master in nearly a century."

"And this is Gu Qingyin..."

"Gu Qingyin?!" Miao Yan looked astonished, sizing her up. "You’re *the* Gu Qingyin?" Without waiting for a response, he eagerly extended his hand. "I’ve heard so much about you!"

Gu Qingyin calmly smiled and shook his hand. "Hello. You’re too kind."

Miao Yan was a genius. He would unconsciously adopt a superior attitude around ordinary people, but he also idolized those who were even more brilliant, like Gu Qingyin.

He was only a teenager the first time he heard Gu Qingyin’s name.

His grandfather and father were discussing matters in the study, and he happened to overhear them talking about Gu Qingyin. They said she had become a Special-level Heavenly Master in her twenties and that, despite her youth, her power was already at the pinnacle of the Mystical World.

The young and arrogant Miao Yan refused to believe it, so he gathered all the information he could find about Gu Qingyin, learning one by one of the legends she had created.

His attitude toward Gu Qingyin shifted from initial disdain to doubt, then to amazement, and finally to admiration.

Today, Miao Yan had finally met his idol. How could he not be excited?

Miao Yan kept Gu Qingyin locked in conversation, asking all about her past deeds.

Liu Ergou looked like he’d seen a ghost. ’Is this really Miao Yan? This kid is so proud and arrogant. Since when was he such a chatterbox?’

Before long, Tuoba Yan entered with Elder Miao and Elder Zhang.

Seeing Miao Yan animatedly chatting next to Gu Qingyin, the three of them wore indescribable expressions. They knew this would happen!

Elder Miao cleared his throat twice. "Everyone is here. Let’s discuss the plan for this operation."

Miao Yan was clearly not done talking. He whispered, "We’ll talk more after the meeting."

Gu Qingyin offered a polite smile, sighing in relief internally. ’This kid can really talk.’

Everyone took their seats, and Tuoba Yan distributed the files he was holding.

"This is the file on the Chen Ling case, the one where she killed her husband and ate her son. The specific details are still being filled in, but take a look."

Gu Qingyin opened the file. The first page contained information on Chen Ling and her husband.

There was no need to read about Chen Ling, so Gu Qingyin focused on her husband. He was a Loose Cultivator with no family or influence, mediocre talent, and mediocre power.

Gu Qingyin couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. ’Someone as proud and arrogant as Chen Ling would marry a man like this?’

It wasn’t that she looked down on those who were powerless, without backing, and weak. It was just that, based on her understanding of Chen Ling, she felt Chen Ling should have looked down on her husband.

The facts were more or less what she expected.

From the very beginning, Chen Ling had married him with an ulterior motive.

’Huh?’ Gu Qingyin was shocked after she finished reading. ’Who told Chen Ling that killing her husband and eating her son could preserve her youth? How could she believe such a ridiculous rumor?’

’Chen Ling was never particularly smart, but she wasn’t a fool either!’

The file stated that just a month after the baby was born, Chen Ling killed her husband. Then, she obtained a recipe from somewhere, used her one-month-old child as a medicinal catalyst, and stewed him in a pot.

Gu Qingyin’s brow remained furrowed, her eyes filled with disgust and revulsion.

’That was her own flesh and blood, a child she carried for ten months! How could Chen Ling be so heartless!’

Initially, the incident was discovered by one of Chen Ling’s neighbors, a middle-aged woman.

For the first month, the sound of a baby crying often came from Chen Ling’s home. But one day, the crying suddenly stopped, and the man who often went out to buy groceries and take out the trash also disappeared.

The neighbor assumed they had moved away or returned to their hometown. But the next day, she saw Chen Ling downstairs.

The woman’s testimony was eerie. She said that before, Chen Ling had seemed unapproachable but still had a human presence. The day she saw her, however, she was like a wandering female ghost—gloomy and sinister, making one’s scalp tingle just by looking at her.

The more the woman thought about it at home, the more she felt something was wrong. She decisively called the police.

With something like this, it was better to be safe than sorry.

The police took it very seriously and arrived at her door shortly after.

As a reasonably powerful Heavenly Master, Chen Ling naturally wasn’t going to be cornered at home by the police. She had left before they arrived.

In the kitchen, the officers found a pot with some soup left at the bottom, and inside was a complete infant’s skull.

Chen Ling’s husband’s body was in the bedroom, sealed by an Array. It had already begun to decompose, but no smell was escaping.

After collecting evidence from multiple sources, the police found the case too bizarre and reported it to the Mystic Association. After an investigation, the Mystic Association classified it as the most significant criminal case involving a Heavenly Master in the last five years.

That was why the Mystic Association had assembled three Special-level Heavenly Masters at once, with the imperative to either capture Chen Ling or kill her on sight in the shortest time possible.

Gu Qingyin tossed the file aside and clicked her tongue in annoyance. "What does the Chen Family have to say?"

Tuoba Yan: "They’ve already brought over Chen Ling’s soul lamp and provided all the information they could." He shook his head. "We’ve tried every method. We can’t locate her."

Gu Qingyin pondered for a moment. "Have you tried using her child?"

Tuoba Yan froze, then frowned. "Her husband’s and child’s souls are both missing."

Gu Qingyin’s thoughts were clear. "Find their souls first. Her husband must have been filled with resentment before he died, so there’s a very high chance he became a ghost. Same for the child. To die so tragically, and at his own mother’s hands... he most likely turned into a baby ghost."

Tuoba Yan nodded. "We’re already looking."

Gu Qingyin raised an eyebrow. "Need any help? We have a specialist here."

When it came to summoning ghosts, who better than Huo Yunjing, the former Ghost King?

Tuoba Yan’s mouth twitched. "No, thank you. The Heavenly Masters of the Mystic Association are very professional."

Gu Qingyin shrugged, not pressing the issue. "Alright, then. Let me know when you find them." She stood up. "I’m going to check out the Trial Arena."

While training at home earlier, she had created two original Spells. This was a good chance to test them out. If she promoted them, she might even be able to sell them for a good price.

Seeing Gu Qingyin leave, Miao Yan followed her without a second thought. Liu Ergou looked around, gave Tuoba Yan and Elder Miao a polite nod, and left as well.

Only after they had all gone out did Tuoba Yan grind his teeth and say, "Did I say the meeting was over? They have absolutely no respect for me, the president!"

Elder Miao stroked his beard, completely unperturbed. "You should have said that to their faces."

Tuoba Yan was speechless, then snapped in humiliation, "I don’t need you to remind me!"