Chapter 355: Exposed!

Chanting the Buddhist sutra, my mind naturally calmed. Every syllable resonated, carrying a faint trace of Buddha-nature. The moment the Ksitigarbha Sutra left my lips, even Blind Liu was dumbfounded, to say nothing of Leng Qingxuan. He had just been watching me brag and was about to warn me against making such sweeping claims, only for me to immediately recite an authentic Buddhist scripture.

Neither he nor Leng Qingxuan were amateurs. They could tell right away that there was nothing fake about the sutra.

'First it was Profound Truth Dao, and now it's Buddhist scriptures. Just how much has this Gao Jian learned? How many secrets is he hiding?' Blind Liu stared at me in bewilderment and fell silent.

Visualizing the scripture in my mind, my expression grew serene and my heart became as still as water. This was one of the most fundamental effects of Buddhist sutras.

By the time I finished reciting the first section of the Ksitigarbha Sutra, the sinister yin wind in the room had dissipated, and the Yin Talismans Leng Qingxuan had plastered in the four corners of my shop all peeled off and fell.

"Looking at it this way, I might be better off converting to Buddhism," I said intentionally. "With a million merits as my vessel to cross the sea of suffering, perhaps I could even catch a glimpse of the other shore." To Leng Qingxuan, this likely sounded like a heartfelt lament. His jaw tightened as if he wanted to speak, but he couldn't find the words. With a cold snort and a forceful flick of his Daoist robe, he turned and left.

"What's going on? He just left? Shouldn't a normal person offer a little token of appreciation right about now? You brought the Maoshan Three Treasures with you—you could at least give me one to forge some good karma!" By the time I stepped out of the shop, Leng Qingxuan was already far down the street. He walked as if riding the wind, never looking back.

"You pushed your bragging too far. The United Heart Jade is one thing, but how could he possibly produce an array formation or a legendary sutra capable of rivaling an Upper Vehicle Talisman?" Blind Liu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Maoshan Dao is one of the greatest Daoist sects in the world today. After you put it like that, how could he have the face to stay here? He couldn't bring out the items anyway, so trying to persuade you further would only humiliate him."

"I just wanted to take the opportunity to fleece him a little. Who knew he'd be so fragile? Are all these orthodox Daoist priests this temperamental?" I tucked the United Heart Jade away, feeling a bit helpless. "If I had known, I would have toned it down. Even just a few Yin Talismans would have been great."

"That's the pride of the orthodox profound sects. As your cultivation realm continues to rise, you'll likely encounter more practitioners. They do not taint themselves with worldly karma, and you absolutely must not judge them by your secular standards." Blind Liu gave me a few more words of advice before leaving, leaving me to cultivate alone in the small shop.

Around three or four in the afternoon, the tranquility was broken by the wail of a police siren. The shop door swung open, and a heroic-looking female police officer strode inside.

"Gao Jian, some people from higher up have arrived. They specifically requested that you and I go see them." Tie Ningxiang looked at me sitting cross-legged and teased with a smile, "What are you doing? Trying to become an immortal?"

I finished circulating my energy for that cycle and noticed that Tie Ningxiang was wearing all her epaulets and police insignia. "Senior, you've been reinstated?"

"Thanks to you. Come on, let's go. A big shot from above is here, so let's not keep them waiting." Tie Ningxiang grabbed my hand and led me outside. Her actions were naturally intimate, as if this was how things were always meant to be.

I locked the shop door and only asked once I was sitting in the car, "A big shot? Why does he want to see the two of us? It isn't Deputy Bureau Chief Tie, is it?!"

Remembering the last time Tie Ningxiang took me to her house, I had just thrown the guess out casually, but it actually brought a faint blush to Captain Tie's cheeks. "In your dreams. It's much too early for you to meet my dad."

I shook my head nonchalantly, completely missing the implication of her words.

The police car drove straight to Century New Garden. Every time I came to this place, I got the feeling something bad was about to happen. "My relationship with the Jiang family is extremely tense. It's probably not a good idea for me to come here right now."

Tie Ningxiang looked slightly apologetic. "It was arranged from above. My hands are tied."

"Are you sure?" I looked up at the towering Century New Garden. Coming to the Jiang family's territory at such a sensitive time felt very much like one of their schemes. "Could they be planning to silence me?"

"You're just too paranoid." Tie Ningxiang parked the car and patted my shoulder. "The director of the Municipal Sub-bureau is here, along with Wu Meng and the others. It should be a commendation ceremony. Don't worry."

Tie Ningxiang said it lightly, but I still kept my guard up. A commendation ceremony wouldn't be extravagant enough to be held at Century New Garden. Something was definitely wrong.

Following Tie Ningxiang to the seventh floor of Century New Garden, I didn't see any other detectives from the Municipal Sub-bureau. I asked Tie Ningxiang, but she was just as clueless.

Guided by a waiter, we entered the largest private room on the seventh floor. The dining room was spacious enough to seat thirty people at once, but only five people were currently seated inside.

The oldest, sitting off in a corner seat, was Director Liu Xingan of the Municipal Sub-bureau. Beside him sat a Brocade-Robed Daoist Priest. The man's demeanor was steady and his gaze tranquil, as though he cared about nothing at all.

Sitting right next to the Brocade-Robed Daoist Priest was Leng Qingxuan, the man who had visited my shop that morning. Dressed in a blue Daoist robe, his face was freezing cold, projecting an aura that warned strangers to stay away. He didn't spare a single glance for the table full of delicacies.

'I can't believe I ran into him again.' My gaze shifted, but when it landed on the fourth person, my pupils shrank. The other party was staring back at me with a cold sneer.

"Lu Jin!"

The person sitting beside Leng Qingxuan was none other than Lu Jin. However, compared to our last meeting, he was much more restrained. This was obvious just from his attire; he wore an ordinary bright yellow Daoist robe, and his original Hibiscus Profound Crown had been replaced by a simple jade hairpin.

The last person in the room wasn't seated. He stood by the window, his build thick and muscular, and the way he looked at me suggested his eyes were about to spit fire.

'Zhong Jiu? Why are they here?' The Profound Truth Dao behind Lu Jin was a prominent orthodox sect, while the Jiang family was backed by the Three Yin Sect—an evil faction that refined corpses and murdered people. The two were diametrically opposed; they would never join forces to deal with me. 'This shouldn't have anything to do with the Jiang family. It's Lu Jin looking for revenge!'

Thinking things over, I let out a soft sigh. The evil sects wanted me dead, the orthodox profound sects refused to let me go, and the fate usurpers represented by the Two-Faced Buddha were my mortal enemies. The only faction that might stand on my side was the Underworld Live Show, but we merely had a cooperative relationship. In fact, the one to kill me first might not be anyone else, but the Live Show itself.

"Is he Gao Jian?" The Brocade-Robed Daoist Priest opened his eyes, swept a glance over me, and then closed them again, as if just being looked at by him was already a tremendous honor.

"Yes, he is the one who protected the Lanjiang Dam and saved Jiangcheng." Director Liu personally poured wine and waved me over. "Little Gao, you've rendered a great service to Jiangcheng. Even the higher-ups have been alerted. Daoist Priest Lu and the others are here to offer you a great fortune!"

Frowning, I walked over slowly. In my eyes, this so-called 'fortune' completely lacked sincerity. After coming into contact with a world that ordinary people never saw, I didn't have much of a favorable impression of these orthodox sects.

Two glasses of wine sat on the table, but neither I nor the Brocade-Robed Daoist Priest moved to touch them. Director Liu looked slightly embarrassed. With an apologetic chuckle, he picked up a glass himself. "Come, Little Gao. You are the hero who saved Jiangcheng. You've been wronged these past five years. On behalf of the Jiangcheng Municipal Sub-bureau, I'll drink first as a sign of respect."

Since Director Liu had put it that way, I couldn't very well refuse. But just as I picked up the glass, before my lips even touched the wine, another complication arose in the room.

Lu Jin, sitting on the other side of the table, spoke up as if he were just thinking aloud. "Leaping from a murderer to the hero who saved the entire city—isn't this change in identity a bit too fast? Could it be that some things haven't been thoroughly investigated? Is it possible that the hero himself was one of the masterminds behind the scheme?"

After Lu Jin finished speaking, Leng Qingxuan showed no reaction, but the Brocade-Robed Daoist Priest opened his eyes and studied me seriously. Suddenly, his brow furrowed. "One who saved Jiangcheng and possesses a million merits should definitely be blessed with profound fortune, brimming with vitality, and favored by heaven and earth. Yet you have the facial features of one doomed to an early death. Yin energy swirls around your body. Although your steps are steady, your vitality and blood are severely depleted, like a dying man experiencing a final surge of clarity. Something is wrong. The one who saved Jiangcheng was not you!"

He pinched his fingers to perform a divination, and his expression grew even darker. "The heavenly secrets are obscured, and your fate star is hazy. Just who are you?!"

Hearing him say that, I felt quite speechless. That million merits had been swallowed up by the Underworld Live Show, leaving my personal merit in the negatives. Plus, I had just escaped from the Ghost Mother a few days ago and had been swarmed by a horde of Infant Spirits. It was only natural that my yin energy was heavy.

"I was the one who saved Jiangcheng. Everyone on the Lanjiang Dam can testify to that. There's nothing to argue about." I had never expected these Daoist priests sent from above to give me any rewards in the first place. Chuckling self-deprecatingly, I turned around and prepared to leave.

"Don't be in such a rush to leave." Lu Jin had Zhong Jiu block the door. "Senior Brother, this Gao Jian is not simple. Not only did he save all of Jiangcheng, but as an outsider, he also learned the exclusive core cultivation method of our Profound Truth Dao! I've seen him use it with my own eyes!"