Chapter 142: Being Remembered and the Treatment of a Triumphant Return

Even a single drop of the Birdman Demon King's blood and soul could engage in a fierce battle with Zhao Qilin, who possessed strength close to that of a Grandmaster.

In other words, if he could slay two drops of the Birdman Demon King's blood and soul, it would be equivalent to killing two great demons of Zhao Qilin's caliber.

Up until now, he had never killed ghosts and monsters of such terrifying might!

One could only imagine how immense the benefits he would reap would be!

The "Decapitation Scripture" would certainly not be stingy; it would grant him an immensely formidable reward!

Viewed in this light, ten million was utterly negligible—this tangible prize was all that truly mattered.

An eager and impatient Lin Yi suddenly froze as a thought struck him... Ah... on the surface it seemed that way, but a problem arose.

How on earth was he supposed to kill the transformed blood-devil of the Birdman Demon King?

He simply lacked the strength for such a feat.

He certainly couldn't just toss this bronze box directly into the "Decapitation Scripture."

If he did that, the "Decapitation Scripture" would instantly purify and annihilate the consciousness and soul of the Birdman Demon King's blood-devil residing within the blood and soul, leaving him no opportunity whatsoever to harvest the benefits.

"Damn it all..."

Lin Yi felt like crying.

As a result, his expression shifted visibly from delighted to thoroughly disgruntled.

Seeing Lin Yi's beaming expression earlier, Lin Tian and the others had been overjoyed.

The saying went that only shared interests could forge a genuine bond; since Lin Yi had declared this a treasure and offered them a chance at a favor, it had left Lin Tian feeling utterly ecstatic.

Yet now, the abrupt gloom on Lin Yi's face made Lin Tian's heart involuntarily skip a beat.

This Master Lin was truly eccentric; how could his mood fluctuate between sunny and stormy so rapidly? Were all supreme experts like this?

Observing the stunned expressions of Lin Tian, Mother Lin, Lin Hexiao, and Ouyang Ran, Lin Yi could not help but wave a hand and address the three of them.

"It's nothing, just remembered something else. Alright, alright, I won't disturb you any longer, I'll be taking my leave."

As he spoke, Lin Yi's mind raced at lightning speed.

Finally, a place flashed through his mind... The Demon Prison!

Within the Demon Prison, there were countless treasures to be found.

Lin Yi had heard that one could requisition numerous talismans and the like from within the Demon Prison. If he were to procure ten or eight thousand such talismans and paste them all over the Demon Demon Pearl, there was a high probability he could obliterate the consciousness and soul of the Birdman Demon King's blood-devil.

Wouldn't that count as him killing it?

Yet, upon second thought, that seemed somewhat impractical; he had no way of requisitioning that many talismans.

"I'm stumped, truly stumped..."

Stepping out of the villa, Lin Yi was so lost in thought that he failed to notice Ouyang Ran pursuing him.

Inside the villa, Lin Hexiao watched Ouyang Ran chase after Lin Yi, a bitter smile involuntarily touching the corner of his mouth.

"As expected, being a simp is completely useless. Only by becoming a truly charismatic man like Master Lin can one possibly attract Ranran, I suppose. I was wrong; what I need to change is not my exterior, but my inner self. I... should I take Master Lin as my master?"

Amidst his bitter smile, a flash of insight seemed to strike Lin Hexiao's mind like lightning.

He felt as though he had missed out on a fortune; he should have taken Lin Yi as his master just moments ago.

If he did that, wouldn't he too become a man as endlessly charming as Master Lin?

Then Ranran would return to his side!

At this thought, Lin Hexiao's eyes flashed with brilliance.

Beside Lin Hexiao, Lin Tian and Mother Lin, who had initially expected their son to be downcast, listened to his murmured reflections with eyes lighting up simultaneously.

Soon, Lin Tian delivered a resounding slap to Lin Hexiao's shoulder. "Son, you've finally seen the light! Your reasoning is sound. Master Lin mentioned earlier that he would grant us a single favor; why shouldn't that favor be asking him to take you as his disciple and accept you under his tutelage..."

Hearing his father's words, Lin Hexiao nodded vigorously. "Dad, I think you're right. However, we first need to weather this current storm; that Zhongyuan Tang family sounds utterly menacing, and our family cannot afford to be ruined by them. Quick, make the call, make the call..."

...

Lin Yi sneezed.

It felt as though someone was dwelling upon him.

Pushing the matter of the Demon Demon Pearl aside, he figured that every boat would find its bridge when it reached the pier—a solution would surely present itself, allowing him to milk this windfall.

...

Ouyang Ran also sneezed. Turning around, Lin Yi found her walking right beside him, her beautiful eyes examining him up and down as if she were looking at a stranger.

Before Lin Yi could dwell on it, Ouyang Ran reached out and grabbed his right hand.

"..."

Lin Yi.

"Hold on, Big Sister, what is the meaning of this? This is broad daylight, in full public view! I must ask you to preserve your dignity. I've finished handling your affairs for today, so I must take my leave."

Without another word, Lin Yi swiftly yanked his hand back.

No matter how tightly Ouyang Ran gripped, for someone of Lin Yi's caliber, a mere shift of internal energy caused his hand to momentarily contract in size, allowing him to pull it free in an instant.

Immediately afterward, Lin Yi broke into a sprint, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.

Ouyang Ran first froze in place, then gritted her teeth and stamped her foot fiercely.

"No way! A man as exceptional as you—I will never let you slip through my fingers like this! I'll head back to the Lin family residence and wait for people from your agency to arrive. Once your organization's personnel show up, I'll bring up the ten million donation and track you down right at your headquarters. You can run from the temple, but you can't run from the monk!"

With these thoughts, a resolute glint flashed in Ouyang Ran's eyes.

Soon, she picked up her phone and typed a message into the newly added messaging app connection with Lin Yi: "You can't escape, Lin Yi. You are mine."

Passing pedestrians occasionally dotted the villa district, and Ouyang Ran's current demeanor caused several young men to widen their eyes, nearly drooling at the sight.

They discovered that Ouyang Ran, the resident belle of the villa estate, possessed such an adorable, girlish side.

That single stamp of her foot made her entire figure sway captivatingly—too gorgeous, too alluring.

"Damn it all, that kid actually ran away just now; he's truly blessed and knows it not... Wait, why did he run so fast..."

...

Running a considerable distance until he reckoned Ouyang Ran could no longer catch up, Lin Yi finally came to a halt.

Yet he sneezed once more, feeling as though someone else was targeting him in their thoughts.

"This place is even weirder than the Talent and Beauty Gardens..."

Lin Yi muttered to himself.

Just as he was thinking this, his phone vibrated. Picking it up and glancing at the screen, Lin Yi understood instantly; Ouyang Ran was clearly one of the culprits thinking of him.

Viewed in that light, could the other person be the Lin family?

Emerging from the villa district, Lin Yi waited several full minutes before finally hailing a cab.

To borrow a phrase from the driver, taxis were exceedingly rare in such upscale villa districts.

This only reinforced a conviction in Lin Yi's mind: he needed a car of his own.

With eyes gleaming, Lin Yi—accustomed to milking every opportunity—immediately locked his target onto Bureau Chief Lin Tianming.

Grandpa Lin, looks like it's time for you to bleed a little more. Didn't you say there would be plenty of rewards? Start me off by assigning me a company car.

Meanwhile, sitting in the back of the taxi, Lin Yi used the front seat to block the driver's line of sight, and with a mental nudge, he retrieved his emblem and pinned it back onto his lapel.

...

The World Trade Building remained unchanged, radiating an eerie chill with scarcely a soul in sight.

The driver was a veteran; he pulled over to the curb and let Lin Yi out.

Alighting from the vehicle, Lin Yi headed straight for the Supernatural Investigation Bureau.

Just as he reached the entrance of the Bureau, he spotted the violent woman and the chubby Zhao Kaishan waiting there for him.

Upon seeing Lin Yi, the plump Zhao Kaishan immediately latched onto his leg, dropping into a prostrating posture.

"Oh heavens, my boss, you're finally here! I've been waiting for you for ages. Boss, you're too awesome, too mighty! You're my idol, unparalleled in this world. My reverence for you is like the endless waters of the Yellow River, flowing ceaselessly..."

Lin Yi realized that this chubby fellow Zhao Kaishan possessed quite literally the thickest skin imaginable.

Yet, hearing those words, Lin Yi felt rather pleased.

Their noisy commotion drew the gazes of numerous passersby toward Lin Yi.

Even over on the other side, the elderly watchmen guarding the rear entrance of the Demon Prison looked toward Lin Yi, their eyes flashing with sharp brilliance.

There was no helping it; Lin Yi had made a massive splash today.

Everyone was well aware of his exploits.

Such events simply could not be kept under wraps.

Of course, An Hero and Master Mu had glossed over the specifics of Lin Yi wielding the Nether Array to slaughter his way through and neutralize those Grandmasters, attributing the victory entirely to him.

Lin Yi's return swept through the Supernatural Investigation Bureau like a whirlwind.

Countless individuals exchanged news back and forth through various communication apps.

Before long, An Maiyao, Mu Yuqing, and the others all came downstairs.

The moment the two women stepped out of the elevator, they shoved each other playfully, elbowing their way to Lin Yi's side.

Then, almost simultaneously, both of them threw their arms around him in an embrace.

Lin Yi initially intended to stop them, but seeing their reddened eyes, he decided against making a fool of himself by resisting.

Still, credit must be given to Mu Yuqing for having the thicker skin; even after An Maiyao released her grip, Mu Yuqing clung to Lin Yi without letting go.

Eventually, Lin Yi forcibly peeled her hands away before she finally loosened her hold.

Shortly after, Lin Yi and the others gathered in the office.

Present in the room were An Hero and Master Mu, alongside Bureau Chief Lin Tianming.

As for the General from the previous encounter, he was absent; present were purely the insiders of the Supernatural Investigation Bureau.

Though there were outsiders too—quite a few of them, housed in an adjoining interconnected room.

The two rooms were separated by a single doorway, which remained wide open.

Lin Yi exchanged greetings with An Hero, Master Mu, and Bureau Chief Lin Tianming, before noticing that the neighboring room was occupied by a host of familiar faces.

Xuan Ku was the only one entirely uninjured.

Aside from Xuan Ku, Zhang Ruofeng the Daoist Child of Mount Longhu, Deng Ruoyu of the Wind and Thunder Sect, and others were prominently seated among them!

With Lin Yi's arrival and the open door, the sound of voices carrying over naturally caused Zhang Ruofeng and the others to instantly snap their gazes toward him.

Xuan Ku had only suffered injuries to his eyes, which had since been treated, leaving the traces barely noticeable.

However, Zhang Ruofeng and the others had been beaten so miserably by Lin Yi that after receiving medical treatment, every last one of them was either wearing plaster casts and wrapped in bandages or leaning on crutches, their faces bruised and swollen to the point of utter wretchedness.

If word got out and their ardent admirers saw them now, they would undoubtedly refuse to acknowledge them.

Yet, despite the fact that all these injuries had been inflicted by Lin Yi himself, their gazes directed at him now held far more terror than resentment.

Even Lin Yi was momentarily taken aback.

Given the character of Zhang Ruofeng and his cohorts—scum of the lowest order—how could they look at him without hatred, feeling only fear instead?

As Lin Yi felt a brief flicker of puzzlement, he quickly realized the reason.

Because in that neighboring room, as Lin Yi glanced over while stepping toward it, he discovered that aside from Wang Tiandi, Grandmasters like Huang Qiangjian and Liu Datou, along with seven others—all nine Grandmasters—were currently bound tightly in place.

"Pfft—"

Unable to help himself, Lin Yi burst out laughing.

He then remarked, "Look at how things turned out; I accidentally dragged your elders into the Supernatural Investigation Bureau as well. Poor hospitality on our part, my apologies."

Witnessing Lin Yi's insolent grin, Zhang Ruofeng and the others felt their lungs nearly burst with fury.

Some breathed heavily, their complexions shifting as though they were suffering cardiac arrests.

To reiterate, even their elders—powerhouses of Grandmaster rank—were rumored to be implicated with Lin Yi upon being brought in this time.

Moreover, they had heard that Lin Yi dared to confront Wang Tiandi head-on and exchange blows with Grandmasters; no matter how much they boasted, none of them could ever reach that tier, leaving them with no choice but to swallow their grievances.

Only Xuan Ku, upon seeing Lin Yi arrive, put on a sycophantic expression, dusted off a chair for Lin Yi to sit on first, and chimed in obsequiously, "My boss Lin Yi has spoken, and yet you guys are standing there expressionless without a word—do you still be lookin' for a beating?!"