Not for Sale! No Price Could Buy It!

The summer wind was forever remembered, because it was simply too scorching.

Though the sun was not that fierce in the sky, and a breeze had picked up, the humidity made it feel even more like a steam bath—hot and sticky.

On the street, a youth carrying a broom and dustpan walked along, crossed two streets, and reached a pedestrian mall. At one street corner lay a cluster of leaves and scattered trash, shifting faintly as though blown by the wind.

He took out the broom he carried with him, swept the trash into the dustpan, dumped it into a nearby bin, then pulled out his phone, opened an app, and sent a message.

Cleared "Trip Dust Wind."

He then leaned the broom and dustpan against the garbage bin, shook his head, and sighed. "No wonder the office is with sanitation. We really are cleaning up trash."

This was the seventh day of summer vacation, and his second day of taking outside part-time assignments, roaming the streets to kill demons.

The app on his phone was an internal app of the Pest Control Bureau, available only within Ningjiang City. It showed where demons were located and provided response plans.

What Li Ye had just dealt with was a demon whose location had appeared in the app.

Trip Dust Wind could be traced as far back as the Qing dynasty's Department of Works Record of Filth, which recorded: "Dust vortices form chains, locking around the ankles of the living."

Its true form was exactly what he had encountered: it stirred up a faint breeze somewhere, and once someone approached, it would cling to them and make them trip while walking.

The way to identify it was simple. On filthy dirt roads, it blew a clean breeze; on clean city streets, it stirred up a faint wind carrying yellow mud and dust.

When that pile of trash had shifted in the breeze just now, there had been obvious yellow mud and dust in it.

Say it was not dangerous, and it might really make someone fall to their death.

Say it was dangerous, and there were two ways to kill it: either blast it to death with sound, or sweep it away with a broom.

If this had been another roadway, the sound of any car horn could have shaken it to death. But this was a pedestrian mall, and it was summer. There were few pedestrians on the road, and this was a street corner with hardly anyone passing by, so the demon had lasted until the afternoon.

In truth, even if it had not been discovered, a real sanitation worker would have swept it away the next day, automatically dispelling it.

Another demon as famous as it was called the "Standing Shadow Phantom."

It often appeared in puddles after rainy weather, reflecting pedestrians' shadows. Once someone's reflection appeared and they stepped on it again, they would lose their sense of direction, becoming sluggish and unable to recognize the way.

The way to identify it was also simple. The reflection cast by a Standing Shadow Phantom swayed violently, something ordinary standing water could not do. The solution was likewise to sweep it away, or wait for it to dry in the sun.

Though they were all minor demons, they could not be ignored once discovered. No matter how large or small the demon, it had to be dealt with.

The Pest Control Bureau's daily work basically consisted of handling such matters. Li Ye was in no hurry. Once he had encountered enough of them, he would eventually come across a "god" like the Five Plagues Ghost.

As for whether he got into a good Martial Arts University or a bad Martial Arts University, he already possessed authority. Why would he care about that?

There was nothing urgent, anyway.

Li Ye put away his phone. Seeing that it was nearly time to eat, he was about to return to the Pest Control Bureau for a meal when his phone suddenly rang, an unfamiliar number appearing on the screen.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Li Ye?" The voice was young, male.

"Who is this?"

"I'm very interested in the Five Flavors Chopsticks in your possession. Interested in talking? Two million, to buy your Magic Treasure."

Li Ye frowned. "How did you find out about me?"

"You don't need to worry about that. At this price, I—"

"Not for sale! No price could buy it!"

Before the other party could finish, Li Ye pressed the hang-up button and blocked the number in one motion.

Someone had found out about the Five Flavors Chopsticks. He guessed it had been exposed when he ate in the cafeteria these past few days.

But it was not a big problem. He had never intended to hide it. Aside from the fact that the increase in blood and qi from the cafeteria food was truly considerable, and the Five Flavors Chopsticks could significantly enhance it, he had never feared this matter.

Magic Treasures were rare, but his authority was truly one of a kind.

A common man was innocent, but possessing a jade was a crime—there was truth in that, but only if that "common man" truly had no backing whatsoever.

Pan Zhengyang had given him this Magic Treasure, and Director Pan possessed astonishing power.

Because over the past few days, every martial arts-related industry in the entire city had undergone a collective strict inspection.

Even Deng Hao had messaged him to complain that the master chef he had hired had been taken away. He did not know the reason, only that the man had been released the next day.

Beyond that, the food service industry was also undergoing strict inspections. Though not every business was affected, those that were faced arrests for major violations, heavy fines for minor ones, and three-day closures even when nothing was found.

All because Sun Shun had blurted out one sentence in furious exasperation, half of Ningjiang had been affected.

He was only the Section Chief of the Data Section. Li Ye could not even imagine how much power the director above him wielded.

So Li Ye was not afraid at all. Anyone capable of finding his phone number and knowing that he possessed a Magic Treasure should know whose protection he stood under.

Those without that capability would not be able to trace things this far.

Just as Li Ye was thinking that, his phone rang again.

Another unfamiliar number.

He hung up and blocked it.

Then Pan Zhengyang called.

Li Ye froze for a moment before answering. "You're calling to persuade me to sell it too?"

"Sell what?"

Confusion sounded in the voice on the other end. Then Pan Zhengyang said, "The master I found for you called, but you hung up and blocked him. What's going on?"

It seemed there had been a misunderstanding.

Li Ye explained what had just happened.

"Sell it if you want to sell it; don't sell it if you don't. It's not important. Hurry up and come to No. 3 Sheng Tang Road. We're waiting for you here." The other side hung up.

Li Ye left the pedestrian mall, mounted the little electric scooter parked nearby, and set off following the navigation.

Ningjiang City's urban area was not large. A little electric scooter could get anywhere. Most of the North City District was factories, and farther north lay Long Mountain.

The East City District was the new center that had gradually shifted over during the past twenty years. The West City District was the former old center. As for the South City District—there was no South City District. South of there was the Yangtze River.

Sheng Tang Road was in the West City District, only a twenty-minute ride from the Pest Control Bureau. Though it was an old district, and most buildings were in the style of ten or twenty years ago, there were also much older grand courtyard residences.

That was where Li Ye was headed. He parked his electric scooter outside the gate, swept his gaze over the surroundings, and could not help feeling secretly envious.

There were no tall buildings around the grand residence. Trees were planted nearby, their lush canopies covering the surrounding walls. With no high-rises in sight, one only had to look up to see the azure sky. Ahead lay a vast lake, the local lake park with the finest and most famous scenery.

This was Li Ye's ideal home. He did not like high-rise buildings; he liked this kind of sprawling courtyard residence, quiet amid the bustle of the city.

Li Ye pushed open the red-painted wooden gate that had been left slightly ajar. Before him was a large courtyard. Beside it stood another elegant tree with a pavilion-like canopy, its shade blocking the stifling sunlight. Even from afar, he could sense a coolness beneath it.

Under the shade stood a large stone table, covered with food and several bottles of liquor. There were four stone stools, two of which were occupied. One was Pan Zhengyang, while the other person had his back to Li Ye, making his face impossible to see.

But judging from his back, he was an extremely gaunt man. He clearly had flesh on his bones, yet from a distance he looked more like a skeleton draped in skin, strangely unsettling.

Pan Zhengyang waved. "Li Ye, come over."

Only then did the gaunt man turn his head. His body merely shifted slightly, yet his head turned more than halfway around, staring straight at Li Ye.

Eyes like a hawk, head turning like a wolf!

This man was also middle-aged and looked somewhat older than Pan Zhengyang. His thick brows and large eyes should have made him seem upright, yet his raised eyebrows gave him an exceedingly sinister air. Especially those eyes—rather than resembling a wolf's, they were more like a fierce tiger's. With a single glance, Li Ye felt as though he had seen the Great Lord of the Altar of Mysteries, roaring over the mountains and forest.

Yet what was strange was that, although his presence was powerful, something was wrong with his essence, qi, and spirit.

The impression he gave Li Ye was like those classmates who had once trained martial arts alongside him at the martial arts school.

His blood and qi had failed to condense into substance.

Was he an ordinary person?