Not Selling! Not Selling Regardless of Price!

The summer wind was unforgettable, for it was truly scorching.

Even though the sun wasn't that strong in the sky and a breeze had picked up, the humidity felt like a sauna, sticky and hot.

On the street, a teenager carrying a broom and a dustpan walked along. He crossed two blocks to a pedestrian street, where he saw a clump of leaves and scattered trash on the ground at a street corner, moving slightly as if blown by the wind.

He picked up the broom he carried, swept the clump of trash into the dustpan, and dumped it into a nearby trash can. Then, he took out his phone, opened an app, and sent a message.

['Trip Dust Wind' cleared.]

Afterward, he leaned the broom and dustpan against the trash can, shook his head, and sighed, "No wonder the office is in sanitation. It really is about cleaning up trash."

It was the seventh day of summer vacation, and the second day of his external assignment. He was going door-to-door to hunt demons.

The app on his phone was an internal one for the Extermination Bureau, only for use within Ningjiang City. It displayed where demons were located and provided preliminary plans.

Li Ye was currently dealing with a demon whose location was shown on the app.

The 'Trip Dust Wind' could be traced back to the 'Department of Works Record of Filth' from the Qing Dynasty, which described it as 'a vortex of dust that chains and binds the ankles of the living.'

Its true form was just as he encountered: it would stir up a faint breeze in a certain spot. Once someone got close, it would attach itself and cause them to trip when they walked.

Identifying it was simple: in dirty spots on dirt roads, it would create a clean breeze, while on clean city streets, it would stir up a breeze carrying yellow mud and dust.

The clump of trash he'd just seen had been moving with a noticeable amount of yellow mud and dust.

It wasn't very powerful, but it could potentially cause someone to fall to their death.

If it was powerful, there were two ways to kill it: either by a loud sound or by sweeping it up with a broom.

If it were on a regular road, a car horn would have easily killed it. But this was a pedestrian street, and it was summer, so there were few pedestrians. It was a street corner where not many people passed by, which was why this demon had appeared in the afternoon.

In fact, even if it hadn't been discovered, a real sanitation worker would have swept it away the next day, automatically dispelling it.

There was another demon with a similar reputation called the 'Standing Shadow Phantom.'

It often appeared in puddles after rain, reflecting the shadows of pedestrians. If a person stepped on their own reflection, they would lose their sense of direction, become sluggish, and unable to find their way.

Identifying it was also simple: the reflection of a 'Standing Shadow Phantom' was very distorted, something normal puddles couldn't do. The solution was to sweep it away or wait for it to dry.

Although they were all minor demons, they couldn't be ignored once discovered. Regardless of their size, all demons had to be dealt with.

The daily routine of the Extermination Bureau basically consisted of handling such matters. Li Ye wasn't in a hurry. With enough exposure, he would eventually encounter 'gods' like the 'Five Plagues Ghost.'

As for whether he would get into a good martial arts university or a bad one, he already had Authority. Why would he care about that?

There was nothing urgent to do.

Li Ye put away his phone. Seeing that it was mealtime, he prepared to return to the Extermination Bureau to eat. Suddenly, his phone rang, and an unfamiliar number appeared on the screen.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Li Ye?" The voice was young, a man's.

"Who is this?"

"I'm very interested in the Five Flavors Chopsticks you have. Are you interested in talking? Two million, for your Magic Treasure."

Hearing this, Li Ye frowned. "How did you know about me?"

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

"Not selling! Not selling for any price!"

Before the other person could finish, Li Ye hung up and blocked the number.

Someone knew about the Five Flavors Chopsticks. It was probably exposed during meals at the cafeteria these past few days.

But it wasn't a big problem. He hadn't intended to hide it anyway. Besides the fact that the Blood Essence from the cafeteria was very substantial, and the Five Flavors Chopsticks could significantly improve it, he had never feared this matter.

Magic Treasures were rare, but his Authority was unique.

The saying "innocent men are guilty for possessing treasures" made sense, but only if the 'innocent man' truly had no background.

This Magic Treasure was given to him by Pan Zhengyang, and this Bureau Chief Pan had astonishing power.

Because in just these few days, all industries related to martial arts in the entire city had undergone a collective, strict investigation.

Even Deng Hao had texted him complaining that the master he had hired was taken away for some unknown reason, though he was released the next day.

In addition, the catering industry was also under strict investigation. While not all establishments were affected, those that were saw arrests for major offenses, heavy fines for minor ones, and three-day closures for no offense.

Just because Sun Shun had angrily said something in the past, half of Ningjiang was affected.

He was only a Section Chief of the Data Section. Li Ye couldn't even imagine how much influence the Bureau Chief above him had.

Therefore, he wasn't worried at all. Those who had the ability to find his phone number and knew he had a Magic Treasure should know who he was backed by.

Those who didn't have the ability wouldn't be able to find him here anyway.

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

Another unfamiliar number.

He hung up and blocked it.

Then, Pan Zhengyang called.

Li Ye was stunned for a moment, then answered, "Are you also advising me to sell?"

"What are you selling?"

A confused tone came from the other end of the phone. "The master I found for you is calling you, and you hung up and blocked him. What's going on?"

It seems there's been a misunderstanding.

Li Ye recounted what had just happened.

"Sell it if you want, don't sell it if you don't. This isn't important. Hurry up and come to No. 3 Sheng Tang Road, we'll wait for you here." The line went dead.

Li Ye walked out of the pedestrian street, got on the electric scooter parked nearby, and followed the navigation.

Ningjiang City's downtown area wasn't large; an electric scooter could get you anywhere. The northern district was mostly factories, and further north was Dragon Mountain.

The eastern district had become the new center over the past twenty years, the western district was the old center, and the southern district... there was no southern district; to the south lay the Yangtze River.

Sheng Tang Road was in the western district, about a twenty-minute ride from the Disinfection Bureau. Although it was an old district with most buildings from twenty years ago, there were also older, large courtyards.

Li Ye headed there. He parked his scooter at the entrance and scanned his surroundings, a hint of envy rising within him.

There were no tall buildings around the large courtyard. Trees were planted around it, their lush canopies covering the nearby walls. With no high-rises nearby, one could see the blue sky by simply looking up. In front of him lay a large lake, the most famous and scenic lake park in the area.

This place was Li Ye's ideal residence. He disliked skyscrapers and preferred these large courtyards that offered tranquility amidst the hustle and bustle, occupying a significant area.

Li Ye pushed open the slightly ajar red lacquered wooden door, revealing a large courtyard. Next to the courtyard stood a tree with a dense canopy, its shade blocking the muggy sunlight. Even from a distance, one could feel a sense of coolness.

Under the shade of the tree was a large stone table laden with food and several bottles of wine. There were four stone stools, two of which were occupied. One was Pan Zhengyang, and the other was facing away from Li Ye, his face obscured.

However, from his back, he appeared extremely gaunt. Though he had flesh, from afar, he looked like a skeleton draped in skin, which was quite odd.

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

At this moment, the gaunt person turned his head. His body barely moved as he turned his head more than halfway to face Li Ye directly.

Eagle Gaze, Wolf Look!

This person was also middle-aged, appearing older than Pan Zhengyang. He had thick eyebrows and large eyes, which should have conveyed a sense of righteousness, but his raised eyebrows made him seem rather wicked. Especially his eyes, which resembled a fierce tiger more than a wolf. With just one glance, Li Ye felt as if he were facing a Great Lord of Altar of Mysteries, roaring and dominating the forest.

Yet, it was strange. Despite his imposing aura, his Essence Qi and spirit felt off.

To Li Ye, it felt like encountering a classmate he used to train martial arts with at the gym.

His Blood Essence hadn't condensed into substance.

Is he an ordinary person?