The Ancestor Appears (Part 2)

Seeing Zhang Hupan's arrogance, although it was directed at the Japanese, Chen Wu and Wang Ming still found his overbearing demeanor in front of them unbearable. However, Chen Jiaying, who had already mentally categorized Zhang Hupan as a cultivator, knew that Zhang Hupan's demeanor was not arrogance at all, but rather the bearing and confidence of a master. She stopped Chen Wu and Wang Ming from speaking and said to Zhang Hupan with a tone of respect that left them dumbfounded, "With a senior like you here, of course, we're not afraid of the Japanese escaping. However, we still don't know their exact hiding place. If we act rashly, by the time we find them, they might have already moved the items, and we won't be able to catch them red-handed. That would cause unnecessary trouble." Because she had already mentally considered Zhang Hupan a cultivator, Chen Jiaying respectfully changed her address to "senior."

Ignoring the gaffe of the special operations personnel, Zhang Hupan said noncommittally, "They are in the two-story office building in the northeast corner of the factory. Let's head straight there. Under my watch, I'm confident not a single fly will get away!" With that, Zhang Hupan strolled leisurely towards the main entrance.

Seeing that Zhang Hupan didn't deny her address of "senior," Chen Jiaying's heart pounded. She knew Zhang Hupan was a legendary cultivator and finally stopped hesitating. Chen Jiaying had absolute confidence in the power of cultivators; they were masters on the same level as her sect leader's grand-disciple. She had personally witnessed her sect leader's grand-disciple fly on his sword, a sight that had left her with unparalleled shock and a realm she believed she could only look up to for the rest of her life. If Zhang Hupan knew at this moment that Chen Jiaying was comparing him to Qingmu, his grand-disciple many generations removed, she wondered how he would feel.

Regardless, Chen Jiaying's confidence swelled. Even if dozens more ninjas appeared, she would undoubtedly follow Zhang Hupan's lead. She waved her hand decisively and without question to her subordinates behind her and strode towards the entrance with her head held high.

Zhang Hupan's presence was as if he were strolling through his own backyard. All the guards, and even the guard dogs, stood motionless. Even as Chen Jiaying and her team walked past them, they were completely ignored. Wang Ming, disbelieving, touched a guard, only to find him collapse. It turned out their vital energy had been completely sealed. Wang Ming and Chen Wu exchanged glances, seeing the shocked expressions in each other's eyes. They were not foolish people and knew immediately that Zhang Hupan was responsible. "My God, to seal the vital energy of all the guards and even the dogs just by speaking—is that something a human can do?" Although Chen Jiaying knew cultivators were incredibly powerful, Zhang Hupan's almost supernatural, even bizarre, abilities were beyond her imagination, let alone that of her subordinates. As if to answer their astonishment or perhaps to marvel at the power of cultivators, Chen Jiaying sighed softly, "Could this be the power of cultivators?"

"Master, are you saying Zhang Hupan is a legendary cultivator!" The astonished Wang Ming had forgotten the rule against calling Chen Jiaying "Master" during missions.

"Yes, Senior Zhang is a legendary cultivator!" Chen Jiaying said, gazing at Zhang Hupan's retreating back with deep respect. In the world of the strong, only the strong earned their respect, and Zhang Hupan was the super-strong among these self-proclaimed strong individuals!

"Wow!" Everyone was stunned. For these elites, cultivators were their dream, a dream that seemed forever out of reach, just as immortals were the dream of cultivators. Looking at Zhang Hupan's back, these young elites' eyes were filled with reverence. Wang Ming, in addition to reverence, felt deep regret for his previous rash attitude towards Zhang Hupan.

Soon, the group reached the two-story office building with its distinctly Japanese style without any obstruction. Zhang Hupan stood quietly before the building, his hands behind his back, his mind filled with thoughts. Japan had built Japanese-style houses on Chinese territory and was hiding Chinese items within them. How could this be tolerated? A vast aura emanated from Zhang Hupan, enveloping the entire building. Although Chen Jiaying and the others behind him were fortunate not to be subjected to this aura, they could feel its immense, overwhelming presence, and they felt Zhang Hupan's towering, god-like stature.

Inside the building, the Chinese president of Songxia Enterprise was happily raising a glass to five short, lean Japanese ninjas, celebrating the success of their operation. Suddenly, an overwhelming aura, like the end of the world, pressed down on them without restraint. Instantly, they were drenched in sweat, collapsing to the ground like dead dogs, trembling uncontrollably.

For trash ninjas like those from Japan, Zhang Hupan didn't even need to lift a finger; releasing a mere fraction of his world-destroying aura was enough. Zhang Hupan softly said to Chen Jiaying behind him, "Go in and arrest them!"

"Yes!" Chen Jiaying waved to her subordinates behind her, signaling them to enter the building and prepare for combat. Chen Jiaying's cultivation had also advanced a level, and she was eager to test her strength, especially with a cultivator of Zhang Hupan's caliber providing support. Thus, she boldly kicked down the main door and entered.

Watching Chen Jiaying and her team cautiously yet boldly breach the door, covering each other, Zhang Hupan felt both amused and exasperated. He mused internally, "Did I not make myself clear enough? We're going in to arrest them, not to fight. Is there any need to be this tense?"

This was perhaps the easiest mission Chen Jiaying had ever undertaken. Without needing to throw a single punch, all the individuals considered super-strong by ordinary people were already lying on the ground like dead dogs, waiting to be apprehended. It was then that Chen Jiaying truly understood the real meaning of Zhang Hupan's words, "Go in and arrest them!" At the same time, she was once again shocked by the power of cultivators. In truth, Chen Jiaying had overestimated the abilities of cultivators; not all cultivators possessed such power. To achieve such results, one needed at least the Core Formation Stage or higher. Without Zhang Hupan's appearance, Wudang still had no cultivators at the Core Formation Stage, illustrating how rare masters at this level were in the cultivation world. Of course, ordinary people couldn't discern the differences in power among cultivators. In their eyes, cultivators could fly on swords and were incredibly powerful, without considering that sword-flying techniques also varied in skill.

Since Zhang Hupan had handled the most troublesome part, Wang Ming and his team would naturally take care of the cleanup. Chen Jiaying certainly wouldn't trouble a senior like Zhang Hupan to stay with them in this deserted industrial zone. She took on the role of driver herself, taking Zhang Hupan back to school. If anyone had seen Chen Jiaying driving for someone, they would have thought the sun had risen in the west. Even the governor of Zhejiang province would sometimes show deference to the head of such a special department! However, Chen Jiaying showed no sign of being wronged; in fact, she felt extremely honored. The jeep quickly arrived at the first male dormitory. After getting out of the car, Chen Jiaying respectfully opened the car door for Zhang Hupan. Although Zhang Hupan disliked such formalities and hadn't revealed his identity, he secretly considered himself a second-generation disciple of Wudang and believed that respecting elders was necessary. Therefore, he didn't object to Chen Jiaying's overly respectful behavior, despite her prominent status. Although Chen Jiaying knew that cultivators like Zhang Hupan would never need her help, she still politely left a business card for him. Of course, the title on the card was merely Deputy Director of the Security Bureau. She said respectfully, "Senior Zhang, if you have any secular matters that are inconvenient for you to handle personally in the future, please feel free to command me!"

Zhang Hupan was quite pleased with Chen Jiaying's thoughtful gesture and casually tossed her two of the lowest-grade celestial pills. Chen Jiaying's strength was too low in Zhang Hupan's eyes; she wouldn't be able to withstand even slightly better celestial pills. He then turned and entered the dormitory, leaving Chen Jiaying staring blankly at the two golden, fragrant, legendary celestial pills in her hand. Chen Jiaying quickly came to her senses, looked around furtively as if she were a thief, and quickly hid the celestial pills. Zhang Hupan was well aware of Chen Jiaying's unseemly behavior and secretly shook his head, wondering why all Wudang disciples were like this!

The old man at the dormitory's reception desk was also a shrewd character. He used to look down on Zhang Hupan, knowing he came from a remote area. After Zhang Hupan started working at the bar, he would always return just as the place was closing and often received lectures from the old man. Of course, since the old man wasn't a Wudang disciple, Zhang Hupan didn't bother arguing with him. However, today, the old man saw the person who arrived in what was clearly a military vehicle with such an impressive license plate plate treating Zhang Hupan with utmost respect. The shrewd old man immediately changed his demeanor and greeted Zhang Hupan warmly, causing Zhang Hupan to feel flattered and bewildered before realizing it was all because of Chen Jiaying.

Although Chen Jiaying held a significant position and had weathered many storms, possessing the celestial pills made her feel a bit dizzy and parched. Her hand, as she opened the car door, trembled uncontrollably. After getting into the driver's seat, Chen Jiaying took a deep breath before finally calming her extremely excited heart. Just as she drove out of the school gate, Zhang Hupan's voice echoed in her ears: "When you take the pill, find a quiet place. You need to take one pill in two doses, and your disciple Wang Ming needs to take it in four doses. Cultivate diligently and don't disgrace our Wudang Sect. You can't even master the rudimentary Five Elements Technique. I don't know how Qingmu, as the sect leader, teaches his disciples. Don't bother me again unless it's something extremely important!"

Zhang Hupan was currently using the Thousand Mile Sound Transmission technique. Chen Jiaying was not surprised by this secret martial art, as she knew it herself, but her range was far from a thousand miles, perhaps only about ten meters at most. Hearing Zhang Hupan's message, Chen Jiaying was both shocked and delighted. She was delighted that such an ethereal figure like Zhang Hupan was from the Wudang Sect. Considering Zhang Hupan's instructions regarding the celestial pills, it was not difficult to understand that the pill's efficacy was very strong, otherwise, it wouldn't need to be taken in multiple doses. This was enough to show the great effect of the celestial pill, perhaps allowing her to reach her master's realm. For an internal martial arts master like Chen Jiaying, every step forward was already incredibly difficult. She was shocked because Zhang Hupan's tone suggested that this seemingly ordinary freshman was of a higher generation than the current sect leader, Daoist Master Qingmu. And she had actually disturbed him for secular matters—wasn't that extreme disrespect? Not to mention Wang Ming's initial poor attitude. The thought of Wang Ming's behavior in front of Zhang Hupan made Chen Jiaying furious, and she resolved to teach that reckless disciple a good lesson this time. If Chen Jiaying knew that she had disturbed the only living disciple of Wudang's founder, Zhang Sanfeng, she wondered what her thoughts would be.

Poor Wang Ming, though far away in Xiasha, inexplicably sneezed, feeling a sense of impending doom. (To be continued)