Clear as Day, an Inferno of Blood and Qi [Please Read On] [Please Vote for the Monthly Ticket]

Lu Jing'an carefully read through the file in his hands.

It contained a record of a demonic beast known as the Ghost-Faced Ape.

The Ghost-Faced Ape got its name from its face, which resembled that of a ghost king.

According to the Peacekeeping Bureau's records, Ghost-Faced Apes were extremely vicious.

They liked to eat human brains.

They were fast and agile.

They were also highly intelligent and could even use some weapons.

Like Tiger Demons, their weakness was fire.

Ghost-Faced Apes lived in a patch of woods west of Yinshan County.

After reading the file, Lu Jing'an understood the real reason Wen Ling had come to see him.

White Phosphorus!

He had used White Phosphorus to get rid of the Tiger Demon before.

Wen Ling was clearly planning to do the same.

Lu Jing'an put the file away and handed it back to Wen Ling.

"Sister Wen Ling, I can give you the White Phosphorus, but the method we used against the Tiger Demon might not work against the Ghost-Faced Ape."

"Ghost-Faced Apes are good at climbing trees and can move through the branches."

"To force it into the encirclement, we'd need to make the White Phosphorus float near the treetops."

Wen Ling nodded. "You're right. That's why Yin the Ax has already started making a device that can blow the White Phosphorus up into the air."

Lu Jing'an knew who Yin the Ax was.

He was an Artifact Cultivator in the Peacekeeping Bureau.

He had made the Phonograph, though it had only been a prototype.

Seeing that this issue had been resolved, Lu Jing'an continued, "Even so, after forcing it down, we'll still need to slow it down."

"Otherwise, it'll still be very difficult to deal it a fatal blow."

After hearing Lu Jing'an's concern, Wen Ling still had an answer ready. "Our bureau chief can set a pitfall trap to slow it down."

Lu Jing'an listened, then was about to raise another question.

But the words stopped at his lips. He looked up at Wen Ling. "So, Sister Wen Ling, you've already prepared the whole plan and all the contingencies. The only thing you're missing now is the White Phosphorus I have."

Wen Ling smiled and nodded. "That's right."

"We'd already considered using White Phosphorus in our plan."

"But as you know, the Peacekeeping Bureau is desperately poor. We don't have the budget to get any White Phosphorus."

Lu Jing'an thought for a moment, then said, "Sister Wen Ling, I can give you the White Phosphorus."

"But I have one condition: I want the Ghost-Faced Ape's corpse after this operation."

Wen Ling didn't hesitate. She agreed at once.

After all, the beast's corpse was of no use or significance to the Peacekeeping Bureau.

At most, they would show it to their superiors as proof they had carried out the mission.

They could keep a piece and say the rest had been destroyed during the fight.

As long as they had something to prove the kill, that would be enough.

Besides, Lu Jing'an was giving them something as precious as White Phosphorus.

There was nothing wrong with asking for the beast's corpse in return.

Seeing how readily Wen Ling agreed, Lu Jing'an took the opportunity to propose a partnership.

"Sister Wen Ling, if you need to eliminate any other demonic beasts in the future, we can work together the same way."

"I can provide whatever you need. My only condition is that the beasts' corpses belong to me."

Wen Ling didn't agree to the proposal right away.

"I can't decide something like this on my own."

"We'll have to discuss it back at the bureau before we can make a decision."

Lu Jing'an nodded. "No problem. You can take your time discussing it."

"Or we can see how this operation goes first, then you can decide."

Wen Ling smiled and nodded. "I knew working with Young Master Lu would be a pleasure."

Lu Jing'an tapped the file folder with his finger. "Sister Wen Ling, when are you planning to move?"

Since they were already partners, Wen Ling didn't hide anything from him. "We'll need a few days to prepare."

After hearing that, Lu Jing'an said, "Sister Wen Ling, let me know when you're ready. I'll join you."

"I'd like to see the Peacekeeping Bureau hunt a demon."

For Wen Ling, this little request was as simple as could be.

She nodded and agreed immediately.

Lu Jing'an wanted to see the operation in person.

Partly, he wanted to watch the Peacekeeping Bureau hunt a demon.

But he also had a theory he wanted to test.

It concerned Affixes and souls.

The first time Lu Jing'an obtained [Clear as Fire], he hadn't seen the Lamp Cultivator's soul.

The Affixes he obtained afterward had all been extracted from souls.

So Lu Jing'an suspected that the process of obtaining Affixes was related to souls.

The reason he hadn't seen the Lamp Cultivator's soul, and had only seen the Affix, was most likely because he'd arrived too late.

The other person's soul had already dissipated.

Only the Affix remained.

Lu Jing'an even thought that if he had arrived a little later, he might not have seen the Affix at all.

So he planned to go and see for himself.

That way, he could make sure to collect the soul at the first opportunity.

It would maximize his gains.

Seeing that Wen Ling had agreed, Lu Jing'an said, "All right, Sister Wen Ling. I'll have someone send the remaining White Phosphorus to the Peacekeeping Bureau right away."

He paused and glanced at the sky outside. "Sister Wen Ling, look at the time. Why don't you stay and have dinner with us?"

When Wen Ling heard that Lu Jing'an wanted her to stay for dinner, she rose at once to take her leave. "I'll pass on dinner. Coming here was already a huge risk for me."

"If I stay for dinner too, who knows what rumors might be going around tomorrow?"

Lu Jing'an didn't press her.

He personally saw Wen Ling out of the Lu Family estate.

He also had someone bring the White Phosphorus left over from last time to the Peacekeeping Bureau with her.

After seeing Wen Ling off, Lu Jing'an returned to his own courtyard and continued practicing the Six Harmonies Fist.

All day long, Lu Jing'an kept switching between [Mountain-Leaning Fist] and [Thunderclap Fist].

This constant switching didn't let him master the Six Harmonies Fist.

But it did bring about a qualitative change in his blood and qi.

His blood and qi, which had already been close to boiling, now boiled over, sending up clouds of blood mist like wolf smoke.

This was the final step of blood refinement: blood-and-qi wolf smoke.

Of course, ordinary people couldn't see this wolf smoke.

But if demons and evil spirits were nearby, they might sense it clearly from a great distance.

At this stage, ordinary demons and evil spirits could no longer get close.