I'm afraid of being struck by lightning

Meng Huai looked at Zhao Zhen with an air of utter ease. He took a sip from his wine flask, looking perfectly content.

Zhao Zhen looked at him helplessly and said, "Stop playing dumb with me. Someone is using gu to hurt people. Don't tell me you don't know!"

Meng Huai said without hesitation, "Not only do I know, I've already met him. So what?"

Zhao Zhen glared at him. "You're a Gu Master. What do you think you should do? Kill him, of course! How can you let him keep hurting people?"

Meng Huai set down his flask and spread his hands. "Let me correct you. So far, he's only been taking revenge. That hardly counts as hurting people. Besides, only one person has died, and he deserved it. That's already very merciful.

"It's not that I don't want to get involved. I just can't intervene yet. I imagine you've already found out who this man is. How do you propose we handle him? I'm afraid of being struck by lightning."

Zhao Zhen was left speechless. After a moment, he said, "That may be true, but once you open the floodgates, how do you know he won't start killing innocents? We should stop trouble before it starts."

Meng Huai curled his lip. "Oh, give me a break. You think I don't know what you're thinking? Those people are just afraid of dying. If you've done nothing shameful, a knock at midnight won't frighten you.

"If they had nothing on their consciences, what would they be afraid of? They're protected by dragon qi. Any cultivator who wants to touch them has to think long and hard about it."

Zhao Zhen frowned. "I know there are plenty of problems right now, but they're already being addressed. These things take time. Surely we can't let people do whatever they please in the meantime!"

Meng Huai wagged a finger. "Don't preach those lofty principles at me. I'm just an ordinary citizen. I don't understand any of that. I only believe what I see. When the road's uneven, someone has to level it.

"If they want to blame anyone, they can blame themselves for picking the wrong place. This is Miaojiang. In ancient times, it was a remote frontier. By your standards, everyone here is a heretic or a demon.

"We all cultivate gu. That was never an orthodox path to begin with, so we have our own code of conduct. We don't need you teaching us. We follow our consciences."

Zhao Zhen knew Meng Huai was right. People in Miaojiang had always handled things differently from those elsewhere. Even the good people here had a sinister streak in the way they acted.

Meng Huai suddenly smiled again and tapped the tabletop. "Besides, how do you know I haven't made arrangements? Of two evils, choose the lesser. The Night God Church is the real threat.

"Don't tell me you couldn't find that out. Wang Taiying is under the Night God Church's protection. Now that's what you call having connections on both sides of the law. They can get by anywhere.

"If you know you can't touch them, why not let someone else do it? This man is very capable. Last time, he nearly beat the Night God Church's envoy to tears.

"I got a great opportunity out of that. If their protector hadn't ambushed me, I'd have crippled that envoy. Why not make use of such a fine fighter?

"Besides, nobody helps you for nothing in this world. If we want his help, we should let him take his revenge. Someone who deserves death dies, and justice is served. Isn't that a good thing?"

Looking at Meng Huai's shameless expression, Zhao Zhen shook his head helplessly. "I can't win an argument with you. We'll do it your way. But let's get one thing straight: this man can't kill any more of our people. Otherwise, I'll have trouble explaining myself."

Meng Huai smiled. "Don't worry. If that dead man hadn't crossed the line over a lollipop and lost the protection of dragon qi, even I would have had a hard time killing him."

At the mention of a lollipop, the veins on Zhao Zhen's forehead bulged. He had read that case file too. At the time, he had wanted to rush straight over and strangle the bastard himself.

He drew a breath and said, "Fine, let's say you have a point. What do you think his chances are against the Night God Church?"

Meng Huai looked puzzled. "Honestly, I don't know what the Night God Church is thinking either. I've fought both their Left and Right Protectors. They're genuinely powerful.

"If the two protectors acted, subduing this man wouldn't be difficult. But they don't seem to have any intention of doing that. I keep getting the feeling they're cooking up some grand plan."

Zhao Zhen was startled. His eyes widened as he said, "Don't scare me like that. I'll be retiring in a few years, and then I can return to my sect and cultivate in peace. I don't want to lose my life here."

Meng Huai said helplessly, "I'm only a Gu Master. My abilities and energy are limited. Counting on me won't do you any good. You should find a way to pressure the Black-and-White Witch Cult and make those old fellows act."

Zhao Zhen gave a bitter smile. "You think I haven't tried? Every one of those old fellows is cunning as the devil. When something like this happens, they throw away all dignity and play dead. What am I supposed to do?"

On reflection, Meng Huai had to agree. Those old fellows were utterly shameless. When there was something to gain, they ran faster than rabbits, like Fang Shiyu reborn. When there wasn't, they became sickly and frail, the very image of Lin Daiyu.

Another thought suddenly occurred to him, and he said to Zhao Zhen, "I heard the director of your Special Affairs Bureau is from the Guo Family, the Spirit Medium family in the northeast. Is that true?"

Zhao Zhen nodded. "Of course it's true. Our director is Guo Li, the Guo Family's second young master. Why do you ask?"

Meng Huai widened his eyes. "I heard the Guo Family was the only family ever to confront the Luo Fu Ghost Domain head-on, and that Old Master Guo sacrificed a hand to seal the Luo Fu Ghost Gate. That was an unparalleled achievement."

Zhao Zhen said with profound admiration, "That's true. The Guo Family suffered terrible losses in that battle, but they saved the world single-handedly. They're an example to us all."

Meng Huai's face was equally respectful. Those elders who had made such sacrifices deserved nothing less than absolute respect. Without them, there was no telling what this world would have become.

Meng Huai said with utmost seriousness, "I fought Shan Meirong and her son before. Both of them were ordinary people, but they used the power of the Luo Fu Drum. Luckily, it was only a counterfeit, or you wouldn't be seeing me now.

"So I think the Night God Church must have a direct connection to the Luo Fu Ghost Domain. You should report this to your superiors and let them prepare, so they won't be caught off guard if something really happens."

Zhao Zhen's expression turned grim. He hurriedly rose and took his leave. The Luo Fu Ghost Domain was a sword hanging over the entire cultivation world. He had to report this immediately to make sure nothing slipped through the cracks.

In truth, the Special Affairs Bureau had never taken the Night God Church seriously. It might have been making plenty of trouble in Miaojiang, but on the scale of all China, it wasn't worth a damn.

Never mind giants like the Reincarnation Sect and Kunlun—even sects like Maoshan and Dragon Tiger Mountain could take them down if they truly wanted to. They would merely have to pay a somewhat higher price.

But now that the Luo Fu Ghost Domain was involved, they had to take it seriously. A tiny breach could bring down a mighty dam. If something truly went wrong, it would be too late for regrets.

Just after Zhao Zhen left, Yun Zimo walked in holding her phone. She seemed to have something to discuss.