Did I Get Superpowers?

The woman named Zhongli Chun remained expressionless when she heard Dong Qianqiu plead for mercy. With a jerk of her arm, she sent Dong Qianqiu, who had caught her fist, staggering back three steps.

"Whoa?!" The Underworld Enforcer named Bu Zudao finally reacted. "Y-you dare attack an Underworld Enforcer?!"

Although Dong Qianqiu had blocked the towering woman's punch, the tremendous wind from it had still knocked his official hat askew.

"I already told you!" Dong Qianqiu snapped. "Get out of here! Go get your superior!"

"Y-you just wait!" Bu Zudao fled, frantically straightening his official hat as he ran.

Zhongli Chun made no attempt to pursue the fleeing Underworld Enforcer. She merely glanced at Dong Qianqiu and said, "Show you some respect? Why should I?"

Dong Qianqiu bit her lip, thinking she must have neglected to check the almanac before leaving home today. How else could she have happened upon the underworld's number one villain?

"One after another, you all come interrupt my dessert." Zhongli Chun gave Dong Qianqiu an indifferent glance. "You want a beating too, is that it?"

"I..." Dong Qianqiu knew this woman would be anything but easy to handle. Although she already possessed an immortal's body, she was not entirely confident she could defeat her. They had known each other for a thousand years, but on reflection, this lunatic would never spare a thought for old ties.

Whoosh!

With the sound of air being torn apart, Zhongli Chun's fist came hurtling toward Dong Qianqiu.

Dong Qianqiu gritted her teeth and swept both hands out. An enormous Round Shield appeared before her, intercepting Zhongli Chun's fist. Who knew where this Magic Treasure had come from, but it actually held firm against that fearsome punch.

Zhongli Chun looked briefly puzzled when her punch was blocked, but she quickly recovered. With a cold snort, she raised her other hand and hammered the Round Shield with alternating fists. Soon, she had battered cracks into it.

"What the hell?" Du Yu, hiding nearby, stared in disbelief. "That's clearly an immortal Magic Treasure Sister Qianqiu brought out. But can someone really smash an immortal Magic Treasure with their bare fists?"

Zhongli Chun's punches rained down in a wild barrage, and the Round Shield shattered in an instant. With her Magic Treasure destroyed, Dong Qianqiu's primordial spirit was injured as well, and she spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Sister Qianqiu!" Du Yu shouted and started forward, only for Dong Qianqiu's transmitted voice to ring out in his mind.

"Don't!" Dong Qianqiu gritted her teeth as she transmitted her warning to Du Yu. "You're injured. You absolutely must not come near this woman. Run!"

Du Yu watched Dong Qianqiu, his heart burning with anxiety. If he left now, she probably would not last another minute. But this towering woman was truly terrifying. Even Dong Qianqiu, with her immortal body, could not handle her. What could he possibly do as a mortal?

Zhongli Chun advanced toward Dong Qianqiu step by step, her eyes seeing nothing else. No one nearby dared step forward to stop her.

Dong Qianqiu tried to stand several times, only to fall again. With her primordial spirit injured, she was temporarily unable to move, left like meat on a chopping block.

Zhongli Chun raised her fist once more.

"Stop!!!"

The shout visibly startled Zhongli Chun. She turned and saw Du Yu, who had been hiding behind the door, emerge on trembling legs.

"Don't touch her!"

Dong Qianqiu inwardly cursed. Zhongli Chun was a completely irrational lunatic. Anyone who stepped forward now would die. "Du Yu, run... she won't listen to anything you say..."

Du Yu knew Dong Qianqiu would certainly die if he ran now. But he had no way of dealing with Zhongli Chun, so all he could do was find a way to stall.

"Y-you can't hit Sister Qianqiu." Du Yu had never felt so frightened. This woman's oppressive presence was even stronger than what he had felt while fighting Nine-Infant.

The woman simply stared blankly at Du Yu, not moving for a long while.

"Huh?" Dong Qianqiu was puzzled. "Zhongli Chun..."

Zhongli Chun gazed at Du Yu and slowly lowered her fist, a trace of bewilderment in her eyes.

Watching Zhongli Chun's sudden change in temperament, Du Yu was just as baffled.

"Holy crap, did I get superpowers?" Du Yu looked confused, but hadn't he brought the situation under control?

"You... go sit over there first..." Du Yu pointed at the table where Zhongli Chun had been sitting.

The towering Zhongli Chun nodded obediently like a little lamb, then went over and sat down.

"What the hell is going on?" Du Yu's mind swarmed with ten thousand questions, but this was not the time to find answers. He hurried over to help Dong Qianqiu up. "Sister Qianqiu, are you all right?"

"I'm fine. I'll recover after regulating my breathing for a while... but you... how did you do that?" Dong Qianqiu looked at Du Yu in bewilderment.

"You certainly asked the right person." Du Yu draped Dong Qianqiu's arm over his shoulders. "Give me a few days to make up a good explanation."

Before the two of them could leave the shop, Zhongli Chun stood up again.

Both immediately tensed. What was this woman going to do now?

Holding a plate of little desserts, Zhongli Chun carefully offered it to Du Yu. "Would you... like some dessert?"

"Huh?"

Du Yu looked up at Zhongli Chun. Her face was expressionless, but her eyes remained fixed blankly on him, with a hint of something unfathomable in them. Still, she was at least six feet three inches tall and looked terribly unapproachable.

"Me...? Maybe I should... pass..." Du Yu gave an awkward laugh. "I'm trying to lose weight lately. Those are too sweet..."

"You don't like sweet things?" Zhongli Chun set the desserts aside and turned to the shop assistant, saying coldly, "Bring out some desserts that aren't sweet immediately, or I'll scatter all your souls to the winds."

"What?" The assistant had no idea where this was going. "Desserts that aren't sweet...? Where would we find those...?"

"Then don't blame me." Zhongli Chun stared coldly at the assistant, murderous intent spilling from her again.

"No!" Du Yu shouted in alarm. "You mustn't hurt anyone!"

Zhongli Chun immediately withdrew her murderous intent and stood blankly beside Du Yu like an attendant.

"Huh?"

Now it was not just Du Yu and Dong Qianqiu. Every customer and employee was dumbfounded.

What on earth was going on?

"You... stay right here and don't move... I'll go buy you some oranges..." Du Yu mustered his courage and spoke to Zhongli Chun.

Zhongli Chun nodded obediently again.

"I don't know what's wrong with her, but luckily I can control her now. Sister Qianqiu, let's get out of here..." Du Yu spoke quietly to Dong Qianqiu as he hurried her away.

They had barely gone a few steps when they encountered the Underworld Enforcer named Bu Zudao again. Several people followed behind him, marching toward the café in force.

"Brother! Up ahead!" Bu Zudao told one of the Underworld Enforcers behind him. "In that café up ahead!"

"Good. Someone dared lay hands on my little brother? I, Bu Zushuo, want to see who they are! Brothers, follow me!"

Dong Qianqiu and Du Yu passed the group. Dong Qianqiu shook her head helplessly. "Bu Zushuo, Bu Zudao... they really are nobodies not worth mentioning. They're marching to their deaths... why didn't they fetch Ox-Head and Horse-Face...?"

"Forget about them, Sister Qianqiu..." Du Yu pulled her along briskly. "I'll take you somewhere else to recover first."

They rounded the street corner, and Du Yu found a hotel called Must-Sleep-to-Die.

"Sister Qianqiu... how about... here?"

Dong Qianqiu looked up. "Anywhere is fine... I need to regulate my breathing. Don't get any ideas."

"Of course I won't... I'm just asking whether you mind recovering somewhere like this..."

"Du Yu... if you keep babbling... I'll arrange for you to become the White Dragon Horse and take part in the entire Journey to the West legend..."

"Please don't!" Du Yu paled in horror and hurriedly helped Dong Qianqiu into the hotel. Dong Qianqiu produced her Underworld Constable Token as identification. Not daring to keep her waiting, the proprietor quickly prepared a superior room. Once inside, Dong Qianqiu sat cross-legged in the center of the bed, closed her eyes, and began meditating.

"Du Yu," Dong Qianqiu said as she meditated, "I'm still a little worried about those Underworld Enforcers. Go call the Seventh Master and Eighth Master. Ask them to step in and resolve this."

Du Yu nodded, got their phone numbers and a few notes of Underworld Currency from Dong Qianqiu, and left the hotel.

"Ugh, I should buy a phone in the underworld. Where am I supposed to find a public phone in this day and age?" Du Yu muttered as he walked onto the street, wondering whether a call would still be in time. He figured Zhongli Chun would need only a minute to defeat those Underworld Enforcers.

Despite that thought, Du Yu found a little shop, paid one note of Underworld Currency, and used its public phone.

Since Du Yu had never met Fan Wujiao, he called Xie Bi'an instead. After Du Yu briefly explained the situation, Xie Bi'an calmly said, "It's not too serious. I'll come over once I finish my face mask."

Du Yu hung up and was about to return to the hotel when he suddenly heard a commotion in the street.

"Hey! Did you hear? The Underworld Enforcers seem to be about to capture Villainess Chun!"

"Villainess Chun?! That infamous Zhongli? How is that possible?"

"No idea. Hurry, let's go look!"

A few wandering ghosts shouted as they walked along the street, catching Du Yu's attention.

They caught Zhongli Chun? Du Yu wondered. Those few Underworld Enforcers? Is that possible?

Regardless, Du Yu felt he should go take a look. If Bu Zudao's older brother-Bu Zushuo-really had a higher cultivation than Dong Qianqiu, he would surely be a renowned figure in the underworld. But why had Du Yu never heard of him?

Du Yu hurried forward, soon rounded the corner, and arrived at the café called Bitter Wait.

Zhongli Chun was standing quietly in the same spot as when Du Yu had left, not moving. Seven or eight Underworld Enforcers surrounded her with weapons in hand.

Zhongli Chun's forehead had been split open, and blood streamed down her face, but she remained expressionless and did not even glance at the Underworld Enforcers around her.

"What's wrong? Weren't you acting tough earlier?" Bu Zudao slapped Zhongli Chun's face. "Weren't you going to hit me?"

Bu Zushuo stood nearby with a sinister grin. "Little brother, I have to say, you've earned yourself some credit this time. This is the notorious Villainess Chun! We've got a promotion coming!" With that, he delivered a vicious kick to Zhongli Chun's lower abdomen. She grunted, but quickly straightened again, still expressionless and motionless.

"Zhongli Chun's acting like an idiot. Could she be a fake?" one of the lackeys asked.

"With her taking hits like that? A fake?" Bu Zudao drew out an iron chain, swung it a few times, and lashed Zhongli Chun across the waist with all his strength.

"Ugh!"

The blow was so heavy that Zhongli Chun nearly lost her footing, but she gritted her teeth and forced herself upright, muttering something under her breath.

"What are you saying?" Bu Zushuo cocked an ear. "Villainess Chun's talking."

"What's she saying?"

Bu Zudao leaned closer and listened carefully. Zhongli Chun was saying:

"That was close. I nearly moved."

"She really has gone stupid..." Bu Zudao swung the iron chain again as he spoke. "Moved? So what if you moved? This time I'll make sure you can't get up!"

"Stop right there!!"

Du Yu charged out with a roar. Seeing the scene before him, he was filled with anger beyond words.

"Zhongli Chun, what's wrong with you?!" Du Yu was baffled. How could someone who could easily defeat Dong Qianqiu let these Underworld Enforcers surround her and beat her?

"Ah!" Zhongli Chun raised her head and gave him a breathtakingly beautiful smile. "You're back! Did you buy the oranges?"

Du Yu's mind was filled with the instruction he had given Zhongli Chun before leaving: "Stay right here and don't move."

What on earth was wrong with Zhongli Chun? Did she obey his every word, even ignoring danger to herself?

Looking at Zhongli Chun's blood-covered face and unwavering smile, Du Yu was truly angry now.

"Are you really officers...?" Du Yu asked the Underworld Enforcers. "Can't you see she hasn't fought back at all? A whole group surrounding her and beating her-what kind of law enforcement is that?"

"Who are you, kid?" Bu Zushuo stepped forward and looked Du Yu up and down. "What era did you die in? How come I've never seen you?"

The moment Bu Zudao saw Du Yu, he shouted, "Ah! It's him! He's with that arrogant woman from earlier! She even pretended she was from the Legend Management Bureau!"

"Kid, impersonating an Underworld Enforcer is a crime punishable by having your soul scattered!" Bu Zushuo walked toward Du Yu.

Du Yu said coldly, "Come at me if you've got the guts. Let's see who ends up regretting it."

"Oh, you're pretty cocky, aren't you!" Bu Zushuo stepped forward and shoved Du Yu.

Strangely enough, with that single shove, the entire café began to tremble slightly.

"What's going on?" The Bu brothers looked around in confusion, only to discover a thick aura of murderous intent rising from Zhongli Chun. It was so intense that the entire shop shook with it.

"No, don't." Du Yu spoke to Zhongli Chun. "Leave this to me. If you kill an officer, you'll only be piling one wrong on another."

Zhongli Chun froze, at a loss. She could let herself be hurt, but she could never let Du Yu be hurt.

Yet Du Yu insisted that she stay out of it. What was she supposed to do now?

"That's it?" Du Yu took another step forward. "One shove and you're done? If you've got the guts, step out and fight me one-on-one."

"One-on-one?! You think I'm scared of you?" He Zushuo snapped out of his daze and roared, "You really want your soul scattered, don't you?!"

Despite the talk of a "one-on-one" fight, several Underworld Enforcers surrounded Du Yu. Just as they were about to attack, a patch of space overhead suddenly began to distort. After a violent shudder, a figure dressed in white appeared in midair.

"Ah?!" At the sight of that figure, the Underworld Enforcers immediately dropped to their knees. "Greetings, Seventh Master!"

The Seventh Master, White Impermanence Xie Bi'an, had suddenly appeared, water droplets still clinging to his face. He seemed to have come in quite a hurry. Patting his face, he surveyed the scene, but after only a brief look, his expression filled with questions.

"Weren't you asking me to rescue the Underworld Enforcers from Zhongli Chun? Why does it look like Zhongli Chun is about to be subdued?"