A thin man dressed in black appeared inside the door, a dagger in his hand. He crept silently toward the bedrooms, his eyes darting around, wary and vicious.
In this apartment layout, the second bedroom was the first room visible from the entrance. Its door was open. He glanced inside, and his eyes went blank.
A breathtaking beauty in adorable pajamas sat cross-legged on the edge of the bed, her eyes closed.
The man almost drooled. She was far too beautiful...
Then wild delight swept over him.
She wasn't the person he'd come looking for. He might have gotten the wrong apartment... but this find was every bit as good. He'd hit the jackpot!
He tiptoed inside, drawing closer and closer, his eyes beginning to redden with excitement.
Just then, the beauty on the bed opened her eyes coldly.
Light flashed, lightning flaring in the empty room.
The man felt as though he'd fallen into the most terrifying nightmare. He couldn't move, couldn't shout, couldn't breathe. It was like plunging into a hell of ghosts.
Footsteps sounded behind him, and a broom smashed viciously into the back of his head. He instinctively tried to cover his head, but couldn't even lift his hands. His face twisted with terror as he toppled to the floor.
What was going on? An Immobility Spell?
The beauty looked past him, and in that instant, her icy killing intent turned into a smile.
Chu Ge wielded a broom, viciously battering the fallen man until he was thoroughly dazed, while asking anxiously, "Are you okay?"
Qiu Wuji wanted to laugh. "Who are you asking?"
"Uh..." Chu Ge stopped, finally realizing that in Qiu Wuji's presence, the thief was the one who ought to be worried about his life... however diminished this body of hers was, she was still a cultivator, a body housing a split soul of a supreme expert! What was he getting nervous for...?
Qiu Wuji's smile deepened. "He came straight through the door and barely made a sound. You actually sensed him coming in?"
"Mm, I hadn't fallen asleep... a little noise was enough to tell me something was wrong."
Actually, it was because you'd been paying attention to the room next door all along, wasn't it...? Qiu Wuji kept that thought to herself. He was just a damn writer who couldn't hurt a fly, and his whole body was still aching, yet he'd grabbed a broom and rushed in without a moment's hesitation. That feeling...
She said leisurely, "Take it easy. You're so weak, and he's holding a dagger... trying to catch a thief? You have a death wish."
Chu Ge's face flushed crimson, and he declared loudly, "This is a man's job!"
"Heh..." Qiu Wuji looked him up and down for a while, then finally lowered her gaze to the thief on the floor.
Chu Ge also looked down at the thief, his face sour.
Tears streamed down the man's face. You finally remembered there's someone lying down here? What's wrong with this damn couple? Is this how you're supposed to treat a thief you've caught? I'd imagined hundreds of ways to die, but never this...
Qiu Wuji was asking Chu Ge, "How do you deal with thieves here? Can you kill them yourself, or must you turn them over to the authorities?"
The man: "?"
Chu Ge hurriedly said, "Turn them over. You can't kill him."
Qiu Wuji asked, "Would it be a problem if he became an idiot?"
Chu Ge: "Huh?"
Qiu Wuji said matter-of-factly, "I want to search his soul."
Chu Ge: "...Let's not. We couldn't explain it if he became an idiot, either. We'd only be asking for trouble. Just question him."
"What if he refuses to talk?" Qiu Wuji said seriously. "I could give it a try. He's so weak that I might be able to search without damaging his soul. Of course, there's a chance of failure. I can't guarantee anything..."
Before she had even finished, the terrified man volunteered, "Whatever you want to ask, boss, I'll tell you! I'll tell you myself!"
With a freak who could immobilize someone with a single glare, he didn't dare gamble on whether her words were a bluff. If she really could perform the soul-searching tricks from novels and turn him into an idiot, he'd rather go to jail!
Qiu Wuji looked into his eyes. The smiling warmth she'd shown while talking to Chu Ge instantly became bone-piercing cold. "Where did your ability to pass through walls come from?"
The man: "..."
That's what you're interested in? Shouldn't you be asking why I came here?
Seeing his hesitation, killing intent blazed in Qiu Wuji's eyes, and her jade-white finger moved toward his forehead.
The man had no doubt that this woman really would kill him. Drenched in cold sweat, he shouted, "It's an innate supernatural ability I awakened on my own... lots of people do..."
Qiu Wuji's finger hovered before his forehead as she looked up and exchanged a glance with Chu Ge.
Lots of people did?
Was spiritual energy really returning? Were supernatural abilities awakening?
Chu Ge asked, "How many is 'lots'? I've been alive nearly thirty years. How come I never knew?" The man gave an ingratiating smile. "Of course, the total number is very, very small. Ordinary people don't know... for someone who's just awakened an ability, like you, boss, it's perfectly normal not to find others at first. But we're special, after all. Sooner or later, something brings us together, and then we start forming our own circles..."
Wasn't this an example right here?
Chu Ge exchanged another glance with Qiu Wuji before finally asking the question that should have come first. "You gained the ability to pass through walls, and you use it to steal? Quite the elite circle you've got."
"Steal?" The man hesitated and didn't answer.
A terrifying light rose from Qiu Wuji's fingertip.
"No, don't search my soul! I'll talk!" the man shouted in fright. "I came looking for an enemy. I only knew she was in this area, not exactly where, so I was searching apartment by apartment..."
Chu Ge narrowed his eyes and stared at him for a long moment, then suddenly said, "He's lying. Hit him."
For a moment, Qiu Wuji couldn't see why he'd decided the man was lying, but at Chu Ge's words, she instinctively formed a spectral hand and unleashed a flurry of slaps.
One of the man's teeth flew out. His face bruised and swollen, he shouted, "I'm innocent! Every word I said was true!"
"Still trying to fool me." Chu Ge sneered. "Who searches apartment by apartment in the middle of the day? Shouldn't you do it late at night? Not everyone takes afternoon naps. You clearly knew your target would either be out or asleep at this time. That's why you chose such an unreasonable hour. You obviously had a specific target, not some random search."
The man's expression changed. Qiu Wuji was slightly taken aback too. Holding back her praise for Chu Ge, she brought the spectral hand down hard again. "You're at death's door, and you still dare lie!"
Chu Ge stood to one side with his hands tucked together, watching the man scream as his face was slapped bloody. His own cheek began to twitch.
This she-dragon was far too violent... I'd been lucky she hadn't beaten me to death earlier.
It must be because I was too handsome for her to bring herself to hit me.
"I'll talk, I'll talk..." The man had already been beaten to tears. Sobbing, he wailed, "I came to deal with Moon Shadow... I followed her before. The elevator stopped on this floor, but I didn't dare follow too closely..."
The girl across the hall flashed through Chu Ge's mind.
She stayed in during the day and went out at night, came home tipsy, and had an injury on her forehead.
Was it her?
"What does she do?"
"Underground Boxing... she won too much and crossed a line... and some people suspect she takes assassination jobs. There are cases connected to her."
Chu Ge's mouth twitched. The whole story felt a little surreal.
There really were underground fights and assassins these days, and one was a pretty young girl living right across the hall.
To think he and Zhang Qiren had fantasized about going to some establishment and booking her services. If she found out, she might chop all their limbs off!
Then again, the heroine of his novel had already come out of the book. Perhaps nothing was too surreal anymore. Chu Ge merely asked reflexively, "If there really are assassins, how come I've never heard about anyone being killed..."
He stopped halfway through.
There were plenty of deaths and disappearances every day, and the police wouldn't announce every case. How would ordinary citizens know? It was like this so-called Underground Boxing. In all his years, he'd only encountered it in novels.
He looked up and met Qiu Wuji's eyes for the third time. As though she knew what he was thinking, she asked softly, "Shall we take a look at their circle?"
Chu Ge hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "We don't know how strong they are. We'd better not get involved ourselves. It's best to act like we know nothing. Can you erase his memories of what just happened? I'll hand him over to the police."
Qiu Wuji looked at him without speaking.
Personally, she wasn't afraid of getting involved in something like this. On the contrary, they ought to involve themselves deliberately, so she could enter this world's supernatural sphere as quickly as possible. Besides, arranging an identity through such secret circles wouldn't be a problem. It would be far more meaningful than sitting at home dealing with everyday necessities.
But Chu Ge clearly didn't want to disrupt this life so abruptly.
Earlier, she hadn't been in a hurry, while Chu Ge had wanted to move faster. Now Chu Ge wanted to avoid it, while she wanted to move faster.
They viewed different matters differently.
They gazed at each other for a long time before Qiu Wuji suddenly smiled faintly. "All right. We'll do it your way. Erasing his recent memories won't be much trouble. Hmm... let's erase everything from the moment he entered. When he wakes up, he won't know what happened or how he slipped up and got caught..."
Chu Ge let out a breath and took out his phone, wondering whether to call the emergency number or contact Lin Wuyang directly.
Then Qiu Wuji slapped the man again. "Hand over all your money and valuables. I've been hampered by worldly necessities for so long and restrained myself from going out to rob anyone, yet someone actually came to deliver them."
The man: "?"
Chu Ge: "..."
Before you continue