The Inspector from the Capital
The little girl, her pink dress stained with dark red blood, lay in the blood sacrifice array, her chest rising and falling slightly. The sapphire necklace around her neck shimmered in the moonlight, her jet-black hair could not conceal her delicate face, and her eyelashes trembled like butterfly wings.
Lin Xu frowned slightly as he looked at the three people in the magic circle. They were clearly from the same family, with their parents lying in pools of blood, their necks still bearing the gruesome wounds inflicted by the ritual.
The little girl, the only survivor, was barely breathing but still had a glimmer of hope. Lin Xu gently touched her brow with his fingertip, and a wisp of warm magic quietly seeped in, dispelling the cultist's remaining curse.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly as she slowly opened her eyes, her pupils reflecting Lin Xu's handsome profile and the soft glow of the Glazed Spirit Lamp.
"Don't be afraid." His voice was deep and gentle, and the Glazed Spirit Lamp spun gently, casting a warm golden halo that enveloped the girl in tranquility.
"Mom, Dad..." Her lips moved as she scrambled to her feet and stumbled toward her parents' cold bodies, freezing abruptly when her fingertips touched the congealed scabs.
Tears streamed down her face, and her small body trembled violently, but she didn't utter a single cry, like a wounded and helpless cub, her sobs held tightly in her throat.
Lin Xu stood silently, feeling that this silent grief was more piercing than any wailing.
Even after living two lives, he could still empathize with this deep-seated pain.
The invasion of the Spirit Realm brought the seeds of the extraordinary, but it brought not only blessings, but also the blood and tears of ordinary people.
If he hadn't gained enlightenment from his past life and hadn't ventured into the Spirit Realm, would he have felt as helpless as he does now when his family faced crisis?
He recalled once again his father's hurried departure, "Father, you did nothing wrong."
"I am determined to hold up an umbrella for my family throughout my life, to shelter them from the wind and rain!"
As he solidified this idea, a strange resonance resonated within him.
Lin Xu's heart stirred, and his spiritual consciousness, following the connection of the Dharma Seed, actually passed through the barrier of reality and came into contact with the Ghost Bride wandering on Azure Cloud Mountain.
Yan Jingshu's figure trembled slightly. Following an unseen force, she suddenly turned around, reached out and lifted the red veil, her ruby-like eyes sparkling with surprise.
She felt it, that familiar presence so close at hand.
The sound of police sirens grew louder as they approached the building, Night Watchers quietly surrounded it.
"Very fast..." He thought to himself, and his figure disappeared from the spot, silently appearing in the sky.
With just a simple illusion, he concealed everyone's vision, watching as the Night Watchers below rushed to the scene and quietly disappeared above the residential building.
"Something's not right..." Lin Xu was soaring through the clouds, turned serious.
Cult members always operate covertly, targeting marginalized groups such as the homeless who lack food and shelter.
Elderly people living alone, or abandoned children forgotten by society.
But this time, they openly set up a blood sacrifice array in the downtown area, targeting well-dressed, affluent middle-class families.
The Night Watchers acted far too quickly. From the cultist's death to the sirens blaring, only a minute or two had passed. Even in the inner ring of the city, this was far too fast.
Lin Xu frowned in thought, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived at a residential building next to the city square.
After the Jiang Clan was invaded by evil spirits, Jiang Wanqing and her family moved here temporarily.
"A-Xu, you're back?" Old Master Jiang's voice rang out. He slowly pushed open the study door, his sandalwood cane lightly tapping the cement floor.
Lin Xu nodded slightly. "Just got back. Grandpa, you're still awake?"
"When you get old, you can't sleep." Old Master Jiang said with a pleased smile. "Come in. A lot has happened in Meng City these past few days. You've come back just in time."
The two entered the study, where the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.
Old Master Jiang gestured for Lin Xu to sit down. "Judging from your expression, something happened?"
"I encountered cultists..." Lin Xu frowned as he recounted what had happened, "I sensed something was wrong as soon as I returned. The physical barrier of Meng City is weakening, and this is very strange!"
"They are followers of the Wheel of Fate, the evil gods of the Spirit Realm. They can obtain the blessings of the Lord of Change and glimpse the future through blood sacrifices."
"They tamper with cause and effect, and are masters of intrigue and deception. They've got their eyes on Meng City." Old Master Jiang frowned, but there was no surprise on his face. "They're said to be a villainous evil god designed by a game company a hundred years ago. After the Spirit Realm invaded, it materialized and has been rampant in recent years."
"The Night Watchers aren't reacting?" Lin Xu frowned deeply. Meng City was his chosen anchor point in reality, and being targeted by the evil god was not a good thing.
"A lot has happened during your ten days or so in the Spirit Realm..." Old Master Jiang sighed, "Just a few days ago, the inspector from the Night Watchers Headquarters in the capital arrived."
"The capital headquarters? The inspector?" Lin Xu immediately grasped the key point.
The Night Watchers, as an international alliance, is actually a special police force supported by major powers on Blue Star, specifically tasked with dealing with the Spirit Realm invasions.
It appears to be an international organization, but it is actually controlled independently by various countries. The Night Watchers headquarters in the Central State is located in the capital city.
"The Inspector is an inspector directly dispatched by the Night Watchers headquarters. Their authority surpasses that of the provincial branches. They are responsible for investigating dereliction of duty, illegal activities, and major Spirit Realm invasion incidents." Elder Jiang paused for a moment. "This is actually the state's deterrence and check on local forces. The Inspector's main task is to balance local forces and prevent local Lineage and supernatural forces from becoming too powerful, especially in a situation like Meng City where the Chen Lineage is the only one in power."
"The Chen Lineage? Is the inspector here for the Chen Lineage?" Lin Xu's fingertips unconsciously tapped the armrest, the giant projection he had seen that night flashing through his mind. Perhaps, he was here for the person behind the Chen Lineage.
"That's right. Inspector Xia Jingyi took up her post at the Night Watchers branch in Meng City three days ago, and the first thing she did upon arriving in Meng City was to visit me."
Although not in an official capacity, her purpose was clear: to get me—or more precisely, you, this rising star—to step forward and challenge the Chen Lineage.
Elder Jiang looked at Lin Xu with a meaningful smile, "It's been less than half a month since you rose to prominence, Inspector Xia has already taken notice of you. Do you know what that means?"
"The Chen Lineage has been targeted for a long time." Lin Xu said thoughtfully. He didn't think he was anything special unless he revealed his identity as a Spirit Realm Lord.
However, thanks to a certain domineering lord, he would never reveal his special abilities before his territory was officially linked to Meng City.
"The situation in Meng City has long been known to those above— Chen Lingfeng is all-powerful, and the Night Watchers branch has practically become an appendage of the Chen Lineage family..." Elder Jiang continued, "Last time, when the Jiang Clan was invaded by evil spirits, Chen Lingfeng thought he had made a brilliant move, but little did he know that he had already committed a grave taboo— Inspector Xia revealed to me that the Chen Lineage could be preserved, but Chen Lingfeng had to step down."
She will choose a new agent in Meng City, A-Xu, you are exactly her preferred candidate.