In the end, Patrol Lu’s demeanor was exceptionally solemn.

  We were outside a barbecue restaurant, with steaming skewers still id out on the pstic table between us.

  By all accounts, this wasn’t the kind of setting for such serious conversations.

  Yet, his intense and earnest gaze seemed to overpower the casual atmosphere, making it impossible not to take his invitation seriously.

  I thought for a moment before speaking.

  "Before I give you an answer, I need to ask you a question."

  "Go ahead," Patrol Lu nodded.

  "I now understand that Mount Luo is destined to become the ruler of this society.

  But as you mentioned earlier, the faction Zhu Shi belongs to and your Transcendentalist faction both aim to become those rulers—it’s just the methods of governance that differ.

  If that’s the case, why should I choose you over Zhu Shi?" I countered.

  "Would you choose Zhu Shi because you like her?" he asked curiously.

  "Zhu Shi is my friend, so of course, I would prioritize her," I replied.

  "Besides, there’s another reason I find it hard to accept your side."

  He asked seriously, "What is it?"

  "Your Transcendentalism relies on violence to ensve ordinary people.

  I won’t argue that it’s unreasonable, but I find it… distasteful," I said.

  "Distasteful…" He froze for a moment.

  At that point, I realized this was an opportunity—a perfect chance to ask something very important to me.

  "Moreover, the methods you’ve used in the past also strike me as distasteful."

  He looked puzzled.

  "Have we done something to you?"

  "Not to me, but to that Soul-Loss Syndrome girl," I said, maintaining my composure.

  "Agent Kong told me that you used fabricated charges and snder against that girl, whose nature—good or evil—was still uncertain.

  You even attempted to force the Public Security Bureau to act on those false accusations, didn’t you?

  "Even if that Soul-Loss Syndrome girl could hold the key to curing the condition, your methods were unnecessarily ruthless.

  If you cim to represent an unstoppable historical force, why not act with dignity and transparency?

  Why must you resort to underhanded and dishonorable tactics?"

  He seemed taken aback by my question, his expression becoming complex. "This..."

  But what I really wanted to ask wasn’t about this.

  I had no interest in moral accusations.

  The next part was my real goal.

  "You don’t need the Public Security Bureau’s help; you have the ability to find that Soul-Loss Syndrome girl on your own, don’t you?" I said.

  "For example, you—don’t you have divination magic?

  Although I don’t fully understand the principles of divination, it should be a piece of cake for you to find someone who’s gone missing.

  After all, we were able to find that Oddities with your help, right?

  "Even if you can’t do it yourself, the faction you're in, or other factions, should have diviners among their ranks.

  Was it really just you who was responsible for finding that Soul-Loss Syndrome girl?

  Was there no one else involved?"

  At my words, he sighed deeply. "Quite the opposite..."

  "Opposite?" I was puzzled.

  "There are so many people in Mount Luo trying to find that Soul-Loss Syndrome girl that we can’t even count them all.

  This includes not only my faction but also other factions.

  And there are many of those 'other diviners' you mentioned," he gave an answer far beyond my expectations.

  My suspicions deepened.

  "Then... if that's the case, why has she still not been found?"

  "Because of competition," he said.

  "Too many people want to find the Soul-Loss Syndrome girl, but there’s only one of her.

  Whoever finds her first gets the prize, and the rest are left empty-handed.

  Some people, realizing they were too slow to seize the opportunity, thought, 'If I can't find her, at least I can make sure my rivals don't find her,' and so they interfered with others' efforts."

  "So, the reason she can’t be found by the diviners is..." I began to realize the reason behind it.

  And sure enough, he gave me the answer that was completely unexpected.

  "The hospital where she was treated still has her blood, hair, and other biological materials.

  "Some people tried to use these materials as a medium to divinate her whereabouts, while others used them as a medium to cast a powerful counter-divination spell to prevent her from being located.

  "The reason I was able to get her photo by reading the nd's memory st time was that the target I was divining had no retion to her at all, so I managed to get lucky with an accidental 'side hit.' Now that I’m aware of her presence, even if I repeat the same actions, I wouldn’t be able to get the same result again."

  I was left stunned.

  Right, I had been too presumptuous.

  Despite knowing that Mount Luo had many factions, I had unconsciously viewed it as a whole, thinking they would all agree on finding Ma Zao.

  But that was far from the case.

  Now I understood why I had been able to hide Ma Zao in my house for so many days, and why such a powerful organization couldn't find Ma Zao—before they could even find her, they had already started fighting among themselves behind the scenes.

  The "underlying currents" I had always worried about were actually this turbulent!

  "Then, the reason you took those drastic measures was because..."

  "I won’t make excuses for this," Patrol Lu sighed.

  "It’s true that we weren’t straightforward.

  Some among us saw the rge number of competitors and couldn’t help but feel anxious.

  When people are in a hurry, they often act irrationally and think of shortcuts, even resorting to unscrupulous means to achieve their goals."

  "I see..." I felt that the long-standing clouds of doubt above my head had finally cleared away.

  "I hope you won’t misunderstand us too much.

  That kind of behavior isn’t typical for us," he said.

  "And regarding you, we will try to engage with you as peacefully as possible."

  When he steered the conversation toward me, I became cautious. "Like how?"

  "If you want to conceal your true strength from others, I will help you keep it hidden," he said, surprising me.

  "The earlier probing I did was simply to fulfill my duty as a Mount Luo Patrol.

  Now, I represent the Transcendentalists faction and wish to extend goodwill toward you."

  "What if I want you to conceal things from your colleagues and superiors as well?" I tested him.

  Without hesitation, he nodded. "That’s fine. We’ll do as you say."

  Is that really okay? Is he serious, or is he lying to me? I was unsure of his intentions.

  "Since it’s already clear that you are an extraordinarily powerful being who can even master elemental transformation, I will naturally respect your will, and at the very least, won’t do anything that might anger you," he said seriously.

  "Also, about your earlier cim that our Transcendentalists faction would ensve ordinary people, that’s also a misunderstanding of ours by Zhu Shi. It’s a stereotype."

  "What?" I was once again surprised.

  "What I’m about to say is unsupported by evidence.

  Fortunately, I gave you the Bck Rope Heart-Locking Ring earlier, so you can use it on me," he gestured.

  "Are you serious?" I asked in return.

  He made a "please" gesture.

  This was indeed a good opportunity to use a new tool, and I couldn’t deny the urge to try it out.

  But was it really okay to use it on someone I knew?

  After observing him for a dozen seconds or so and confirming he wasn’t bluffing, I took out the ring he had just given me—a piece that looked as though it was woven from iron wire—and slipped it onto the middle finger of my right hand.

  Immediately, my right hand felt oddly light, as if the entire palm had disappeared.

  In reality, my hand was still there, but it had become semi-transparent, like a phantom limb.

  When I tried to grab a skewer, my hand simply passed through it, as though it had turned into a ghostly hand.

  I looked back at Patrol Lu.

  His expression was calm, his hands resting on the table, his back straight as he watched me.

  Any hesitation on my part would have seemed weak.

  So, without further ado, I reached for his chest.

  My right hand passed through his clothes, his flesh, and his ribs, until I touched something tough yet lively, resilient yet rhythmically pulsing with moisture.

  It was his heart.

  I grasped his heart, and a wave of understanding rose within me, as if the ring itself whispered to me—he could no longer lie, nor could he remain silent.

  He could only answer my questions.

  "You said that Transcendentalists ensving ordinary people is Zhu Shi’s misunderstanding. What do you mean by that?" I asked.

  "This isn’t just Zhu Shi’s misunderstanding; it’s also a misconception held by some within Transcendentalists.

  In reality, the world Transcendentalists envisions has no need to ensve ordinary people."

  Even with his heart in my hand, Patrol Lu’s face remained calm as he said,

  "When the world of Transcendentalists is realized, just as Demon Hunters will become Cultivators, Mount Luo will no longer be Mount Luo.

  It will be rebranded with a more fitting name.

  Perhaps something like 'Heavenly Court,' or something else entirely... We will stand above, do you understand what that means?"

  "Not really," I said, watching his eyes.

  "In ancient mythology, even the servants of Gods and Immortals weren’t ordinary mortals," he said candidly.

  "In Journey to the West, even those who guarded the homes of Gods and Buddhas had to be spiritual beasts; even the lowest-ranked soldiers in the Heavenly Court weren’t mortals.

  "Of course, our Transcendentalists is far from as grand as the Heavenly Court in Journey to the West, but we truly have no need to have ordinary people running errands for us."

  "That’s quite the boast.

  While ordinary humans might ck the physical strength of Demon Hunters, their mental capacity isn’t inferior.

  They can still operate technological creations and generate immense power," I said skeptically.

  Yet, even as I held his heart, its steady rhythm betrayed no sign of falsehood.

  "That’s precisely the argument of Zhu Shi’s faction.

  However, the gap between Cultivators and ordinary people is vast.

  Even differences in skin color and facial features among humans have historically been enough to spark contempt and hatred.

  How much worse would it be with such an insurmountable power gap?" he said in a deep voice.

  "Transcendentalists doesn’t concern itself with the life and death of ordinary people.

  This detached form of rule is, in fact, the fairest approach for them.

  "On the other hand, what about Zhu Shi and her faction, who want Cultivators and mortals to coexist peacefully? I can wager my heart on this prediction—when the time comes, it won’t be us ensving mortals and turning them into mere tools; it will be them.

  "Their ideals are far more dangerous."

  His heart continued its steady rhythm.

  Even after I returned home, that sensation lingered in my palm.

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