Chapter 49: Cooperation

The commotion had stopped...

Beneath the old residential building.

Ning Wu’s figure was hidden in the shadow of a corner; she closed her eyes, sensing what was happening upstairs, but due to the distance, her spiritual sense could not reach it—she could only deduce the general situation from sounds and movements.

From the earlier screams and the sounds of combat, she could roughly judge:

Lao Ya and the other seven had engaged in a brutal battle with Li Yi, and the fight had not gone well—her side had suffered heavy losses.

But everything had happened too quickly, and ended too quickly.

From the start of the fight to its cessation, it had lasted barely a minute and a half.

“Did they succeed—or fail? So many against Li Yi alone—failure should be impossible. That Li Yi has only cultivated for a month, while Lao Ya and the others are seasoned cultivators; there’s no reason they couldn’t take down a greenhorn.” Ning Wu slowly opened her eyes, frowning slightly.

She wanted to go upstairs and check, but held back.

Because she did not wish to directly involve herself in this matter.

Otherwise, if the Investigation Bureau showed up, she couldn’t escape blame—and the Strange Artifact also needed someone to retrieve it. If Ning Wu took part, the artifact would become stolen property, likely drawing the attention of investigators, bringing yet another headache.

“I’ll go take a look.”

Suddenly, a cultivator emerged from another alley—he was Kong Sheng, assigned to guard the outer perimeter and prevent unexpected incidents.

“Why did you suddenly come over? Never mind—the matter’s already over. Go check the situation, and report immediately if anything’s wrong.” Ning Wu thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement to Kong Sheng’s request.

Kong Sheng said nothing more and rushed into the stairwell, climbing the stairs upward.

Quickly.

As he ascended, he saw two Spirit Medium cultivators lying in the hallway ahead, their bodies soaked in blood, motionless.

“Dead?”

Kong Sheng’s heart tightened; he crept carefully to the door.

Inside the dim room, chaos reigned, utterly silent.

He peered slightly inside—and froze at the horrific scene: bodies sprawled everywhere, all cultivators who had taken part in the operation. Lao Ya leaned against the wall beside the window, head drooping, body limp, motionless—his arm broken, twisted and deformed.

“All dead? How is that possible? Is Li Yi really that strong?”

Kong Sheng was stunned.

But then, suddenly, he sensed danger—his hairs stood on end.

A shadow shot out, arriving before him in an instant.

All Kong Sheng saw was a massive silhouette, and a pair of eyes glowing with murderous intent, chilling his soul.

“Don’t attack—I’m a friend of Gao Jue!” he cried out.

The next moment:

A fist halted before his eyes, accompanied by a terrifying crack.

The punch’s wind howled, forcing his eyelids shut.

“A friend of Gao Jue? You’re the one who tipped him off, telling him someone was coming to kill me?” As Li Yi’s voice spoke, the fist before Kong Sheng slowly lowered.

Kong Sheng felt his heart, which had just seized, resume beating—and his back was drenched in cold sweat. Had that fist not stopped, his head would have been crushed.

Too brutal.

This Li Yi was so ferocious—how had Lao Ya and the others dared come to kill him?

Kong Sheng had no time to calm himself—he spoke quickly: “Yes, I warned Gao Jue. He told me about you—you two are friends. I’ve heard of you from him. Since we’re both acquainted, I chose to betray this mission. But I only received the full details ten minutes ago—I didn’t know the target was you.”

“I see. Then I owe you thanks. Without your tip, I wouldn’t have had time to react—I might truly have been killed by Lao Ya and his crew.” Li Yi studied Kong Sheng, then the boiling murderous intent gradually receded.

“But this wasn’t just Lao Ya’s doing—it was that woman too. She’s in league with him.”

Kong Sheng nodded: “You mean Ning Wu? Correct. She hired everyone involved—and she’s downstairs right now.”

“Downstairs? Good. Very good. She’s already burdened with so many lives—she’s one more corpse I can add.” Li Yi’s suppressed murderous intent flared again—he immediately stepped toward the door.

“Wait—wait!” Kong Sheng suddenly called out.

Li Yi halted, glancing back.

Kong Sheng whispered: “Ning Wu is a Spiritual Sense cultivator—her power is formidable. She didn’t join the fight because she didn’t want blood on her hands and to draw Investigation Bureau scrutiny. Going after her now might be dangerous.”

“Spiritual Sense? So what? Whether I win or not—I’ll know only after I fight. And today, if I don’t kill her, she’ll kill me. There’s no avoiding it.” Li Yi’s expression remained calm, showing no fear.

Though a cultivator one level higher is powerful, if Ning Wu hasn’t mastered any technique, he was confident he could fight her.

“It’s worse than that. Ning Wu, just to be safe, hired a wanted criminal named Wang Kui. Though Wang Kui is only a Spirit Medium, he possesses a sniper rifle—originally developed by the Investigation Bureau to target cultivators and supernatural beings. He killed an investigator, stole the gun, and fled to the Ruined District. He’s used it to eliminate at least six cultivators, including one Spiritual Sense.”

Kong Sheng revealed a crucial piece of intelligence.

Sniper rifle?

Damn. Ning Wu hadn’t lost her ruthlessness—she’d actually brought a gun against me.

Li Yi’s expression darkened: “Where is Wang Kui now? Why didn’t he act earlier?”

“I don’t know. Wang Kui is a wanted criminal—he can’t show himself. I suspect he’s hiding somewhere in this old district. As for why he didn’t shoot earlier, I think Ning Wu believed Lao Ya could handle you, so she didn’t want him involved. She hired him only as insurance—because once a gun fires, everything changes.”

Kong Sheng whispered: “Also, while I was on watch nearby, I deliberately searched for Wang Kui’s trail—but I found nothing. Still, I suspect he’s in the residential building behind Ning Wu—because that’s the only place I didn’t search.”

“I’ll kill Wang Kui. You distract Ning Wu for me. Once I succeed, I’ll come back and deal with her.” Li Yi thought carefully and spoke seriously.

Kong Sheng immediately panicked: “I—I can’t do that!”

“At this point, neither of us has a choice. Either kill me and hand me over to Ning Wu, or team up and eliminate them. Isn’t Wang Kui a wanted criminal? When I kill him, the bounty goes to you. Plus, I’ll personally give you ten million. And when the Investigation Bureau arrives, I’ll testify you’re my friend—completely innocent. This whole affair has nothing to do with you. You can wash your hands clean.”

Li Yi added: “I’m not asking you to fight her—just stall her. Buy me time to kill Wang Kui.”

He offered a high price—because at this moment, money no longer mattered.

As he finished speaking, Kong Sheng’s expression shifted, caught in hesitation.

The risk was real—but the reward was enormous.

Wang Kui’s personal bounty was already eight million. Add Li Yi’s ten million—he could make a fortune.

And if successful, he’d gain two clean payouts while also shedding the charge of murder—two benefits in one.

If he refused:

Not only might Li Yi kill him, but Ning Wu would never accept his failure—he’d be branded a murderer.

“Fine. I’ve decided. I accept.” Kong Sheng took a deep breath and made his choice.

If he was going to betray, he’d betray completely.

Hesitating, wavering—would only offend both sides.

Besides, he trusted his friend Gao Jue’s judgment—this Li Yi was worth knowing.

“Good. I know this old district well. I’ll find Wang Kui. You be careful—if you can’t stall her, make some noise. I’ll reveal myself.”

Li Yi spoke, then hesitated no longer—he returned home, ignoring the corpses on the floor, leapt out the window, and vanished from Kong Sheng’s sight.

Kong Sheng didn’t delay—he hurried downstairs, retracing his path.

Quickly.

He stepped out of the old residential building.

Ning Wu still stood in the shadows nearby, watching him with suspicion: “What’s the situation upstairs? And who were you just talking to?”

Kong Sheng’s mind raced—he replied: “Upstairs is horrific—several dead, others severely wounded and unconscious. The intel was wrong. Li Yi’s strength is beyond ordinary Spirit Mediums—he’s not something they could handle. I examined the bodies—all bear fist marks.”

“Those fist marks are terrifying—likely a fist technique. Also, Lao Ya is in terrible shape—he lost an arm. I was just speaking with him.”

“Ning Wu, I suggest you call emergency services immediately—get the injured treated first. As for Li Yi, I advise you to drop it. I didn’t see him when I went up—he probably fled, wounded.”

“Impossible. How could this happen?” Hearing this, Ning Wu’s face darkened instantly.

She had assumed Li Yi was dead, that Lao Ya was now searching his home for the Strange Artifact—she never imagined things had turned out this way.

The operation had failed, casualties were heavy, and Li Yi had escaped.

“That’s the truth. If you don’t believe me, go upstairs and see for yourself. I’m not lying. Lao Ya’s fading fast—he may not survive.” Kong Sheng said.

“Damn.”

At this moment, Ning Wu could no longer hold back. She no longer cared whether she’d be implicated in this major case—she stepped forward, her figure bursting from the shadows, footsteps echoing as she raced into the stairwell and reached the third floor in moments.

Seeing his diversion succeed, Kong Sheng exhaled slightly—then his peripheral vision caught a shadow flicker and vanish into the residential building across the way.

“Li Yi has begun his move,” he thought.