Chapter 54: The Hunter: Wu Xian

Wu Xian rubbed his hands together.

He entered the Fuli Academy through Cui Pan-Guan’s invitation letter, and Xu Ming’s house was the crime scene, so having a statue of Cui Pan-Guan was perfectly normal.

“Hey, three chances to worship right off the bat—Cui Pan-Guan is incredibly generous.”

“But…”

“If all the statues are the same, doesn’t that limit the choices?”

After grumbling a bit, Wu Xian quickly inserted the incense sticks into the incense burner.

Wu Xian suppressed his urge to vent and went to the changing room to put on the detective’s uniform.

A drop of blood dripped onto Wu Xian’s forehead.

But in the mirror, five shadows reflected back.

After becoming a detective.

Tomorrow’s schedule was already set.

He had slept poorly last night.

Inside the office, four detectives were already waiting.

Wu Xian’s steps grew much lighter.

He planned to return to the scene first and trace the killer’s path by the clues.

He followed the map and found his office.

Wu Xian stared blankly.

“Should I squeeze you some toothpaste?”

“All the paperwork is done; the hospital has already processed your resignation. You just need to sign your name, and you’ll be an official detective of the Bureau.”

After Wu Xian signed his name.

Accompanied by Wu Xian’s singing and movements, they mirrored him exactly—fingers brushing their own teeth, each jab sending a spray of bloody foam.

This left him in a foul mood; he quickly retracted the three Flying Blade Talismans.

The bathroom was empty except for him.

Although the Fuli Academy was different from reality, during his time as a detective, he had always wanted to join the regular forces and have some fun—this opportunity in the Fuli Academy felt rather pleasant.

Once an outstanding FBL detective, but later committed a horrific mass murder…

If asked which skill he had practiced most thoroughly during his years as a detective, it would surely be finding people—and making himself impossible to find.

The law enforcement agencies of this world.

“I… damn it!”

He Ya, her face covered in blood, cheeks split open, stared directly at Wu Xian with a chilling, icy gaze.

Large, but utterly unremarkable; without the sign outside, it would be hard to distinguish from any other building.

Wu Xian noted down the contents of the case file.

His favorite sleeping position was lying on his side, hugging the blanket with all four limbs—it greatly improved his sleep quality.

Under the guidance of a senior female detective, he found the veteran detective he had met the night before.

Since entering the Fuli Academy, he had been on the defensive, like a lamb trapped in a forest surrounded by wolves; only by quickly obtaining the worship items could he feel some sense of security.

Choosing suitable rewards from different worship options to create interesting synergies was one of Wu Xian’s pleasures in the Fuli Academy—but these three statues of Cui Pan-Guan had robbed him of that pleasure.

The moment Wu Xian sat down across from him, he handed over a document.

The four of them were Wu Xian’s personal subordinates—all young, strong, broad-shouldered, and muscular; Wu Xian patted them, and beneath their uniforms were hard knots of muscle.

He always felt a strange current of air in front of his nose—warm, carrying a faint fragrance.

“Lady, I’m not Cao Cao…”

Although Wu Xian was mentally tougher and had a worse temper, he was still human; even four people staring at him would make sleep difficult, let alone four ghosts.

Wu Xian was startled by the sight, but now that he had the Flying Blade Talismans as backup, he even dared to joke with the malevolent spirits.

Ye Shuxia, Xu Qingfeng, He Ya, and Xu Xiaoyan stood behind Wu Xian, pale-faced, frozen in their final moments of death.

Their names were Xue Ye, Jin Mo, Gu Ge, and Ji Rou.

So he opened his eyes and met the gaze of another pair.

With the talismans.

Since neither side worked, he might as well lie flat.

He flipped through it casually.

The chief detective, who looked like a kind, fat old man, immediately changed his expression.

On the desk was a case file—Wu Xian had requested it from the veteran detective earlier; it contained information about the suspect who had undergone a psychiatric evaluation—his name was Wei Hao.

The Bureau’s office building was just like other structures in this world.

The nine items before him were all identical—nine copies of the Flying Blade Talisman!

It was already the next morning.

Night had fallen; Wu Xian decided to rest well before facing tomorrow’s challenges.

Following his habit, he always washed up before sleeping.

The Bureau’s structure was simple: only two ranks—detectives and officers. Only detectives could lead investigations independently; officers could only follow their commands.

“Your uniform and gear are in the bag by the door.”

It seemed they would only communicate with Wu Xian when necessary.

“So fast?”

Yet they gave no response.

“Hurry up and change, then get out there and solve the case—I’m giving you three days to bring back that bastard. Go!”

He prepared a set of freshly folded clothes his wife had laid out, washed himself clean, then stood before the sink, humming a tune while vigorously brushing his teeth.

The four detectives’ names.

But today Wu Xian couldn’t fall asleep for a long time.

So Wu Xian hated having his sleep disturbed.

Wu Xian’s singing stopped, his movements slowed, and toothpaste foam dripped from the corner of his mouth.

Its full name was FederalBureauofLookup; people usually called it the FBL, and its functions differed greatly from those of police in reality.

Lying flat was uncomfortable, but at least he could fall asleep.

Then he saw two bloody old men hanging from the ceiling, their pitch-black eyes fixed directly on him.

This one was the Director of the Bureau.

…

“Ah, this…”

While brushing.

But Wu Xian soon realized he could only see these four things in the mirror—they wouldn’t interfere with his sleep, at least.

But when all three incense sticks were inserted into the burner.

Wu Xian had no energy to complain—he was terrified Wu Xian might refuse.

…

And imprinted them all onto his middle finger.

As the saying goes, early to bed and early to rise is the enemy of dark circles.

The four ghosts in the mirror made Wu Xian cut his washing short.

His back no longer ached, his breathing was steady, his posture straightened—nine Flying Blade Talismans on his body meant ordinary wandering spirits could no longer threaten him!

All other detectives had assignments; only Wu Xian could lead the investigation into his own family’s massacre.

Wu Xian told a joke that wasn’t funny to ease his tension, then turned around—and saw Doctor Xu’s daughter, Xu Xiaoyan…

Wu Xian yawned, his dark circles deepened, as he arrived at the Bureau’s entrance.

Flying Blade Talisman: Condense Qi into blades, invisible when unleashed, capable of slicing flesh and bone, breaking stone and metal. Usage limit: [3/3].

But the case file’s information offered little help in catching him.

Thus Wu Xian felt confident about capturing the suspect; he waved his hand and marched forward with his four detectives.

“Let’s go—I’ll take you to earn your merits.”

(End of Chapter)