Chapter 25 Part 3

Yu Qingxian dropped Chu Yi off at the film crew hotel and left, not even getting out of the car to avoid suspicion.

***

The next afternoon, people from the Special Affairs Office showed up again as expected.

This time, besides Yin Ming and Hou Feiguang, there was also a young man in his late twenties with eagle-like eyes. Chu Yi could tell at a glance that he had innate spirit eyes.

Yin Ming introduced, “Mr. Chu, this is Director Wu, the head of our Section One.”

“Hello, I’m Wu He. Mr. Chu can just call me by name.” It was clear the Special Affairs Office valued Chu Yi much more this time, sending a director directly.

“Director Wu.” Chu Yi nodded in greeting, then got straight to the point. “You all know about the Peach Blossom Evil incident by now, right?”

“Yes.” Director Wu looked a bit embarrassed. Someone had caused trouble right under the Special Affairs Office’s nose, and they were the last to know.

Previously, Zhang Shaoyi had been forced back by the peach tree, and then the Wei Guoping couple stirred things up. They thought Zhang Shaoyi had just been careless and hadn’t taken it seriously…

Wu He rallied his spirits. “We investigated the middle-aged man who taught the Wei Guoping couple to set up the evil formation. Because it’s been so long, we only found a name. But database matching shows it’s likely fake—he stole someone else’s identity.

The video footage is gone, but we’re sketching a portrait based on the Wei Guoping couple’s memory descriptions. If we’re lucky and get it done, next we’ll issue a wanted notice in the sorcerer world. Since he knows evil techniques, he couldn’t have appeared out of nowhere. Someone in the Xuan Arts World will recognize him.”

Chu Yi nodded. The Special Affairs Office had made impressive progress in such a short time. “When the portrait is ready, please send me a copy too.”

He had broken their painstaking formation, forging an enmity. Chu Yi didn’t want to meet the guy face-to-face without recognizing him.

“Of course, that’s only right.” Wu He was very polite and took out a bag from behind him. “These are some materials. Every registered Xuan Arts Master gets a share. Yin Ming and the others forgot to give them to you earlier.”

“Then I’ll gladly accept.” Chu Yi took them without hesitation, catching the fleeting embarrassment on Yin Ming and Hou Feiguang’s faces. Clearly, it wasn’t forgotten—they just weren’t sure of his skills, so they hadn’t given them.

“Mr. Chu, won’t you open it and see?” Wu He said.

People from Chu Yi’s generation had the habit of not opening gifts on the spot, to avoid seeming petty. But when in Rome… Since Wu He asked, Chu Yi obliged and opened it.

Inside was a stack of high-quality yellow talisman paper, Purple Gold Cinnabar, Yin Sinking Wood… The most valuable was a Yellow Jade Bodhi Fruit.

Chu Yi: “This is too precious.”

But though he said that, he had no intention of returning it. He had footed the bill with magical artifacts for Ying Lin’s little ghost incident, but this time eliminating the Peach Blossom Evil and protecting the area’s peace—he felt no guilt taking these.

Seeing it go smoothly, Wu He finally stated his purpose. “Actually, I came to see you this time, Mr. Chu, not just about the Peach Blossom Evil. I have a small request.”

Chu Yi warily stowed the bag of materials first, then asked, “Go ahead.”

Wu He: “I heard from Zhang Shaoyi that you used a very powerful purple thunder talisman against the Peach Blossom Evil?”

Chu Yi: “I did, but that thing can only be refined during thunder and lightning. So I only have one on hand.”

“So Master Chu refined that purple thunder talisman himself!” Wu He was delighted. He’d initially thought Chu Yi got it from elsewhere and figured learning the source would be good enough. He hadn’t expected Chu Yi to be so straightforward, leading him right to it!

“Mr. Chu… no, Master Chu.” Wu He rubbed his hands. “To be honest, a southern construction team hit a major supernatural incident while building a railway. Progress is stalled, and the China Construction Bureau asked the Special Affairs Office for help. The higher-ups named me to lead the investigation team.”

Chu Yi had a good habit of divining first before acting. “Director Wu, this trip of yours seems rather perilous…”

Wu He smiled bitterly. “No matter how perilous, someone has to go, right?”

He glanced at Chu Yi. “I did want to invite Master Chu, but hearing you’re filming, I figured you couldn’t spare the time, so I didn’t want to impose.”

The team was already set anyway. Adding an obscure master now might dissatisfy the others. He didn’t want Chu Yi feeling snubbed, so he made an excuse.

Chu Yi hadn’t planned to join anyway, so he went along. “Director Wu thinks of everything. But I truly don’t have a Purple Lightning Thunder Talisman on hand now. When do you depart? I’ll see if I can refine one.”

Wu He hesitated slightly. “Uh, three days from now.”

Three days—might be tight… But Chu Yi didn’t close the door. “I’ll give it a try then. Though Director Wu knows, success depends on timing and weather…”

Wu He understood. “I get it. Just do your best, Master.”

After seeing the three off, the reason Chu Yi was suddenly so proactive was the Yellow Jade Bodhi Fruit Wu He brought. He realized getting cultivation resources on his own was hard. The Special Affairs Office was a government agency with plenty of good stuff in their stores.

“Yi Ge, they’ve left? Who were they? Why’d they come to the film crew looking for you?” Liu Shengqing poked his head out, curiously watching the trio’s backs.

Chu Yi: “Why did you come? Did Director Mo send you to find me?”