Ren Tianye's expression was calm, betraying neither anger nor joy. He asked flatly, "Where is Liu Aijiu?"
"The Demon Suppression Bureau and the city lord's mansion have launched an urgent search. As long as he is still within Huai'an City, he cannot escape."
"Even if he has already left Huai'an, General reckless has led men to pursue him along the road to Pukou Town."
"He will not be allowed to evade justice!"
Ren Tianye nodded and ordered Su Jin to lead the pursuit. He then went personally to the prison to visit the theater troupe, especially the young man and woman.
Questioning the two in detail, the surprise hidden beneath his calm exterior grew heavier.
The young couple had no idea what sportswear was, nor did they understand the words they had spoken, especially terms like "club" and "bar."
They had been forced to perform all of it.
It was all Liu Aijiu's idea.
But the problem was...
How did Liu Aijiu know about these things?
Could it be that Liu Ruyan had taught him?
But...
How could Liu Ruyan know?
That segment was his personal experience!
Before his transmigration, at the age of five, he had taken a master—a traditional martial arts veteran of the orthodox lineage. He trained in internal family boxing styles like Xingyi, Bagua, practical Taijiquan, Baji, and Tongbei, mastering all of them deeply.
He also mastered various traditional weapons, both long and short.
By the age of twelve, he entered professional combat systems, including freestyle fighting, Sanda, and wrestling.
He participated in all kinds of martial arts competitions, such as the Provincial Traditional Wushu Tournament and the National Wushu Invitational. After reaching adulthood, he fought in legitimate commercial kickboxing and Sanda elite events.
He was laden with honors!
Because he walked this path with determination and solid grounding, and because after his transmigration, his strength mysteriously became formidable, he went on to fight bloody battles across various regions, becoming a top-tier military general in the Northern Frontier.
After all, in martial arts alone, modern physical fitness, principles of force generation, human anatomy, and coordination training—systematically optimized and summarized—were superior to those of the ancients.
The only lack was practical combat and fierce battle.
And his transmigration made up for that.
Before transmigration, because he followed this path, he got by fairly well and was quite popular with women.
Once, he met a girl at a nightclub.
She craved his good looks and many honors for show; he craved her great figure and playful ways. That was the so-called romantic relationship.
But the reason they broke up was exactly what the theater troupe acted out today, almost with the same script.
He couldn't spend a hundred thousand yuan on a woman he would never marry, and after she proposed breaking up, he cut off the relationship.
But...
That had been in the most private setting, and the content was only known by him and that girl. How did it...
Now appear here?
How did Liu Ruyan know?
Hadn't Liu Ruyan transmigrated twenty years ago?
If they were to meet face-to-face, she would be the age of his elder aunt!
How...
Could she be so clear?
Ren Tianye couldn't figure it out, his mind in great confusion.
For now, his only hope was that Su Jin and her team would capture Liu Aijiu and interrogate him thoroughly.
But at this very moment, Su Jin was sweating profusely.
"Liu Aijiu—still not found?"
"Sir, no. We can't find Liu Aijiu. Only these..." Xie Changfeng brought out the items seized from Liu Mansion, all of which were books.
These books were stamped with the seals of the Common Hearts Alliance and the government.
Seals stamped by Zhou Zhi.
And these books... were from the Red Phoenix Literary Pavilion.
Su Jin took a quick glance—all were romance novels—and immediately understood Liu Aijiu's intention: simply to preserve some volumes.
"According to those who have been interrogated, Liu Aijiu was still in the city last night, saying he wanted to preserve the spark. So obviously, these are the sparks he kept," said Xie Changfeng.
"But from last night onward, no one has seen Liu again. That bastard—either he ran off or is hiding."
Su Jin's expression grew heavier.
In arresting these Love Mutual Aid Alliance members, the Demon Suppression Bureau had made thorough preparations, but because they viewed these people as disorganized mobs, they hadn't bothered to seal the city gates to avoid alarming the enemy.
So Liu Aijiu could easily have fled through the city gates last night.
Alternatively, he could be hiding within Huai'an City.
Either way, it was a dereliction of duty by the Demon Suppression Bureau.
And a chance for the delusion-inducing fiends to exploit.
"Search thoroughly. Even if we have to dig three feet into the earth, find Liu Aijiu!"
"And immediately send a message to General reckless, ordering his men to conduct careful inspections. If Liu Aijiu has left the city, he could only flee toward Pukou Town, not toward the capital. He might still be on the road."
After Su Jin gave her orders, she personally joined the search party, sweeping the entire city. The common folk of Huai'an also flocked to help, searching actively.
Yet after a whole day, the ashes at Red Phoenix Literary Pavilion were nearly blown away, and there was still no sign of Liu Aijiu.
Nor any news from General reckless.
"Can he just vanish into thin air?"
Su Jin frowned deeply. As she continued the search, a thought emerged in her mind: after this matter, she would petition her Lord Duke to bring in the crack team from the Demon Suppression Bureau in the capital.
Especially Yang Tao, Chen Youli, and Wu Mingyu—the three mainstays.
With enough manpower, future operations could be more meticulous, and such mishaps as today's would never happen again.
But for now, she had to personally report to her Lord Duke and confess her failure.
"Still haven't found him?"
"Then keep searching!" Ren Tianye also issued a strict order: "That Liu Aijiu must be found."
He instructed Su Jin to intensify the search. Ren Tianye sat in his chair, feeling nothing but irritation. The more he delved into the mystery of Liu Ruyan, the more layers of fog obscured her, leaving him completely in the dark.
Just then, a guard rushed in.
"Lord Duke, someone left a letter at the mansion gate, addressed personally to you as 'Lord Duke, Personal Reading.' Our men inspected it; it's only a letter, no other irregularities."
Ren Tianye took the letter. The few characters on it made his body stiffen once more.
"Former Demon Suppression Bureau member, respectfully informs the Lord Duke: Liu Aijiu has fled toward Source City!"
...
y came from. The chests contained supplies, currency, class-change scrolls, skills, talents… and even godhood! The laws of the world were completely rewritten. This became a world where everyone gambled with their fate! Some people, despite having nothing, opened a divine artifact and rose to the top, eventually ruling the world. Others went bankrupt, opened nothing but worthless junk, and leaped from skyscrapers in despair. Lin Ye arrived in this world from another reality, utterly bewildered. “What is going on? Why is everyone a gambling addict?!” “Opening chests? No way. I refuse to gamble. I’ll start with myself!” Until— On his first chest, he obtained a Mythic Talent: Void Incarnation! He could become completely intangible, pass through all things, and reduce everything to nothingness! … On his fiftieth chest, he obtained a Mythic Weapon: Blade of Karma! With a single slash, karma shattered, twisting the universe and overturning the myriad phenomena of creation! … On his ninety-ninth chest, he obtained a Mythic Divine Treasure: Primordial Purple Energy! It could split open the heavens and earth, create all things, and evolve countless worlds with a single thought! Lin Ye: “Now that I think about it… shouldn’t someone have told me that every chest is guaranteed to contain something Mythic?!”
villain is the number one simp for the book's leading female protagonist, Shen Wan'er. As expected, he later becomes a tool for the main character to show off and slap faces, ultimately meeting a tragic end with his family ruined and his life in shambles. Fortunately, he awakens the [Universal Pure Love System], which allows him to earn points by performing acts of pure love. To change his fate, Gu Yan makes a decisive choice to seek warmth and companionship with the book's biggest villain—Cold Qingqiu. ........... My name is Leng Qingqiu. To find the murderer who killed my parents years ago, I deliberately blinded myself so that everyone would lower their guard around me. Just as I was secretly accumulating power and capital according to my initial plan, a man walked into my world. "Lengleng, Qingqing, Qiuqiu, which nickname do you prefer?" I don't like any of them. You'd better leave quickly! "Why aren't you saying anything? How about I call you my baby wife?" Leng Qingqiu thinks to herself, this man is truly annoying! (Stubborn pure love warrior + single female lead + true pure love + 1v1)
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
e vast world of cultivation, where he becomes the master of the Heavenly Ruins Sacred Hall, a dying old man with barely a tenth of his former cultivation remaining. He is immediately confronted with a deadly crisis: his subordinates have rebelled, and his protectors are forcing him to abdicate. At the critical moment, the system descends from the heavens: [Ding! The host has been detected facing a life-or-death crisis. The system is now officially activated!] [As a gift, you have received the Supreme Beginner’s Pack and awakened the ultimate cheat: ten thousand years of pure cultivation essence every second!] Yin Tianjue: “Wait… ten thousand years of cultivation every second? That’s six hundred thousand years a minute, and in one day… I can’t even calculate it. Either way, I’m already invincible!” You’re a peerless prodigy rarely seen in ten thousand years? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re an undying ancestor who has guarded a sacred land for countless ages? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re the strongest chosen one, blessed with heaven-defying destiny? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. From this day forth, I have only one thing to say: “I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. Now, how exactly are you supposed to deal with that?”
