Chapter 6: Matters of the Clan—The Ties of the Mortal World Are Hard to Sever

Some time later, inside the police station.

Fan Dongsheng slowly drifted back to consciousness. His vision cleared from a state of confusion, and he felt an overwhelming sense of ease. His previously frayed nerves had settled, leaving him feeling as refreshed as if he had just woken from anesthesia.

"You’re awake. How do you feel?"

At the same time, Zhou Baiwei’s voice sounded by his ear, immediately triggering memories of what had happened before he lost consciousness. He bolted upright from the bed.

"Where is the suspect?" Fan Dongsheng asked in a deep, urgent voice, scanning his surroundings.

Zhou Baiwei then recounted the events that had transpired after he passed out.

Dodging gunfire, catching ricochets with bare hands...

As he listened to her account, Fan Dongsheng could hardly believe he wasn't still dreaming.

"I have already reported this matter. The individual is now under the jurisdiction of our Special Security Bureau. All files related to him will be transferred to us. Your Criminal Investigation Department is forbidden from conducting any further private investigations into this case. Do you understand?" Zhou Baiwei stared directly into his eyes.

She knew him to be a man of intense righteousness with a strong sense of responsibility, and aware of his past grievances with that organization, she worried he might act impulsively and complicate things. That was why she had stayed behind to wait for him to wake up.

"Catching ricochets with bare hands... Can a human truly reach such a level? Indestructible, impervious to blades and bullets?" After a long silence, Fan Dongsheng could not help but ask.

He had always assumed such things were mere legends or exaggerated descriptions; after all, the human body of flesh and blood had its limits.

"Charcoal and diamonds are made of the same elements, yet their strength is worlds apart. Some animals can grow powerful muscles and massive frames on a diet of nothing but grass, far surpassing those of carnivores. The mysteries of life are far more complex than you or I imagine."

"The human genome is nearly ninety-nine percent similar to that of a chimpanzee, yet that one percent difference results in a massive gap in intelligence."

"If you need an explanation you can grasp, think of it this way: their profound cultivation and state of being have triggered mutations and evolution within their genes, breaking through the limitations of the human form."

"Transcendence, the forging of a holy body—this is a miracle of life," Zhou Baiwei said, her voice filled with reverence and longing.

As a martial artist, who wouldn't yearn for such a realm?

"Surely such a person couldn't withstand an army?" Fan Dongsheng asked, unwilling to accept it.

"Of course not. Even with a 'holy body,' they are still flesh and blood. They might block small-caliber bullets, but they would be reduced to ash under heavy artillery. That is the wisdom of the masses."

"But have you considered how difficult it would be to capture someone who moves with such freedom if they were truly determined to wreak havoc in a modern city? Think of the potential loss of life and property."

"That is why, as long as the other party does not do anything too extreme, we must not act rashly," Zhou Baiwei concluded.

Fan Dongsheng finally nodded, letting go of his lingering intentions.

***

Elsewhere.

Yi Beidou left the police station and began to wander through the city.

Having been detained for the entire night, he emerged into the height of the morning rush hour. The streets were choked with a torrent of cars and a dense throng of pedestrians.

Traffic was gridlocked. Some people, fearing they would be late for work, rolled down their windows to shout abuses. Others hurried along, gnawing on bread while typing replies on their phones, colliding accidentally with oncoming pedestrians. Some walked with vacant, swollen eyes, moving like the living dead.

For twenty years, he had been unable to look at the world with clear eyes. Now, able to feel the myriad emotions and desires without restraint, everything in the world seemed incredibly novel to him.

To others, a "holy body" was the stuff of legend, but for him, this was the starting point of his life, the beginning of his true encounter with the world.

What he sought was not so simple.

He sat down at a street-side breakfast stall and casually ordered a few items. It was quite a unique experience.

For years, he had exercised extreme restraint in his diet, consuming only the barest nutrients required by his body. He never cared for the taste of food, swallowing even the most delicious meals quickly without savoring them. Any taste or appetite beyond physiological necessity was viewed as a desire of the flesh, a potential trigger for demonic obsession, and he had kept it at arm's length.

Sight, sound, smell, taste, thought, and physical sensation—he had purged his six senses.

Now that he had attained freedom, he could finally taste these delicacies. Yet, this was not indulgence; it was merely another way to understand the world.

While eating steamed buns, fried dough sticks, and soy milk, he opened his phone and selected the contact for "Xu Zifu."

Xu Zifu was the daughter of his aunt, Xu Yao. She was two years his junior and had taken her mother's surname after her parents divorced.

After Yi Beidou’s parents passed away, his aunt, Xu Yao, became his guardian. She had cared for him deeply over the years, making her one of the people closest to him. During that period, he had lived in her home and spent a great deal of time with Xu Zifu.

"Yi Beidou! Where have you been these past few days? Playing the disappearing act again? You wouldn't pick up the phone, and your mobile was off. If you hadn't sent that text earlier, I would have almost called the police, do you know that?"

As soon as the call connected, a young woman’s voice filled with irritation came from the other end.

"Is there an emergency?" Yi Beidou asked.

"The heads of the family are holding a meeting to discuss the integration of the Xu Group's assets. The shares your parents left behind are in your name, and you need to be here." As she spoke of this, Xu Zifu’s voice lowered, sounding exhausted.

"I understand. I will be there as soon as possible," Yi Beidou said calmly.

"Not as soon as possible—immediately! The family meeting has already started. Are you in Wencheng or out of town?"

"I'm in Wencheng."

"Send me your location. I’m coming to get you right now."

"Alright."

Hanging up, Yi Beidou sent his location via Feixun and continued eating his breakfast.

He hadn't delved deeply into the affairs of the Xu family before achieving his current state of freedom, knowing only the basics.

His mother, Xu Xin, belonged to the Fourth Branch of the Xu family. Their branch had few descendants; in her generation, there were only two sisters. Their father had passed away early, and their mother lacked significant influence. Combined with the fact that his father, Yi Wen, came from an ordinary background with no connections, the Fourth Branch had always lacked a voice within the family.

Later, after the old patriarch passed away and the family fought over the inheritance, the Fourth Branch was left with only a poorly managed factory.

However, through the dedicated efforts of his parents and Xu Yao, the factory was revitalized. It grew, established its own food brand, and flourished.

After his parents' accidental deaths, the company continued to thrive under Xu Yao’s leadership. It had since gone public and become a well-known enterprise in the country.

The once-insignificant Fourth Branch had become a force capable of challenging the First Branch.

In recent years, the First Branch had been coveting these assets and attempting to reclaim the management rights of other branches through various covert maneuvers.

This "family meeting" was likely related to that, and judging by Xu Zifu’s tone, the situation did not look favorable for their branch.

But it didn't matter. It was as good a time as any to handle these worldly affairs. Having accepted Xu Yao’s protection for so many years, now that he had attained his freedom, it was time to do something in return.

After finishing his meal, Yi Beidou ordered every single item on the shop's menu and continued eating at a leisurely pace, his appetite so immense that even the owner stared in astonishment.

Some time later.

*Screech!*

An off-road vehicle pulled up to the curb. Its aggressive, sleek design and expensive brand immediately drew the eyes of passing pedestrians.

*Click!*

The door opened. To everyone's surprise, it was a woman who stepped out from the driver's seat.

She was tall, wearing a simple, loose white T-shirt and shorts that revealed fair arms and straight calves. She wore a baseball cap with a high ponytail pulled through the back, cascading down to her shoulder blades.

The woman had delicate features and fair skin. Though wearing light makeup, her expression was ice-cold. As she stepped out, her gaze swept the area and locked onto Yi Beidou at the roadside breakfast stall.

"What time do you think it is? You still have the leisure to eat breakfast here?"

She walked over to him and said coldly.

She glanced at the mountain of steamers and plates on the table, her face twitching involuntarily. "Are you a pig? Eating this much—how many days has it been since you last ate?"