145: Chapter 145 Files, Soul (4k)

He was currently standing in the duty room, taking off his Seventh-Grade Prison Official uniform, which was stained with cold Evil Qi.

He changed into a dark red Flying Fish Robe of the Six Doors.

After carefully securing the Xiuchun Blade at his waist, Chen Ran brushed off his cuffs.

As a person temporarily "transferred" by Gold-Badge Constable Lin Wan of the Six Doors, his current status was somewhat awkward.

He was collecting the salary of a Seventh-Grade Prison Official while having to do the work of a Six Doors deputy captain.

In the outside world, the deputy of a Gold-Badge Constable was mostly served by Bronze Badge or Silver Badge Constables.

How could it ever fall to a small Jailer like him, who appeared to be only in the "Seventh-Grade Bone Forging Realm"?

"Working two jobs for one paycheck, this world is truly difficult."

Chen Ran silently grumbled in his heart.

However, considering that he could use this opportunity to access more internal intelligence of the Six Doors, this bit of hardship was still worth it.

After all, although there was plenty of news in the Heavenly Prison, most of it was old history.

If one wanted to understand the current situation in the capital, the Six Doors was undoubtedly the best channel.

Just as he stepped out of the Heavenly Prison gate.

That familiar feeling of being watched came again.

Chen Ran did not stop his pace, his expression remained as usual.

[Heavenly Net] was triggered passively, and invisible ripples of Mental Energy instantly spread out.

That figure hiding in the shadows appeared clearly in his perception once again.

"Aperture Condensation Realm..."

Chen Ran sneered inwardly.

To be able to hire an Aperture Condensation Realm expert to stare at him like this at all times.

Besides the Lin Family, he couldn't think of a second power with such idle time and financial resources.

It was likely that Lin Wan's recent encounters with danger had made the high-level members of the Lin Family suspicious, so they sent someone to investigate the background of this "deputy" who had suddenly appeared.

Chen Ran didn't care at all.

He even stopped at a steamed bun shop by the roadside and bought two piping hot meat buns.

Chen Ran chewed on the bun while slowly walking towards the Six Doors headquarters.

The pedestrians on the street were bustling, and the sound of peddling was endless.

Chen Ran blended into the crowd, just like an ordinary Constable who had finished his shift, with nothing remarkable about him.

As long as he didn't actively expose his strength and had the Breath Concealment Technique for disguise.

If the other party watched for a few days and felt bored, they would naturally withdraw.

When it came to patience, he, who had been lying low in the Heavenly Prison for so long, had never feared anyone.

Soon, the imposing vermilion gate of the Six Doors appeared before his eyes.

Two mighty stone lions guarded the front of the gate, exuding an Aura of sternness.

"Lord Chen, morning!"

"Lord Chen, you've arrived."

The few Bronze Badge Constables guarding the entrance saw Chen Ran and greeted him politely one after another.

Chen Ran smiled and nodded in response, casually stuffing the remaining half of the bun into his mouth.

He was now a favorite in Lin Wan's eyes, and his status in this Six Doors had risen accordingly.

Just as he walked into the front courtyard of the yamen.

A beautiful scene appeared in Chen Ran's field of vision.

On this early winter morning, unmelted ice crystals still hung from the eaves.

Lin Wan was leaning against a corridor pillar.

Today, she rarely did not tie up her signature high ponytail.

Her dark hair was half-tied, with the rest of her long hair draped casually over her shoulders.

She lacked some of her usual sharpness, and had gained a hint of lazy softness.

She was not wearing a sword, just quietly looking at the street in the distance, seemingly thinking about something.

Hearing footsteps, Lin Wan slowly turned her head.

When she saw that the person coming was Chen Ran, her eyes flickered, and she stood up decisively.

"Chen Ran, why have you come here so early?"

Lin Wan spoke with a smile, her tone carrying a hint of familiarity.

She had always held this deputy in high regard.

Although he looked a bit slick on the surface, he was unexpectedly reliable when getting things done.

However, Chen Ran was on duty in the Heavenly Prison most of the time, and usually only came to the yamen in the evening after handing over his work.

"There were no major criminals in the prison today, the work was relatively simple, so I handed it over early," Chen Ran replied casually.

His gaze swept over Lin Wan and paused slightly.

Something was wrong.

Although the Lin Wan in front of him looked no different in appearance and physique from a few days ago.

But in Chen Ran's perception, her Aura had undergone an earth-shattering change.

If the ordinary Constables around were compared to faint candlelight.

Then the Qi and blood fluctuations emanating from Lin Wan at this moment were simply like a bright lamp.

"Meridian Opening Realm Peak?"

Chen Ran gasped inwardly and fell completely silent.

What kind of super supplement pills did this woman go eat during the few days she disappeared?

She went on vacation and came back having directly crossed several minor Realms?

Is this the cheat-like life of children from top Aristocratic Families?

Chen Ran grumbled in his heart, but remained calm on the surface.

Just at this moment.

Chen Ran suddenly felt an extremely sharp gaze suddenly locking onto him from a distance.

If his perception hadn't been enhanced to be several times greater than others in the same Realm, it would have been extremely difficult to detect.

Chen Ran's thoughts stirred, and he actively activated [Heavenly Net], with a wave of Mental Energy instantly expanding outwards.

The range of several hundred zhang was completely under his view.

On the second floor of the teahouse opposite the Six Doors.

An old man with a cold Aura and a withered face was holding a teacup, staring at him coldly.

"Return to Truth Realm!"

Chen Ran scanned him and felt the terrifying Qi and blood within the other party that was like a furnace.

Thinking of the Aperture Condensation Realm feeling of being watched that he felt when leaving home this morning.

The doubts in Chen Ran's heart were instantly resolved.

"This Lin Family is really willing to spend a fortune."

"An Aperture Condensation Realm expert for surveillance, and a Return to Truth Realm master for close protection."

Chen Ran immediately understood.

He guessed it was mostly because Lin Wan had been in deep crisis several times recently, which led the Family to arrange a dedicated bodyguard.

This was normal; as the Young Miss of the Lin Family, one of the Four Great Families, it would be strange if there were no guards secretly protecting her safety.

Suddenly, a breeze blew by.

A strange fragrance drifted through the air.

Chen Ran sniffed.

This fragrance was incredibly alluring; just by smelling a trace of it, he felt his pores relax and his Qi and blood circulation became a bit smoother.

Under careful perception.

Chen Ran was surprised to find that this strange fragrance was actually drifting from Lin Wan.

Seeing Chen Ran stunned, Lin Wan asked suspiciously, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Chen Ran recovered and said seriously, "This subordinate just thinks that your sachet today smells particularly good. I wonder which cosmetic shop you bought it from?"

Hearing this, a rare blush appeared on Lin Wan's fair, pretty face.

She coughed lightly, averted her gaze, and explained somewhat unnaturally, "This is... a gift from a friend. I don't know either."

Chen Ran chuckled inwardly, seeing that this was just an excuse.

However, he was also tactful and did not continue to dwell on this topic.

"You came to the Six Doors so early today, is there something you need to do?"

Lin Wan changed the subject calmly.

She couldn't tell her subordinate that she had been soaking in a medicinal pool for several days and nights.

When it came to business, Chen Ran also put away his joking thoughts.

"This subordinate came today to go to the archives room to check some information."

"What are you checking?"

"About a prisoner named Shen Jixuan on the fourth level of the Heavenly Prison."

Chen Ran's eyes flickered slightly as he slowly spat out this name.

Lin Wan frowned slightly upon hearing this.

"Shen Jixuan? This name... seems somewhat familiar."

She pondered for a moment, then turned and walked into the yamen.

"Follow me. I have the key to the archives room."

Chen Ran followed quickly.

He wanted to see what kind of shocking past this "Soul-Departing Old Ghost," who could be sealed by the joint efforts of multiple Sects, really had.

The two walked one after another, passing through the front courtyard of the Six Doors, and arrived at the archives room located at the back.

This was an important place of the Six Doors, usually guarded by heavy troops.

However, with Gold-Badge Constable Lin Wan leading the way, it was naturally unimpeded all the way.

Pushing open the heavy iron door, a scent of old paper and ink rushed towards them.

Rows of tall bookshelves were neatly arranged, piled with dense files.

"The files for the prisoners on the fourth level of the Heavenly Prison should be in the 'Jia' Ward area."

Lin Wan familiarly led Chen Ran to a row of bookshelves in the deepest part.

The files here were significantly fewer than those outside, but each one was sealed with special cowhide paper, and stamped with the bright red Seal of the Demon Suppression Division.

For prisoners who could be recorded in the Jia Ward Heavenly Prison, all information had been recorded in advance.

"Shen Jixuan..."

Lin Wan's slender fingers slid across the bookshelf, her eyes quickly scanning the labels on the files.

"Found it."

She pulled out a slightly old file and handed it to Chen Ran.

Chen Ran took the file, it felt heavy in his hand.

He didn't open it immediately, but looked at Lin Wan.

"My Lady, aren't you going to look at it together?"

Lin Wan shook her head.

"This is your errand, I won't get involved. I still have some things to deal with. Remember to put the file back in its original place after you finish reading."

He withdrew his gaze and focused his attention on the file in his hand.

He tore open the Seal and pulled out the paper inside.

What came into view were lines of shocking red text.

[Prisoner: Shen Jixuan]

[Nickname: Soul-Departing Old Ghost]

[Cultivation: Innate Realm Peak]

[Crimes: ...]

Chen Ran read quickly, ten lines at a glance.

The more he read, the deeper his shock became.

This Shen Jixuan was actually an ancient Dao-abandoning Cultivator.

The so-called Dao-abandoning meant abandoning the Physical Body and specializing in cultivating the Divine Soul.

This cultivation method was extremely dangerous; one slight carelessness would lead to Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering.

But once cultivation was successful, the Divine Soul could leave the body to roam the world, killing people invisibly.

The file recorded that in order to Cultivate his Divine Soul, Shen Jixuan once slaughtered three second-rate Sects in one night.

He forcibly extracted the Divine Souls of thousands of Martial Artists and refined them into his own Origin.

This act shocked the entire Jianghu.

In the end, it drew experts from both the righteous and demonic paths to join forces in a siege.

That battle was fought until the sky went dark.

Relying on his unpredictable Divine Soul attacks, Shen Jixuan killed several Innate masters in a row.

In the end, it took a Grandmaster from the Demon Suppression Division to personally take action to barely seriously injure him.

Even so, they could not completely kill him.

Because as long as the Divine Soul was not extinguished, he could live in the world by relying on his Physical Body.

They could only use special Soul-Locking Chains to Seal him and imprison him on the fourth level of the Heavenly Prison.

"No wonder..."

Chen Ran closed the file and let out a long breath of turbid air.

No wonder this old fellow could remain in such a calm state of mind while locked up on the fourth level of the Heavenly Prison.

So he was a pervert who specialized in cultivating the Divine Soul.

Having his Physical Body sealed didn't have much of an impact on him.

As long as his Divine Soul was not extinguished, he could make a comeback at any time.

"It seems that in the future, when delivering food to the fourth level, I must be careful of this old fellow."

"Being able to move the Divine Soul and perform Possession on a Physical Body, is this kind of method still considered martial arts? It's almost the same as the legendary Cultivation Techniques, right?"

Chen Ran warned himself inwardly.

Although he had [Heavenly Net] protecting his body, and his Mental Energy far exceeded that of Martial Artists in the same Realm.

But when facing such an old monster who had lived for who knows how many years, it was still better to be careful.

He resealed the file and put it back on the bookshelf.

Chen Ran turned and walked out of the archives room.

The sunlight outside was a bit dazzling.

He squinted his eyes and took a deep breath of the cold air.

Originally, he thought that no one in the capital could threaten him.

As a result, just the prisoners imprisoned on the fourth level had methods that were already somewhat exaggerated, not to mention how strong those Grandmaster Realm experts would be.

"Strength, my strength is still not enough."

Chen Ran clenched his fists.

His current cultivation, although considered top-tier among the younger generation.

But in front of those true old monsters, it was still not enough.

It was time to Breakthrough to the Return to Truth Realm.

Chen Ran thought to himself and walked towards the outside of the Six Doors with big strides.

His figure soon disappeared into the bustling street.

And at this time, on the second floor of the teahouse opposite the Six Doors.

That old man with the withered face was still sitting there quietly.

He looked in the direction where Chen Ran left, a flash of doubt appearing in his turbid eyes.

"Strange, this kid is indeed somewhat different."

The old man muttered to himself.

He had seen many people from the Six Doors, and most of the people inside were arrogant once they had power.

But people like Chen Ran with such a bland personality were relatively rare.

Could it be that the Young Miss was also attracted by this point of his?

The old man recalled carefully, but had no clue.

He could no longer understand the feelings between young people.

"Forget it, as long as he doesn't threaten the safety of the Young Miss, this old man can't be bothered to care about him."

The old man shook his head, picked up the teacup on the table, and drank it all in one gulp.

Subsequently, his figure disappeared from the spot like a ghost.

Leaving only an empty teacup, slightly swaying on the tabletop.

...

Great Wei Imperial Palace, East Palace.

The smell of medicine in the bedroom was pungent.

First Prince Wei Yanxi leaned on a soft couch, his chest wrapped in thick white cloth, with bloodstains faintly visible.

Three people stood in front of the bed.

"Big Brother, how are your injuries?"

The Second Prince stood with a wide stance; he was very tall, and the muscles exposed under his gold leather vest were bulging.

While asking about the injuries, his gaze scrutinized Wei Yanxi's pale face.

"I won't die." Wei Yanxi coughed twice.

"Sigh, Big Brother must take good care of yourself."

The Third Prince was playing with a folding fan in his hand, his eyes having long drifted to the palace maids outside the hall.

"None of us wanted to see such a thing happen."

"Third Brother, Big Brother is already like this, say less."

One of the women among the three pinched a silk handkerchief and pressed it lightly against the corner of her eye.

"Fourth Sister is right, look at my mouth..."

Wei Yanxi looked at these three and was silent for a moment.

Such a major event recently would naturally attract other princes to visit.

However, what their true attitudes were behind these visits was worth pondering.

"I am tired." Wei Yanxi closed his eyes.

The three didn't stand on ceremony either, gave a couple of perfunctory remarks, and then turned to leave.

The palace door closed.

Wei Yanxi opened his eyes, his expression somewhat gloomy.

He casually tore off the blood-stained white cloth on his chest.

"Your Highness."

An old eunuch walked out from behind the screen and knelt on the ground.

"Where is the person?" Wei Yanxi's voice was cold.

"Replying to Your Highness, the assassin has been caught and is being interrogated in the dark prison." The old eunuch buried his head very low, "However..."

"Speak."

"One escaped." The old eunuch's voice trembled, "That person's movement technique was extremely strange; once out of the city, there was no trace of them."

"However, it can be confirmed that this person is still hiding in the capital."

Bang!

Wei Yanxi slapped the bed, causing the medicine bowl to tip over.

"Trash."

"Dig three feet into the ground, find that person for me."