Volume One, Chapter 24: She Is Just a Billion Times Better Than Others

Chi Xingwan crouched before the great tree, placing her right hand upon the ground. A surge of spiritual energy flowed from her palm, manifesting as a translucent hand that reached straight for the fallen jade buried below. The spiritual hand gripped the jade tightly. Sensing danger, the jade, now possessing its own awareness, emitted a low, resonant hum.

The earth shuddered. Chu Fangfei nearly lost her balance, saved at the last moment by Jin Feng’s steady arm. She glanced back anxiously in Chi Xingwan’s direction. “Senior brother, what is she doing? Why isn’t she setting up a formation?”

Jin Feng spared a look and his eyes widened in disbelief. “No way—is she just going to dig it up by force without a formation?”

Chu Fangfei replied instinctively, “That’s impossible. Even our grandmaster couldn’t pull it out by brute force.”

She was proven wrong the very next second.

The tremors intensified, radiating outward from the grove’s center. Nearly all of Jili Town felt the shaking—most assumed it was an earthquake, but only spiritualists knew it was the power of the fallen jade.

Chi Xingwan’s spiritual strength held fast to the jade. With a simple upward motion, she pulled it out of the earth by sheer force.

The moment the jade saw daylight, malignant spirits swarmed toward it in a frenzy. Dense black mist blocked out the sun, chilling the entire forest with its eerie presence.

Jin Feng shouted, “Careful!”

The five of them rushed forward, but it was already too late—an evil spirit was almost upon Chi Xingwan, only an arm’s length away.

Chi Xingwan didn’t even furrow her brow. With a flick of her hand, the spiritual energy in the air condensed into a blade, slashing toward the spirit. It shrieked, then scattered to ashes.

With the threat dispatched, Chi Xingwan conjured several more streams of spiritual power, weaving them into a cage that imprisoned the jade. No matter how it struggled, the jade could not break free. Finally, it resigned itself and fell silent.

Jin Feng, Chu Fangfei, and the other three spiritualists stared in stunned silence, unable to recover from their shock. Chi Xingwan’s actions had shattered every expectation they held.

“Where’s the treasure box?” Chi Xingwan asked.

Jin Feng snapped back to his senses and rushed over, producing a small box given to him by Dai Luming. This finely crafted container, designed to hold the fallen jade, was so costly it was called the treasure box.

They sealed the jade inside, and with one more protective seal, the recovery mission was complete.

Chi Xingwan sent word to Dai Luming. Dai and her companions had only just arrived at their own site and had not even begun their operation. She was surprised that Chi Xingwan had succeeded so swiftly, but not overly shocked—after all, she was familiar with Chi Xingwan’s spiritual capacity. Such intimidating numbers made it no wonder she outperformed others by such a margin.

Dai Luming replied, instructing her to await further orders.

Chu Fangfei sidled up with a beaming smile. “The secretary general says we’re to wait for instructions, but she didn’t specify where. Why don’t we sightsee while we’re at it?”

Jin Feng rapped her on the head, teasing, “You just want a free vacation.”

He turned to Chi Xingwan. “If you’d like to look around, I can be your guide—I’ve been here before.”

Chi Xingwan had no particular feelings about sightseeing, but preferred not to simply wait in idleness, so she agreed.

The local spiritualists from Jili Town and the two who’d been dispatched for this mission had their own tasks and parted ways. Jin Feng led on, “I remember there’s a famous farm-to-table restaurant nearby. Pricey, but the food’s excellent. It’s not every day the association covers the bill—we should indulge ourselves.”

“Senior brother, look over there,” Chu Fangfei interrupted.

Jin Feng followed her gaze and noticed a thin veil of black mist drifting out from a guesthouse not far away.

He looked at Chu Fangfei.

She quickly produced the black jade she’d gotten from Chen Qifan, and declared, “It’s not me! My misfortune is suppressed by this jade.”

“…It must be a coincidence.”

Jin Feng turned to Chi Xingwan. “Should we check it out?”

Before Chi Xingwan could answer, Chu Fangfei volunteered eagerly, “Let me handle it.”

Her eyes shone with excitement. Sensing the black mist wasn’t particularly dense, Chi Xingwan knew even if Chu Fangfei couldn’t resolve it, she’d be in no real danger. She nodded her assent.

Jin Feng, still uneasy, said, “Let me take you to the restaurant first, and I’ll go with her.”

Chi Xingwan had no objections. Seated in the rustic eatery, she ordered a pot of fine tea and leisurely enjoyed the view.

Chu Fangfei and Jin Feng approached the guesthouse. Chu Fangfei stepped forward and knocked.

Because of the sudden tremor, the show’s production team had called all the guests into the courtyard to continue filming. Hearing the knock, they assumed it was a local.

Chi Qianyu was first to her feet and opened the door. “How can we help you?”

Chu Fangfei, facing the camera, hesitated, unsure how to respond.

Jin Feng ventured, “Are you livestreaming?”

Chi Qianyu smiled. “No, we’re filming a show.”

Jin Feng relaxed and patted Chu Fangfei reassuringly. “Don’t worry, it’s just recording—they can edit it out later. Go ahead and ask.”

Thus emboldened, Chu Fangfei asked, “Is this place haunted?”

Chi Qianyu’s smile froze.

Guan He stepped forward, wary. “Who are you? Why are you here?”

Chu Fangfei rephrased, “Has anything strange happened here lately?”

Another female guest, Zhang Qunying, spoke up. “Yes, something strange has happened…”

As a respected veteran in the industry, Zhang Qunying’s words were never interrupted or doubted.

Even Guan He inquired with concern, “What happened, Miss Zhang?”

Zhang Qunying replied, “Since yesterday, I’ve had the feeling someone’s been watching us.”

Guan He protested, “Impossible! We’ve booked the whole place and checked thoroughly before filming. There’s no way anyone else could get in.”

“Perhaps it’s just my imagination,” Zhang Qunying admitted.

Jin Feng declared, “It’s not your imagination. One of you is shrouded in black mist, which is affecting everyone else.”

Guan He was willing to show respect to Zhang Qunying but not to these strangers. He snapped, “Please leave. We’re filming and can’t have outsiders here.”

Not to be outdone, Chu Fangfei pointed at Li Luo Qi. “My senior is telling the truth. There’s a cloud of black mist behind that person.”

Guan He’s eyes widened as he thought he’d uncovered the truth. “So, you’re one of Luo Qi’s obsessed fans, looking for an excuse to get close. Let me tell you, that won’t work. Our crew will protect our guests’ safety and privacy.”

Chu Fangfei fumed, “Don’t accuse me. I have high standards, you know.”

“You can’t fool us. Leave at once!”

With the staff’s help, Guan He ushered Chu Fangfei and Jin Feng out, slamming the courtyard door behind them.