The Azure Dragon Squad Office of the Law Enforcement Hall.

“Are you absolutely certain you saw that old servant go to Junior Sister Zhuo Hongyi’s residence?”

Zhuo Hongyi’s senior brother, Wang Xiao, gripped the collar of a law enforcement disciple, his face contorted into a terrifying snarl.

“Yes! Senior Brother Wang, I’ll wager my head on it! I saw him go inside with my own eyes!”

Receiving a definitive answer, Wang Xiao released the disciple’s collar. His gloomy eyes were so dark they seemed to drip with venom. A frantic, murderous intent surged deep within his gaze.

Without a word, Wang Xiao charged straight toward Zhuo Hongyi’s home.

Under the cover of night, Zhuo Hongyi’s residence was brightly lit. Wang Xiao hid in the shadows, straining his ears to listen, but the only sounds that drifted out were faint rustlings.

He wanted to knock, but he was terrified of having another falling out with her. Yet, the thought of his Junior Sister being pinned down and humiliated by Han Lie at this very moment made him tremble with uncontrollable rage.

“No, it’s impossible!”

“Junior Sister isn’t that kind of person!”

Wang Xiao comforted himself. Knowing Zhuo Hongyi, she wasn’t a woman who gave herself away lightly.

After brooding in the darkness for a long time, he finally gathered the nerve to step forward and knock.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

He tapped gently on the door, but there was no response from within.

“Is Junior Sister cultivating?”

In a way, he was right. Zhuo Hongyi was indeed cultivating at that moment—she was just Dual Cultivating.

Inside the room, despite the excellent soundproofing, the sharp-eared Zhuo Hongyi caught the faint sound of knocking.

“Hmm?”

Working tirelessly atop Han Lie, Zhuo Hongyi suddenly paused.

“Captain Zhuo, what’s wrong?”

“It sounds like someone is knocking. I suspect it’s Senior Brother Wang,” she deduced.

“Then let him wait outside,” Han Lie said calmly. “You wouldn’t want him to spoil the fun, would you?”

“Mhm, true.”

“Let’s continue, little old man.”

Zhuo Hongyi gave it a thought. If she went out now, Wang Xiao would undoubtedly ruin the mood. Since that was the case, she decided to ignore him entirely.

Even if Wang Xiao were given the heart of a lion and the gall of a leopard, she was certain he wouldn’t dare force his way into her home.

And so, after knocking fruitlessly for a while, Wang Xiao retreated back into the shadows.

He waited outside until the sun was nearly setting the following day. Zhuo Hongyi still hadn’t emerged.

By now, Wang Xiao was even more convinced that his Junior Sister was in deep meditation. He simply didn’t believe an old man like Han Lie could possess such stamina.

Relieved, his racing heart finally settled. He returned to the Azure Dragon Squad office, found the disciple he had assigned to tail Han Lie, and growled:

“If you aren’t going to use your eyes, I’ll gouge them out and donate them!”

“That old servant clearly isn’t at my Junior Sister’s place.”

“Im… impossible!” The disciple insisted. “Senior Brother Wang, I truly saw him enter. If I’m lying, I’ll go to the Tower of Self-Immolation right now!”

Wang Xiao’s eyes widened. He was stunned.

To swear such a vicious oath? It seemed the problem wasn’t with his junior brother, but with himself!

However, unwilling to admit he was wrong, he commanded, “Since you claim you saw him enter, I’ll give you one chance.”

“Go stake out Junior Sister’s house. The moment she leaves, kill that old servant!”

“But if you were wrong and he isn’t there… you know what to do.”

“Yes, Senior Brother! If I don’t find him in Senior Sister Zhuo’s house, I’ll head to the Tower of Self-Immolation myself!”

Another day passed.

Inside the darkened room, Zhuo Hongyi panted heavily. Her flushed face carried an enchanting, seductive, and utterly satisfied smile.

Moisturized by Han Lie’s Pure Yang energy, her breakthrough had felt as natural as water flowing through a channel. She had smoothly reached the middle stage of the Golden Core Realm—her cultivation had surged!

She looked at Han Lie beside her with deep affection, marveling at the treasure she had stumbled upon.

Han Lie’s gains were also significant. While he hadn’t reached the middle stage of Foundation Establishment yet, the spiritual energy within him was markedly more potent than it had been two days ago.

Han Lie couldn’t help but sigh. Being a demonic cultivator was truly comfortable.

Achieving physical and mental satisfaction while simultaneously boosting one’s power—wasn’t this far superior to the path of the righteous cultivators?

He lay back, taking a moment to rest.

After a long silence, Zhuo Hongyi propped her chin on her hand and watched Han Lie’s profile, her curiosity piqued.

“Say, little old man.”

“How did you end up in the Heavenly Void Sect? Were you captured, or…?”

“Don’t laugh, Captain Zhuo, but this senior was sold here by his parents,” Han Lie replied honestly, unbothered by the past.

“Why?” Zhuo Hongyi was baffled. “In the Heavenly Void Sect, inner disciples are barely treated like people, and servants are lower than dogs. Why would your parents sell you to a place like this?”

Han Lie gave a bitter smile. “I had over a dozen siblings, and I was the youngest—and the one with the least talent for cultivation. My family was poor. Besides selling me, what else could they have done?”

As a transmigrator, Han Lie had been conscious since birth. He remembered the major event that had altered his life’s trajectory with perfect clarity.

“Do you hate them?” she pressed.

“I can’t say I hate them.” Han Lie’s tone was terrifyingly calm. “It’s because of them that I entered this world, but also because of them that I endured a century of subhuman treatment here. I suppose we’re even. We owe each other nothing.”

“Besides, they’ve probably forgotten they ever had a son like me.”

“Little old man, you have quite a good mindset. If it were me, I’d probably hate them to death,” Zhuo Hongyi admitted, feeling inferior to his stoicism.

Han Lie smiled noncommittally.

In truth, what was the point of hate? Setting aside whether he could even find them, even if they stood before him now, he might not recognize them. Or, more likely, if they hadn’t reached the Foundation Establishment Stage to extend their lives, they were already long dead.

“Let’s not talk about them,” Zhuo Hongyi said, changing the subject. “Little old man, have you ever thought about moving up from a servant to an inner disciple? With your current cultivation, you should be able to pass the entrance exam.”