«So the police are holding back internal files from the public,» Li Yunlong murmured, a subtle smile playing on his lips. «How intriguing. Tell me, Amelia, do you think this case will simply end up being swept under the rug?»
«Without a doubt!» Amelia answered without a second's hesitation. «Those incompetent fools are only interested in shirking responsibility. In cases like this, they just put on a show at the beginning. Give it a few days, and they'll set it aside, letting it rot as an unsolved cold case in some dusty archive room.»
«Well then,» Li Yunlong said, «when the police eventually give up, I'll have to trouble you to gather whatever relevant materials you can for me. It'll be a nice addition to my collection.»
Amelia clearly hadn't anticipated such a passive response. «Lee, are you saying you don't plan to follow up on this yourself?»
«Of course not!»
«Mind telling me why?»
«Out of simple respect.»
Amelia looked bewildered. «Respect? Respect for whom?»
«For the local powers, naturally,» Li Yunlong explained calmly. «I'm merely a newcomer who arrived here not long ago, with a limited grasp of the local landscape. Even so, I know there is a ruling class here-government officials, the police force, and practitioners on the occult side as well. I don't hold any official credentials backed by the federal government, so I can't just go around acting on every whim. Showing proper respect is a matter of basic courtesy.» If you don't give others face, how can you expect them to show you any? Respect was a two-way street, and it always began with oneself.
His answer completely upended the impression Amelia had formed of him. «How can you think like that? Lee, as an exorcist, shouldn't you fearlessly step up to slay the evil demon that caused Alice's tragic death?»
Li Yunlong let out a light sigh, spreading his hands helplessly toward her. «Look at it rationally, Amelia. First of all, my profession isn't 'exorcist' – I'm an occult researcher. Second, even actual exorcists need to eat, dress, and earn a living. Exorcism is merely their job, not the entirety of their existence. Besides, the victim, Alice, was a living person, but isn't an exorcist's life just as valuable? Take the Los Angeles police, for instance. They have a duty to deal with criminals, but they aren't obligated to guarantee that no innocents get hurt in the process.» American police were notorious for injuring-or even mistakenly killing-innocent bystanders. An infamous video had once circulated online showing officers responding to a knife-wielding suspect: after issuing a single warning, they opened fire immediately, killing both the perpetrator and the bystander he had grabbed from the sidewalk to use as a human shield. Legally speaking, it was deemed proper law enforcement, completely aboveboard, and the officers who shot the hostage faced no disciplinary action whatsoever. In reality, those movie cops who surrendered their weapons to criminals just to protect random bystanders were the ones who failed at their jobs.
Though Li Yunlong's words were harsh, they possessed an unassailable logic. Unable to refute him on those grounds, Amelia tried attacking from another angle. «But Alice was just a child!» She pulled out the photo of Alice smiling brightly, her eyes wide with indignation. «Does a crime like this really deserve to go unpunished?»
Li Yunlong took a deep breath, adjusting his expression to appear as righteous and authoritative as possible. «Amelia, as law-abiding citizens, sometimes we simply need to have faith in the capabilities of our federal government officials.»
Amelia remained silent for a long moment before raising her middle finger at him. The meeting ended on a decidedly sour note. It wasn't until she was behind the wheel of her car, driving away from his residence, that she finally let out a genuine sigh of relief. She had arrived that evening feeling quite confident. Though she had been busy with work during the day, pulling strings to dig up information on Li Yunlong hadn't been difficult. As a young, attractive, and successful career woman, she had never lacked male suitors trying every trick in the book to win her over. Relying on her wits and caution, she could handle most of them; for the few persistent ones with ill intentions, she relied on physical strength. Though she possessed a striking face and a voluptuous, envy-inducing figure, she was actually quite tall even by Western standards. She maintained a strict, uninterrupted fitness routine year-round, and after entering journalism, she had spent good money learning women's self-defense and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. She had even joined a shooting club and bought a handgun for protection. Confident in her battle-tested abilities, she had felt safe enough to visit a stranger's house alone at half past nine at night. Aside from wanting to figure out Li Yunlong's motives, she had harbored a subtle intention to act as bait-if he thought a lone woman was easy prey, she was fully prepared to teach him a hard lesson about the power of the press.
Her interaction with Li Yunlong had started smoothly enough, but everything spun completely out of control the moment he proved he actually possessed supernatural powers. With the sharp instincts of an experienced journalist, Amelia knew she had struck gold. Yet amid her excitement, she also recognized the danger involved. Even so, she had carefully tested the waters. The results hadn't been ideal, but they weren't terrible either. She reached out and touched her handbag, where the bottle of potion Li Yunlong had given her was tucked away. Deciding against going straight home, she resolved to head to the laboratory, where a few friends could help her analyze the contents of the vial right away.
Li Yunlong watched her car disappear into the distance through his window, largely indifferent to her attitude. Amelia taking the potion meant she had accepted his payment. Though she had left looking displeased, she hadn't shown any sign of refusing future interactions; she clearly intended to continue their cooperation. This Western style of communication felt somewhat jarring to him-was it really a good thing for even a woman to lay her scheming out so openly in the open? Maintaining harmony was the key to mutual benefit; that was an ancient, time-tested truth. Li Yunlong couldn't help but think that if she had been a woman from his homeland, they would have gotten along much better. And as for her little scheme-what was the point of hiding it? Before his sensory control ability, her inner thoughts were as plain to see as the lines on his own palm; her emotive performance couldn't hide a thing. Unless she could fully immerse her mind in the role she was playing-aligning body and soul like that old fox, Pastor Justin-she had no hope of fooling his heightened perception.
What Amelia didn't realize was that her path had crossed with Li Yunlong's as early as the beginning of April. Li Yunlong had poured immense effort into increasing his power, successfully mastering his internal force-the energy of blood and qi. The concept of blood-qi was common among martial artists, but it was equally prevalent in traditional spiritual practices. Buddhist monks used gold ink mixed with blood from their own tongues to copy scriptures; ancient sword-smiths performed blood sacrifices-and sometimes even human sacrifices-to forge their blades; and Daoist practitioners used it even more frequently. Anyone who had watched classic Hong Kong vampire movies knew that drawing talismans, consecrating swords, or casting spells often required biting one's finger to use fresh blood. All of these practices drew upon the energy of blood and qi.
When Li Yunlong had considered which path to take to strengthen himself, he had pondered deeply based on his actual circumstances. Neither he nor Tom Riddle had been academic geniuses. With limited personal capability, no money, no influence, and no background, the path of technological development was out of the question. Tom Riddle had been nothing more than a small-time thug who left behind almost nothing useful except a mountain of debt. Fortunately, Li Yunlong had lived through the nationwide qigong craze of the 1980s. Driven by genuine interest at the time, he had invested considerable time and effort into it. Though he hadn't achieved any grand mastery back then, he had at least grasped the foundational theories. Thus, despite the monumental difficulties ahead, he chose the occult path as his direction for growth.
An old saying went: «Studying is for the poor, martial arts for the rich, but the Dao will bankrupt the home.» The logic became crystal clear when viewed through the lens of resource consumption. Changing one's fate required upfront investment. Ordinary families with limited resources, no matter how much they doted on their children, could usually only afford standard education. Elementary school, high school, university-with a bit of sacrifice, most families could squeeze out enough money for that. But practicing martial arts was a completely different story. Even in modern times, could anyone without disposable income afford a proper fitness lifestyle? There was a popular joke in the West about American parties: guests often didn't know one another, so how could you tell the difference between an elite worth networking with and a poor devil with nothing to offer? After all, out of politeness, no one dressed poorly for a party. The answer was simple: look at their physique! If someone was tall but visibly overweight, with a thick neck and a broad head, they were almost certainly a long-haul truck driver. But if someone was lean, agile, and sharp, they were undoubtedly part of the elite. Why? Because the poor couldn't afford the time or money to stay in shape, while the wealthy had both the capital and the leisure to focus on their physical conditioning.
It was just a joke, meant for a light laugh, but the core truth behind it was real enough. If mere fitness could divide people into social tiers based on wealth, actual martial arts required far more. While martial arts might seem distant to some, modern combat sports offered a clear parallel: training a professional fighter required an astronomical amount of resources. It wasn't as simple as eating and drinking. It demanded an entire team of high-end professionals-coaches, physicians, computer analysts-revolving around that single athlete. Every detail of their food, clothing, housing, and transport was strictly regulated. Without a dedicated training facility, one would be too embarrassed to even greet peers in the industry. The initial investment surpassed the total assets of many small companies. That was why martial arts were meant for the rich-it involved an expenditure that an average family simply could not bear.