Chapter 25: A Letter

In front of the building where Long Tian was located, two security guards stopped Yang Chuan, Zhuge Ling’er, and the others who had come to visit.
Yang Chuan pulled out his police badge and glared at the two guards coldly.
The guards hesitated for a moment but eventually let the three of them in. However, they immediately called Long Tian, “Brother Long, we have some reports coming in—one of them is from Yang Chuan, the head of the criminal investigation team…”
“I know!” Long Tian replied indifferently. He had expected Yang Chuan to come to his side, especially since the minor conflict with Zhenzhu had escalated quite a bit.
As Yang Chuan strode into the living room, Long Tian was about to make a joke when his gaze was involuntarily drawn to the young female police officer behind Yang Chuan.
“Zhuge… Ling’er?” Long Tian hesitated slightly as he uttered her name. He blinked several times to confirm that what he saw wasn’t a hallucination.
“Brother Long Tian, it’s been so many years since we last saw each other!” Zhuge Ling’er finally stepped out from behind Yang Chuan.
“Is it really you? Why are you wearing this uniform?” Long Tian stared in surprise at Zhuge Ling’er in her police uniform.
“I’m on an internship at school, so I used some connections to get here. Otherwise, how could I come to City H? I also have to thank Uncle Yang for helping me hide it from my dad!” Zhuge Ling’er giggled secretly, covering her mouth.
“Ling’er, it’s been years, but you’ve really gotten more beautiful. You’re quite the stunning beauty now!” Long Tian teased her with a smile.
“Long Tian, we’re here to investigate a case this time,” Yang Chuan interrupted Zhuge Ling’er, who was about to say something else, as their conversation was drifting further from the topic. Zhuge Ling’er stuck her tongue out at him from behind Yang Chuan.
“I wonder what problem Chief Yang has?” Long Tian then turned to look at Yang Chuan, the main visitor this time.
“You know about the shooting at XX University, right?” Yang Chuan sat down on the sofa not far from Long Tian without any hesitation.
“I’ve heard about it!” Long Tian nodded.
“As far as I know, the person who was killed seems to have had some conflicts with you!” Yang Chuan looked up at Long Tian, whose face showed defiance.

“In City H, there are many people who have conflicts with me, Long Tian. I also have quite a few mortal enemies, yet they’re all still alive, right?” Long Tian helplessly spread his hands. “Besides, I don’t even know who died this time. As an official in charge of the people, you should at least show some fairness. Don’t come to me right away whenever something happens. Although I’m not a good person, I do know some laws. Killing whoever I dislike is something a killer would do! I’m just a small thug—not that high-class!”
“Do you know Bald Niu Xing?” Yang Chuan was speechless after being rebuked by Long Tian. He hadn’t expected this thug to be so talkative.
“I know him. We’ve had a few encounters, but we’re not close,” Long Tian replied briefly.
“Among the dead, it’s confirmed that one of them was his right-hand man—Manniu!” Yang Chuan paused slightly, observing Long Tian’s reaction. “We’ve already interrogated him. He told us he sent Manniu to take Ye Feng as a hostage.”
“Manniu is that big, violent guy, right? Better if he’s dead! He’s always bullying men and women,” Long Tian clapped his hands.
“Do you know Ye Feng?” Yang Chuan stared intently at Long Tian’s reaction. This time, Long Tian finally showed a response. Upon hearing Ye Feng’s name, a hint of gloom and sadness flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly concealed.
“I know him,” Long Tian nodded. “What’s the problem?”
“You must be quite familiar with him, right?” Yang Chuan pressed further.
“Just ordinary friends,” Long Tian said, his voice sounding somewhat despondent.
“Niu Xing told me he took Ye Feng as a hostage to deal with you!” Yang Chuan continued to pressure Long Tian.
“Captain Yang, do you think such words are believable? First, Ye Feng and I are just acquaintances. I have no special preference for men. Do you really think Niu Xing using him as a hostage can hold me back in any way? Second, in City H, though that bald guy Niu Xing has some reputation, in my eyes, he’s just a bigger grasshopper. No matter how much he jumps, he won’t turn into a toad! Third, if I wanted to eliminate his gang, do you think I’d leave their leader alive?” Long Tian’s words left Yang Chuan speechless.
After a long silence, Yang Chuan finally nodded. “Okay, I get it. It seems this matter is far more complicated than I thought. I’m leaving now…”
“Uncle Yang, I want to stay here first…” Zhuge Ling’er looked at Yang Chuan with a pleading gaze.

Yang Chuan gave Long Tian a meaningful look before nodding.
“I won’t see you off!” Long Tian called after Yang Chuan and Chen, who had just taken notes.
“Brother Long Tian!” Zhuge Ling’er approached only after Yang Chuan left, handing him two jade bottles. “This is from Sister Yue’er—she asked me to give it to you!”
“What’s this?” Long Tian looked at the two bottles in his hands in surprise.
“The emerald-green bottle contains a Bone-Purifying Pill. If you take it, you’ll be able to successfully reach the Innate realm and truly become an innate martial artist,” Zhuge Ling’er said with a smile.
“A Bone-Purifying Pill? Isn’t it said that the recipe for it has been lost? Where did you get this pill?” Though delighted, Long Tian was still puzzled.
“This is actually an incomplete Bone-Purifying Pill. My great-grandfather made it based on his memories of the original pill, but some ingredients are missing, so its effectiveness will be greatly reduced. However, he said it has no side effects, and there’s a 30% chance of success in purifying the bones,” Zhuge Ling’er explained.
“Your great-grandfather? Didn’t you say this was from Yue’er…?” Long Tian frowned slightly.
“Well… actually, the other bottle is a Concentration Pill that Sister Yue’er asked me to give you. I just happened to bring the Bone-Purifying Pill along too… and pretended it was hers…” Zhuge Ling’er’s voice grew softer as she secretly watched Long Tian’s reaction.
“Why would Yue’er give me a Concentration Pill?” Long Tian was confused.
“I was also surprised at first. She told me that there are three ways to reach the Innate realm: strength, mental power, or internal energy. As long as one of these helps you reach that realm, you can become a powerful innate martial artist. She said you, Brother Long Tian, have a special constitution—your internal energy isn’t enough to reach the Innate realm, so you can try other methods. The Concentration Pill enhances mental power, so she asked me to give it to you,” Zhuge Ling’er explained.
“I see… so that works too…” Long Tian looked at the two pills in his hands, visibly excited.
“By the way, she also asked me to give you a letter!” Zhuge Ling’er said as she took out a letter from her clothes. Neat handwriting in tiny characters read, “For Long Tian alone!”
Long Tian eagerly tore open the letter to read it…