Giving up on this topic that might get him into trouble, Zhou Taotao also gave up on reminiscing with Yan Jue and let him go back to his room to have a good rest after traveling all night.
The next day at noon, An Jin came just after lunch.
Zhou Taotao waved his hand: "It's so early, have you eaten yet?"
"Brother Zhou, I've already eaten." An Jin turned around and saw someone who looked very familiar. Her eyes lit up with surprise. "Advisor Yan!"
"An Jin, long time no see." Yan Jue nodded: "Come and sit down."
An Jin sat down next to Yan Jue a little nervously, looked at the man who had the greatest hope of solving her problems, and reluctantly looked away to remind herself to focus on her business first.
Yan Jue was so frightened by An Jin's disgusting gaze that his body trembled. Before goosebumps could even appear on his skin, he heard him say, "Deputy Director Zhou, there's some progress on that matter I mentioned earlier."
Zhou Taotao was serious for a second: "Yan Jue also knows about this matter, you can talk about it without worry."
What did he know? Yan Jue was puzzled for a second, then after An Jin gave the opening statement, he understood that it was about the mysterious disappearance of An Jin's relatives abroad.
"My father's uncle had called the police a while ago, but after waiting for a few days and going to the police station several times and being told off, his uncle started to investigate himself."
An Jin really couldn't call a pure foreigner whom she had never met before "uncle", so she just made up a random title so that people present could distinguish him.
"He learned from the neighbors that Abner hadn't left his house for two weeks before his disappearance. Abner would meet the neighbors every day on his way to and from get off work, so after not seeing him for several days, the neighbors thought something had happened to him and, out of kindness, knocked on his door."
"Neighbors said Abner looked extremely haggard and pale at the time." An Jin explained, "You know, people abroad like to tan to appear healthy. Abner just followed the trend and had a tan."
"Even during the day, Abner kept all the curtains drawn, leaving the house pitch black. When he saw his neighbor, he was incredibly irritated. The neighbor didn't think much of it, thinking they were disturbing him. But when she said goodbye, Abner suddenly became excited."
"It was that kind of excitement, the kind you get when you suddenly remember something and become interested in it. The contrast was so great and there was no reason for it, so the neighbors thought Abner was having a bit of a high at home and left in a hurry without asking any further questions."
"Since that encounter, the neighbor has never seen Abner again."
"But the neighbor also said that the reason she remembered the time so clearly was because the day after she met Abner, her pet dog was brutally murdered and the body was dumped in her yard openly."
An Jin frowned. "It started with my neighbor. Almost every two days, someone nearby had their pet killed in the same way, with their throat slit. During that time, everyone with pets living nearby was terrified. The local police station was almost flooded with calls, but they couldn't find the murderer."
"The police were unable to find the pet killer and wanted to close the case hastily. It was only after the person who lost the pet sent an email to an animal protection organization and other actions that the police were forced to seriously re-investigate."
"The police reinvestigated the situation and went door to door, but no one answered Abner's door. They then went to ask the neighbors, but of course they didn't know what he was talking about. So they just forced the door open." An Jin was speechless when she talked about this: "There was no one inside. Abner had left at some point."
"The end result was the same: the murderer was not found. Neighbors said the police had initially taken the matter seriously, but for some reason, they didn't come back to investigate the next day. Later, those people went to the police station to cause a disturbance, but the police directly threatened them with violence and ignored the online exposure."
An Jin spoke from the beginning to the end, and during the whole process, Yan Jue and Zhou Taotao's brows never relaxed, and their faces became more serious than the other.
"In other words, after a neighbor saw Abner, who hadn't left the house for two weeks, her pet dog died, and nearby pets also died one after another. The pet incident became a big deal, and the police were informed and went to investigate. Abner disappeared inexplicably."
Yan Jue reviewed the order of the records and asked, "When the neighbor saw Abner, he suddenly became excited. Did the neighbor say this himself?"
An Jin nodded: "Yes. Because the accident happened so close to his dog's, the neighbor remembers those two days very clearly."
Zhou Taotao guessed: "The pet incident seems very likely to be Abner's doing. If he really has awakened vampire blood."
The idea of slitting a pet's throat is a bit strange. If someone abuses a pet, there won't be just one wound. If there's a grudge, they could use simpler methods like poisoning. Slitting a pet's throat requires a lot of skill.
But if it's related to Abner, then it makes sense. Trying/practicing to cover up the evidence after sucking blood?
Thinking of this, he glanced up at An Jin and said, "Unfortunately, we don't know what abilities people with complete vampire bloodlines have. Will they be able to transform into bats like in novels, or have their speed and perception enhanced?"
He emphasized the word "complete".
An Jin turned her head away and pretended not to see Zhou Taotao's gaze, and at the same time shook her body quietly as she felt a chill run through her body.
Can it turn into a bat? Ugly!!!
"Also, the attitude of the local police is quite intriguing." Zhou Taotao returned to the main topic: "They took this matter seriously and wanted to conduct a thorough investigation, but they turned cowardly and did nothing. It's hard not to explore the reasons behind this."
An Jin expressed her opinion cautiously: "Did someone higher up in the police station give them some instructions?"
Zhou Taotao immediately said: "You said that, I didn't say a word."
In his position, he had to be careful about what he said, even in private, to avoid forming a habit that would become indisputable in formal situations. He could speculate, but knowing what he meant was enough, so he was more than happy to have An Jin and Yan Jue serve as his mouthpieces.
"Not only that, I also suspect that Abner's disappearance is likely related to the officials of the United States."
Zhou Taotao looked at Yan Jue enthusiastically, signaling him to say more.
Yan Jue: “…” Disgusted.
"From the time spiritual energy revived until now, there has been no movement abroad. Do you think this is possible?"
He still hadn't forgotten the time a soldier on a mission abroad was struck by a black magic spell. Back then, there were already black magic practitioners, so it didn't make sense that those who had awakened would disappear.
Yan Jue continued their speculation, "After Abner awakens, he might kill his neighbor's pet dog out of curiosity or greed. Then the other awakeners will likely do the same. In this world of highly advanced communications, if there's any sign of something amiss, and the authorities are likely to notice it early, those who want to cause trouble will be easily apprehended."
"Of course, these are all speculations. Whether it's official suppression or civilians with supernatural powers spontaneously forming organizations and quietly hiding, no one can say for sure until we see the truth. Perhaps there are options other than these two?"
When it comes to one's own life safety, no one is stupid.
"Then what should we do?" An Jin asked.
After hearing what Advisor Jing Yan said, he always felt that there was a huge security risk abroad. If he was not careful, some explosive news would be made, affecting innocent people like them.
Yan Jue was surprised: "Us? Of course we should continue with our own lives. What evil tricks the foreign countries are plotting against their own people is none of our business."
It’s none of their business how foreign countries deal with people who awaken supernatural powers. In the end, it’s foreign countries that will suffer the consequences, whether good or bad. They can only keep their doors closed.
Patting An Jin's shoulder, Yan Jue said earnestly, "As for you, go back and urge your father to see if you can get any more information from his uncle."
Officials will definitely take action, but it’s good to have another way out. Since there is a layer of family relationship, no one can say that they have ulterior motives.
Zhou Taotao patted Yan Jue's shoulder, his right thumb twitching in his fist, wanting to lift it up. He held down his right hand and said to An Jin, "That's enough. Just trust in the country and don't overthink it. If your father has relatives abroad who can't leave..."
"No." An Jin interrupted him: "The relatives that my father valued have already come to China with him to settle down. Those abroad are not important. I just need to remind them when the time comes. There is no need to treat them specially."
This was An Jin's family affair, so Zhou Taotao didn't ask much. He made an excuse that he had something to deal with and asked An Jin to go to the temporary dormitory to rest for a while.
Yan Jue raised his eyebrows: "What's the matter?"
"I always have a bad feeling." Zhou Taotao frowned. "Isn't the intuition of monks very reliable? Do you have it?"
Yan Jue nodded and spread his hands. "The problem is, there are too many things in the world right now that give people a bad feeling, and there's no way to tell them apart. We should fight back when the enemy comes, and we should defend ourselves when the water comes. Developing our own strength is always the right thing to do."
Zhou Taotao sighed, "We've discovered a spirit stone mine, and we've also found the Bifang monster, a creature that speaks human language and possesses intelligence. What's next?"
"From the time spiritual energy revived until now, this world has been moving closer and closer to the world of immortal cultivation. It's starting to look a bit like something out of fiction and fantasy."
Listening to Zhou Taotao's sentiment, Yan Jue smiled in agreement. Just as he was about to respond, a thought flashed through his mind, so fast that he couldn't catch a trace. Recalling Zhou Taotao's words again, he tried to recreate the familiar scene, but naturally, he found nothing.
But he always felt that the idea was very important.
This feeling of being neither up nor down and keeping people in suspense was so uncomfortable that Yan Jue sighed sadly.
After nine o'clock in the evening, Yan Jue, Zhou Taotao and An Jin sat opposite each other in the confidential room.
Ever since Yan Jue started practicing, this confidential room had completely become a place for conversations and the temporary storage of important items. Entering this familiar room again, Yan Jue was truly filled with emotion.
However, he didn't have time to be sad. The joy of seeing Zhuo Feng had already been ranked first.
Only An Jin, who knew nothing, began to get nervous again in the face of this situation, and her mood was comparable to the first time she came to the Special Management Bureau.
What kind of master has the ability to see through the energy distribution in his body? His words are more effective than Director Pan’s, and just one look can give him the opportunity to become an immortal?
Under the pressure, An Jin had already imagined many images of hermit masters with white hair and beards, various personalities and ethereal air.
"teacher!"
A clear child's voice rang out in the room. An Jin's head was stunned and she looked in the direction where the voice came from.
On Advisor Yan's palm, a palm-sized... figurine? The figurine had a bun on its head, a simple white jade hairpin pinned to the center. It wore a plain, pure white robe. As the figurine raised its hand, a faint glint of light flickered from its wide sleeves...
Wait, raise your hand?
An Jin opened her mouth wide, looking at the figurine affectionately as it rubbed Yan Jue's fingers against hers, and then she said, "Teacher, long time no see."
"He, he..." An Jin felt like dizzy.
He knew the world had become magical, but he had never heard of figurines becoming spirits! At that moment, his first reaction was, how could he hide this from his girlfriend and dispose of her figurine collection without getting beaten to death?
After Zhuo Feng and Zhou Taotao had also greeted him, Yan Jue gently pinched his face, lifted him up to his chin and brought him to eye level with An Jin, and introduced him, "This is my student, Zhuo Feng, and he's here to help this time."
Zhuo Feng nodded to An Jin with dignity.
An Jin said stupidly, "Hello."
Yan Jue knew what An Jin was shocked about, but he had no intention of explaining. He said to Zhuo Feng, "That's him. Help him take a look."
If he could finish his work sooner, he would have more time to talk to Zhuo Feng.
Zhuo Feng hadn't seen his teacher for a long time, and since he finally came, he naturally wanted to spend more time with his teacher. He didn't waste any words upon hearing this, and directly mobilized the spiritual energy in his body to look at An Jin.
Compared to his previous observation, the hair-thin strands of energy within An Jin's body hadn't widened; instead, the gaps between them had narrowed, leaving them only a fraction of a millimeter away from connecting. Thinking about the time it took for the two observations, he estimated, "In about another week, the energy within him will be fully connected and integrated."
If he doesn’t have time to come, the teacher can also be aware of it.
Yan Jue glanced at Zhou Taotao and saw him nod to indicate he had taken note. Then he said to Zhuo Feng, "An Jin wants to practice cultivation. Zhuo Feng, can you tell if An Jin's vampire bloodline conflicts with spiritual energy?"
An Jin instantly woke up from her dazed state and looked anxiously at Zhuo Feng, who was only the size of a palm and had a serious expression.
Zhuo Feng smiled, turned his head and looked at Yan Jue and said, "Teacher, you said it's bloodline, so why can't I practice it?"
Yan Jue was stunned for a moment: "Huh?"
Zhou Taotao and An Jin also have the same expression.
"Teacher, you previously introduced me to the vampire literature and settings of your world. And based on An Jin's behavior, you speculated that the power of real-life vampires also resides in their blood. And from what I saw, the energy in his body is distributed within his blood vessels, flowing throughout his body. Doesn't that align perfectly?"
Yan Jue continued to be stunned: "You didn't say..."
He was sure that Zhuo Feng had only said that An Jin's energy was spread throughout his body, but he did not say that this whole body was the blood vessels.
Now it was Zhuo Feng who was stunned.
He raised his hand to cover the lower half of his face with his sleeve and coughed lightly, then lowered his hand and continued as if nothing had happened, "Vampire blood, in my opinion, is similar to the blood of some ancient mythical beasts and magical herbs found in the bodies of humans or monsters here."
"So, I can practice cultivation?" An Jin leaned forward, looking at Zhuo Feng with eyes full of surprise that almost solidified into big words.
Zhuo Feng nodded.
Zhou Taotao quickly stopped An Jin from getting too excited: "Don't be too happy too soon. Think about the setting in the novel. Who doesn't revert to their ancestral bloodline after practicing to a certain level? Do you, a vampire, want to turn into a bat in the future?"
"Well... when a person with bloodline practices, it will automatically pull the bloodline in the body to practice together." Zhuo Feng said tactfully.
Bloodline is a double-edged sword.
Those with a bloodline are destined to take greater strides on the path to immortality than ordinary people. However, bloodlines can also become a shackle that hinders a cultivator. Initially, bloodlines will be a support, but as your strength gradually increases and your bloodline becomes too weak to meet your cultivation needs, your cultivation will stagnate.
If they wanted to continue, they had to keep looking for ways to strengthen their bloodline. If their bloodline became stronger and stronger, wouldn't that mean they were reverting to their ancestral roots?
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