Chapter 16

On this day, Li Hao did nothing but ask and listen.

Liu Long was only seen once in the morning, and for the rest of the time, he was nowhere to be found, possibly setting something up.

As for the enforcement team, they did not transfer Li Hao.

Perhaps to avoid alarming the target, the transfer procedures were not processed. Apart from the few members of the Demon Hunting Squad, only Wang Jie from the Confidential Affairs Office knew the situation.

...

It was six o'clock in the afternoon.

It was time to go home.

Li Hao tidied up, still carrying the Third Generation Vortex with him. Although Liu Yan had let him choose some weapons, Li Hao had not yet selected any, as the more powerful the weapon, the less convenient it was to carry.

However, Li Hao did take a few grenades. They were not too large and could fit in his pocket, provided they didn't explode in there.

He glanced at the sky, which was clear and bright.

It probably wouldn't rain tonight.

"Hunting Squad..."

Li Hao got on his bicycle, looked back at the Inspection Office, and then at the distant enforcement building. He felt as if someone, or several people, were watching him.

Liu Long?

Now, were these people already watching him? Had the bait plan already begun?

"Liu Long, I can't fully trust him, but I can't completely distrust him either!"

Li Hao had his own standards for judgment. He and Liu Long were not close, and it was impossible for them to become instant friends. If Liu Long was on the side of justice, he might not deliberately harm him. However, if he were really killed by the Red Shadow, that would be it!

Sacrificing himself to take down a superhuman, Liu Long might not even blink.

Even the teacher couldn't say anything!

If Liu Long didn't kill him personally, the teacher couldn't say anything. Li Hao judged that Liu Long didn't ask about the sword and knife, which might also be related to the teacher. The position of enforcement team leader still constrained Liu Long.

After all, he was not one of the evil order.

He was from the Inspection Office, and there were Night Watchers watching him.

"Even if the teacher did nothing, he... subtly saved me."

Li Hao was clear that if it weren't for Yuan Shuo, Liu Long might not have killed him, but he would certainly have inquired about the sword and knife, and might even have asked him to hand them over as evidence.

But now, the other party was pretending to be ignorant, clearly out of respect for Yuan Shuo.

"I'm just too weak!"

A creaking sound.

Li Hao got on his bicycle. He didn't know if the Red Shadow was watching him now, or if Liu Long and his team were following him. It was hard to detect them if they were deliberately avoiding him.

"Only by becoming stronger!"

Li Hao muttered to himself. Even Liu Yan, who was extremely enthusiastic towards him, he didn't dare to trust. If he really encountered danger, she might not save him.

"I hope I can become stronger before they make their move!"

Previously, Li Hao didn't dare to drink too much of the sword-soaking water. On one hand, it was slow to digest, and on the other, he was worried about depleting all the mysterious energy.

But now, Li Hao thought, if he were to die, more mysterious energy would be useless.

So, he needed to soak and drink more!

Not only that, Li Hao even considered whether he could destroy the jade sword to release more mysterious energy. At this point, he no longer cared if it was a family heirloom.

If the jade sword didn't work, there was still the stone knife at home.

...

The bicycle moved slowly.

Li Hao kept his eyes focused, ignoring everything else.

Soon, Qiming Community arrived.

Building 6, Room 302.

Before entering, Black Panther quickly darted out from the corner, like a shadow, moving even faster than before.

"Woof!"

Black Panther wagged his tail, as if saying that everything was safe today. After Li Hao left, no one seemed to care about his place, and no one came to check.

Li Hao glanced at Black Panther, who seemed a bit bigger than yesterday, and gently patted his head.

He pushed the door open.

Li Hao took off his clothes, turned on the light, and the room remained dark, with the curtains tightly drawn.

Li Hao sat on the sofa, thinking about everything that had happened in the past two days.

It all happened too fast!

It left him feeling overwhelmed and unable to clearly analyze the various clues.

"Hunting Squad, Red Shadow, Night Watchers, the Eight Families..."

"And I, perhaps, represent the sole survivor of the Eight Families!"

"The Red Shadow's target is me, the Hunting Squad's target is the superhumans of the Red Shadow, and the Night Watchers, being busy, might not come, but with the teacher's upcoming trip, they might send someone!"

"The Red Shadow I encountered last night and the entity behind it, are they the entire Red Shadow group, or just one of them?"

How many superhumans are there?

Li Hao didn't know!

But he guessed there might be more than one. The one last night was likely just a lookout, not the entire Red Shadow group.

"Has Liu Long considered this? If there are not one but two, three, or even four superhumans, can the Hunting Squad handle it?"

Li Hao lightly tapped the table. Although the Hunting Squad had given him some help, it still couldn't provide him with a sense of security.

So many things to consider!

At this moment, no one could offer him any help.

A moment later, he thought of someone. Li Hao hesitated for a moment but still took out his communicator. He needed the teacher's help, not necessarily practical help, but even just some comfort would do.

...

Yincheng Ancient Courtyard.

Yuan Shuo was practicing an extremely ugly set of boxing techniques in the courtyard. It was hard to call it a boxing technique; it looked more like a flapping old hen.

But this was not chicken boxing; it was the Flying Bird Technique!

One of the Five Animal Techniques.

Tiger, deer, bear, ape, bird. The Ape Technique was light and good for escape, and the Flying Bird Technique was even better for escape. Of course, each of the Five Animal Techniques was a killing technique!

Both the Ape Technique and the Flying Bird Technique had their own killing methods.

Li Hao had not delved deeply into these techniques, studying them insufficiently, and had always treated the Ape Technique as an escape technique.

Buzz!

Yuan Shuo's movements were slow, and he didn't seem to be using much force. His boxing looked as ungraceful as a flapping old hen, but he was creating air bursts in the courtyard.

A martial artist with over a hundred points!

One of the peak figures in the martial arts world.

But as he aged, his physical strength declined, and with the emergence of superhumans and the proliferation of firearms, this generation had gradually retired. To outsiders, he was just a pure scholar, a top expert in ancient civilization.

Ding ding ding!

A ringing sound made Yuan Shuo stop flapping and look at the communicator on the side. He stepped forward and answered the call.

"Did you go to the enforcement team?"

"Uh-huh!"

Yuan Shuo was not surprised. His closed disciple, if he said he would go, would definitely not hesitate.

As if knowing why Li Hao was calling, Yuan Shuo smiled and said, "Losing confidence? Did Liu Long give you a hard time today? Do you feel useless and can't make it in the outside world?"

"A bit."

Li Hao did not deny it, softly saying, "Teacher, with the emergence of superhumans, do you think studying literature still has a future?"

Seeing the powerful martial arts of those people, Li Hao wondered if studying literature still had a future.

Would this world become the domain of superhumans?

Could non-superhumans still live in peace and prosperity?

"Pure literature naturally has no future! But pure violence has even less of a future!"

Yuan Shuo said firmly, "I have never heard that pure martial power can rule everything! Human wisdom is the key to unifying the world and becoming the master of the world! A martial artist studying literature is less effective, but a literary person studying martial arts is more effective! Don't think that your previous time was wasted. It was just laying the foundation. Even if you enter the superhuman realm, you will find that wisdom and knowledge are invaluable treasures that will make your path smoother!"

The student's confusion needed to be resolved.

Teaching, guiding, and resolving doubts!

Li Hao's first contact with superhumans led to self-doubt, which Yuan Shuo found normal. But at this moment, he could not let his belief waver.

"Back then, when superhumans were not prominent, I was one of the few standing at the top in martial arts. But I became famous not for my fighting skills, but for my research in ancient civilizations, which made me famous worldwide!"

"Later, with the rapid development of firearms, those of our generation who purely practiced martial arts had no good outcomes. The more famous they were, the faster they died! But I am still alive, and I am still a guest of honor among superhumans... although there are some restrictions, I still live a prosperous life."

"Superhumans are strong now, but that doesn't mean no one can restrain or punish them..."

Yuan Shuo said a lot, and Li Hao listened silently.

His mood gradually brightened.

After a while, Yuan Shuo laughed heartily and said, "Don't take the enforcement team too seriously. If you really encounter trouble, Liu Long and his people might not be able to solve it. As I said before, you can come to me to avoid the storm."

Li Hao thought for a moment and said, "Teacher, do the Night Watchers know about the situation in Yincheng?"

"I'm not sure. They might know, but even if they do, they might not appear immediately. Liu Long and his people are cannon fodder and pathfinders!"

Yuan Shuo spoke bluntly, revealing the harsh reality of the Hunting Squad.

"The Night Watchers are few, and each superhuman is a treasure, not to be easily sacrificed! The situation in Yincheng is unclear, so they let Liu Long and his people test the waters first. If Liu Long and his team succeed, everyone is happy! If they fail, the Night Watchers can have a general idea of what kind of strength is needed to deal with the trouble in Yincheng. This is why the Night Watchers rarely appear."

Maintaining their mystery, keeping outsiders in the dark.

Liu Long and his peripheral organization were pathfinders. If they died, it was not a loss.

If they could kill superhumans and advance, then join the Night Watchers, it would strengthen the Night Watchers.

This was the essence of the dark clouds over Yincheng!

And Yuan Shuo had long seen through this essence.

Li Hao sighed softly. How realistic!

The teacher's words also helped him see through some of the fog and understand that the Hunting Squad might not be completely disconnected from the Night Watchers. Perhaps... Liu Long himself was a peripheral member of the Night Watchers?

It was not impossible!

At this moment, Yuan Shuo suddenly said, "Don't think too much. If you don't want to come to me, I won't force you! Since you already know some of the situation, I'll briefly tell you to give you as much self-preservation ability as possible."

What?

Li Hao thought the teacher was going to give him a treasure, but it was not the case.

A moment later, Yuan Shuo suddenly communicated with him in a secret code, a special way of communication between Yuan Shuo and his students. For someone like Yuan Shuo, creating a special information transmission method was simple.

"The Li family's sword, the Zhang family's knife... these families and even the appearance of superhuman items were once just jokes, but now, they might not be!"

Li Hao was startled but quickly returned to normal.

If Liu Long could guess, how much more could his teacher, whom Li Hao considered the smartest and most wise person he had met?

"If you possess these things, it is both a blessing and a curse!"

"Zhang Yuan's death might be related to this. Clearly, you have been targeted by superhumans, and the goal might be these items. The limericks about the Eight Families have been passed down for countless years. Even I, who have heard them, do not know when they started or have any records. They have been passed down orally through generations."

"Based on my research, they might be related to ancient civilizations. You, as my student, know some about ancient civilizations. The 'New Five Animal Book' was actually discovered in ancient civilization ruins, and I later made some adaptations."

Li Hao remained silent, listening to his teacher.

Yuan Shuo continued, "These treasures in the limericks often have a characteristic: outsiders cannot use them. Zhang Yuan's burning might have been to extract his bloodline or soul or spiritual substance, so that the Zhang family's knife could be used!"

"Regarding the time span, I have made some judgments. It is highly likely that the superhuman's abilities are limited, and each time they use the burning method to extract bloodline or soul, it might put this method into a dormant period!"

"But clearly, the superhuman's strength is improving, or the dormant period is shortening!"

Li Hao nodded vigorously, even though Yuan Shuo couldn't see it.

At this moment, Li Hao was in awe. The teacher knew nothing, but from yesterday's files, he could deduce so much. Li Hao couldn't help but admire him.

Of course, it was also related to the teacher's broad knowledge.

"Another point, they always act on rainy days, which suggests that their ability might only work in the rain. They need more than just killing; they need to extract something from you after killing."

Yuan Shuo paused and continued, "Don't underestimate the person behind this case. You need to know that if the first victim was from the Zheng family, it means the perpetrator has existed for at least 15 years!"

"You need to know that superhumans have only been around for about 20 years. If the perpetrator was a superhuman from the beginning, what does that mean? They are an old superhuman, not a new one!"

Yuan Shuo added, "Of course, this might not be the work of one person. The initial superhuman might have left, and now it could be a member or apprentice of their organization watching. After all, a strong person cannot stay in Yincheng forever."

Li Hao took a deep breath. He had considered this point, but not as thoroughly as the teacher.

Had Liu Long considered this?

"The Zhang family's knife, you might not be able to use! But the Li family's sword, you definitely can! If you couldn't use it before, it might be because superhumans had not appeared. Superhumans... existed in ancient civilizations and are now just reviving, not suddenly appearing. If you are a descendant of the Li family, this sword, if you have it, can be activated."

"Activated?"

Li Hao finally spoke. The Li family's sword was a secret, but not a complete secret. Those who had heard the limericks might have thought about it, but no one had seen it.

Have I activated it?

Boiling water to soak the sword!

"Yes, activated! After being sealed for so long, it's not easy to use! I know many ways to activate it, but they are too difficult for you. The simplest way is to drip blood to recognize the owner... provided that the sword is truly yours and not stolen."

Li Hao smiled bitterly, "Teacher, it doesn't work!"

I've already dripped blood!

"Nonsense, a single drop of blood won't work. Do you think dripping blood to recognize the owner is that simple?"

"..."

Isn't it?

Li Hao was speechless.

Yuan Shuo continued, "This blood is not just any blood, especially for you, a descendant of many generations. Your bloodline has already changed. For you, two types of blood might work. The first is your heart's blood... I don't recommend this because it is too harmful, but if you are in mortal danger and about to die, you can stab yourself in the heart, but not too deeply, just enough to activate the sword!"

"..."

Li Hao was embarrassed by this suggestion.

Indeed, it was dangerous!

"The second