“Ouch!” May cried out as she was smacked across the head with an open palm by her master, Hua Tang.

  To call him angry would be an understatement. He struggled to refrain from shouting and cursing, which would have been contrary to his calm disposition. He also did not want to be too harsh on his disciple, who was already at her limit.

  The interrogations lasted more than two full days. The sect took this matter extremely seriously. May had to tell them everything she knew in great detail. Finally, they reluctantly let her go.

  Hua Tang personally escorted her to his office in the main building of the Fleming Company. May threw herself into a chair at the first opportunity. It had tired her more than she could have expected. Sighing, she began to speak. “Master, I can explain...”

  “No. You can't,” he cut her off sharply. “Nothing you could say could justify the unnecessary risk you took. There were many different ways you could have solved this, but you chose the worst one.”

  May, of course, agreed with his assessment of the situation to some extent. It was stupid, but she didn't regret what she had done.

  “But I also saved those people's lives,” she replied, trying to defend herself. Hua Tang looked at her sternly, clearly disagreeing with her words.

  “You could have solved it differently. I would have helped you with that,” he replied coldly, disappointment in his voice.

  He sat down on the opposite side and looked at her with pity.

  “The sect has already failed these people once. Master, every second counted there.”

  “That's why you took unnecessary risks and risked your own death, which would have meant that no one would have been able to help them then?”

  She could only sigh. She was wrong in this dispute, and she knew it well.

  “It won't happen again, Master,” she said, giving up without further attempts at self-defense.

  "Oh, the fact that it won't happen again is one thing that's actually certain," he said to her, a sinister smile spreading across his face. Suddenly, he turned his gaze toward the door and called out, "Niu Pin!"

  The door swung open, and a man over two meters tall stepped inside. He had an incredibly deep tan and a shaved head. He bowed his head and snapped to attention, standing so close to the door he was nearly brushing against it. He gave off the distinct impression of being a soldier. May already didn't like the look of this.

  “I really hope it's not what I think it is...” she muttered under her breath.

  Seeing her distraught face, Hua Tang smiled slyly and shook his head. "I wanted to treat you professionally, but you've shown me that I cannot trust you after all, and that I should treat you like the child you are. I shouldn't have let myself be deceived by your eloquence and your achievements."

  "So that's why I'm getting a nanny?" she asked with a hint of irritation, glancing at the man.

  Having someone who wouldn't leave her side for a single moment would be incredibly burdensome, especially now that she was relying more and more on the System. May would have preferred to remain entirely alone, at least for the time being.

  "Show some respect. This will be your bodyguard; his name is Niu Pin, and he is a retired sergeant. He will not leave your side for a single step, ensuring you never do anything so irresponsible again."

  A military man? Ugh. Just what I needed. The most loyal group in the sect is the last thing I wanted to deal with.

  May herself had once received an offer to join the sect's military under Ze Yun, but she had turned it down. Being in the army meant no freedom of choice; they had to take part in every single conflict. Being loosely affiliated with the sect was much better.

  May laughed softly, masking her true feelings. "Won't leave my side for a single step? Master, you do realize that if a grown man follows me around the academy, and even into my room, it's going to spark some nasty rumors? In that case, you could have at least arranged for a female bodyguard."

  “You don't have to worry about the academy,” said the man standing at the door, who had not spoken a word until now, with a dry voice. “I can remain unseen. No one will even notice me.”

  May frowned.

  Then Hua Tang also spoke up. “Besides, you won't be living in the Cloud Academy dormitory anymore...”

  May was surprised by his words. “Where am I supposed to live?”

  “Here.”

  May looked around and furrowed her brow. Was she supposed to sleep in a penicillin manufacturing factory? He must be joking! Although there were a few living quarters there, she couldn't imagine living here and commuting every day.

  “Is this a joke? Master, if so, it's really not funny.”

  “I wouldn't joke about such matters,” he replied calmly. “There's plenty of space here, and it will make it easier to keep an eye on you. That way, I'll also be able to monitor you, not to mention that you'll be able to spend more time with your company.”

  May had no idea how to respond. She was in such deep shock that she felt like screaming.

  I’ll be able to spend more time with the company?! I’m already working myself to death here! I have no intention of being his money-making machine!

  "Master, I'm sorry, but I do not agree!" she protested loudly, finding his words utterly preposterous. "Commuting to the Academy every day is a problem in itself, not to mention that it’s simply not a suitable place for me to live."

  "I'm afraid you don't have a choice," he replied dryly.

  May let out a loud scoff, making no effort to hide her displeasure.

  "I have no choice? Master, forgive me, but you cannot force me into this. I truly respect that you want to look out for my safety, but I do not give my consent."

  "Mhm. And just how do you intend to oppose me?"

  May’s eyes narrowed, not quite understanding what he meant. "Well, you can't just decide for me that I'm moving out. I simply refuse to do it."

  "As your Master, I have already made that decision for you," he replied calmly. "You are still a child, and as your Master, I can take responsibility for you, especially since you have no family here currently who could do so."

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  May paused to think. She didn't know the local laws well enough to tell if he was right. Unfortunately, she understood all too well the simple rule that often governed this place: 'the stronger and more influential person is right.'

  "Even so... doing this against my will..." she began slowly. "I can report this to the proper authorities."

  The man chuckled. "And do you think they will side with you or with your Master? Consider the big picture; given the circumstances, the situation is not exactly in your favor." He told her with a slight smile. “You don't have any connections, nor do you belong to any large clan that could help you.”

  The fact that he was right irritated her to no end. Suddenly, she recalled the name of the one person who might be able to oppose her Master...

  "I know Ze Yun, and he…”

  She didn't even get to finish before Hua Tang burst into laughter.

  "And who do you think sent this soldier here in the first place?" he asked, amused, arching his eyebrows toward the giant standing by the door. "When he found out what you had done, he was absolutely livid!"

  "That..." May was at a loss for words. If she were truly to be assigned protection by the order of one of the Sect Elders, and the Sect Leader’s nephew, no less, then her chances of overturning the decision were practically non-existent.

  "It looks like regardless of your objections, you will have a bodyguard from now on and you will be living far away from the academy..." Minnie commented, sounding irritated. "You know... this isn't exactly convenient for me either. Why do you always do things that ruin everyone’s lives?"

  May had no intention of responding to her. She didn't need to be fending off attacks from her side as well.

  “If I may interject...” Niu Pin approached and looked directly at May. “Despite your understandable concerns, cultivator May, I can assure you of my discretion, and that if you so desire, you will not even notice my presence.”

  May didn't respond, needing time to digest the idea. She knew that resistance was pointless. However, that didn't mean she liked the thought in the slightest.

  Security issues aside, could she trust him?

  Sure, Hua Tang is my master, but the truth is, I barely know him. This Niu Pin could be his spy. Considering everything, it wouldn't be surprising if Master Tang wanted to learn my secrets.

  “I understand,” she replied reluctantly, looking away. “It seems I have no choice but to agree to this for now.”

  She had no one to report it to. Hua Tang was extremely influential in the sect and, on top of that, had the support of Elder Yun. The police? The sect was in charge of that. The court? Also the sect. And Hua Tang is the sect. Not at the High Elder level, but enough to crush any illusions she might have had.

  “Great,” her master replied with a smile. “In that case, let's move on to a more serious topic...”

  May felt an even tighter knot in her stomach. She really didn't want to tell the whole story again after being interrogated about it for so long. She felt that if she had to talk about it one more time, she would explode.

  She began reluctantly. “I assume the Master wants to hear all the details of the case from me…”

  Although she didn’t feel like telling the story again, it seemed she had no choice. He was her master, so she couldn’t just ignore him. She understood very well that he deserved an answer.

  Contrary to May's expectations, her master just shook his head.

  “Not really. I already know most of the details, but I have a few additional questions,” he replied.

  May was surprised. How could he know the details? He wasn't part of the interrogation team, so he couldn't have known her version of events.

  “Um, Master, may I ask how you know these details? I didn't tell you...”

  “I was requested to provide assistance. The crime scene was, after all, the work of an evil alchemist. I was asked for expert advice in identifying the experiments that were being conducted there." He replied calmly. “I received a transcript of your interrogation, so I already know the general situation.”

  “Wasn't there a problem with that?” May was puzzled. After all, he was the master of the person who was being investigated. She thought that having him as an expert witness might be a little inappropriate.

  Hua Tang just shrugged.

  “Why would that be an issue? You are not a suspect in the case,” he replied dismissively. “Besides, there are not many people in the sect who are better than me when it comes to alchemy.”

  Perhaps it's just earthly common sense influencing me again... On Earth, someone so closely related to me would never be allowed to be involved in the case. However, it works to my advantage. It's good to know that no one suspects me of anything.

  “Well, anyway, I have to show you something... This was discovered at the site of the crime...” Hua Tang held out a light blue crystal, about the size of a ping-pong ball, toward her. It glowed with an iridescent color. “This was the main purpose of production, which was backed by an evil sect called the Three-Headed Snake Sect.”

  May frowned. She had once met one of the cultivators from this sect a long time ago. She was under Scar's protection at the time. She was warned that the sect was planning to spread its wings in this region.

  However, she kept quiet and had no intention of mentioning that she had already had dealings with this sect. Too many coincidences could not look good for her.

  “What exactly is this thing?” May asked, not recognizing the crystal. However, she sensed some sort of strange force radiating from it.

  “That's why the sect asked me for help. I'm supposed to find out,” replied Hua Tang. “Whatever these crystals are, their production is sheer wickedness. We found them in the cut-out organs.”

  May remembered how one of the men had harvested the organs of one of the deceased women. She hadn't understood it at the time, but now it made sense. Could these crystals only be produced in the internal organs of living humans...?

  “I sense some kind of evil aura from them.”

  “Yes... What else can you expect from something made from living beings? We’ll need to discover their mystery."

  “We?” May was taken aback.

  “I don't see why you're so surprised, considering you started this whole thing.” He frowned. “But yes. We need to find out why they were produced. Considering how risky it was, they must be something important.”

  After a moment, May became serious. She finally decided to ask about something she had been avoiding until now. “What about that pregnant woman?” She felt somewhat responsible for her fate.

  “She's being cared for by the best doctors, but..."

  “Can't she be saved...?”

  “If no one decides to take revenge for those you killed, at least until the birth, the child should be born healthy.” He answered seriously. “But that would be it.”

  “What about the woman?”

  “I'm sorry.” He answered, looking away.

  May closed her eyes and sighed. She shook her head. She had already asked about the system, how much it would cost to remove this worm from her body. The cost was in the millions. She couldn't help her.

  She talked about it with Hua Tang for quite a while, theorizing with him about potential applications of these crystals. He also had a few other questions for her. Their conversation was not particularly pleasant. She felt slightly depressed.

  However, he didn't bother her any longer than necessary, knowing that she was tired after all these events. Finally, he let her rest. Her new bodyguard, Niu Pin, led her to her new room, which was located in the farthest part of the building. She sighed quietly to herself, unhappy with this fact.

  She went inside and saw a spacious room, arranged quite modestly. It was clear that the room had been converted into her bedroom in a hurry and without much thought. However, rearranging the furniture was a concern for later.

  “Your things from Cloud Academy should arrive here tomorrow, Honorable Shang,” Niu Pin said to her, standing at attention.

  “You can just call me by my name, since we'll be seeing each other a lot now,” she replied, rolling her eyes.

  “As you wish,” he replied.

  She sighed quietly and told him to leave. The man walked out the door, but she knew he was watching her door and wasn't going to stray a step away from it.

  When is he going to sleep...?

  However, that wasn't something she was worried about. Instead, she took something she had been hiding out of her bag...

  “Damn it, May...” Minnie commented quietly.

  It was a thick leather book with hundreds of pages that she had stolen from that basement! It belonged to the evil alchemist and contained his thoughts and experiments. May had no doubt that it was something forbidden - something she would never be allowed to keep.

  "You don't intend to go down the path of an evil cultivator, do you?" Minnie asked with a hint of fear.

  I don’t plan on experimenting on humans or anything like that, if that’s what you’re asking. However, acquiring their knowledge isn’t inherently evil. Sure, it was created for wicked purposes, but as long as I don’t do anything wrong myself, it should be fine... right?

  "Yeah..." Minnie replied uncertainly.

  Anyway. First and foremost, I’ll look for any information regarding these crystals. Maybe I’ll find something important.

  And so, she began leafing through the pages...