"Jingyue, why are you here?" Liu Hui asked foolishly.

"Why shouldn't I be here?" Liang Jingyue countered expressionlessly.

"Jingyue, do you know? I've been looking for you for so long. I miss you terribly. Come back with me! I can't live without you." Liu Hui's mind felt like a confused mess; in that instant, he lost the capacity to think.

Liang Jingyue shook her head and said, "I can't go back with you."

"Why not? Is it because you gave that person the secret formula? Jingyue, I won't blame you. That incident won't affect our feelings. Our love can withstand such a test, can't it?" Liu Hui said anxiously.

"You can forgive me, but I can't forgive myself. Besides, I am living very well now; I don't want to repeat my past life." Liang Jingyue continued to shake her head, her expression unchanged.

"Jingyue, why would you say that? Do you want to forget the past?" Liu Hui was deeply surprised by her words and looked at Liang Jingyue with astonishment. Although it was only early March, he noticed that Liang Jingyue’s attire was alarmingly revealing, which immediately gave him a bad feeling. He asked in a trembling voice, "Jingyue, what kind of work are you doing now?"

Liang Jingyue glanced dismissively at her clothes and replied, "You've seen it; don't you understand yet?"

"Impossible! Your parents are very wealthy. How could they allow you to expose yourself like this? Impossible," Liu Hui muttered repeatedly, unable to accept what he was seeing.

"Unfortunately, your eyes don't deceive you. I'm sorry, I have to go now. Goodbye," Liang Jingyue said, turning to leave.

Only then did Liu Hui snap back to reality. He rushed forward, grabbing Liang Jingyue's hand with one hand while preparing to embrace her body with the other.

But that hand suddenly shifted its trajectory mid-motion, rapidly striking toward Liang Jingyue's chest. Caught completely off guard, and with the distance being too short, Liu Hui struck her heavily on the sternum. She immediately spat blood and staggered backward violently.

As Liang Jingyue vomited blood and retreated, Liu Hui's vision blurred, feeling as if something had shattered. He then found himself facing a Japanese monk wearing a yellow straw hat, clad in a black and white monk's robe, holding a golden alms bowl in one hand and a chanzhang (Zen staff) in the other. Blood dripped from the corner of the monk's mouth. Liang Jingyue was nowhere in sight.

"How did you realize something was wrong?" the monk coughed incessantly, spitting up blood with each effort.

"The reasoning is quite simple. First, although my woman speaks many foreign languages, she absolutely does not speak Japanese because she detests the Japanese. Yet, she was speaking Japanese to me just now. Second, my woman did not address me by name, which goes against her nature. Third, everything she said lacked any substance; she was merely following my train of thought. Based on these points, it was easy to detect that I had fallen victim to someone's illusionary technique," Liu Hui stated calmly.

Upon first seeing Liang Jingyue, Liu Hui had been overcome with excitement, causing him to overlook these obvious discrepancies. But once he calmed down, the flaws became apparent. In truth, there was one other point he hadn't mentioned: he was currently transformed into another person, making it impossible for the real Liang Jingyue to recognize him.

"Benefactor is indeed a person of great wisdom, yet why did you commit such an atrocity against the Metropolitan Police Department, causing so many innocent lives to be lost needlessly?" the monk said gravely. As he coughed up blood, his physical condition began to improve. "Don't monks preach the Four Emptinesses? Why suddenly involve yourselves in worldly affairs and even attack me?" Liu Hui chuckled.

"Benefactor, I am Mu Zhelongpan, a disciple of Honnō-ji Temple in Japan, currently traveling in Tokyo. I hadn't noticed your presence tonight. However, I detected continuous bursts of terrifying energy erupting from the direction of the Police Department, which led me to investigate. I never imagined it was the Benefactor engaging in a massacre. Your body is saturated with killing intent. Why not return with me to Honnō-ji and chant the Jinguang Jing for twenty years? Once your murderous nature is completely extinguished, you can re-emerge into the world," said the monk named Mu Zhelongpan.

"Tell me, old monk, what technique did you just use to make me hallucinate?" Liu Hui ignored Mu Zhelongpan’s proposal and instead showed intense interest in his illusionary art.

"That is one of my special abilities. I can utilize powerful mental energy to induce hallucinations in the target. However, the Benefactor's mental energy is also quite strong; it is remarkable that you noticed something amiss so quickly," Mu Zhelongpan admitted without concealment and explained in detail.

"Old monk, why did my woman’s image appear in your illusion?" Liu Hui inquired.

"Benefactor, I merely brought forth the scenario you most fear encountering in your subconscious, manifesting it before your eyes. As for what those images are, I have no idea; I can only follow your words to guide your next move," Mu Zhelongpan explained thoroughly.

"Old monk, you should leave now. I will not go with you; I have my own life and pursuits," Liu Hui said. After understanding the monk's abilities, he felt he had no chance of winning.

Setting aside the monk's special ability to create illusions, the mere fact that he only coughed and spat blood after taking a heavy blow from Liu Hui, instead of collapsing, and now seemed to have recovered his formidable physique, convinced Liu Hui he shouldn't engage further. He immediately turned to leave.

"Since the Benefactor has incurred such towering murderous karma, you must accompany me back to Honnō..." Mu Zhelongpan exclaimed loudly, his figure shifting, miraculously intercepting Liu Hui's path.

Liu Hui started in surprise, causing a slight fluctuation in his emotions. A subtle energy leak emanated from the magic mask.

Mu Zhelongpan frowned, letting out an "Eh?" sound. "There's something strange about this!"

Mu Zhelongpan planted his chanzhang into the ground, sat down cross-legged, and held the golden alms bowl directly in front of his eyes, emitting a few strange sounds.

Those strange sounds were peculiar: low yet high, distant yet near, seemingly acting directly upon the mind.

Liu Hui’s inner core was stimulated by the sounds, and his body reacted instantly. His body began to tremble along with the strange noises. The magic mask suddenly failed, and Liu Hui reverted to his original appearance.

"As expected. I didn't anticipate the Benefactor possessing such a wondrous treasure. If such an item were to remain loose in the world, it would cause extreme disruption to secular life. It seems the Benefactor must accompany me to Honnō-ji!" Mu Zhelongpan quickly stood up, drawing his chanzhang.

"This is truly troublesome! Since you have seen my true form, then you must die!" Liu Hui suddenly exploded into action, lunging toward the monk. Now that the monk had seen his real face, Liu Hui felt he had no choice but to eliminate him.

With a menacing grin, Liu Hui charged the monk, a sharp dagger appearing in his hand, aimed at the monk’s throat. Unexpectedly, there was a flash of intense light, followed by a searing heat. Liu Hui found himself standing at the rim of a volcano churning with lava, and the monk’s figure was there too?

"Heh heh, using your mental abilities on me again? But a mere trick like this can’t harm me!" Liu Hui scoffed repeatedly, ignoring the scorching lava and charging forward. Indeed, the searing molten rock caused him no harm.

However, after Liu Hui passed through the intense lava flow, he was confronted by a dense fog. He cautiously navigated the area enveloped in mist and found himself facing a snow-covered mountain range ahead.

Liu Hui stood still. He knew clearly that all these phenomena were conjured by the monk and were not real. Even if he traversed this mountain peak again, a desert might appear next. If that happened, he would be trapped in the illusion, awaiting exhaustion and capture.

Liu Hui carefully sensed the differences in his surroundings, hoping to find a way to break the monk's illusionary technique. Suddenly, a heaven-shaking dragon roar echoed, and a colossal dragon radiating blinding light lunged rapidly toward Liu Hui. He was considered a man of firm will; these commonplace illusions could not deceive him. He did not dodge, instead reaching out a hand to grasp the dragon directly. The dragon swiftly recoiled and was caught in his grasp.

With a forceful tug, Liu Hui pulled the dragon toward him, holding it before his eyes. What giant dragon was this? It was merely the chanzhang held by the monk.

Liu Hui had never before engaged in combat with a master of mental abilities, and for the moment, he lacked the means to break through the monk's illusory attacks. He could only remain rooted in place, yet anxiety gnawed at him. Delaying was highly disadvantageous. If the Self-Defense Force members arrived, he would be in serious trouble. Just as Liu Hui's thoughts raced, a massive mountain suddenly materialized in the sky, pressing down upon his head.

Liu Hui was startled, quickly raising both hands to block the descending mountain. But how could he stop it? Just as the mountain was about to crush him, Liu Hui twisted his wrist, and a steel bead shot out. As the bead flew, the snow-covered mountain range and the immediate threat of the overhead mountain vanished completely. A golden alms bowl clanged onto the ground before Liu Hui.

The monk lay not far away, clutching his throat, blood continuously seeping between his fingers. He could no longer speak, staring at Liu Hui in sheer horror, his eyes filled with questioning disbelief.

"Old monk, are you very curious how I pierced through your illusion to find you?" Liu Hui smiled.

A look of bewildered astonishment flashed in the monk’s eyes, but he was unable to ask.

"Old monk, I will tell you this secret so you may die understanding, as you possess a sliver of compassion and didn't truly intend for me to die. Since you are a monk, you carry the scent of sandalwood. Know that every person possesses abilities that are vastly superior to others in some aspect. Your strength lies in formidable mental power, capable of manipulating the five senses to create illusions. My ability, conversely, is an extremely sensitive sense of smell. Although you manipulated my nose to prevent me from sensing odors, you underestimated the acuteness of my sense of smell! Thus, while my eyes were deceived, my nose had already located your position," Liu Hui explained to the monk, a rare instance of candor.

The monk named Mu Zhelongpan understood these points, but greater confusion surfaced, his eyes swimming with questions.

"Heh heh, old monk, are you perhaps wondering: why, despite having a protective cultivation art that prevented serious injury from your ambush, could a tiny steel bead be enough to kill me?" Liu Hui laughed.

The monk nodded slightly.

"Old monk, there are many things in this world you cannot comprehend, just as I cannot comprehend your illusionary arts. I happen to possess a steel bead capable of breaking seals. Breaking a seal means that unless your protective cultivation art has reached a certain level, my bead can pierce through your body. I was feigning ignorance of your location earlier only to lull you into a false sense of security when you finally used the golden bowl to launch your ultimate attack. At that moment, you must have relaxed, right? Because you let down your guard, I seized that most advantageous moment to strike. That is the entire sequence of events," Liu Hui narrated.

The monk showed a look of sudden comprehension, then closed his eyes, a look of serenity appearing on his face.

Liu Hui sighed, "Old monk, who told you to see my true form? So, I apologize."

Liu Hui stepped forward and observed that after piercing the monk's throat, the steel bead continued its trajectory, penetrating several large boulders before embedding itself deep within the stone of the arched bridge. This bead was custom-made for Liu Hui by Xiaoyaozi because the required sealing array needed a very specific component, meaning Xiaoyaozi couldn't produce them in large quantities. This was the only one made; Liu Hui had requested it specifically to survive an encounter with an overwhelming enemy during his trip to Japan, never expecting to use it so soon.

Once fired, the array etched onto the steel bead was destroyed, rendering it single-use.

Liu Hui examined it closely. The bead was lodged deep inside the bridge stone and couldn't be retrieved immediately. He frowned slightly, using some loose soil to fill the small hole. If one didn't look closely, the bead would be invisible.

Finally, Liu Hui cast the monk’s corpse into his storage space. He double-checked the surroundings, collecting everything that might betray his presence into the spatial dimension. Lastly, Liu Hui inspected the magic mask. The monk had only briefly scrambled the magical elements on the mask, causing a temporary failure; it had now resumed its transformation function. Liu Hui quickly altered his identity again and swiftly left the scene.

On his way back to the small hotel, Liu Hui noticed police cars speeding toward the Metropolitan Police Department. He even spotted a convoy of tanks arriving as reinforcement. Furthermore, more than ten armed helicopters circled overhead, maintaining a perimeter, though these choppers dared not approach the Police Department building. The Department itself was engulfed in roaring flames that lit up half the sky.

Liu Hui feigned extreme terror, keeping his head down as he walked toward the small hotel. He quickly reached the street where the hotel was located, slipped in through the open window of his room, and reverted to his disguise as Ah Shui.

Liu Hui turned on the television. The news was broadcasting reports about the massive fire at the Metropolitan Police Department. The screen showed utter chaos at the scene: explosions and widespread conflagration. Dozens of fire trucks sprayed futile columns of water against the building, unable to diminish the intensity of the blaze even slightly.

Reporters at the scene surrounded the rescue chief for interviews, but the official remained expressionless, offering only curt "No comment." The reporters gleaned no useful information whatsoever.

The anchor, having no choice, addressed the audience: "Our reporters at the scene have been unable to gather any information, and the cause of the incident at the Metropolitan Police Department remains unknown. We will continue to bring the latest updates to our viewers. Please stay tuned to this channel for further news reports."

After the anchor finished, the camera cut back to the studio where several invited guests began analyzing the potential causes of the incident. However, their analyses were wildly off the mark from the actual truth. Liu Hui had no interest in listening to their baseless speculation and simply lay down to sleep.

The next morning, Liu Hui woke up feeling refreshed. His desire to visit Japan had been fulfilled, and he prepared to return immediately. He checked out of his room, ate breakfast, and headed toward Narita Airport. Along the way, he bought several newspapers. The front page of every paper screamed the headline about the attack on the Metropolitan Police Department the previous night. The accompanying photographs showed the Police Department burned beyond recognition, standing blackly like a piece of charcoal.

Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Attacked by Terrorists; Perpetrator Identified as Yakuza?

Weak Defenses at Police HQ; Overrun by Gangsters. What Shame for Tokyo Police?

Yakuza Use Diversion Tactic; Police HQ Defenses Breached in Most Horrific Attack in History

Japan's Ministry of Justice Issues Formal Statement, Urging the Supreme Court to Take Action Against the Yakuza

Extra! Mysterious Weapon Spotted Last Night; Air Force Fighter Jet Shot Down. Did Citizens Witness the Mysterious Weapon in Action? For detailed coverage, subscribe to our special supplement!

Liu Hui looked at the papers without betraying a flicker of emotion. Just as he had wished, the Japanese authorities had diverted all attention to the Yamaguchi-gumi. After all, they had apprehended a large number of Yakuza members outside the Police Department, and under interrogation, those members confessed that the attack was their meticulously planned operation. They remained clueless, however, about what weapons were used to neutralize the jets and tanks, as none of the attackers survived, and the massive fire had incinerated all traces.

Liu Hui arrived at Narita International Airport and, upon inquiring at the ticket counter, found a flight to Hong Kong departing shortly. He promptly bought a ticket and boarded the plane.

As the aircraft ascended and passed over Tokyo, the smoke still rose from the Metropolitan Police Department building. Liu Hui felt...

Pian Yu Chu Hai apologizes sincerely to everyone. Three days ago, I suddenly received notice requiring me to conduct market research, necessitating a three-day business trip. I had no time to write during the trip. Upon returning today, I am rushing to draft this update and guarantee that there will be no further interruptions to updates. I apologize! C