In a modern information society, as long as you leave a trace on the internet, you will eventually be found.
All of Nan Zhi's contact methods—WeChat, QQ, email, Weibo... even her video and music streaming accounts—were completely flooded with all kinds of private messages.
Videos she had commented on became trending topics, and playlists she had recommended were downloaded repeatedly.
Even an obscure domestic single-player game that Nan Zhi had recommended on her Moments feed five years ago suddenly went viral, rising from the dead.
Even more absurdly, the bank card she used to receive her salary received new transfer notifications every minute.
“Your account ending in 6212 received an online transfer of 8,000,000 RMB at 18:36 on January 26th. Payee: Nan Zhi. Current account balance is...”
“Your account ending in 6212 received an online transfer of 5,000,000 RMB at 18:37 on January 26th. Payee: Nan Zhi. Current account balance is...”
“Your bank card ending in 6212 received an overseas transfer of 20,000,000 RMB at 18:38 on January 26th via interbank transfer. Current account balance is...”
—All of them came from different countries, different regions, and different identities. Even the smallest transfer started at a million.
In just half a day, the balance on that bank card accumulated to a terrifying figure.
The remarks under every transfer were uniformly formatted as “Country + Name + Contact Information.” Some even threw around tens of millions just to make her familiar with their names.
There was no shortage of entertainment celebrities, high-ranking officials, and wealthy businessmen who frequently appeared in the news.
Since the dawn of human civilization, the yearning and pursuit of longevity and transcendence had never ceased.
Ever since the Spiritual Resurgence and the dramatic changes on Blue Star a few months ago, although some humans realized that this planet was about to welcome new rules, they didn't have much of a real sense of it.
Not until the chaos in Tailande did a real, living cultivator—who had previously been an ordinary person—appear in everyone's line of sight.
Regardless of identity or status, who wouldn't want to pursue immortality?
This was a carnival of seeking immortality.
No one knew what the future would hold.
But no one didn't want to possess such a powerful force.
With unread notifications on every app displaying “99+,” the moment Nan Zhi opened her messages, her domestic phone, which had accompanied her for four years, froze instantly.
The poor phone was bombarded with messages refreshing by the second, forcing it to lag until it completely crashed.
Nan Zhi: “...”
Now she finally understood why cultivators avoided the mortal world and always chose desolate, godforsaken wildernesses to cultivate.
With such a barrage of chaotic information, even a cultivator wouldn't be able to resist the temptation and would lose focus.
“Ahem.”
Qin Yue stood at the door and cleared her throat, her expression looking as if she were holding back a laugh.
“I forgot to remind you, but you probably won't be able to use this number anymore. Besides, you've used that phone for so long; it's about time to change to a new one.”
With that, she handed over a low-profile, dark gray smartphone.
“It's a dedicated secure phone used internally by the Special Investigation Bureau. No other calls can get through except for specific numbers. There's also a new SIM card and bank card, which will make things convenient for you in the future.”
“Thanks, that's exactly what I need.”
Nan Zhi casually accepted it and powered it on without a second thought.
—The government wasn't so stupid as to tamper with the phone. After all, the Demon Suppression Division and the government were currently in their “honeymoon period.”
Once they wiretapped or tracked her, let alone future cooperation, the two sides would likely turn into enemies.
No one would do something so foolish as to lose a great deal of benefit over a petty gain.
Since returning from Tailande, her rented apartment was no longer liveable.
For the past few days, she had been temporarily staying at the Special Investigation Bureau experimental base.
The interface of the new phone was outrageously simple. Aside from basic call and SMS functions, only the Lingjing App sat solitarily on the desktop.
Her old phone had a brief moment of recovery. After rebooting, the constant "ding-ding-ding" of message alerts continued to ring in her ears.
“They all want to join the Demon Suppression Division. This is my first time seeing such a massive bank balance.
There's even an overseas account that made over a dozen consecutive transfers—a one followed by eight zeros. I was almost tempted.”
Nan Zhi glanced at the message notifications and couldn't help but say:
“I'm just an ordinary demon suppressor. I don't have the authority to recruit people into the Demon Suppression Division. They've miscalculated.
If they went to beg Senior Sister Ma, they might stand a chance.”
“Master's whereabouts are uncertain. Ever since she rode a fish to the east from the Yellow River Secret Realm, there has been no news of her.”
Qin Yue shook her head and joked half-seriously:
“If money could really buy a spot in the Demon Suppression Division, these people would probably squeeze their heads off trying to grab one.
They aren't transferring money to you because they truly believe it will give them a chance to cultivate. It's just to leave a good impression on you first and make sure you recognize their names.”
“Tens of millions or millions just to get noticed. They're certainly generous.”
Nan Zhi suddenly remembered something and laughed softly, her expression carrying a hint of sarcasm.
“It's just that some people still think of me as a softie that they can knead and squeeze however they like.”
Her second uncle, Nan Fang, had somehow obtained her contact information. He had sent more than twenty consecutive text messages with earnest and deeply emotional words.
The first few messages reminisced about the past and apologized with sincere wording. The middle ones used Grandma as an excuse to raise the banner of 'blood is thicker than water,' trying to get close to her in every possible way.
In the end, seeing that she didn't reply for a long time, the man finally dropped his mask, hurling all kinds of verbal abuse, vulgarities, and vicious curses all at once.
He seemed utterly exasperated at not being able to take any advantage, regretting it to the point of clawing his own heart out.
Qin Yue knew exactly who Nan Zhi was talking about, but she only smiled and did not comment further.
Her Little Aunt's identity was special, so the government had naturally done a background check on her.
What she didn't tell her was that her Little Aunt's second uncle and cousin had originally planned to contact the media everywhere to cause trouble, but before the plan could even be executed, it was aborted in its infancy.
The matters concerning the Demon Suppression Division were causing a huge stir online, so Nan Zhi's second uncle naturally knew about it too.
Unable to contact Nan Zhi, and seeing people online talking about cultivation and longevity, with some willing to pay tens of millions just for a chance to meet her, his eyes turned red with jealousy.
But seeing that Nan Zhi ignored him, Nan Fang came up with a dirty trick.
He contacted multiple media outlets, intending to accept interviews in the capacity of the "mysterious cultivator's" biological uncle, while exposing Nan Zhi's "true face" of being unfilial.
He was calculating his steps perfectly.
When the first media outlet received the news, they thought it was a windfall from heaven. They immediately arranged luxury cars to pick up Nan Fang's family and booked star-rated hotel accommodations for them, fearing someone else would snatch the scoop first.
They thought they could grab the front-page headline. But once the reporter did a brief interview and heard their demands, they felt as if the sky had fallen.
What did you say?
You forced your under-eighteen-year-old niece to marry the village idiot on the east side?
And you made a scene at her grandmother's funeral, not even letting her see her grandma one last time?
Once she became an adult, you seized her old house and forced your niece to wander in other regions?
Terrified, the media outlet deleted their official account overnight, dumped the family at the hotel, and practically flew away in their plane that very night.
What interview subject? How could they slander someone's innocence out of thin air?
Does that family have anything to do with us?
We don't know, we're not clear, don't talk nonsense.
Rate on N.U.
