# 1155
Chapter 1156: Jinian's Past
Commander-in-Chief's Office.
"...That's how it all happened."
After Lin Qiye finished speaking, Zuo Qing, standing by the window, closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.
"The fact that you all managed to escape from that place is truly remarkable... For a moment, it seemed like Great Xia was about to lose another elite squad."
Lin Qiye couldn't help but ask, "Commander Zuo, what's our next move?"
"After Jinian sent word back, I immediately reported the situation to Heavenly Court." Zuo Qing picked up the teapot on his desk, pouring tea for Lin Qiye as he spoke.
"Over these past three days, Heavenly Court has dispatched the Far-Seeing Eyes, the Keen-Eared Monitors, the Five Regional Water Gods, and the Dragon Kings of the Eastern and Southern Seas to search for the Cthulhu Faction's divine kingdom. So far, no leads."
"I've also reached out to Lu Wuwei, asking him to use his abilities to locate Shen Qingzhu..."
"And the results?" Lin Qiye asked urgently.
Lin Qiye trusted Lu Wuwei's people-finding abilities the most. Back then, he'd ridden an electric scooter across the sea to Japan, entering the "Human Enclosure" and even Takamagahara to find him. Surely finding Shen Qingzhu wasn't impossible either.
"It still didn't work. As you said, that divine kingdom is alive and moving fast. Even if Lu Wuwei can sense its direction, he can't keep up with it, let alone enter."
The spark of hope in Lin Qiye's eyes dimmed once more.
"Regardless, we'll do everything in our power to find the Cthulhu Faction's divine kingdom. The longer that place exists, the greater the threat to this world." Seeing Lin Qiye's dejected state, Zuo Qing offered words of comfort.
Lin Qiye took the tea Zuo Qing had poured for him, took a small sip, and nodded silently.
"By the way, did you find any leads on Zhou Ping this time?"
"We found some."
Lin Qiye briefly described the traces on the island to Zuo Qing, who nodded thoughtfully after listening.
"Being pursued by three deities... and this happened a month ago. With only this information, we still can't pinpoint his location. Are we really going to have to send Lu Wuwei out to sea again?"
The island Lin Qiye had marked was very far from Great Xia. If Lu Wuwei went out to sea to search for Zhou Ping, given his speed, it would take at least a month. That would leave the Shanhaiguan Pass guarding the southeast sea completely unguarded.
"Maybe we could ask the Oath Society?" Lin Qiye proposed a new approach.
"The Oath Society has an extensive network of influence overseas, and their information network is very well-developed. If the Sword Saint truly made some major moves abroad, they should have some intel."
"Hmm, worth a try."
Lin Qiye recalled Jinian's expression on the ship. After hesitating for a moment, he still asked:
"But why does she suddenly want to return to Great Xia? Is she on a mission?"
"Mission? How could that be?" Zuo Qing laughed. "The Oath Society and Night Watch aren't subordinate to each other. We have no authority to assign her missions. She's coming back to pay respects to an old friend."
"Old friend... Commander Ye?" Lin Qiye asked carefully.
Zuo Qing studied Lin Qiye for a long while. "You little rascal, are you fishing for gossip?"
"No, I'm just curious." Lin Qiye denied firmly.
"...There's nothing that can't be said." Zuo Qing unhurriedly sat down in his office chair. "Jinian and Commander Ye aren't what you think they were.
About... ten years ago? When Jinian was still a little girl, she caused a huge commotion in Huaihai City, taking down an entire Night Watch garrison unit all by herself."
Zuo Qing seemed to recall something, sighing with emotion.
"Can you believe it? A little girl, seven or eight years old, knocking out two Klein-level experts with her bare hands. In the end, it was Commander Ye—who was about to break through to Human Apex—who descended from the sky to Huaihai and finally subdued her."
"She was that strong even back then?" Lin Qiye was shocked.
"Not just strong—she was a monster."
"And then?"
"After they got her under control, the Night Watch Commander at the time, Wang Qing, ordered her to be locked in the Purification Chamber. Commander Ye couldn't bear to see such a young child imprisoned in a place like that, so he pleaded desperately on her behalf and managed to spare her.
After that, he kept Jinian by his side, teaching her how to conduct herself in the world while preventing her from losing control again.
I don't know exactly what happened after that, but not long after, Jinian left Great Xia, saying she was going into the mist to find a way back home. Commander Ye couldn't stop her, so he had no choice but to let her go...
Later, a force in the mist calling itself the Oath Society rose rapidly to power."
"I see..." Lin Qiye nodded.
Zuo Qing glanced at the clock on the wall and stood up from his chair.
"I need to head to Chennan Pass right away. The matter of coordinating with the Oath Society will be left to you... Your mission isn't over yet. Bring Zhou Ping back as soon as possible. If that truly isn't possible, I'll have no choice but to mobilize Lu Wuwei."
"Understood." Lin Qiye answered solemnly.
Zuo Qing picked up several documents. Just as he was about to leave, seeing that Lin Qiye was still standing quietly by the desk, he couldn't help but ask:
"Is there something else?"
"There is." Lin Qiye hesitated for a moment. "I want to find someone's home address..."
"Home address? Whose?"
"...Shen Qingzhu's."
...
Shangjing City.
Night Watch Cemetery.
A figure draped in a tattered cloak rose slowly from before the gravestone.
A gentle breeze swept across the cold cemetery, causing the petals of the white flower placed before the tombstone to flutter like scattered snow. The girl's black hair lifted in the wind, revealing reddened eyes.
She reached out her hands, gently stroking the black-and-white photograph before the grave, murmuring to herself:
"Transferring fate, changing destiny, soul annihilation... Ye Fan, you truly were ruthless."
"Now I don't even have the chance to visit you in the National Fortune Heroes' Hall..."
The girl gazed at the photograph for a long while, then let out a deep sigh.
A deep crimson figure walked through the cemetery, slowly approaching her side. With complex emotions in his eyes, he looked at the gravestone before him and placed the white flower in his hand at its base.
"What are you doing here?"
Jinian was startled to see Lin Qiye beside her.
"I just left headquarters, sensed you were here, and came to pay my respects on the way."
"Your spiritual感知 really is handy." Jinian rubbed her reddened eyes, forcing a casual, teasing tone. "You've probably used it to peek at quite a few pretty girls, haven't you?"
"? I never do that sort of thing."
"Pssh, don't pretend. If I had an ability like that, I'd be secretly checking out handsome guys' abs every day. Be honest with yourself."
Jinian waved her hand dismissively, took one last look at the gravestone, and turned to walk toward the cemetery exit.
"Go on then, what else did you come to find me for?"
"How did you know?"
"I just calculated it in my head—I knew you had a favor to ask." Jinian hmphed. "Go ahead, while I'm still feeling soft-hearted. Once I harden up, it won't be so easy to get me to agree."
Seeing this, Lin Qiye didn't beat around the bush any longer and asked directly:
"Do you know the Great Xia Sword Immortal, Zhou Ping?"
Jinian's footsteps faltered slightly.