Ha, Karma! – Chapter 91

Let’s See What You’re Made Of.

It was a new day.

Chu Zhaoqiu and Fu Lianxue left home separately, one heading to the Demon Hunting Association, the other to work.

Baobao remained at home as the little house-cat.

In the underground parking garage, Fu Lianxue took a hot latte from her assistant and turned to Chu Zhaoqiu. “I’ll probably be home very late again tonight.”

Chu Zhaoqiu nodded, reminding her gently, “Be careful on the road.”

Fu Lianxue naturally brought the drink in her hand to Chu Zhaoqiu’s lips. Watching her take a sip, she then said, “You too.”

The two linked hands, reluctant to part.

Cheng Hanxi, standing by the car, couldn’t help but feel relieved and reassured seeing this scene.

As long as Fu Lianxue and Chu Zhaoqiu got along harmoniously and didn’t come to blows, anything was fine.

She deliberately waited a moment, then looked down at her watch, finally unable to resist bursting their little pink bubble. “Alright, alright, you two. There will be plenty of time for romance later, okay? Let’s get in the car and go to work now.”

Fu Lianxue immediately hugged her girlfriend. “Chu Zhaoqiu, you have to miss me, understand?”

Chu Zhaoqiu smiled. “Then I’ll start missing you right now, is that okay?”

Fu Lianxue nodded in satisfaction. “Okay. It just so happens I have to go, so you can start missing me right now~”

Chu Zhaoqiu, her eyes full of love, kissed her hair gently. “Then I’ll see you tonight.”

“See you tonight~”

The young couple bid each other a lingering farewell.

Fu Lianxue finally got into the car.

Their car and Chu Zhaoqiu’s car went their separate ways at the complex gate.

Fu Lianxue rested her chin on her hand, gazing out the window, watching her girlfriend’s car drive further and further away.

Because of the sinister Ji Congyun, she was now even more concerned about Chu Zhaoqiu, constantly mindful of her safety.

“Snap out of it, sis,” Cheng Hanxi’s voice came from beside her. “She’s long gone, you can’t see her anymore.”

Fu Lianxue adjusted her posture, saying regretfully, “I really wish I could put her in my bag and take her everywhere with me. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about her being snatched away by some bad thing.”

She had only managed to stop Ji Congyun from going further off the deep end yesterday because she happened to return by chance.

But how could she be so lucky every time?

As long as that Ji Congyun character remained in Zhou City for a single day, she couldn’t rest easy for a single day.

Seeing her actually showing concern for the Young Family Head of a demon hunting family, Cheng Hanxi couldn’t help but laugh. “You should worry about yourself first, okay? She definitely has the ability to protect herself.”

Fu Lianxue retorted, “I still worry.”

Cheng Hanxi conceded, “Alright then. Later, you can tell her you want to put her in your bag. She’ll definitely be happy to oblige.”

Given how much Chu Zhaoqiu doted on Fu Lianxue, if Fu Lianxue wanted to steal the moon, Chu Zhaoqiu would probably say yes.

But unexpectedly, Fu Lianxue disagreed. “No, I can’t do that.”

“She has her own career. How could I rob her of her freedom and tie her to my side? That’s not right. Xiao Cheng, when you date in the future, you can’t become that kind of person. Listen to your big sis, okay?”

You were the one who first said you wanted to stuff her in your bag and carry her around!

Fu Lianxue-jiejie innocently picked up her phone and started chatting with a friend.

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Meanwhile, the Demon Hunting Association still had no leads.

Even after expanding the search scope to the entire city of Zhou City, they couldn’t find a second, similar case.

The suspect seemed to have vanished into thin air after that incident.

Except for the demonic energy that had unexpectedly appeared that night.

Inside the Association’s main hall, Chu Zhaoqiu walked slowly alongside a woman with short hair.

Their shoes made steady, rhythmic clicks on the polished floor tiles.

The woman was none other than the Association President, Zeng Han¹.

“We’ve gathered information on demons with relevant criminal records from Associations across the country. But these demons have either been captured or are already dead. There’s one who wore a mask and never showed their true face, and their current whereabouts are unknown.”

“In short, we’re currently in a very passive position.”

Zeng Han stopped and looked at Chu Zhaoqiu.

“Xiao Qiu, do you have any leads?”

An image of Ji Congyun flashed through Chu Zhaoqiu’s mind without reason.

Ji Congyun’s words from last night, “be used by me,” had stuck with her ever since, bothering her greatly.

What did “be used by her” mean?

To become her subordinate?

No, she hated humans so much; whether she could even tolerate humans flitting about under her nose was questionable.

Then could it be that she wanted to pass all her cultivation techniques to her, help her break through, and ascend instantly?

Wouldn’t she then end up being drained dry like that deceased victim?

Indeed, she still had to be wary of Ji Congyun—not just her, but all demon hunters should be vigilant.

Chu Zhaoqiu opened her lips. “I recently encountered a Charm Demon named Ji Congyun.”

“She detests humans, has a dark and calculating mind, uses unorthodox techniques, and is extremely self-centered. She cannot be fathomed with normal logic. She also said she wanted me to be used by her, so I worry she might make moves detrimental to humanity later on.”

Hearing her words, Zeng Han’s expression immediately turned serious.

“Xiao Qiu, do you know what this Ji Congyun looks like?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Come, let’s find an artist. We’ll have her appearance sketched first, so everyone can be on guard later.”

“Okay.”

After taking two steps, Chu Zhaoqiu added, “President Zeng, could I also take a look at the information on those demons that was transferred over?”

Zeng Han didn’t hesitate. “Of course. I’ll have someone bring it over in a moment.”

“Thank you.”

Zeng Han smiled and patted her shoulder.

After Ji Congyun’s portrait was finished, an Association staff member brought over the collected demon information.

Chu Zhaoqiu reached out and took it, thanking them softly.

Zeng Han tapped the folder’s cover. “This is the information on those demons who forcibly enhance themselves by absorbing others’ magical power. Take your time looking through it. I have other matters to attend to.”

Chu Zhaoqiu acknowledged. Only after Zeng Han left did she open the folder.

She flipped through it page by page, her gaze sweeping over every line of information, every unfamiliar face.

Until she saw the demon wearing a mask.

The information about this demon was very vague.

She still hadn’t been caught.

Tucked into the page was a color photograph. In the photo, she was looking back.

The photo was somewhat blurry, but one could still see she wore a mask, upon which a distorted red pattern was simply drawn.

Chu Zhaoqiu stared at the mask in the photo, stunned and astonished.

She recognized this mask.

It was the exact mask worn by the female demon who had pursued her during her missing memory period!

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Time flew by, and soon it was 10:22 PM.

Fu Lianxue collapsed into her chair, closing her eyes to rest.

A bit tired, missing the little cat at home a bit, and also missing her girlfriend a bit.

She picked up her phone and scrolled through the messages Chu Zhaoqiu had sent her today.

Chu Zhaoqiu had told her some news—the masked female demon who once hunted Chu Zhaoqiu was still alive. She had preyed on other demon hunters in other cities, but her current whereabouts were unknown, which was regrettable.

She opened the photo of the masked female demon that Chu Zhaoqiu had sent.

Zoom in, zoom in, zoom in, trying to find any tiny clue that could reveal the other’s identity.

But after searching for a long time, she found nothing.

She truly cared about this matter. A demon who inexplicably wanted to kill the person she loved—she couldn’t just ignore it.

So, she thought for a moment and sent the photo to her friend.

Her Charm Demon friend, who disliked Ji Congyun just as much as she did.

Back then, it was this friend who had taken care of her after she was severely injured, staying until she recovered. Their relationship remained very good to this day.

[Miaomiao², have you seen this masked demon before?]

After sending the message, she didn’t hold out much hope.

But she just wanted to try. What if?

Unexpectedly, a few seconds later, the “what if” really happened—

[Miaomiao]: Huh, this mask looks a bit familiar

Fu Lianxue: Quick, help me remember!

Fu Lianxue: This is really important to me!

[Miaomiao]: Ahhh, don’t rush me, don’t rush me, let me rush first!

The woman in front of the screen sat before her phone, scratching her head anxiously.

A few minutes later, inspiration struck. She finally remembered!

Fu Lianxue waited nervously. Just as she was about to start biting her nails from anxiety, Miaomiao replied—

[It’s Ji Congyun!]

[I saw Ji Congyun wear this mask before!!!]

Fu Lianxue: “…?”

The mask painted with red patterns was tossed into a trash bin, followed by several other masks with different designs.

Ji Congyun averted her eyes indifferently.

Seeing this, the black energy behind her asked, puzzled, “My Lord, why did you throw them away? Didn’t you like these masks very much?”

Ji Congyun not only liked them, but she would also wear these masks when going out to kill people.

One could say she both liked and needed these things—needed them to hide her identity, to avoid being discovered. After all, maintaining a different face for extended periods required magical support; if the magic was broken even momentarily, her identity would be exposed.

Ji Congyun chuckled softly. “I like them, but they’re becoming less and less necessary for me.”

“After tonight, they’ll be even less necessary.”

She pushed open the window, feeling the cold wind blow against her face, the corners of her mouth lifting uncontrollably.

Time waits for no one. It was time for her to pay another visit to this Young Family Head Chu.

—This would be the last time.

Chu Zhaoqiu was the last person to leave Wuchang Mountain.

For some reason, she suddenly felt uneasy.

Before departing, she turned back to gaze towards the summit of Wuchang Mountain—gloomy and mysterious, a symbol of death, a place leading to the Underworld.

Averting her gaze, she returned to her car and drove away.

She glanced at the time. It was past ten. She wondered if her girlfriend had finished work and gone home yet. Baobao was probably waiting lonely by the door for mama to come home again.

She picked up her phone, preparing to call Fu Lianxue.

But the next second, the signal bars on her phone plummeted, finally giving up entirely and displaying “No Service.”

Following immediately was a chilling coldness rising all around, as if autumn had ended prematurely, plunging abruptly into winter.

She stopped the car, her expression calm.

The situation was no longer simple.

Because outside, black demonic energy was rapidly swirling around.

Soon, a black dome-like barrier descended heavily, drawing a circle to imprison her, trapping her within. The road ahead was no longer visible.

She glanced at her phone again—still no signal.

So, she placed the phone in the car, removed her hairpin, opened the door, and got out. Holding her horsetail whisk, she quietly watched the black demonic energy slowly coalesce under the car’s headlights.

A graceful figure emerged from the black mist.

The woman wore a beautiful black long dress and a small black lace fascinator hat. She was exquisitely dressed from head to toe, as if attending a grand banquet.

She curved her eyes into a smile, a smile overflowing with sinister energy.

“We meet again, Young Family Head Chu~”

Chu Zhaoqiu looked at Ji Congyun before her, her expression perfectly composed. “I knew you’d come back.”

“Of course. I couldn’t wait to see you again.”

“What do you want?”

“What I want is…”

“To see what you’re made of.”

From the swirling black energy coiled behind her, deep, overlapping panting sounds suddenly emerged, like beasts lurking in the forest, poised to strike, echoing her words.

Then, Chu Zhaoqiu watched as a long, twisted arm suddenly stretched out from the black energy.

That hand rested on the ground as a body slowly tore itself out of the black energy, finally revealing itself completely before her.

A tall, thin, twisted monster with a dejected, sinister expression, resembling a human but not quite.

Immediately after, a horn as sharp as a scythe poked out from the black energy.

Another horrifyingly grotesque monster crawled out sinisterly from within.

Then came a third, a fourth… a total of seven monsters crawled out.

The monsters varied in form, some tall, some short, but every single one was extremely terrifying and dreadful.

They stood behind Ji Congyun, their breathing heavy, emanating a silent, sinister black aura, like an invincible army.

And Ji Congyun was the lofty queen of this army.

She curled her lip, her eyes revealing an almost twisted, perverse excitement. “Chu Zhaoqiu, let me see how you alone can survive against us!”

This is a little warning.

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