Chapter 25: Time Was Running Out for Her

There is nothing greater than liberating one's mind; reverse thinking is of paramount importance.

After enduring previous failures, Fu Qian’s approach this time was remarkably simple: there is no such thing as a thousand days of defense against a thief.

Instead of fretting over how to keep Wen Li alive, he decided to drop her in an absolutely safe place and force her to achieve promotion at the fastest possible speed.

As the old saying goes, give tasks to time, rather than time to tasks.

Wen Li spent a full ten minutes adjusting her emotions, but even after the sobbing ceased, she clearly remained resistant.

"I don't understand." Her voice was dry.

"You don't need to understand. You only need to make a choice."

"Either spend every second working toward your promotion, or end up on tomorrow’s front page headlines in the buff."

"Also, let me remind you: even if you die here, it will not change how I intend to handle things tomorrow."

Fu Qian reminded this beautiful woman of the cruel reality she faced—a beauty who, even in a life-or-death situation, did not forget to wipe her face. He was confident that when faced with such a threat, her potential would be infinite.

"At least tell me, why are you doing this?"

Wen Li clearly possessed a logical mind and quickly recognized her fate. Even so, she could not help but voice the question in her heart.

Yes, why on earth was he doing this? To save her life? He had certainly saved her more than once. But why make such outrageous demands? Was he just a perverted powerhouse who enjoyed toying with human nature?

"You are likely overthinking it. I simply happened to pass by, saw that you had an exceptional constitution and were a prodigy for cultivation, and decided to enlighten you and bestow a stroke of fortune upon you."

...

"Can I choose not to accept this fortune?"

"What heaven gives, you must take. It is not up to you."

"But... my abilities are heavily influenced by my emotions. I really don't think I can achieve promotion under these circumstances."

"Didn't I just slap that Young Master Ye to make you feel better?"

"Why would that make me... wait, how did you know about that!"

...

In the end, Miss Wen was forced to accept her destiny and gradually quieted down. She sat upright, eyes slightly closed, adjusting her breathing. In the quiet space, her entire presence became ethereal.

Dealing with smart people is truly simple!

Fu Qian watched Wen Li sitting with her back to him, feeling deeply gratified.

"Jade must be carved to become a vessel. Seeing you so diligent, I can finally rest easy."

Wen Li’s upright posture gave a visible shudder.

"A friendly reminder: you have 23 hours and 35 minutes left."

Seeing her shoulders twitch, as if she were crying again, and confirming she wouldn't let up, Fu Qian nodded with satisfaction and closed his eyes where he stood.

He was not sleeping; on the contrary, he had opened his five senses to their fullest, covering every corner of the room. Wen Xiuxian had described this place as impregnable, but that was based on his own common sense. Fu Qian, having once witnessed a lightning railgun, viewed these "impenetrable walls" as mere deterrents for minor nuisances.

For instance, right now.

Fu Qian suddenly opened his eyes and blew a breath toward the air in front of him. The air distorted imperceptibly, and a near-transparent thread was blown aside by his breath.

Silently, a deep gouge appeared on the wall. The original target of that thread had been his throat.

The next moment, the air rippled again, and over ten similar threads coiled toward him from all directions. This time, Fu Qian did not move, allowing them to wrap around him. The razor-sharp threads quickly constricted around him from head to toe, tightening to shred him into pieces.

Feeling the threads nearly cutting into his flesh, Fu Qian took a deep breath.

The next instant, a series of snapping sounds erupted; the threads binding him snapped inch by inch and dissipated into the air.

*Found you.*

Simultaneously, Fu Qian leaped high and tore open the ventilation duct above his head. More threads attempted to entangle his hand, but he grabbed them and yanked hard.

*Hmph!*

A figure leaped out from the ventilation duct, staring daggers at Fu Qian. It was an acquaintance—the poker-faced middle-aged woman.

"Team Leader Tan, you've aged quite a bit."

Fu Qian blew the severed threads in his hand toward her. The threads, having lost their power, were no longer transparent but had turned into greyish-white strands of hair. Looking at the clearly shortened patch of hair on Tan Mingxue’s head, it was obvious where these things came from, unless her hairstylist had suffered a catastrophic accident.

The Nightwatchers certainly arrived quickly.

Recalling how Mr. Ji had been cosplaying as the Jade Emperor just moments ago, Fu Qian had to admire their efficiency in calling for backup.

"Who are you?"

Age is indeed a lethal blow to a woman. Originally, Tan Mingxue’s expression had held three parts gravity and two parts confusion, but after Fu Qian’s remark, only killing intent remained. Visible bloodlust radiated wildly from her.

Fu Qian remained indifferent. Based on his previous experience with her, this woman had a notoriously short fuse. Given the current situation—him kidnapping a young lady of the Wen family and injuring innocent bystanders—the only way to have a "peaceful" conversation was to surrender and go with her, which was a condition he could never accept. It was better to provoke her, making her blood rush to her head and creating more openings.

"Team Leader Tan, you just tried to kill me, and you don't know who I am?" Fu Qian blinked. "Your law enforcement attitude is problematic."

"That is not for you to judge. Answer my question, or leave your last words. Choose one."

Tan Mingxue’s eyes were cold. Ultimately, she was an experienced transcendent; she did not lose her composure despite her anger, which left Fu Qian quite disappointed.

*Ah—*

Fu Qian ignored her and stretched languidly. "I choose neither."

"Stubborn to the end!"

Tan Mingxue did not speak again. Her long hair began to move without wind, spreading out in all directions until it stood perfectly erect as if she had touched a static electricity ball. The tips of her hair extended, transforming into those transparent threads, nearly shrouding the entire room. As the threads whipped about, the air was sliced and churned countless times.

The entire room had been turned into an invisible meat grinder; one wrong step would result in being sliced into a thousand pieces.

Since she was playing so dirty, she couldn't blame him.

Fu Qian raised his arms and did a chest-expansion exercise. He needed to finish this quickly. Miss Wen was clearly distracted by the arrival of reinforcements; although she was still sitting there, she had stopped focusing and was even sneaking glances backward.

He needed to help her concentrate again as soon as possible. After all, she didn't have much time left.