What do you mean you also want to return to the world?

Looking at the gleaming sword, Shi Yan was completely stunned.

No, where did you pull this sword from? I didn't see anything when he got on the bus.

From your crotch? If you have that kind of skill, why don't you become a live streamer?

Oh, he really is a streamer.

Shi Yan was speechless.

"Hey, are you even listening to me?" Seeing that Shi Yan was somewhat distracted, Qi Fei tapped him on the head with his sword, quite annoyed. "Don't you understand the saying 'those who don't listen to their elders will suffer the consequences'?"

"I understand, I understand."

"So, did you understand?"

"I understand, I understand."

"Really? Well, your comprehension is pretty good." Qi Fei nodded in satisfaction. "Back then, some people spent half a day just trying to understand the assessment requirements, and they almost got it wrong in the end."

After Qi Fei finished speaking, Shi Yan clearly felt the temperature inside the car drop a bit. He subconsciously looked up and found Tang Shi looking at Qi Fei through the rearview mirror with a cold gaze that seemed to want to kill him.

Shi Yan immediately understood who Qi Fei was referring to when he said "some people," and wisely refrained from responding. Instead, he asked, "So, the assessment is a process of finding and exorcising demons, and only by completing the final step of exorcising the demon can one pass the assessment?"

"That's not quite it." Qi Fei shook his head. "Exorcising demons is just the final result. Just like an exam can't just have the answers, it also needs the problem-solving approach. Each step of the diagnostic process—observation, auscultation, inquiry, and palpation—is worth points. If you only do the palpation part, it's hard to say you've passed."

Why are we using the four diagnostic methods again?

Shi Yan originally thought that Qi Fei had just come up with a more entertaining way of saying it, and that if he really wanted to explain it, he could have used the simpler phrase "find the monster and get rid of the monster".

But now it seems that's not the case?

"Once you actually find that monster, you'll understand what I mean," Qi Fei said. "That's also part of the test."

Isn't this just like the Riddler?

Shi Yan was speechless, but thinking that Qi Fei wouldn't try to trick him, he didn't ask any further questions.

But there's one last question.

"What should I do?"

Yes, that's the most crucial issue. He claims to have gained a portion of Crimson's abilities, but his actual performance is roughly equivalent to having a built-in lighter.

He had absolutely no idea how to use this lighter to find and exorcise demons.

"I can't explain this to you, I can only give you one piece of advice," Qi Fei said. "If you want to find the monster, you have to think of yourself as a monster, but you can't actually become one, understand?"

Shi Yan nodded slightly.

It seems like I've heard another piece of nonsense.

Can't the riddle-maker just die already, you bastard!

……

After driving for about forty minutes, we arrived at a place that surprised Shi Yan – the Lincheng Archaeological Bureau.

About ten years ago, a large number of ancient tombs were suddenly unearthed in the western part of Lincheng, most of them dating back to before the Han Dynasty. The Lincheng authorities immediately decided to build an archaeological bureau on the site. This would both protect the cultural relics and potentially transform them into tourism resources in the future.

Now, a small portion of the area has indeed been revealed, but many more areas are still under excavation.

Because there are so many tombs here, archaeological experts speculate that this is very likely a complete branch of the Han Dynasty's royal lineage, since they have unearthed quite a few princes.

The reason Shi Yan knew so much about this was simply because the archaeological bureau had unearthed the tomb of Prince Jing of Dongshan about a week ago.

Yes, it was that Prince Jing of Dongshan. Even his body was exhumed, along with a magnificent jade throne and golden Buddha statue that was over a foot tall.

Because it was so precious, the Lincheng Archaeological Bureau decided to transfer it to the province for restoration and preservation, but an accident occurred on the way, which led to the crossing of Shiyan.

So, what was the deeper meaning behind Qi Fei choosing this place as the assessment location?

Shi Yan seemed to be deep in thought.

After the car came to a stop, a middle-aged man wearing glasses approached. He was dressed quite respectably, clearly an administrator from the archaeological bureau. However, he didn't look well; his dark circles were very noticeable, as if he had been pulling several all-nighters.

"You've finally arrived!" The middle-aged man strode forward. He gripped Qi Fei's hand tightly, his face a mixture of relief and anger. "You submitted the emergency assistance request yesterday; your efficiency... is a bit too high, isn't it?"

"Deputy Director Gao, what you're saying is going too far," Qi Fei said seriously. "We're also very busy. After receiving your message, we've been trying our best to cancel other work and come over."

"Really? What are you busy with?"

"Well..."

"Busy with your livestream, huh?" Deputy Director Gao said. "You were livestreaming all night last night, showing off your services to those girls in black stockings. You think I didn't know? I watched your livestream all night!"

"Uh." Qi Fei was a little embarrassed. "I didn't expect Deputy Director Gao to be a fan of mine."

"There was no other way, I was on night watch last night." Deputy Director Gao sighed. "It was just too scary at night, I really couldn't have stayed up without watching some mindless live streams."

Qi Fei: "..."

After thoroughly mocking Qi Fei, Deputy Director Gao finally turned his attention to Shi Yan: "And this young student is...?"

"Our reserve swordsman," Qi Fei said, pulling Shi Yan in front of him. "Shi Yan."

"Such a young swordsman?" Deputy Director Gao was somewhat surprised, then something occurred to him, "Could he be that...?"

"Yes." Qi Fei nodded slightly. "A survivor of the 'Prince Jing of Dongshan' incident."

Deputy Director Gao clearly knew a lot, so he patted Shi Yan on the shoulder and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, what we dug up has caused you quite a bit of trouble. Although it wasn't my intention, but... well, I won't say more. My name is Gao Ping. If you ever need anything in the future, just come to me. Don't be shy."

Just as Shi Yan was about to express his gratitude, Qi Fei casually reminded him from the side, "What he means is that if he ever gets into trouble in the future, he won't be polite if he comes to you for help."

Gao Ping glared at Qi Fei: "Can't you say something nice?"

Qi Fei laughed heartily: "Just kidding, just kidding. I was just trying to help you relax because you seemed so nervous. Okay, okay, let's get down to business."

"Didn't you already know?"

"He doesn't know yet." Qi Fei pointed at Shi Yan. "He's in charge of this incident."

Gao Ping was even more surprised to hear Qi Fei say this, but he did not question it. Instead, he nodded slightly and looked at Shi Yan.

"Let me think about how to say it..." Gao Ping swallowed hard. "It all started the night before last. I saw my father while I was on duty, but he... has been dead for many years."