After I stopped trying, a rich woman trained me into a demon emperor.

A blue Porsche drove out of the Chen family's old house, a house steeped in the passage of time.

The military compound outside the car window receded into the distance, the street scene became bustling, and the car finally turned into a dedicated lane lined with green trees.

At the end of the road lies a residential area nestled against the mountains and beside the water, where auspicious purple clouds seem to rise from the east.

This is the heart of power in Jiangcheng, where every blade of grass and every tree exudes majesty.

Zhou Ran sat in the back seat, while Lin Qingxue was processing several urgent documents on a tablet computer.

Fingers tapped on the screen, producing a soft, rhythmic sound.

"Boss, I've found it."

Lin Qingxue paused, then adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of her nose.

"Liu Jianguo fell ill about half a month ago."

That day, he went to inspect the development progress of Jiangcheng New Area, and after returning, he began to feel cold and afraid of light.

One name on the list of people accompanying him on the inspection looked very familiar.

She handed the tablet to Zhou Ran.

On the screen, a photo is marked with a red circle.

It was an old man dressed in a Tang suit, holding a compass, with deep-set eyes and high cheekbones, who was smiling sinisterly.

Zhou Ran glanced at the photo and chuckled.

"They're just a bunch of rats in the gutter."

This appearance bears a striking resemblance to the "fierce ghost" he casually crushed to death at the banquet last night, with seven-tenths of its features resembling its appearance.

The nauseating stench of the corpse could be smelled even through the screen.

"His name is Guiya Daoren, he is the senior brother of Li Guisha, and one of the representatives of Wuji Sect in the secular world."

Lin Qingxue added,

"According to the records, he was a 'respected figure' that the Song family paid a lot of money to hire, and he was revered as a god in the upper-class circles of Beijing."

Zhou Ran leaned back in his chair and tapped the leather armrest.

"Gods?"

He smiled, but his eyes remained expressionless.

"In this day and age, any Tom, Dick, or Harry can put on a mask and call themselves a god."

"Alright, that little brat didn't get enough to eat last night, so today's a perfect main course."

The convoy stopped in front of the villa area gate.

Armed guards blocked the way, their eyes scanning the two unfamiliar vehicles.

Chen Guodong's car was at the front; he rolled down the window and showed his identification.

Upon seeing this, the guards stood up, saluted, and raised the barrier to let them pass.

Just as Zhou Ran's car was about to follow, a security supervisor in a black suit and wearing a headset blocked the way.

"This car cannot enter."

The supervisor had a stern face and was pointing his chin at the front of the car.

"The Liu residence is a restricted area; unauthorized personnel are not permitted to enter."

Seeing this, Chen Ya pushed open the car door and got out, quickly stepping forward in her high heels, her eyebrows raised in anger:

"Mr. Zhou was invited by my father to treat Uncle Liu. What right do you have to stop him?"

"see a doctor?"

The supervisor's gaze swept over Zhou Ran, who remained motionless in the car, and he let out a disdainful sneer.

"Miss Chen, it's not that I'm not giving Mr. Chen face."

However, there are too many people these days who are using the guise of miracle doctors to swindle and deceive others.

Madam Liu has given a strict order: apart from Master Guiya, whom Young Master Song has invited, no one else is to be seen.

Mentioning "Young Master Song" and "Master Ghost Fang," the supervisor straightened his back considerably, adopting an air of arrogance.

Chen Ya was furious: "You!"

"Let him stop him."

The car window rolled down, revealing Zhou Ran's calm face.

He didn't look at the manager, but instead looked up at the sky above the villa area.

In the eyes of ordinary people, this is a geomantically auspicious place nestled against mountains and beside water, where auspicious energy flows from the east, making it incredibly precious.

But in Zhou Ran's demonic eyes, a thick layer of dark clouds loomed over the entire Liu mansion.

That's not a cloud.

Countless black threads, formed from resentment, wove a net that tightly bound the mansion.

In the very center of the residential area, a scarlet, bloodthirsty aura shot into the sky, piercing through the original aura of official fortune.

"What a trap!"

Zhou Ran withdrew his gaze, finally fixing it on the supervisor.

Just one glance.

The supervisor felt a sudden tightness in his chest, a chill running from his feet to the top of his head, his heart clenching, making it impossible to breathe.

He tried to speak, but no sound came out of his throat. He could only stare in horror as the young man pushed open the door and got out of the car.

Zhou Ran straightened his cuffs and walked up to his supervisor.

"I don't like waiting for others, and I especially don't like being stopped by others."

The supervisor's legs went weak, his knees buckled, and he knelt down with a thud, his back soaked with cold sweat.

The surrounding guards were shocked and were about to raise their guns when Chen Guodong strode over, his eyes sharp.

"stop!

Put down your guns!

Chen Guodong has been retired for many years, but the pressure from those in power remains.

He glanced at the kneeling supervisor, his tone unfriendly:

"Zhou Ran is my son-in-law; seeing him is like seeing myself!"

The supervisor was terrified, lying on the ground trembling uncontrollably, not daring to lift his head.

"Let's go."

Zhou Ran didn't give that ant another second and walked straight towards the villa gate.

Passing through the front courtyard, before even entering the house, a sandalwood scent wafted through the air, mixed with an indistinguishable stench of decay.

The hall was filled with people.

Mrs. Liu sat on the sofa, her eyes red-rimmed and her lips chapped.

Sitting opposite her was a young man, none other than Song Qingshu, the eldest son of the Song family.

Song Qingshu crossed his legs and leisurely played with a jade piece, looking confident of victory.

"Auntie, please don't worry."

Master Guiya is a highly skilled physician whom my father specially invited from Yinshan. With his help, Uncle Liu's illness was cured instantly.

"Then I'll take your good wishes..."

Madam Liu sighed, and was about to speak when a commotion at the door interrupted her.

Everyone turned around.

Chen Guodong led a group of people in with great strides.

When Song Qingshu's gaze fell on Zhou Ran, the smile on his face vanished, and his hand trembled, causing the jade piece to fall onto the carpet with a "thud".

"Zhou...Zhou Ran?!"

Startled, Song Qingshu sprang up from the sofa, his face drained of color.

News of the Heavenly Palace on the Clouds was blocked, but as a core member of the Song family, how could he not know?

This is the Song family's last move in Jiangcheng.

We absolutely cannot let him get us.

"Young Master Song, it's been a long time."

Zhou Ran walked casually into the hall with his hands in his pockets.

His gaze swept over the chandelier, finally landing on Song Qingshu's terrified face, and he spoke with great interest.

"I heard you're looking for a doctor?"

"Perfect timing. I may not be good at treating illnesses, but I'm good at dealing with all kinds of stubbornness."

Song Qingshu subconsciously took two steps back, bumping into the coffee table behind him with a dull thud.

"What...what do you want to do?"

This is the Liu residence!

"You dare cause trouble here?!"

"act wildly?"

Zhou Ran chuckled, his gaze passing over the frightened bird and landing on the center of the hall.

There was a makeshift altar set up there.

An old man dressed in a yellow Taoist robe was holding a peach wood sword and performing ritualistic steps around a huge water vat while chanting incantations.

In the water vat, Governor Liu, shirtless, was immersed in the black medicinal liquid with his eyes closed.

His face had an eerie bluish-purple color, and the veins on his forehead were bulging, as if he was enduring great pain.

Around the water tank, seven oil lamps were lit.

The flames were not the normal orange-yellow, but a pale, eerie green, flickering violently in the windless room and casting menacing shadows.

"Is this what you call healing?"

Zhou Ran's voice suddenly turned cold, and the temperature in the entire hall dropped to freezing point.

"The Seven Star Lamp burns corpse oil, and the water vat is soaked with Five Poison Powder."

He stepped forward, pointed at the Taoist priest who was still putting on an act, and spoke words as sharp as knives.

"You're not saving people."

"You're creating a corpse!"