I will be stronger after the remake

Yuan Ji's mother defended him, saying, "We're all family, what's the big deal? It's just a kiss on the cheek. It's not like we did anything immoral. When you were dating me, weren't you as eager as a monkey?"

"What nonsense are you spouting in front of the children!"

"What's wrong with speaking the truth? When it comes to matters between men and women, we doctors are actually more open-minded than you bunch of intellectuals."

Yuan Ji's mother showed no respect for her husband and turned to her daughter, saying, "Tang Ping is a very good young man. Whether you have good judgment or you just stumbled upon the perfect match, as long as the result is good, that's all that matters. It's like taking a multiple-choice question; being able to guess the right answer is also a skill. Let's pick a time for our two families to meet and finalize the engagement and marriage arrangements."

Tang Ping quickly replied, "My parents are available whenever you have time."

"Okay, we still have to work today. We'll discuss it after get off work. You two can stay home or go out shopping, just remember to be back before dinner."

Yuan Ji's parents tidied up the dishes and then hurriedly left.

As Yuan Ji watched his parents leave, he sighed, "My parents once told relatives that if I were a boy, they would never let me learn martial arts. They would teach me every day and make me a top student. But since I am a girl, then it's fine. There's no need to be too strict."

"I was very indignant when I heard that. Why should boys be treated more strictly and girls more leniently? Is it because girls can find a good husband to marry in the future?"

"To prove myself, I endured all kinds of hardships when I was training in martial arts. Finally, I won the national championship and was admitted to a key university through special admission. Unfortunately, they looked down on me."

"Looking back now, I realize they have their own standards of evaluation, and I have my own life. There's no need for me to cater to anyone. Besides, they have never mistreated me and raised me with great care. I am still sincerely grateful to them."

Tang Ping joked, "Thanks can't just be expressed verbally. As a way of repaying them, why don't you grant their wish and find a good husband to marry?"

Yuan Ji chuckled and said, "Yes, from now on, I will follow my husband wherever he goes, and I will no longer need to listen to their instructions. That's perfect, and it's the same principle they agree with."

That evening, Yuan Ji, having completely let go of his obsession, took the initiative to flatter, creating an excellent atmosphere for dinner. The meeting between the two families was smoothly arranged for the following week.

Tang Ping possessed an alluring aura. After two meals, not only did his mother-in-law find him increasingly pleasing to the eye, but his father-in-law, after a few drinks, couldn't help but indulge in unrestrained behavior and began to call him brother.

When they parted on the evening of the third day, the two elders had already regarded him as their son, the kind of successful and academically gifted son, and they seemed quite reluctant to part with him.

Even though Yuan Ji had let go of his obsession, he was still a little jealous when he saw this.

On their first day back at work in the security department, the two shared the good news with everyone.

"congratulations."

Ma Yiming offered a perfunctory congratulation, then pulled Tang Ping into his office and lowered his voice, saying, "My spiritual power has reached its limit, and I should be able to advance to the third level soon. Do you think I should report this to the organization?"

"So fast!"

"Yes, after you tricked me by having someone act out a scene last time, your spiritual power started to increase rapidly, and I couldn't suppress it."

Tang Ping once used the "Three-Eyed Spiritual Radiance" to examine Ma Yiming's original extra spiritual energy, "Rebirth through Tribulation," which disappeared after he saved people in the fire, but did not evolve into a unique spiritual personality.

He had felt sorry about it, but he never expected to receive a response in this way.

"You've advanced to the third rank now; that's probably faster than me."

Tang Ping had just set a record for the fastest advancement from the second to the third rank, but unexpectedly, it was about to be broken.

"That's what I'm worried about, which is why I hesitated to report it."

Ma Yiming did not want to reveal his secret, because it would inevitably involve his sister Ma Feiyan. However, his situation was not as traceable as Tang Ping's. If he did not explain clearly, he would not be able to explain why he was able to advance to the third level so quickly.

Tang Ping thought for a moment and suggested, "Since you don't want to make it public, why not just get promoted secretly? Don't make a fuss about it first, and then report it a year later. That way, it won't attract so much attention."

Chapter 142 Forgotten

The Realm of Illusion and Reality.

Ma Yiming sat cross-legged in the center of the altar with his eyes closed, adjusting his state and gradually reducing his spiritual pressure in preparation for the subsequent outburst.

Tang Ping and Yuan Ji stood guard outside the altar, only the two of them present. No other members of the Security Section were there, and they hadn't even been told what was going on.

Since Ma Yiming chose to advance in secret, the fewer people who know about it, the better. This has nothing to do with whether he is trustworthy or not, and besides, the strength of others is not of much use to him.

Yuan Ji asked with slight concern, "Last time, when I advanced to the second rank, I encountered the Ghost King's depletion. This time, when I advance to the third rank, won't it attract an even stronger monster?"

"Theoretically, no. His situation last time was a bit special, but now that special situation has been eliminated. Besides, Xu Hao is already a third-level demon, which is stronger than Xu Hao. It can't be a fourth-level demon, can it? Where in the world are there so many fourth-level demons that are specifically targeting Ma Yiming?"

Tang Ping offered a word of comfort, then added, "If something really happens, don't hesitate. Just take Ma Yiming and run away. We can find a suitable opportunity to advance next time. It's not like the end of the world is coming right away, so we don't need to rush."

Yuan Ji nodded.

A moment later, Ma Yiming had adjusted to his best state and officially began his advancement, his aura starting to expand.

At the same time, the once tranquil surroundings were filled with ghostly wails and howls. A group of little ghosts surged in from all directions like black mist. These little ghosts bared their teeth and claws, and their scarlet eyes gleamed with greed.

Following behind was a gigantic, nameless ghost king, shrouded in black demonic energy, wearing a hideous ghost crown, and holding a bone staff that reeked of decay. With each step he took, the ground trembled.

Despite the overwhelming force of the ghost horde, Tang Ping and Yuan Ji were relieved. They knew that enemies of this caliber could be easily dealt with. All they had to do was protect Ma Yiming, guard against sneak attacks, and make sure they didn't miss any chance to strike.

Tang Ping even had the leisure to use illusion magic to trap the fastest-rushing ghost horde while saying, "Strange, when you and I advanced to the third level, we didn't seem to encounter any external enemies to hinder us. Is our situation special, or is it a personal problem with Ma Yiming?"

"From my personal experience, it's common to encounter similar monsters during advancement. There's a theory that if a monster successfully hinders a psychic's advancement, it will grow like it's developing a spirit level. For example, when you were advancing to the second rank, a hairy monster attacked you, but it was too weak and I easily dealt with it."

"When I advanced to the third level, I was not only in an underground tomb, but also surrounded by a peerless evil spirit like Qin Shi Huang. What monster would dare to come? When you advanced to the third level, the monsters were busy absorbing the Emperor's Essence. How could they care about you?"

As Yuan Ji explained, he flicked his hand and unleashed a burst of energy, slicing the little devil in front of him in half and heading straight for the Ghost King behind him.

The Ghost King hurriedly swung his bone staff, and black Yin energy instantly condensed into a shield. However, it shattered into pieces after being hit by the Qi, and he was also knocked back, looking disheveled.

Tang Ping found Yuan Ji's description a bit strange, but didn't pay much attention to it. Being distracted can easily lead to imprecise speech, as long as the meaning is clear.

After the ghosts approached, he took out the Nine Sons Nether Bell, infused it with spiritual power, and gently shook it. An invisible sound wave spread out, and the little ghosts at the forefront seemed to be bound by invisible ropes, struggling desperately in mid-air, but they were completely unable to resist and were forcibly pulled into the magic weapon and refined in an instant.

Yuan Ji took out the Azure Dragon Halberd, sprouted life-giving wings, and charged straight at the Ghost King with a fierce gale, launching a swift offensive.

The Ghost King swung his bone staff to defend, but he was no match for the Ghost King in terms of martial arts skills. He was forced to retreat repeatedly, and his bone armor was quickly cut to pieces by the fierce energy.

Seeing that it was no match for the enemy, it took a hit from the halberd and took the opportunity to use its spiritual power to summon several vengeful ghosts to help it. However, Yuan Ji only glared at it, and the group of vengeful ghosts were instantly annihilated.

At the same time, Tang Ping had already absorbed most of the little ghosts into the Nine Sons Nether Bell for refining. The remaining little ghosts were unable to escape due to the power of the Ghost King, but they dared not go forward again, only paddling around on the outermost edge. Thus, he was able to free up his hands to help Yuan Ji.

The Nine Sons Nether Bell locked onto the Ghost King, first releasing a soul-scattering curse to make him mentally disoriented, and then generating invisible chains to bind the Ghost King.

Simple yet effective, this magical artifact is the nemesis of ghosts.

The Ghost King struggled fiercely, roaring and wielding his bone staff to gather Yin energy in an attempt to shatter the invisible chains. However, Yuan Ji first shattered the bone staff with a single halberd strike, then plunged the halberd into the ghost's body, unleashing a burst of Qi that severely injured it.

The Ghost King was immediately powerless to resist and was obediently pulled into the Nine Sons of the Underworld Bell. The remaining little ghosts, no longer restrained by their powers, scattered like birds and beasts and fled quickly, fearing that they would also be dragged away.

Tang Ping focused on refining the Ghost King and did not pursue it. Under the impetus of spiritual power, the Nine Sons Nether Bell shook violently, emitting pitch-black ghostly energy.

"Fortunately, this thing only targets ghosts, otherwise it would have become the Emperor's Banner."

Despite her complaints, Tang Ping was quick on her feet and soon succeeded in refining the enemy. Seeing how easily the enemy was eliminated, she couldn't help but say, "I used to hear people say that monsters of the same level are stronger than psychics. Now it seems that this only applies to famous monsters. The strength of nameless monsters is nothing more than this."

Yuan Ji corrected, "It would be strange if we were two against one. I have spiritual energy that can suppress ghosts, and you have a magic weapon that can suppress ghosts. It would be strange if we couldn't win easily. Combat between spiritualists is very much about compatibility. If the director were to advance to the third level, he probably wouldn't fare well against the Ghost King alone."

"Director Hu isn't a combat-type spirit..."

Tang Ping was about to offer some explanation, but then he thought that he was not a combat-type spirit. If he didn't have the Nine Sons Nether Bell or a master like Yuan Ji to lend him power, he would probably only be able to use illusions to stall for time when facing the Ghost King.

But then again, "borrowing strength from others" is an important part of his spiritual abilities, and it would be unfair not to use it.

Psionicists are not martial artists, so there is no such thing as both sides adjusting to their best condition before a fair fight. Whoever can better utilize their psionic abilities has the greater advantage.

Just as Tang Ping and Yuan Ji relaxed, a painful groan came from behind.

The two turned to look and saw that Ma Yiming's face was becoming increasingly pale, his spiritual phantom was flickering, and his spiritual pressure was gradually becoming chaotic, fluctuating greatly.

Both of them felt things were going to go wrong, but since outsiders couldn't interfere with the promotion, they could only watch helplessly from the sidelines.

Ma Yiming also realized his situation and decided to take a gamble, trying his best to circulate his spiritual power to break through the bottleneck. However, the spiritual power in his body receded like a tide, the light around him instantly went out, and the phantom of his spiritual core dissipated.

"puff!"

He coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face turned deathly pale, and he fell backward.

Tang Ping rushed forward to support the person and performed a healing spell.

"I'm sorry, you two did your best to protect me, but I was just too useless."

Ma Yiming said weakly.

Tang Ping comforted him, "Don't talk about that. Victory and defeat are common in war. As long as everyone is alright, we can challenge again next time."

Ma Yiming shook his head, looking dejected. "I just had a strong premonition that I'll probably never be able to break through to the third stage in my lifetime. This is the price I paid for signing the contract."

Knowing the details, Tang Ping subconsciously felt that the other party's premonition was correct. Unable to comfort her with a white lie, she could only change the subject, saying, "If advancing to the third level is so difficult, I really don't know how Gu Linglong will advance to the fifth level."

At this moment, Yuan Ji asked blankly, "Gu Linglong, who is that?"

In an instant, Tang Ping felt a chill run down his spine!

Chapter 143 Breaking Forgetfulness

Tang Ping knew Yuan Ji's personality very well; she would only use direct sarcasm and wouldn't make such a malicious joke. She immediately pressed on, "Don't you know Gu Linglong? 'Vermilion Bird' Gu Linglong, one of the five fourth-level spiritual energy users in our country, known as the strongest single person. She even led everyone in our Security Department to explore the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum before."

Yuan Ji and Ma Yiming exchanged a glance. The latter coughed and said with some concern, "There are only four fourth-level psychic energy users in our country. This is common knowledge in the industry. What's wrong with you? I'm the one who failed to advance. Why are you acting like you're the one who's hurt the most? If you want to comfort me in this way, I can only say that I appreciate the sentiment, but it's really unnecessary."

Tang Ping fell silent, several guesses flashing through her mind: Had the memories of everyone in the Public Security Section been altered? Or had Gu Linglong failed to advance to the fifth level, and even her own existence been erased? But why do I still retain my memories?

He thought for a moment, then tried to rouse the two men by pointing out a logical fallacy: "Do you remember the time you explored the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum?"

"Of course I remember something so important."

"So what are our reasons for exploring?"

As the initiator, Gu Linglong's role is unavoidable.

Yuan Ji noticed Tang Ping's unusual behavior and said seriously, "Because you found clues about important members of the New Territories Alliance and discovered that they were planning to explore the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum. So you decided to use them as bait and take them all down in one fell swoop. Of course, various accidents happened in the process, and in the end we only captured one prisoner, who then committed suicide."

Tang Pingxin's heart sank. This was the worst-case scenario. It wasn't just a simple matter of erasing Gu Linglong's existence; her related memories had also been altered.

But a fabricated item is still a counterfeit, and it will inevitably have flaws in the details.

He continued, "The organization didn't discover such an important mythological site as the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor? If they did, why didn't they send people to explore it, instead of handing it over to us?"

Yuan Ji recalled: "Because you were the first to discover the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum, the organization agreed when you proposed the plan to lure and capture members of the New Territories Alliance."

What specific plan did I propose?

"I don't know. You didn't explain it to us. Judging from what actually happened, they probably used a trap to ambush the New Territories Alliance. Unfortunately, some of them had the ability to foresee danger and sensed it in advance, so they didn't fall for the trap."

Tang Ping never expected that the reputation he had built would backfire on him at this time.

If Ma Yiming or Yuan Ji proposed an action plan, everyone would definitely ask questions and fill in any gaps. But when Tang Ping said that she had an action plan but it was inconvenient to explain it, everyone was too lazy to ask and just followed it.

"How did those two New Territories Alliance members die? They possessed the unique skill of merging into the ancient ferocious beast Xiang Liu. We don't have the ability to kill them."

"Their deaths at the hands of Qin Shi Huang were part of your plan. If the enemy was weak, our security department would take them down; if the enemy was too strong, we would use one to defeat the other, awakening Qin Shi Huang's spirit to deal with them. In fact, the plan went very smoothly, exactly as you envisioned."

"How do I know that the spirit of Qin Shi Huang must be in the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum, and how do I awaken him to deal with the New Territories Alliance?"

"Well... you didn't tell us, but you said you could do it, so everyone believed you could, and no one asked."

Tang Ping was speechless again, having been screwed over by the persona she had created once more!

From his perspective, he couldn't think of a way to use Qin Shi Huang. The other party wasn't some mindless monster; he wouldn't easily fall for a scheme to use one tiger to devour another.

From a companion's perspective, we ordinary people wouldn't think of this, but you're so smart, you might have noticed details we missed. The reason why wise people are wise is that they do what others cannot, accomplishing things that seem unbelievable. Isn't that normal?

Undeterred, Tang Ping continued to delve into the details: "Qin Shi Huang's spirit was so powerful that he could kill Xiang Liu in no time. Didn't he turn his attention to us? And how did Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum eventually collapse?"

Ma Yiming asked doubtfully, "Qin Shi Huang was very strong, but not as strong as you say. At least before we fled, he was fighting Xiang Liu to a standstill, only slightly gaining the upper hand."

Yuan Ji echoed, "The reason you and I stayed behind to cover the retreat was because we were worried that if Xiang Liu was defeated too quickly, Qin Shi Huang would take action against others. So we let them go first. However, you soon discovered that Xiang Liu still had some strength left, so you took the opportunity to escape."

Upon hearing this, Tang Ping realized another technique for altering memories—the dead cannot testify.

He knew that Qin Shi Huang's strength far surpassed Zhou Canglan's, and was comparable to Gu Linglong, who easily killed Zhou Canglan. However, Qin Shi Huang's spirit had already ascended to heaven, so there was no way to prove this.

Similarly, he originally wanted to ask who led the way in the early stages of exploring the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum. If everyone said that he broke through the mechanisms and entered, it would inevitably clash with Gu Linglong's violent breakthrough. However, now that the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum has collapsed, even if there is a contradiction, it cannot be proven.

From this perspective, the altered "history" is logically consistent and flawless.

wrong!

Tang Ping immediately realized a crucial point: including himself, none of them were familiar with Gu Linglong at all. They had only met her twice in total, and knew nothing about her habits or what she had done.

Even if he wants to find "flaws" in the details, he must first know what those details are.

Besides, what good would it do to prove that?

Does discovering a logical flaw automatically bring Gu Linglong back to mind?

Tang Ping is not so optimistic.

Moreover, his guess was quickly confirmed.

"Although I have absolutely no memory of anyone named 'Gu Linglong,' I believe you. There must be something wrong with my memory."