“Xiao Qi, did you have something to say to me?”
Hearing Yan Qi’s call, Bai Yuling turned her head, her large, bright eyes fixed on Yan Qi as she asked curiously.
“Aunt Bai, have you forgotten that I called in outside help today?”
Faced with Bai Yuling’s question, Yan Qi quickly reminded her, then shifted her gaze to her doppelganger, Si Yexing.
Seeing Yan Qi look at Si Yexing, Bai Yuling remembered the self-proclaimed “Beautiful Grim Reaper Chuunibyou” Si Yexing they had encountered not long ago. She then replied to Yan Qi.
“Sorry, Xiao Qi, I didn’t mean to forget about Miss Si Yexing, the outside help you brought. But why bring her up now?”
Yan Qi, upon hearing this, said in a matter-of-fact tone:
“Because Sister Yexing can use her supernatural power to help us dig out some deeper secrets from these people connected to the suspect.”
“Deeper secrets? Can Miss Yexing really do that?”
Bai Yuling showed a skeptical expression as she asked this.
Hearing Bai Yuling’s question, Yan Qi immediately nodded.
“Of course it’s true! If you don’t believe me, Aunt Bai, you can ask Sister Yexing yourself.”
Finding Yan Qi’s words reasonable, Bai Yuling nodded to her. She then turned her attention to Si Yexing.
“Miss Yexing, I believe you heard the conversation between Xiao Qi and me just now. So, is what Xiao Qi said true?”
Hearing Bai Yuling’s inquiry, and maintaining her chuunibyou beautiful girl persona, Si Yexing, under Yan Qi’s control, promptly raised her head proudly and replied.
“Of course it’s true! Otherwise, why would this Grim Reaper travel all this way? Just to watch from the sidelines?”
Although not entirely sure if Si Yexing could truly delve into the secrets of someone’s heart as Yan Qi claimed, knowing that she came from the Free Life Association associated with the Daoist Yan Empress, Bai Yuling chose to believe her. She then said to Si Yexing.
“In that case, please proceed with your methods, Miss Yexing.”
Hearing this, Yan Qi quickly controlled her doppelganger Si Yexing to nod, then stand up, declaring in a tone full of chuunibyou flair:
“Then let you mere mortals witness the methods of this Grim Reaper for yourselves!”
With these words, Si Yexing, manipulated by Yan Qi, walked over to Ma Sanyou, who was still under the influence of the young Bureau member’s supernatural power.
Seeing Si Yexing approach Ma Sanyou, the young Bureau member, having overheard her conversation with the Chief, proactively asked her:
“Miss Yexing, will my supernatural power interfere with you?”
“It’s fine. A little power like this won’t affect my next actions at all.”
After answering the young Bureau member’s question, she looked at Ma Sanyou, whose consciousness was blurred but who was still awake.
Now acting as the Beautiful Grim Reaper, even though just a doppelganger, Yan Qi, through Si Yexing’s senses, detected something unusual about Ma Sanyou.
“Let me see what’s wrong with your soul,” Yan Qi thought to herself.
She then controlled her doppelganger to summon Si Yexing’s signature weapon—the massive, 2.5-meter-tall scythe.
Seeing Si Yexing suddenly produce her signature scythe, everyone present except Yan Qi herself wore stunned expressions. They couldn’t understand why she would bring it out when there was clearly no fight.
“Miss Yexing, what is the meaning of this?” the young Bureau member couldn’t help but ask, looking at the scythe in Si Yexing’s hand.
Hearing this, Yan Qi quickly controlled Si Yexing to reply:
“What this Grim Reaper means, you mortals will understand shortly.”
After speaking, Yan Qi, via her doppelganger, stopped conversing with the others. She stepped beside Ma Sanyou, raised the scythe, and swung it down without hesitation.
Seeing this action, the others present, who didn’t understand why she was doing this, looked on in stunned silence. Shen An’an was so frightened she not only closed her own eyes but also covered Yan Qi’s eyes, afraid both of them might see something they shouldn’t.
But as the scythe in her hand drew closer to Ma Sanyou’s neck, Si Yexing, who never intended to take his life, quickly checked the force in her wrist, leaving the 2.5-meter scythe poised right at the edge of his neck.
Then, with a light flick of Si Yexing’s wrist, a faint red mark appeared on Ma Sanyou’s neck. At that very moment, Yan Qi, whose eyes were covered by Shen An’an, decisively activated the Beautiful Grim Reaper’s skill, 『Soul-Snatching』, directly extracting Ma Sanyou’s soul from his body.
Watching the translucent, ghostly form resembling Ma Sanyou appear before them, the Bureau members—for whom this was a first-time sight, except possibly Bai Yuling—couldn’t help but show astonishment.
At the same time, Ma Sanyou’s soul, now separated from his body and free from the young Bureau member’s supernatural influence, regained clarity.
Seeing the Bureau members staring at him in shock, the newly awakened Ma Sanyou was instantly terrified, completely unaware of what had just happened.
But before he could ask what had occurred during his blackout, Si Yexing, standing behind him holding the scythe and clad in a black robe like a real Grim Reaper, spoke up and asked him:
“Ma Sanyou, do you truly not know the whereabouts of your friend Liu Deli?”
Hearing Si Yexing’s voice behind him, Ma Sanyou, whose soul was now completely in her grasp, immediately turned around and, completely against his will, replied:
“I truly do not know Liu Deli’s whereabouts.”
Hearing this, and knowing Ma Sanyou couldn’t possibly hide anything in this state, Yan Qi pressed on:
“Then, regarding the places Liu Deli might frequent that you mentioned earlier, did you omit any? Are there any you didn’t tell us about?”