Chapter 61: The True Face of the Fake Heiress

Su Man had been severely beaten by Yun Zhi before, so she knew how terrifying this woman's strength was. The Koi Jade Pendant was useless against her.

Su Man was aware of the existence of the Special Management Bureau, but she did not believe she would fall so easily.

At worst, she would cooperate and let herself be arrested to avoid taking another beating.

Later on, her master and senior brothers would definitely find a way to rescue her.

Her second master was most adept at breaking seals, and so was her first master. The strength of both men was unfathomable. As long as they wished, they could come and go freely from the prison of the Special Management Bureau.

As for the members of the Su family, she had already harvested plenty of fortune and good treasures from them over the years anyway.

At worst, she could have her master help harvest all their fortune at once later on.

Pondering thus, Su Man did not care at all what the Su family members thought.

These people, bearing the title of family members, were actually nothing more than her reserved rations of fortune!

Su Man sneered and said, "The day of the birthday banquet was originally my fatal tribulation. I indeed deliberately made you call Su Bailaimiao onto the cruise ship, had the stylist prepare clothes, hair, and makeup for her that were similar to mine, and even gave some verbal misdirection to the person who wanted to kill me, making him think I would be waiting for him on the deck..."

"At that time, Su Bailaimiao happened to be crowded out of the cabin because she couldn't stay there anymore, and the room arranged for her was being cleaned, so she could only go to the deck for some fresh air."

"How can you call this intentionally plotting to kill Su Bailaimiao? I was merely doing what any normal person would do. When given a chance to live, who would want to die?"

Su Yuan trembled with anger and said, "You clearly knew that person wanted to kill you. Couldn't you have directly asked us to control that person in advance and hand them over to the police station? Wh—why did it have to be Bailaimiao..."

Su Man smiled cheekily and said, "Of course because this was an inescapable fatal tribulation. If you forcibly avoid it once, there will be a next time, and a next-next time... Only by having someone else die in my place can I completely free myself. There was no one more suitable than Su Bailaimiao to die in my place! Besides, only when she died could I truly and completely become the only daughter of the Su family."

In reality, it was because Su Man had committed too many wicked deeds that she faced such a fate.

However, she was originally fated for an early death and should not have lived past the age of ten; she was only able to survive by usurping Su Bailaimiao's identity.

Hearing Su Man's speech, Su Yuan exclaimed, "You, how can you be like this? No matter what, the Su family raised you, and I believe that over the years, I treated you no differently than my own biological children... This is biting the hand that feeds you!"

As he spoke, old tears streamed down Su Yuan's face.

The conversation between the people in the living room was not kept down in volume at all. In the medical room not far away, Tong Qiu and Su Zigang heard every single word clearly.

Regardless of the fact that the glass shards had just been plucked from her feet and she had not yet had time to be cleaned or bandaged, Tong Qiu hopped out of the medical room on one foot, looking incredulous and deeply stricken as she said, "Manman, you, you... how could you do this?"

She then turned to look at Yun Zhi and demanded, "Tell me, was it you? Did you deliberately cast some spell on Manman to force her to say this? Is it to sow discord in our relationship?"

Yun Zhi glanced at Tong Qiu with utmost speechlessness.

She had seen foolish people, but never one quite this foolish.

Rather than calling it foolishness, it was more like being unwilling to believe that for all these years, she had mistaken a venomous snake for the apple of her eye.

Su Man said dismissively, "Heh, you were willing to bring me home, adopt me, and treat me well—was it not because the person my master sent to persuade you to adopt me told you that the famous fortune-telling master, Grandmaster Li Taifeng, had divined my fate, saying I am born with a koi fortune that can bring blessings and good luck to those around me?"

"And you, Mom, you as well. You knew long ago that I wasn't your biological daughter—you knew from the very first time we met. You pretended not to know simply because you didn't want to be accused of losing your daughter. Treating me well was similarly because I could make you happy, save face for you, and bring you good luck."

"Now what is the point of putting on an act as a good father and a good mother? Don't make me sick!"

Tong Qiu felt her vision go black. For the sake of this adopted daughter, they had indirectly caused the death of their own biological daughter, yet this foster daughter showed no gratitude whatsoever for their upbringing, and even completely negated the familial affection between them.

Tong Qiu was so angry she nearly fainted on the spot. Fortunately, the young nurse who had chased after her caught her in time and vigorously pinched her philtrum. The pain was so sharp that she couldn't even manage to faint.

Su Zigang desperately wanted to come out and question her, but his lumbar spine hurt so severely that he simply couldn't stand up.

He longed to ask: Had Su Man ever regarded him as her own younger brother?

His brain, which was usually not very sharp, turned cleverly for once: if she didn't care at all about the parents who had raised her for over a decade, how much weight could he, a troublesome younger brother, possibly carry in her eyes?

Su Zimo took a deep breath, exercised self-restraint for a moment, but ultimately failed to hold back. He stepped forward and delivered a fierce slap across Su Man's face.

"Yes, we treated you well, and in the past, there was indeed a factor of hitching a ride on your good luck. But can that become an excuse for you to be ungrateful and bite the hand that feeds you? The string of bad luck hitting our family lately—was all of that your doing?"

The corner of Su Man's mouth began to ooze blood from the blow, showing just how hard Su Zimo had struck.

Because Su Zimo was the best at putting up a facade, and the family truly could not afford for every single member to collapse—otherwise, wouldn't all the chores of running errands and taking care of people fall entirely upon him?—and since the company's affairs also required someone to handle them, even though Su Man had wanted to target Su Zimo multiple times over the past few days and had indeed attempted to do so, the malicious and baleful Qi she channeled into him was the absolute least in volume.

She had even shown him mercy!

To her surprise, this good eldest brother showed no appreciation whatsoever and instead turned around to slap her.

Su Man finally experienced a tiny fraction of that feeling of having one's sincere affection betrayed.

"Heh, Hahaha... Of course it was my doing. My good eldest brother, didn't you already guess that long ago?"

Matters having reached this point, Su Man had nothing left to deny.

That's right, she had done it all!

Su Man knew that her fate of being arrested by the Special Management Bureau this time was basically inescapable. Even if her master and senior brothers managed to rescue her from the Bureau later on, she probably wouldn't have any future opportunities to see or interact with the Su family members again.

She was not a practitioner of the Mystic Arts. Relying solely on the Koi Jade Pendant, she could only borrow and seize fortune in small amounts; she was incapable of harvesting the fortune of all members of the Su family at once.

Only someone of her master's level could achieve that.

When the time came, her master would definitely step in to solve this mess for the Su family in one go.

Therefore, if she wanted to exact revenge for the slap Su Zimo had given her... she could only seize the moment, because she wouldn't have another chance later!

***

The Koi Jade Pendant was connected to her mind and soul. Under the nourishment of fortune, Su Man had cultivated a trace of spiritual power—not much, just enough to activate the baleful Qi of the Koi Jade Pendant and project it onto people or objects within a few meters.

Thus, Su Man controlled the Koi Jade Pendant, channeling all the accumulated baleful Qi stored within it directly into Su Zimo.

Remote transmission would cause a certain degree of waste, but she could no longer afford to care about that.

Because this strand of baleful Qi was overly dense—several times the volume Su Man usually used on a Su family member at one time—even Su Zimo, an ordinary person, could feel a chilling, sticky sensation wrapping around his body.

Yun Zhi could actually have stopped it, but considering that most of the Su family members had already suffered heavily and only Su Zimo remained relatively intact, she decided against it.

A family should stay neat and complete together!

This good eldest brother of hers had, back then, yielded to Su Man's sweet coaxing when she wanted to celebrate her birthday alongside Su Bailaimiao to smooth over their sisterly relationship.

He had personally gone to Bailaimiao's school to fetch her home.

Bailaimiao had not wanted to come back, but she couldn't withstand the phone calls from Su Yuan and Tong Qiu, who used the promise of transferring her household registration out as bait.

Furthermore, Su Zimo had threatened her face-to-face: "If you don't come with me today, don't even think about continuing your university education."

Back then, purely because of Su Man's offhand remarks, the Su family had forcibly altered Bailaimiao's college entrance examination volunteer choices, dropping her from a score that could enter a 985-level university down to attending a regular second-tier college.

To dote on Su Man, Su Zimo was even capable of uttering threats like cutting off Bailaimiao's university education!

Under coercion and temptation, Bailaimiao had no choice but to follow them back to the Su family.

In short, Su Zimo was equally one of the culprits responsible for Bailaimiao's death!

Since Bailaimiao, the aggrieved party, had said she wouldn't hold it against them, Yun Zhi, as a supernatural investigator, found it inappropriate to directly take action against an ordinary person like Su Zimo.

However, she could allow Su Man to act against Su Zimo, intentionally turning a blind eye and pretending not to notice.

This was the reward of love given to you by the good younger sister you doted on so much—enjoy it to the fullest!

Yun Zhi didn't even need to speak a word before Su Man self-sabotaged and confessed to the "good deeds" she had done.

Originally, had Su Man stubbornly refused to admit it, she had intended to pull out the hidden-camera video she secretly recorded when trailing her to Liu Yuxuan's house. Now, however, things were much simpler.

It also saved her from exposing yet another skill in front of the Su family.

As for the aftermath, once the staff of the City X Special Management Bureau finished their work, they would pay a visit to the Su family to inform them of Su Man's criminal process and sentencing results, and have them sign confidentiality agreements.

In short, the cleanup work did not require Yun Zhi to worry. Her trip today was solely to take Su Man away!

Yun Zhi stepped forward and fitted the anti-spirituality collar and anti-ability handcuffs onto Su Man.

In this way, even if Su Man possessed other magical artifacts, she would be unable to use them.

Then, she released the immobilization spell on Su Man and said, "Have you finished talking? Time to go."

Yun Zhi exchanged a few parting words with the Su family regarding the staff who would later visit to have them sign confidentiality agreements, warning them to keep things strictly confidential and refrain from blabbing about things they shouldn't.

With that, she pushed Su Man forward and escorted her out.

Su Man turned back and shot Yun Zhi a vicious glare filled with venomous hatred.

Yun Zhi was not one to coddle her; with two swift punches, both of Su Man's eyes turned into bruises matching a giant panda.

"Glare at me, will you? If you don't want your eyes anymore, feel free to say so."

Su Man recalled the previous experience of being severely beaten by an invisible Yun Zhi.

Realizing that her own strength was far inferior to the woman before her, she asked in a low voice, "Why are you treating me like this? What on earth are you? Did you take Du Wanqin away?"

Yun Zhi replied indifferently, "I am a government agent. You committed a crime, and I am bringing you in to face justice. That is all."

Her statement was entirely accurate.

As for the fact that Du Wanqin was her maternal grandmother, there was no need to disclose that to these people. Saying too much might one day put her grandmother in the crosshairs of those who held grudges against her.

Realizing she could extract no answers, Su Man obediently walked in front, escorted by Yun Zhi as they exited the Su estate.

None of the remaining Su family members attempted to stop them; instead, a collective sense of relief washed over them.

The plague god they could never seem to shake off had finally been taken away.

Just as Yun Zhi and Su Man stepped out the front gates of the Su family residence, a heavy crashing sound echoed from inside the house, accompanied by Su Zimo's miserable scream.

Looking back, Yun Zhi saw that the crystal chandelier right in the center of the Su family's living room had inexplicably detached and plummeted downward, striking Su Zimo squarely.

His positioning was slightly off-center; otherwise, a direct hit could have killed him on the spot.

Even with the slightly off-center impact, Su Zimo was left bloodied and battered, requiring several months of hospitalization to recover—not to mention whether any long-term sequelae would remain.

Su Yuan, who was closest, saw him swaying precariously and about to collapse onto a patch of shattered glass. Disregarding the dog bite wounds on his own legs, he hurriedly lunged forward to support Su Zimo.

This action caused his own leg wounds to rupture and bleed anew.

Well then, at this rate, the entire Su family would be bedridden for quite a long stretch.

Yun Zhi felt immensely grateful that she had also turned on her pinhole camera today.

Later on, she would share this gratifying scene with Bailaimiao.

***

One hour later, City X Special Management Bureau.

Su Man stared in shock: "Second Master, Third Master, Fourth Master, Eldest Senior Brother, Second Senior Sister, Third Senior Brother—why are all of you locked up in the cells?"

Even more absurdly, the three masters were heavily targeted and rendered unconscious, their limbs dislocated and bound tightly in ropes.

The eldest senior brother was similarly unconscious, while the second senior sister and third senior brother remained conscious, albeit beaten black and blue, looking like a pair of stray dogs.

Outside this prison block stood high-level artifacts capable of suppressing all usage of spiritual power.

Panic-stricken, Su Man stammered, "I must still have a way out. Eldest Master... Fourth Senior Brother is still outside..."

At that moment, Ming Su marched a young man of around twenty-seven or twenty-eight into the cell area.

He possessed an utterly plain appearance, gloomy eyes, and a rather dejected aura.

This was the fourth disciple who had awakened a Tier-2 hacker ability by snatching the ability crystal cores of other supernaturals.

He had originally allowed himself to be captured under the assumption that his master and senior brothers would come to rescue him... After all, his skill was quite valuable to them.

To his horror, he found himself reunited with his masters, senior brothers, senior sister, and junior sister right here in the prison!

Chen Si tried to reassure Su Man, saying, "We still have Eldest Master! Don't worry, Little Five, Eldest Master will definitely not leave us to our fate!"

Ming Su said indifferently, "I forgot to mention: your Eldest Master has already been struck to death by lightning."

Chen Si: ...?!!

Su Man: ...!!!

Neither of them could maintain their composure any longer.

Su Man fell into hysterics, while Chen Si looked as though his soul had left his body.

Ming Su stated, "Don't even think about escaping. From now on, I will personally oversee the City X Special Management Bureau!"

Until their trial was concluded and their sentences were officially executed!

Leaving the prison area, Yun Zhi returned to the office.

She provided Ming Su with a detailed report regarding the reasons for her arrest of Su Man.

Ming Su acknowledged, "I understand. I'll arrange for someone to handle the aftermath at the Su residence."

Yun Zhi asked, "Then may I return to City Hai now?"

Ming Su replied, "Very well. Your application to join the Dragon Unit as an external operative has been submitted, but recently members of the Dragon Unit are all tied up dealing with rogue cultivator organizations, so things are quite busy. Once the review passes, the City Hai Special Management Bureau will issue you a notification, along with the contribution points for this operation."

Yun Zhi smiled, "Understood. Thank you, Sister Ming Su."

***

Emerging from the City X Special Management Bureau, Yun Zhi headed straight for the airport.

She booked a flight back to City Hai departing in two hours.

She forwarded her flight schedule to Zi Ji, along with her grandmother's phone number, which she had requested from him not long ago.

Replies from both arrived swiftly.

Zi Ji: "Received! I'll come to pick you up at the airport. Let me know when you land."

Du Wanqin: "Travel safely! I'll be waiting for you to come home!"

At the Lu family estate, Zi Ji beamed happily, "Grandmother, your method really worked! Only a few hours have passed, and she's already wrapped up her work and heading back."

Looking at the radiant young man, Du Wanqin felt a minor pang of worry.

Could this young master of the Lu family possibly have feelings for her Yun Zhi?

However, the young man himself seemed completely oblivious to this fact...

As an elder, it wasn't appropriate to meddle in everything; sometimes, blissful ignorance was best.

She decided to let the matters of the young people develop naturally at their own pace.

Since both of them were good-natured children who cared for others, win or lose, things wouldn't degenerate into an ugly mess. That alone was enough.

At the same time, Du Wanqin harbored a few private selfish thoughts.

How many young men were out there like "Lu Ziji"—exceptionally capable, born to a top-tier family, handsome, possessed of fine character and a pleasant temperament, emotionally disciplined, filial to elders, and possessing extraordinary abilities on par with Yun Zhi?

He was probably the only one in the entire country!

Therefore, regarding the area of "tact" where Zi Ji was somewhat lacking, she intended to offer a few pointers to create more opportunities for the two youngsters to spend time together.

If, after plenty of shared time, Yun Zhi still showed zero romantic interest in Zi Ji, she wouldn't force the match either.

Yun Zhi, of course, remained entirely oblivious to her grandmother's scheming.

Having resumed her original appearance and attire, she rendezvoused with Zi Ji outside the airport.

However, Yun Zhi temporarily set aside sharing the details of her trip to City Hai, focusing instead on messaging Bai Miaomiao on her phone.

[System Notice: Congratulations to the host for completing the commission 'Bai Miaomiao's Entrustment', rewarding 2,000 points...]