Hello, Welcome to Merit Supermarket (SUPERMARKET)
"Longyuan Town?" Director Long fell into deep thought, and then her gaze gradually shifted elsewhere.
That direction was where the four officers had just left.
"Guess which police station these people are from." she said, causing the other three present to exchange knowing smiles.
Where else could they be from? Ninety-nine percent, they were from the Longyuan Town police station.
Jiang Chenyi also looked in that direction, then closed his eyes and released his restrictions. The sounds he heard immediately became chaotic.
He had met everyone in this mansion before, including the servants, and he remembered all their voices. Therefore, any unfamiliar voices he heard now must belong to those four officers.
But after fully releasing his restrictions, he didn't just hear four unfamiliar mental voices.
Seeing Jiang Chenyi close his eyes, Huo Yunxi knew he was listening to the nearby mental voices, so he gestured for Yuan Aiping and Director Long to be quiet.
The two obediently kept silent, not disturbing Jiang Chenyi's actions. However, when they saw the young man's face suddenly turn pale, a trace of concern appeared in their eyes.
After a while, Jiang Chenyi slowly opened his eyes, and a flash of pain crossed his gaze.
"What's wrong? Did the eavesdropping not go well?" Huo Yunxi keenly noticed that the other's face was unusually pale. He silently calculated the number of people currently in the mansion, which theoretically shouldn't have exceeded the young man's capabilities.
But his current state...
Jiang Chenyi didn't speak. He held his forehead as his mind and ears both throbbing faintly.
After a while, having recovered, he revealed a startling fact: "There are eight voices on those four people."
Huo Yunxi was shocked, while the other two looked bewildered, clearly not understanding what Jiang Chenyi meant by his words.
"I can hear the most desired voices in people's hearts. The voices of the heart are actually consistent with the voices of speech. But here, I heard eight unfamiliar heart voices, and four of them were extremely weak, as if suppressed by someone and were constantly calling for help."
The other four voices, in his ears, were as elusive as smoke, yet they gave him an extremely twisted feeling.
Listening to them, they certainly didn't sound like the heart voices of normal humans.
Huo Yunxi's brow immediately furrowed: "So, you mean, those four police officers have four other consciousnesses?"
Jiang Chenyi's eyes gradually deepened. Recalling the unsettling yellow mist he had seen before, another suspicion arose in his heart.
"Wait, are you saying that other consciousnesses have taken over their bodies?"
Long Ju suddenly spoke these words, and Yuan Aiping, seeing her seemingly unsurprised expression, quickly asked: "Have you seen this before?"
Huo Yunxi and Jiang Chenyi both raised their eyes to look at each other.
The woman's expression was calm, as if even if the sky were to fall, she wouldn't show any sign of panic.
"I've seen it before, back when I was in the military."
Without needing Jiang Chenyi and the others to ask, she voluntarily recounted a bizarre experience from many years ago.
"That was fifteen years ago."
At that time, she was ordered to go to the border to investigate whether there were any illegal crossings.
In a snowy mountain range, they encountered a village—a small village with a total population of just over fifty people.
Out of caution, they didn't reveal themselves immediately but instead hid in the snow and observed for a while.
This was just routine suspicion, but what happened next made them extremely grateful for that suspicion.
These fifty people all appeared to be middle-aged or elderly, but the voices coming from a few of them sounded like those of young adults.
And to this behavior, the others seemed to find nothing unusual, continuing their conversations without a change in expression.
If it had just been this, perhaps they could have explained it away as individual voice characteristics.
But after overhearing what they were saying, the small team felt a chill run down their spines.
"This body is really inconvenient, being so old is such a hassle."
"It's precisely because they're old that it's easier to do things. Anyway, it's not our body, so it doesn't matter if it gets ruined."
"Let's be a bit more careful. There are only fifty people left here. If we use them all up, we'll have to find new ones."
"I say, next time we should choose someone with a bit of power. What's the point of being an ordinary person?"
…
Just these few sentences were enough to freeze the team in place.
Not their bodies, but their hearts were frozen as they feel a chill from within.
Who were these people? What did they want to do by taking over the villagers' bodies? Various questions swirled in their minds.
In the end, they carefully retreated and reported the incident to their superiors.
Hearing this, Huo Yunxi raised a question: "Was the illegal crossing you were investigating related to them?"
After a moment of silence, the she nodded: "Yes, it was them."
This village was a temporary stop for the illegal crossers. All fifty-plus people in the village had been controlled by Spirit Masters from the neighboring area, and the voices they had heard that didn't match the bodies were the Spirit Masters' own voices.
By using the locals' bodies, the illegal crossers always had someone to receive them and avoiding to be capture by the military.
"Later, we sought help from the Celestial Masters Association, and they managed to drive out those Spirit Masters."
Taking over someone else's body was undoubtedly seen as heresy by the Celestial Masters in the country!
Jiang Chenyi was puzzled: "They didn't catch anyone?"
Speaking of this, Director Long still felt regretful: "No, they could easily leave those bodies, and the Celestial Masters couldn't track them."
Jiang Chenyi lowered his head to immediately recall the tools in the supermarket that could restrain Souls.
He could extract Souls from bodies, but after extraction, he needed something to contain them.
He couldn't just walk around with these Souls like walking a dog, could he?
Fortunately, Jiang Chenyi kept his thoughts to himself, or else he would have heard Director Long respond with confusion, "Why not?"
"If it were just that, it might be easier to resolve." But now, Jiang Chenyi suspected that there was more to the situation than just an extra soul inhabiting the body.
At that moment, Yuan Aiping brought up another issue.
"Fifteen years—I don’t believe they just gave up after leaving. I strongly suspect that our borders have already been infiltrated."
The current base might have already been turned into a police station.
Local grassroots police stations have more authority than ordinary people.
This would make it easier to arrange identity documents for smugglers. Moreover, in certain situations, the identity of a police officer could help them avoid many dangers.
"And I’m worried—could they use this body to climb even higher?"
The old lady’s concerns were not unfounded, but Jiang Chenyi didn’t think taking over a body was an easy task.
"Climbing higher seems unlikely. If they did, they would inevitably come into contact with more Celestial Masters. If they were discovered… all their efforts would be wasted.”
Although the members of the Celestial Masters Association weren’t entirely reliable, loving money was one thing, but betraying the country was another.
Setting aside deeper concerns for now, their first priority was to figure out what was really going on with that police station.
"Oh no! I sent people to investigate. Could this have tipped them off?" Director Long wanted to recall them immediately.
However, Jiang Chenyi stopped her.
"No need. This might actually bring unexpected benefits. If you hadn’t met me, what would you have thought was the issue with that police station?"
Director Long was taken aback, then relaxed. "Indeed, without meeting you, no one would have thought of body possession."
She would have suspected that there was a bigger fish behind it and would never have acted rashly. She would have waited until she had gathered enough evidence before making a move.
But for the other side, such a fishing tactic would be useless, so this way, they might actually be safer.
The only trouble was that they might be under closer surveillance recently.
"Let’s leave it at that for now. We’ll first figure out the situation over there and then discuss how to handle it."
After saying this, Jiang Chenyi and Huo Yunxi went to a room on the second floor, which Song Miao had arranged for the woman.
When he entered, he saw Yu Shun feeding the woman medicine.
As soon as the woman’s parents saw him, they immediately wanted to kowtow to the young man, but Huo Yunxi stopped them.
"No need to kowtow. If you do, I might lose some lifespan." he quickly declined their gratitude.
The old man wiped his tears, feeling immensely grateful that they had encountered good people. Otherwise…
Jiang Chenyi had come up to check on the woman’s condition. She had likely been tortured and imprisoned for many years, and her mind was already broken.
He propped his chin on one hand and, in front of everyone, reached out and tapped the woman’s forehead.
The young man channeled a small amount of Merit into the woman’s body, and she visibly relaxed with her eyes no longer so dazed.
This act of his gave the old man and his wife a glimmer of hope
"My... my daughter, can she return to normal?" Not only the woman's parents, but even Yu Shun looked expectant.
However, things weren't that simple.
"Merit can only slightly improve her consciousness, but to cure her completely, she still needs to see a doctor."
It was like how Mountain Spring Water could only regulate the body, not cure diseases.
Seeing their disappointed expressions, Jiang Chenyi slowly added, "You can go see a doctor first, let them come up with a treatment plan. Once she shows some improvement, you can come find me at this place."
He handed the elderly couple a business card with the address of a Supermarket.
"There are some products in the Supermarket that can speed up her recovery, but they can only accelerate the process. As for whether she can fully recover, that still depends on conventional methods."
Yu Shun also took a look and suddenly asked a question, "I heard you can trade some unconventional items. Can you do something for her situation?"
Jiang Chenyi glanced at the woman, then at the elderly couple, and finally shook his head, "I personally suggest going to the hospital first."
"Is it not possible to trade?"
Faced with Yu Shun's persistent questioning, Jiang Chenyi patiently explained the requirements for such a trade and concluded, "They don't have enough Merit."
The three of them were speechless with the hope in their eyes instantly dimming.
"Can't... can't it be borrowed?"
Jiang Chenyi looked at Yu Shun and sighed helplessly, "It's possible, but I still say, go see a doctor first. If it really doesn't work, then come back to me."
"Moreover..." he paused and looked at Yu Shun, "You can't lend her your Merit."
If there are requirements for trading, then naturally there are requirements for lending Merit.
And the most important and crucial requirement is that the person lending the Merit must have some connection to the matter being requested.
For example, in the previous cases where Merit was lent, the lenders were police officers, and the matters they were requesting were cases they were managing. There was already a relationship between the two parties, so they could lend a bit of Merit.
"But, what connection do you have with her? Not to mention you, even Song Miao has no connection with their family." So, it couldn't be lent.
Yu Shun was very dissatisfied with this outcome, but since Jiang Chenyi had said it couldn't be lent, then it really couldn't be.
She didn't understand why it couldn't be lent!
Huo Yunxi glanced at her and asked a question in return, "If anyone could lend it, then someone would find a loophole."
For example, using money to bribe some people who do good deeds. After all, it's just buying and selling Merit, not something that harms the heavens and violates principles, so why not trade?
And the person spending the money isn't doing anything wrong, so it wouldn't affect their own Merit.
But in that case, wouldn't it violate the principles of the Supermarket?
Jiang Chenyi nodded in agreement with Huo Yunxi's words, then turned back to the elderly couple, "Even if we can't trade, you don't need to be so disheartened."
The woman's condition wasn't actually very serious. With doctors and the products from the Supermarket, with some time and care, her condition would definitely improve a lot.
"If you want to help them, why not help them find a good psychiatrist."
Jiang Chenyi's words brought some peace to everyone's hearts.
The old man tightly held his wife's hand as tears welling up in his eyes.
He had been too greedy. Finding their daughter was already the biggest surprise, but he...
"No problem, I'll help them." Yu Shun replied without hesitation and immediately started contacting people.
The two old people felt a bit embarrassed, but while they were discussing, Jiang Chenyi and Huo Yunxi quietly left.
They returned to the first floor just in time to see the four police officers leaving.
Jiang Chenyi gave Huo Yunxi a look, and the latter promptly followed them closely with Wu Tuan.
When Song Miao turned around, she only saw Jiang Chenyi alone. After a brief thought, she guessed his intention.
"Aren't you afraid they'll discover great-grandfather?"
Jiang Chenyi's mouth twitched slightly. No matter when, he couldn't help but feel amused whenever he heard the Huo family's way of addressing Huo Yunxi.
"Ahem!" He suppressed his laughter and put on a serious expression to explain, "Even if they discover him, it's fine. Both he and Wu Tuan are Spirits."
They are Spirits, not Celestial Masters, so they won't suspect that they are the ones who attracted the police's attention.
Song Miao didn't ask further. Once she knew there was no danger, she felt reassured.
Huo Yunxi, who was following the four police officers, wasn't maintaining his human form at the moment.
He tied the Bell around Wu Tuan's neck and then returned inside the Bell himself.
This way, even if they were discovered, all they would see was a cat Spirit—what could a cat possibly know? The cat was just curious!
Sure enough, after following them for a while, the group noticed a cat, a cat Spirit, trailing behind them.
Although they were surprised that a cat Spirit had appeared in this border area, they didn't feel particularly wary, especially when their attempts to lure the cat over failed.
"That's just how cats are. If you try to lure them, they'll never come. But if you ignore them, they'll eventually come over on their own."
This confident statement clearly showed that the speaker had studied cats for a long time.
The group traveled at an incredibly fast speed, covering the 300-kilometer distance in just one hour.
After returning to the police station with them, Wu Tuan found a nearby spot to hide.
Huo Yunxi emerged from the Bell and looked up at the police station gate not far away, where the words "Longyuan Town" were written on the side.
Wu Tuan had initially thought about sneaking in to check the situation but was stopped by Huo Yunxi.
"Wait until I contact Chenyi first. Don’t act rashly."
If someone inside was going to warn the victim’s family, did that mean the police here weren’t completely under control?
When Jiang Chenyi was informed and heard Huo Yunxi’s words, he let out a soft chuckle.
"Guess which town’s police station the other party told Song Miao about?"
Huo Yunxi also laughed. "Definitely not Longyuan Town’s."
"The neighboring town’s."
It was indeed the right decision to have someone follow them; otherwise, they would have wasted time investigating another location.
After saying this, Jiang Chenyi teleported himself to Huo Yunxi’s side. As soon as he arrived, he was immediately embraced by the other.
Before he could say anything, he felt a cool energy flow into his body, and the dizziness caused by the teleportation vanished instantly.
"You…" Jiang Chenyi’s gaze sharpened. "When did you learn this trick?"
This was truly a big surprise!
Huo Yunxi smiled and nodded. "I’ve been getting familiar with my powers. Spiritual Power, Merit, Baleful Aura—each has its own uses!"
As a partner, he couldn’t always rely on Jiang Chenyi, could he?
iang Chenyi let out an impressed "Wow," with his eyes sparkling as he looked at the other.
Did this mean he wouldn’t feel as uncomfortable during teleportations anymore?
After reveling in the surprise for a while, he realized his current posture was a bit odd.
He was being held by Huo Yunxi, and it was the kind of face-to-face would use to carry a child…
Two grown men in such a position looked undeniably strange.
Jiang Chenyi’s ears grew slightly warm, and he quickly jumped down from the other.
As he turned around, his eyes fell on the words "Longyuan Town" and his expression instantly turned icy.
“This police station is really something…"
"How so?"
Jiang Chenyi closed his eyes and listened quietly to the surroundings. When he opened them again, his pupils had turned a pale gold.
"There’s quite a mix of people here—normal ones, controlled ones, and even extra consciousnesses. From what I’ve heard, there are already twenty-five distinct mental voices."
And that didn’t even include those who were off-duty or on leave…
Meanwhile, the people inside the police station were discussing their visit to the Huo family earlier that day.
As Jiang Chenyi listened, his expression grew colder and colder, as if he were about to blow up the police station the next second!
Huo Yunxi, watching his expression, asked curiously, "What are they saying?"
To his surprise, the young man gave him a lingering look with his pale eyes tinged with a hint of resentment.
"Someone’s trying to take you away from me."
What…?
Huo Yunxi felt a sudden rush of heat as his entire body burned up, and his mind buzzing so loudly that he couldn’t hear anything else Jiang Chenyi said afterward.
"They covet your body, wanting the Merit and Baleful Aura on you... Huh? Why are you blushing? Are you feeling unwell?"
Jiang Chenyi tilted his head in confusion as he watched the other person react as if their fur had bristled.
What's going on?
"Ahem... no... nothing?" Huo Yunxi couldn't bring himself to say that he felt like he was being teased by Jiang Chenyi.
He quickly composed himself, cleared his throat, and asked, "What do they want from me?"
"Naturally, it's for the Merit and Baleful Aura on you." Jiang Chenyi replied while still staring at him, feeling increasingly puzzled.
Unfortunately, now wasn't the time to dwell on this. He would have to ask in detail later when he had the chance.
From the thoughts he had overheard, Jiang Chenyi had a rough idea of the identities of the people currently in the police station.
There were actually only twenty people inside, with five additional voices coming from those who had taken over the bodies. These five were also the ones in charge of the police station.
"Out of the twenty people, thirteen have been controlled. The remaining seven are the original auxiliary police officers here. They must have been placed under some kind of restriction to prevent them from leaking even the slightest bit of information."
At this point, he was somewhat worried about the person who had previously leaked information to the old man's family, unsure if they would suffer any backlash.
After confirming the number of people inside, Jiang Chenyi raised his hand, and a Black Umbrella appeared above the two of them.
Wu Tuan jumped onto Jiang Chenyi's shoulder with his tail swishing back and forth as if ready to slap someone at any moment.
The two of them, along with the cat, walked in boldly, and headed straight toward the area with the most noise.
There, they saw a group of people, like puppets, staring blankly at the five individuals in front of them.
Among the five, four were former police officers, and the remaining one, judging by the uniform, was likely... probably... the Chief of this police station.
‘Ah, so they've taken out the head. No wonder almost everyone has been controlled.’
To avoid being discovered, Jiang Chenyi and Huo Yunxi didn't get too close.
However, even from this distance, it was enough for Jiang Chenyi to determine who was under control and who still had their own consciousness.
After identifying the auxiliary police officers who were still normal humans, Jiang Chenyi turned his attention to the five whose bodies had been taken over.
The fifth person, the current "Chief" was surrounded by a cloud of Karmic Sin that reeked of blood.
"Let me say this one last time: don't think about running away or sending any messages. The fate of the person who leaked the village's location should be clear to you."
The "Chief" opened his blood-stained mouth, and the words he spoke left everyone pale and trembling with fear.
From the terror in their eyes, Jiang Chenyi guessed they must have seen something extremely horrifying.
In other words... the person who secretly sent the message to the old man had met a tragic end.
Good people don't always get good rewards...
Jiang Chenyi's breath hitched, and a trace of sorrow and pain flashed in his eyes. Huo Yunxi, aside from his sorrow, was filled with a chilling killing intent.
The only thing the two of them hoped for now was that the person was still clinging to their last breath.
As long as there was still a breath left, they could save them!
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