Myth Beyond Heaven

Ye Ling was stunned. "The Hell Church? What is that?" she blurted out.

Qin Qi stared intently at Ye Ling's face, searching for any sign of deception. He couldn't detect anything, raising the possibility that she was telling the truth.

"Zhu Ding has been poisoned," Qin Qi said solemnly. "The poison caused his heart and organ failure. Our officers confirmed you visited him a second time right before it happened."

"Wait a minute," Ye Ling interjected, needing a moment to process the information. "I never went back to his room after taking him there. Where did these officers see me?"

Qin Qi narrowed his eyes and handed her a tablet. "It's recorded here."

Ye Ling watched the video on the screen in utter confusion. She saw someone who looked exactly like her walk out of the lounge and head to Zhu Ding's room with a stack of papers before leaving shortly afterward.

"How is this possible...?" Ye Ling muttered, bewildered.

"Miss Ye," Qin Qi pressed on, "I can offer you witness protection if you cooperate. Now, tell me, who's behind this?"

Still reeling from the shock, Ye Ling repeatedly replayed the video. She was certain it was her, yet she couldn't remember anything.

"That's right, Yaoyao," she blurted out, suddenly remembering Cai Yaoyao.

"We already questioned Miss Cai," Qin Qi informed her calmly. "She claims you left the lounge shortly after returning and said Dr. Li instructed you to check on Zhu Ding's condition again."

"No way..." Ye Ling frowned deeply. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't recall the events from the video.

Qin Qi was inwardly perplexed. He had carefully observed Ye Ling's micro-expressions and detected no signs of lying. Everything seemed genuine. What was happening here?

At that moment, an officer entered the room, handing a paper to Qin Qi. "We found something, leader," he said.

Qin Qi scanned the paper's contents, then raised his head towards Ye Ling. "Miss Ye," he stated, "we found the poison in your locker. There are also traces of the poison on your shirt. Perhaps it's time you stopped wasting our time."

Ye Ling seemed oblivious, lost in thought, as she contemplated the entire situation.

A moment later, she looked at Qin Qi and asked, "Officer Qin, if you were the culprit, would you put the poison in your own locker?"

Qin Qi raised an eyebrow slightly. "No," he replied.

Ye Ling took a deep breath and recounted the situation. "After returning to the lounge, I drank some water Yaoyao gave me and fell asleep on my bed. I didn't wake up for another three hours."

Qin Qi's expression shifted subtly as he pondered this new information. "Cai Yaoyao," he muttered.

Turning to the officer, he said, "Find out where Cai Yaoyao is now."

The officer rushed out and returned a minute later, anxiety etched on his face. "She's gone. We don't know where she is, but we're currently tracking her location."

Qin Qi's face paled. "It was her," he uttered, realizing he'd been easily tricked.

Ye Ling couldn't believe it. "How could it be...?" she stammered. "I always thought of Cai Yaoyao as my younger sister."

Understanding dawned on Qin Qi. He reached out to unlock the handcuffs. "Miss Ye," he requested, "can you tell me everything you know about Cai Yaoyao?"

Ye Ling nodded slowly and began to recount her experiences with Cai Yaoyao.

***

Inside the Land of Beyond Heaven.

Lei Hao surveyed the villa, finding it identical to the bombed one. "It looks exactly the same here," he remarked.

"Lynn," Yun Lintian suddenly spoke.

"Hmm?" Lynn turned to him in response.

"Yes, Master," a robotic female voice echoed simultaneously.

Everyone froze for a moment in surprise.

"What was that?" Lynn asked curiously, looking around for a speaker.

"It's a housekeeper AI," Yun Lintian explained. "I named her Lynn."

Understanding dawned on everyone's faces.

Lynn addressed Yun Lintian, her voice laced with tenderness, "Did you miss me badly?"

Yun Lintian shrugged. "I just thought it would be convenient. After all, you have always helped me find information."

Lynn playfully rolled her eyes. "You're so unromantic," she scolded.

"He never has been," Yang Ningchang chuckled, muffling her laughter with her hand.

Everyone knew Yun Lintian wasn't one for grand displays of affection – a bit of a wooden block.

Feigning deafness, Yun Lintian said, "Can you give them the highest permission rank, Lynn?"

"Understood, Master," the AI responded. "Scanning... Mr.Yang Wu. Mr. Lei Hao, Ms. Yang Ningchang, Ms. Lynn Wintercrest... Permission granted."

"What's that for?" Lynn inquired curiously.

"Follow me," Yun Lintian said, gesturing as he led everyone to the library.

Gazing at the rows of bookshelves, Yun Lintian explained, "There are various profound arts here. Feel free to browse them. I recommend starting with Primordial rank ones as your primary focus."

"Great!" Lei Hao exclaimed, delighted. He began fiddling with the screen, eagerly browsing through the countless profound arts.

"I'll teach Lynn and Ningchang myself," Long Qingxuan said.

Yun Lintian, momentarily surprised, quickly agreed. "Alright, that would be perfect."

Lynn's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Can we start now, Sister Qingxuan?"

Yang Ningchang also looked expectantly at Long Qingxuan.

"Certainly," Long Qingxuan confirmed. With a wave, she retrieved a few books and said to the two women, "Come with me."

Yang Ningchang and Lynn nodded eagerly and followed Long Qingxuan out.

Lei Hao watched them leave with a touch of envy.

"Don't worry," Yun Lintian assured him with a smile. "I'll find someone to teach you later."

He already had Jin Long in mind for the task.

"Really? Is it someone beautiful?" Lei Hao's eyes lit up with hope.

"No, actually, it's a man," Yun Lintian replied, dashing his hopes slightly.

Lei Hao's enthusiasm waned.

Yun Lintian chuckled. "He's incredibly strong, though. You'll see."

"Fair enough," Lei Hao conceded.

Yun Lintian then turned to Yang Wu. "Please accept my apologies, Uncle Wu. Teaching you right now is too risky for Earth. We can't have another cultivator here just yet."

Yang Wu smiled understandingly. "Don't worry about apologies, Young Master Yun. I'm more than grateful for the gift you've already given me."

He then surprised Yun Lintian with a deep bow. "Thank you for saving young miss."

"What are you doing, Uncle Wu?" Yun Lintian rushed to help him up. "I was the fool back then."

Yang Wu smiled in response.

"I'll give you some crop seeds later, Uncle Wu. They'll be far superior to anything Earth has seen." Yun Lintian continued. "Now, it's time for me to deal with the Hell Church."