Chapter Sixty-Two: Someone Is Pulling the Strings!

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"Damn, seriously? This is really disappointing, truly disappointing."
"I don't think Shen Qingli is that kind of person, right? How could she not have gone to the hospital to see Rong Qiao Yi? The photo is so blurry, and though some features look similar, you can't rule out it being a fake."
"But didn't the reporters say it themselves? When they got there, they didn't see a soul, and the supposed resemblance is so obvious—how could anyone fake it?"
"Exactly, exactly. Rong Qiao Yi ended up like this all because of her..."
Online, everyone argued their own point, and as a result, anyone siding with Shen Qingli was mercilessly criticized.

Meanwhile, the area outside the Tianqi Building was completely blocked; anyone coming out was bombarded by the crowd.
Resentment toward Shen Qingli reached its peak.

At the same time, Shen Qingli and Xie Jinchuan hadn't made it home yet; upon seeing the online chaos, they turned back straight to the entrance of Tianqi.
Shen Qingli was about to get out of the car, but Xie Jinchuan, seeing the hostile crowd, immediately spoke.
"I'll handle this. You stay out of it."
He got out swiftly, locking the car doors behind him.

As soon as the crowd at the building's entrance saw Xie Jinchuan, they surged forward.
"Mr. Xie, please explain today's events. Are the photos circulating online real? Did you really not go to the hospital to see Rong Qiao Yi?"
"Mr. Xie, where is Shen Qingli right now? Is she feeling guilty and afraid to show up?"

Watching Xie Jinchuan surrounded, Shen Qingli grew anxious, but the restriction he'd set on the car was impossible to break.

"Is this Xie Jinchuan an idiot?"
She immediately asked Green Cilantro for help.
"Cilantro, is there any way for me to get out?"
[Host, this is an immortal's restriction. You can't break it unless Mr. Xie willingly lifts it.]
Hearing this, Shen Qingli frowned. "Isn't there any tool?"
She didn't want Xie Jinchuan to face the rumors alone.

[Uh... none.]
Green Cilantro hesitated, which Shen Qingli, ever sharp, noticed.
"You have something—give it to me now."
Forced by her overwhelming pressure, Green Cilantro reluctantly produced a pill.
[Host, this pill can greatly boost your spiritual power for a short time, but the damage to your body is immeasurable...]
Shen Qingli hesitated as she looked at the pill in her hand.

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"Immeasurable—does that mean I could die?"
[Host, it's possible.]
With Green Cilantro's answer, Shen Qingli frowned, but suddenly sensed something unusual.
Green Cilantro felt it too: [Host, there's a demon aura!]
"Yes!"
Looking out the window, Shen Qingli spotted a strange figure approaching Xie Jinchuan. Without hesitation, she swallowed the pill.

"No, Xie Jinchuan absolutely can't be harmed."
As she spoke, the pill took effect. Her spiritual energy surged, shattering the restriction Xie Jinchuan had set.

She quickly opened the car door and rushed straight toward the strange figure!
The black aura surrounding the man dissipated instantly when Shen Qingli struck with her palm.

"Not good!"
About to lose control, Xie Jinchuan grabbed her hand, using his own spiritual power to neutralize the terrifying force in her palm.
The blow to the man ended up as a light push.

"Ah! Help!"
But the man fell to the ground, cried out, and immediately fainted!

The crowd fell silent for a moment, then someone shouted,
"She hit him! Shen Qingli lashed out in anger and knocked him unconscious!"
"How could she attack us? Someone restrain her!"
"Yeah, we're many—don't be afraid!"
"We must send her to the police, let them thoroughly investigate!"

With that, the crowd surged forward, ignoring the man collapsed on the ground.

"The resentment in them is too strong, suppressing my spiritual energy for no reason. Let's go inside."
Xie Jinchuan frowned, intending to calm their agitation with his energy, but was unexpectedly suppressed by theirs.

"Alright."
Shen Qingli nodded. The aura made her uneasy as well, so she hurried after Xie Jinchuan toward Tianqi Building.

The security guards were diligent, keeping the crowd outside.
Once they were safe, Xie Jinchuan and Shen Qingli stopped and turned to look at the crowd held at the door.

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Faintly, red and black auras could be seen swirling around them—clearly resentment and anger.

But Xie Jinchuan noticed something else, and his expression darkened as he spoke low to Shen Qingli.
"Someone's manipulating all this anger and resentment."

The invisible threads were hidden from Shen Qingli, but not from Xie Jinchuan.
He moved his fingers, spiritual power gathering at his fingertips, and struck the crowd, severing those unseen threads.

With their disappearance, the crowd immediately quieted.
"What happened to us?"
Seeing their minds clear, Shen Qingli finally relaxed.

"The auras on them—Jinchuan, can you trace their source?"
She watched as Xie Jinchuan absorbed the black aura into his palm, where it condensed into a small bead, lying docilely in his hand.

"No way. Too many mixed elements in this black aura."
Xie Jinchuan replied coldly, then crushed the bead in his palm, obliterating it.

"So that means we can't find out who orchestrated this?"
As the black aura vanished, Shen Qingli's eyes grew colder, her brow furrowing deeper.

What was happening? Ever since Rong Qiao Yi appeared, all these troubles had followed.

"Could this be related to Rong Qiao Yi..."
Before she could finish, Xie Jinchuan interjected,
"It shouldn't be her. She doesn't have the guts, but we can't completely rule it out..."

He frowned. Everything started after the day of the thunderstorm, and Rong Qiao Yi indeed wasn't friendly toward Shen Qingli.

"Let's leave it for now. I need to investigate further. Go upstairs—the people at Tianqi must be in chaos."
No matter what, Xie Jinchuan refused to let Shen Qingli get hurt.

He would look into it himself, but would never let her get involved.

"Alright."