“Evil cultivators?” Lucas Ethan’s expression shifted, a strange glint flashing in his eyes. “Dad, do cultivators really exist in this world?”

　　“They do, of course they do. Cultivators—what are cultivators? They’re people who practice cultivation. You’re a cultivator, I’m a cultivator, everyone’s a cultivator. The only difference is in our abilities!” Logan shook his head and downed the wine in his cup in one gulp.

　　Lucas Ethan eagerly refilled his cup. “Dad, then tell me about cultivators.”

　　“You rascal, have you been listening to too many storybooks at the teahouse, dreaming of flying through the skies and burrowing through the earth?”

　　“I’m just curious!” Lucas Ethan said with a cheeky grin. “Come on, Dad, tell me!”

　　“Tell you my ass, I don’t know anything! What could I say? All I know is that there really are people in this world who can fly and disappear, but those are not people we can ever come into contact with. In my whole life, I’ve only seen it once. But I do know that when those evil sect cultivators practice their wicked arts, 紫河车 is an essential ingredient. It’s just that those evil sect people vanished hundreds of years ago—how could they show up in Dongling County now?” At this, he sighed softly, a trace of pity on his face. “For something like this to happen, it’s just our Dongling County’s bad luck. This is already beyond what we can handle, so that’s why I spread the word like this!”

　　“You’re helping Chief Lei avoid responsibility?”

　　“At the very least, it’ll lighten his load a bit. After all, this is beyond his abilities. Even if the case isn’t solved, there’s still an explanation!”

　　“You really are a seasoned constable, Dad. You see things so clearly!”

　　“Stop buttering me up!” Logan seemed to remember something, his expression turning serious. “Junzi, you need to be careful with this case. Don’t push yourself too hard. Even if you get a lead on the killer, be cautious. David Reed is still young and sometimes acts impulsively. If you really discover something, just stick with James Henry. That guy’s slippery and knows how to weigh the situation!”

　　“I understand, Dad!” Lucas Ethan nodded, knowing in his heart that this was a reminder to play it by ear and not to risk his life—if danger arose, it was best to hide.

　　After dinner, Lucas Ethan helped the slightly drunk Logan to bed, settled him in, and then returned to his own room to sleep.

　　But as he thought about the conversation he’d had with Logan that day, he just couldn’t fall asleep.

　　Qi cultivation, martial arts, cultivators, flying through the skies and vanishing into the earth.

　　These words kept swirling in his mind, impossible to shake off.

　　Half a year ago, he was still a reckless, half-grown boy who knew nothing and ran wild everywhere. But now, he was completely different from who he’d been six months before.

　　Half a year ago, he had a strange dream and was muddleheaded for a whole month.

　　Only he knew that he hadn’t been muddleheaded that month—he’d been digesting the memories of this body.

　　The real Lucas Ethan had long since died, or rather, his soul had already vanished, leaving only fragmented memories. During that month, a soul from another world took over this body—an engineer named William Brooks.

　　William Brooks was not a person of this world, but someone from a technological world called Earth.

　　On Earth, William Brooks died in an accident. He thought his life was over, but suddenly, he woke up again. After waking from the dream, he could no longer tell whether he was Lucas Ethan or William Brooks. That’s why his personality was so different from before. He was confused for a month before sorting things out. And because the soul was no longer Lucas Ethan but William Brooks, his habits changed as well. Logan was delighted by his son’s transformation and suspected nothing, thinking his son had become more filial and sensible after his injury, which greatly comforted his old heart.

　　William Brooks was a homebody, whose greatest dream in life was to soar through the skies and vanish into the earth like in the xianxia novels he read online—or at least to cultivate qi like in wuxia stories. That’s why he was so excited when he first sensed qi.

　　Thoughts tumbled through his mind one after another, until finally, he couldn’t stay in bed any longer. He got up, put on his clothes, walked to the window, and pushed it open. Instantly, the cool night air rushed in, clearing his head.

　　“At least, the air in this world is still fresh!”

　　In this world so much like ancient China, the first thing William Brooks learned was to play dumb and hide his abilities, then slowly get used to things. Sometimes, he really resented the body’s previous owner—wasting more than ten years in a daze, doing nothing but bickering with his father and, under Logan’s strictness, learning a few characters so he wasn’t completely illiterate. Other than that, he’d accomplished nothing and knew nothing, so now he could only slowly figure things out. Even sensing qi for the first time had left him stunned for ages, as if in a dream.

　　Outside the window, moonlight poured in like water, and a cold wind swept into the room, making him shiver.

　　He took a deep breath, feeling a thread of warmth rise from his dantian, flowing through his limbs and bones, driving away all the chill in his body.