After a long while, perhaps due to Han Lang's heartwarming comfort, or perhaps because she was tired from crying, Luo Jiaying's emotions gradually calmed down. She rested exceptionally peacefully in Han Lang's arms, with a slight sob, and asked softly, "Brother Han Lang, do you still remember the secret you promised to tell me before?"
Han Lang, not remembering anything at that moment, replied without hesitation, "A secret? What secret?"
Unexpectedly, Luo Jiaying's demeanor changed instantly. She pushed Han Lang away, looked at him with a face full of resentment, and said indignantly, "When your Heavenly Doctor Pavilion just finished renovations, you told me you'd tell me the secret in your heart after that period. How could you forget?" As she spoke, she pinched Han Lang's arm fiercely.
Han Lang cried out in pain, rubbing the spot where he was pinched, and recalled the scene from back then. It was the day after he had saved Old Master Cao. Luo Jiaying and Cao Xuerong, reunited after a long separation, had spent a night talking privately at the Cao family's residence before asking him to confirm the matter he had agreed upon with Cao Xuerong. At that time, Han Lang had faced his own sordid past, confessed his decadent first half of life to Luo Jiaying, and moved by the moment, told her that his life had been so dissolute because he had never met the girl who could fill his entire heart. He had also promised to tell Luo Jiaying about this person he harbored in his heart after the crisis.
"Oh, you mean this!" Han Lang suddenly realized. He looked at Luo Jiaying dotingly, smiled, cupped her face, and said gently, "Silly girl! The one who fills my entire heart is you!"
Luo Jiaying's heart was already blooming with joy, but her mouth still pouted as she asked, "Really?"
"Really!"
Only then did she break into tears and smile, leaning back into Han Lang's embrace with satisfaction. After a long period of tenderness, the lingering shadow of her kidnapping gradually faded from Luo Jiaying's heart, and the two parted reluctantly.
It was only then that Han Lang took a closer look at the three men he had already subdued. Looking at the three burly men lying motionless on the ground, bleeding from all seven orifices, he couldn't help but feel a surge of fear as he came to his senses. In his rage just now, he wasn't even sure how much strength he had used.
"Damn it! Did they all really die?" He walked forward tremblingly, checked the floral-shirted man's breathing, and felt his pulse, confirming that he had indeed lost all signs of life. Instantly, the fear of killing for the first time flooded his brain. His fingers trembled as he pointed at the corpse, looked at Luo Jiaying with wide eyes, and stammered, "Xia... Xiaoying! I... I really... killed... killed someone!"
Upon hearing this news, Luo Jiaying also gasped, huddling behind Han Lang fearfully, looking at the corpse of the floral-shirted man on the ground in terror, completely at a loss. "Then... then... what do we do? Won't you be legally responsible? This should be self-defense, right? Or... Brother Han Lang, you should run quickly!"
Han Lang's mind was blank. Although the memories of the異世藥尊 (Yi Shi Yao Zun - roughly translated as "Medicine Venerable of Another World") contained many scenes of combat in the Li Chuan Continent, they were no different from watching a movie to him. But now, the three men in floral shirts had truly died by his hand. Even though they were wicked and deserved death, Han Lang had killed for the first time. Even though he had already cultivated immortality, this primal fear and regret still consumed him.
Trembling, he took out his phone from his pocket. After a long hesitation, he dialed Tang Qin's number.
"Hello, young sir! Did you find the person?" Tang Qin's anxious greeting came from the other end of the phone.
Han Lang replied weakly, as if his soul had left him, "Found her! Abandoned building, Building Five, 3rd floor. Tang Qin, I killed someone! Can you come alone?"
As the deputy captain of the criminal police brigade, Tang Qin could basically deduce the general course of events upon hearing this. "The nature of this matter is difficult to determine. Don't worry, stay put, I'll be there immediately!"
Not long after hanging up, Tang Qin, dressed in plain clothes, arrived at the scene. She first scanned the three corpses lying in different positions in the room, then greeted the victim, Luo Jiaying, and finally, her gaze fell on Han Lang, who was squatting on the ground with vacant eyes.
"Slap!" A hand landed on Han Lang's shoulder, followed by Tang Qin's voice, as soft as a mosquito's hum, but clear enough for Han Lang to hear, "Did you use your full strength?"
Han Lang nodded numbly. Tang Qin, however, shook her head helplessly. To strike down a six-foot-tall man with shattered internal organs and bleeding from all seven orifices with one blow—wasn't that using full strength?
"Alright, it's okay. I'll have my colleagues come to clean up the scene first. You come back to the police station with me!"
Han Lang didn't speak or resist, just stared blankly at Luo Jiaying. Tang Qin understood. "Don't worry! She has to come back to the police station with us to give her statement. She's in my custody, so you don't have to worry. While there's still time, report your safety to your family first!"
Han Lang then remembered the others who were frantically searching for Luo Jiaying. He immediately took out his phone and sent a safety message in the group chat. Seeing the relieved reactions of others in the WeChat group, Han Lang's mood also improved slightly. He then supported Luo Jiaying and walked down the stairs step by step.
...
Criminal Police Brigade, Interrogation Room.
After Tang Qin brought the two back, she arranged for other officers to take Luo Jiaying's statement and placed Han Lang here, telling him that as he was now a suspect, the interrogation would only begin after the crime scene had been basically surveyed. Han Lang had been sitting there blankly for nearly an hour.
"Creak..." The door was opened. Tang Qin walked in alone, holding a file bag. Before she could make any further move, Han Lang spoke, "Do you have any cigarettes? Can you give me one?"
Tang Qin smiled wryly, then exited the room again and took a cigarette and a lighter from a male officer, handing them to Han Lang.
"Click!" Han Lang lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and felt much better. "How is it? Any results?"
Tang Qin nodded, turning off all the recording equipment in the interrogation room as she replied, "There are results! If we were to follow normal law, this would at most be classified as righteous act but excessive defense. Usually, it's a suspended sentence of 1-3 years."
Han Lang had long lost his initial panic and fear. "So you mean there's also abnormal law!"
Tang Qin smiled. "Of course! If you hadn't surrendered yourself, besides the forensic evidence that the three died from severe blows, they wouldn't have suspected anyone at the scene. After all, your full-strength punch is beyond the understanding of ordinary people! However, colleagues from the Special Investigation Bureau for Cultivators should find you soon. Cultivators attacking ordinary people, regardless of the reason, is a major taboo!"
Han Lang was somewhat surprised; he had indeed forgotten about this so-called Special Investigation Bureau for Cultivators. "What should I do now? Are there any other ways?"
Tang Qin revealed a charming smile with deep meaning. "Of course there are! But..."