Knock, knock…
A series of knocks sounded at the door.
"Who is it!"
Xia Yi gritted his teeth, threw on a coat, and got up to open the door. He was about to see which reckless person dared to disturb him early in the morning.
However, before he even reached the door—Boom!—it was kicked open from the outside.
Xia Yi hadn't even reacted when a young girl dressed in a black auxiliary police uniform and a woman in her thirties wearing a formal police uniform appeared before him. In a flash, the girl was already in front of him.
With a swift motion, she grabbed his right wrist, twisted it behind his back with force, and pressed him directly to the ground.
Her movements were fluid and efficient.
Xia Yi had always believed that as long as his opponent didn't use battle armor, he could handle anyone below the Soul Saint level. Yet now, he was subdued so easily.
All his strength and skills, his terrifying power, were completely useless.
Before he could even react, the girl had already pulled his left hand behind his back as well. In the next moment, a pair of shining silver handcuffs locked his wrists together.
At the same time, a golden helmet was placed over his head.
Xia Yi immediately felt an intense numbing sensation coursing through his body, making him tremble. He could feel his spiritual power and soul power being sealed.
Soul-Sealing Handcuffs and Spirit-Sealing Helmet.
Designed specifically to restrain powerful soul masters.
They didn't give him even the slightest chance.
"Squat down! Don't move! We received a report that there is prostitution and solicitation of underage girls happening here. I am Xia Hong, an auxiliary police officer from the Third Squad of the Mingdu Police Department's Royal District. I am officially placing you under arrest. Show your identification and cooperate with the investigation."
After subduing Xia Yi in mere moments, Xia Hong pulled out her auxiliary police badge and flashed it in front of him.
Then, with a casual tug, she dragged a chair over, sat down in front of Xia Yi with her legs crossed, raised her chin proudly, and smirked.
"You have the right to remain silent, but anything you say can and will be used as evidence in court."
Xia Yi finally regained his senses and looked up at the girl.
She appeared to be around fifteen or sixteen years old, with a slightly baby-faced, delicate face that looked as flawless as a porcelain doll—adorable and youthful.
Judging by appearance alone, she was even younger than Gu Yue.
Though dressed in an auxiliary police uniform, she didn't exude the sharp aura of law enforcement. Instead, she looked incredibly cute.
While sitting, Xia Yi estimated that she was about 1.65 meters tall—small by the standards of most soul masters on the Douluo Continent.
However, her figure was unexpectedly curvaceous, with an ample bust that was even more exaggerated than Gu Yue's. Her uniform looked as though it might burst at any moment.
A childlike face with a mature body.
That phrase suddenly popped into Xia Yi's mind.
Normally, such a body type would clash with her baby-like face, yet on Xia Hong, it somehow seemed perfectly balanced.
Not only did it not diminish her charm, but it also evoked two conflicting urges in those who saw her—the desire to protect and the impulse to conquer.
"Xia Yi?"
Before he could even speak, the female officer behind Xia Hong recognized him.
Xia Yi was quite famous in Mingdu now.
He had been challenging Tang Sect dojos all across the continent, winning every match without a single defeat, and all of it had been broadcasted live.
At this point, there were very few people in the Douluo Continent who didn't recognize him.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! This is her first time handling a case—she doesn't know the rules!"
Recognizing Xia Yi, the female officer immediately apologized and quickly removed the Soul-Sealing Handcuffs and Spirit-Sealing Helmet from him.
"Captain, he hasn't shown his ID yet," Xia Hong quickly reminded.
"Shut up! Who told you to be so rough?" The female officer glared at her. "Do you even know who he is? He's the disciple of the Spirit Pagoda's Vice-Pagoda Master, Heavenly Phoenix Douluo. He and HeavenlyPhoenix Douluo's other disciple, Gu Yue, are an official couple. Why would he need to pay for prostitutes?"
"That's not necessarily true. The grass is always greener on the other side," Xia Hong muttered under her breath.
"Didn't I tell you to shut up?!" The female officer shot her another glare, then grabbed Xia Hong by the collar and forced her to bow three times to Xia Yi in apology.
After that, she dragged Xia Hong away in a hurry—without even giving Xia Yi a chance to say a word.
"Damn it, what the hell just happened?"
Watching them leave, Xia Yi clenched his teeth.
The whole thing had been completely ridiculous.
But what frustrated him the most was that he had been utterly powerless against such an innocent-looking girl.
"There is always someone stronger. I may be special, but out of all the people on this continent, who's to say I'm the only one?"
For the first time since his transformation, Xia Yi felt pressure.
Strangely, though, despite being overwhelmed by Xia Hong so easily, he didn't feel frustrated at all.
Meanwhile, downstairs, Xia Hong was getting scolded mercilessly.
"What am I going to do with you?! You only make three thousand federation coins a month—why are you trying to get yourself killed? Do you think someone like Xia Yi is someone you can mess with?"
The female officer sighed helplessly.
"But police officers are supposed to be fair and just," Xia Hong muttered. "Besides, he wasn't as strong as the rumors say. I took him down in two moves. Isn't he just overhyped?"
"I know you're a Soul Ancestor and stronger than me, but an ordinary Soul Ancestor wouldn't stand a chance against Xia Yi." The female officer rolled her eyes. "He didn't resist at all. He was probably just avoiding conflict with the police. If he had fought back, you wouldn't have even had the chance to touch him."
"So you're saying he felt guilty?" Xia Hong feigned a sudden realization. "Then I should go back and arrest him!"
"Stop right there!" The female officer quickly stopped her. "Did you even listen to a word I said? Someone deliberately reported him, hoping we'd be their pawns. The best thing to do now is to pretend we didn't see anything."
Taking a deep breath, she looked at Xia Hong seriously.
"You're still young. You don't understand how the Federation Police Department works. Just having passion isn't enough—you need to assess the situation. Some people are untouchable. If you mess with them, you might disappear without a trace."
"Oh…" Xia Hong tilted her head, pretending to think deeply.
The female officer thought she was reflecting on her words.
She had no idea that Xia Hong was actually thinking about how to mess with Xia Yi next time.
After all—she was the one who had filed the false report.
Last night, Gu Yue's drinks had indeed come from the hotel bar—but Xia Hong had swapped them beforehand.
Otherwise, there was no way Gu Yue and Xia Yi would have acted so boldly last night.
"Captain, can I get a copy of the enforcement footage? It's my first arrest, and I want to keep it as a souvenir."
Xia Hong giggled.
To her, these were priceless memories.
Especially the image of Xia Yi squatting on the floor in handcuffs while she sat smugly in front of him.
She had also secretly saved a video of Xia Yi being forced to pole dance by Gu Yue.
"Captain, when you get your memories back, I'll show you these. I want to see if you can still act all calm and indifferent—hehe!"
"…Will I get beaten up for this?"
Xia Hong thought about it for a moment, then grinned.
"Even if I do, it's worth it to keep a record of my captain's embarrassing moments! Hehe!"
"You don't have it?" The female police officer asked helplessly. In the Federation Police, all law enforcement actions required full recordings of the entire process. Their police badges were equipped with recording devices.
"I want to see it from a third-person perspective. My own device doesn't capture me," Xia Hong said coquettishly.
"Fine, I'll copy a copy for you when we get back," the female police officer shook her head in resignation.
Although Xia Hong was only an auxiliary police officer, that was merely because she had just joined.
Her talent was undeniable—she was a student of the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Master Academy. In just a few days, she would likely be promoted.
As for herself, she would probably remain a mere squad leader for the rest of her life.
That was why she didn't dare to offend Xia Hong.
She tried her best to impart "experience" to Xia Hong, hoping that Xia Hong would lend her a hand in the future.
Even though she had been quite stern with Xia Hong just now, she believed that once Xia Hong understood the deception and intrigue of this world, she would come to appreciate her guidance.
In fact, bringing Xia Hong out alone today was intended to give her an opportunity to make a contribution.
She never expected to run into Xia Yi.
What she didn't know was that everything had been carefully calculated by Xia Hong.
(End of Chapter)