45: The aftermath is far from over; a secret plot is brewing.

By the time the law enforcement team withdrew from the mountain, the weather had cleared.

Sunlight shone on the wet mountain path, and the rising mist formed faint, ethereal rainbows. However, those descending the mountain were in no mood to appreciate the post-rain beauty.

The team of over a hundred people, which had come with a fierce Aura, returned like stray dogs. They walked with lowered heads and stumbling steps, their clothes soaked and caked in mud, their faces still etched with lingering terror.

The most pathetic was Deputy Secretary Yan—he was being supported by two police officers, his face as pale as paper, his eyes vacant, and his mouth constantly muttering: "Thunder... Lightning Sword... Heaven's Punishment..."

The journey down the mountain took a full two hours.

No one spoke. Even the most talkative reporters kept their mouths shut, merely clutching their cameras tightly—though they doubted whether the footage they had just captured could ever be broadcast.

It was 1:00 PM by the time the team returned to the entrance of Zhaojiaao Village.

The villagers crowded the entrance, staring at the disheveled team in stunned silence.

"What... what happened?"

"Didn't they say they were going for law enforcement? How did they end up like this?"

"Where is Daoist Master Li? What about the temple?"

No one answered them.

Deputy Secretary Yan was carried directly into an ambulance—after an examination, the doctor said he was suffering from extreme shock and needed quiet rest. The other team members also boarded their vehicles, and the convoy drove away from Zhaojiaao Village in deathly silence.

Only the reporters remained in the village.

They looked at each other, and someone whispered, "The stuff we just filmed... should we send it?"

"Send it?! Are you crazy?" an old reporter scolded. "Do you want to lose your job? Can that kind of footage even be broadcast?"

"But... this is major news!"

"Major news?" The old reporter sneered. "That's a major incident! If it gets out, we're all finished!"

Everyone fell silent.

They had all seen it—the giant sword formed of lightning, the Light Shield appearing out of thin air, and those charred craters. If these images were released, what kind of sensation would they cause? And how would the higher-ups handle it?

Finally, the reporters reached a silent agreement: they would keep the material for now but not publish it. They would wait for instructions from above.

What they didn't know was that half an hour after they left, several people in plain clothes entered the village, going door-to-door to "do work," demanding the deletion of all photos and videos taken today and the signing of non-disclosure agreements.

In the county hospital, Deputy Secretary Yan lay on a hospital bed with an IV drip in his hand.

Two police officers stood outside the ward, while Zhou Mingde and General Manager Zheng sat inside.

"Old Yan, what exactly happened?" Zhou Mingde asked in a heavy voice.

Deputy Secretary Yan's gaze was still fixed; he stared at the ceiling, his lips trembling: "Lightning... Lightning Sword... thirty yards long... pointing at me..."

"What Lightning Sword?" General Manager Zheng frowned. "Old Yan, are you hallucinating?"

"It wasn't a hallucination!" Deputy Secretary Yan suddenly sat up and grabbed Zhou Mingde's hand. "Old Zhou, believe me! It's real! That temple... that Taoist... he's not human! He can summon thunder! He can manifest a sword!"

He spoke incoherently, recounting everything that had happened on the mountain.

When he mentioned the giant sword of lightning, General Manager Zheng interrupted him: "Old Yan, calm down. This is the age of science. How can there be summoning thunder and manifesting swords? It must have been some kind of holographic projection or a weather weapon..."

"Weather weapon?" Deputy Secretary Yan gave a miserable laugh. "What weather weapon can make over a hundred people hallucinate at the same time? Can make all precision instruments fail? Can blast four charred craters into the ground?"

He threw off the blanket, got out of bed, pulled back the curtains, and pointed out the window: "Look! Those four craters are still there! The ambulance driver said that when he brought me here, there were indeed four charred craters by the mountain road!"

Zhou Mingde and General Manager Zheng walked to the window.

In the distance, Yuntai Mountain was shrouded in mist under the sunlight, making it difficult to see clearly.

But Deputy Secretary Yan's words were like a thorn, piercing their hearts.

"Old Zhou," General Manager Zheng lowered his voice, "do you think... could it really be..."

"Shut up!" Zhou Mingde interrupted sharply. "You can't say such things recklessly!"

But his own hands were also trembling slightly.

He thought of Li Muchen's eyes, calm as an ancient well; he thought of the heart-palpitating tranquility in the temple; he thought of the Pangolin team's encounter... What if, what if it was all true?

The ward fell into a deathly silence.

Meanwhile, an emergency meeting was being held in the county government's conference room.

The County Magistrate, several deputy magistrates, and the heads of various departments were all present. The atmosphere was so heavy it felt like it could be wrung for water.

"Deputy Secretary Yan's emotions are still unstable, but the basic facts are clear," the Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission reported. "After the law enforcement team went up the mountain, they encountered abnormal weather and... abnormal phenomena, and were forced to withdraw."

"Abnormal phenomena? What abnormal phenomena?" the County Magistrate asked.

The Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission hesitated: "According to the team members' descriptions, a Light Shield appeared at the temple to block the rain, and lightning gathered into the shape of a sword... but these all need further verification."

"Verification?" The deputy magistrate in charge of public security sneered. "Over a hundred people having a hallucination at the same time? Is that even possible?"

"That's why I said it needs verification." The Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission braced himself. "But one thing is certain—the law enforcement action failed. And it caused a certain degree of... psychological impact."

The room fell silent.

"What about that Taoist?" the County Magistrate asked. "How did he react?"

"According to the descriptions, he was very calm. He didn't lift a finger the whole time; he just... watched."

"Watched?" The County Magistrate frowned. "Watched as over a hundred of you were scared away?"

The Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission lowered his head and remained silent.

"Disgraceful!" The County Magistrate slammed the table. "A total disgrace! A law enforcement team of over a hundred people, scared away by a single Taoist! If this gets out, how will Yuntai County ever hold its head up?"

Everyone was as quiet as cicadas in winter.

"Is the development still going to happen?" The County Magistrate looked around at everyone. "Is an investment of several hundred million just going to go down the drain?"

"Magistrate," Zhou Mingde finally spoke up, "I believe now is not the time to discuss development. Instead, we must consider... how to handle the aftermath."

"Aftermath? What aftermath?"

"Even though we've demanded secrecy regarding today's events, there's no guarantee it won't leak out," Zhou Mingde said slowly. "Once it leaks, what kind of public opinion will it cause? How will the higher-ups view it? More importantly..."

He paused, his voice dropping: "If Li Muchen truly has... special abilities, what should we do?"

This question hit the nail on the head.

Everyone fell silent.

Indeed, what if those "abnormal phenomena" were real?

What if a Taoist really could summon thunder and manifest a sword?

Then what they were facing wasn't some "stubborn holdout," but... a transcendent being.

"I suggest," Zhou Mingde continued, "first, a total information blackout, with all personnel involved signing non-disclosure agreements; second, the suspension of all law enforcement actions against Qingfeng Temple; third... report to the higher-ups and request guidance."

"Report to the higher-ups?" The County Magistrate frowned. "Report what? That we were blasted back by a Taoist using lightning?"

"We can say... we encountered unexplainable natural phenomena," Zhou Mingde said. "But we must report it. This is no longer something a single county can handle."

The meeting room fell silent again.

After a long time, the County Magistrate let out a long sigh: "Do as Old Zhou says. Meeting adjourned."

It was late at night.

Zhou Mingde returned to his office but did not turn on the lights.

He sat in the darkness, looking at the city lights outside, his mind filled with Deputy Secretary Yan's descriptions from earlier that day.

The Lightning Sword.

The Light Shield.

And Li Muchen's calm eyes.

He suddenly remembered when he was a child, his grandfather took him to a temple to burn incense. An old monk had patted his head and said, "This child has the roots of wisdom, but unfortunately, he was born into the Mortal World."

At the time, he had just taken it as a joke.

But now... he took out his phone and dialed a number he rarely called—a friend from a "Special Department" he had met while studying at the Provincial Party School.

The call connected.

"Old Zhou? Is something wrong this late?" The other party's voice was clear; he was obviously awake.

"Old Wu, I want to consult you about something." Zhou Mingde weighed his words carefully. "If... I mean if, one encounters phenomena that cannot be explained by science, which department should one report to?"

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end.

"What kind of phenomena?"

"For example... controlling the weather? Or... other supernatural phenomena?"

An even longer silence.

"Old Zhou, you're in Yuntai County, right?" the other party suddenly asked.

"How did you know?"

"Isn't there a place called Qingfeng Temple in your area that's been quite popular lately?"

Zhou Mingde's heart tightened: "You know about it?"

"More than just know about it." The other party gave a bitter laugh. "We've been watching it for a long time. That Li Muchen... his file classification is very high. Old Zhou, take my advice—don't touch him. He's not someone you can afford to mess with."

"Who exactly is he?"

"I don't know," the other party said honestly. "We don't know either. But one thing is certain—he is by no means an ordinary Taoist. There are instructions from above: observe, but do not contact; protect, but do not interfere."

Zhou Mingde sucked in a breath of cold air.

Even the Special Department at the provincial level said so... "Then what about today's events..."

"We will send people to handle the aftermath," the other party said. "Old Zhou, remember—this matter ends here. Don't let there be a next time."

The call ended.

Zhou Mingde held his warm phone, sitting in the darkness for a long time without moving.

Outside, in the direction of Yuntai Mountain, the night was thick.

On the mountain peak, that single point of light was still burning.

Faint, yet steady.

As if proclaiming something.

Zhou Mingde suddenly felt that the understanding he had built over the past half of his life had collapsed in a single night.

It turned out that in this world, there really were things science couldn't explain.

There really were... transcendent existences.

And he had almost become the person who touched the taboo.

Lingering fear.

Deep, lingering fear.

He stood up, turned on the light, and took a document out of his drawer—it was the final plan for the development of Qingfeng Temple.

He glanced at it, then picked up a lighter.

Flames rose, the paper curled and turned to ash.

Some money can be earned.

Some money, if earned, will cost you your life.

He understood now.