"Find him?" Wang Qian frowned, hesitating. "We don't have a deep connection. I don't trust him completely. Boss, you don't know—the day after the Xiahou Family clashed with the Palace Master, he sent me a message offering to help. It's highly suspicious."
Their acquaintance was superficial. Wang Qian couldn't believe Primordial Heavenly Venerable would risk antagonizing the Xiahou Family for his sake. What was in it for him?
Hearing this, the Infatuated Great Sage paused thoughtfully.
The hot-blooded girl beside him glanced at Wang Qian, then at the Infatuated Great Sage, and asked with interest, "Are you talking about that rookie who cleared two S-Rank Spirit Realms? The one who's been trending on the Official Forum lately?"
Wang Qian nodded. "I'm his informant."
The Maverick scrutinized him, clicking her tongue repeatedly.
The Infatuated Great Sage seized the opportunity to ask, "Susu, what do you think?"
The Maverick shook her head. "I'm intrigued by these genius young men, but I don't know him well enough."
The Infatuated Great Sage pondered for a few seconds before sharing his thoughts:
"Primordial Heavenly Venerable is young and inexperienced. Spirit Realm Walkers his age still have that rebellious streak—they can't stand seeing the strong bully the weak. Holy Hand, send him a message. Tell him your sister has been kidnapped, and you suspect the Xiahou Family is behind it. Don't give him too many details."
"Let's see how he responds," Wang Qian said, nodding. "Should I go out again to send it?"
The Infatuated Great Sage shook his head. "Send it from here. We're about to move anyway. We'll leave as soon as you're done."
The young man with headphones and the hot girl leaned closer as Wang Qian, under the watchful eyes of his companions, pulled out his phone and typed:
"My sister has been kidnapped by the Xiahou Family. They're breaking the rules and targeting my family. Are The Officials really going to let this slide?"
After composing the message, he glanced at his companions.
The Infatuated Great Sage shook his head. "Young geniuses are often proud and respond better to gentle approaches. Soften the tone. Change it to: 'My sister has been kidnapped by the Xiahou Family. She's just an ordinary person. Please help me save her.'"
Wang Qian immediately revised the message and sent it.
Zhang Yuanqing had just finished fending off Xie Lingxi, who was bombarding him with questions like "Are you hurt, Brother?" and "Xiahou Tianyuan is a bastard!" He hung up the phone and immediately received a notification.
Wang Qian finally messaged me? he thought, his heart leaping with excitement. My Disguise Ring will finally come in handy!
Then he realized Wang Qian's message had been sent to "Primordial Heavenly Venerable," not the anonymous number.
Zhang Yuanqing read the message, his expression darkening instantly.
Kidnapping family members?
The Xiahou Family had actually targeted Wang Qian's family, not even sparing ordinary people?
What the hell is the difference between this and an Evil Class? He pocketed his phone and left the restroom.
Guan Ya, seated at her computer, glanced up at him with a teasing smile. "Less than ten minutes? I've gained a profound and clear understanding of your stamina. What's wrong?"
She suddenly noticed Primordial's grim expression.
Zhang Yuanqing lowered his voice. "Wang Qian's sister has been kidnapped."
He whispered the message's contents to Guan Ya.
The Veteran Driver raised an eyebrow. Zhang Yuanqing sought her opinion. "In this situation, what do you think we should do?"
His first reaction upon seeing the message was rage—furious at the Xiahou Family's lawless arrogance. His second was suspicion, questioning the message's authenticity. His third was caution.
After a few seconds of contemplation, Guan Ya frowned.
"Something feels off. The Xiahou Family may be domineering, but they wouldn't act this recklessly. Ordinary people might be insignificant to them, but this is Songhai. They shouldn't be so brazen."
"You mean the message is fake? Or someone else kidnapped her?"
"No, I mean the Xiahou Family's attitude toward the Palace of Ceasing Slaughter is problematic. Their retaliation is excessive," Guan Ya said, her expression serious.
"My advice is to stay out of it. The waters here run deep. If you insist on getting involved, pressure them through official channels, but you're just an Elite Member, not a Captain or Deacon. The Xiahou Family won't be intimidated by you."
"I can call Centurion Fu."
Guan Ya scoffed.
"You don't understand him. I bet he'd say something like this: 'If you believe in procedural justice, gather evidence and come back to me.' Or, 'If you believe in consequential justice, then you don't need to come to me at all.'"
"The Xiahou Family's hands are definitely clean. I'll never find any evidence, and gathering evidence takes time. We don't even know what's happened to Wang Qian's sister yet. The longer we wait, the more dangerous it becomes."
Consequential justice? Isn't that exactly what the Palace of Ceasing Slaughter does? Zhang Yuanqing glanced at her. "I'll go ask him."
He turned and re-entered the restroom.
A few minutes later, Zhang Yuanqing emerged with a peculiar expression. He shouted, "You woman! Tell me, what's your relationship with Centurion Fu?"
Fu Qingyang's reply had been almost identical to what she'd predicted.
Guan Ya giggled. "Guess~"
Zhang Yuanqing said nothing, his face darkening as he grabbed his backpack and stormed out.
Outside the Public Security Bureau, he hailed a taxi and headed to Wang Qian's sister's house.
During the ride, he closed his eyes and pondered for a few minutes, finally devising a plan.
"If I want to follow due process, the best approach would be to borrow the Command Flag from Fu Qingyang and interrogate Xiahou Tianyuan. But the Chief isn't here, and if I go alone, Xiahou Tianyuan might resort to violence again. I'm afraid I'd lose control and kill him."
"For justice by results, I could use the Red Dancing Shoes to locate Wang Qian's sister. With her and the evidence in hand, Xiahou Tianyuan wouldn't be able to weasel his way out."
Zhang Yuanqing pulled out his phone and sent Wang Qian a message:
"Understood."
In the suburbs, at a low, dilapidated flat, Wang Qian heard his phone chime. His face lit up as he quickly unlocked the screen. "He replied!"
His companions immediately crowded around.
Understood. Wang Qian's expression turned to disappointment as he read the message.
The terse three words offered neither agreement nor outright rejection, leaving him uncertain.
Infatuated Great Sage sighed. "Let's move first and wait a bit longer. The fact that he didn't give a guarantee actually shows he's cautious, right? At least he didn't refuse outright."
Wang Qian nodded.
Heaven's Indifference and The Maverick exchanged glances, sighed silently, and began packing their belongings.
In the car, Zhang Yuanqing heard a notification on his phone. He checked it and saw a text from Guan Ya:
"I'm his cousin."
Guan Ya is Fu Qingyang's cousin?!
Zhang Yuanqing was both surprised and not surprised. He had long suspected Guan Ya's background was extraordinary, but he never imagined such a coincidence—that she would be Fu Qingyang's cousin.
No, it wasn't a coincidence. Centurion Fu had deliberately assigned his cousin to work under Zhang Yuanqing. That made perfect sense.
Moreover, Guan Ya's intimate knowledge of Fu Qingyang, coupled with her lack of respect for him, now had a clear explanation.
So, Guan Ya's real name must be Fu Ya? At least her surname is Fu.
Just then, the taxi pulled up outside a residential complex. The driver asked, "Scan to pay or cash?"
Zhang Yuanqing paid in cash, pushed open the car door, and entered the complex where Wang Qian's sister lived.
Wang Qian's sister didn't live in Kangyang District, but in the neighboring Fenghui District. The complex had decent infrastructure and a good location. As a native of Songhai, Zhang Yuanqing easily assessed the property values.
The price per square meter should be around 80,000 yuan.
Knock, knock!
He reached the floor where Wang Qian's sister lived and rapped on the security door.
After a dozen seconds, footsteps approached, paused at the door for a few moments, and someone peered through the peephole at Zhang Yuanqing before finally turning the handle and opening the door.
A young man stood in the doorway, his face gaunt, his eyes filled with anxiety and worry. He scrutinized the stranger outside.
"Who are you looking for?"
Without answering, Zhang Yuanqing slipped past him into the apartment, leaving the young man standing frozen in place, his expression blank.
He had fallen under an illusion.
Inside the living room, Zhang Yuanqing quickly surveyed the layout, located the bathroom, and plucked several strands of long hair from the drain. For good measure, he also retrieved similar strands from the pillow in the bedroom.
After securing the hair, he left Wang Qian's sister's apartment.
As he exited the residential building, Zhang Yuanqing pondered his next move.
"First, I need to pinpoint Wang Qian's sister's location. If she's being held in some secret place, I'll rescue her immediately. If Xiahou Tianyuan has her with him, I'll hold back for now and call Fu Qingyang."
With this in mind, he scanned a shared bicycle, summoned the Red Dancing Shoes in a secluded spot, and tucked his hair into the shoes.
Then, he cast an Illusion to conceal its presence.
Tap-tap-tap. The Red Dancing Shoes gleefully circled its useless Master before sprinting off.
Slow down! You're going too fast! Zhang Yuanqing frantically pedaled after it.
An hour later, Zhang Yuanqing arrived at the edge of Fenghui District, where commercial and residential buildings thinned out, replaced by more greenery and villa complexes.
The Red Dancing Shoes hopped forward with lively, arrogant steps.
It reached the entrance of a villa community and, right in front of the security guard, strutted in with an air of utter disregard for authority.
Fortunately, the guard couldn't see it; otherwise, he would have been crushed the moment he turned his head.
Zhang Yuanqing tossed the bicycle aside, scanned his surroundings, spotted a street surveillance camera, and swiftly ducked into the roadside greenery to enter Night Roaming State.
Concealing his form, Zhang Yuanqing sprinted into the villa community, following his senses to locate the Red Dancing Shoes.
It was about to enter a two-story villa with a garden.
Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing immediately ended his pursuit.
The Red Dancing Shoes clattered back to its Master, demanding payment:
[ Will you dance with me? If so, please tap your feet in place. ]
"Now's not the time for dancing," Zhang Yuanqing sighed, taking the Red Dancing Shoes with him as he left.
A few minutes later, still concealed, he returned to the villa, scaled the wall, and slipped into the courtyard.
Hugging the villa wall, he circled around to the Rear Courtyard, where he saw three middle-aged men sitting at a table, basking in the sun. The table was piled with beer and snacks.
A potbellied man took a swig of beer and said, "This woman has seen our faces. Should we kill her?"
"Young Master Tianyuan still needs her. Let's wait until we lure out the Palace of Ceasing Slaughter people," his companion replied, shaking his head.
Another man added, "This is Songhai, after all. It's Five Elements Alliance territory. Killing someone here would be risky, wouldn't it?"
The potbellied man scoffed. "As if Young Master Tianyuan hasn't killed plenty of ordinary people before?"
"Those were always done secretly, or made to look like accidents or sudden deaths. This is different. Let's not act rashly. Wang Qian should contact Young Master Tianyuan on his own in a few days."
Zhang Yuanqing waited in place for a few seconds until his Night Roaming State ended. He immediately reactivated his Concealment skill, pressed himself against the wall, and swiftly crossed the Rear Courtyard into the villa.
Throughout this entire process, the middle-aged men at the table remained completely oblivious.