Fujia Bay Villa.
Constables and the Kangyang District Walker Squad cordoned off the gated villa community, barring all vehicles from entering or leaving.
Li Dongze, captain of Team Two, led several subordinates from door to door, conducting searches. None of them, however, turned up any sign of the missing young lady of noble birth.
"We are very sorry for disturbing you."
Disguised as a constable, Li Dongze bowed with elegant courtesy to the wealthy homeowner and explained, "There is no security threat in the neighborhood. The missing person likely left on her own. Please rest assured; we will not trouble you again."
With that, he led his team out of the courtyard and, leaning on his cane, proceeded to the next house.
"I heard that young lady is a Saint. If someone could kidnap her right in the middle of a banquet crawling with top-tier experts, how could we ever hope to find her? Besides, there's no way she's hidden inside this neighborhood anyway. This kind of work is completely pointless."
The speaker was a young woman in her early twenties, sporting stylish, slightly curled brown hair, exquisite makeup, and a tall, slender figure.
She was a new recruit to Team Two, a Water Ghost whose Spirit Realm ID was Little Demon Fairy. She had become a Spirit Realm walker only three months ago, a tender rookie. Because of her pretty looks, sweet tongue, and meticulous pursuit of refinement, Li Dongze favored her greatly, regarding her as prime material who could be molded into an elegant elite, and gave her preferential treatment at every turn.
"Patrolling and searching in the dead of night isn't elegant in the slightest. Staying up late accelerates aging in women," Little Demon Fairy complained.
"Facing hard work with a smile is the greatest elegance of all!" Li Dongze said mildly. "Stop complaining. This is just for the higher-ups to see. When a big shot's offspring goes missing, the underlings naturally have to run around like headless chickens. What, were you expecting us to sleep soundly at home?"
"Decurion, even if you slept soundly, it wouldn't matter, right? You're the meritorious mentor who cultivated Yuanshi Tianzun, a man of venerable standing and high prestige," Little Demon Fairy remarked.
"Hearing that makes it sound like an ancient legend, when barely half a year has passed." Li Dongze sighed, pausing in his steps to gaze in the direction of Fu Qingyang's villa. "I suddenly miss the days when Yuanshi and Guan Ya were still around. Ah, and Jingwei too."
Alas, they were destined to become extraordinary figures. Their paths had merely intersected with his—a brief collision of lives before parting ways, never to cross again.
Little Demon Fairy also showed an expression of admiration. "It's a pity I joined the team too late to meet the legendary Yuanshi Tianzun. You didn't even let me enter the villa just now, so I still haven't seen my idol. Oh, by the way, Wang Tai said Guan Ya is prettier than me. Is that true?"
"Wang Tai has one virtue: he doesn't lie."
"Sigh, so that's how she managed to seduce Yuanshi Tianzun."
"You harbor hostility toward her?"
"A woman naturally feels hostile toward another woman who poaches from her own flock to climb the social ladder."
"Guan Ya wasn't climbing any ladder. She's... forget it. Focus on your work, stop the idle chatter." Li Dongze lifted his cane and stepped forward with an elegant gait. "Your talent is quite decent. If you work hard, you might just barely manage to catch a glimpse of their backs."
"Decurion, introduce me to Yuanshi Tianzun another day! I want to be friends with him."
***
Inside the banquet hall.
The young elites attending the gathering clustered together. Some persistently inquired, paying close attention to the unfolding situation, while others casually sipped their wine, adopting an attitude of detached indifference.
Yet whether they cared about Miao Teng'er's fate or not, none of them were permitted to leave the hall. They had to await questioning from headquarters and cooperate with the investigation before departing.
Lingjun sat on a sofa, brows knitted tightly and eyes filled with anxiety. From time to time, he glanced at the potted plant by his feet, seemingly waiting for something.
Growing in that pot was a tender green sapling. Its pale green leaves were translucent and crystalline, brimming with vibrant vitality.
This sapling originated from the root fibers of Elder Miao's feet—it was an incarnation of his power. When necessary, it could serve as a conduit to communicate with Elder Miao, acting as an avatar.
As such, the sapling was an amulet bestowed by Elder Miao upon his descendants—though it could not be used inside a Spirit Realm dungeon.
Amidst the quiet waiting, the sapling lit up with a gentle, soft green glow. Its main stem grew rapidly, sprouting branches that resembled arms and legs, while the crown shifted into the shape of a human head, layered with tender green leaves like hair.
On the trunk nearest the crown, a pair of profound, deep eyes opened.
A surge of immense, majestic power brimming with vitality swept across the entire hall, leaving the guests feeling constrained and uncomfortable yet simultaneously soothed throughout their bodies.
"Grandfather!"
Lingjun's face lit up with joy.
*Lingjun's grandfather?* Everyone in the hall looked toward the two-meter-tall humanoid plant and hurriedly bowed in greeting. "Elder Miao!"
Elder Miao's gaze swept over the crowd, lingering for a fraction of a second on the only two young men present who did not bow.
—Yuanshi Tianzun and Xiahou Aotian.
Retracting his gaze, he looked at his grandson, who looked relieved as though having found his pillar of support, and spoke in a solemn voice: "Give me the entire sequence of events in three minutes."
Lingjun spoke rapidly. "At nine o'clock, I noticed Teng'er was missing. At first, I thought she had simply stepped out of the dining room. But by nine-thirty, she still hadn't appeared. Her phone went unanswered, and a search of the entire villa turned up nothing. Her driver and car were still waiting outside.
"So I asked Fu Qingyang to pull the surveillance footage. We found that a waitress had led her to a guest room on the first floor, after which she never came out. I tracked down that waitress to ask what happened, but she had absolutely no memory of ever taking Teng'er away. We confirmed that her mind had been tampered with—likely hypnosis or an illusion.
"Someone used the bunny girl to lure Teng'er into the guest room, and then took her away. Grandfather, that's everything."
Elder Miao stared coldly at the snow-white-clad Money Prince among the crowd. "Fu Qingyang, your people were manipulated, and you didn't notice? Teng'er went missing inside your villa, and you were oblivious? You are a Scout, not a Fire Specialist. If you fail to give me a satisfactory answer, don't blame me for holding you accountable."
*What's wrong with Fire Specialists? Do you look down on us Fire Specialists...?* The Fire Fiends present muttered indignantly in their hearts.
Fu Qingyang lowered his head slightly, speaking apologetically. "It was an oversight on my part. Right now, the most critical task is to find Teng'er. Lingjun didn't explain the details fully, so allow me to supplement a few points."
Pausing briefly, he proceeded to analyze the case further. "All my invited guests are present here, and all the banquet staff have been gathered. The headcount matches completely. Therefore, either Teng'er left of her own accord, or whoever abducted her possesses means to mask their presence and bypass the surveillance cameras—assuming such a person exists at all."
"Illusionists and Night Walkers could pull this off," a Swordsman among the crowd analyzed. "An Illusionist's disguise technique can alter their presence, appearance, and stature, making it ideal for blending into a gathering like this. A Night Walker's stealth could achieve the same. However, an Illusionist's dream travel and a Night Walker's night wandering cannot carry living beings along with them.
"Yet the surveillance shows that Miss Teng'er entered the room and simply vanished. To this moment, we still haven't figured out how she left."
As soon as he finished, a Fire Fiend called out loudly, "What is there to ponder? She must have entered a dungeon! I brought up this possibility earlier, but none of you would believe me!"
Lingjun frowned. "I already told you earlier, Teng'er's window to enter a dungeon isn't due anytime soon. Besides, entering a dungeon comes with a thirty-to-sixty-second buffer. She would have had ample time to notify us."
The Fire Fiend asked suspiciously, "Did you say that? How come I don't remember?"
Lingjun said impatiently, "Fire Specialists should refrain from giving opinions. Just stand aside and listen."
The Fire Fiend bristled with fury, about to lose his temper, but caught sight of Elder Miao's stern, dark expression (or what he perceived as dark), and sensibly swallowed his words.
Elder Miao provided the answer in a low voice. "If whoever abducted Teng'er possesses spatial or teleportation items, they could achieve this."
Fu Qingyang stated:
"Both types of items are exceedingly rare, originating from the Second Major District. I investigated the scene, and there were no signs of a struggle. If Teng'er did not leave willingly, she must have been subdued in an instant. Teng'er is a Level 4 Beast King. Anyone capable of subduing her instantly must be at least Level 6. To simultaneously possess a rare item from a Second Major District class—the number of people who satisfy both conditions cannot be large."
Hearing this, Xiahou Aotian secretly glanced toward Zhang Yuanqing, then nonchalantly withdrew his eyes.
*This fellow suspects it was me? Fair enough, I fit both conditions. Sigh, Elder Miao is overlooking the entire room; he must have caught that little glance immediately...* Zhang Yuanqing sighed helplessly in his heart, then deliberately spoke up:
"What are you looking at me for?!"
Xiahou Aotian was taken aback, never expecting Zhang Yuanqing to draw fire onto himself, and for a moment did not know whether to respond.
Elder Miao's eyes flickered, fixing upon Xiahou Aotian. "Did you discover something, Xiahou boy?"
"Uh, well..." Xiahou Aotian hesitated. Under the immense pressure of a peak Dominator, he confessed honestly: "Yuanshi Tianzun is a Level 6 Night Walker, and he owns a spatial item. But he was in the dining room the entire time; there's no way he could have abducted your granddaughter."
A flurry of gazes—some open, others subtle—turned to scrutinize Zhang Yuanqing, among them several Swordsmen.
"My item is right here," Zhang Yuanqing said, taking out Little Red Riding Hood and shaking out a yin corpse to display its spatial capabilities before snapping irritably, "It doesn't have to be a Night Walker or an Illusionist. Anyone possessing items from those two classes could pull it off. Besides, why would I kidnap Teng'er? To make her my bandit bride?"
*He isn't lying...* The Swordsmen among the guests quietly looked away.
Elder Miao also shifted his gaze back.
*Hmph, could a kidnapping plot orchestrated by the Boss and me be so easily seen through by the likes of you? Not even a peak Dominator outside the Scout class could manage it...* Zhang Yuanqing rested a hand against his waist, feeling the Ghost Mirror tucked into his belt.
That item was the bane of Insight techniques.
Unless a Scout at the Dominator level was present, no one could hope to pierce through his disguise.
Of course, no Puppeteer would interrogate him either. When it came to Miao Teng'er's disappearance, he had virtually zero motive. Neither Elder Miao nor Lingjun would ever suspect him.
Fu Qingyang, interrupted by the brief interlude, continued:
"In addition to meeting those two conditions, we also need a motive. Elder Miao, Lingjun, does Teng'er have any enemies?"
He was guiding the conversation without a trace of suspicion.
"Teng'er is gentle and amiable by nature; she rarely makes enemies," Lingjun said, shaking his head at first before muttering softly, "If you insist on an enemy, Yin Ji counts as half..."
Met with a chilly glare from Elder Miao, he promptly shut his mouth.
With neither clues nor suspect, the case deduction hit a wall.
"Grandfather, headquarters has tracking items. That's our quickest way to locate Teng'er," Lingjun reminded him.
Elder Miao did not answer. He was reminded of that past kidnapping incident that had entangled Teng'er in an ill-fated connection with the Demon Lord.
Back then, he had also mobilized a tracking item—an artifact combining divination and stargazing. Using a birth chart and personal belongings as mediums, it could calculate the target's location.
Yet that search had failed; the item yielded no response whatsoever.
If someone within the official faction was making a move against him, then this time, the tracking items would likewise give no answer.
At this moment, Fu Qingyang spoke up. "A tracking item is indeed the fastest method. Could Elder Miao harbor some reservations?"
Snapping back to reality, Elder Miao countered, "What are you trying to say?"
Fu Qingyang's expression remained stern, yet his tone sounded exceedingly sincere. "This incident took place inside my villa. I bear responsibility. Yuanshi Tianzun possesses a ready-to-use tracking item. As long as he has Teng'er's DNA, he can find her. That is its rule."
*The power of rules!* A faint gleam flashed in Elder Miao's eyes. He turned toward Yuanshi Tianzun, his tone laced with urgency and skepticism. "Teng'er has been missing for over an hour. Why bring this up only now? Why didn't you search for her immediately upon discovering her disappearance?"
By the end, his tone had sharpened into an outright interrogation.
The crowd followed suit, fixing their eyes upon Yuanshi Tianzun.
Zhang Yuanqing stepped silently to his boss's side, feeling safe enough to let out a cold laugh:
"Why should I help you find your granddaughter? Has Elder Miao forgotten how you answered Elder Fu when he came to you for help before the tribunal?"
The moment those words dropped, the surrounding air froze. Elder Miao narrowed his eyes, staring deeply at the sneering young man.
The young talents of the Five Elements Alliance, Huang Taiji included, stared dumbfoundedly at Zhang Yuanqing.
*This guy is truly reckless.*
*It's not the first time, but he's still absurdly daring. Does he genuinely have no fear of death?*
*A body weighing barely a hundred jin, carrying two hundred jin of pure rebellion!*
*This guy sure knows how to steal the spotlight...* Xiahou Aotian thought to himself.
Lingjun grew frantic. "Yuanshi, Teng'er is Teng'er, and my grandfather is my grandfather! Just... just take it as doing me a favor and help out!"
The longer this dragged on, the greater the danger Teng'er faced.
Lingjun was practically bursting with anxiety.
Elder Miao waved a hand, motioning for his grandson to stay quiet. His gaze bored into Yuanshi Tianzun. "Speak. What do you want?"
Zhang Yuanqing replied coldly, "I don't want anything. The only reason I waited for you to come was to tell you—and those other nine old fogies—that the Emperor died over a hundred years ago. Put away your arrogance. You have days where you need to beg people, too."
The hall plunged into dead silence once more, yet tumultuous waves churned within everyone's minds.
They had still underestimated Yuanshi Tianzun. This wasn't two hundred jin of rebellion; it was two hundred tons!
The tribunal was over, yet the rift between Yuanshi Tianzun and headquarters had grown so deep it could never be healed.
It was not merely headquarters that disliked Yuanshi Tianzun.
He himself clearly had no intention of reconciling with headquarters either.
Only Xiahou Aotian drew profound inspiration from this. He felt that "put away your arrogance" sounded incredibly imposing and pierced straight to the bone.
Next time he saw the Old Ancestor, he would use those exact words.
*That's about enough...* Fu Qingyang glanced at his trusted subordinate.
What they were orchestrating was the Demon Lord's successor claiming the Demon Lord's inheritance. Up to this point, their timing had been managed just right.
A villain kidnapping the heroine and leaving her untouched for hours was something that only happened in television dramas. What was more, the Demon Lord's successor was acting explicitly under the banner of claiming his legacy.
If they delayed any longer, Yuanshi wouldn't be able to wrap up the show without bedding Miao Teng'er.
Catching the hint, Zhang Yuanqing produced a tissue he had prepared long ago. "I've said my piece. This was given to me by Elder Fu. It has oral epithelial cells swabbed from a wine glass Teng'er used."
Before everyone's eyes, he summoned the Red Dancing Shoes and stuffed the tissue inside.
*Tap, tap, tap...*
The Red Dancing Shoes bounded forward with brisk, cheerful steps, slipped through the wall, and vanished into the darkness of the night.
***
Miao Teng'er knew she had been kidnapped, but she had no idea who the culprit was!
She had been awake for three minutes, yet dared not make any sudden movements, continuing to feign sleep.
Her hands and feet were bound, and her vision was pitch-black; a cloth blindfold likely covered her eyes.
The reason she dared not act rashly was that she found herself completely weak and limp, her body itching and aching slightly. Miao Teng'er surmised she had been poisoned—a potent toxin, though not lethal, intended to rob her of the ability to move.
With the inherent traits of a Wood Monster, neutralizing poison was not difficult, but it took time. Hence, she pretended to sleep.
Though blindfolded, her hearing remained intact. She lay in a quiet room, curled on a bed. The mattress was soft, but the sheets felt slightly coarse and cheap.
The sheets carried no body odor, only a faint scent of laundry detergent.
That meant the bed had recently had its linens changed and had not been slept in.
The room was quiet, yet the faint noise of passing vehicles could be heard, indicating she was in a roadside building.
Miao Teng'er's memory stopped at the Fujia Bay Villa. She had been waiting for Fu Qingyang in the guest room when she suddenly felt dizzy, and then lost consciousness.
*Who kidnapped me?*
Someone like her—talented, but not overwhelmingly so, and holding no official post within the organization—was almost never targeted by the evil classes.
To kidnap her without making a sound, the perpetrator had to be a high-ranking member of an evil organization. Why would high-ranking figures target a "plain and ordinary" weak woman, infiltrating Fu Qingyang's villa solely to abduct her?
The gains and risks were completely disproportionate.
What came to Miao Teng'er's mind were the political rivals of her grandfather and uncle. She had encountered such things before.
Just then, her ears twitched, picking up a faint *beep-beep*—the sound of a keycard unlocking the door.
*I'm in a hotel...* Miao Teng'er realized where she was.
"You're awake, aren't you?"
An unfamiliar, hoarse voice sounded, followed by soft footsteps.
Someone stepped across the plush carpet, walking toward the bed.
Miao Teng'er's body tensed.
The person stopped beside the bed, reached out, and pulled the blindfold from her face.
No lights were turned on in the room. The only source of illumination was the streetlights shining through the floor-to-ceiling window.
Miao Teng'er lifted her head, looking at the figure beside the bed. "Who are you? Why did you kidnap—"
Catching clear sight of the man's appearance, her mind buzzed in shock, as if struck by a bolt out of the blue!
Standing beside the bed was a young man with ordinary features. A faint smile played at the corner of his lips, seemingly radiating high spirits, yet deep between his brows lingered an indescribable aura of weathered vicissitude.
The Demon Lord!
Chapter 563