Infiltration

"Contact him?" Wang Qian frowned, hesitating. "We don't know each other that well, and I don't really trust him. Boss, you don't know this, but the day after the clash between the Xiahou family and the Palace Master, he texted me offering to help. It's very suspicious..." They were mere acquaintances. Wang Qian didn't believe Yuanshi Tianzun would offend the Xiahou family for his sake. What was in it for him? Hearing that, Mad Love Great Sage hesitated as well. The hot girl beside them looked at Wang Qian, then at Mad Love Great Sage, and asked with keen interest, "Are you talking about that rookie who cleared two S-rank dungeons? The guy who's been trending on the official forum recently?" Wang Qian nodded. "I'm his informant." Wo Xing Wo Su scrutinized him, clicking her tongue repeatedly. Mad Love Great Sage took the opportunity to ask, "Susu, what do you think?" Wo Xing Wo Su shook her head. "I'm very interested in talented young boys like that, but I don't know him." Mad Love Great Sage pondered for a few seconds before sharing his thoughts: "Yuanshi Tianzun is young and still a novice. Spirit Realm walkers in that age group still have a fiery sense of justice in their hearts; they can't stand seeing the strong bully the weak. Sacred Hand, text him and tell him about this. Say your sister has been kidnapped and you suspect the Xiahou family did it. Don't go into too much detail. "Let's see how he responds." Wang Qian nodded. "Should I go outside again?" Mad Love Great Sage shook his head. "Send it right here. We're about to relocate anyway, so we'll leave as soon as you finish sending it." The young man wearing headphones and the hot girl leaned in. Under the watchful eyes of his companions, Wang Qian took out his phone and typed a message: *My sister has been kidnapped by people from the Xiahou family. The Xiahou family doesn't play by the rules and targeted my family. Is the official faction really not going to step in?* Having drafted the text, he glanced at his companions. Mad Love Great Sage shook his head. "Young geniuses are generally proud. They respond to gentleness, not force. Soften your wording a bit. Change it to: *My sister was kidnapped by the Xiahou family. She's just an ordinary person. Please help me, please save her.*" Wang Qian promptly edited the message and sent it. *** Having just shaken off Xie Lingxi—whose mouth was filled with chatter like, "Big Brother, are you hurt?" and "Xiahou Tianyuan is a bastard!"—Zhang Yuanqing received a notification the moment he hung up. *Wang Qian finally texted me?* Delighted, he thought, *My Disguise Ring will finally come in handy.* Then he realized Wang Qian's message had been sent to "Yuanshi Tianzun," not the unregistered number. Zhang Yuanqing read through the message, his expression darkening instantly. *Kidnapping family members?* The Xiahou family had actually targeted Wang Qian's family, not even sparing ordinary people? *How the hell is that any different from an evil profession...* Stowing his phone, he walked out of the restroom. Sitting before the computer, Guan Ya looked up, glanced at him, and said with a beaming smile, "Under ten minutes. Now I have a profound and crystal-clear understanding of your stamina... What's wrong?" She suddenly noticed Yuanshi's grim expression. Zhang Yuanqing said in a low voice, "Wang Qian's sister was kidnapped..." He quietly told Guan Ya the contents of the message. The seasoned flirt arched an eyebrow, and Zhang Yuanqing asked for her input: "In this situation, what do you think should be done?" Upon seeing the message, his first reaction had been fury—fury at the Xiahou family's lawlessness. His second reaction was doubt, questioning whether it was true. His third reaction was caution. After pondering for a few seconds, Guan Ya frowned. "I feel like something's off. As overbearing as the Xiahou family is, they shouldn't be this lawless. Ordinary people are indeed beneath their notice, but this is Songhai. They shouldn't be acting with such reckless abandon." "Do you mean the message is fake? Or that the Xiahou family didn't kidnap her?" "No, I mean there's an issue with how the Xiahou family is treating the Palace of Halting Slaughter. Their retaliation is excessive." Guan Ya's expression turned serious as she continued, "My advice is to stay out of it. The waters run deep here. If you insist on getting involved, then apply pressure in an official capacity. But you're only an elite member, not a squad leader, let alone a Deacon. The Xiahou family won't fear you." "I can call Centurion Fu." Guan Ya let out a soft sneer. "You don't understand him. I bet his answer would go like this: *If you believe in procedural justice, go gather evidence and come back to me. If you follow outcome justice, then there's no need to come to me.*" *The Xiahou family will definitely cover their tracks cleanly. It's impossible for me to find evidence, and digging for evidence takes time. Who knows what kind of state Wang Qian's sister is in right now? The longer this drags on, the more dangerous it gets...* *Wait, doesn't outcome justice mean... isn't that just the Palace of Halting Slaughter's way of doing things?* Zhang Yuanqing glanced at her and said, "I'll go ask." Turning around, he went back into the restroom. A few minutes later, Zhang Yuanqing walked out with a bizarre expression and blurted loudly, "Woman, spit it out! What's your relationship with Centurion Fu?" Fu Qingyang's reply had been virtually identical to what she had said. Guan Ya giggled. "Guess~" Without a word, his face dark, Zhang Yuanqing snatched up his backpack and stormed out in annoyance. Outside the Public Security Bureau, he hailed a cab and headed toward the home of Wang Qian's sister. Sitting in the car with his eyes closed in thought for a few minutes, Zhang Yuanqing came up with a plan. *If I go with procedural justice, the best approach is to borrow that command flag from Fu Qingyang and interrogate Xiahou Tianyuan. But with the Decurion away, if I go alone, Xiahou Tianyuan might try to get physical again. If that happens, I might not be able to stop myself from killing him.* *If I go with outcome justice, I can use the red dancing shoes to find Wang Qian's sister. Catching him red-handed, let's see how Xiahou Tianyuan tries to talk his way out of it.* Zhang Yuanqing pulled out his phone and sent a message to Wang Qian: *Understood.* *** In a low, rundown single-story house in the suburbs. Upon hearing his phone chime, Wang Qian lit up with joy and quickly woke the screen. "He replied!" His companions instantly gathered around him. *Understood...* Reading the message, Wang Qian's expression turned to disappointment. Those brief, understated words neither agreed nor refused, leaving him completely unsettled. Mad Love Great Sage sighed. "Let's relocate first and wait a bit longer. Not making empty promises actually shows he's prudent, doesn't it? At least he didn't brush you off." Wang Qian nodded. Tiandiburen and Wo Xing Wo Su exchanged a glance, sighed silently, and began packing their things. *** In the cab, Zhang Yuanqing heard his phone chime. He picked it up to check and saw a text from Guan Ya: *I'm his cousin.* *Guan Ya is Fu Qingyang's cousin?!* Zhang Yuanqing was surprised, yet not entirely surprised. He had long known Guan Ya's background was extraordinary, but he hadn't expected such a coincidence—that she was actually Fu Qingyang's cousin. No, it wasn't a coincidence. It made total sense for Centurion Fu to place his cousin in his own unit. Moreover, it explained why Guan Ya knew Fu Qingyang so well and showed so little reverence toward him. In that case, was Guan Ya's real name Fu Ya? At the very least, her surname was Fu. Just then, the taxi pulled up outside a residential complex. The driver asked, "QR code or cash?" Zhang Yuanqing paid in cash, pushed the door open, and entered the complex where Wang Qian's sister lived. Wang Qian's sister didn't live in Kangyang District, but in neighboring Fenghui District. The complex's infrastructure was decent and the location was good. As a Songhai native, Zhang Yuanqing could easily estimate property values. It was likely around eighty thousand per square meter. *Knock, knock!* Arriving on the floor of Wang Qian's sister's apartment, he knocked on the security door. After a dozen seconds, footsteps approached. They paused at the door for several seconds as someone peered through the peephole to observe Zhang Yuanqing before turning the knob and opening the door. A young man stood inside, looking haggard, his brow steeped in anxiety and worry. He scrutinized the stranger outside. "Who are you looking for?" Without answering, Zhang Yuanqing slipped inside. The young man stood frozen in place, a blank look on his face. He had fallen under an illusion. Stepping into the living room, Zhang Yuanqing swept his eyes over the layout, pinpointed the bathroom, and plucked several strands of long hair from the shower drain. To be safe, he also went to the bedroom and found hair of the same texture beside a pillow. Stowing the strands of hair, he left the apartment. Exiting the residential building, Zhang Yuanqing pondered his next move. *First, track down the location of Wang Qian's sister. If she's kept in some secret spot, I'll seize the chance to rescue her. If she's by Xiahou Tianyuan's side, I'll hold back for now and call Fu Qingyang.* With that in mind, he unlocked a shared bike, summoned the red dancing shoes in a secluded spot, and stuffed the strands of hair into them. Next, he cast an illusion to conceal their presence. *Tap, tap, tap...* The red dancing shoes merrily circled their useless master once, then bolted away at top speed. *Slow down, that's too fast!* Zhang Yuanqing pedaled furiously, chasing after them. An hour later, Zhang Yuanqing arrived at the outskirts of Fenghui District. Commercial and apartment buildings grew sparse, replaced by lush greenery and villa compounds. The red dancing shoes hopped and skipped forward with a lively, insolent stride. Arriving outside a villa complex, right in front of the security guards at the gate, they strutted boldly and arrogantly into the compound as if they owned the place. Fortunately, the guards couldn't see them; otherwise, anyone who turned their head would have been trampled to death. Tossing his bike by the roadside, Zhang Yuanqing glanced around and spotted the street surveillance cameras. He nimbly darted into the roadside bushes and entered the Night Walk state. With his form concealed, Zhang Yuanqing sprinted into the villa compound and, following his mental link, located the red dancing shoes. They were just about to enter a two-story villa with a yard. Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing immediately called off the tracking. The red dancing shoes pitter-pattered back to their master's side, demanding payment: [Would you like to dance with me? If so, please march in place.] *Who has time to dance with you right now?* Zhang Yuanqing sighed, taking the red dancing shoes away with him first. A few minutes later, still invisible, he returned to the villa, leaped over the wall, and entered the yard. Sticking close to the exterior wall, Zhang Yuanqing slipped into the backyard, where he saw three middle-aged men sitting around a table in the yard, basking in the sun. The table was laden with beer and food. A pot-bellied man chugged a mouthful of beer and said, "That woman has seen our faces. Should we kill her?" "Young Master Tianyuan still has a use for her. Wait until we bait someone from the Palace of Halting Slaughter," a companion replied, shaking his head. The other companion chimed in, "This is Songhai, the territory of the Five Elements Alliance after all. Isn't killing someone a bad idea?" The pot-bellied man sneered. "Has Young Master Tianyuan killed few ordinary people?" "Those were all taken care of discreetly, or staged as accidents or sudden illnesses. This one is different, so let's not act rashly. In a few days, that Wang Qian will probably reach out to Young Master Tianyuan on his own." Zhang Yuanqing waited in place for a few seconds. As his Night Walk expired, he cast the skill again to conceal his form, hugged the wall, swiftly crossed the backyard, and slipped into the villa. Throughout the entire process, the men at the table remained completely oblivious.