Infiltration

"Find him?"

Wang Qian frowned, clearly hesitant. "We don't have much of a relationship. I don't really trust him. Boss, you don't know this, but the day after the conflict between the Xiahou family and the Palace Lord, he messaged me saying he wanted to help. Pretty suspicious, no?"

They weren't even friends—why would Yuan Shi Tian Zun risk offending the Xiahou family just to help him? What was in it for him?

Hearing this, Crazy Sage hesitated.

The sultry young woman nearby glanced at Wang Qian, then at Crazy Sage, raising an intrigued brow.

"You guys talking about that rookie who cleared two S-grade instances? The one blowing up on the official forums lately?"

Wang Qian nodded. "I'm his informant."

The woman, I Do As I Please, looked him over, clicking her tongue.

Crazy Sage seized the moment to ask, "Susu, what's your take?"

I Do As I Please shook her head. "I'm interested in those genius pretty boys, but I don't know much about him."

Crazy Sage pondered for a few seconds, then shared his thoughts.

"Yuan Shi Tian Zun is young, a rookie. People his age still have a fire in their hearts—they hate seeing the strong bully the weak. Saint Hand, message him. Tell him your sister's been kidnapped. Say you suspect the Xiahou family, but don't go into too much detail."

"Let's see how he responds."

Wang Qian nodded. "Should I go outside to send it?"

Crazy Sage shook his head. "Send it here. We're about to relocate anyway. Once you send it, we'll move."

The guy with the headphones and the sultry girl leaned in. Under their watchful eyes, Wang Qian pulled out his phone and typed:

"My sister's been kidnapped by the Xiahou family. They're crossing the line by targeting my family. Doesn't the official organization care?"

After typing it out, he looked to his teammates for input.

Crazy Sage shook his head. "Genius types are usually proud. They don't respond well to confrontation. Make it softer. Try this: 'My sister's been kidnapped by the Xiahou family. She's just an ordinary person. Please, help me save her.'"

Wang Qian revised the message and sent it.

At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing had just finished placating Xie Lingxi—who had been venting about "Did my brother get hurt?" and "That bastard Xiahou Tianyuan!"—and ended the call when the message came through.

"Wang Qian finally messaged me?" He perked up. Finally, his disguise ring could be put to good use.

But then he noticed—the message wasn't sent to the burner number. It was sent directly to "Yuan Shi Tian Zun."

As he read through the message, his expression darkened.

Kidnapping a family member?

The Xiahou family actually went after Wang Qian's sister? They didn't even spare ordinary people?

What the hell is the difference between them and an evil faction? He pocketed his phone and stepped out of the restroom.

Sitting at the computer, Guan Ya looked up and smirked.

"Not even ten minutes? I've gained a whole new level of clarity about your stamina. What's with the face?"

She quickly noticed his expression had shifted.

Zhang Yuanqing said grimly, "Wang Qian's sister got kidnapped."

He leaned in and quietly shared the message with her.

The experienced elder sister's eyebrows arched. Zhang Yuanqing then asked her for advice. "What do you think I should do?"

His first reaction had been anger—pure fury at the Xiahou family's lawlessness.

Second was suspicion—was the story real?

Third was caution.

Guan Ya mulled it over for a few seconds before frowning.

"Something feels off. The Xiahou family may be domineering, but they wouldn't be this reckless. Sure, ordinary people mean nothing to them, but this is Songhai. They shouldn't be so brazen."

"You mean the message is fake? Or that it wasn't the Xiahou family?"

"No. I mean their reaction to the Palace of Slaughter is disproportionate. It's overkill." Her expression grew serious. "My advice: stay out of it. This situation runs deep. If you insist, then act through official channels. But you're just an elite member. You're not a captain, much less a deacon. The Xiahou family won't take you seriously."

"I could call Captain Fu."

Guan Ya chuckled.

"You don't know him. He'd probably say something like: If you believe in procedural justice, then gather evidence and come back. If you pursue results-based justice, then don't bother me at all."

She was right. The Xiahou family would've covered their tracks clean. Finding evidence would take time—time Wang Qian's sister might not have.

Result-based justice… isn't that basically the Palace of Slaughter's doctrine? Zhang Yuanqing glanced at her, then said, "I'm going to ask him."

He headed back to the restroom.

A few minutes later, Zhang Yuanqing came out, looking puzzled and grumbling loudly:

"You! Woman! Spill it—what's your relationship with Captain Fu?"

Fu Qingyang's reply had been exactly what she predicted.

Guan Ya giggled. "Take a wild guess~"

Zhang Yuanqing said nothing, his face black. He grabbed his backpack and stormed out.

Outside the Public Security Bureau, he hailed a cab to Wang Qian's sister's place.

Sitting in the backseat, eyes closed, Zhang Yuanqing quickly formulated a plan.

If I go the procedural route, I'd need to borrow the Command Token from Fu Qingyang and confront Xiahou Tianyuan. But Fu's not around. If I go in alone, Xiahou might start swinging again—and I might not hold back this time.

If I go for results, I can use the Red Dancing Shoes to locate her. If she's stashed somewhere, I'll save her. If she's with Xiahou Tianyuan… I'll bide my time and report directly to Fu Qingyang.

He sent a brief reply to Wang Qian:

"Got it."

In the suburbs, inside an old bungalow—

Wang Qian heard the message alert and his face lit up. He quickly checked his phone.

"He replied!"

Everyone huddled over to look.

Got it. Wang Qian's excitement quickly faded into disappointment.

Three plain words. No promise, no refusal. It left him unsure.

Crazy Sage sighed. "That might actually be a good sign. No guarantees means he's steady. At least he didn't say no."

Wang Qian nodded slowly.

Heavenless and I Do As I Please exchanged glances and began packing their things.

In the cab, Zhang Yuanqing's phone buzzed again—Guan Ya had texted him.

"I'm his cousin."

Fu Qingyang's cousin?!

He was surprised… but also not. He'd always suspected Guan Ya's background wasn't simple. And thinking about it again, it made sense—of course Fu would place his cousin under someone he trusted.

And Guan Ya's casual attitude toward Fu Qingyang? That tracked too.

So her real name was likely Fu Ya… or at least her surname was Fu.

The cab pulled up outside an apartment complex.

"QR or cash?" the driver asked.

Zhang Yuanqing paid in cash and entered the neighborhood.

The apartment wasn't in Kangyang District, but next door in Fenghui District. It was well-built, in a decent area. As a local of Songhai, Zhang Yuanqing could easily estimate the property value—

About 80,000 yuan per square meter.

Knock knock!

He climbed to the right floor and knocked on the door.

After a few seconds of footsteps, someone paused at the entrance. A man peered through the peephole before unlocking it.

A haggard young man with anxious eyes stood inside. He scrutinized the stranger at his door.

"Who are you looking for?"

Zhang Yuanqing didn't answer. He slipped past the man, who stood frozen in place.

Hit by an illusion spell.

Once inside, Zhang Yuanqing quickly surveyed the layout and headed for the bathroom. He pulled several strands of long hair from the drain. For extra certainty, he went to the bedroom and found more matching hairs near the pillow.

Pocketing the strands, he left.

Outside the building, he weighed his next steps.

First, locate her. If she's stashed somewhere, I'll rescue her immediately. If she's with Xiahou Tianyuan, I'll observe and report.

He summoned a shared bike, then summoned the Red Dancing Shoes in a quiet corner and stuffed the hair inside.

Using illusion magic, he masked the shoes' presence.

Clack clack clack…

The Red Dancing Shoes spun in a delighted circle, then darted off like a bullet.

Slow down! Too fast! Zhang Yuanqing pedaled furiously to keep up.

An hour later, they reached the outskirts of Fenghui District, where the landscape shifted—fewer apartment complexes, more greenery and villas.

The shoes pranced excitedly into a gated community. Right in front of the security guards, they marched in arrogantly.

Luckily, the guards couldn't see them—otherwise, they might've been stomped to death.

Zhang Yuanqing ditched his bike and slipped into a hedge, then entered his Night Tour form and sprinted through the gate, trailing the shoes.

They were headed toward a two-story villa with a garden.

As they reached the entrance, Zhang Yuanqing ended the tracking.

The Red Shoes trotted back and demanded payment:

"Would you like to dance with me? If so, please begin stepping in place."

No time for that. Zhang Yuanqing sighed and retreated temporarily.

A few minutes later, still in stealth mode, he returned, vaulted over the fence, and entered the yard.

He crept along the wall toward the backyard, where three middle-aged men sat drinking beer at a table.

One, with a big belly, chugged from his bottle and said,

"The woman saw our faces. Should we kill her?"

"Young Master Tianyuan still needs her—to lure out the Palace of Slaughter," another said, shaking his head.

A third chimed in, "This is Songhai—Five Elements Alliance territory. Killing someone outright wouldn't look good."

The big-bellied man scoffed. "You think Tianyuan's never killed a regular person before?"

"Sure, but those were quiet hits, or disguised as accidents. This is different. Better hold off for now. Wang Qian will probably contact Young Master Tianyuan in a few days anyway."

Zhang Yuanqing waited a few seconds until his Night Tour expired, then re-entered stealth and slipped into the villa, bypassing the three men entirely.

They remained blissfully unaware.