"How strange." Su Xuan scratched his head, completely puzzled.

He had been an undercover agent in Yan Xiaosong's group and knew exactly how many people there were. Yet, now they had only captured four. Two were missing. Where could they have gone?

Could they have fled in the heat of battle? That seems unlikely!

"We of the Spirit-Taming Sect will remember this grudge. We will be back to settle it!"

At that moment, Yan Xiaosong suddenly pulled out an oval, goose-egg-sized object. He squeezed it hard, and with a loud pop, it exploded, releasing a thick cloud of smoke!

Su Xuan immediately dashed into the smoke but couldn't find any trace of Yan Xiaosong.

"This is an escape technique of the Spirit-Taming Sect. It will be hard to pursue him now," said Qi Li, who had been hiding in a room watching Su Xuan catch the "thieves."

"What a shame." Su Xuan pursed his lips, a flicker of worry in his eyes.

Now that Yan Xiaosong had escaped with such hatred, he and Qi Li would inevitably face great trouble in the future...

"AGH!"

Then, something strange happened: a scream suddenly echoed from the street outside the courtyard gate!

Su Xuan hurried to the door to look and found Yan Xiaosong lying in a pool of blood just a dozen meters from his front gate. There was a bloody hole in his chest, gushing blood!

Butler Liu and Qi Li also ran out. They went to Yan Xiaosong's side and checked for his breath, then looked at Su Xuan and shook their heads.

Dead! Yan Xiaosong was actually, mysteriously dead!

Su Xuan leaned in for a closer look and was shocked to find that Yan Xiaosong's heart had been dug out!

"Su Xuan, with Yan Xiaosong dead, things have become much more complicated!" Qi Li suddenly turned pale, her slender hands trembling uncontrollably as she murmured, "Yan Xiaosong is the son of the Sect Master of the Spirit-Taming Sect. Their trip down the mountain had something to do with me, so with his death, the Spirit-Taming Sect will come looking for me first. If I can't provide a reasonable explanation, things will get very bad."

"Indeed!" Su Xuan frowned, understanding the implications of her words.

"But who on earth killed him?"

Su Xuan looked up and scanned the surroundings, but there wasn't a soul in sight. His gaze finally settled on the surveillance camera mounted on the bookstore across the street.

"Follow me!"

Su Xuan opened the bookstore's door, went to the computer inside, and pulled up the surveillance footage from moments ago. He narrowed his eyes as he watched. Qi Li leaned in close to see as well, her face so near his that he could feel her fragrant breath. But neither of them paid any attention to their proximity, focusing solely on the video.

In the footage, Yan Xiaosong landed from above, a trail of Dark Smoke emitting from his body. The moment his feet touched the ground, he broke into a sprint.

But he hadn't taken more than two steps before he stopped abruptly, his eyes fixed on something in front of him. He began to back away, step by step.

A person in a black robe walked into the frame.

Then, without a single word, the figure flickered and appeared directly in front of Yan Xiaosong, plunging a hand into his chest! The person was incredibly fast. Yan Xiaosong had no chance to react!

The figure then left as if they had never been there at all.

Who is he?

Su Xuan began to rewind the video frame by frame, pausing on the robed person's face. But the individual wore a black mask, making it impossible to see their true features.

"I don't recognize him," Qi Li said, also unable to identify the person.

"This person seems to be framing us. It feels like they're trying to set us up!" Su Xuan said, glancing at Qi Li.

"Yes," Qi Li nodded gravely. "This person killed Yan Xiaosong instantly, so they're clearly from the mountains and have an extremely high cultivation level. Their real purpose is most likely... to incite conflict between the Spirit-Taming Sect and my Floating Cloud Sect, not personal revenge."

"Can your sect beat the Spirit-Taming Sect?" Su Xuan asked.

"At best, it would be an even match," Qi Li said.

"I think I know what happened to the two missing disciples from the Spirit-Taming Sect," Su Xuan said. "It's very likely the black-robed person took them. They'll probably be used to sow more discord between your two sects."

"That must be it!" Qi Li nodded in agreement.

"Then this is our only option."

Su Xuan connected his phone to the computer and began copying the surveillance video. He then made a copy for Qi Li's phone as well. "Take this back with you and clear your name first," he said.

"Okay, I'll return to the sect now," Qi Li said, holding the phone with the video. "I will show this footage to my father and to the Sect Master of the Spirit-Taming Sect to prevent a bloody conflict. Otherwise, not only will our two sects suffer, but you... you will also be in grave danger!"

"How are you getting back? Is there anything I can do to help?"

Su Xuan knew Qi Li couldn't stay any longer. Any delay could result in hordes of vengeful cultivators descending from the mountains, which would not be fun at all.

"No need," Qi Li shook her head. "We have a special passage to return to the mountain world, which is both safe and fast. You, on the other hand, must find a place to hide. Don't get into any trouble. At least, wait until I've settled this matter before you show yourself again."

"You're not waiting for your senior brother?" Su Xuan asked.

"There's no time to wait," Qi Li said, clutching the phone with the crucial evidence. "I need to leave now. Please ask your friends to take good care of my senior brother."

"Don't worry!"

"Farewell!"

Qi Li turned and walked out of the bookstore. But just as she crossed the threshold, she turned back and extended her slender hand to Su Xuan.

Su Xuan paused for a moment, then took her soft, delicate hand.

"Thank you, Su Xuan!" Qi Li said.

Su Xuan patted the back of her hand. "There's no need for such formalities between people like us."

If anyone from the mountains saw Qi Li and Su Xuan saying goodbye with a handshake, they would probably stare in disbelief.

With that, Qi Li left without a backward glance, her figure quickly vanishing into the night.

"Zhong Huilan, are you guys nearby?" After Qi Li was gone, Su Xuan called Zhong Huilan.

"Wait a moment, I'm coming to you now." Zhong Huilan replied hurriedly and hung up.

Ten minutes later, Zhong Huilan met Su Xuan. Before he could even ask, she said immediately, "We saw someone kill a man at your doorstep and went to intercept, but…"

"Say no more."

Su Xuan waved his hand. He took Zhong Huilan's phone, copied the surveillance video onto it, and said, "There are a few people from the Spirit-Taming Sect in my house; they're all incapacitated. Take them with you. Show them this video, and get them back on their feet as soon as possible. Then let them go so they can take the message back..."

「That night,」

Zhong Huilan was incredibly busy. Not only did she have to arrange everything Su Xuan had asked for, but she also had to clean the blood Yan Xiaosong had left on the street. She also stayed awake all night, worried that if this wasn't handled properly, it could lead to a major disaster.

「The next morning,」

In a pile of weeds by a roadside in the suburbs, two people slowly woke up.

If Su Xuan had seen them, he would have recognized them at a glance. They were the two disciples from the Spirit-Taming Sect who had mysteriously disappeared the night before.

And in their hands, they were still clutching a heart...

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