Chapter 91: Something Was Not Quite Right

When Xiao Kaitian came striding over with a dark expression, the first thing he heard was Uncle Zhong’s endless prattle.

“I’m telling you, back then the people of the island nation weren’t called anything nice,” Uncle Zhong said, his body trembling, yet his speech remarkably nimble. “I joined the army in my youth too. They called me Young Marshal. I carried a Type 38 rifle, and heaven knows how many lives fell by my hand. Scared, are you?”

The man and woman before him were Yan Xuan and Lin Dandan, sent by the Martial Arts Bureau of Sea City to investigate the disappearance of Mishima Fuichi. Uncle Zhong had evidently talked them half to death already. Yan Xuan’s face was cold, while Lin Dandan looked awkward. “Sir, judging by your age, you probably weren’t even born in that era, were you?”

“Wasn’t I?” Uncle Zhong froze at the question, his lips twitching constantly. “Not born? Then perhaps I remembered wrong. Right, yes, the war I fought in was the self-defense counterattack. Good, very good, thanks for reminding me. But an enemy is an enemy, all the same in nature. As for that battlefield…”

The two of them could not help pressing their hands to their foreheads. The old man was simply too much.

“What’s going on here?” Even Xiao Kaitian could not stand it any longer. He hurried forward. Uncle Zhong’s combat power was not even one, and the number still fluctuated up and down. Xiao Kaitian was genuinely worried that one more shock might reduce it to zero. “Uncle Zhong, the wind outside is strong. Please go back inside first.”

“We were talking about serious matters. These are a soldier’s honors.” Seeing Xiao Kaitian, Uncle Zhong’s thoughts turned elsewhere. “After I left the service, I met the old master. I was injured then, no longer what I had once been. The old master kindly took me in, and just like that, decades passed. Young master, I watched you grow up…”

He rambled on and on until even Xiao Kaitian’s expression stiffened. Only after coaxing and persuading him with great difficulty did he finally get Uncle Zhong back inside. Then he turned around and faced Yan Xuan and Lin Dandan. “And you two are...?”

As he spoke, he felt two currents of force sweep across him. They were testing him. But the power within him belonged to the divine source of the highest dimension, the sum of all powers; there was no way the two of them could perceive it. Sure enough, they exchanged a glance. Lin Dandan explained, “We’re from the Martial Arts Bureau of Sea City. Here are our credentials.”

Xiao Kaitian glanced over the small red booklet she produced, confirmed her identity, and gave a slight nod. “May I ask what brings you here?”

“We wanted to ask whether you’ve seen this person.” Lin Dandan handed over a photograph.

Xiao Kaitian recognized the man at once as Mishima Fuichi. He took the photo and examined it carefully, turning it over again and again. After a long while, he returned it.

“This man is from the island nation, isn’t he? How would he come here?” Xiao Kaitian asked in return.

“That falls under internal confidentiality,” Lin Dandan replied with a smile, showing a row of white teeth. “Have you seen him?”

Xiao Kaitian shook his head. Of course he would never admit that he had used dimensional reduction on Mishima Fuichi and sent him straight into a two-dimensional world, where he effectively no longer existed. But there was no way to explain such a thing clearly anyway.

“I think you should ask the property management or the security guards,” Xiao Kaitian offered helpfully. “The residential communities around here handle security matters quite well.”

“Thank you.” Faced with such a useless suggestion, Lin Dandan merely nodded to show she had heard him. Yan Xuan, at her side, had long since grown impatient. “Let’s go.”

A woman’s intuition told Lin Dandan that something was off, yet she could not put her finger on what exactly had gone wrong. She looked back once at Xiao Kaitian’s retreating figure as he walked into the house, her face thoughtful.

“What is it?” Yan Xuan settled a pair of sunglasses on the bridge of his nose. Mishima Fuichi had vanished inside this residential district, but after an exhaustive search, they had found no clues at all.

“Nothing,” Lin Dandan said, tossing back her long hair. “It just feels strange. That man just now seemed far too calm. And according to the records, he’s a new tenant.”

“Maybe he’s had contact with martial cultivators before,” Yan Xuan said as he opened the car door and got in first. “I think we’ve been looking in the wrong direction. Mishima Fuichi has been missing for so long that he’s probably dead more than alive. The only people I can think of who could kill him without a sound are Grandmasters of the Heavenly Realm.”

“Preconceptions are taboo in an investigation.” Lin Dandan disagreed a little as she fastened her seat belt. “You still suspect Grandmaster Bai Kou. But don’t pretend otherwise—you wanted to see her only because you wanted to test her strength, didn’t you?”

Yan Xuan did not answer. He merely smiled faintly, because she was right. Then he pressed down on the accelerator.

After returning home and finishing dinner, Xiao Kaitian had just picked up a book when Guo Lei’s call came through.

“President Xiao, the new challenge letter was delivered this morning by someone sent by Manager Yu,” Guo Lei said over the phone, her voice carrying a trace of exhaustion. There was simply too much going on at the company. Among upper management, she was practically the only one left, and she had already been worked into a spinning top. “I confirmed it with the Martial Arts Bureau of Sea City. Would tomorrow morning be acceptable?”

“Yes,” Xiao Kaitian replied. He was annoyed by these petty little pests as well. The sooner they were dealt with, the better. “As soon as possible.”

“Then this time... will you still be the one going on stage?” Guo Lei asked hesitantly. She had already been thoroughly stunned by Xiao Kaitian. At this point, even if he told her he could transform into a giant hero of light, she would believe him.

“Do you think Qixi Media Consulting has the money to hire a martial cultivator?” Xiao Kaitian said helplessly. He had no desire to fight in the arena, but a martial cultivator of the Mysterious Realm cost anywhere from ten million to fifty million. Given the caliber of the opponent, they would certainly need to hire a peak Mysterious Realm expert worth fifty million, and Qixi Media Consulting simply could not afford that.

Though Fenghua Holdings had raised one billion in financing, more than two hundred million of it had already gone to Chen Jingming and Ling Xuan in preparation for filming a movie. Investment in the production line alone exceeded five hundred million. What remained was needed for operating capital. In truth, Xiao Kaitian was very poor.

The moment he said that, Guo Lei on the other end of the line had no temper left at all. “Then, President Xiao, may your martial fortune flourish!”

That night, in a private club in Sea City, Xue Rong was once again in charge of receiving a guest. This time, the guest was Duan Fei, fellow disciple of Su Lie and a peak Mysterious Realm martial cultivator.

Duan Fei was not tall, and he was thin, with a cropped flat-top haircut. Years of wind and sun had left his skin dark. He clasped his hands tightly on his thighs and paid no attention at all to the beautiful women pouring drinks at either side.

“Master Duan,” Xue Rong said with even greater respect, knowing Duan Fei’s strength and level. The recent missions had failed one after another, and Xiao Zhenglu had already spoken to him. He hoped Duan Fei could get rid of Xiao Kaitian. “I’ll be relying on you tomorrow.”

“It shouldn’t be a problem. The opponent is probably in the Mysterious Realm,” Duan Fei said. Having examined Su Lie’s injuries, he had already formed a rough judgment of the enemy’s power. “President Xue, the company you’re dealing with is rather underhanded. To secretly employ a martial cultivator above the allowed level—how insidious.”

“Isn’t that the truth,” Xue Rong sighed as well. But then again, considering that Xiao Kaitian was a fool, it was only natural that his actions could not be judged by common sense. “Then, Master Duan...”

“No problem. My Yin Mountain Arcane Sect excels in spellcraft and supernatural arts. Not to mention someone in the Mysterious Realm—even an Earth Realm martial cultivator would have to think twice upon meeting me.” Duan Fei kept his eyes fixed on the wineglass as he answered with confidence.

Xue Rong let out a low, sinister laugh. His whole body relaxed as he sprawled across the sofa. “Then, Master Duan, enjoy tonight’s scenery to the fullest.”

Only then did the corner of Duan Fei’s mouth lift slightly, and his hand came to rest upon the thigh of the beauty beside him.