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nIn a restaurant that specialized in the delicacies from the otherworld, all the ingredients came from the otherworld, and the price of each dish exceeded the imagination of ordinary people. The people who came to eat here were all extremely rich.

nChen Yiming had brought Chen Yingying, Shen Mengwei, and Song Shanshan here for a meal. Not only would he be able to let his sister have a taste of the delicious food, but he would also be able to further display the strength of the Myriad Phenomena Sect to Shen Mengwei, completely cutting off her intentions of entering the Shanghai Martial Arts Academy.

nThe decor was luxurious, the service was thorough, and the environment was elegant. The three girls had been stunned since they entered the restaurant. Clearly, they had never been to such a high-class place.

nThey entered a small private room and sat down. Every time the waiter served a dish, Song Shanshan’s mouth fell open in shock.

n“What is this?”

n“Why is it still glowing?”

n“It seems to be moving. Is it edible?”

n…

nAt some point during the meal, the door to the private room next door was forcefully pulled open. Chen Yiming’s ears twitched. This wasn’t a small restaurant by the roadside. Something big must have happened.

n“Oh my god, on the way here, several martial arts factions from Jiang City have mysteriously disappeared.”

n“Tsk! What exactly is going on? Eighth Brother, explain it clearly.”

n“I heard about it when I went downstairs for a smoke. The martial arts bureau’s temporary office in Jiangdu City is surrounded by a group of people. I ran over to take a look just now.”

n“Which factions are missing?”

n“It was too noisy there. I was in a hurry to come back and tell you guys. I only know that some of the leaders are at the peak of the warrior realm.”

n“This…”

n“This…”

nThe private room next door fell silent, and only the sound of heavy breathing could be heard.

nChen Yiming frowned. Could it be that the Western corporations were causing trouble again?

nIf they acted only once or twice, the Daxia Kingdom might not be able to spare the manpower to chase after these people who were causing trouble.

nHowever, now, it seemed that they had made a move against important people. The peak of the warrior realm was a pillar of strength in any province. Were those people from a foreign faction not afraid of death at all? Or did they have other motives?

nHe glanced at the three girls who were eating happily. Shen Mengwei and Chen Yingying were still at a young and innocent age, so it was best for them to focus on their own martial arts cultivation and not get involved in these messy matters.

n“Yingying, I have something to do. I’ll leave first. After you’re done eating, bring them to your room in the hotel to rest. Bring them along for this trip to the otherworld.”

nChen Yiming placed his bank card on the table and made the arrangements.

n“Brother, what’s the matter?” Chen Yingying asked.

n“I’ll tell you when I’m back.”

nChen Yiming stood up, opened the door, and walked out.

n…

nThe temporary office of the martial arts bureau in Jiangdu City was located in the government office area, which was only two to three streets away.

nAt this moment, the entrance had already been surrounded by many people. A middle-aged man was trying to maintain order and bring the situation under control. People involved in this matter kept coming forward to submit information.

nJiang City was the provincial capital of the neighboring province. The status of these missing people were not ordinary. If things were not handled well, it would affect the long-term plans of Jiangnan province.

n“Reporter Zhang, I can understand your feelings, but this is not a game. It’s more suitable for you to stay in the city and wait for news.”

nIn front of the middle-aged man was a young and beautiful woman.

nThe woman’s skin was fair and delicate, and she had a tall and sexy figure. Her long legs were wrapped in a pair of flesh-colored stockings.

nShe had an oval face and a mole at the corner of her eye. There were tears on her face, but her seductive aura could not be hidden. She was the epitome of a Jiangnan woman.

n“Before Lu Feng left, he told me a lot of things. Please bring me along. I’ll definitely be able to provide you with useful information.”

nThe woman did not give up and continued to pester him.

nThe middle-aged man shook his head and refused again.

nLu Feng was a member of the organization, so he must have known the relevant confidentiality rules. How could he reveal the information so easily? Normally, one would not even be allowed to tell their relatives, let alone their girlfriend.

nAt this moment, someone from the military wanted to talk to the middle-aged man. The middle-aged man waved his hand, and the woman had no choice but to retreat for the time being.

nChen Yiming blended into the crowd and listened for a while. He roughly understood what had happened.

nCompared to other provinces, the situation of developing the otherworld in Jiangnan province was very good. The neighboring provinces were inevitably affected, and a large amount of civilian martial arts power gathered in Jiangnan province, which had a brighter future.

nThese people from Jiang City not only wanted to explore the otherworld, but they also wanted to leave Jianghan province to join Jiangnan province.

nCould it be that the goal of these Western corporations was to destroy Jiangnan province’s plan to develop a stronghold in the otherworld?

nChen Yiming thought about it and felt that it was possible. Occupying a territory in the otherworld for a long time would undoubtedly be of great benefit in the future.

nThe large countries were not only competing with the top forces, but also with the factions at the middle and lower levels. For example, there was the Daxia Kingdom, which had an advantage in numbers that could not be ignored.

nThe Never-ending Day Empire was another example. On average, it was not weaker than the Daxia Kingdom. However, it had too few people, and their overall strength was not on the same level.

nNot long after, the conversation between the military personnel and the middle-aged man ended. The middle-aged man instructed the staff to pack up the materials and hurriedly left with the military personnel.

nSeeing this, the crowd dispersed one after another. The beautiful reporter wiped her tears and stomped her feet before turning to leave.

n…

nOn a quiet street, this was a residential area, and it was actually still in the city center. However, those who had gotten off work early were either at home or had yet to return from shopping.

nIt was far from the time for those who were working overtime to return home.

nZhang Yan’s heart was heavy as she staggered along, completely forgetting the fatigue from the day’s work.

nHer boyfriend, Lu Feng, was a deputy head of the organization department. At such a young age, he had already been promoted to a team leader of the governmental department in a big city like Jiangdu City. It could be said that his future was bright.

nShe was a reporter from Jiangdu City’s television station and had graduated from Shanghai Media University. She had a good figure, appearance, and ability. Even though she had revealed her relationship, she had never lacked suitors.

nFurthermore, the two of them had just gone to the city center to check their wedding rings the day before and had already paid the deposit. Who knew that the next day, there would be news that he had disappeared?

nSuddenly, a figure appeared in front of her. Zhang Yan had been standing for a long time during the day, and her feet were already feeling uncomfortable. After being frightened by this, her legs went weak and she was about to fall to the ground.

nChen Yiming reacted quickly and grabbed Zhang Yan’s waist to support her. When he retracted his hand, he accidentally brushed her firm buttocks. The woman in front of him trembled and retreated to create some distance between them.

n“Who are you!”

nZhang Yan shouted in panic as she retreated.

nThis was a residential area. Although there were fewer people, there was still order and security. One only needed to shout for help a few times before others would hear and come over.

n“Don’t worry, I’m not a bad person. I’m here on orders from the sect to understand the situation. I remember you telling that man just now that Lu Feng told you a lot before the incident. Is that true?”

nChen Yiming said with a serious expression. He looked like he meant it.

nZhang Yan had a guarded expression on her face. As a top beauty, she had seen too many men who approached her for various strange reasons and coveted her body.

nShe was not a girl who had just come out of school and would not believe others so easily.

nSeeing this, Chen Yiming knew that he had to show his true abilities. He drew his peach wood sword, and the black fog internal force wrapped around the sword like a black snake, emitting a soul-stirring aura.

nZhang Yan’s pupils constricted. She heaved a sigh of relief and immediately believed him.

nShe had interviewed many big shots before and had been on the battlefield as a war reporter. She knew very well what the transformation of internal force meant. There was no need for the other party to lie to a small fry like her.

n“Lu Feng said that at the border of Jiangnan province, the organization department will hold a welcome ceremony to represent the friendship between Jiangnan province and Jianghan province…”

n“Lu Feng also said that there have been a number of disappearances in Jiangnan province recently. The higher-ups arranged for martial arts experts to escort them along the way…”

n“By the way, Lu Feng might have forgotten that a list was left at home when he went out during the day.”

nWhen Chen Yiming heard about the name list, he felt that something was amiss. He felt that there might be something fishy about Lu Feng. This was also the reason why he didn’t contact the investigator in charge of this matter directly.

nIt was impossible for the Western corporations not to bribe some of the locals. Once their involvement was exposed, they might immediately back off. There was a high chance that the matter would be left unsettled.

nZhang Yan looked at Chen Yiming, who had a serious expression on his face. She recalled the names on the list. On it were the names of the people who had accompanied him as his guards. After putting the pieces together, she felt that something was amiss.

n“Wait here for a while. I’ll go upstairs and get the name list.”

nWith that, Zhang Yan jogged to a small district dozens of meters ahead. She used the access key to open the door and went upstairs to her home.

n…

nZhang Yan lived in a three-bedroom apartment.

nThe house was rented. In a big city like Jiangdu City, the monthly rent was not cheap. If not for her high income and the fact that two people were sharing the rent, it would have been difficult to afford.

nHowever, the landlord had recently requested for a rent increase, and it was a huge increase. Zhang Yan and Lu Feng were actually already discussing moving out.

nZhang Yan did not close the door after opening it. She turned on the lights in the living room and ran straight into the bedroom. She wanted to go back as soon as possible so that the other party would not have to wait too long.

nNot far from the ground floor, Chen Yiming looked at the lit room and felt that there really was something fishy with Lu Feng. In a flash, he appeared at the door of Zhang Yan’s house.

nThe door was half open, but Chen Yiming didn’t think too much about it. He opened the door and entered.

n“Ah!”

n“Why did you come in!”

nZhang Yan, who had run out of the bedroom with the name list, was frightened by Chen Yiming for the second time. In her haste, she had only taken off her shoes and entered the house.

nAt this moment, she was slipping on the floor because of her stockings. She could not control her shock and fell to the ground, one of her legs hitting the coffee table.

n“Bang!”

nA cup fell to the ground and cracked open. Sharp porcelain shards cut through her stockings, and blood seeped out of the wound on her foot, turning the flesh red.

n“…”

nSeeing this, Chen Yiming felt extremely awkward.

nHe was in the wrong for barging into the woman’s room. However, since it was an emergency, he could only hope that the woman would understand.

n…

nFive minutes later, Zhang Yan changed out of her broken stockings and sat on the sofa.

nShe first disinfected her wounds with alcohol and bandaged it with gauze. During the process of applying the alcohol, she had to grit her teeth in pain to prevent herself from shouting.

nShe could understand this man’s anxiety. After all, something had happened to his sect, just like how she was worried about Lu Feng.

nShe had always had a glimmer of hope that Lu Feng had not been killed and was only imprisoned somewhere. There was still a chance of him being rescued.

nChen Yiming sat on the sofa with the name list in his hand. The people on the list were all martial arts practitioners who had gathered in Jiangdu City. There were locals, foreigners, and outsiders.

nAt first glance, there was nothing wrong with it. The only strange thing was that exactly half of them were men and the other half were women, no more and no less.

n“Lu Feng said that nowadays, the martial arts world also advocates equality between men and women, so they had to be as balanced as possible when choosing the accompanying members,”

nZhang Yan endured the pain from her wound and said to Chen Yiming.

nWas there such a thing?

nChen Yiming had never cared about these issues.

n“Is this the only thing Lu Feng left behind?”

nChen Yiming put down the list and asked.

nZhang Yan glanced at the bedroom and felt a little uncomfortable. After a while, she said, “I’ll bring you to the bedroom to take a look.”

nShe stood up from the sofa. Her wound was bleeding again, and she almost fell back to the ground from the pain. Chen Yiming stretched out a hand to support her.

nZhang Yan limped in front while Chen Yiming followed behind. The two of them entered Lu Feng and Zhang Yan’s bedroom.

nThe main items in the bedroom belonged to Zhang Yan. Lu Feng only had some clothes and books. Chen Yiming glanced at the tight-fitting clothes hanging from the rack. They were all large-sized, so he could tell that the woman beside him was well-endowed.

nFurthermore, the styles were all sexy, which matched Zhang Yan’s natural charm. As a reporter, she often needed to be on camera, so she knew how to show off her strengths.

nZhang Yan’s face had not cooled down since she entered the bedroom. Her face was so red that it was almost boiling.

nHer boyfriend, Lu Feng, had just gotten into an accident, and she had brought a stranger into their bedroom. Although it was for business, she still felt very guilty.

nThe strange thing was, why was she a little excited?

nAt the thought of this, Zhang Yan wished she could hide in another room. How could she have such thoughts? The fate of her boyfriend, Lu Feng, was still unknown. She must have gone crazy.

nIn the end, she could only comfort herself in her heart that the man who had found her had handsome features, an attractive aura, and strength.

nCompared to Lu Feng, the difference was too great. That was why she made the mistake that all women would make.

nFor a moment, Zhang Yan was a little distracted. Her uninjured foot accidentally kicked the dressing table. She felt the pain and subconsciously retracted her foot, using her other foot as support.

nHowever, she had forgotten that her foot was injured. Unable to support her weight, she fell sideways and landed right on Chen Yiming. Her hands flailed wildly as she grabbed at his shoulder.

nWhat’s going on? Is this woman throwing herself on me?

nChen Yiming felt the softness of the woman’s chest. Reporters were considered public figures who knew how to take care of themselves. Coupled with her perfect figure, he couldn’t help but feel excited.

n“I’m sorry.”

nZhang Yan endured the pain in her feet and moved away from Chen Yiming. She felt extremely embarrassed, but why did his muscles feel so good to the touch? Compared to Lu Feng…

nHow terrifying. Why did she have the thought of comparing them again? She was shocked by herself.

nChen Yiming glanced at Zhang Yan, who had a strange expression on her face, and walked out of the bedroom. Other than a suspicious name list, he didn’t discover anything else.

nZhang Yan followed him out of the bedroom and closed the door behind her. She kept comforting herself in her heart, “This is a normal reaction when one sees an especially handsome man.”

n“Then I’ll leave first.”

nChen Yiming bade her farewell and walked towards the door.

nZhang Yan looked at his back and recalled how his internal force had turned into a black snake and wrapped around the sword. She quickly said, “Can you bring me along?”

nWithout waiting for the other party’s reply, she explained, “What I mean is, if we find anything during the investigation, I might still be of some use.”

nChen Yiming glanced at the wound on Zhang Yan’s foot. It had yet to heal, so he asked, “Can you still walk?”

nZhang Yan also knew that if he brought her along, she would just be a burden. From the corner of her eye, she saw a broom at the side.

nShe picked up the broom and retrieved the stick portion. “Trust me,” she said, “I can manage.”

nChen Yiming nodded in agreement. The other party wasn’t a weak woman. Reporters worked outside all year round, so it was common for them to have to deal with minor injuries. She must have had some experience dealing with such situations.

n…

nChen Yiming and Zhang Yan walked out of the house.

nSeeing the woman limping down the stairs, he knew that she would not be able to reach the bottom within five minutes. He grabbed her arm and in the next second, the two of them were outside the district.

nZhang Yan was grabbed by the arm, and it was inevitable that he would make contact with that area. However, she had fallen on him earlier, so she could still accept it.

nShe quickly changed the topic. “The landlords in the district are all trying to increase the rent, but the landlord I’m renting from is increasing the rent by 10 times at once. Furthermore, he doesn’t leave any room for negotiation. It’s almost as if he’s chasing me away. Do you think there’s something else going on?”

nChasing people away? A name list?

nWhy did it feel like someone was trying to erase their tracks? Chen Yiming connected the two and found something suspicious.

nFor example, when Zhang Yan went to work and left the house, could the name list have been left in the room on purpose? After that, Zhang Yan was supposed to move out, perhaps in a day or two.

nThis way, all traces would be erased.

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