Shen Hao felt that Zhao Chongwu was deliberately crafting for himself an "aloof" identity and personality, intentionally making himself stand out as "different" among the crowd. He’d even gone so far as to create a whole fake family just to deal with the Government Office’s family background checks.

Someone who goes to such lengths to deceive others must surely be hiding some unspeakable crimes.

Shen Hao had basically locked onto Zhao Chongwu as the culprit behind that series of missing cases—or at the very least, an accomplice.

But... so far, there was still no trace of any Evil Cultivator. No Evil Cultivator also meant that Shen Hao’s original hypothesis for the "motive" behind the crimes might no longer hold.

What could two ordinary people with no cultivation want with so many children possessing Yin-Yang Blood and Qi?

For money? Take a look at Zhao Chongwu’s lifestyle—this guy didn’t seem the type to take risks for money, since he sent most of his salary to Yu City to throw others off the scent, preferring to live a frugal life himself.

If not money, what else could they be after? Especially since the case involved Zhan Wenlin, a dignified Population Department Chief Officer of Senior Sixth Grade. What sort of benefit could possibly draw someone like him in?

In the end, after so many years, so many piled-up cases, and so many missing children, if Zhan Wenlin and Zhao Chongwu were behind all of it, then where did the disappeared go?

Shen Hao spent almost the whole night sleepless, turning these questions over in his mind. In truth, he could have easily arrested them for torture and interrogation; he was sure Zhao Chongwu and Zhan Wenlin would confess everything under duress. But what if, by arresting them, they frightened off the Evil Cultivator, who might still be lurking in the shadows, unseen?

So, still adopting a "wait and see" approach, Shen Hao held off on giving the order.

"Hey! General Flag, looks like Zhao Chongwu is about to leave town!" Wang Jian, responsible for monitoring in shifts inside the small shack, whispered in surprise. Ever since he’d arrived, he and Zhang Liao had split the duty of keeping an eye on Zhao Chongwu’s front door from the temporary command post—each taking two hours at a time.

Even those supposedly resting in the hut dared not truly sleep, always one eye open; hearing Wang Jian’s startled exclamation, they all hurried, careful yet swift, to the window.

Shen Hao sat by the window; on hearing the commotion, he opened his eyes and glanced outside through the narrow gap in the partly opened window. Even though the sky wasn’t bright yet, he could still see clearly on the street outside thanks to the Night Eye Skill.

Zhao Chongwu could be seen coming out and locking his door, carrying a large basket with a lid on his back. This kind of outfit was definitely not for going to his official duties at the Government Office.

"Where’s Zhao Chongwu going? At this time, the Teleportation Array shouldn’t be open yet, right?" Zhang Liao muttered quietly beside him.

"No, he doesn’t have to wait—he should have the Population Department’s stamped command permit, which lets him pass through the array’s special channel, so he can leave without being seen by outsiders as much as possible."

"Zhan Wenlin gave it to him? Was that why Zhan Wenlin sought out Zhao Chongwu last night—to hand him the command permit?"

"Perhaps not just the command permit." Shen Hao shook his head and continued, "Have someone follow Zhao Chongwu in secret, and send more men. Use the Xuanqing Guard’s badge to shut the mouths of those at the Teleportation Array. Remember, those following must be fully equipped with Talismans. If there’s danger, call for backup immediately. Zhang Liao, you follow in person."

"Yes, sir!"

Shen Hao was worried Zhao Chongwu was going out to rendezvous with the Evil Cultivator hiding in the dark, so he’d arranged as many people as possible to tail him secretly. If things turned dangerous, they could use a Summoning Talisman; at worst, call in the garrison soldiers from all around to assist—as long as they were still inside the city, the Evil Cultivator would find it hard to escape.

Thinking it over, as Zhang Liao was about to leave, Shen Hao called him back: "Unless necessary, don’t act rashly—let’s see what he’s up to."

"Understood."

Zhang Liao rushed out leading his men. Since the streets were empty before dawn, he took his scouts across the rooftops, trailing Zhao Chongwu from a distance like ghosts. He might not be as clever as Wang Jian at solving cases, but in a fight or fieldwork, he was far more experienced than Wang Jian.

"Let’s go, let’s check Zhao Chongwu’s house again."

Taking advantage of the darkness before dawn, Shen Hao led his men into Zhao Chongwu’s home for the second time. Alongside him, besides Wang Jian, was the same scout as before—one highly skilled at searching.

Picking the lock, checking, pushing the door—them all making sure there was nothing amiss before entering.

Inside, almost nothing had changed regarding the furnishings. Opening the room’s only standalone cabinet, they found that the box holding General Spirit Stones was short by two stones—the sole one left was already somewhat dim.

"Looks like our luck’s pretty good; seems it’s about time for them to make their move and kidnap someone again. Send orders to Zhang Liao—act as circumstances allow, but don’t alert the enemy unless absolutely necessary."

Other than the missing General Spirit Stones, the other change was in the kitchen, where two big pots had clearly just been washed, as well as two huge steamers—they too had just been cleaned.

Obviously, Zhao Chongwu prepared all this last night. To have done it all of a sudden and right before making his move—could these things be connected?

A hard-to-describe chill crept over Shen Hao’s heart.

Leaving Zhao Chongwu’s house, Shen Hao said to Wang Jian, "Strengthen surveillance around Zhao Chongwu. Anyone acting suspiciously must be checked! Also, keep close watch on Zhan Wenlin’s house—who comes, who goes, what they’re doing—find out! And try to get someone inside Zhan Wenlin’s home to find out what’s really going on, but don’t tip them off."

"Yes, sir!"

Wang Jian left as well. Shen Hao stayed back in the command post, awaiting reports from both teams.

In the afternoon, the first message came from Zhang Liao: with twenty-five Team B experts and another twenty Hundred Households Guards sent by Tang Qingyuan, he’d followed Zhao Chongwu to Hao City. After a long detour, they arrived at a small market in a town. Zhao Chongwu seemed to have set his sights on a tea stall owner’s young son in the market, but hadn’t acted yet. Zhang Liao had someone check with the local Government Office—the child was indeed one with Yin-Yang Blood and Qi.

Everything matched.

By dusk, Zhang Liao sent another message: Zhao Chongwu had made his move, using a powerful Mid-grade Blinding Disc. If Zhang Liao’s scouts hadn’t been prepared, they’d have fallen victim to it. After kidnapping the child, Zhao Chongwu didn’t harm him—just knocked him out and carried him in the basket—so Zhang Liao hadn’t apprehended him right away. Moreover, after succeeding, Zhao Chongwu didn’t head back to Fengri City, but instead detoured to Pingjiang City at the jurisdiction’s edge—so Zhang Liao kept following.

Not until late at night did Wang Jian’s group return with news. Not only had they thoroughly investigated Zhan Wenlin’s background, but also staged a "water damage" incident in Zhan’s backyard, sending Black Banner Battalion scouts mixed among the Water Dragon Team to strut right through Zhan Wenlin’s house.

"Zhan Wenlin’s record is very clean—an orphan, local, adopted by an elderly scholar from a private school, later admitted to higher studies and recommended to serve in the Government Office. All his credentials check out. His family—elders or children—show no irregularities. His mother-in-law recently passed, and he’d gone home for the funeral a few days ago. When my men went to ask, nothing unusual had happened recently either. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

But there are still plenty of strange things about Zhan Wenlin’s household..."