Inside the house, Zhao Chongwu was just an ordinary person—this had already been confirmed through so many days of observation, which was why everyone in the Xuanqing Guard acted so brazenly without worrying about being detected by him.

Looking down through the cracks between the roof tiles, the scene inside the house was clear at a glance.

Zhao Chongwu seemed a little tired. First, he set the basket on the ground, then went to the kitchen to boil a pot of water to make tea for himself, only after that leaning on the chair to rest.

After about the time it takes to eat a meal, faint footsteps sounded on the silent street. Following the sound, it was Zhan Wenlin, disguised as an old countryman.

Shen Hao silently straightened up and looked around. Hundreds of Xuanqing Guard surrounded Zhao Chongwu’s home like phantoms, leaving not the slightest gap. Even with Shen Hao’s eyesight, he could see the Hundred Households Guard armed with Breaking Arrows divided into three layers: one facing outward, two facing inward.

Wang Jian and Zhang Liao were each at key positions directing the operation, which made Shen Hao very satisfied; there was no need for him to oversee every detail. At moments like this, everyone knew what they should do and how to do it.

He withdrew his gaze and looked down—Zhao Chongwu had already set down his teacup and was going to open the door for Zhan Wenlin.

"Ka!"

The door opened. Zhao Chongwu wore a calm expression as he smiled at Zhan Wenlin, gestured for him to come in quickly, then poked his head out to check both ways before closing the door.

"How is it?"

"The information is accurate—one is in Hao City, one in Pingjiang City. The magical artifacts are working properly, so naturally, there won’t be any mishaps. You seem worried though?"

"Mm, lately I don’t know why but I feel uneasy, as if something bad is going to happen. Yesterday, we even had a water leak at home, and a storehouse burned down. Brother, how about after we do this job, we lay low for a while?"

"Lay low? The blood steaming has to be kept on schedule. If you stop, you know how unbearable the discomfort is, don’t you? Besides, why don’t I have that bad feeling? It’s been over a hundred years—when have we ever made a mistake? Relax. Enough, go get ready, finish before daylight, it won’t delay the upper emissary."

The two rolled up their sleeves and went into the kitchen, both stoves lit, and two big pots set on them, but only a little water was added.

Hearing everything from the rooftop, Shen Hao felt something odd. He caught many mysterious terms in their conversation.

Clearly, Zhan Wenlin looked much older, yet he called Zhao Chongwu "brother." And according to Zhao Chongwu, they had been kidnapping children for over a hundred years? What kind of talk is that?

Also, what is "blood steaming," and why had he never heard of it?

Shen Hao saw Zhao Chongwu hand a kitchen knife from the kitchen rack to Zhan Wenlin, and immediately gave a hand gesture to the others around: prepare to break in.

Sure enough, just then Zhao Chongwu said, "I’ll watch the fire here. You go get the two chickens from the basket and get them ready."

"Got it."

Shen Hao watched Zhan Wenlin carefully. He noticed that right now Zhan Wenlin didn’t have the ever-present smile Wang Jian had previously described. Instead, his face was emotionless, his whole expression unnaturally stiff.

Inside the house, carrying the knife, Zhan Wenlin walked to the door where the basket was placed, and flipped open the lid. To his shock, inside were two still-unconscious children, a boy and a girl, their breathing steady, seemingly unharmed.

A flash of cruelty flickered in Zhan Wenlin’s eyes. He grabbed the boy by the nape and hoisted him out, then carried him toward the kitchen.

"Be careful, put his head in the pot, grab his feet, hold it higher, don’t let the blood spill out!"

"Brother, I know!"

Zhan Wenlin’s impatience showed—the grip rough, his arm twisted the boy upside down over his shoulder. The kitchen knife in his hand tightened, then he yanked the boy’s neck, glanced at the large pot on the stove as if to aim, body tilting lower.

"Easy now, don’t spill it—wasteful."

"Yeah, just watch."

Bang!

Sizzle!

Suddenly, an explosive sound burst from overhead, followed by the crack of bone—then blood sprayed madly, splattering Zhao Chongwu’s face as he watched the fire by the stove.

The kitchen knife clattered to the floor, but there was no blood on the blade.

The blood spurted from Zhan Wenlin. His knife-wielding hand had been severed at the wrist, falling right into the pot in front of him, where the boiling water instantly turned a deep red.

Let two kids get killed before my eyes? Not happening. Shen Hao stomped straight through the roofing tiles, crashing into the kitchen, Yanji Saber slashing in the same instant—a silent, formless blade gang chopped off Zhan Wenlin’s hand holding the knife.

With a swift turn and a side kick from the left leg, the speed and force precise, he sent Zhao Chongwu flying into the wall—enough to knock him out but not kill him, where he was immediately seized by the Xuanqing Guard crashing down after.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye—just moments ago, Zhao Chongwu and Zhan Wenlin, sharpening their knives, were now like meat on a chopping board.

No need for Shen Hao to command—those Xuanqing Guard who leapt into the house immediately slapped three Spirit Suppressing Talismans, meant for cultivators, on Zhan Wenlin and Zhao Chongwu—regardless whether they were hiding their cultivation or not. Then, using special magical artifact board locks, they bound every joint of their upper bodies and limbs, ensuring they couldn’t move anything but their eyes.

In fact, as soon as Shen Hao gave the order, word raced around the encirclement. Wang Jian immediately had those lying in wait near Zhan Wenlin’s home take action—swift as lightning, they controlled everyone in Zhan Wenlin’s family, awaiting further search orders.

Zhao Chongwu was still in a daze, blood oozing from his mouth, his face confused.

Zhan Wenlin stared at his severed wrist, howling miserably, trying to speak but his jaw was clamped shut by the board lock, unable to open or close it.

"Someone stanch his bleeding. Secure the scene. Bring both back to Li City Xuanqing Guard Station tonight. Zhang Liao, you’ll personally escort them—if anything happens, you can lose your head."

"Yes!"

Zhang Liao did not dare delay. He packed Zhan Wenlin and Zhao Chongwu into specially prepared iron coffins, then several people carried them, joined by thirty Hundred Households Guard and thirty Elite Group B, rushing straight for the Fengri City teleportation array. With their Xuanqing Guard identities, they took the special corridor, returning straight to Li City. Afterwards, a soldier was dispatched back to report "mission accomplished" to Shen Hao.

Shen Hao, meanwhile, led his men through the night to Zhan Wenlin’s home.

"General Flag, are we searching the house now?"

"Watch your wording! This isn’t a house search, it’s collecting evidence for a criminal case."

Fengri City wasn’t under Li City’s jurisdiction—while they could bend the rules, they couldn’t cross the line openly.

Control the targets and gather enough evidence first, then after dawn, notify Chen Yiyun and Jiang Cheng.

Of course, with so many armed Xuanqing Guard running through the streets at night, they were soon discovered by Fengri City’s governmental officials and Xuanqing Guard. However, when they tried to intervene, they were stopped outside by Shen Hao’s "act as situation demands" hand command.