He'd rather run than be turned into a cannon fodder for the broken engagement.

Leng Huan listened quietly to their words. A thorough search? As long as she didn't move on her own, even if she went out, they might not be able to see her. The city lord's cultivation was high, and he happened to be a monster with a keen sense of smell, which is why he discovered her. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been in such a hurry to escape.

But it's already late. Will Fu Xun be able to find him? Leng Huan closed his eyes. He's so smart, he should be able to.

The head steward had already activated the city lord's mansion's formation, and she missed her chance to escape. Now she can only wait for another opportunity.

.

Meanwhile, after Leng Huan disguised herself as a drunk woman and sneaked into the deserted courtyard, Fu Xun went to inform the Qi and Fang families overnight, and was 80% certain that these two families were not involved in the human trafficking incident.

After agreeing on the plan, he returned to the desolate courtyard and, seeing that Leng Huan and the others had indeed been moved, headed straight for the inner city, crossed the moat, and then remained motionless until dawn.

The city lord's mansion was in the center of the inner city, while another great family, the Wang family, was in the south. He simply went to the Fengsheng Tower, which was located between the two.

Fengshenglou is a place that specializes in buying and selling information. It's a mixed bag of people coming and going. Waiting for him is a bit impatient, so it's better to go and find out more information.

It took a lot of spirit stones and time to gather as much information as possible about the City Lord's Mansion and the Wang family.

This investigation actually uncovered some unusual things.

"The city lord is no more than forty years old. Ten years ago, he suddenly broke through to the Golden Core stage and successfully inherited the position of city lord. In the following ten years, he smoothly advanced to the late Golden Core stage and showed signs of breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage. He is the only city lord in Dongjun City in hundreds of years who is expected to break through to the Nascent Soul stage."

Looking at the setting sun on the western horizon, Fu Xun closed the dossier. Everything seemed normal, but there was one problem: ten years ago, this city lord was just an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, and he didn't even have an advantage among the city lord's successors. Yet, he managed to rise to his current position so smoothly.

As for the Wang family, there's nothing noteworthy about them; they're a local, well-established family, and they behave themselves properly.

"This is the payment..." After returning the dossier made of special materials to the Grand Steward, Fu Xun paid the remaining balance. As soon as he finished speaking, the golden bell at his waist, which had been quietly hanging there, suddenly rang urgently.

"Ring ring ring—"

Fu Xun's eyes narrowed, he threw down the money pouch, and leaped out, jumping down from the fourth floor of Fengsheng Tower. Following the direction indicated by the bell, he sped off.

It really is heading towards the City Lord's Mansion!

After a stick of incense had burned, I saw that the gates of the city lord's mansion were tightly closed and the protective array had been activated. I heard that an assassin had infiltrated with malicious intent!

Fu Xun stared intently at the nine-story building—Qianji Pavilion.

She took out a communication talisman and sent a message. A moment later, Qi Ruxing arrived with her people nearby. She asked with a complicated expression, "Are you sure this is the City Lord's Mansion?"

"Yes, it's in Qianji Pavilion." Fu Xun glanced at Fang Shendu, who was following her, and when he noticed that Fang was looking at him, he simply nodded.

Fang Shendu looked frail, but perhaps the joyous occasion had truly lifted his spirits, for his complexion had improved considerably. He smiled at Fu Xun, gave him a slightly complicated look, and then looked away.

"Fellow Daoist Leng is astute, so please don't worry," Qi Ruxing comforted him, then added, "The protective formations have all been activated, so it seems this matter is of great importance and requires the involvement of all the family heads."

After all, attacking the city lord's mansion is no small matter.

"Yes. Madam, I have already informed the head of the Wang family, and he will arrive shortly." Fang Shendu looked at Qi Ruxing tenderly; the head of the Wang family was his uncle.

The relationships between the major families are intricate and intertwined. The Qi and Fang families are betrothed since childhood, while the Fang and Wang families are related by marriage.

Fu Xun raised an eyebrow. This was good; the three family heads were all gathered together. "Fellow Daoist Qi, how long until your father arrives?"

"In the time it takes to brew a cup of tea." Knowing he was worried about Leng Huan, Qi Ruxing said confidently, "Father knows that I and...we are here, he will definitely arrive soon...Hey! Wait..."

Before she could finish speaking, Fu Xun leaped out with a "whoosh," landing straight above the city lord's mansion gate and slashing his sword at the formation in mid-air!

boom--

"Buzz..." The array, shaped like an inverted bowl, rippled outwards like waves, and a huge buzzing sound reached the ears of the people and horses locked in a stalemate at the Thousand Machines Pavilion.

"Not good! Chief Steward, someone's trying to break through the defenses outside!" The commander of the guards was startled, but quickly regained his composure. "Where did this wild brat come from, overestimating himself!"

To his surprise, the head butler's expression changed drastically. He hadn't expected that man to have an accomplice! Oh no!

"Commander, you must speed up the search and catch the thieves to deliver the results, or you and I will be in deep trouble!"

-

Activating such a formation is incredibly expensive. Judging from this formation, Fu Xun knew that Leng Huan should be safe for the time being, and it was time for someone to come out and greet them.

With a series of clangs, the swords struck wildly, causing the entire formation to hum. Sure enough, a moment later, the gates of the city lord's mansion opened, and a familiar face came out to check the situation.

Fu Xun looked at Manager Zhang, who had kidnapped him and Leng Huan three years ago, and understood. However, his demeanor and appearance had changed drastically, and Manager Zhang did not recognize him. Instead, he cupped his hands and asked, "Young hero, what has caused your rudeness?!"

This was a rhetorical question. Fu Xun raised an eyebrow again, pointing the tip of his sword directly at Steward Zhang's nose, and said loudly, "My friend has been kidnapped by you and is in the City Lord's Mansion. Release her at once!"

"Insolence!" Manager Zhang's face darkened, and he was about to teach Fu Xun a lesson when suddenly a voice boomed in his ear: "How dare you!"

The sound was like muffled thunder, striking Manager Zhang's mind directly, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood.

Everyone turned to look at the man who was being escorted by a group of Foundation Establishment guards. It was the head of the Qi family. Qi Ruxing hurriedly called out, "Father! You've finally arrived."

"We received a tip about a missing person today, and we've come to discuss important matters with the City Lord. Open the door!" The Qi family head, a genuine late-stage Golden Core cultivator, glanced at Qi Ruxing and the other young men, then turned directly to Steward Zhang and shouted, "Open the door now!"

Standing beside the Qi family head were the Fang and Wang family heads, who stood like several mountains before him. Zhang, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, dared not be presumptuous at all, knowing in his heart that everything was over.

"Please, everyone." He waved his hand, the door opened, and he stepped aside, clutching his chest, to minimize his presence.

With a flick of his sleeve, trimmed with gold thread, the Qi family head opened the door with a loud bang. He stepped inside first, followed by the rest of the group.

Fu Xun was slightly anxious and followed closely behind the family heads. After entering, he leaped up and headed straight for the Thousand Machines Pavilion.

-

Hearing the loud buzzing sound, Leng Huan knew that Fu Xun had arrived. He felt even more confident and lightly ascended to the Thousand Machine Pavilion.

"stop!"

No one else could find her at all, except for the head steward who caught her trail by observing the air currents and chased after her, throwing several balls of spiritual energy into possible locations. Bang bang bang, the water in the pool shot into the sky, splashing and causing the entire lake to tremble.

As Leng Huan ran, he caught a small fish that had been fried and gently tossed it back into the lake.

Looking back at the head butler who was closely following behind her, she suddenly tossed a small object out. Cough, it was something she and Zhou Guanjing had been tinkering with in their spare time. Inside was compressed psionic energy and other explosive materials. It was about the size of a grape, comparable to a large bag of C4 explosives, or even more powerful.

While secretly resenting Leng Huan for possessing a top-grade concealment magic treasure, the head steward had just raised his hand to condense a ball of spiritual energy. Before he could even unleash it, a small bead came hurtling towards him. It looked ordinary, but the intuition of a Foundation Establishment cultivator told him something was wrong. Before he could dodge, the bead exploded in front of him with a loud bang!

boom!

The explosion suddenly shattered his protective spiritual power, and the powerful airflow even threw him away, crashing into white marble railings, pillars, flowers and trees, finally stopping at a rockery where he collapsed and didn't get up. After a while, he coughed up blood.

But being only at the Foundation Establishment stage, aside from a large gash on his chest and looking rather disheveled and bloody, he wasn't dead yet. He took out a handful of healing pills and ate them, his eyes glaring at Leng Huan as if he were about to spit fire.