Although it’s extremely risky, you seek fortune amidst danger; after all, you’re dead either way, so why not give it a shot? Originally, as per Master Hao’s idea, more manpower should be dispatched to take advantage of Lin Batian’s outing opportunity to kidnap him.
However, Hao Dahai argued that Lin Batian had only brought one person along, so it would be enough for Seventh Brother Profound Void to take three underlings; too many would only get in the way. Thus, Elder Hao listened to Hao Kan and let Profound Void take a few people to start the pursuit. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel·fire·net
After the four made all the preparations, they skillfully climbed over the wall; these were all trained experts, and Profound Void was an Ancient Martial Cultivator, even more formidable than Hao Kan.
After all, in the Celestial Martial Sect, Hao Kan ranked tenth, while Profound Void ranked seventh.
Upon entering the manor, the four quickly began searching for their target. In the distance, they saw two men hurriedly heading towards the main hall; Profound Void frowned—these two were clearly Lin Batian and his driver.
"Brother Kong, what do we do? They’ve entered the hall."
One of the underlings asked.
"What can we do? We must hide and stay put, and wait until they come out before we make a move."
Profound Void had brought his crew in mainly to assess the situation here. In case the targets enter and then exit through another door, their waiting would be in vain.
Thinking for a moment, Profound Void continued, "Alright, I’ll scout ahead, and if anything happens, I’ll signal you."
The three responded in unison.
Upon finishing, Profound Void wasted no time; after surveying his surroundings and seeing no one, he concealed his mask and confidently walked into the corridor.
Sometimes, the more secretive you act, the more others think you’re guilty; it’s better to walk serenely down the main path; even if seen by the staff, they’d think you were one of the Manor Master’s esteemed guests.
Given that many visit here daily, seeing Lin Batian walking through like that earlier, Profound Void knew there was no escort.
This was Tianshu Manor’s hospitality style: those interested may come, those not interested may leave willingly—it’s a matter of habit, not putting on airs.
As Chen Tianlong was about to enter the hall, he suddenly felt as though there was someone behind him. Recently, his sensing ability had greatly improved.
And his Nine Yang Celestial Dragon Technique seemed to have reached a bottleneck; as if reaching slightly higher would hit the ceiling, making Chen Tianlong feel pressured every time he performed his Heart Method.
Yet, after looking back for quite a while, he still found nothing, and after bitterly smiling, he shook his head, thinking he might have been too vigilant.
Both stepped into the hall; Lin Batian, being the son-in-law here, naturally showed no excessive reverence. Sima Dong did not greet him, which was typical at the manor, disregarding family ties.
"Greetings, Father-in-law."
In the hall, before a sofa set, sat an elderly man with graying hair, likely in his late sixties or seventies. Despite his age, this man had a piercing demeanor, with a sharpness between his brows.
This person was Lin Wushuang’s grandfather, Sima Dong.
"So, my granddaughter didn’t come?"
Sima Dong, seeing Lin Batian bringing a young man along, frowned and asked coldly.
"Wushuang mentioned she’s preparing for monthly exams lately; she’ll come to see you in a while."
Actually, Lin Batian was lying; Lin Wushuang didn’t want to come to Tianshu Manor at all. Every time she came here, she’d recall her deceased mother and would return home with tears, taking a long time to recover.
This time, to spare his daughter’s sadness, Lin Batian came alone to pay homage to his wife’s spirit. He had two reasons for coming here.
One, after his wife Sima Mei’s death, her body wasn’t cremated or buried but stored in Tianshu Manor’s underground Ice Cave.
Sima Dong cherished his daughter, unwilling to never see her again, placing her in the Ice Cave to visit when he missed her.
Even though she could never speak again, simply seeing her real face eased his heart a little.
Second, he wanted to ask his father-in-law for a favor; Mo, Liu, and Hao families’ affairs were already known to him, and this morning when he left the office, he deliberately let Mr. Hu request leave from Human Resources, saying he was going out.
Lin Batian suspected an internal mole planted in the company possibly in HR, and the HR manager knowing too many secrets; he had to eliminate this dire mole, or the consequences could be dire if he controlled the entire HR department.
Although he had Chen Tianlong as an on-call bodyguard, Chen was still a student, making many things inconvenient; thus, assassinations had to be carried out discreetly. Letting Chen Tianlong handle these matters had two drawbacks.
First, it easily exposed his identity; second, it might bring unnecessary troubles, like retaliation or police investigation.
Thinking it over, Lin Batian wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to buy off his father-in-law’s Assassin Group to help remove the internal mole, since they were professionals, trusted for their success rate.
"Alright, just say what you have to; I don’t want to hear unnecessary words."
Sima Dong wasn’t heartless, just that his way of handling matters was extremely straightforward, decisive, without any fuss.
"Well, today is Madam Sima Mei’s memorial day; I want to see her in the Ice Cave, and additionally, I’d like to entrust your Black Panther Assassin Group with a task—the price is negotiable."
Lin Batian knew Tianshu Manor’s working style: no matter who, as long as the tasks were reasonable, and the reward was acceptable, anyone could be considered.
"The second matter I can agree to, but the first...."
After taking a deep breath, Sima Dong continued, "I’ll be honest with you, your wife Sima Mei’s corpse is missing."
Lin Batian gasped, nearly losing his balance, fortunately Chen Tianlong was behind him and promptly supported him.
Though Sima Mei had been dead for eighteen years, all these years, whenever Lin Batian felt particularly nostalgic, he’d visit here to see her, feel comforted, and then continue working hard after returning, to create a better future for his daughter.
Now, suddenly hearing his wife’s corpse had vanished, how could he withstand such a blow? His heart was overwhelmed with grief, akin to hearing the news of her death abruptly.
"This happened about a month ago; at that time, I missed my daughter deeply, thinking to visit her, but unexpectedly discovered the corpse in the Ice Cave was gone."
Sima Dong mentioned this, revealing a touch of sadness on his sharp-featured face, as if blaming himself.
"Well... Father-in-law, did you notice anything unusual? Did you have anyone investigate whether it was stolen or..." At this point, Lin Batian dared not continue, as it seemed somewhat supernatural.
"I did investigate; it was stolen, because the cameras in the Ice Cave were tampered with, and nothing was recorded." Sima Dong explained, though his face showed some change, evidently unsure.
Thus, he continued, "However... the ice blocks in the Ice Cave were taken from Ice City, thousand-year-old ice, and have been frozen for eighteen years; how did the person manage to take Mei’Er away, while the ice remained intact—it’s quite eerie."