"What happened?" Li Xiaofei felt a jolt run through this body.
Luo Ge said, "Miss Si and her entire family, including the two children, were kidnapped by Lin Yi."
"What?" Li Xiaofei's expression darkened instantly. "When did this happen?"
"Yesterday," Luo Ge replied, her face filled with guilt. "As Song Jinglun’s mistress, Lin Yi knew about a hidden timed teleportation array within the City Lord’s Office. After the array was activated, she snuck into the City Lord’s Office and abducted the lady and the children."
Li Xiaofei's brows furrowed deeply. Before leaving Chongque City, he had deliberately arranged for several layers of protection, especially for Si Kongxue and the two children. He had even temporarily moved them into the City Lord’s Office for added security. He hadn’t expected this...
Li Xiaofei looked at Luo Ge, trying to read more from her eyes. Regret was written all over Luo Ge’s bold and dignified face. She clearly held herself responsible. After all, protecting the Si Family had also been part of her duties in the original plan.
Standing nearby, Hu Yuer listened quietly to their conversation. A faint understanding began to form in her heart. Yet, she wasn’t surprised. She slightly wrinkled her fair, jade-like nose, as if trying to pick up something from the air.
After a long silence, Li Xiaofei let out a cold chuckle. "It seems the High Chancellor’s promises aren’t entirely reliable after all."
He was angry. Before leaving Chongque City, the High Chancellor had sworn with absolute confidence that he would keep his family safe.
Luo Ge quickly defended, "Teacher has already done everything he could. In order to track Lin Yi and the others, he even consumed part of his own lifespan to activate the Eye of the Firmament. He never wanted an incident to happen at a time ..." Fresh chapters posted on novel·fıre·net
"Is that so?" Li Xiaofei asked calmly. "And the result?"
The Eye of the Firmament was that massive eye-shaped structure atop the Council building. It was, in fact, a magical artifact. It could observe all movements within Chongque City. Moreover, once the High Chancellor personally activated it, the Eye could track any individual within the city. Few things could remain hidden beneath that all-seeing gaze.
Luo Ge let out a sigh. "The Eye wasn’t able to trace Miss Si or the others."
Li Xiaofei’s mind spun rapidly. There were only two explanations for such a result. Either Lin Yi and her accomplices possessed some secret technique to block observation or they had already left Chongque City. The latter seemed more likely.
He took a deep breath as countless thoughts surged through his mind, forcing himself to remain calm. Now was not the time for rage. Anger and blame would be useless and might only make things worse.
"You all continue the investigation," Li Xiaofei said slowly. "Let’s hope the High Chancellor brings back good news."
"I'm truly sorry, but please believe that we will do everything we can." Luo Ge apologized once more, then turned and left.
Li Xiaofei walked slowly to the front hall of the City Lord’s Office, sat down, and tapped his fingers lightly on the table, thinking about his next move.
It was then that Hu Yuer spoke up, "Don’t worry too much. They won’t be in danger for now."
Li Xiaofei looked at her.
Hu Yuer continued, "Since it’s a kidnapping, then clearly it was done for a purpose. If I’m not wrong, now that they know you’ve returned, they’ll reach out to you soon. The next step will be the negotiation phase."
Li Xiaofei nodded. He had already considered that possibility himself. But it meant falling into a completely passive position. And he was not someone who liked being passive.
Hu Yuer asked, "Does the residence have any items the children often kept close to them?"
Li Xiaofei replied, "You’re a fox, not a howling heaven hound."
"Underestimating a fox, are you?" Hu Yuer smirked. "Even ordinary foxes have keener senses than dogs. Besides, one of the nine great techniques of the Heavenly Fox bloodline is tracking and tracing."
Without another word, Li Xiaofei stood up and quickly brought over several of Anxin and Anyi’s personal items such as clothing, toys, milk bottles, and other belongings.
Hu Yuer’s face was soon enveloped in a soft white glow. After a moment of inspection, she said, "Just wait for my message."
With that, she turned to leave.
"I’ll go with you," Li Xiaofei said, immediately following her.
Hu Yuer shook her head and said, "Stay here. If they send someone to contact you and you’re not around, it could ruin everything. I’ll search on my own. Once I have news, you’ll be the first to know."
Li Xiaofei hesitated, then nodded. He said, "Just... be careful."
Hu Yuer narrowed her eyes and smiled faintly as she replied, "Foxes are the craftiest creatures in the world."
As soon as she finished speaking, she flickered and vanished from sight.
Li Xiaofei returned to the front hall, sat back in his chair, closed his eyes, and forced himself into calm, steady meditation.
Saying he wasn’t anxious would have been a lie. The moment the faces of the two children appeared in his mind, he felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. He wanted nothing more than to leap up and flip all of Chongque City and its surroundings upside down.
But he knew very well that the mind could falter when one’s emotions were involved. What he needed most at this moment was composure.
Time passed and the sky gradually darkened. He wasn’t sure how long had gone by before a guard entered the courtyard and said, "My lord, someone has delivered a letter."
"Who sent it?" Li Xiaofei asked.
The guard hesitated slightly before speaking, "The messenger was... strange. He simply handed over this letter and said it was something you were waiting for, my lord. When we tried to apprehend him, he vanished. What’s even stranger is none of us could remember his face or figure when we tried to recall his appearance afterward. It was as if we had never seen anyone at all. And yet, the letter was already in our hands."
Li Xiaofei raised his hand and the letter flew to him.
"You’re dismissed," said Li Xiaofei.
"As you command," the guard replied and exited the hall.
Li Xiaofei studied the envelope carefully. It truly was just a letter. A plain envelope made of ordinary paper, with nothing unusual about it.
With a thought, the envelope opened on its own, and the letter inside floated out. It was a sheet of pure white paper with only two lines written on it.
The first line was a set of coordinates. A set Li Xiaofei recognized immediately. He didn’t even need to consult the star chart on his light core. He knew at once that it pointed to Planet M73.
The frozen planet and the homeworld of the girl, Ah Qing. A planet inhabited by descendants of Earth’s ancient survivors. The place where the towering peak known as Autumnwatch Peak stood, where Nangong Longjian was buried.
On the second line of the snow-white letter, there were only two words, Come alone.
Li Xiaofei stood up without the slightest hesitation. He didn’t inform anyone as he left Chongque City. There was no doubt it was a trap. No doubt it was a conspiracy. This trip might very well end in disaster. But he had to go and he had to go alone. Because he was a father.
It was a world of eternal frost, where biting winds howled across frozen plains. Even cosmic lifeforms could be frozen into ice sculptures with a single blast of this frigid wind.
A faint glimmer flashed across the sky and Li Xiaofei appeared in the void. He had visited this planet many times before and was already well-acquainted with its geography. He was now strong enough that he didn’t even need a spacecraft. He could cross the void with his physical body alone.
After briefly scanning his surroundings, Li Xiaofei moved. He appeared atop Autumnwatch Peak in an instant. It was the highest mountain on Planet M73; a towering peak formed entirely of glacial ice that had endured for millions of years.
There was a flat platform on its summit. From there, if one channeled enough eye techniques and sharpened their vision, they could just barely glimpse a faint, flickering planet in the distant starry sky. That planet... was Earth.
At the very top of the peak stood an icy tomb. It was the grave of Nangong Longjian. He had been buried there by Li Xiaofei’s own hand. But now, there was someone standing beside the grave.
"I’ve been waiting for you for a long time." The figure turned around, a radiant smile playing on their lips.