Saving System: Calm Down, My Fleeing Host!

Chapter 361 - 353: Speculations from All Sides, Life or Death Unknown

A sudden intrusion by such a master capable of matching their ancestor filled Ouyang Qingsheng and the others with trepidation. They retreated into the corridor, not daring to show themselves, for fear of being caught in the crossfire.

Dongfang Yinlong left the Divination Dragon Staff to Cheng Xiaoxiao. Within a meter radius around her, a circular protective barrier rose, filled with the luminous glow emanating from the staff.

A gentle warmth seeped through her seven orifices, slowly permeating, meandering through the seven meridians and eight vessels, five organs and six viscera, bringing a hint of vitality to her broken body.

Debris and stone fragments falling from outside were all blocked by the protective barrier.

The battle continued, growing ever fiercer.

Half an hour later, the two of them directly broke through the mountain.

Bang bang bang!

Dust and rocks flew, houses collapsed, mountains leveled, the world darkened...

***

Time flies, day turns to night.

In the blink of an eye, seven days passed.

Two shadows swiftly darted into a large mansion not covered by snow.

Through corridors and walks, they quickly arrived at the main house.

"How is it?" Han Yi asked anxiously as he saw them.

One of the middle-aged men kneeling on the ground spoke dejectedly, "Still no news of the Pavilion Master."

They sent four batches of people, infiltrating the Ouyang Family, but all searches were in vain.

Han Yi paced back and forth, his concern and anxiety growing increasingly uncontrollable.

"How could there be none?"

A vague suspicion lingered in his heart, which he dared not face or confirm.

Thinking about it chilled his heart, and a dull pain throbbed in his chest.

If he’d known it would be so perilous, he would have gone in master’s stead. Even facing death would feel better than this.

He couldn’t bear to imagine what he would do if master truly met with misfortune.

At this point, he had no choice but to consider the worst outcome openly. The possibility of dying without leaving a body was low; one should be able to locate the corpse, especially since those children were missing as well.

The most likely scenario was being taken away by that Innate Grandmaster, but the gathered intelligence... only mentioned that the unconscious Miss Cheng was carried away by that person, a fact witnessed by many and easy to inquire about.

All other missing individuals were unseen alive, and without corpses when dead.

Even with less than a thirty percent chance master was alive, he wouldn’t give up searching.

Thinking of this, he looked at the other person.

The man immediately clasped his fists respectfully, "Commander Han, that person came and went without leaving any trace."

Han Yi felt very disappointed.

Master, where exactly are you?

He had already sent word back to headquarters, gathering more people for a thorough investigation. He couldn’t believe there was a route the Dark Pavilion couldn’t uncover.

"Is it possible the Pavilion Master escaped alone?" the Hall Master speculated.

"If the Pavilion Master escaped, he would surely contact us."

No contact means he met with misfortune, a statement understood by all present.

But how were they supposed to find him now?

"Investigate, keep investigating, results must be achieved."

"Yes!"

Han Yi’s fist clenched tightly, hitting the table hard, instantly shattering it.

"The damn Ouyang Family!"

He turned, his scarlet eyes glaring at the middle-aged man—the Luoyang City division’s Hall Master Yan Luoxia.

"Master Yan, convey my urgent orders to spread rumors that the Ouyang Family raises poisonous insects to control people. Additionally, aggressively undermine and destroy their assets, and sow discord between them and the Zhongli and Zhongsun Families."

"Yes!"

Hmph! Having targeted those they shouldn’t have, the Ouyang Family wouldn’t easily escape unscathed.

Meanwhile, the Ouyang Family was overcast with gloom; the ancestor was severely injured and in seclusion, leaving a mess behind. One of the Grandmasters had died, and those still alive were not in good condition.

Personnel and financial losses were heavy, houses burned and destroyed, many were poisoned and not fully detoxified yet, unable to wield martial arts.

Their proud arrays and poisonous insects failed to stop the enemies; even when discovered, they didn’t warrant enough attention. This excessive arrogance after years of complacency led to an exceedingly bitter lesson.

In the main hall, everyone was wary, afraid to speak loudly, with a low-pressure atmosphere filling the room.

"Old third, how is the antidote development?" Ouyang Qingsheng asked Ouyang Qinghua.

"I fear it will take more time."

Just then, Ouyang Qingdong suddenly stood up, gritting his teeth, "Elder brother, you must avenge me."

Thinking about his younger brother who couldn’t get up even with medication, he wished he could tear the culprit to pieces.

His vicious demeanor made a captivating figure in the hall shiver, a fleeting shadow of guilt passing across her face.

Ouyang Qingsheng glanced at the old steward, who immediately stepped forward and responded respectfully, "Investigations revealed more than one power attacking our headquarters. One faction entered through the array, another from the cliff below the back mountain, and then... that later Innate Strong, might be..."

The steward’s words paused.

"What is it? Hurry up and say it." Ouyang Qingdong was impatient.

"Possibly from the Sikong Family."

Ouyang Qingdong racked his brains but couldn’t figure out what kind of entity the Sikong Family was.

Sikong was a prestigious divination lineage. Since withdrawing from the center of power, they rarely meddled in worldly affairs. Why the sudden involvement?

The younger generation barely knew the origins of the Sikong Family. The Second Elder pondered seriously, "Are you sure it’s the Sikong Family outside Yuan Yang City?"

It’s said the current Family Head is brutal and capricious, infamous far and wide, renowned in Yuan Yang City for stopping children from crying at night—an extremely difficult fellow.

"Not long ago, it was rumored the Sikong Family Master personally descended the mountain, inquiring about someone, seemingly planning a reemergence." The old steward reported the gathered information.

"Regardless, such an established aristocratic family is hard to provoke. What’s more, the Sikong Family Master is a rare Innate Grandmaster. With the ancestor gravely injured, none can match him, going would mean certain death."

Ouyang Qingdong was indignant, "Do we just let this go? The Sikong Family is hard to provoke, but the Ouyang Family isn’t weak either."

"Old third, don’t act on impulse."

"Elder brother, how can I stay calm..."

Everyone exchanged glances, not minding his uncontrolled outburst; anyone facing such circumstances couldn’t remain calm.

The Fifth Elder stroked his white beard, deep in thought, "The other two factions might not be related to the Sikong Family. Judging by the infiltration time and method, other forces likely had a hand too."

"Are you suggesting it’s the Zhongsun Family and Zhongli Family?"

"Not necessarily, it’s worth first investigating recent movements in the city."

Dongfang Qingsheng banged the table, "Right, they’re not necessarily together. Our child-buying channels are extremely secretive, and it’s the Liu Family that facilitated them, but those black-robed individuals were clearly after the children. We should start investigating the child trafficking process and origins."

With that, he glared at the old steward.

"Understood!" The old steward responded and withdrew.

"Let’s disperse for now! We’ll discuss when there are results."

A similar conversation was happening in another mansion.

"You say that later arrived Innate Grandmaster is from the Sikong Family?" Han Yi was stunned by this sentence, unable to recover.

Gu Ming, lying in bed, nodded weakly, "Eight or nine out of ten."

"How can you tell?"