105: Discover

The morning light had not yet fully dispelled the night when Bai Yao was awakened by a sharp horn sound and chaotic running outside the window.

“What’s going on?”

She sat up, pulling the blanket around her, a strange flutter in her chest.

The door was suddenly pushed open, and Xuan Mo quickly walked in, his expression unusually grave:

“People from the City of Ten Thousand Evils have infiltrated the Fox Clan Market and are causing chaos in multiple locations. The Self-Defense Force has been mobilized, and it’s very chaotic outside right now.”

“We need to leave quickly.”

Xuan Mo said directly, but his gaze quickly scanned the room, and his brow instantly furrowed.

“Where is that Little Cub?”

Only then did Bai Yao realize the small bed next to her was empty.

“I don’t know... I haven’t seen him since I woke up. Did he go to the bathroom?”

She subconsciously tried to find an explanation for the child's absence, but a hint of unease began to spread in her heart.

They were staying on the second floor of the inn. Bai Yao pushed open the wooden window, and the noise immediately rushed in.

People were running frantically in the streets, mixed with angry discussions:

“Those scumbags from the City of Ten Thousand Evils dare to run wild in Fox Clan territory!”

“The eastern Market is in complete chaos! I heard the Great Priest even rushed over personally!”

“What do they want? Haven't we always kept to ourselves?”

“Does the City of Ten Thousand Evils need a reason to act? They are just a bunch of lunatics!”

“Damn it...”

Listening to these discussions, Bai Yao generally understood the situation.

The City of Ten Thousand Evils suddenly launched an attack on the Fox Clan Market.

“The situation seems more serious than we thought,”

Xuan Mo walked over to her from outside and said solemnly, “It started in the middle of the night. However, the Fox Clan has its own methods; they should be able to control the situation.”

He tried to reassure Bai Yao, but his tightly pressed lips betrayed his inner turmoil.

This dark aura was exactly the same as the one he tracked last night.

Bai Yao's unease grew stronger; she kept feeling that this matter was not so simple.

But why specifically at this time?

Just then, the Innkeeper nervously pushed the door open, his face filled with anxiety:

“Two distinguished guests, did you bring a Little Cub? Just now, I think I saw him cornered in an alleyway by a few unfamiliar Beastmen.”

“They looked like... people from the City of Ten Thousand Evils. I thought the child looked like the one you brought, so I hurried to tell you.”

“What did you say?”

“What kind of child?”

Bai Yao quickly grabbed the Innkeeper's sleeve and asked.

The man replied, “One with a horn on his head...”

Bai Yao's mind went blank with a 'buzz,' and she abruptly stood up, her face pale.

Lou Qi was gone early this morning—could it really be... She instinctively tried to rush out but was stopped by Xuan Mo.

“It's too chaotic outside. You stay here, and I'll go check.”

Xuan Mo looked at Bai Yao, who was so anxious, his vertical pupils filled with worry.

He absolutely could not let her take risks.

Bai Yao knew that going with him would only be a burden. She suppressed the panic in her heart and nodded vigorously:

“Okay, you must bring him back safely. He must be terrified.”

Finally, Bai Yao instructed, “Don't be fierce to him...”

Xuan Mo looked at her deeply, didn't refute, and finally just nodded and said,

“Stay here, lock the door, and don't go out no matter what. Wait for me to return.”

“Mhm, I understand.”

Bai Yao nodded in response.

Watching Xuan Mo's figure disappear at the door, Bai Yao's heart could not calm down.

Something isn't right... All of this is too coincidental.

Why did Lou Qi go out alone specifically at this time?

Why did the City of Ten Thousand Evils suddenly provoke the Fox Clan?

This chaos seems like a smokescreen deliberately created for some purpose... She forced herself to analyze calmly. All sorts of doubts surfaced in her mind, like pieces of a broken puzzle that she couldn't immediately put together to form the complete truth.

Just as her mind was in turmoil, the door was knocked on again.

It was the Innkeeper, who had returned. He carried a simple breakfast, his face fixed with a slightly strained smile:

“Distinguished guest, you've been startled. Please have some food to calm your nerves.”

“Alright, thank you.”

Bai Yao took the tray and placed it on the table, but she had no intention of eating.

The owner did not leave immediately; instead, he stood rooted to the spot, his eyes subtly glancing at the food on the table.

He even urged, “P-Please eat while it's hot; it will get cold soon.”

This abnormal concern made Bai Yao suspicious.

Bai Yao suppressed her alarm and said lightly, “I know. I'll eat in a while. You go attend to your duties first.”

Seeing that the Innkeeper showed no sign of moving, she asked, “Owner, is there anything else?”

The owner seemed to want to say something more, but finally retreated awkwardly.

As soon as the door closed, Bai Yao immediately examined the breakfast.

It was just ordinary congee and dried meat, looking unremarkable.

But the owner's shifty eyes and excessive enthusiasm made it impossible for her not to be suspicious.

Was there something in it?

Her heart turned cold. Had she already become the target?

Dora? Pei Lin? Or... other forces coveting the Crossbow?

But it seemed none of those were the case.

Regardless of the reason, she absolutely couldn't touch this food.

Moreover, they were in the dark while she was in the light; a direct confrontation was definitely not a good strategy.

It seemed they were determined, and Xuan Mo wasn't by her side right now, so she had to improvise.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind: why not beat them at their own game and see what they were really after?

She quickly poured most of the food into a corner under the bed, leaving only a little residue in the bowl to fake having eaten it.

She then slumped onto the desk, feigning unconsciousness, though her heart pounded violently due to nervousness.

Time passed slowly, every second feeling exceptionally long.

Finally, heavily suppressed conversation sounds came from outside the door. It was the Innkeeper and another unfamiliar voice:

“How is it? Did she eat?”

“I put in a double dose; she must be down.”

“Are you sure? That Snake Emperor is not easy to mess with...”

“Go and confirm quickly. The City Lord is still waiting for news...”

Subtle footsteps approached, and the door was pushed open just a crack.

A gaze lingered on her for a moment, then retracted.

“She's down. Quick, follow the City Lord's orders and take her away immediately.”

“If that Ninth-Tier Snake Beast returns, we'll all die.”

City Lord?

Bai Yao's heart shook violently. Which City Lord? Why were they capturing her?

The two men quickly entered the room and bound her hands and feet with rough ropes.

Bai Yao forcibly suppressed the instinct to struggle, letting them handle her, though her entire body was tense to the extreme.

She had to find out who the mastermind was.

Just as she was being lifted, the Innkeeper complained to his accomplice in a hushed voice:

“Damn it, luckily we used the strategy of Luring the Tiger Out of the Mountain, using the Little Cub as bait. We finally lured the Snake Emperor away...”

“But why would the City Lord...”

“Turning into a Cub...”

The other person scolded in a low voice, “Shut up! The City Lord is far-sighted. Who are you to question him? Hurry up and work...”

Intermittent sounds drifted in from outside.

Little Cub as bait? City Lord?

In a flash of lightning, an absurd and terrifying thought exploded like thunder in her mind.

The City Lord of the City of Ten Thousand Evils is the planner behind all this?

That so-called... City Lord, could it be?