15: trace

"Your Excellency is quite domineering."

A female voice, like a clear spring dropping jade, cut through the night.

Xiao Zhuo looked in the direction of the voice and saw two Demon Suppression Guards, one male and one female, ascending the steps.

Both were dressed in dark brocade robes, with standard long sabers hanging at their waists.

The man was about thirty years old, with a square face and a steady demeanor forged by battle.

The woman had sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, a high nose bridge, and a fair complexion set off by a neat, dark high ponytail. Her gaze was as sharp as a cold, tempered blade, radiating heroism and a formidable edge.

It was Yu Jingxuan and Cen Jue, who had once brushed past Xiao Zhuo in Peng City.

Their eyes met, and they appraised each other.

Seeing Xiao Zhuo dressed as a wealthy scholar's attendant, both Yu and Cen's eyes flashed with surprise—the powerful True Essence pressure just now clearly belonged to a top True Essence Realm expert, so how could it be this seemingly ordinary young man?

"Why do you say that, miss?" Xiao Zhuo's eyes drooped slightly, and his fingertips casually fiddled with the turntable on the round table beside him, producing a faint "da-da" sound.

"Your Excellency, as soon as you appeared, you drove away all the guests here. Is that not domineering?" Yu Jingxuan's tone was cold, hinting at displeasure.

Xiao Zhuo didn't bother to argue, turning to lean against the cool white jade railing.

The night wind ruffled the stray hairs at his temples, but his gaze, like an eagle's, was fixed on the city below.

"You..." Yu Jingxuan had been a favored daughter of heaven since childhood; how could she have ever been treated with such disdain?

Her pretty face slightly darkened, and anger flickered in her eyes.

"Centurion Yu!" Cen Jue, seeing the situation was not good, quickly let out a low cry, "Business first!"

He quickly leaned in and reminded her in a low voice.

Yu Jingxuan took a deep breath, suppressed her anger, and shot a fierce glare at Xiao Zhuo's back before walking to the other side of the Star-Gazing Platform and, along with Cen Jue, concentrating on looking down.

The eyesight of True Essence Realm experts was extraordinary; even in the dark, the appearance of people within several thousand meters was clearly discernible.

The three stood in different corners, silent, with only the night wind passing between them.

The attendant from Tianyao Tower quietly came up to clean up the mess.

Xiao Zhuo casually tossed out a jinchen, ordered a pot of the most renowned Jade Crystal Brew, and left the remaining money as compensation.

The moonlight, like a silken ribbon, flowed across the bluestone ground, forming a silver stream.

Xiao Zhuo sat alone by the railing, pouring and drinking for himself.

The clear aroma of the wine, mixed with the coolness of the night dew, permeated his lungs.

Two hours quietly passed.

The sky was desolate, and apart from a few bats occasionally flitting by, there was no sign of any other living creatures.

"Could it be... I've got the direction wrong?" Xiao Zhuo's sword-like brows furrowed slightly, his fingertips unconsciously caressing the cool wine cup.

The gentle breeze at this height made him doubt his 'flying demon' conjecture.

Just then, a slightly abrupt gust of wind pressure swept past him.

Xiao Zhuo looked around, saw nothing unusual, and didn't investigate further.

On the other side, Yu Jingxuan's heart also inexplicably skipped a beat. Her sharp eyes scanned around, but she found nothing, only an ineffable sense of warning quietly growing.

Xiao Zhuo raised his cup, stood up, and strolled to the edge of the railing.

Looking down, the streets of Heavenly Wolf City were already sparsely populated.

The series of disappearances in recent days had caused the common people to lock their doors after nightfall.

In his line of sight, seven sesame-sized black dots moved through the quiet streets and alleys—these were seven travelers who had no choice but to travel at night.

Suddenly!

One of the figures, without any warning, vanished into thin air right before his eyes!

There was no escaping into a building, no distortion of light and shadow, as if instantly erased by an invisible giant hand!

Xiao Zhuo's pupils contracted sharply, and he abruptly stood up!

He didn't even have time to call out. He tapped his toes on the white jade railing, and his entire body, like an arrow released from a bow, leaped out of the Star-Gazing Platform!

"You?!" Yu Jingxuan and Cen Jue were startled by this sudden movement, then quickly flashed to the railing and looked down.

They saw Xiao Zhuo's figure plummeting like a meteor, accurately landing on the overhanging eaves of Tianyao Tower. Using the leverage, he made a few leaps like a rabbit and a falcon, transforming into a faint green blur, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, and shot towards a certain spot on the long street!

The Wind and Thunder Fleeting Shadow Steps were pushed to their extreme, the strong wind tearing through the air, emitting a sharp whistle.

In just five short breaths, Xiao Zhuo appeared like a ghost in the middle of the street where the person had vanished.

On the ground, a still-warm cloth shoe of an adult male lay quietly!

He closed his eyes and concentrated, and a trace of Devilish Qi, so faint it was almost gone, was keenly captured.

When he frowned, picked up the cloth shoe, and stood up, two dark figures had already appeared behind him like shadows.

"Are you also investigating the civilian disappearance cases?" Yu Jingxuan's gaze fell on the cloth shoe, and her tone was slightly softer than before.

Xiao Zhuo had no fondness for this woman who had been so aggressive upon their first meeting, but she was, after all, a Demon Suppression Guard.

He casually tossed the cloth shoe to Cen Jue, who instinctively caught it, feeling a warmth upon contact, along with a faint smell of foot odor.

"This shoe is still warm... another person has disappeared?" Cen Jue weighed the cloth shoe, his expression solemn.

"Just now, on the platform, I personally watched the owner of this shoe vanish into thin air," Xiao Zhuo said calmly, yet every word was startling, "When I came down, only this object remained."

"Vanished into thin air? How 'into thin air'?" Cen Jue pressed, his eyes as sharp as an eagle's.

"Literally!" Xiao Zhuo shook his head, his brows also clouded with solemnity and confusion.

To abduct someone so strangely under the watchful eye of a True Essence nine-fold expert, the methods were truly inconceivable.

"Brother Cen, give me the shoe." Yu Jingxuan suddenly spoke.

Cen Jue handed over the cloth shoe without hesitation.

Yu Jingxuan took it and quickly pulled out a bamboo tube about an inch long from her waist, uncorking it.

A faint glow flew out from within; it was a strange small insect, completely black with transparent, thin wings.

"Track-Seeking Insect?!" Cen Jue's eyes burst with surprise, "Centurion Yu, you actually possess such a wondrous item!"

Xiao Zhuo's gaze was also instantly drawn, looking at the unassuming small insect with curiosity.

Under the gaze of the three, the black insect quickly circled the shoe several times, then hovered for a moment.

Suddenly, it transformed into a faint glow, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, and shot eastward like lightning!

"Chase!" Yu Jingxuan cried out in a low voice, her body like a wisp of smoke, swiftly following the insect's shadow.

Cen Jue didn't hesitate, following closely behind her.

Xiao Zhuo's lips curved slightly, and his figure swayed, also chasing after them like a whirlwind.

Yu Jingxuan's movement technique was swift, her dark cloak fluttering in the night wind.

Suddenly, she felt a strong gust of wind brush past her side, and a green blur had already brushed past her, the airflow even stirring the hair at her temples—it was Xiao Zhuo!

"Why are you following?!" Yu Jingxuan's willow-like brows stood on end, and she questioned coldly.

"I discovered the clue, why can't I follow?" Xiao Zhuo didn't even turn his head, his tone carrying a hint of playful mockery.

Yu Jingxuan was choked with anger, a flush rising to her fair cheeks: "Demon Suppression Guards are handling a case; unauthorized personnel are not allowed to interfere!"

"I'm not interfering with your case," Xiao Zhuo's speed didn't diminish, and his voice came lazily, "I just happen to be going in the same direction."

Yu Jingxuan was instantly speechless, biting her pearly teeth, but she had nothing to say.

Although this person was annoying, he truly had no ill intentions, and might even be a fellow investigator, and he had provided the clue... She could only let out a cold snort and no longer paid him any mind.

Cen Jue, who was trailing behind, witnessed this scene entirely, and his lips couldn't help but twitch slightly; seeing this favored daughter of heaven get stumped was indeed a rare sight.

The three moved like lightning, flying over the rooftops of the city, and in a flash, they had passed beyond the city walls of Heavenly Wolf City.

However, the Track-Seeking Insect showed no signs of stopping, still transforming into a faint glow, heading straight for the continuous, undulating mountains and dense forests to the east, which lay like a giant beast dormant in the night!

This mountain forest was infested with Yao Beasts, and even Yao Demons lurked within. Even True Essence Realm experts dared not be careless.

As soon as they stepped into the forest, the three of them simultaneously tensed their nerves, their Qi restrained, and vigilantly scanned the shadowy darkness around them.

The Track-Seeking Insect was still flying rapidly ahead, meaning the target had not yet stopped.

But since the opponent abducted people from Heavenly Wolf City daily, their lair shouldn't be too far away.

After chasing for about another half an incense stick of time, the faint glow ahead finally... slowed down!

The three of them perked up, looking up.

At the end of the dense tree shadows, a majestic peak, towering like a wall, as if it would pierce the night sky, stood prominently before their eyes!