…Seeing the phone still on a call, Zhang Yuanqing choked back a furious curse: "F*ck your mother."
It was obvious the burly man in the black tank top had called Xiahou Tianyuan before the fight began and left the phone on.
Everything that had just happened—the sounds of battle, and the man's cry of "Night Wanderer"—had all been heard by Xiahou Tianyuan.
In other words, Xiahou Tianyuan now knew his subordinates had been killed and the "hostage" taken by a Night Wanderer.
Given how rare Night Wanderers were, Xiahou Tianyuan's attitude on the Temple of Slaughter issue, and his "relationship" with Wang Qian, it didn't take a genius to guess who he would suspect first.
Is this guy really a Firebringer? Seriously? Firebringers are supposed to be brainless thugs, not schemers like this! Zhang Yuanqing cursed inwardly. He bent down, picked up the phone, and said hoarsely:
"Hello?"
"Yuanshi Tianzun, was it you?!"
Xiahou Tianyuan's voice came through the speaker, calm and cold:
"You didn't have to get involved in this. I have no intention of making an enemy of you. I won't pursue the matter of those deaths. As long as you leave the woman behind and walk away now, we can let bygones be bygones. No—I'll even offer you a few artifacts. Name your price. Just don't hang up..."
He was clearly on his way here, trying desperately to stall for time and keep Yuanshi Tianzun talking.
Zhang Yuanqing sneered, "I'm not Yuanshi Tianzun, f*ck you!"
He hung up and tossed the phone into the flames. Then, with a sharp kick, he burst open the door to the bedroom.
With a loud bang, Zhang Yuanqing charged in, eyes sweeping the room.
In the corner by the window, a woman in a black skirt and white T-shirt was huddled against the wall, hair disheveled, wrists and ankles bound tightly with thick duct tape.
She looked at the intruder with sheer terror—like a frightened quail.
"Don't be scared. I'm a security officer. I'm here to rescue you."
As he spoke, Zhang Yuanqing reached behind his waist and pulled the Bloodthirsty Blade from the void. With a few gentle flicks, he cut the tape from her limbs.
"You're a security officer?"
Her face was pale and weary, her bloodshot eyes filled with sorrow. But at his words, a faint glimmer of hope appeared.
She had delicate features, with some resemblance to Wang Qian—soft and graceful.
Likely due to her near-delivery state, her figure was voluptuous, though her waist remained slender.
"No time to talk. I'm getting you out. The place is on fire." Zhang Yuanqing pulled her to her feet. "Can you walk?"
"Y-yes…"
Wang Qian stammered.
They rushed out of the room, one behind the other. The acrid smoke in the air made her cough uncontrollably, but she dared not stop, sticking close behind the young officer.
As they entered the living room, Zhang Yuanqing spoke quickly: "I saw a black car outside the villa. Is that theirs?"
"Y-yes... I was brought here in a black car," Wang Qian replied, going pale at the sight of the burning corpses in the living room.
Zhang Yuanqing immediately dragged the Firebringer's body into the yard, searched the four corpses, and asked:
"Were there only four people involved in the kidnapping?"
As he spoke, he fished a car key out of the middle-aged man's pocket.
"Yes, four," Wang Qian said, growing more and more ashen. She was just an ordinary woman—she had never seen so much blood, let alone so many dead bodies.
And this young man had killed them all?
Zhang Yuanqing tossed the keys to her and said rapidly:
"You take the keys. Let's go!"
He grabbed two of the corpses under his arms and dragged the other two by their ankles, sprinting out of the villa with Wang Qian close behind.
As they ran, she kept glancing back in disbelief—this man was carrying several hundred kilos of dead weight and still moving like lightning.
"Unlock the car! Hurry!" Zhang Yuanqing shouted.
He scanned the surroundings quickly. The villa community was quiet—wrong time of day for much foot traffic. No one was nearby.
As for the possibility of security cameras or neighbors peeking from windows—he didn't care. Xiahou Tianyuan's face was the one that would show up.
Wang Qian pressed the unlock button and shakily opened the door.
Zhang Yuanqing flung the four corpses into the backseat and snatched the keys from her hand.
"Get in the car!" he barked, glaring.
He jumped into the driver's seat and slammed the door.
Zhang Yuanqing had gotten his driver's license in his second year of high school—back then, driving schools offered student discounts and promised to get you licensed over summer break.
His aunt had thought it was a good deal and paid for his lessons.
He had passed all four exams on the first try, and his coach had praised him as a natural-born driver.
But after getting his license, Zhang Yuanqing had never touched a car again.
PRND? What the hell do those letters even mean? This wasn't a stick shift! He stared at the gear shift, his face suddenly blank.
"Can you drive?"
"Yes."
"You do it."
They quickly switched seats. Wang Qian started the car, her hands trembling as she gripped the wheel. She floored the gas.
As the black car sped through the villa district, Zhang Yuanqing kept urging her on—worried they'd get caught at the gate.
Seconds later, the front gate came into view. Zhang Yuanqing said darkly:
"Don't stop. Ram it!"
"Are you really a security officer?" Wang Qian asked, on the verge of tears.
"Less talk, more ramming!" he snapped.
Wang Qian bit her lip, steeled herself, and slammed the pedal.
With a roar of the engine, the black sedan smashed through the barrier and sped off into the distance.
"Head for the Kanyang District Security Bureau!"
Zhang Yuanqing gave the order, then leaned back and closed his eyes.
Originally, he had planned to kill the kidnappers, rescue Wang Qian, and then vanish—letting Xiahou Tianyuan suspect the Temple of Slaughter.
But now his identity was likely exposed. The plan was no longer viable. Time for a new one.
Fortunately, I always prepare a backup… Zhang Yuanqing opened his eyes and called Fu Qingyang.
After five rings, the line connected. That cold, ascetic voice came through the speaker:
"What is it?"
"Captain Fu, I've just executed a righteous act."
"And the result?"
"Target rescued. The four kidnappers resisted arrest and were killed in the process. I'm en route to the Kanyang District Security Bureau with the hostage and the bodies. Awaiting instructions!"
"Excellent," Fu Qingyang said approvingly. "Bring the bodies back. Don't ask the spirits yourself—let the Taiyi Sect handle it. We need dual verification.
I'm issuing an order right now: arrest Xiahou Tianyuan for endangering social stability."
Zhang Yuanqing let out a breath of relief.
"But that charge alone probably won't cripple him," he said.
Fu Qingyang's tone remained calm and indifferent, but what he said next left Zhang Yuanqing speechless:
"In addition to endangering public order, there may be charges of contract murder, attempted murder, assault, rape, soliciting prostitution, and organizing prostitution. I'll have to investigate thoroughly."
…I'm still too green, Zhang Yuanqing thought.
"And Xiahou Xin?" he asked.
"That depends on how we interrogate Xiahou Tianyuan," Fu Qingyang said blandly.
Smart move! Zhang Yuanqing nodded. "What about the Xiahou family?"
Fu Qingyang's voice dropped another octave. "Don't push it."
"Yes, Captain!"
Zhang Yuanqing ended the call.
Meanwhile, three luxury vans pulled up to the villa district.
Xiahou Tianyuan saw a group of security guards with hoses and fire extinguishers trying to put out the blaze.
Thick smoke poured from the open windows.
His face dark, Xiahou Tianyuan sat in the car without a word. His bodyguard stepped out and entered the villa.
Moments later, he returned and leaned toward the window.
"They took the bodies. And the woman."
They took the bodies too? Xiahou Tianyuan clenched his jaw, the muscles in his face bulging. He forced down his rage and called his father.
"Dad, the woman was taken by someone from the authorities. It was that Yuanshi Tianzun—the guy I beat up the other day. I don't even know how he found this place. Everyone I stationed here is dead. The bodies are gone too. What now?"
For the first time, panic crept into Xiahou Tianyuan's voice.
The Xiahou family had many allies in the Five Elements Alliance—people they had nurtured or bought off.
But the organization was vast and full of rival factions. Not everyone bowed to the Xiahou family.
As long as there was no proof, people wouldn't go to war over rumors. But now that evidence existed, everything changed.
"Don't panic!" Xiahou Xin's voice remained calm. He paused for a moment, then said,
"Turn yourself in. Immediately."
"Turn myself in?" Xiahou Tianyuan raised his voice. "How can I—"
Then it clicked. "You mean...?"
"Exactly," Xiahou Xin said steadily. "I don't need to tell you who to turn yourself in to."
Relieved, Xiahou Tianyuan smiled. "Understood."
Of course—he'd surrender to officials aligned with the Xiahou family, using the excuse of turning himself in to secure protection.
Falling into Fu Qingyang's hands was out of the question.
After ending the call, the smile faded from Xiahou Tianyuan's face. He punched the seatback viciously and growled through clenched teeth:
"Yuanshi Tianzun, I'll kill you. I'll find out who you are in real life—and make you pay."
In the speeding car, Zhang Yuanqing lit up his phone and opened his messaging app. He sent Wang Qian a simple text:
"Your sister is safe."