Chapter 13: Once Again in the Abandoned Factory

Dongfang Qingwan was missing!

“Could it be that those two weren’t after compensation, but were targeting Dongfang Qingwan all along?”

Qin Xuan immediately leapt to this conclusion, and the more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. He’d been so distracted by the commotion that he hadn’t even noticed Dongfang Qingwan’s disappearance—how careless of him! Truly, he was still too young and inexperienced.

“There’s no time to play your games. Do as you please,” Qin Xuan said coldly, then vanished in a flash. With his agility, no one present could stop him, nor could they even catch a glimpse of his retreating shadow.

“Hey, hey, you think you can just leave?” the middle-aged woman shouted after him, but of course, there was no response. She could only wail and lament, supporting the old man as they hobbled away. All the while, her cries drew the anger of the onlookers, who began cursing out both Qin Xuan and Dongfang Qingwan.

To think they’d flee after causing an accident! Young people these days had no decency at all.

Moments later, in a deserted corner out of sight, the middle-aged woman and the old man stood across from a young man with flaming red hair—had Qin Xuan been there, he would have immediately recognized Yang Weiyang.

“Well done. Here’s your reward. Two thousand, just as agreed. Not bad, hmm?”

“Not bad at all. Young Master, you’re truly generous,” the woman replied, grinning from ear to ear as she took the money and handed five hundred to the old man. The performance had been mostly her doing; the old man’s part was merely to pretend to fall, and the payment had been settled in advance.

After pocketing their pay, the two parted ways, acting as though they were strangers. Judging by the old man’s brisk stride, no one would believe he’d just been knocked half to death.

Yang Weiyang ran a hand through his red hair and pulled out his phone. “Alright, how’s it going on your end?”

“Don’t worry, Boss Yang, we’ll have her where you said in no time. Heh, with a hero rescuing a beauty, what girl wouldn’t fall for it?”

“Just be careful. If you mess this up, you’ll regret it.”

With that, Yang Weiyang hung up, exited through the rear of Tenglong International, and drove off in his white convertible BMW, a triumphant smile playing on his lips.

...

Qin Xuan, a mere shadow, sped along in pursuit, guided by his instincts.

In his hand, he held a strand of silky hair, one he’d asked for from Dongfang Qingwan earlier—though she’d eyed him with suspicion at the time. At last, it had proven useful.

The Shushan Sword Sect possessed unique arts for tracking. So long as both parties had a strand of each other’s hair, Qin Xuan could form a hand seal and easily divine the other’s location.

Of course, there were limitations to this art—not just anyone could use it.

“She’s moving fast... must be in a car.” Qin Xuan sensed Dongfang Qingwan’s position shifting rapidly, which reassured him somewhat; for now, it meant she was out of immediate danger. Still, he wondered. As far as he knew, he was tasked with watching out for demons and monsters—Dongfang Jingtang hadn’t said anything about threats from ordinary people.

“No matter. I just can’t let anything happen to her.”

Qin Xuan dashed through increasingly deserted alleyways, always taking the most direct route toward Dongfang Qingwan. There was no need for main roads—especially since at full speed he could reach over seventy miles an hour. That kind of display on the open street would be nothing short of shocking.

Fortunately, his quarry’s pace wasn’t too fast; at this rate, he’d catch up soon enough.

“This is getting more and more remote. Who could have taken her?” Qin Xuan pondered, but with no leads, he decided to stop speculating. All would become clear at the destination. Suddenly, something struck him as odd about his surroundings—the route felt strangely familiar.

“Could they be heading to the abandoned industrial district?”

He recalled rescuing a beautiful teacher there when he first arrived in Jinling, though he’d never understood how she’d ended up in the hands of a serial killer. Now, someone had brought Dongfang Qingwan to the same place—he truly seemed fated to that area.

As he raced onward, Qin Xuan unstrapped the Taiqing Sword Case from his back. This could be a serious situation; if real danger awaited, it was best to be prepared. Although he’d only just entered the Sword Heart realm, that was considered a solid level of strength in the cultivation world—ordinary demons and spirits could do little against him.

A few swift leaps brought him within sight of several interconnected, abandoned factories. He remembered saving the alluring teacher in the central one last time—an incident that had made him late.

“Strange, it’s the central factory again?”

Qin Xuan frowned. Was this just coincidence, or was someone orchestrating it?

He crept along a back road behind the factory. Since he was here to rescue someone, stealth was paramount—being discovered could complicate things.

He spotted a white van parked in front of the factory. Judging by the silence, it was empty.

“They’re all inside. But what do they want with Dongfang Qingwan...?”

He made his way to the rear entrance of the central factory, preparing to climb over the wall, when a sudden scene made him freeze and hide.

A white convertible BMW pulled up deftly at the front. A young man with flaming red hair stepped out—who else but Yang Weiyang?

Fury flared in Qin Xuan’s heart.

That scoundrel—he’d thought Yang Weiyang was just another useless rich kid or official’s son. Who would have guessed he’d resort to kidnapping!

Qin Xuan was about to leap in and subdue him when he noticed Yang Weiyang wasn’t heading inside; instead, he stood by the convertible, fussing with his reflection in the side mirror.

Even from dozens of meters away, Qin Xuan could hear him muttering to himself.

“Heh, this look is perfect. Once I go in, everything will go smoothly. The hero rescues the beauty—there’s no way she won’t fall for me. The Dongfang family... even my father wouldn’t dare cross them. If I can win over Dongfang Qingwan, that’ll be a real achievement.”

Outside the wall, Qin Xuan nearly burst out laughing.

So that was it—Yang Weiyang was planning to play the hero! This was acting of the highest order. If that beautiful teacher from before saw this, she might well be moved to tears.

With this realization, Qin Xuan relaxed a little. If Yang Weiyang’s aim was to play the hero, Dongfang Qingwan was in no real danger. Besides, it was clear he was wary of the Dongfang family’s power.

“Best to get her out quickly, though.”

After some thought, Qin Xuan slung the sword case back over his shoulders. Since these were just ordinary people, there was no need to draw his Taiqing Sword. With one agile leap, he slipped easily into the factory grounds and followed Yang Weiyang into the workshop.

Yang Weiyang, preoccupied with his appearance, walked straight in without noticing the shadow trailing him.

“What do you want? Let me go this instant!” Dongfang Qingwan’s voice drifted through the wall, though it sounded weak and weary.

“Shut up, girl. Behave yourself and stay put. We’ve got business to take care of—later tonight, we’ll come and show you a good time,” came a lewd voice, before Qin Xuan heard several people heading for the exit.

“So that’s their plan...”

With a quick calculation, Qin Xuan couldn’t help but smile. So that was it—Yang Weiyang really was a coward at heart.