Chi You seemed a little distracted.
He leaned his head on his hand as pain churned inside his body—but amidst the pain, there was a faint flicker of desire, like a tiny flame buried within.
It was a strange feeling. Like ants crawling over his heart, catching sight of a piece of candy—without tasting it, the mere sight only made the craving worse.
Chi You closed the book in his hand and shut his eyes.
The taste of blood rose in his throat. His fingers tapped rhythmically on the book as a wide smile curved across his lips.
If it weren’t inconvenient for him right now…
He really did want to go see Jiang Luo in person again.
***
Liao Si truly couldn’t understand the games his master and his lover played.
He gave an awkward little laugh. “Is that so?”
But after he spoke, and waited a moment without hearing a response, he realized— master had no intention of continuing this conversation.
Liao Si sighed and turned his head, grumbling to Teng Bi, “Master always disappears for days at a time without warning. No one knows where he goes.”
He sounded as though talking to himself. “Even Hua Li, who’s followed master the longest, knows nothing about it.”
Teng Bi warned coldly, “Don’t pry into master’s affairs.”
Liao Si shrugged and changed the subject. “When they went into the study, did you get a good look at the formation by the door?”
“I did,” Teng Bi’s expression was grave. “It’s not easy to break. The formation targets not only objects but living beings. The Qi family is well-versed in arcane formations—without someone from the Qi family leading the way, you’d only walk into an illusion and end up trapped inside.”
Traditional metaphysics families rarely use modern devices like security cameras in their homes. To the older generation, such things only disrupt the feng shui.
But even without surveillance, they had methods far more effective than cameras.
If it hadn’t been for Qi Ye, Jiang Luo and the others wouldn’t have even gotten into the study. And even if they had, it would’ve only been a false illusion of the study.
Liao Si frowned. “I’ve lived here for a while, and still haven’t figured out a way to get the Yuan Tian Bead out without getting caught. Maybe we should just have Master control one of the Qi family members and let them take it out?”
Teng Bi gave him a cold glance. “Try it, if you dare.”
“I wouldn’t dare,” Liao Si said thoughtfully. “But… maybe we could play a little game of diversion…”
***
At the dining table.
Qi Ye stormed off in embarrassment, clearly provoked by the strange look Jiang Luo had been giving him.
Jiang Luo rested his chin on one hand, watching Qi Ye’s back as he left, then went off to find Wenren Lian. “Is there something wrong with Qi Ye?”
Wenren Lian patiently asked, “Why do you say that?”
Jiang Luo thought about it. “Never mind. Forget it. Let’s not talk about him.”
After all, he’d just stolen a Yuan Tian Bead from the guy—it felt a bit immoral to talk behind his back.
Considering himself a civilized person, Jiang Luo changed the subject, and during the conversation, casually slipped his coat back on, restoring everything to its original state without drawing attention.
He did want to leave the Qi family now—but since things had already come this far, there was no need to rush.
Rushing would only risk exposing himself.
The purpose of this banquet was for the younger generation to meet each other—essentially a form of matchmaking. Jiang Luo met many people at the banquet, and around 2 PM, Zhuo Zhongqiu arrived with her father.
Several girls surrounded Zhuo Zhongqiu, clinging intimately to her arm.
Lu Youyi said wistfully, “So jealous.”
Jiang Luo waved the thick stack of phone numbers he had been handed by men and women alike in front of Lu Youyi’s face. “Are you even more jealous now?”
Lu Youyi looked at him with a look of sorrow.
Zhuo Zhongqiu saw them and, with difficulty, broke free from the group of girls. She walked over with a trail of fragrance behind her. “When did you guys get here?”
Wenren Lian asked, “Two hours ago. Why are you so late?”
“My cousins came,” Zhuo Zhongqiu said helplessly, pointing behind her. “See? Those girls back there. They hadn’t seen me in ages and insisted I take them shopping. I didn’t want to go, and almost made them cry. Took me until now to calm them down.”
As she finished speaking, her eyes lit up and she waved toward a corner. “Lian Xue!”
Jiang Luo looked back and saw a girl in a white dress quietly walking over and standing beside Zhuo Zhongqiu. She gave them a gentle, elegant smile.
This girl had the words “noble lady” practically written on her. Her demeanor was graceful, soft, and demure.
Zhuo Zhongqiu said, “Let me introduce you—this is my good friend. She’s the senior disciple of the Witch Doctor sect, one of the Six Major Sects.”
Lian Xue smiled gently. “Nice to meet you all.”
By now, Jiang Luo had pretty much met members from all six major sects:
The Feng family of the Heavenly Master Residence, the Chi family of puppet and soul refinement, the miscellaneous Qi family, the Buddhist Ge family, the dual-body-soul training Zhuo family, and now, the Witch Doctor Lian family.
After getting acquainted, Zhuo Zhongqiu smiled. “Ah Xue and I are going to chat about girly stuff for a bit. We’ll come find you later.”
At 8 PM, as expected, the Qi family was going to display the Yuan Tian Bead. Jiang Luo quietly sipped his drink, but suddenly a loud bang came from upstairs.
The Qi family members at the banquet suddenly turned pale and rushed upstairs.
The scene became chaotic. Jiang Luo raised his eyebrows—seemed like something had happened in the Qi household.
But he quite liked these kinds of accidents.
Something had indeed happened.
The Qi family members came down from upstairs with grim expressions. They summoned the butler and gave some instructions, and soon, servers began hurrying to seal off the villa’s doors and windows.
Father Qi walked to the front of the crowd, his face dark. “Everyone, someone broke into my study attempting to steal the Yuan Tian Bead and triggered the formation. Although the thief failed, he managed to escape. And when we opened the safe to check, we found that the Yuan Tian Bead was already missing.”
His gaze swept across the crowd, lingering for a few seconds on Jiang Luo’s surprised expression. “Apologies, but we’ll have to trouble everyone to wait a while. We hope you can understand how we feel. After we search everyone and confirm everything, you’ll be free to leave.”
Father Qi’s tone was firm, but given the disappearance of a treasure like the Yuan Tian Bead, the guests could understand. Dean Xu leaned on his cane and said to the students, “Let’s wait. Once they’re done with the search, we’ll go.”
Jiang Luo responded with a smile, “Alright.”
From the outside, no one would be able to tell that the lost Yuan Tian Bead was currently hidden in the inner pocket of his coat.
The Qi family acted quickly. Guests lined up at the entrance, and only after being searched to ensure they weren’t concealing the Yuan Tian Bead were they allowed to leave. Jiang Luo observed their inspection methods: men had to take off their jackets, roll up their shirt sleeves, and have every pocket on their body checked. Women had their handbags and jewelry examined. In addition, everyone had to have the insides of their shoes checked. Those attending the banquet were all prominent figures, so the Qi family didn’t dare go too far, but the measures were already quite strict.
After watching for a while, Jiang Luo knew he couldn’t keep the Yuan Tian Bead on his person.
But giving it to the twelve zodiac beasts in the Yin-Yang Ring wasn’t an option either.
With so many strange and gifted individuals around, even a mosquito couldn’t fly out unnoticed. Hiding the pearl in the Yin-Yang Hoop would only be more dangerous.
Out of the corner of his eye, Jiang Luo caught sight of a waiter carrying a tray of drinks approaching from behind. Just as the waiter reached them, Jiang Luo casually stepped back, deliberately bumping into the tray.
Wine splashed all over Jiang Luo. The waiter quickly bowed and apologized, “I’m terribly sorry, sir.”
His companions hurriedly handed over tissues. Jiang Luo wiped himself off and gave a helpless smile. “It’s fine. You all stay in line—I’ll head to the washroom to clean up.”
Jiang Luo made his way to the restroom. Standing at the door, Father Qi noticed the commotion and, frowning, called for Qi Ye.
“I heard you brought some people into the study earlier to look at the Yuan Tian Bead?”
Qi Ye was a bit distracted. “Yeah.”
“Was Jiang Luo among them?”
Qi Ye snapped back to attention and frowned. “He was. What about it?”
Father Qi pondered for a moment. “Do you think it could have been him who stole the Yuan Tian Bead?”
“Impossible,” Qi Ye replied firmly. “When we were viewing the pearl, he was standing the furthest away. He didn’t even touch it. And I’m certain—after they finished looking, I personally put the bead back in the box and locked it up.”
His tone was a little impatient. “Dad, don’t go accusing people blindly. Others brought their chosen candidates to view the bead before I did… Jiang Luo was with me all day. There’s no way he could’ve taken it.”
Father Qi soothed him, “Alright, alright, I get it. Go on back.”
Though his son had a bad temper, he wouldn’t lie about something like this. Father Qi thought to himself—could it really not have been Jiang Luo?
Restroom.
Jiang Luo checked each stall, making sure the bathroom was empty. Once confirmed, he curled his lips slightly and stepped forward to lock the door.
In front of the mirror, the black-haired youth looked relaxed. He slowly took off his suit jacket, folded it neatly, and set it aside, then began unbuttoning the cuffs of his shirt.
With his eyes lowered, black hair falling loosely over his shoulders, Jiang Luo rolled up his sleeves, revealing his upper arm.
The smooth skin was unmarked. He lifted his gaze, took out a small knife from his keychain, positioned his arm over the sink, and, without flinching, made a cut the size of a fingertip on the inside of his upper arm.
Blood gushed out immediately, dripping down his forearm into the sink.
Jiang Luo tossed the keychain into the sink and pulled out the Yuan Tian Bead, stuffing it into the wound.
A faint sheen of sweat formed on the bridge of the black-haired youth’s nose, but his lips remained calmly pressed together. Jiang Luo took out a talisman to stop the bleeding. Flames flared up, searing the wound shut. A moment later, the bleeding had stopped.
The Yuan Tian Bead was now hidden beneath the flesh.
Jiang Luo pressed the wound. Fortunately, the pearl was small—once hidden, it didn’t show at all.
He turned on the tap, letting the water rinse away the blood in the sink. Grabbing a nearby hand towel, he meticulously cleaned up every trace, then slowly began washing his hands.
Suddenly, he picked up his keychain and tossed it at the ceiling. “Seen enough yet?”
At some unknown point, a pair of ghostly eyes had appeared in the ceiling.
The eyes were embedded in the ceiling itself. But once Jiang Luo spotted them, they vanished in an instant.
Jiang Luo let out a cold chuckle, wiped his hands with his suit jacket, and walked out of the restroom.
He’d been spied on too many times—noticing it had become second nature.
In the Qi household, the only one capable of repeatedly using these kinds of sneaky tricks was Chi You.
Jiang Luo didn’t put the wine-stained jacket back on. Just like that, he returned to the inspection line. His outfit was plain—no accessories on him, nothing but a shirt and pants.
Father Qi was secretly observing him. He had to admit—it really didn’t look like the Yuan Tian Bead was on Jiang Luo.
Soon, the line reached the people from Baihua University.
When it was Jiang Luo’s turn, he casually tossed his jacket to the inspectors, rolled up both sleeves, and spread his arms openly.
The two inspectors carefully checked him but found nothing. They respectfully handed back his jacket. “Thank you for your cooperation, sir.”
Jiang Luo smiled. “No problem.”
He straightened his clothes and walked out of the Qi family estate.
Soon, the entire group had exited.
It was already late, not a good time to linger. On the way back, Jiang Luo sat in the passenger seat. Wenren Lian was driving.
Jiang Luo rested his arm on the window, propping up his chin, and looked back at the Qi family villa growing smaller in the distance. Suddenly, he gave a low chuckle.
Wenren Lian turned on some music and smiled. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” Jiang Luo held back a laugh, his brows and eyes full of seductive mirth. “I just suddenly remembered a… hmm, a very funny joke.”
Like the joke about the Qi family losing the Yuan Tian Bead right under their own roof. Or how Chi You had slipped into their estate time and again without them catching on.
