Coming out of the mayor's residence, the sky had already turned completely dark.

Night fell, and Azure Rock Town was not as brightly lit as Shengle City. Only the commercial street was still illuminated, while the other residential areas had dim lights.

Lu Chuan and the other two found an inn on the commercial street and booked three rooms.

After receiving their room keys, Su Lianlian said, "Come to my room. Let's summarize the information we obtained today. It's not convenient to discuss it in the mayor's residence. After all, the walls have ears."

Lu Li knew why Su Lianlian had just mentioned booking rooms in the town.

The room had only one bed and one table, with simple decoration. The wooden floor and white walls showcased a rustic style.

Su Lianlian sat on the bed, and Lu Li pulled over a chair and sat down.

"I'll just stand, Meng Qing. The report won't take long," Lu Chuan said, wanting to sit next to Su Lianlian.

The discussion began.

Based on the information they obtained in the backyard, Su Lianlian and Lu Li concluded that the missing disciples arrived in Azure Rock Town, went to the mayor's residence to learn about the theft of the Spirit Beast, and then blamed the disappearance of the Spirit Beast on the wild beasts in the mountains. After hunting down the wild beasts, they left Azure Rock Town the next day.

The missing disciples were most likely involved in an accident while hunting the wild beasts in the mountains.

Perhaps they encountered a powerful beast and fought to the death, perishing together with the beast. Or maybe there were hidden cliffs and precipices in the mountains, and they accidentally fell off the cliffs...

At this point, Lu Li asked in confusion, "This doesn't make sense. When we checked the backyard today, there were no loopholes in the animal pen. It's impossible for the wild beasts from the mountains to enter and steal."

Lu Li's words pointed out the strange aspect of the situation.

The cause of the incident—the theft of the Spirit Beast from the animal pen—was not the work of the wild beasts in the mountains. So who could it be?

Su Lianlian slowly spoke, "The culprit behind the theft of the Spirit Beast is a resident of Azure Rock Town."

Lu Li was surprised, "What's going on?"

"The residents responsible for taking care of the Spirit Beast in the backyard were forced to do so. Every month, the mayor selects a dozen or so people from the town to serve in the backyard. They cannot leave the backyard for a month and must stay with the Spirit Beast at all times. This system has long been resented by the town's residents, and they have every motive to commit the crime."

Lu Li remembered what the two young men in the backyard had said to him, which was similar to what Su Lianlian had just said.

"Why did they steal the Spirit Beast? Is it just for revenge?"

Su Lianlian replied, "We don't know the exact purpose yet, but it could be revenge."

The Spirit Beast is of great use to cultivators. Martial artists can eat the meat of the Spirit Beast to cultivate, while cultivators can refine pills and practice using the Spirit Beast's spiritual core. Stealing the Spirit Beast and selling it in the market can fetch a good amount of Spirit Stones.

Lu Chuan listened to their analysis and silently praised Su Lianlian in his heart.

What she said was almost the truth, except she guessed wrong about the residents' motive for stealing the Spirit Beast. The disappearance of the Spirit Beast was indeed the work of Azure Rock Town's residents, but not to seek revenge on the mayor. Instead, they offered it to an Evil Cultivator hiding in the mountains.

For the Evil Cultivator, a living Spirit Beast was a great supplement.

To please him, the residents would steal the Spirit Beast from the mayor's backyard every few days and collude with the people in the backyard. This was not a difficult task.

"In any case, they are the ones who went missing in the mountains. Tomorrow, we will search for them on the mountain. However, there may be dangers on the mountain, so we need to be fully prepared tonight," Su Lianlian said.

She turned to Meng Qing and asked, "Meng Qing, do you have any other clues?"

Lu Chuan was suddenly asked and didn't know what to say for a moment. He knew too much, and if he was asked where he got the information from, it would be hard to explain.

Seeing Lu Chuan's hesitation, Su Lianlian sighed lightly, "Forget it. You spent the whole afternoon with Yan Liu, your mind was focused on the beauty, so how could you have the time to ask for information?"

Lu Li spoke up, "Senior Brother Meng, Senior Sister Su, if there's nothing else, I'll go back today."

"Alright, as soon as it's light tomorrow, we'll go up the mountain," Su Lianlian said.

Lu Chuan could see the disdain in Lu Li's eyes and feel Su Lianlian's contempt for him.

He really wanted to explain everything, but where should he start?

Forget it, it's Meng Qing who is looked down upon by them, what does it have to do with Lu Chuan?

When I look back at Immortal Gate, I will have a good discussion with Luo Li about swordsmanship and Taoism, and discuss with Su Lianlian about the solution to the love gu. Just wait for me.

Meanwhile, at the Mayor's Mansion.

Yan Liu and Zhuang Leyuan were entangled together, and after a while, the two ended their battle.

Zhuang Leyuan looked apologetic as he caressed the beautiful hair of the woman beside him and apologized, "I'm sorry, I'm not in the right state today."

Yan Liu smiled faintly and hugged Zhuang Leyuan, saying slowly, "It's okay, my dear. You've already tried your best."

Feeling the warmth of his beloved in his arms, Zhuang Leyuan secretly felt fortunate to have such an understanding wife.

They had been married for over a year, but Yan Liu had been unable to conceive, which became a regret for both of them. In order to have a child, she even went to see a doctor and took medicine every day, enduring hours of suffering in front of the stove. They would both drink the medicine before engaging in any intimate activities.

Every time after drinking the medicine, Zhuang Leyuan always felt that he had performed well, but in reality, the duration of their activities became shorter and shorter.

Zhuang Leyuan felt guilty deep down, believing that it was his own problem that his wife couldn't conceive.

Holding Yan Liu tightly, Zhuang Leyuan fell into a deep sleep.

Once Zhuang Leyuan was asleep, Yan Liu's expression suddenly changed, and she pushed Zhuang Leyuan away with disgust.

"You're useless, you can't even do this, and I haven't eaten enough yet."

Yan Liu changed into a long dress and went to the study, where she found a book containing sound transmission symbols.

She wrote down the incident of three people coming to Immortal Gate on the symbol.

Unusually, the sound transmission symbol remained silent. Normally, it would emit a golden light when the writing was complete.

She took out another one, but it was the same.

"Forget it, I'll just go directly to my adoptive father."

It was late at night, and no one would be on the mountain at this time. Yan Liu wasn't afraid of exposing her identity as a cultivator. She quickly went up the mountain and arrived at a secluded cave.

The cave was spacious, with a large circular space inside.

At the entrance of the cave, a middle-aged man was tying something with a rope. This person was Zuo Tianya, whom Yan Liu recognized as her adoptive father.

Yan Liu knelt down and respectfully said, "Adoptive father."

Zuo Tianya didn't even turn his head and continued with what he was doing, tying up people.

The rope was a type of Spirit Weapon that required spiritual energy to activate. He had recently fought and had already depleted most of his spiritual energy, so tying up three people was quite exhausting.

"What's the matter? Do you want something again? Today, I won't let you have an extra meal. Instead, I need your help," Zuo Tianya said with an evil smile, commanding her, "Come here."

Yan Liu approached her adoptive father, and Zuo Tianya let go of the rope, grabbing Yan Liu's hands and forcefully kissing her.

Yan Liu didn't immediately react to what was happening, but she clearly felt her spiritual energy being rapidly drained from her body.

"No... adoptive father, please don't..."

Yan Liu tried to resist using her own techniques, but it had no effect. After all, the technique she practiced, which absorbed men's essence, was taught by Zuo Tianya himself.

After a while, Zuo Tianya felt that his spiritual energy had recovered enough, so he let go of Yan Liu and laughed heartily.

"Haha, you truly are my good daughter. I can't do without you."

Yan Liu, on the other hand, felt that her cultivation from the past two months had disappeared, leaving her feeling weak all over.

Suppressing the tears in the corners of her eyes, Yan Liu forced a smile and said, "It's my honor to be able to help you, adoptive father."

Zuo Tianya picked up the rope and continued tying up the people, and Yan Liu also noticed the three people lying on the ground.

"So, why did you come to me, Yan Liu?"

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