Treasure-hunting: Into the Unknown

"I'm not an outsider," Zachary said lightly, smiling around at everyone.

But the Xiao Clan disciples maintained their hostile expressions, looking distrustfully at Zachary and Jimmy. It was clear that they didn't plan on letting the two of them enter the Xiao Clan Castle.

Zachary sighed. He turned to Jimmy. "Jimmy, please wait for me outside. I'll return for you soon. I'll just go inside first to check what it's like," he said. Before the disciples could react, he slipped past them, walking quickly into the castle.

They were taken aback at his nerve, but quickly rallied and rushed in after Zachary, intending to chase him out. However, they couldn't see him anywhere.

They had no choice but to report to the seniors of the Xiao Clan that a stranger had trespassed into the castle. More disciples were sent to conduct a thorough search, but there were no signs of an intruder anywhere in the castle.

Zachary had no difficulty blending in and staying inconspicuous. He strolled in the castle as though it was his own home. The interior of the Xiao Clan Castle lived up to the splendor of the spectacular gate. The buildings of the castle had grand, artistic facades, and the insides were also luxurious and spacious. The castle was designed with numerous pavilions, terraces, and towers, each more beautiful than the latter. A clear and picturesque river flowed through the castle grounds, connecting the buildings to each other. Zachary thought it would be very pleasant to live in this place.

The castle grounds were full of all kinds of people, men and women, young and old, bustling around with energy.

Zachary walked around, examining everything closely, and finally came to a stop at the edge of a courtyard within one of the older buildings. It caught his attention because it did not seem to fit in with the shining, elegant, spacious aesthetics of the rest of the Xiao Clan Castle. Without hesitation, he stepped into the courtyard to see what was in there.

There was a small house in the center of the yard, and he was about to go to knock on the door when smoke rose from the chimney. He immediately smelled something strange.

"Maybe some pill refiner is inside that house," Zachary mused. Feeling curious, he walked towards the house.

He was raising his hand to knock when the door opened. A young woman stood in the doorway. There were smoke stains on her face. Her hair was disheveled, and dirt smudged her clothes. But none of this could

he quickly left the scene. In a moment he had disappeared into thin air.

The young woman saw him vanish before her eyes. "Where is he? How did he disappear without a trace?" The woman stepped cautiously outside the door of the house, peering from side to side. Zachary was nowhere to be found. Her chest was heaving. Resentful and out of breath, she muttered to herself, "I shouldn't have gotten so angry. I forgot I can't use my martial energy randomly. I hope my body returns to normal soon." She looked around one last time, and then went back inside and closed the door behind her.

Zachary, meanwhile, was deep in thought, wondering who the beautiful woman was. He had become very interested in her. She was young, yet she already had Imperial Level strength. That was very rare in the Supernal Continent.

"She looks around the same age as Sara, so that would make her just a few years older than me. That's quite young to reach that level of strength. I didn't realize the Xiao Clan has such a beautiful Imperial Level female warrior...and such a beautiful one! I look forward to getting to know her," Zachary murmured, smiling to himself. He couldn't wait to see her face once again.

He decided it was time to return to the gate of the Xiao Clan Castle. The gate was surrounded by a large group of disciples, all still hunting for Zachary. It was time to make his presence known, so he approached them openly.

The moment they noticed Zachary, they rushed up to him and surrounded him, determined not to let him slip away again. They gave him vigilant, hostile glances, wondering what he was planning. They fully saw him as a bad guy.