"A suspicious cargo ship left the country three days ago." Fei Xuli reported as they all sat down.
"They should be carrying the corpses of the Golden-Haired Monkeys, then?" Hao Baiyun said and frowned as he recalled the large number of the Golden-Haired Monkey clan members had gone missing, which are most likely dead. It was just that there has no corpse of them were found, nor even traces of them being dead.
It was only that one skinless corpse that Gu Xingfeng's subordinate happened to find was the clue.
"Indeed." Fei Xuli sighed in pity. "Also, there were skins of beasts being sold in the foreign black markets." He added.
"It must be the skin of those Golden-Haired Monkeys, then?" Gu Xingfeng guessed.
Now, the case is slowly being clearer: the Golden-Haired Monkeys were being abducted. Their power were being sucked away from them before they were killed, and then skinned. Such a vicious crime… who could have done this? And what is their objective? Why was it the Golden-Haired Monkey clan? Did they offend someone?
Fei Xuli's expression is heavy as he nodded. "En." He answered.
"But, the Golden-Haired Monkeys' power would disappear on their hair if they died or were skinned, since their skin was separated from them." Lan Tian said.
"Indeed." Hao Baiyun sighed. "But, what if their powers were sucked away before they died, and they were skinned after?" he asked.
They all fell silent.
"Sick perverts." Jing Yu can't help but utter.
They all nodded in agreement. They can't help but pity the Golden-Haired Monkey clan.
"Xiao Yun… earlier, you asked about why is the Golden-Haired Monkeys' hair is gold." Gu Xingfeng said when he remembered. "You said that their power lies in their hair, thus their hair turned gold." He said.
"En. That is right." Hao Baiyun nodded in affirmation.
"Do the Golden-Haired Monkeys have other kinds of power?" Gu Xingfeng asked.
"No more." Hao Baiyun answered.
"… 'no more'?" Gu Xingfeng's brows knitted.
Hao Baiyun looked at him. "Their power is a domain power. That is all." He told him.
Gu Xingfeng's expression turned heavy. "I see." He muttered.
The Golden-Haired Monkeys truly are unfortunate.
"But, why would the culprits want a domain power?" Zi Chen asked.
"We have to ask that monster." Fei Xuli pointed the monster hanging on the ceiling by a rope and is unconscious.
Lan Tian immediately leapt mid-air and kicked the monster awake before he landed on the floor on his feet. "So, this thing's power is originally a Golden-Haired Monkey's power?" he sneered in disgust as he gave the monster another kick.
They can hear its bone cracking when that second kick hit.
"AAAAH!!! It hurts! It hurts!" the monster shrieked as it flailed its body. But, how can it break free from the spiritual rope that has a consciousness of its own?
"Where did you come from? Who is your boss? Where did you find a Golden-Haired Monkey?" Hao Baiyun asked in a severe tone as he glared at the monster that is shrieking like a banshee.
The monster heard Hao Baiyun's voice and he froze. "Nine-tailed fox?!" it exclaimed as its eyes widened before it shook its head. "No! You are not that nine-tailed fox!" it said as it gnashed its sharp teeth.
Hao Baiyun frowned and his fists itched. Lan Tian and Zi Chen knows what their boss wanted to do and so they alternatingly beat the monster again. Fei Xuli's and Jing Yu's faces are cold. After all, the Golden-Haired Monkeys are their fellow yao. So, naturally, they mourn for their fellow yao and hate the ones who killed them.
"You still won't confess?" Gu Xingfeng asked and frowned as his eyes narrowed while he looked at the monster.
The monster sensed the piercing gaze and alarm bells rang inside its mind. "I… I just - !" it said, panicking.
Because it saw that Gu Xingfeng is just a human, it looked down upon him earlier, never treating him as a threat that is why it attacked Huo Ling earlier when he smelled the enticing smell of a pure, nine-tailed fox that was lost after Hao Baiyun got 'tainted' by Gu Xingfeng.
Who would have thought that due to his momentary carelessness and impulse, Huo Ling attacked him? He never placed it in his mind that Huo Ling might be able to know how to attack! But, because of this, he looked down even more on Gu Xingfeng since Gu Xingfeng didn't protect Huo Ling earlier.
It didn't think that everything happened too fast earlier.
"Speak!" Hao Baiyun yelled.
"I… I only found a dying monster!" the monster said. "I sensed that it has some power left on it, and I was also very hungry! So, I ate it…" it explained and looked at Gu Xingfeng in horror when he saw Gu Xingfeng's dark expression.
"Where did you come from? What kind of monster are you?" Fei Xuli asked.
The monster didn't want to answer, so Lan Tian and Zi Chen hit it again. "I will speak! I will speak!" it cried. "I am from…" it said as it stated a country in the West. "I… I am a variant of a rat…" it said as it trembled in pain.
As expected, it was a monster from the West. Or else, they would have already recognized it earlier, especially Hao Baiyun who is the chairman of the Yao Committee.
"Where did you find the Golden-Haired Monkey?" Hao Baiyun asked. "And why are you here in our country?" he added.
"I… I found that monster while I snuck inside a ship to find food after I was kicked out by my group…" the monster answered.
Their faces turned serious. As expected, it was trafficking and smuggling.
…
"Xiao Ling!" Hao Baiyun exclaimed when they saw Huo Ling and Yi Bing in the living room and are waiting for them. "Huh? Who's this?" he asked when he saw the young man sitting beside Huo Ling.
"… an exorcist?" Zi Chen said after he sniffed.
Mu Li was coldly sweating since when he woke up, he found that one of these two men is a yao, and a very powerful one at that! He wanted to escape, but the other man with blue pupils looks also strong so he decided to act well-behaved at first.
Who would expect for them to bring him, an exorcist, to a territory of the yao? And another powerful yao at that! What is their purpose?
Huo Ling turned and rose from his seat when he saw Hao Baiyun. He hesitated for a moment before he sighed. "… cousin." He called.
Hao Baiyun's eyes brightened and he beamed. "Xiao Ling!" he called and hugged Huo Ling tight. "How are you? Why did you bring an exorcist here?" he asked and looked at Mu Li. "Is he your friend?" he added.
"Uh…" Huo Ling muttered and glanced at Yi Bing who just raised his brow at him.
"Wait." Gu Xingfeng spoke. "Are you… elder Lai's disciple?" he asked as he looked at Mu Li.
"You know him?" Hao Baiyun looked at Gu Xingfeng in surprise.
Mu Li was also surprised when he saw Gu Xingfeng. "Chief Gu!" he cried as he rose from his seat. "Were you also captured by them?!" he asked.
Everyone. "…" 'captured'? they thought and looked at Yi Bing and Huo Ling.
Yi Bing just faintly smiled while Huo Ling guiltily rubbed his nose.
Gu Xingfeng's brow twitched. "No…" he answered. "He is my husband, Hao Baiyun." He pulled Hao Baiyun beside him. "You should have heard of him, right?" he asked Mu Li.
Mu Li's mind blanked out for a second before his eyes widened in shock. "Hao… Hao Baiyun of the Yao Committee?!" he exclaimed.
"En. This is his residence." Gu Xingfeng explained.
"Then…" Mu Li looked at Huo Ling and Yi Bing. "Why did you bring me here?" he asked them. "And you – " he looked at Huo Ling.
"Xiao Ling is my cousin!" Hao Baiyun said and pulled Huo Ling to him.
"We brought you here to assist us in a case." Yi Bing answered.
Everyone looked at him.
"What case?" Mu Li asked.
Gu Xingfeng explained to him about the Golden-Haired Monkeys.
"I see…" Mu Li muttered as he pinched his chin. "You want me to find the traces of the Golden-Haired Monkeys and track it?" he asked.
"Yes." Hao Baiyun nodded. "Fei Xuli." He called.
"Yes." Fei Xuli answered and stepped forward. "We wanted to ask you to help us in confirming whether there were Golden-Haired Monkeys that were smuggled out of the country. The suspected location is at…" he said and told the details to Mu Li.
Mu Li knows that the Yao Committee is a moral organization of yao, so he didn't refuse. He also knows that there are also kind yao, as his late master said, and that he also dislikes evil acts such as smuggling.
"Wait." Huo Ling suddenly spoke.. "Where is Xiao Hualing?" he asked them.
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