Chapter 172: So It Was Him

Wei Wuji looked at Lu Xiao's puzzled expression, gave no direct answer, and simply shook his head slowly.

"Who he is, you don't need to know that yet. But it is certain that the force behind him is unfathomable, and not something your single action group can handle."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the darkness at the end of the corridor, as if it could pierce the night.

"This matter has already exceeded the scope of regular missions; your small team simply can't handle it. I will immediately apply to the Jingcheng headquarters to dispatch the Dragon Group's Southern Region's regional guardian to take charge."

"The Southern Region's regional guardian?"

Lu Xiao's pupils suddenly contracted, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.

The Dragon Group's organization is extremely tight; Lu Xiao, as the leader of one of the Jingcheng headquarters' action teams, still holds a distinguished position, but in comparison, the Five-Region regional guardians are the true elite forces of the Dragon Group.

"Wei Lao, this... is this too exaggerated? The regional guardians are high-level in the Dragon Group, all Nine-Pin Grandmaster-level experts; it's hard to even see them once, and now they're being mobilized for a Ling Zhaixing?"

She truly couldn't imagine that the matter had become this serious.

Nine-Pin Grandmaster—that's a being standing at the pinnacle of the martial world.

One finger could crush a Second-grade Grandmaster like her; such a figure is usually only deployed for matters involving the nation's safety.

"Exaggerated?"

Wei Wuji gave a wry smile, his tone growing even more serious.

"Not exaggerated at all. Do you think that masked man is already the limit? He might just be the tip of the iceberg. Moreover, the Southern Frontier Tiger Talisman concerns the mobilization of hundreds of thousands of troops in the Southern Frontier; looking at it now... we were too naive at first."

Wei Wuji's aged eyes stared deeply into the distance, unable to hide his gravity.

"If this matter is mishandled, not only Jiangnan will fall into chaos, but it could even shake the foundation of the nation."

"Shake the nation's foundation?"

Lu Xiao was completely stunned.

She had originally thought it was just a simple capture of a wanted criminal and retrieval of the Tiger Talisman, but didn't expect it to involve such a terrifying force and rise to this level.

One question after another surfaced in her mind, but she kept them unspoken, silently noting them in her heart, intending to find a chance later to verify.

Wei Wuji saw her thoughtful expression, patted her shoulder.

"Alright, don't overthink it. I'll communicate with headquarters as soon as possible; before the regional guardian arrives, you first stabilize the situation in Jiangcheng, and report any information to me at any time."

"Understood, Wei Lao," Lu Xiao nodded.

Wei Wuji nodded with satisfaction, walked toward the end of the corridor, and his figure quickly vanished into the night.

Lu Xiao stood in place, watching the direction Wei Wuji left, feeling a mixture of emotions.

On the other side, Jiang Feng and Su Xueyan had already returned to the Su Family Villa.

As soon as they entered, Su Lao and Su Xiaonuan greeted them, their faces full of concern.

"Xue Yan, Jiang Feng, how was the banquet? Nothing went wrong, right?"

"Good that nothing happened, good that nothing happened."

Su Lao let out a sigh, smiling as he said.

"Sit down and rest, I had the kitchen prepare a night snack; you're hungry, aren't you?"

"Thank you, Grandfather."

At that moment, a knock came from the door, and the butler hurried to open it.

Soon, the butler led two people inside: Duanmu Ya and Jian Tui Zhi.

"Mr. Jiang."

As soon as Duanmu Ya entered, she spoke, her tone much more serious than at the banquet, with no hint of a smile on her face.

Jian Tui Zhi followed behind, also bowing his head, his expression solemn.

Su Lao and Su Xiaonuan were both stunned, not knowing why these two distinguished guests had suddenly arrived.

Jiang Feng saw their demeanor and knew there must be something important, stood up and said.

"Duanmu Pavilion Master, Grandmaster Jian, please come inside."

"Please sit quickly, butler, pour tea," Su Xueyan hurriedly invited.

Duanmu Ya and Jian Tui Zhi walked to the living room and sat down, taking the teacups handed by the butler, but they did not drink, merely placing them on the table.

Duanmu Ya took a deep breath and pulled a sealed envelope from her bag.

She placed the envelope on the table, pushed it toward Jiang Feng, her tone serious.

"Mr. Jiang, this is the information our Yitian Pavilion gathered overnight about Ling Zhaixing; it contains her recent whereabouts and some scattered clues about that mysterious force."

Jiang Feng reached for the envelope, but Duanmu Ya suddenly held it down, looking up at him.

"Mr. Jiang, before you look, I must warn you: this mysterious force is extremely terrifying; the clues we found show they act ruthlessly and are immensely powerful, with many Grandmaster-level experts inside, and possibly even more formidable figures."

She paused, then continued.

"I know Mr. Jiang is highly capable, but the waters behind this force run deep; the matters of Ling Zhaixing and the Southern Frontier Tiger Talisman are far more complex than we imagined. If possible, I hope Mr. Jiang will think twice and cease further investigation, lest trouble befall you and even involve the Su Family."

Jian Tui Zhi also nodded.

"Mr. Jiang, the Pavilion Master is right! This force is too terrifying; even Yitian Pavilion dares not provoke it lightly. There's no need for you to risk yourself for Ling Zhaixing."

Jiang Feng looked at their worried faces and smiled.

"Thank you for the Pavilion Master's warning, but since I promised to investigate, there's no reason to give up halfway. Moreover, some matters can't be avoided just by wishing to."

After speaking, he gently removed Duanmu Ya's hand, picked up the sealed envelope on the table, and opened its seal.

Inside were several sheets of paper, densely covered with text, and a blurry photograph.

Jiang Feng skimmed quickly, his smile fading, his gaze growing increasingly stern.

After a few minutes, Jiang Feng finished reading all the information, placed the papers back into the envelope, his eyes sharp as a blade.

"So it was this guy behind the scenes."

The moment those words were spoken, everyone was stunned.

Su Xueyan quickly asked.

"Jiang Feng, do you know who it is?"

Duanmu Ya looked at Jiang Feng's pensive demeanor and couldn't help it now.

"Mr. Jiang, do you know who the mastermind behind this is? Could you tell us? Then Yitian Pavilion can make preparations in advance."

Although reluctant, after all Yitian Pavilion has already become involved.

Jiang Feng lifted his head, glanced at her, and did not answer directly.

"Thank you, Duanmu Pavilion Master, for the information; I've noted it. As for who the mastermind is, it's better that you remain unaware for now, to avoid trouble."

Duanmu Ya saw that he was unwilling to speak, and did not press further, only nodding.

"Since Mr. Jiang is measured, we won't disturb you further. If later you need us to help investigate anything, just speak up, Mr. Jiang, and Yitian Pavilion will do its utmost to cooperate."

"Alright."

Jiang Feng nodded.

Duanmu Ya and Jian Tui Zhi stood up, bowed their hands to Jiang Feng and Su Lao, then turned and left the Su Family Villa.

Watching their departing silhouettes, Su Xueyan tugged Jiang Feng's arm again, her face full of worry.

"Jiang Feng, do you finally know who it is? Is it really dangerous? Maybe we should stop investigating; I don't want anything to happen to you."