Chapter 178: The Yao Di Drowns His Sorrows

The Yao Di guaranteed, "Rest assured, I will definitely get to the bottom of this matter!"

The three of them waited for news in the main hall, the atmosphere somewhat heavy.

After about an hour, a guard hurried in to report, "Reporting to the Yao Di, your subordinate has discovered some suspicious clues in a side room on the west side of the residence."

"Take me there!"

The Yao Di immediately rose and headed to the west side room with Zhang Yi and Nudi.

Jubiao Mama and the Pterosaur took Xiao Pu and the little earth dragon to rest in a room in the Yao Di Fu.

……

The west side room was located in a remote corner of the residence, where few people usually came or went.

The guard pushed open the door.

A faint, strange fragrance wafted toward them, and Zhang Yi and Nudi immediately noticed that this scent was very similar to the aura of spiritual fruit.

The room was empty, save for a table, and on the table sat an empty wooden box, the very one used to hold the spiritual fruit.

"It seems the person who stole the spiritual fruit once stayed here."

The Yao Di said in a deep voice.

Zhang Yi looked around, discovering no signs of a struggle in the room and no other clues, and could not help but feel a bit disappointed.

Just then, Nudi suddenly walked to the wall and pressed lightly on it; with a soft "click," a hidden compartment actually appeared on the wall.

Inside the hidden compartment lay a letter and a small silk pouch.

The Yao Di took the letter and the pouch and opened the envelope, only to see a few words written on it: "Spiritual fruit already taken, we shall meet again."

"What audacity!"

The Yao Di was furious and slammed the letter onto the table, "To actually dare leave a note to provoke me!"

He opened the pouch, which contained a few shimmering beads emitting a rich spiritual aura; they were the stolen spiritual fruit.

Seeing this, Zhang Yi and Nudi both breathed a sigh of relief; it had finally been recovered.

Although the spiritual fruit was recovered.

The Yao Di felt he had lost face.

After all, for such a thing to happen within his own Yao Di Fu, and he was still trying to pursue Nudi—wasn't this humiliating?

His brows were tightly locked, as if he had some knot that could not be untied.

The Yao Di secretly lamented, to have such a lapse occur, how could he still pursue her?

He paced back and forth and swore, "Three days! I must capture the thief within three days!"

The Yao Di gritted his teeth as he issued this military order, determined to regain his dignity.

However, a day passed in the blink of an eye, yet the Yao Di's investigation had made no progress.

With clues being slim, the Yao Di was at his wit's end, feeling irritable and restless.

He rubbed his temples, feeling as if his head were splitting with pain.

"Sigh!" He let out a long sigh, feeling very frustrated.

Night fell, and the Yao Di Fu was shrouded in tranquility.

Yet, the Yao Di's heart could not find peace.

He went alone to the sky above the Lingfu, took out some treasured fine wine, and used it to drown his sorrows.

"Gulp, gulp..."

The spicy liquid slid down his throat into his stomach; the Yao Di wanted to use the wine to briefly numb himself.

"I, a dignified Yao Di, cannot even catch a petty thief; what face do I have left to pursue Nudi?"

He laughed at himself, a trace of loneliness flashing in his eyes.

Just then.

A familiar voice came from behind him: "Your Majesty, why are you drinking alone here?"

The Yao Di looked back and saw it was Zhang Yi.

He was slightly stunned, then squeezed out a smile: "Brother Zhang, why have you come?"

Zhang Yi flew up and sat down beside the Yao Di, then picked up a wine pot and poured himself a cup.

"I came out for a stroll and didn't expect to run into Your Majesty here."

He said with a smile, "Has Your Majesty encountered some troubling matter?"

The Yao Di hesitated for a moment, but ultimately told Zhang Yi the whole story.

"Sigh, I am truly useless to have let such a thing happen in my own residence," he sighed.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yi burst into loud laughter.

"Your Majesty, what is there to be troubled about? The spiritual fruit has been recovered, and that is what matters most."

He comforted him, "As for that petty thief, they will be caught sooner or later."

The Yao Di gave a bitter smile: "But I worry that this matter will affect my image in Nudi's heart."

Hearing this, Zhang Yi asked, "Your Majesty, you wouldn't really have fallen for my Younger Sister, would you?"

The Yao Di's face flushed slightly, but he did not deny it.

"A fair lady is a good match for a gentleman; what is wrong with that?"

"Of course there is nothing wrong with that."

Zhang Yi said with a smile, "However, Your Majesty, drowning your sorrows in wine is no solution. If you want to win my Younger Sister's heart, you must show some real ability."

The Yao Di nodded, "Brother Zhang is right; I cannot remain so dejected. I must capture that thief to prove my strength!"

"Sigh, there isn't a single lead."

The Yao Di irritably grabbed his hair, a few strands of black hair falling away, adding to his disheveled appearance.

Zhang Yi's eyeballs rolled around.

As if he had thought of some devious idea, the corners of his mouth curled into a smile.

"Your Majesty, I might be able to help you catch this petty thief."

Upon hearing this, the Demon Emperor immediately perked up.

"Brother Zhang, is this true? Could it be that you have some clues?"

He grabbed Zhang Yi's arm, his voice trembling with excitement.

Zhang Yi lowered his voice, feigning mystery, "Your Majesty, do you still remember the spirit fruit retrieved that day?"

The Demon Emperor nodded, "Naturally I remember, what about it?"

"At the time, I specifically leaned in to smell it; there was a very strong fishy odor on that spirit fruit."

Zhang Yi paused deliberately at this point, observing the Demon Emperor's reaction.

The Demon Emperor looked bewildered, "A fishy odor? What is strange about that? My Yao Di Fu is located at Yinhai, surrounded by marine life; isn't it normal to have a bit of a fishy smell? Can this even count as a clue?"

Zhang Yi burst into laughter.

He patted the Demon Emperor on the shoulder, "Your Majesty, you don't know about this. A sea-fishy smell is everywhere, but how many marine creatures are there inside your Yao Di Fu?"

The Demon Emperor thought for a moment, "Too many; those low-level servants who do odd jobs are basically all shrimp soldiers and crab generals, seaweed, jellyfish, and the like."

"That's exactly it!"

Zhang Yi snapped his fingers, "Those low-level marine creatures never have the chance to enter the backyard and get close to the Lingfu, right?"

The Demon Emperor nodded, "That is natural; the backyard is heavily guarded, and without my permission, no low-level marine creature is allowed to approach."

"Then, under normal circumstances, what kind of marine creatures are able to come into contact with Your Majesty and the Lingfu?"

Zhang Yi guided him step by step.

The Demon Emperor pondered for a moment, "Heilong counts as one; he is my personal guard. There is also the Flood Dragon, who is responsible for managing the various affairs of the Yao Di Fu. The two of them frequently enter and exit my sleeping quarters and the Lingfu."

"Then, is it possible for the two of them to have stolen the spirit fruit?"

Zhang Yi went straight to the point.

The Demon Emperor immediately shook his head, "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! The two of them are loyal and devoted. They are never short of a few spirit fruits in their daily lives, so why would they do such underhanded things?"