Chapter 304: Doubt

Shen Zexi walked to the doorway and pulled the door open a crack.

Outside the door stood a middle‑aged servant, his complexion a bit pale and his eyes filled with startled doubt.

"Got it, we'll go right away," Shen Zexi said gently, asking cautiously, "Did something happen outside?"

The servant lowered his voice and spoke quickly.

"We don't know the details, only that thieves entered the inner courtyard, triggering the alarm, and it seems they also... disturbed the young lady's convalescence area. The entire Chen Family is now under martial law; several stewards have gone to the main hall, and I'm here to fetch the two of you."

Sure enough, it's related to Chen Xiaoshuang!

Shen Zexi felt even more certain and nodded.

"We'll tidy up and head over, please wait a moment."

He closed the door, turned back toward the screen, glanced at Ying Duo still "asleep" on the bed, and this time, without hesitation, reached out and gently nudged his shoulder.

"Ying Duo, wake up."

Ying Duo's eyelashes seemed to quiver, and his eyes slowly opened.

"It's so noisy outside," his voice was a bit hoarse, but his tone remained steady.

"There's trouble at the Chen Family; we need to go to the main hall," Shen Zexi concisely explained the situation.

Ying Duo sat up, and upon hearing it, merely nodded, showing no particular reaction on his face.

"Do we need to bring anything with us?"

Shen Zexi looked at his rapid‑accepting demeanor, felt a sudden helplessness, and simply shook his head.

"No, as long as we get there, that's enough, but..."

He paused, lowered his voice, and his tone grew serious.

"No matter what happened, no matter what you know, remember, we are just visiting students; we spent last night resting in our rooms and know nothing. Understand?"

This is the most basic unified stance, the minimum self‑protection.

Ying Duo's golden pupils looked at him, and he nodded calmly.

"Mm, understood."

His answer was too smooth and natural, which only made Shen Zexi more uneasy.

But time was tight; there was no chance to probe further.

Shen Zexi quickly tidied up, opened the door, and followed the servant waiting at the entrance toward the Chen Family main hall.

The corridor was brightly lit, and fully armed guard squads hurried by from time to time, suffusing the air with a tense, oppressive atmosphere.

Although the distant alarm had faded, occasional buzzing from new energy fluctuations could still be heard.

Shen Zexi's expression remained unchanged; he occasionally whispered one or two trivial questions to the guiding servant, appearing both concerned and not overly inquisitive.

Ying Duo quietly stayed beside him, his golden eyes calmly scanning the guards along the way.

Yang Yixie watched the two on the screen walk through the heavily guarded Chen Family corridor, and, recalling the earlier harrowing escape and the current "invitation" to the main hall, rapidly weighed his options in his mind.

Just as Bai Mu Yun had mentioned long ago, Ying Duo's skill effect's Ying Guang Lu is overly conspicuous and uniquely distinctive.

Moreover, because of that barrier earlier, he was intercepted at the window for a while; such a glaring Ying Guang Lu makes it hard not to suspect Ying Duo.

The crux of the matter is that, at most, he only recovered Chen Xiaoshuang's private funds—valuable, but the truly priceless treasure had already been taken.

He won't take the blame for this!

Soon, the brightly lit Chen Family main hall came into view; more stern‑looking guards stood outside the doors, and muffled, tense conversations drifted from within.

The guiding servant stopped at the doorway, bowed, and addressed the two.

"Two guests, please, the family head and the stewards are already waiting inside the hall,"

Shen Zexi glanced at Ying Duo, gave a look of "act according to the situation," and stepped in first.

The hall's atmosphere was heavy; as soon as they entered, several gazes instantly converged on the two of them.

Chen Mo Zhi still sat in the main seat, appearing as if he had just risen from the bed; a dark casual robe was draped with a cloak, and the shadows under his eyes made him look even more gloomy.

Behind his side, Meng Kexin wasn't much better; her chin rested lightly on a bear‑head, looking innocent and harmless, forming a subtle contrast with the hall's tense atmosphere.

But upon close observation, one could see the chill and fatigue in her eyes.

An elderly steward with graying hair bent over, speaking softly to Chen Mo Zhi.

Hearing footsteps, the old steward straightened instantly, his gaze sweeping over Shen Zexi ahead, then fixing on Ying Duo, especially his still‑bright Ying Guang Lu short hair under the lights.

The old steward's eyes hardened; without waiting for Shen Zexi to make small talk, he raised his hand and pointed at Ying Duo.

"Head of the family, it's him! The residual energy color of the Invader who just slipped into the young lady's quarters matches this student's hair color almost perfectly!"

At those words, several guards instinctively drew their weapons to their waists.

Shen Zexi felt a weight in his heart, and his brows immediately knit.

Chen Mo Zhi lifted his eyes at the remark; he knew Ying Duo was indeed trouble‑making and capable, otherwise he wouldn't have agreed to let him join his Mercenary Corps.

But this is the main Chen lineage, heavily guarded; even an experienced Aberrant Arts master would find it hard to slip silently into the inner courtyard, trigger the alarm, and escape unscathed...

That sounds like a fairy tale, yet the old steward had watched him grow up, and under everyone's eyes, had no reason to deceive him about such matters.

Chen Mo Zhi felt a dull ache at his temples, utterly unsure what to say or whom to trust.

"Hold on!" Shen Zexi subtly placed Ying Duo behind him, slightly to the side.

"What do you mean? Ying Duo has been with me all night; we rested early, and until the outside commotion woke us, he never left the room."

The old steward turned to Shen Zexi, his demeanor courteous yet firm.

"Young Master Shen, I'm not speaking without basis; when the Invader broke through, he employed a kind of spatial‑movement ability, and the scattered energy around him was this Ying Guang Lu. Though the energy signature isn't solid proof, such a unique coincidence inevitably raises suspicion."

"Just because the energy colors match, you directly conclude Ying Duo is the Invader—doesn't that seem a bit hasty?"

Shen Zexi tried to argue logically; no one would willingly be labeled a criminal without cause, and even if Ying Duo didn't grasp the implication, Shen couldn't watch him be defamed.

"Then, may I ask this student," the old steward, without entangling with Shen Zexi, pointed directly at Ying Duo, "could you demonstrate your Aberrant Arts here? Perhaps that would clear your suspicion."

Shen Zexi felt a knot in his chest; he knew Ying Duo's ability involved Space Law, and even though it's limited to storage, the very label "Space Law" is sufficiently sensitive.

Ying Duo lifted his eyes, his golden pupils calmly returned the gaze to the old butler.

"Space Law, storage."

Sure enough! A few muffled inhalations sounded in the hall.