Chapter 224: Quick Hands

(No way...)

At that moment, Gui Naifen also noticed someone approaching. She looked up, saw Bai Hang, and was startled: "Miss Bai Xing? Why are you also here?"

She instinctively glanced again at Sai Fei Er beside Bai Hang, and felt a bit unfamiliar.

"Um, just hanging out with a friend."

Bai Hang pointed at Sai Fei Er, trying to make her smile natural, "Little Gui, are you… looking for something? You look quite anxious."

Gui Naifen, as if she had grabbed a lifeline, could no longer heed Han Ya's request for "low‑key observation" and, with a mournful face, said, "It's not just about looking for something! A person is gone! The thing disappeared with them!"

She spoke rapidly, recounting the events, "I… um, took a side job, following a Fox People girl named Huo Huo from the Ten Kings Office, and she was just sitting there a moment ago,"

She pointed at the bench, "I saw with my own eyes her vanish with a *swish*—gone into thin air! Then a pair of sunglasses fell on the ground. I was about to pick them up to see if they were a clue, but when I bent down, the sunglasses were gone too! Isn't that strange?!"

Huo Huo?!

Bai Hang felt a jolt inside.

She remembered that name!

It was mentioned in the information provided by the Heimu Lady.

This morning, it was Sai Fei Er who helped deliver the "Courage Pill"—it was for her!

How could she suddenly disappear?

Bai Hang steadied herself and tentatively asked, "Are you sure… she vanished? Not that you mis‑saw, or that she used some kind of evasion technique?"

"Absolutely certain!"

Gui Naifen stamped her foot in agitation, "Even an evasion technique should have some light‑shadow effect, right? She just vanished without a trace! Like being erased by an eraser! And those sunglasses…"

Her gaze suddenly landed on the black sunglasses that Sai Fei Er was absent‑mindedly swinging in her hand, her eyes widening, "Wait! These sunglasses… why do they look so much like the ones you have?"

Bai Hang felt a bit embarrassed and cleared her throat, "Well… I must admit, these sunglasses are the ones my friend just picked up over there."

She pointed toward the bench.

"Picked up?!"

Gui Naifen raised her voice, "Just picked up? But I clearly…"

She looked at Sai Fei Er's harmless face, then at Bai Hang's slightly apologetic smile, and suddenly felt her mind was a bit foggy.

Gui Naifen twitched the corner of her mouth and could only say dryly.

"Your friend… moves pretty fast, huh?"

"Um, she… indeed, moves rather swiftly."

Bai Hang mumbled, quickly changing the subject, "But the key now is that the girl Huo Huo is missing? What do you plan to do next?"

"What else can I do… I need to quickly get in touch… um, report it up! The person slipped from my watch… this is a huge problem now!"

She recalled Han Ya's expressionless yet pressure‑laden face, and felt the future was bleak.

Bai Hang saw she was indeed pitiful and comforted, "It's an unexpected situation, no one could foresee it. The urgent priority is to inform the Ten Kings Office first, see if they have any solution."

"Right, right, right!"

Gui Naifen nodded repeatedly, pulled out a jade talisman, hesitated a moment, and looked at Bai Hang and Sai Fei Er, her face showing a bit of embarrassment and pleading, "Um… Miss Bai Xing, and you… uh, quick‑hand girl, could I trouble the two of you to stay for now? Later, if we need to explain the situation, could you act as witnesses for me? I'm afraid I can't make myself clear alone; what if the higher‑ups think I'm babbling or incompetent…"

She clasped her hands together, eyes eagerly fixed on Bai Hang.

Bai Hang weighed the options rapidly in her mind.

Staying as a witness? That means dealing with people from the Ten Kings Office; even as an "eyewitness" there are risks.

Can her cover identity "Bai Xing" withstand a simple investigation?

Besides, Sai Fei Er, being a Golden Descendant, only has a half‑understanding of Xianzhou lore…

But seeing Gui Naifen's near‑crying expression and recalling that Huo Huo's disappearance might involve the Heimu Lady's plan, Bai Hang softened, nodded, "Alright, we won't leave for now. When the person you contact arrives, we'll recount what we saw."

"Thank you so much! Miss Bai Xing, you're truly a good person!"

Gui Naifen was moved to the point of tears, quickly lowered her head and began fiddling with the jade talisman, preparing to report this bizarre "Fox People girl disappearance case" to Han Ya.

Bai Hang let out a soft sigh and exchanged a glance with Sai Fei Er.

Sai Fei Er still wore a face of curiosity, swinging the sunglasses in her hand, and asked quietly, "So we're just waiting for someone to come?"

"…More or less."

Bai Hang rubbed her temples, feeling troubles piling up one after another.

She glanced at the empty bench, a vague premonition forming: Huo Huo's disappearance was probably not a simple accident,

The commotion here, though not intense, was like a stone tossed into calm water; the ripples were enough to catch the attention of the eyes hidden behind black veil in the shadows.

Jing Liu clutched his ever‑present erhu, his figure almost merging with the corner of the wall.

The black eye mask blocked real light, yet perception became clearer.

(Bai Xing… and that newly arrived cat‑ear woman, plus an unfamiliar girl… gathered near that bench, their expressions odd.)

Jing Liu looked toward that direction, his cold perception like invisible tendrils, cautiously extending to capture fragmented information.

(Missing? Vanished into thin air?)

Doubts sprouted in Jing Liu's mind.

This was far from ordinary.

On Xianzhou, evasion techniques, formations, even certain oddities can achieve similar effects, but they usually leave traces.

Such a clean, swift "disappearance" is certainly not simple.

She did not rush forward.

The doubts surrounding Bai Hang remained, and the newly appeared cat‑ear woman's background was unknown; intervening now would not be wise.

Jing Liu tilted his head slightly, looking into the shadows of the farther streets.

There, a middle‑aged man in plain cloth, also casually glancing toward Bai Hang's direction, was covertly and swiftly manipulating the jade talisman with his fingers inside his sleeve.

(Hidden Sentinel of the Cloud Cavalry? Or an eye‑in of Shen Ce Fu?)

Jing Liu instantly recognized that the concealment was well done, yet it could not escape her perception.

Target… seems to also include herself?

She showed no reaction, already understanding in her heart.

This surveillance has likely been ongoing for some time.

Shen Ce Fu.

Jing Yuan leaned back at an angle on the large seat, one hand supporting his chin, the fingertips of his other hand tapping on the smooth desk in an on‑and‑off rhythm, a habitual lazy smile on his face.

The air before him rippled slightly, projecting a translucent light screen that only he could see, continuously refreshing encrypted characters.

The latest report comes from Hidden Sentinel, concise content:

【Target A (Jing Liu) has ceased movement, observing covertly. Target B (Bai Xing), an unknown cat‑ear woman, street performer Gui Naifen have gathered. A minor disturbance occurred, possibly involving a third‑party personnel. Gui Naifen appears anxious, attempting to contact a certain party. Situation unclear. Requesting further instructions.】

Jing Yuan's eyes bore a faintly deeper smile, his thoughts raced like lightning.

(Jing Liu is indeed staring at them. And beside this Miss Bai Xing, it's truly getting more and more lively.)