Abducting Tang Yuehua, Rumors Sweep Heaven Dou City

"This... is the map you were talking about?" Lin Hai looked up, his voice filled with disbelief.

"Isn't it obvious?" Ah Rou asked back matter-of-factly.

Then, perhaps realizing it was a bit too brief, he smiled, pointed to the box that read "Sin Town," and explained:

"This town is easy to find!"

"Many human Soul Master enter the Star Dou Great Forest from here to hunt Soul Beast!"

At this point, Ah Rou stuck out her tongue:

"It's just the Soul Hunting Town you all usually call it; I only changed the name a little."

Then she pointed to the circles and crosses along the route:

"These circled areas are the cities we'll pass through along the way..."

"Those marked with an X are mountain ranges and the like."

Lin Hai couldn't bear to dampen Ah Rou's rare enthusiasm for painting, so he nodded repeatedly in the direction she was pointing, though he was inwardly both amused and exasperated.

He suddenly remembered a story Xiao Wu had told him before, a story she left behind when she ran away from home, pieced together from twigs, carrots, and other things...

At the time, he thought Xiao Wu's thinking was unique.

In retrospect, this is clearly a continuation of the "abstract" artistic talent!

He suppressed the urge to complain and asked in as calm a tone as possible:

"Ah Rou, why don't you just tell me the name of the nearest town?"

"Also, approximately how far is the town from the Blue Silver Forest as the crow flies?!"

"The city closest to that town..." Ah Rou tilted her head, trying to search her memory, and said uncertainly:

"It seems... her name is something like Eun-sung!"

"Saen City?" Lin Hai prompted.

"Yes, yes! It's Saen City." Ah Rou nodded vigorously, her tone more certain. "The town is just past Saen City."

"And the Blue Silver Forest is located southwest of that town, about... seventy or eighty miles away!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Hai finally smiled knowingly.

It turns out that the Sin Town described by Ah Rou was the very place where he briefly stayed when he first entered the Star Dou Great Forest!

It's quite surprising that the Blue Silver Forest is so close to there.

"Then I understand." Lin Hai smiled. "I'll go discuss it with Ah Yin, and we'll set off first thing tomorrow morning."

That night, the moonlight was as clear as water.

Tang Yuehua was gently undressing in her room, preparing to take a bath.

Her slender fingers had just loosened the sash around her waist, the knot not yet fully undone, when suddenly everything went black and she softly fell backward.

Lin Hai appeared at the right moment, put his arm around her, and supported her limp body.

His gaze fell on her waist, and he couldn't help but click his tongue inwardly, realizing he had arrived a bit too early and missed out on a lot of sights!

Despite his regret, he acted swiftly, teleporting away from the boudoir with Tang Yuehua in an Teleportation.

A moment later, he returned.

Looking at the items in the room, he waved his hand and began a thorough cleaning.

Tables, chairs, wardrobes, bedding, makeup boxes, books... even the still steaming bathtub, along with the warm water with flower petals floating in it, were all stuffed into his Storage Spirit Tool.

This woman is usually extremely elegant and refined in every word and action. If she wakes up and starts complaining about this and that, she'll be a problem.

It would be better to bring all her belongings with us beforehand, that way we can shut her up.

As for whether the etiquette teacher would lecture him with classical allusions after waking up, Lin Hai didn't care at all.

The source is turbid, so the flow will be turbid; he is the Holy Son of the Spirit Hall, a villain!

The next day, the news of the mysterious disappearance of the Master of the Moonlight Pavilion stirred up huge waves in Heaven Dou City like a boulder thrown into a calm lake.

As the dream lover of two generations of nobles in Heaven Dou City, she is also a star figure responsible for teaching noble etiquette.

Tang Yuehua's disappearance should, in principle, have attracted great attention from the authorities.

However, upon hearing this, Xue Qinghe immediately thought of Lin Hai's carefree and handsome face.

Immediately, they dispatched people to investigate Lin Hai's residence in the city, Shrek Academy, Dugu Manor, and other places.

Finally, Ye Yunyao told them that Lin Hai had quietly left Heaven Dou City this morning, and his whereabouts were unknown.

At this point, Xue Qinghe was certain that Lin Hai was behind it all.

Although she couldn't understand why this guy suddenly attacked Tang Yuehua, she quickly ordered the matter to be suppressed.

Moonlight Pavilion has temporarily suspended all classes, and the City Guard Commander, Xing Aotian, has sent people to take over and investigate.

After that, there was no further news about it!

The official's perfunctory attitude fueled the rumors circulating in the city, giving rise to numerous elaborate versions of the story.

Some say that Tang Yuehua left this sorrowful city because she was heartbroken and disheartened by the sudden death of the Xue Ye.

The rumor-monger was adamant, claiming that his brother-in-law's second aunt's husband's neighbor's child was working in the City Guard.

During the investigation, it was discovered that no one had broken into the Moonlight Pavilion that night, and Madam Yue's room was as clean as ever, with no signs of struggle or fighting.

However, all the items that could be moved, including daily necessities and even furniture, had completely disappeared.

This explanation sounds somewhat like the owner packing his bags and flying away, and the analysis is... logical and well-founded, leading many people to believe it.

There are also even more bizarre and sinister speculations--

Some say that the Heaven Dou Empire had a secret system of burying concubines alive with the emperor.

The Xue Ye, and Lady Yue, who was deeply favored by the Emperor, was probably among those who died.

The City Guard quickly took over Moonlight Pavilion in order to erase the traces of the royal family's involvement and cover up this cruel truth.

Such conspiracy theories have always found a market, especially during this sensitive period of power transition.

Even more extreme, some have linked this conclusion to the recent turmoil within the Heaven Dou Imperial Family—

With the emperor's death, the Imperial Prince and nobles "fled far away," and the empresses and concubines offered sacrifices, leaving only Crown Prince Xue Qinghe and Princess Xue Ke in the vast royal family.

The Crown Prince, who is about to ascend the throne, is also rumored to be averse to women and prefer male companionship...

All these signs combined, though not explicitly stated, conveyed a pessimistic view that the nation was doomed and that the fate of the Heaven Dou Empire was sealed.

Regarding these rumors that threaten the foundation of the nation, Xue Qinghe resolutely... watched coldly from the sidelines, even pleased to see them unfold.

All she needed to do was win over powerful figures in the military and then let these rumors quietly erode the foundation of faith in the Heaven Dou Empire.

Once the Spirit Hall Empire is formally established, it may be able to take over the Heaven Dou Empire without bloodshed.

Xue Qinghe even suspected that the Spirit Hall of Heaven Dou City was behind these rumors, but she did not pursue the matter further.

However, those noble old ministers who were loyal to the royal family and valued tradition couldn't sit still after hearing these Yan Feng.

They submitted memorials urging His Crown Prince the Crown Prince to select an empress and take concubines as soon as possible after ascending the throne in order to consolidate the foundation of the country.

This caused Xue Qinghe, who was wholeheartedly devoted to his career, a great deal of trouble.