"So that was it..."
After hearing Zhou Nan out, Long Zhi remained calm, showing no sign of panic.
After all, for a Sky-Patrolling Guard, it was nothing unusual to be in Cloud Province Prefecture one moment and rush off on an assignment the next.
What was there to worry about?
With that thought, Long Zhi gently reassured him, "Perhaps that boy took on some prized assignment and is out handling it right now. Fellow Daoist Zhou need not worry too much..."
But upon hearing her words, Zhou Nan's expression did not ease much.
He gave a bitter laugh and shook his head. "My lady, I naturally understand all that you have said... But the problem is..."
At this point, he hesitated, seemingly weighing whether to lay out the whole story.
Seeing him hemming and hawing like this, Long Zhi could not help but look at him curiously. "Whatever you have to say, just say it. I am fairly familiar with that boy Xu Ming. If something really has happened, perhaps I can help."
"Since you have said so, my lady, then I shall speak plainly." Hearing this, Zhou Nan took a deep breath, and his expression gradually turned solemn. "The two of you may not know this yet, but some days ago, Fellow Daoist Xu ran all over the place for a Sky-Patrolling Guard from your bureau. He exhausted himself, swallowed his pride, and begged quite a few people... When he came to me afterward, it was also to find a way out for that Sky-Patrolling Guard..."
"At such a critical juncture, with his whole heart set on saving someone, how could he possibly have suddenly accepted an assignment and left this place?"
"A Sky-Patrolling Guard... saving someone?"
Upon hearing this, Long Zhi and Chen Zheng, standing beside her, exchanged