Qian Renxue's Invitation and the Mystery of the Disappearances

"You're all incredible!"

"Are you really only three-ring Soul Masters?"

"How do you cultivate?"

"Can we be friends?"

"Why not stay at the hotel we booked?"

"Will you be coming again tomorrow?"

Even after they met up with Liu Erlong, Ye Lingling clung to Gu Zhi like a chatterbox. It was rather surprising to see such a beauty trying so hard to please him.

On the other hand, Dugu Yan's occasional remarks made Gu Zhi feel quite comfortable. It was the feeling of meeting someone on the same wavelength.

"How did competing in one match steal the souls of your opponents?"

Liu Erlong had also guessed Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling's intentions by now. Basically, as long as a beauty showed inexplicable trust and affection toward Gu Zhi, she was almost certainly someone who could see the bullet comments and had been influenced by them.

"Ahem! These two are Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, friends I just met. You could say we became acquainted through a fight..."

Only in situations like this did Gu Zhi feel awkward, as though he had been caught by his girlfriend. But heaven knew he had not taken the initiative!

"Sorry, but we're going back to rest. Please head back, you two."

Liu Erlong spoke up and politely declined Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling's request to accompany them on Gu Zhi's behalf. A movie with five people would be far too crowded.

"That's right. I heard Suotuo City hasn't been very peaceful lately, so you'd better be careful."

Gu Zhi secretly gave Liu Erlong a thumbs-up. Meng Yiran had not said a word the entire way and seemed to be on the verge of getting angry.

"Then... all right. Young Master Gu, please be careful on your way..."

With things having been said to this extent, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling truly could not bring themselves to keep pestering them. Fortunately, they had already gained quite a lot today. Asking for more would only backfire.

In the end, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling left with slight disappointment. The Shui Bing'er sisters were also disappointed. Having missed their chance, they could only wait until tomorrow to see whether they could find another opportunity to get acquainted with Gu Zhi.

"Are we going back to rest, or should we keep looking around?"

Since the Great Soul Arena only allowed one match per day, and Gu Zhi had no interest in watching weaklings peck at each other, he asked Liu Erlong and the others what they thought.

Before Liu Erlong and Meng Yiran could answer, the three of them spotted an armored cavalryman at the entrance of the Great Soul Arena, jogging toward them.

"Excuse me, are you Young Master Gu Zhi?"

The man had the emblem of the First Prince's Residence tied to his shoulder. He should have been one of Xue Qinghe's men, and it appeared he had specifically been waiting here for Gu Zhi.

"I am Gu Zhi. What can I do for you?"

Strange things happened every year, but this year there were especially many. Gu Zhi immediately recognized where the man came from, but he had never had any dealings with Xue Qinghe, who was impersonated by Qian Renxue. Why had she sent someone to find him?

"My lord wishes to invite Young Master Gu to his residence for a discussion. This matter is of great importance, so I hope Young Master Gu will not refuse."

The man was courteous in both word and manner, though there was a trace of firmness in his attitude. Liu Erlong and Meng Yiran instinctively moved closer to Gu Zhi, afraid that a conflict might break out.

"If that is the case, then all right. Sorry for the trouble. Please lead the way."

Gu Zhi did not think too much about it. It was not as though Qian Renxue had prepared swordsmen and axemen to ambush him, was it?

Besides, setting aside how formidable Gu Zhi himself was, Liu Erlong was also at the peak of her strength now. Even if Qian Renxue truly wanted to deal with them, it would not be easy.

Of course, what Gu Zhi thought about most was the strange matter the receptionist at the Great Soul Arena had mentioned earlier. It seemed Qian Renxue had been ordered to investigate the serial disappearance cases in Suotuo City.

Thinking about it that way, Qian Renxue was most likely seeking help. He simply did not know why she would seek help from him...

"What's going on? Why is Qian Renxue here?"

"Did the guy above not follow the plot? It was mentioned earlier that Qian Renxue came to deal with the disappearance cases!"

"These disappearances seem strange! I heard some people vanished into thin air! And so far, not a single missing person has been found! No one even knows whether they're dead or alive!"

"Could an Evil Soul Master be behind this? Other than Evil Soul Masters, I can't think of anyone or anything that would do something like this!"

"But even if an Evil Soul Master did it, there should be traces left behind, right? Even if they killed people and burned the bodies, there would definitely be some clues!"

"Hard to say! Didn't no one discover that Tang San killed Shi Nian, the Canghui Academy team leader, in the original story? That just shows Douluo Continent's criminal investigation methods are pretty poor!"

"Come on, man! You're comparing a no-name academy's investigative methods to Qian Renxue's? In Shi Nian's case, they just didn't want to investigate! Do you really think no one could find any clues at all?"

"Anyway, this disappearance case feels anything but ordinary! Let's all quiet down and keep watching!"

The bullet comments erupted into intense discussion. After all, aside from watching matches and beauties, there was not much else to watch on Douluo Continent.

Such a major incident had occurred this time. Forget the bullet comments—even Gu Zhi's group and all the other beauties paying attention to the matter were intrigued!

Meng Yiran and Liu Erlong exchanged a glance, then began revealing the information provided by the bullet comments to Gu Zhi without any prior discussion. The two of them were also learning the bullet comments' way of thinking, drawing Gu Zhi into this incident.

"The disappearance cases... There really wasn't anything like this in the original story... Could it truly be the work of Evil Soul Masters?"

Evil Soul Masters were also Gu Zhi's first thought. He even began wondering whether something had gone wrong in Slaughter City. However, Bibi Dong was keeping watch over Slaughter City, and Tang Chen was stationed there as well. At least before Tang San made his move, they should have remained at peace...

Gu Zhi still had not figured anything out by the time they reached the hotel where Qian Renxue was staying. Instead, he noticed a figure following them the entire way, apparently believing they had concealed their tracks well.

Gu Zhi quietly exchanged a glance with Liu Erlong. She had noticed the person long ago as well, but since she could not determine their intentions, she had held back.

"Young Master Gu, please proceed to the third floor. His Highness has prepared some modest wine."

After leading Gu Zhi's group to the hotel's third floor, the soldier withdrew. Even with their minds occupied by other matters, Gu Zhi's group had no choice but to take Qian Renxue's invitation seriously.

"Young Master Gu, I have long heard of your great name! Please, take a seat!"

Xue Qinghe was as modest and refined as described in the original story. Though his appearance was somewhat ordinary, the noble air about him could not be concealed.

"I am truly honored by Your Highness's invitation!"

Gu Zhi greeted him together with Meng Yiran. Liu Erlong, being exceptionally strong, could be more casual. This was followed by a round of mutual flattery and meaningless conversation, all intended to help both sides quickly become familiar with one another.

"Did Your Highness invite me here because of the recent disappearance cases in the city?"

Gu Zhi soon got straight to the point. No one had come here to listen to meaningless pleasantries, so it was better to speed up the meeting's formalities.

"To be honest, I truly had no other options, which is why I sought Young Master Gu's help..."

Qian Renxue had wanted to converse with Gu Zhi a little longer, but he was more interested in the disappearance cases. She could only serve the main course first.