"Miss, you are too courteous." Chen Mo slightly nodded, then asked, "I heard from Saintess Yu about the general situation, what exactly happened?"
Qiao Tong struggled to avert her gaze from that handso face and replied, "It’s like this: in response to the court’s summons, besides the Saintess, the sect sent two direct disciples to the Capital City for study and observation. However, we don’t usually live together..."
"They usually arrive on ti for classes at the Imperial College, but they were noticeably absent the day before yesterday."
"When I received the news and ca to check, I found the place deserted, and the communication talisman couldn’t reach them either."
"The point is, this isn’t the first ti this has happened. Based on what I know, in the past few days, other sects have also had disciples go missing, and the circumstances are all very similar..."
As Qiao Tong recounted the situation, Chen Mo’s gaze roved around the courtyard, with a glint of purple-gold light in his eyes.
Observing for a long ti, he did not notice anything unusual.
No signs of a struggle, nor any lingering aura, as if they had vanished into thin air.
"Let’s check inside."
Chen Mo walked through the courtyard and entered a bedroom.
The sheets were spread across the bed, looking slightly untidy.
He opened the wardrobe, which was filled with clothes.
"If they had just gone to a nearby town, there shouldn’t be silence for two days; but if they were on a long journey, why would they leave without packing any luggage?"
"Nine tis out of ten, sothing has happened..."
Yu Hongyin looked sowhat worried.
Chen Mo glanced around and asked, "Was there any witness or unusual noises that night?"
Qiao Tong shook her head, "We’ve already asked around door-to-door in the vicinity, but found no useful clues."
Chen Mo asked again, "What level are the two who disappeared? Have there been any recent disputes with others?"
Qiao Tong answered, "Both are fifth-grade cultivators, generally well-liked, and no reported conflicts."
Chen Mo pondered silently.
This case seems a bit tricky...
Most importantly, the motive of the perpetrator is unclear... Who would target sect disciples, and for what purpose?
"ow~"
At this mont, the cat stretched lazily.
It reached out with a little paw and tugged at Chen Mo’s collar, wanting him to play for a while.
Seeing he ignored it, feeling sowhat bored, it jumped down from his shoulder and began wandering around the room.
Chen Mo thought for a mont and took out a bronze candle lamp from the storage ring.
He rubbed his fingertip, igniting the lamp’s wick, and placed it on the table.
This soul summoning lamp was seized from Ghost Cultivator You Daoist; once the candle is lit, it automatically attracts nearby wandering souls.
He waited for a while, but there was no motion.
"It seems the two most likely aren’t dead, at least not in this room."
Though this was good news, it also ant the last clue was lost.
Yu Hongyin breathed a sigh of relief.
She looked at Chen Mo with a hint of curiosity in her eyes.
There are similarities between Ghost Cultivators and Witch Cultivators; it’s just one devours souls while the other controls them. She hadn’t expected him to understand such thods...
Just as everyone was at their wit’s end, the cat crawled out from under the bed, owing incessantly.
"You stupid cat, shut up!"
Chen Mo was sowhat annoyed by the noise and prepared to throw it out.
He looked down, and his gaze paused.
"Hmm?"
Seeing the cat gesturing towards him with a paw, which was wrapped around a strand of black hair.
Chen Mo crouched down, picked up the strand of hair, and scrutinized it closely.
Yu Hongyin and Qiao Tong also gathered around.
"The cut is very clean; it’s been sliced by a sharp instrunt, not naturally fallen out." Chen Mo rubbed his fingers and said, "The hair hasn’t beco dry, so it’s been less than three days."
"It coincides with the ti of disappearance."
Yu Hongyin mused, "The Netherworld Sect excels at summoning spirit and tracking; perhaps when faced with danger, and unable to fight back, they cut off a piece of hair and threw it under the bed, hoping to use it to convey information..."
"If only we had the Erosion Light Hourglass, we could recreate the scene with just this strand of hair."
"Unfortunately, after the defeat of Blood Demon Fu Li, that magical treasure disappeared; it seems we can only send a ssage back to the sect and have the master personally co here... Hmm?!"
The conversation abruptly stopped.
Her red lips slightly parted, she stared dumbfounded at the scene before her.
She saw Chen Mo holding a palm-sized bronze disc, inscribed with the twelve hours on the inner circle, and the outer circle densely packed with talisman symbols. The teorite iron needle embedded in the center was dark as shadow, seemingly able to swallow light.
"Ero... Erosion Light Hourglass?!"
"How is this item in your possession?!"
Yu Hongyin gasped incredulously.
"I picked it up."
Chen Mo said indifferently.
"..."
Yu Hongyin recalled the scene at that ti, after the great battle ended, Chen Mo mysteriously disappeared along with the sect’s holy artifact, Erosion Light Hourglass, and even the master could find no trace despite searching thoroughly...
So he picked it up?!
"Never mind the rest; with this, we can know what happened that night!"
She was excited, subconsciously reaching out to take it.
The next mont, a fierce killing intent enveloped her, her action suddenly froze.
Chen Mo narrowed his eyes slightly, and said icily, "Trying to forcibly take it? Is that polite?"
Yu Hongyin’s throat slightly moved, intending to ntion that the magical treasure originally belonged to the Netherworld Sect, but the words were swallowed back.
The Erosion Light Hourglass has been lost for decades, during which Chen Mo almost lost his life acquiring it... To take it back so easily now would indeed be unreasonable.
"Mr. Chen, you misunderstood; I just want to borrow it, not to seize it."
Yu Hongyin shook her head and said, "Moreover, there’s no use for you to hold it; the Erosion Light Hourglass is unlike other magical treasures, profound and mysterious, yin and yang coexistent. If you don’t have the compatible cultivation technique, you can’t drive it..."
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