READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 62 Missed by One Step
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Above the Guardian Martial Department, the dark clouds were as thick as ink.
A sudden rainbow-colored light cut through the sky and descended, landing steadily in the rear hall of the Guardian Martial Department.
As soon as this streak of light touched the ground, it dissipated like fireworks, revealing the stern face of Jia Zhiping.
Unlike the usual bustle, Jia Zhiping found the rear hall to be unusually quiet at this moment.
His heart tensed suddenly, as if realizing something, and he quickly surveyed his surroundings.
The vast rear hall was empty, with not even a trace of many servants.
Jia Zhiping strode quickly into the quiet room at the back hall, only to see chaos all around, with no sign of Zheng Yuanqiu.
This person had realized something was amiss and fled ahead of him.
Damn it!
Jia Zhiping's expression turned extremely grim.
He angrily swept his sleeve and swiftly left the Guardian Martial Department in a hurry.
Meanwhile,
As Commander Jia Zhiping rushed to the Guardian Martial Department, Huang Furo, after issuing a few orders in succession, brought Shen Qing along and hurried toward Changhua Street.
Changhua Street belonged to Anshan Square, located in the southeast part of Yongzhou City, a place of prosperity.
Zheng Yuanqiu's residence was here.
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The distance between Changhua Street and the government office of the Military Department was not far, and Huang Furo, bringing Shen Qing and a few subordinates, took only half a moment to reach the "Zheng Mansion."
The majestic courtyard had its front gate tightly shut.
Without hesitation, Huang Furo gracefully raised her hand, striking the door with the force of thunder.
Accompanied by a deafening "bang," the wooden door exploded instantly, splintering apart with shards flying everywhere.
The air was filled with the mingling dusty scent of wood and earth.
Huang Furo's face was cold as frost, expressionlessly retracting her hand before propelling herself forward like an arrow released from a bowstring, entering without a moment's hesitation.
Shen Qing, witnessing this scene from the side, was momentarily stunned.
Huang Furo's actions were truly like those of a man, rudely forceful, without consideration.
No time to ponder further, Shen Qing quickly collected his thoughts.
Following Huang Furo, he and other officers from the Military Department rushed in one after another.
The numerous servants in the courtyard, engrossed in their tasks, were startled by their forceful arrival.
A steward stepped forward, shouting, "This is the residence of Lord Chief Officer of the Guardian Martial Department. What are you doing?"
"Search!" Huang Furo's voice was cold and powerful, echoing in the empty house, ignoring the steward.
She knew that every second was crucial and that she must find Zheng Yuanqiu's whereabouts quickly.
Otherwise, delays could lead to unexpected changes.
If this matter went unresolved, it would be impossible to account for it.
"You!" The Zheng Mansion steward, seeing these people act so rudely, glared angrily.
Huang Furo stepped forward and questioned, "Let me ask you, where is your master now?"
The Zheng Mansion steward looked closely, seeing that this was none other than Huang Furo, the Commander of the Military Department, and eldest daughter of the Huangfu family, who had eyebrows like distant ink strokes and wore beige attire exuding the aura of a high-ranking person.
Having spent years with Zheng Yuanqiu and seen much, he immediately recognized the incredibly beautiful woman before him. Even if his master were present, he would show due respect to someone like her.
He dared not act rashly, and his arrogance quickly subsided.
The Zheng Mansion steward, unable to grasp the situation, answered honestly to Huang Furo's questioning, "The master is always busy with official duties and is elusive. How would we servants know?"
"Then when was the last time you saw him today?"
"Earlier today, it was around noon when the master returned briefly, took some things, and left in a hurry."
Hearing this, Huang Furo's heart skipped a beat, realizing that Zheng Yuanqiu might have already fled far away.
"Sir, there's no trace of Mr. Zheng in the house."
"None here either."
"..."
The subordinates reported in succession.
"Take these people back for questioning. You two, come with me."
Huang Furo was not surprised by such a result. She pointed out Shen Qing and another officer from the Military Department, then hurried towards the door.
"Yes."
Shen Qing and the other officer responded in unison, ignoring the chaos behind and swiftly following.
Once out of the Zheng Mansion, Huang Furo rushed straight to the nearest city gate without any hesitation.
When the three of them arrived at the city gate, they found that Jia Zhiping was already waiting there for some time.
Huang Furo stepped forward and spoke first: "Sir, how's the situation?"
Jia Zhiping said in a deep voice: "It seems Zheng Yuanqiu was well prepared. I've asked at all the city gates, and none have discovered any trace of his departure. It seems he's been building back routes for himself during his time at the Guardian Martial Department."
Huang Furo gritted her teeth, her expression turning grim.
Jia Zhiping scanned the surroundings, his gaze firm, and said: "Immediately deploy the city's forces to seal all the main exits, and at the same time strengthen the patrols within the city. We must find Zheng Yuanqiu's trail."
Hearing this, the assembled officers quickly followed orders and moved into action.
Commander Jia Zhiping said calmly, "Now, Lord Huangfu, control the situation while I promptly meet the Prefectural Governor to report this matter."
"Subordinate, at your command." Huang Furo clasped her hands, her expression becoming more solemn.
As the seconds and minutes passed, to everyone's surprise, Zheng Yuanqiu seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Even if they searched every nook and cranny, they were unable to find any trace.
Facing such a situation, Shen Qing's heart sank. At this moment, he suddenly felt extremely insecure.
Now that he had torn relations with Zheng Yuanqiu and had become mortal enemies, with a Dan Realm martial master hidden in the shadows, he could not rest easy if not killed.
Jia Zhiping and his forces, contrary to what he had thought, were not omnipotent; their efforts had reached a stalemate.
When he was clueless and troubled, he happened to walk past the street where he had previously shot down the disciples of the Huang Tian Sect.
The image of a yellow paper crane flashed through his mind.
Shen Qing paused, frowning slightly.
In the "Annotations on Talismans," a method named the tracking talisman surfaced in his mind.
He focused his mind, revealing a line of ink-washed text.
[Skill: Talisman Making Skill (Skillfully)]
[Progress: 115/200 points]
[Status: Cannot be upgraded]
[Note: Talismans are the divine skills of ancient immortals. Now that the great path has declined, it takes ten thousand efforts to achieve even a bit. With relentless practice, one can achieve the slightest success.]
After learning the annotations on talismans, Shen Qing had practiced secretly out of curiosity for some time.
During his practice, he found that this skill required great effort for little gain and was extremely difficult to train.
Without the right techniques, it was hard to utilize and could only produce minor results.
As a result, this skill was gradually sidelined, and he left its progress at a skillful level before setting it aside.
Now, the matter of the yellow paper crane reminded him that among the many talismans, the tracking talisman was the most basic, conveniently within his range of creation.
Perhaps he could try out this talisman.
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