Chapter 36: Critical, dad, please save him

Yan Miao was missing.

Mo Qin had gone looking for Yan Miao twice, but found no trace of him.

At first, he thought Yan Miao was deliberately avoiding him.

It wasn’t until the third time, still without seeing him, that Mo Qin sensed something was wrong.

Mo Qin asked Yan Miao’s dorm mates, and they all said Yan Miao hadn’t been around for two days; they assumed he had gone home.

But Yan Miao had no home.

He lived alone in an old house in the Shijiao area.

Unless necessary, he rarely went back.

Mo Qin had accidentally discovered how frugal Yan Miao’s lifestyle was and suspected that his family treated him poorly.

That was why he ordered an investigation.

Not even Bai Maomao knew.

Yan Miao never spoke about his background to anyone.

Mo Qin messaged Bai Maomao, asking them to help search around the school.

Meanwhile, he went in person to Yan Miao’s Shijiao residence.

The chance that Yan Miao would return alone was very slim, but Mo Qin couldn’t bear to give up even that one in ten thousand chance.

Yan Miao’s house was in Shijiao, a neighborhood undergoing demolition.

On the crumbling old buildings, red paint marked the characters for “demolition,” and the crisscrossing roads were littered with trash.

The roadside ditches emitted a foul stench.

Despite this, quite a few people still lived there.

Yan Miao’s home was among them.

Mo Qin could hardly imagine Yan Miao living in such a place.

When the report came in before, it only mentioned an old house in Shijiao.

If Mo Qin had asked more questions or come to see it himself sooner, maybe Yan Miao would have suffered less.

This area had no planning or management.

The buildings all looked similar, and not a single Residence Permit hung on any door.

Mo Qin endured the many suspicious looks from the locals as he went door to door, finally locating Yan Miao’s home.

Yan Miao’s place was on the seventh floor.

The narrow stairwell was dimly lit.

Several iron doors were tightly closed, and everything was silent.

Mo Qin tried knocking but got no response.

Standing there and hesitating, Mo Qin cleared his throat nervously, then cast a small Law Technique to unlock the door.

The front door opened directly into the living room.

The room was dark and damp, filled with a musty, moldy smell.

Mo Qin fumbled for the light switch. When the bright light flashed on, it made him blink.

Yan Miao’s home was as neat and clean as he was.

The living room was small, barely enough to fit a sofa and a small table.

Mo Qin, towering over a meter eighty, looked awkward in the cramped space.

Although the house was small, it was clear Yan Miao took care of it diligently.

The mismatched sofa covers looked soft and comfortable.

On the table lay a few books.

Mo Qin picked up the top one and flipped through it.

It was filled with dense English words.

He clicked his tongue, then reluctantly put it back down.

After circling the living room, Mo Qin couldn’t help himself and, like a thief, opened the bedroom door.

The bedroom was even simpler.

Besides a bed and a wardrobe, there was nothing else.

Yan Miao’s life was even more impoverished than Mo Qin had imagined.

His heart ached, but more than that, he felt regret—regret for not meeting Yan Miao earlier, for not treating him better.

Yan Miao wasn’t here.

Mo Qin was anxious to find him and didn’t stay long before preparing to leave.

As he locked the door, an elderly neighbor came out to take out the trash.

The old man gave him a suspicious glance but said nothing.

Mo Qin, feeling awkward under that gaze, scratched his nose and took the initiative to greet him.

“Sir, I’m a classmate of Yan Miao’s. I’m just here to help bring him some things.”

Upon hearing “classmate,” the old man’s expression softened noticeably.

“You’re Xiao Yan’s classmate? How’s he doing now? That boy…no parents from the start, finally grew up and got into college. I wonder how he’s been lately.”

Mo Qin forced a smile.

“He’s doing well. Good grades, liked by teachers and classmates.”

“That’s good, that’s good,” the old man nodded with a smile.

“This kid’s suffered a lot, but it’s finally paying off. As for this place… who knows if he’ll come back here.”

“He definitely will,” Mo Qin said.

The old man shook his head with a smile, carrying his bag of trash down the stairs, waving a hand behind him.

“If he can avoid coming back here, better not come back at all.”

Mo Qin knew that after returning to school, his heart would still feel heavy.

He didn’t know if Bai Maomao and the others had found Yan Miao yet.

He hurried back to the dorm, only to find Bai Maomao and Lang Junxian both looking pale.

Mo Qin’s heart sank.

He forced a smile.

“What’s wrong? You look bad. Have you found him?”

Lang Junxian patted his shoulder and handed him his phone.

“You…look for yourself.”

Mo Qin silently took the phone.

A message was sent from Yan Miao’s WeChat account—a short video showing Yan Miao tied up hand and foot, face down on the ground.

Mo Qin instinctively clenched the phone.

Below the video was a voice message.

The voice had been altered, sharp and harsh: “Tomorrow night at ten o’clock, Xiaoxingxing Food Factory in Beijiao. If you don’t come, be ready to collect his body.”

“Tomorrow night, I’m going,” Mo Qin said coldly.

His face, which barely held a smile, was now deadly serious.

“Let’s go together,” Lang Junxian frowned, disapproving.

“This is obviously a trap to use Yan Miao as bait. It’s too dangerous for you alone.”

Bai Maomao was even more irritable.

“What good is it if you go alone? How many can you fight?”

Mo Qin gritted his teeth and was silent for a moment before agreeing.

“Alright, I’ll contact someone first.”

The three prepared separately.

Mo Qin paced anxiously in the dorm room, his fingers turning pale from clenching so hard.

Then, as if making a decision, he dialed a number.

The waiting time felt unbearably long.

Mo Qin nervously paced the balcony.

“Ah Qin?”

The phone was answered by a stern male voice.

“You finally came to your senses?”

Mo Qin paused.

“I have. On one condition—you help me save someone.”

“Oh?”

The man’s tone sounded pleased.

“Go on.”

“A…classmate of mine,” Mo Qin hesitated.

“Was kidnapped. I suspect it was the Gong Family. The Gong Family is allied with the Lang Family. If you can get the Lang Family to rescue him, I’ll return by the end of this semester.”

The man on the other end wasn’t interested in who needed rescuing.

He simply put forth his own terms.

“Getting the Lang Family involved isn’t difficult. But once the person is saved, you must return to Shangjing immediately.”

“Fine.”

Early the next morning, the three set out for Beijiao.

The Xiaoxingxing Food Factory mentioned on WeChat was an abandoned factory.

Guangshi Shi had been undergoing redevelopment in recent years.

Most factories had been moved to a newly built industrial park, leaving Beijiao to gradually fall into ruin.

Many shady deals preferred the quiet of Beijiao.

The factory was empty.

Lang Junxian scoped the area, sniffed, and said, “No one’s here.”

As expected.

The three carefully surveyed the terrain, found a hidden spot to lie low, and waited quietly for the appointed time.

Yan Miao woke from the cold.

Though the season, the nights were still chilly.

He was tied up hand and foot, thrown onto the floor.

The cold seeped through his clothes, making him shiver uncontrollably.

Aware of his situation, Yan Miao feigned unconsciousness—occasionally opening one eye slightly to assess his surroundings.

He lay at the far end of the room.

Two guards stood by the door.

Yan Miao’s heart raced.

Secretly, his hands tied behind his back made a subtle Law Technique gesture.

The ropes snapped easily.

The guards by the door didn’t notice.

Yan Miao smiled inwardly, gathering strength, preparing to break the window and escape at the right moment.

“What are you doing?”

A sharp shout froze Yan Miao.

He withdrew his hands, closed his eyes, and lay still.

The guards stood respectfully by the door, like quails too afraid to make a sound.

Footsteps approached, growing louder.

“Since you’re awake, stop pretending.”

Yan Miao’s fingers trembled behind his back as he forced himself to stay calm and motionless.

The man sneered and kicked him lightly.

Without caring if he was awake, he said, “I heard you’re Mo Qin’s lover?”

Yan Miao said nothing; his trembling only worsened.

“Tell me, if I let someone have you, would Mo Qin be furious? Or how about this—trade your life for Mo Qin’s Cultivation? Which do you think is more important?”

Yan Miao’s heart turned colder with every word.

Clearly, they were using him to threaten Mo Qin.

He couldn’t let them succeed.

Thinking of Mo Qin steadied him.

He gathered his strength and suddenly sprang up, jabbing fiercely at the man’s eyes.

Gong Shaotian twisted swiftly to dodge, but without Cultivation, his movements weren’t as agile as before.

Though he avoided the blow, Yan Miao still left a deep bloodied scratch across his face.

“Disable him!”

Gong Shaotian roared in fury.

Yan Miao’s strike missed its mark.

He turned and ran toward the window, trying to break through.

Unfortunately, before he could shatter the glass, a powerful oppressive aura filled the room, pinning him down.

The pressure intensified.

Yan Miao, lacking strong Cultivation, was soon forced to crawl on the ground, unable to move.

Gong Shaotian covered his bleeding face, glaring cruelly.

He pressed his foot onto Yan Miao’s fingers.

“None of you will escape today.”