"No way..."
Guinaifen noticed someone approaching, and when she looked up and saw Baiheng, she was stunned for a moment: "Miss Baiheng? Why are you here too?"
She subconsciously glanced at Cipher, who was beside Baiheng, and felt she looked unfamiliar.
"Uh, just out for a stroll with a friend."
Baiheng gestured toward Cipher, trying to keep her smile natural. "Guinaifen, are you... looking for something? You seem quite anxious."
Guinaifen acted as if she had grabbed a lifeline, ignoring the "low-profile observation" Hanya had requested. With a tragic expression, she said, "It's more than just looking for something! A person is gone! And the item is gone with her!"
She spilled the story at a rapid pace. "I... uh, took a gig to help out, following a fox-person maiden from the Ten-Lords Commission named Huo Huo. She was just sitting over there,"
She pointed to the bench. "I saw with my own eyes how she went 'whoosh' and vanished! Disappeared into thin air! Then a pair of sunglasses fell on the ground. I was just about to go pick them up to see if they were a clue, but the moment I bent down, the sunglasses were gone too! Tell me, isn't that strange?!"
Huo Huo?!
Baiheng felt a jolt in her heart.
She remembered that name!
It was mentioned in the file provided by Madam Herta.
Just this morning, Cipher had helped deliver the "courage-boosting medicine" to her!
How could she have suddenly disappeared?
Baiheng steadied herself and asked tentatively, "Are you sure... she vanished? You didn't missee it, or perhaps she used some sort of escape technique?"
"Absolutely certain!"
Guinaifen stamped her foot in anxiety. "Even an escape technique would have some light or shadow effects, right? She just vanished completely! It was like she was erased by an eraser! And those sunglasses..."
Her gaze suddenly landed on the black sunglasses that Cipher was unconsciously swinging around in her hand. Her eyes widened. "Wait! These sunglasses... why do they look so much like the ones in your hand?!"
Baiheng was suddenly a bit embarrassed and coughed lightly. "This... it's embarrassing to say, but these sunglasses are what my friend... just picked up over there."
She pointed toward the bench.
"Picked up?!"
Guinaifen's voice rose. "Just picked up? But I clearly..."
She looked at Cipher's innocent face, then at Baiheng's slightly apologetic smile, and suddenly felt her brain couldn't keep up.
Guinaifen's mouth twitched, and she could only say dryly, "Your friend... has fast hands, huh?"
"Uh, she... indeed, her movements are quite nimble."
Baiheng said vaguely, quickly changing the subject. "But the key point now is, that Miss Huo Huo is missing? What do you plan to do next?"
Mentioning this, Guinaifen wilted again, her face full of worry. "What else can I do... I have to contact... uh, report it! I lost track of her... I'm in big trouble now!"
Remembering Hanya's expressionless yet high-pressure face, she felt her future looked bleak.
Seeing that she was truly pitiful, Baiheng comforted her: "It's an unexpected situation, no one could have predicted it. The most urgent matter is to notify the Ten-Lords Commission, right? See if they have any way to handle it."
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Guinaifen nodded repeatedly and pulled out her Jade Abacus. She hesitated for a moment, then looked at Baiheng and Cipher, her face showing a bit of embarrassment and pleading. "Um... Miss Baiheng, and this... uh, fast... handed lady, could I trouble you two to stay for a while? Later... if it's necessary to explain the situation, could you help me by being witnesses? I'm afraid I won't be able to explain it clearly on my own, and what if the higher-ups think I'm spouting nonsense or failed to do my job..."
She clasped her hands together, looking at Bai Xing with eager eyes.
Bai Xing weighed the situation quickly in her mind.
Staying as a witness? That meant dealing with people from the Ten-Lords Commission. Although it would be in the capacity of a "witness," there was still a risk.
Could her disguised identity as "Baiheng" withstand a simple investigation?
Cipher, standing beside her, was a member of the Golden Descendants, with only a superficial understanding of Xianzhou common knowledge...
But looking at Guinaifen's expression, which was on the verge of tears, and thinking that the missing Huo Huo might involve Madam Herta's plans, Bai Xing softened and nodded. "Alright, we won't leave yet. When the person you contacted arrives, we'll describe what we saw."
"Thank you so much! Miss Baiheng, you really are a good person!"
Guinaifen was so moved she was almost in tears. She quickly lowered her head and began fiddling with her Jade Abacus, preparing to report this bizarre "fox-person maiden disappearance case" to Hanya.
Bai Xing sighed softly and exchanged a glance with Cipher.
Cipher still had a look of novelty on her face, swinging the sunglasses in her hand, and asked in a low voice, "So, we are going to wait for someone to come?"
"...Pretty much."
Baiheng rubbed her temples, feeling as though trouble was coming one after another.
She glanced at the empty bench, a vague premonition in her heart: Huo Huo's disappearance was likely not a simple accident.
The commotion here, though not intense, was like a pebble thrown into calm water; the ripples spreading out were enough to attract the attention of those eyes hidden beneath black veils in the shadows.
Jingliu held her Erhu, which never left her side, her figure almost merging with the corner of the wall.
The black blindfold blocked out the real light, but her perception was even clearer.
("Bai Xing... and that new cat-eared woman, as well as a strange young girl... gathered near the bench over there, looking unusual.")
Jingliu looked in that direction, her cold perception like invisible tentacles, cautiously extending over to capture fragmented information.
("Disappearance? Vanished into thin air?")
Doubts arose in Jingliu's heart.
This was definitely not an ordinary matter.
On the Xianzhou, escape techniques, formations, and even some Curios could achieve similar effects, but usually, there would be traces to follow.
Such a clean and neat "disappearance" was definitely not simple.
She did not rashly step forward.
The doubts surrounding Baiheng remained, and the newly appeared cat-eared woman was also of unknown origin; intervening at this moment was not a wise move.
Jingliu tilted her head slightly, looking into the shadows of the street further away.
There, a middle-aged man wearing ordinary cloth clothes was also glancing inadvertently toward the direction of Baiheng and the others, but his fingers were secretly and rapidly operating a Jade Abacus inside his sleeve.
("A secret sentry of the Cloud Knights? Or an informant for the Seat of Divine Foresight?")
Jingliu immediately discerned that presence, which was well-concealed but could not escape her perception.
The target... seemed to include her as well?
She remained calm, understanding in her heart.
This surveillance had probably been going on for some time.
Seat of Divine Foresight.
Jing Yuan leaned back in his large chair, one hand supporting his chin, while the fingers of his other hand tapped rhythmically on the smooth desktop, his face wearing his usual lazy smile.
The air in front of him rippled slightly, projecting a semi-transparent screen that only he could see, constantly refreshing with encrypted characters.
The latest message came from the secret sentry, with concise content:
[Target A (Jingliu) has stopped moving and is observing covertly. Target B (Bai Xing), an unknown cat-eared female, and street performer Guinaifen have gathered. A minor commotion occurred, suspected to involve a third party. Guinaifen appears anxious and is attempting to contact someone. Situation unclear. Requesting further instructions.]
The smile in Jing Yuan's eyes deepened slightly, his thoughts moving like lightning.
("Jingliu is indeed watching them. And things around this Miss Bai Xing are truly getting livelier and livelier.")
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