The next day, in the dean's office.
"This is outrageous! Completely lawless!"
Prince Xue Xing was shaking with anger as he slammed the note onto the desk.
"Xue Beng—a living person—was kidnapped inside the academy, right under everyone's noses! If this gets out, where will the Heaven Dou Royal Academy put its face?!"
Members of the Education Committee—Meng Shenji, Bai Baoshan, and Zhi Lin—stood solemnly to the side.
"Your Highness, please calm yourself. The most important thing now is how to resolve this matter," Meng Shenji said, trying to placate him.
"Resolve it? How am I supposed to resolve it?!"
Xue Xing glared at him. "Chief Meng Shenji, is this how you manage the academy? A dignified prince was kidnapped on campus—none of you can escape responsibility!"
"Your Highness is joking," Meng Shenji replied calmly. "We are merely responsible for academic instruction. The academy's overall management depends on the dean's capable leadership."
"Exactly," Bai Baoshan chimed in casually. "Before the dean returned, the academy was perfectly safe. Why has something like this happened now?"
He then turned to the side. "Zhi Lin, what do you think?"
Zhi Lin waved his hands hastily. "Don't ask me—I don't know! Anyway, it's definitely not the dean's fault. Absolutely not!"
"You all—!"
Xue Xing's face turned livid.
Who was the dean, if not Prince Xue Xing himself?
They were clearly mocking him indirectly.
In truth, the three Education Committee members didn't particularly care about Prince Xue Beng.
After all, above them stood Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, known for his wisdom and benevolence. Whether the arrogant Fourth Prince existed or not made little difference.
If this incident hadn't happened on campus and affected the academy's reputation, they might even have applauded.
"Your Highness, there are two priorities now," Meng Shenji interrupted the argument. "First, locate and rescue the Fourth Prince. Second, prepare the ransom to ensure his safety."
"I've already asked Mr. Dugu to search for clues," Xue Xing said, forcing himself to suppress his anger. "As for the ransom…"
He frowned deeply. "Scraping together a hundred thousand gold coins is possible, but Whale Gel—and a storage spirit tool capable of holding living creatures—can't be obtained immediately."
He couldn't help but feel puzzled. "I understand demanding money, but why so much Whale Gel? And why specifically a storage spirit tool that can hold living beings?"
Zhi Lin coughed lightly. "According to ancient records, Whale Gel has certain… special uses. The kidnappers may have particular needs."
"What worries me more," Meng Shenji added gravely, pointing at the first two words on the note, "is how they described the Fourth Prince."
"If the kidnappers have intentions beyond simple extortion… if the Fourth Prince isn't rescued quickly, his reputation may be impossible to protect."
"No! Absolutely not!"
Xue Xing shouted without thinking.
If news spread that Xue Beng had been kidnapped and suffered some kind of "special incident," his already slim chance of competing for the throne would be cut in half again.
His already terrible reputation would be utterly ruined.
At that moment, the door opened and Dugu Bo walked in.
"Mr. Dugu, have you found any leads?" Xue Xing asked anxiously.
Dugu Bo shook his head. "The kidnappers can conceal their aura. I couldn't detect any unusual traces."
"Even you couldn't find them…"
Xue Xing's face turned ashen.
Although Dugu Bo was famous for poison, after inheriting the Jade Phosphor Serpent, his sense of smell had become exceptionally sharp. If even he couldn't find them, then no one could.
"However, I wasn't completely empty-handed," Dugu Bo continued. "Based on the traces at the scene, the kidnappers should be proficient in earth-type movement techniques."
"Then what should we do?" Xue Xing asked.
"On one hand, mobilize people everywhere to search for the Fourth Prince and prepare the ransom," Dugu Bo said. "On the other, gather Spirit Masters skilled in sensing and excavation. At the same time… wait for the kidnappers' next instructions."
Three days later, a new note appeared at the academy gate:
[Are the items ready? If so, go to the third jar in West Alley of Heaven Dou City to obtain the next clue.
Warning: only come when fully prepared, or I cannot guarantee the Fourth Prince's safety.]
Three days after that, guards moved the jar and found another note underneath:
[Congratulations. You're one step closer to finding the adorable Prince. Tomorrow, twenty miles north of the city, in the valley, there's a boulder with a hole beneath it. Throw the items in and leave immediately.]
Xue Xing personally went with his men and immediately ordered Spirit Masters to pursue through the hole, but all they found was yet another note:
[So many people looking for me? How lively. Shall we make it livelier? Tomorrow, go another ten miles north—by yourself. There's a boulder beside a giant tree. Place the items underneath.]
The handwriting was sloppy, the tone mocking and full of ridicule.
Yet after Xue Xing followed the instructions, another note appeared.
After several attempts in a row, there was still no sign of either the kidnapper or Xue Beng.
[So many people coming to look for me—I'm truly flattered.]
Only then did Xue Xing and the others realize the truth.
The kidnappers knew all of their movements.
Even though the guards and Dugu Bo deliberately kept their distance during these operations, they were still discovered.
The final note appeared directly in Prince Xue Xing's dean's office:
[Last chance. You alone. Twenty miles west of the city. Throw the items under the stone on the mountainside. Understood?]
"Damn it…"
Xue Xing's face darkened, but he had no choice.
He couldn't keep Xue Beng's kidnapping hidden much longer.
The next day, he went alone to the designated location, carrying the storage spirit tool containing the ransom, and dropped it into a pitch-black hole.
The hole was deep and dark, leading to an unknown underground space.
A hundred meters below, Zygarde had already been waiting.
After quickly confirming that everything was in order, it picked up the storage spirit tool in its mouth and silently departed through another pre-dug tunnel.
Almost at the same time, the unconscious Xue Beng was discovered by Dugu Bo in a woodshed within a courtyard somewhere in Heaven Dou City.
He was disheveled, reeked of filth, covered in bruises, and had several words written on his body:
[Goods returned. Thank you for your patronage.]
When Xue Xing rushed over, Xue Beng had just awakened. His eyes were vacant, and he couldn't answer any questions—he only remembered being knocked unconscious, with no memory of what happened afterward, merely an overwhelming pain throughout his body.
Examinations confirmed that aside from extensive bruising, Xue Beng was otherwise unharmed.
However, the Fourth Prince's "warm-hearted" reputation was firmly engraved in the minds of all those who knew the truth.
—
At the edge of the Sunset Forest.
'Do you need me to take you away immediately?' Zygarde asked.
"Run? Why would I run?"
"The one who kidnapped the Fourth Prince was a mysterious master skilled in disguise, someone even Dugu Bo couldn't see through. What does that have to do with a small Spirit Master like me?"
Bai Mu chuckled softly as he toyed with the storage spirit tool.
It was an ordinary black ring, with an internal space of about thirty cubic meters, capable of holding living creatures.
Inside were piles of gleaming gold coins and large quantities of Whale Gel.
"Too bad that old man left early," Bai Mu muttered, glancing regretfully in the direction of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. "Otherwise, I could've taken everything in one sweep."
After finding Xue Beng, Dugu Bo hadn't lingered and immediately returned to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, causing Bai Mu's plan to seize all the Immortal Herbs there to fail.
Still, there was good news.
Through the Z-Cell he had left behind, Bai Mu knew that although Dugu Bo sensed something was missing from the medicinal garden, his confidence in his poison formations prevented him from harboring real suspicion.
Those Immortal Herbs were only stored there temporarily.
When the time came, Bai Mu could return and take them whenever Dugu Bo was away.
"The interest has been collected."
Bai Mu put away the ring and looked into the distance. "Next… I need to find a place to properly digest these resources."
As long as he could fully absorb the Whale Gel and strengthen his physique, absorbing a thousand-year spirit ring would no longer be a problem.
"Little Soft, let's go."
"Woof~"
One man and one dog vanished into the depths of the Sunset Forest.