Chapter 71: The Near-Collapse of Cao Zi’ang, Home Is Gone

Words : 1303 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

…… Bai Hemen suddenly felt enlightened! Before his grandmother passed away, she often said, "Birds of a feather flock together. A good friend can influence your whole life and even change your way of thinking. That’s why you must be careful when making friends. Don’t let bad people lead you astray—learn from the good." Bai Hemen had thought about making friends too. But over the years, the people he met were either too stupid, lacked depth, or were overly showy. As a result, his ordinary life had been incredibly dull. Later, when he joined 749 Bureau, he thought he could finally find friends in the world of Cultivators of Qi. But after joining, Bai Hemen realized— Never put people on a pedestal for no reason. Cultivators of Qi weren’t much better than ordinary people. The stupid ones were still just as stupid. And on top of that, they were too weak. Too useless. They couldn’t even master anything in days. How could such people be friends? Their very sense of presence in the world was different. People like that couldn’t grow together. The only result would be Bai Hemen advancing faster and faster, while they fell farther and farther behind. Just earlier, he had posed a question to others with decent talent, though weaker than him—this was Bai Hemen deliberately lowering his standards. For example, Wen Ruchu. But the answer Bai Hemen got was, "How could you think that? We can’t just lump all monsters together. Everything should be experienced firsthand." At that moment, Bai Hemen felt Wen Ruchu had a problem with his brain. Experience everything firsthand? That’s a surefire way to die of exhaustion. Different times, different places, different people, different emotions—too many variables. Even species aren’t the same. How the hell are you supposed to experience everything firsthand? It was pure nonsense. But today, Lu Ding’s response had opened a whole new world for Bai Hemen. …… Evening arrived. Lu Ding was still inside the report room, yet to come out. This was a major incident—hundreds of civilians had died, including foreigners. The higher-ups wouldn’t accept just Yan Feifan’s report alone. There was no other way. Lu Ding had to go through everything with him, answering questions from start to finish, covering every detail. He wasn’t done yet. Meanwhile, on the other side, Cao Zi’ang arrived at Yunhai East Station. Squeezed within the crowd, his brows were furrowed, his expression tense. On his phone screen was his chat with Cao Yuan—dozens of messages sent, all from him. But Cao Yuan hadn’t replied to a single one. Not just Cao Yuan. His father, Cao Jianshu. His mother, Jia Yuanfang. His uncle, Cao Yutang. None of them had responded. Even when he messaged other family members from the second branch, no one replied. This was f***ing ridiculous!! If it were just one person, fine. But an entire group of people ignoring him? "Could something have happened?" "That’s not possible… Even if something happened, it wouldn’t affect all of them at once, right!?" Cao Zi’ang quickened his pace. He needed to get home fast and confirm the situation—he had to settle the unease in his heart. Behind him, Wen Ruchu also quickened his steps, speaking in his usual calm tone: "Something seems to have happened. Open the 749 App and search for Xingteng Capital." Cao Zi’ang could no longer stay composed. As he opened the 749 App, his mind raced. Could it be that monsters had attacked his mother’s Xingteng Capital!? But when the page loaded, a bold headline immediately caught his eyes. [Xingteng Capital colluded with vampires to slaughter hundreds—ringleader Jia Yuanfang captured by Intern Investigator Lu Ding. Main culprit, Vampire Count Federer, has been executed.] Cao Zi’ang felt like he was reading an alien language. "This… this can’t be real!!?" He clicked for details. Thousands of words outlined the whole case. At the very end of the report— **[Cao Family Alley’s young master, Cao Yuan; second branch head, Cao Jianshu; first branch master, Cao Yutang—colluded with Xingteng Capital to smuggle funerary artifacts. They were discovered in time by Intern Investigator Lu Ding. During the arrest, Cao Yutang brutally murdered Cao Yuan in an attempt to use his death to halt the investigation. Lu Ding saw through Cao Yutang’s scheme. A conflict erupted. In the end, Cao Jianshu was severely injured and detained by the Public Security Bureau before being taken back by 749 for interrogation. Cao Yutang died on the spot. Multiple Cultivators of Qi from Cao Family Alley involved in the case were arrested…]** My mother colluded with vampires to slaughter civilians? My brother, my father, and my uncle smuggled funerary artifacts? My uncle killed my brother just to stop Lu Ding from investigating? As he read this, Cao Zi’ang felt his vision darken. He refused to believe it. Even if the sky fell today, he wouldn’t believe it!!! In his eyes, his little brother Cao Yuan was always so obedient. How could he possibly be smuggling funerary artifacts!? His father, Cao Jianshu—sure, he had violent tendencies, but he’d never dare to do something like this. He didn’t have the guts. And his uncle? He loved Cao Yuan so much. Why would he kill him!? Finally, an image of a gentle woman surfaced in his mind—his mother. Such a kind-hearted person… How could she possibly collude with foreign vampires to murder civilians? "Absurd!!!" "Lu Ding—it has to be Lu Ding!!!" Cao Zi’ang’s eyes gradually turned bloodshot. He recalled the messages his brother had sent him earlier. Then, he combined them with the rumors about Lu Ding. Ruthless. Vengeful. Unforgiving. Piecing it all together— A thought emerged in Cao Zi’ang’s mind. This was all a trap set by Lu Ding to take revenge on Cao Yuan. It was a setup!!! A plan to eliminate all of Cao Family Alley’s strongest members in one move. And because Lu Ding feared that his mother might use her international connections to demand justice, he dragged her into the mess as well. Yes! That had to be it! It was absolutely like this! His little brother, father, mother, uncle—they would never do something like this. They just wouldn’t. There’s a saying—Those involved are confused; outsiders see clearly. Right now, Cao Zi’ang was trapped in his own perspective. In his heart and mind, he could only see the good in Cao Yuan and the others. He refused to see their faults. And now, facing such a devastating truth, he simply couldn’t accept that his brother, father, mother, uncle, and family had committed these crimes. So then— All the blame had to be placed on an outsider. And it just so happened that Lu Ding had been in frequent conflict with Cao Family Alley these past few days. Adding to that, Lu Ding had a reputation—he once drove miles away just to kill a Tianli Cult demon over a mere threat. So, in an instant, Cao Zi’ang pinned everything on Lu Ding. Seeing him lose control, Wen Ruchu, standing beside him, suddenly said, "Maybe there’s more to this than meets the eye?" "Sigh, but it’s too late to say anything now…" That sentence was like the last straw breaking the camel’s back. Yeah. Too late, everything was too late. His little brother was already dead… No! Cao Zi’ang’s head snapped up. His brother might be dead, but his father and mother were still alive. One was captured, the other severely injured. If he could find Lu Ding and force the truth out of him, he could save his parents and clear their names—clear his brother’s name too!!! With his thoughts suddenly clear, Cao Zi’ang glanced back at his phone. The post was published at 18:35. An incident this big would require a lot of formalities. Lu Ding had to still be at the Bureau!!!

Chapter 71: The Near-Collapse of Cao Zi’ang, Home Is Gone

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