Chapter 179: The One in the Treatment Pod Is Not Fox Jue

The small vessel hadn’t flown far before the grenade detonated in mid-air, followed by a faint flash of fire and a cloud of thick, black smoke.

Despite this, the small vessel continued to speed away.

Hu Yan quickly mobilized everyone he could, initiating a city-wide search.

Bai Zhi followed Sang Mo off the warship just in time to hear Hu Yan order the city-wide search. She astutely sensed his foul mood, which seemed to be related to the masked Beastman from moments before.

But before she could ask, Yue Junxiao had already retracted his Battle Armor. With a smug look on his face, he said to Yan Yichen, "See? I told you it would work."

Then he scampered over to Bai Zhi and looked her over anxiously. "Darling, are you okay? Did those two creeps hurt you? You have no idea how worried I was."

Seeing that Bai Zhi was unharmed, he began to whine and complain. The 1.9-meter-tall, burly man clung to Bai Zhi’s arm like a delicate damsel, swaying it back and forth as he pointed at Sang Mo. "Darling, while you were gone, Sang Mo bullied me! He hit me, look! I’m covered in injuries he gave me!"

He spoke while revealing his wounds for Bai Zhi to see.

Sang Mo had already walked to Bai Zhi’s side. Hearing Yue Junxiao’s accusations, he sneered, "Such a grown man, and you’re still tattling."

Who knew that upon hearing this, Yue Junxiao would only grow more self-righteous. "What’s wrong with tattling?! You’re the one who gave me a reason to! Go on, you tattle too if you’ve got the guts! If I hadn’t seen you were trapped in that Illusion Realm and been afraid of hurting you, I definitely wouldn’t have held back!"

Sang Mo’s long, dark eyes lifted slightly. "It’s not too late now. Want to try?"

Bai Zhi was stuck between them. As they went back and forth, she, not being very good at handling such things, said softly, "Sang Mo, why don’t you apologize to him?"

Sang Mo merely gave Bai Zhi a casual glance, but that one look was all it took for her to understand his meaning: ’Apologize? Impossible.’

Yue Junxiao was instantly displeased. ’Not only did he hurt me, but he’s also being rude to her!’

Just as he was about to speak, Bai Zhi stopped him. "I’ll treat your wounds when we get back, okay?"

Yue Junxiao immediately pressed his advantage, looking at her with puppy-dog eyes. He even deliberately exposed some of his injuries to gain her pity. "Then... can I sleep with you tonight, Darling?"

Sang Mo saw this and gave him a look of utter disgust. Yue Junxiao noticed but couldn’t care less. All that mattered was that his lady doted on him.

Bai Zhi reached out and touched his wounds. Some of the injuries on Yue Junxiao’s body were deep gashes, while other areas were black and blue. It was a frightening sight.

She was just about to agree when Hu Yan, having finished giving his orders, walked over. Remembering the look on Hu Yan’s face when he saw the masked Beastman, Bai Zhi immediately went to him. "Hu Yan."

Hu Yan grunted in response. Bai Zhi studied him closely. "Do you know that masked Beastman? You didn’t look too good just now."

Yue Junxiao’s arm suddenly felt empty as he watched helplessly while Bai Zhi went to Hu Yan.

Sang Mo let out a cold sneer, as if mocking him.

This immediately drew Yue Junxiao’s ire. He glared at Sang Mo, his cheeks puffed out in anger, then turned his head and stomped away.

’I won’t give up.’

Hu Yan said with a serious expression, "I came over to tell you something. I need to leave for a bit to confirm a few things. I probably won’t be able to escort you back."

Hearing this, Bai Zhi nodded without hesitation. "It’s fine. The others are here. I’ll just go back with them."

Hu Yan pulled her into a tight hug and whispered in her ear, "Wait for me to come back."

Then he released her and said to Sang Mo and the others, "I’m leaving her in your hands."

Sang Mo glanced at Hu Yan’s hand, which was still resting on Bai Zhi’s waist. "Don’t worry. We definitely won’t lose her this time."

Just then, Hu Yan’s warship flew over from the other side and descended from the sky. Hu Yan released Bai Zhi, turned, and boarded the warship.

After bidding them farewell, Zelda also boarded the warship. Bai Zhi had been rescued, and she would surely want to be with her Beast Husbands right now, sharing heartfelt words. His staying behind would only get in the way of their family reunion and serve no other purpose.

On the other hand, Hu Yan seemed to have a new lead and might have more need of his help.

Hu Yan’s warship headed straight for the Imperial Palace.

Because he had reported in ahead of time, his warship was allowed to fly directly inside. After disembarking, he headed straight for the Princes’ Palace.

Along the way, guards respectfully addressed him as "Third Prince."

"You suspect the masked Beastman who kidnapped Bai Zhi is Fox Jue? How is that possible! He’s been lying there for years!"

When Hu Yan remained silent, Zelda’s eyes widened in shock. "How is that possible! He’s been lying there for so many years!"

Hu Yan stared at the approaching palace, his eyes filled with an indescribable complexity. "I also hope it’s not what I think. But that scar on his neck... he got it during an assassination attempt when he was fourteen. To this day, I still clearly remember how deep the wound was and how much blood he lost. But there was poison left in the wound, and the S-Class Healer wasn’t in the palace at the time. The Treatment Pod could heal the injury, but it couldn’t neutralize the toxin. As a result, the wound never closed properly, leaving that scar."

Hu Yan said in a heavy tone, "I hope I’m just overthinking this."

Zelda asked, "So you rushed back to the palace just to confirm if it’s him?"

He still found it hard to believe. How could Fox Jue, who had long been diagnosed as being in an irreversible coma, be the mastermind behind this incident?!

But Hu Yan wasn’t the type to act rashly. If he was doing this, he must be at least sixty or seventy percent sure, maybe even more. Otherwise, he wouldn’t suspect someone so readily, especially not someone diagnosed as being unable to ever wake up.

The two of them proceeded unimpeded to the doors of the palace.

Ever since Fox Jue’s accident, the staff here had been gradually reduced. Now, there were only two or three people in total.

The guard at the door was surprised to see Hu Yan but immediately called out, "Third Prince?"

Hu Yan gave a slight nod. "Open the door."

The guard immediately opened the door.

As Hu Yan and Zelda walked inside, he asked, "Has the Second Prince woken up at all?"

The guard answered at once, "No, not once since the accident."

The guard said, "This way, Third Prince."

Inside the vast room stood a Treatment Pod. A person could be seen lying inside it.

Hu Yan motioned for the guard to open the Treatment Pod.

He stepped closer. On the surface, the person lying inside did indeed look like his second brother. Then, where no one could see, Hu Yan discreetly probed with his spiritual power.

Afterward, Hu Yan simply instructed the guard in a placid voice, "Take good care of the Second Prince."

"Let’s go."

With that, he turned and walked out.

Zelda immediately followed. It wasn’t until they had walked out of the Second Prince’s Palace that he said, "The person in the Treatment Pod looked just like the Second Prince. Don’t you think you might be overthinking this?"

Hu Yan’s eyes darkened. "The one in the Treatment Pod... is not Fox Jue."