Chapter 146 – Extra 7 – How Yao Wei Met Zeng Jingxuan 2

Carrying a medium-sized hiking bag on his shoulder, a DSLR camera with a long lens hanging around his neck, and a crooked baseball cap on his head, Yao Wei swaggered into the suburbs in this outfit. The Song family’s villa was located at the foot of the mountain in the suburbs. At this time of year, countless people went out to enjoy the spring scenery and take photos, so his scruffy “artist” look wouldn’t draw any attention, making it easier for him to sneak photos.

However, after wandering around the entrance of the villa area for a while, he went to a nearby coffee shop in the residential area to rest. This wasn’t because Yao the detective was slacking off, but rather because many tricks couldn’t be used during the day. It was better to scout the situation first and sneak in after dark. After a day of investigation, he had confirmed that the pretty boy was still holed up in the villa and hadn’t moved. Miss Song had also quietly visited the villa a few times in the past two days. He wasn’t interested in what had happened between these two, as it was just a photo-snatching mission. He didn’t plan to spend too much time on a case of swindling a sucker.

However, the target’s appearance this time was truly outstanding. Taking the photo out of his pocket, Yao Wei propped up his chin and admired it. The photo only showed half of the person’s profile, with his eyes lowered as if he was leaning down to speak to someone. It was a fleeting street photo, but it had the effect of a professional advertisement shot. The flawlessly handsome face completely overshadowed any technical flaws in the photography, and one could even feel a sense of grace and elegance through the lens. As a quasi-professional, Yao Wei knew how picky the camera could be about human faces. To be this handsome, the real person’s appearance must be even more stunning.

Tsk, no wonder Miss Song sneaked over for a rendezvous. Not to mention ordinary girls, even he felt a little itch in his heart. What a pity, such a beauty, but why steal someone else’s lover?

After slurping down the coffee in his cup, Yao Wei picked up the water jug on the table and poured half a cup of water into the empty coffee cup. As the ripples on the water’s surface flashed, an image suddenly appeared—it was the villa area he had just left! However, facing this strange phenomenon, Yao Wei didn’t seem the least bit surprised. He lightly drew two talisman symbols on the side of the cup with his fingertip, and the scene in the cup began to move, as if a camera lens was following it, slowly circling the interior of the villa area. After seeing enough of what the water mirror showed, Yao Wei nodded in satisfaction. He raised his hand and poured the water from the cup into a nearby flowerpot, then beckoned to the waitress at the counter, “Miss, let me take a look at your menu again. Can you issue an invoice here?”

After spending the entire afternoon in the coffee shop, Yao Wei finally walked out of the door leisurely as the sun set, heading toward the villa area. Since it was at the foot of the mountain, there weren’t many people on the road at this time. Most of the houses in the villa area not far away were dark, either because no one lived there or the owners hadn’t returned home yet. It looked a bit eerie, but Yao Wei didn’t care. He swaggered up to the large iron gate of the villa area, glanced casually at the direction of the surveillance camera, then bent down and slipped in under the side gate’s horizontal bar.

This move would be considered a provocation in anyone’s eyes. In such a high-end villa area, who knows how many layers of security were arranged. Unless accompanied by the homeowner, it would be impossible to sneak in, let alone barge in so brazenly. However, the several straight-backed, sharp-eyed security guards seemed not to have seen this living person at all. They didn’t even lift a finger, allowing Yao Wei to walk in.

This wasn’t because Yao the bearded man had bribed the guards in advance, but because he had just used a Laoshan Mountain Wall-Passing Technique.

The so-called Wall-Passing Technique wasn’t about actually passing through walls with one’s body, but rather a minor Daoist technique similar to visual deception. The caster used talismans to blind the vision of those around them, achieving the effect of “suddenly appearing,” as if they had passed through a wall. This technique sounds exotic, but its principle is similar to using limonite to block yang energy and avoid being tracked by evil spirits. Any living being’s reaction to yang energy is quite sharp. For example, when walking in the jungle, a stone by the roadside might not attract a person’s attention, but a squirrel or a small snake would easily be noticed, prompting a quick reaction. This is the subconscious stress response to “yang energy.” When this stress response is blocked, the caster becomes no different from a stone by the roadside.

Having turned himself into such a stone, Yao Wei easily bypassed the security guards and walked deeper into the villa area according to his planned route. The Song family’s villa was located on the west side near the mountain, a small three-story standalone building. Coincidentally, the neighboring villa was empty these days, so he planned to sneak onto the roof opposite and use a telephoto lens to take some private photos. However, the Song family had kept their curtains tightly closed these past two days, so he would have to quietly make a small opening.

While pondering this, Yao Wei had already arrived at the foot of the Song family’s villa. However, when he saw the villa in front of him, he suddenly frowned. The small building was completely dark, with not a single light on. On the contrary, all the tightly closed curtains were now open, and two windows on the second floor were wide open, as if someone had left in a hurry and forgotten to close them.

Could it be that there’s no one inside? Yao Wei clicked his tongue softly. Impossible, Miss Song had come over earlier today and only left after 4 pm. She hadn’t brought anyone else in her car. Although he wasn’t near the villa area, he had arranged quite a few “scouts” nearby. How could a living person just disappear without a trace?

Muttering to himself, Yao Wei didn’t dare to be careless. He directly took out a handful of beans from his pocket and scattered them on the ground. They were round, smooth soybeans, which clattered onto the ground and instantly turned into a group of round-headed, round-bodied little mice, somewhat resembling the white mice used in laboratories. They were about the size of a thumb and looked quite cute. With a flick of their owner’s finger, the little mice immediately rushed toward the small building, climbing up the pillars of the porch toward the upper floors.

This was another Laoshan Mountain technique called the Bean-Soldier Transformation. It involved using soybeans soaked in talisman water to transform into the spiritual spirits needed by the caster, either to scout the situation or to monitor enemies. Those with strong magical power could even summon deities, the so-called Golden Armor Warriors. However, Yao Wei didn’t have such abilities. He basically just used the bean mice to scout the situation.

Completely confident that his technique wouldn’t be discovered by ordinary people, Yao Wei pinched his fingers, directing two of the bean mice to climb toward the open windows. No matter how lifelike his spiritual spirits were, their true form was still soybeans, so they needed a gap to slip through. Those two open windows were perfect for this. However, just as the little mice disappeared into the room, a strong sense of foreboding suddenly struck him!

Before he could react, a crisp explosion sounded right in front of his chest. The Wall-Passing Charm he was carrying had been completely shattered, along with the bean mice he had thrown out. This was the distinctive Heaven-Breaking Sound of a magical impact. All the minor Daoist techniques he had layered on his body were destroyed in an instant.

Not good, an ambush! Before he could figure out why a residential house would have a formation set up, several black shadows flew out of the second-floor windows. They were talismans that had already been activated. Yao Wei’s reaction was indeed quick. With a click, he crushed the wooden beads on his wrist. With a loud boom, a dazzling flame collided with the talisman shield in front of him. Pushed by the force, his body instantly lost its balance. But that wasn’t the end of it. A nimble figure had already leaped out of the window, rushing toward him at lightning speed!

Having just withstood a sneak attack, the blood and anger still stuck in his chest hadn’t dissipated yet. Yao Wei’s face turned pale as he rolled on the ground like a lazy donkey to dodge the attack. However, the follow-up came faster than expected. He only had time to block with his hand before a sharp pain shot through his chest, and he was kicked flying backward. This hit was solid. Yao Wei let out an “aiyo” and cried out, not caring about his dignity anymore. He directly begged for mercy, “Brother! Have mercy! I really mean no harm!”

This ghostly wail indeed made the other person pause. As if hesitating for a moment, the man slowly walked over, looking down at the bearded young man lying on the ground. He frowned, “A man?”

What the fuck, where do I look like a woman? Yao Wei looked up in utter indignation, but this glance made him freeze on the spot. A man stood in front of him with his back to the moonlight, wearing a neat layman’s robe. Perhaps for the convenience of fighting, his sleeves were rolled up about two inches, adding a touch of casualness to his tidy appearance. The hair hanging over his forehead was slightly messy, but it didn’t detract from his looks at all. That handsome face was several times more attractive than in the photo, with an added touch of maturity.

How could this possibly be a pretty boy? Wait, why does this guy know Daoist techniques?

His mind stalled for a moment. The man standing in front of him frowned and suddenly looked back.

“Damn! She’s here…”

Who’s here? Yao Wei followed the man’s gaze. When he saw the scene in the darkness, the goosebumps on his back instantly rose. On the wall of the courtyard, less than three hundred meters away from them, a disheveled woman had appeared.