Chapter 1080: Remember What the Person Who Wants to See You Looks Like

"A letter from the Demon Foxes?" A trace of inexplicable suspicion appeared in Luo Qiu's eyes. As he spoke, he accepted the letter and opened it.

Sha Rulai answered respectfully, "Yes. I had only just returned when the people below told me someone had delivered a letter for me. I found the letter, opened it, and only then learned it was from the Demon Fox race."

Luo Qiu did not seem to hear whether Sha Rulai finished speaking.

The moment he saw the contents of the letter, his pupils abruptly contracted. He held the paper in one hand, his gaze fixed on it for a long time.

Sha Rulai stood silently to one side and waited.

He waited for a very long time.

Luo Qiu gave no response, almost as though he had turned to stone, while something complicated and impossible to read seemed to move within his eyes.

Sha Rulai was secretly puzzled.

He had read the letter himself. Its contents were very simple. It said that Sha Huanli was in the hands of the Demon Fox race, and that someone among the Demon Foxes whom Luo Fangfei had not seen for many years wanted to meet her. They wanted only to see Luo Fangfei once and guaranteed absolutely that no harm would come to her.

Naturally, the letter emphasized that Luo Fangfei had to come alone.

So long as Luo Fangfei came, the Demon Fox race guaranteed Sha Huanli's safety.

If she did not, then the Demon Fox race would not guarantee that Sha Huanli remained unharmed.

The rest of the letter gave the precise meeting location.

The contents were vague, extremely brief, and explained almost nothing.

With something like this alone, they wanted Luo Qiu to agree to let his own daughter risk herself in an exchange?

How could that possibly happen?

Sha Rulai had found it very difficult to understand.

Yet Niu Youdao had spoken with absolute confidence and should have had no reason to deceive him. Sha Rulai had therefore come here with the attitude of giving it a try.

But judging from the reaction of Luo Qiu, a man who normally remained unmoved by all disturbances, this simple letter was clearly anything but simple. Otherwise, it would never have made Luo Qiu lose his composure.

After a long while, Sha Rulai tentatively called, "Master?"

Luo Qiu finally came back to himself.

He casually moved the letter behind his back, apparently with no intention of returning it, and asked, "You've read the letter. The Demon Foxes want to exchange your daughter for your wife. What do you think?"

Sha Rulai said, "This disciple will not put my wife in danger for the sake of my daughter. But this letter truly leaves me confused. I even suspect whether it really came from the Demon Fox race. Does Master not find it suspicious?"

"Oh?" Luo Qiu asked. "What is suspicious about it?"

"Everyone knows Fangfei is your daughter. How could I agree to exchange Master's daughter for my own? And the letter says someone among the Demon Fox race whom Fangfei hasn't seen in many years wants to meet her once."

"As far as I know, Fangfei has never had dealings with the Demon Fox race, nor has she ever joined the Demon Fox Bureau in hunting Demon Foxes. How could she possibly have an old acquaintance among them?"

"There's another problem. Huanli rarely enters Sacred Realm. How did the Demon Fox race learn her route of travel? If it truly was the Demon Foxes, how much effort would they have needed to expend just to see Fangfei once? Is seeing Fangfei once really worth all of this?"

"So this letter is extremely suspicious. There must be something strange hidden behind it. Master, I ask you to judge the matter carefully. This disciple also begs Master to issue orders and investigate the truth as quickly as possible so Huanli can be rescued soon."

Luo Qiu asked, "Other than the Demon Fox race, do you have any other clues?"

"None at present."

"Can you contact the person who delivered the letter?"

"No. The people below don't even know who delivered it."

Luo Qiu said, "Since this is the only clue we have right now, if you want to save your daughter, following this line of inquiry is temporarily the most direct and convenient method."

"This..." Sha Rulai hesitated. "Master, surely we can't let Fangfei take such a risk?"

"Has Fangfei seen the letter?"

"Not yet. I didn't dare show it to her. I was afraid she'd act impulsively."

Luo Qiu brought the letter out from behind his back and handed it over. "Take it back and show Fangfei. See what decision she makes. If she's willing to go, have her come see me."

"Master, this..." Sha Rulai wore a troubled expression.

He knew perfectly well that once Luo Fangfei read the letter, she would definitely agree to go.

He refused to believe Luo Qiu did not know the same.

"Hm?" A majestic sound of questioning came from Luo Qiu's nose, as though asking whether Sha Rulai dared defy him.

"Yes!" Sha Rulai accepted the letter, cupped his hands, and withdrew, leaving quickly.

Luo Qiu remained alone inside the silent hall.

Slowly, he turned his head toward a stone carving on one wall of the hall.

A beautiful woman had been carved into the stone.

He stared at her and murmured, "Is it you? Could you still be alive..."

Then he abruptly raised his voice.

"Someone!"

...

Inside Fangfei Pavilion, gauze curtains drifted beneath the eaves of the open gallery.

After reading the letter, Luo Fangfei looked up in shock. "Huanli was captured by the Demon Foxes? How could that happen?"

Sha Rulai stood before her and sighed. "I don't know what happened either. I didn't intend to tell you about this. Master was the one who told me to show you the letter."

Luo Fangfei asked anxiously, "Was it really the Demon Fox race? If I go, will they really exchange Huanli back safely?"

"I don't know. Master told me to ask your opinion. If you're willing to go, then go see Master. He probably has something he wants to tell you."

Luo Fangfei nodded repeatedly. "Huanli is your daughter, which makes her my daughter too. My daughter is in danger. If going can save her, then of course I'm willing to go. I'll see Father right now."

She turned and left without the slightest hesitation.

Sha Rulai suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm.

Luo Fangfei turned back.

Their eyes met.

Sha Rulai said, "Think it through carefully. It could be extremely dangerous. Do you truly want to go?"

Luo Fangfei's eyes immediately softened with affection. "Senior Brother is worried about my safety?"

Sha Rulai's expression became complicated.

He understood this woman's feelings for him.

And precisely because he understood them, he was afraid—afraid that one day he might lose control of his own feelings. That was why he had always kept a certain distance from her.

After hesitating again and again, he suddenly said, "Fangfei, there are things I hope you can understand. Some of the things I do are actually for your own good. One day, you'll understand."

Luo Fangfei smiled like a blooming flower. "No matter what Senior Brother does to me, as long as I can stay with you in this life, I will never regret it."

Sha Rulai released her arm and turned his gaze away. "Come. I'll go with you."

The two left the gallery together and went straight to Daluo Sacred Hall.

When they arrived, Luo Qiu was already waiting alone inside the great hall.

The two quickly came forward and saluted.

Luo Qiu asked, "Girl, you've read the letter?"

Luo Fangfei nodded. "I have. Father, I'm willing to go."

Sha Rulai hurriedly cupped his hands. "Master, this is too dangerous. We can find some other way."

Luo Qiu said, "You are my direct disciple. Huanli is your daughter. Fangfei is your wife. That makes Huanli my granddaughter as well. How could I watch her die without saving her?"

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing. Nothing will happen. You can leave first."

Sha Rulai hesitated briefly, then finally cupped his hands and withdrew.

Once he was gone, Luo Qiu examined his daughter for a moment and slowly said, "Some of what I said just now was only meant to put his mind at ease. This trip may genuinely be dangerous. Aren't you afraid?"

Luo Fangfei smiled bitterly. "Father, I have no old acquaintances among the Demon Fox race at all. This letter is obviously strange. It would be a lie to say I'm not afraid. I am somewhat frightened."

"But Father, what I fear even more is disharmony within our family."

Luo Qiu said, "Silly girl. You clutch one man like he's some priceless treasure, besotted as a lovesick fool. Is he really worth it? What are you asking your father to feel?"

"Father!" With no outsiders present, Luo Fangfei came forward, wrapped both arms around his arm, and acted spoiled. "I'm willing. Isn't that enough?"

"You're already grown, yet you still act as though you never matured. You're a grown woman now. What kind of propriety is there in clinging and hugging like this?"

Luo Qiu pulled his arm free.

Yet a rare warmth appeared in his eyes.

Time was merciless. Human hearts were treacherous. Heaven and Earth were without benevolence. Too many things had long since numbed him.

But this moment was one he enjoyed.

After withdrawing his arm, however, what he said next was brutally practical.

"Girl, let me remind you of something. Sha Huanli was born to that woman. If she cannot be saved, then Sha Rulai's last living connection to that woman will be severed completely. He'll belong entirely to you. Do you truly not want to reconsider?"

Luo Fangfei immediately glared at him. "Father, what are you saying? I genuinely regard Huanli as my own daughter!"

"Since you're determined to go, then go. Don't worry. The Demon Fox race won't harm you..."

Seeing puzzlement appear in his daughter's eyes, clearly wondering why he sounded so certain, Luo Qiu immediately changed his wording.

"With your father here, the Demon Foxes won't dare do anything to you. There's no need to be afraid."

He then casually took out a small porcelain bottle and handed it to her.

"Rub the medicine inside over your body. If anything changes, it'll make it convenient for me to find you at any time."

Luo Fangfei accepted the bottle, opened it, and sniffed.

She could not detect any scent.

Luo Qiu continued, "Remember this. After you reach the Demon Foxes, pay attention to everyone you meet. Remember what the person who wants to see you looks like, and tell me when you return."

"And do not spread word outside about which Demon Foxes you met."

"Of course, I know my daughter is grown now and naturally sides with her husband. You won't keep things from Sha Rulai. Even so, I'll say it again: try not to let the matter spread. This is for your own good. Understand?"

Luo Fangfei pouted. "Yes. I'll remember."

"I'll arrange everything. Go. Don't be afraid."

Luo Qiu lifted his chin toward the entrance of the hall.

...

More than a dozen large flying mounts left Daluo Sacred Land together.

The Demon Fox race had stipulated that Luo Fangfei come alone, but Daluo Sacred Land still sent a large force of experts to escort her along the journey. Only when they approached the destination would Luo Fangfei be allowed to continue alone.

Sha Rulai was among the group.

After they rose into the air, he looked back toward the sacred hall atop Daluo Sacred Land's highest peak, his heart filled with suspicion.

It had happened exactly as Niu Youdao said.

Luo Qiu had truly agreed to let Luo Fangfei go and rescue Huanli.

He had even agreed without carrying out any real verification.

It was almost unbelievable.

Sha Rulai realized that some hidden story had to exist behind this affair.

But Niu Youdao refused to speak, claiming the Demon Fox race had forbidden him from revealing it. Sha Rulai had no way to force the matter. The Demon Foxes ignored him, or perhaps simply did not trust him, so there was no channel through which he could ask them directly.

One thing, however, was now certain.

Niu Youdao's arrangement should ensure that Luo Qiu would not become suspicious merely because Sha Huanli was the only one able to return alive.

Niu Youdao had acted with confidence.

Precisely because of that, Sha Rulai could not help thinking back to the Tiandu Secret Realm, when he had repeatedly driven Niu Youdao toward a dead end in an effort to test him.

Niu Youdao had survived and taken first place for a reason.

The answer stood before him now.

From the moment Niu Youdao decided to abduct his daughter, he had already planned the entire matter.

He had prepared a way to eliminate every consequence afterward, one that would let him use an extreme method to force Sha Rulai into a meeting while also dissolving the fallout created by that very extreme method.

Xiang Ming had already explained exactly how the abduction occurred.

Which meant that from the three reports Niu Youdao submitted immediately after arriving in Wentian City, the bastard had already been laying the groundwork for this kidnapping operation. Without those reports, he would never have obtained the freedom of movement needed for everything that followed.

"Senior Brother, don't worry. Huanli will return safely."

Luo Fangfei, riding the same flying mount, saw her husband's expression shifting again and again and assumed he was worried, so she tried to reassure him.

Sha Rulai gave a faint shake of his head.

He was not worried about that at all. He understood the situation clearly and had no concern that Huanli would fail to return.

What occupied his thoughts was something else entirely.

He had discovered that every part of the affair had unfolded within Niu Youdao's meticulous preparations.

The man had even quietly calculated Luo Qiu into his plans.

Sha Rulai suddenly realized that the person he had chosen far exceeded his original expectations.

[End of Chapter 1080]