Ren Yuanhao sat for a moment, then discreetly took a taxi to a location near the desert to the west.
This area was controlled by numerous merchant families who guarded the thoroughfares, making it a constantly bustling scene.
At this moment, a man in his forties, sweating profusely, led a tall horse past Ren Yuanhao, followed by several camels and a mountain of unmanageable cargo.
"Brother, may I ask if you know where the Mu family lives?"
The man looked at Ren Yuanhao with a strange expression. "The Mu family? You must be unaware. A batch of goods went missing some time ago, and they encountered a black sandstorm in the desert. They're likely swallowed by the sand now. The Mu family is long gone."
"Could you tell me where their former residence was?"
"There, the water-blue building over there."
The man pointed to a spot about a hundred meters away, where indeed stood a water-blue building resembling a villa.
"Thanks, brother."
Ren Yuanhao bid farewell to the man and hurried over. Soon, the imposing water-blue building was fully visible before him.
At the entrance to the building hung a "For Sale" sign. Although it appeared desolate, it did nothing to diminish the building's former grandeur.
Just then, he faintly saw a smaller figure standing to the left of the building. She walked a dozen steps into the inner courtyard, then suddenly leaped.
"Damn! In broad daylight, under the clear sky, a female thief?"
Ren Yuanhao scanned his surroundings. Seeing no one, he also leaped, stepping into the building.
Where he stood was a rather large fountain. Various flowers were planted on both sides, but neglected, they had all but withered.
He advanced cautiously, suppressing his presence, only to see the 'female thief' not only open the door on the ground floor but also move through the building with a practiced ease, appearing leisurely, sometimes lounging on the sofa, sometimes playing with a decorative money tree.
"What the hell, I've never seen such a bizarre female thief."
Ren Yuanhao slowly approached and easily entered the building.
On the ground floor, one could faintly glimpse the family's past glory. Some rather dazzling or rough decorative items were scattered about, looking extremely orderly, even spotless, as if the owners had merely gone out for a stroll and would return any moment.
At this moment, a startled cry came from the second floor, where the female thief was.
This was followed by a series of rapid footsteps.
"Not good, could there be someone hiding on the second floor? Yes, could the mastermind know I would investigate here and have planted spies?"
The thought struck Ren Yuanhao, and he immediately leaped up, silently approaching.
By now, he could clearly hear their conversation. Hiding around a corner, by a ventilation shaft, he could just manage to see the situation in the room with a slight boost.
Inside the room were four men, all wearing trench coats and masks. Judging by their demeanor alone, these individuals were clearly not to be trifled with.
"Speak, why did you come here?"
The leading man pinned the woman against the sofa. The woman, with his hand around her neck, kept slapping his arm, but was unable to break free.
The man loosened his grip slightly, and the woman began to scream. Seeing this, the man slapped the female thief, who then became much more compliant.
"Now, can you talk to me properly?"
The other three men converged. The female thief, attempting to escape their encirclement, stood no chance.
The woman seemed to understand her precarious situation and snorted, "I just thought the house was pretty and wanted to take a look. I had no idea four big men would suddenly pop out of a room."
Her tone was full of grievance, as if the four men were in the wrong.
"Interesting. I haven't even accused you of trespassing, and you're counter-attacking."
"Aren't you the same? Don't think I don't know. The Mu family has fallen, and there's a 'For Sale' sign on the door. You guys are all wearing masks and acting so creepily; I bet none of you are good people."
Although restrained, the female thief's mind remained sharp, her spirit not to be underestimated.
"Stop beating around the bush. Tell me the truth, what's your purpose here?" The man was unperturbed, appearing extremely patient.
"I've already told you, how many times do I need to say it? Fine, I trespassed. You are magnanimous adults, just let me go, won't you?"
As soon as the female thief said this, the man lost his patience. He grabbed her by the throat, lifting her entirely off the ground!
Her face turned flushed, her eyes bulging as if about to pop out, veins prominent.
"I'll ask you one more time. If you keep playing games with me, I'll have no choice but to kill you."
The man slammed the female thief heavily onto the floor. She coughed and, after catching her breath, seemed to no longer dare to meet the man's murderous gaze.
"Speak, what was your purpose in coming here?"
"I heard the Mu family secretly kept the 'Mandarala Genes' in this mansion, so..."
The female thief finally yielded, answering in a low voice.
Unexpectedly, the man sneered, "Since that's the case, you can die now!"
The man once again grabbed the female thief's throat, about to end her life, when the door was kicked open.
All four were startled and turned their heads towards the door. Ren Yuanhao stood there casually, waving his hand near his nostrils.
"Hey, sorry to interrupt your good deed."
"Who the hell are you?" the leading man asked, clearly wary.
"Me? Naturally, I heard there was treasure in this mansion, so I came in. And after hearing your conversation just now, I decided I couldn't leave so easily."
Ren Yuanhao's true reason wasn't this. The person who released this information seemed to be trying to hinder the mastermind's search for him.
One could imagine that the mastermind must know that if he escaped the black market's pursuit, he would return to Xiling City. And following normal reasoning, the mastermind would assume that without any clues, he would return to the Mu family to gather information. Therefore, it was highly probable that spies had been planted. Thus, to prevent him from approaching the mansion, or to confuse the mastermind, this information was deliberately leaked to mislead those people.
"Brat, you want a piece of the pie too?"
"No, it's not about a piece of the pie," Ren Yuanhao wagged a finger, his expression suddenly turning extremely cold. "I've never liked sharing things with others. I want it all."
"Then let's see if you have the life for it!"
The four men in black suddenly transformed into four streaks of lightning. Drawing their swords, their movements were ethereal, their true qi surging. They were not ability users, but four cultivators!