Chu Zhaoyan refused to believe the news of Shen Feng's death. Neither emotionally nor rationally could she accept this answer. Shen Feng had sent news just a month and a half ago, appearing lively and energetic in a video. Now, Shen Feng was dead, a fact she found impossible to accept.
At this moment, Chang Jianyi was the first to calm down. After thinking with a frown, she said, "Zhaoyan, don't worry for now. Do you remember the imposter we caught before? He looked exactly like Shen Feng. After being sent to the lab, no abnormal results were found during dissection. Now Shen Feng's body has appeared again. Don't you find it strange?"
Chu Zhaoyan thought about it, a guess forming in her mind. She then asked, "So, you suspect someone is impersonating Shen Feng again? Is this body also fake?"
Chang Jianyi nodded and said, "It's not impossible. Until Shen Feng's and Yue Hengyi's true identities are confirmed, anything is possible!"
"Then I'll go to the southeast to see if it's real or fake?" Chu Zhaoyan suggested.
Chang Jianyi quickly shook her head and said, "No, you can't go. I've been sick these past few days, and I can't handle the affairs in Yuzhou. You're still managing all sorts of matters. If you leave, what about Yuzhou?"
"Then who will go?" Chu Zhaoyan couldn't help but ask.
Chang Jianyi thought for a moment and said, "Let Xiao Jie go. He's one of us, and I'll feel at ease if he goes. Let Guo Pinming and Lu Xian go with him too. With them there, Xiao Jie's safety will be guaranteed."
Chu Zhaoyan could only admit that Chang Jianyi's suggestion was better. Neither she nor Chang Jianyi could leave Yuzhou City. Of the others, only Chang Haojie was considered one of their own. Although he was a bit young, he was reliable.
Chang Jianyi immediately sent for her younger brother. She then shared her thoughts. Upon hearing that someone had found the bodies of Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi, Chang Haojie was heartbroken. He only felt relieved when he heard that the bodies might be fake.
"Sister, don't worry. When I go, I'll definitely be able to tell the real from the fake! If it's a fake, I won't let these fishermen off!" Chang Haojie quickly replied.
"In this matter, the fishermen are likely also being used. What's the point of confronting the fishermen? Remember one thing, be careful when you go, distinguish the real from the fake carefully! Also, be careful of being ambushed. I'll have someone protect you, be wary of others' schemes!" Chang Jianyi quickly cautioned.
The world was not peaceful at all now. Even ability users could be targeted by villains. Many people dreamed of becoming ability users, and Chang Haojie was still very weak. If he were really ambushed, there would be nowhere to seek justice.
For safety's sake, Chang Jianyi directly assigned Guo Pinming and Lu Xian as bodyguards for Chang Haojie. One of them had powerful combat abilities, while the other could detect enemies from afar. Even invisibility techniques were useless in front of Lu Xian.
Chang Haojie nodded quickly. His sister had entrusted such an important task to him. He must not fail her expectations and must complete the mission perfectly.
"Wait a moment, bring your ear closer. I'll tell you some important information. Don't tell anyone else!" Chang Jianyi whispered to her brother.
Chang Haojie was confused, not knowing what his sister was doing. He quickly brought his ear closer.
Chang Jianyi then said in a low voice, "On your brother-in-law's butt, there is a brownish-red mole that no one else knows about. When verifying his identity, you must remember to observe this point, understand?"
"Oh, I got it! I'll definitely look. But, Sister, you observe really carefully!" Chang Haojie said with a smile.
"You brat, you dare to make fun of your sister. Believe it or not, I'll hit you?" Chang Jianyi said somewhat angrily.
Chang Haojie quickly begged for mercy and then prepared to pack and leave.
Chang Jianyi thought for a moment and suddenly said, "Right, when you leave this time, remember to bring Zhang Xixi with you, understand?"
Upon hearing this, Chang Haojie became somewhat helpless and pleaded, "Sister, please don't do this. I can complete the mission by myself!"
Chang Jianyi said coldly, "Don't act pitiful in front of me. This matter is very important. Xixi can discern if others are lying. You must take her with you. She can help. Don't throw a tantrum!"
Seeing that his sister was angry, Chang Haojie could only nod in resignation. He always felt uncomfortable in his heart. He liked someone else, but his sister insisted on matching him with Zhang Xixi. Wasn't this forcing a mismatched couple together? However, it was a mission now, and nothing would happen on the way.
After packing, Chang Haojie was about to set off. Zhang Xixi also didn't want to be with him, but this was Chang Jianyi's order. Zhang Xixi, living under someone else's roof, could not refuse. Moreover, this was the most important matter in Yuzhou currently, and she could only go and complete it.
Chang Haojie set off, bringing along three ability users and fifty fully armed soldiers. They directly took a boat eastward. After reaching the sea, they followed the shallow waters to the southeast, and it would take a few days to reach their destination. The speed was relatively fast.
Although taking the land route might be faster, with the shortest distance between two points being a straight line, the world was not peaceful now. In many treacherous mountainous areas across the country, people occupied the mountains as kings, preying on passing merchants and travelers. Some even scouted and kidnapped children, then extorted the wealthy. It was uncertain which mountain bandits might appear, so traveling by water was the most convenient.
On the way, Lu Xian continuously used his abilities. The situation within a few kilometers was all within his sight. Whether it was people hiding in the woods along the shore or in the grass, Lu Xian was perfectly aware of them.
As they traveled, Lu Xian discovered many dangerous places and couldn't help but say, "On many treacherous shores, there are people ambushing, most likely water bandits! However, seeing that we have many people and excellent weapons, these people dare not rob us casually!"
Chang Haojie, however, had not discovered the dangers Lu Xian mentioned and was somewhat puzzled. He asked, "Are there really so many dangers on the shore? Why can't I see them?"
Lu Xian explained, "These people have hidden themselves. They are mostly wearing ghillie suits, although of course, not military ghillie suits, but homemade ones. They cover themselves with a lot of dry grass, making them completely undetectable from the outside. But with my abilities to investigate, they cannot hide at all."
Chang Haojie suddenly realized that investigating enemies was indeed something best left to professionals. To him, everything looked the same, but under Lu Xian's abilities, different places could be discovered.
Guo Pinming was sitting on the deck at this moment, saying in a deep voice, "One day, I will kill all these bandits. I will definitely not let bandits continue to live in this world!"
"Old Guo, your killing intent is a bit too strong. That's not a good thing!" Lu Xian teased.
"My killing intent might be a bit heavy, but I never kill innocent people. I only kill guilty people! Because I represent justice!" Guo Pinming said in a deep voice.
Receiving this answer, Lu Xian could only shrug and say nothing. However, he also knew that Guo Pinming was a man of his word. Moreover, despite being a person of high status, he often gave alms to the poor, a character trait that was very admirable.
After traveling on the water for two days, the people on the boat took turns steering. Everyone on the large cruise ship leaned lazily against the railing, but they would immediately become vigilant if they encountered any suspicious situations. These soldiers were all veterans, not only experienced but also powerful in combat.
Two days later, the ship arrived at a small town on the southeast coast. It was close to the sea, surrounded by mountains, making farming impossible. However, they lived off the land and the sea. Fishing was convenient by the sea, so the main income in this town was fishing.
After Chang Haojie disembarked with his men, the leader of this small base immediately came to greet them with a smile, though the smile was somewhat bitter.
The leader clearly did not expect to encounter such strange circumstances. He only wanted to lead the people in the base to make a living by fishing and did not want to get involved in too many affairs. However, things did not go as planned. His fishermen had found two bodies by the sea, bodies of important figures from the country. If they had concealed this, it would have been a grave disaster. But if they reported it, they would also be affected by the displeasure of the forces behind these two individuals.
After much thought, the leader could only preserve the bodies, preventing them from decaying, and at the same time notify headquarters and Yuzhou to send people to claim the bodies.
"Enough with the pleasantries, take me to see the bodies first. No need for formalities!" Chang Haojie said directly.
Lu Xian also stepped forward and said to the bowing leader, "When we ask you questions later, you'd better answer honestly. We can discern the truthfulness of your words. If you dare to lie and deceive us, prepare to see your back. Of course, if this matter truly has nothing to do with you, we will not kill innocent people!"
"Yes, yes! Please come this way, young master, please!" the leader continued.
Chang Haojie looked around at the crowd, finding no abnormalities or dangers. The people around seemed to be all ordinary people. He then looked at Lu Xian and saw that Lu Xian was also nodding. He immediately understood that there was no danger here, so he nodded and walked ahead.
The leader himself was a second-tier evolved human, considered very powerful by ordinary people. However, in the eyes of Chang Haojie and his group, he was nothing. Thus, a rather comical scene unfolded: Chang Haojie walked in front, and the tall leader followed behind, bent over, and was half a head shorter than Chang Haojie. This attitude could only be described as subservient.
Zhang Xixi, following behind, saw this scene and couldn't help but think, "This is what happens when you rely on your family's wealth and power to act arrogantly. I will never marry someone like this!"
Soon, the leader led the group into a luxurious room. As soon as they entered, they felt a biting cold. It was a freezer. The walls were covered with thick frost. It was normally used for storing fresh produce, but to preserve the bodies of the two heroes, the leader had cleared out the freezer.
"Go, go, go, don't come near! This area is restricted!" Fifty soldiers immediately began to clear the area, not allowing anyone else to be present. Many people actually wanted to watch the excitement, some even wanting to see the faces of Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi, whom they had only seen on the news before and never in person.
However, the soldiers showed no mercy and began to clear the area. Ordinary people had no chance to enter the freezer and could only watch from afar, constantly speculating.
"In this cabinet is Lord Fengshen, and over there is Lord Yue Hengyi. Which one would you like to see first?" the leader asked, bowing.
Chang Haojie bit his lip and said, "Let's see Yue Hengyi first. I know him."
At this point, it was clear that opening the cabinet would determine the truth, but Chang Haojie hesitated. He was afraid of seeing an unwelcome sight, so he chose to see Yue Hengyi first, hoping to discern the truth or falsehood from him.
The leader quickly opened the cabinet and pushed out Yue Hengyi's body. Yue Hengyi's face was pale blue, clearly having been dead for a long time. A thick layer of frost also covered his body.
"Brother Guo, you take off his clothes. Sister Xixi, turn your head away!" Chang Haojie quickly said.