After a period of interrogation, Matsumoto told Xiao Ming and the others that Long Xiao was likely taken away by Ye Zhong Xiu Yuan, known as the number one person in the island nation.
Matsumoto informed Xiao Ming and the others that the strongest individuals from the island nation attending the Nangong family's wedding banquet were Ye Zhong Xiu Yuan and his disciples.
"How strong is Ye Zhong Xiu Yuan?" Xiao Ming asked.
"Ye Zhong Xiu Yuan is hailed as the number one person in the island nation. He entered the Heaven Realm ten years ago. Several of his disciples who came with him this time are at the Great Perfection stage of the Earth Realm."
Xiao Ming knew that it was impossible for a single person with Heaven Realm strength to take Long Xiao away without a trace.
The two Nangong ancestors were both at the Heaven Realm. Ye Zhong Xiu Yuan alone could not have injured them and snatched Long Xiao from them.
The two Nangong ancestors said that three island nation individuals had taken Long Xiao. Among all the island nation people who had been to Funiu Town, there weren't even three people with Heaven Realm strength.
"Are there any other island nation individuals with Heaven Realm strength?" Xiao Ming asked.
Matsumoto shook his head and said, "My strength is too low, and I don't have contact with people of Heaven Realm strength. I only know that Ye Zhong Xiu Yuan is at Heaven Realm strength. I don't know if our island nation has any other Heaven Realm strength individuals."
Matsumoto was honest and answered whatever he was asked, but due to his low strength and limited contact with the island nation's high-level martial artists, he didn't know much.
Old Daoist Xiao sat on the sofa, looking at Matsumoto with dissatisfaction and said, "You don't know anything you're asked. Are you doing this on purpose?"
Matsumoto had already witnessed Old Daoist Xiao's strength and temper. Now, as soon as Old Daoist Xiao spoke, he was so scared that he fell to his knees with a thud.
"Dao Master, I truly don't know. I'm just a small researcher and know very little about martial artists."
"What do you research?" Luo Tianshui asked.
"Viruses. I am a researcher at an official institution in the island nation. The institution sent me here to cooperate with the Nangong family to research a highly contagious virus."
Luo Tianshui was not interested in what the island nation people researched; he just asked casually.
Ye Mei curiously asked, "Why do you island nation people research everything? Aren't you afraid of infecting yourselves?"
"We can already produce the virus. What we are researching now is the antidote."
"Any progress?" Ye Mei asked.
Matsumoto hesitated for a moment and said, "No progress. The research has been interrupted and may be discontinued in the future."
Xiao Ming snorted coldly and said, "Matsumoto, tell the truth, or I'll kill you."
"Little brother, I'm telling the truth," Matsumoto said, looking at Xiao Ming.
Xiao Ming stood up from the sofa and said, "Sister Ye Mei, kill him. We'll go find Ye Zhong Xiu Yuan."
"You're going to the island nation?" Ye Mei asked.
Xiao Ming nodded and said, "Yes, we'll join a tour group to the island nation. Whether Brother Long was captured by Ye Zhong Xiu Yuan or not, he will definitely know the situation."
"How can you be so sure he knows the situation?" Mei Ling asked.
Xiao Ming looked at Matsumoto and said, "Think about it. Ye Zhong Xiu Yuan is the number one person in the island nation. What was he doing in Funiu Town? Was it just to attend a wedding banquet?"
"But Ye Zhong Xiu Yuan didn't do anything in Funiu Town," Ye Mei said.
Ye Xiao looked at Xiao Ming and smiled, saying, "Exactly. It's precisely because he did nothing that he's suspicious."
While Funiu Town and Lingnan City were in complete chaos, a Heaven Realm expert from the island nation did absolutely nothing. This was indeed suspicious.
Ye Zhong Xiu Yuan, hailed as the island nation's number one person, would never travel all the way to Funiu Town just to attend a wedding banquet.
He had other purposes but did nothing, likely to cover for others.
Everyone thought Xiao Ming's analysis made sense. After a brief discussion, they decided to go to the island nation.
As Xiao Ming and the others stood up to leave, Matsumoto, who was kneeling on the ground, secretly heaved a sigh of relief. These people were too formidable. He had been forced to reveal some information, but he had concealed some crucial details.
As everyone walked out, Xiao Ming, the last to leave, casually closed the door. Matsumoto let out a long breath, stood up, and a joyful expression appeared on his face. Just as he was about to return to his bedroom to pack and leave, an apple on the coffee table suddenly flew up, accelerating faster than a bullet, and struck him in the head.
With a bang, the apple exploded, and so did Matsumoto's head.
There was no scream. Matsumoto's body fell to the ground with a thud, twitched a few times, and then lay still.
The most convenient way to go to the island nation was to join a tour group. It was safe, and the visa processing was fast.
As long as the money was in place, everything would be done quickly. After signing up, Xiao Ming and the others received notification that they would depart the next day.
To blend in as tourists, Xiao Ming and the others spent the entire afternoon shopping for a batch of high-end clothing and suitcases.
Old Daoist Xiao took off his dirty Daoist robe, removed his wine gourd, and had his hair styled at a beauty salon, making him look like a different person.
Looking in the mirror, Old Daoist Xiao felt a bit uncomfortable. Xiao Ming smiled and said, "Daoist Master Xiao, with these new clothes, you look exactly like an old overseas Chinese."
Suddenly, Old Daoist Xiao uttered a few sentences in impeccable London English, stunning everyone present.
"Daoist Master Xiao, how is your English so perfect?" Luo Tianshui asked in surprise.
Old Daoist Xiao showed a proud expression and said, "This Daoist graduated from Oxford and lived in London for over twenty years before returning home. If I hadn't become a monk, I would still be a Philosophy Professor at Oxford."
The news that the scruffy Old Daoist Xiao had once been a Philosophy Professor at Oxford University was unbelievable to everyone present.
"Master, are you bragging?" Mei Ling asked.
Old Daoist Xiao shook his head and said, "This old Daoist never lies, just like Xiao Ming."
Xiao Ming's face felt a little hot when Old Daoist Xiao said that. "Never lies" was Xiao Ming's common phrase. Old Daoist Xiao saying it like this was clearly a jab at Xiao Ming.
After everything was prepared, the next morning, everyone, dragging their suitcases, arrived at the airport.
Upon meeting the tour guide, they discovered that the tour group consisted only of Xiao Ming and his companions, along with an elderly couple.
This elderly couple were retired university professors. When they learned that Old Daoist Xiao had once been a Philosophy Professor at Oxford, they found common ground and chatted for the entire journey.
Ye Zhong Xiu Yuan, the island nation's number one person, had a dojo in Okinawa, and his home was also in Okinawa. This information was publicly available.
This tour was a seven-day trip to the island nation, with the first three days dedicated to sightseeing ancient sites in Osaka and the last four days for shopping in Okinawa.
Upon arriving in Osaka, Xiao Ming and his group targeted local restaurants, wanting to have a good meal at every decent establishment they encountered.
The tour guide was helpless with such tourists; they couldn't stop most tourists from doing what they wanted.
Since the tourists were satisfied, the guide couldn't say much and could only follow them to various restaurants to try different famous dishes.
After eating all day on the first day, they found a hotel to stay in the evening. Xiao Ming then took the tour guide to "flatter" the hotel owner. In a short amount of time, Xiao Ming learned from the hotel owner that there were many dojos in Osaka, with many martial artists of high skill.
"People in the island nation in TV shows are very powerful. Why don't we challenge the dojos in Osaka tomorrow since we have nothing else to do? What do you think?" Xiao Ming asked the tour guide.
The tour guide was startled by Xiao Ming's words, thinking this kid had watched too much TV and traveled all the way to the island nation just to challenge their dojos.
"Brother Xiao Ming, we are here for tourism, not for fighting," the tour guide said.
Xiao Ming chuckled and said, "If we don't fight, where will the money come from? We still need to go shopping in Okinawa. If we smash a few dozen dojos here, the money for shopping in Okinawa will be paid by the island nation people."
"Are you crazy, little brother? This is the island nation, and we are tourists."
Xiao Ming's face fell, and he said unhappily, "So what if it's the island nation? The island nation people are not your father. What does it have to do with you if I beat them up?"
The tour guide wanted to lose his temper, but he restrained himself. He had realized along the way that except for that elderly couple, the others were not to be trifled with.