Unparalleled medical and martial arts skills, saving the CEO's fiancée at the start.

Zhou Wantong hung up Jiang Ruoxi's call and sprang out of bed with a jolt.

Of course, given his size, what's described as a carp leaping over is actually more like a panda rolling over in a bamboo pile.

He didn't even bother to put on slippers, his bare feet treading on the cold floor. While scrolling through his phone's contacts, he muttered under his breath, "That brat, playing '180 Disappearance' in the middle of the night, making everyone in the house worry. When he gets back, I'll take away his snacks for three months!"

He dialed Song Tiezhu's number first, but no one answered. He dialed again, but still no one answered.

Zhou Wantong frowned.

Song Tiezhu is a veteran. He keeps his cell phone on 24/7, and even if he is woken up in the middle of the night, he will answer the phone immediately. This is a habit he developed in the army and he never breaks it.

I called twice but no one answered. Either their phone wasn't with them, or something had happened.

He dialed Ye Chen's number again, only to be met with the same cold reply: "The number you dialed is temporarily unavailable."

"That's strange, really strange. I asked him to go find Song Tiezhu, but he's nowhere to be found." Zhou Wantong threw his phone on the bed, put on his clothes, and went downstairs.

He made so much noise that he woke up his wife who was sleeping next door.

Mrs. Zhou poked her head out, still sleepy-eyed, and asked, "Where are you going in the middle of the night?"

Without turning his head, Zhou Wantong tossed out a sentence: "Go find that brat."

Zhou Wantong dragged his large body downstairs.

He continued making the phone call as he walked out.

The third call was made to the duty room of Tiedun Logistics.

Finally, someone answered the call. The person on duty was a retired veteran. Upon hearing the boss's name, he immediately perked up and said that President Song had dealt with a matter with a young man at the entrance of the Martial Arts Association that afternoon, and then took a few girls to have tea. However, they dispersed before dark, and President Song drove away alone afterward, his whereabouts unknown.

Zhou Wantong raised his voice considerably, asking with suspicion, "Where did he go? Your CEO Song drove off alone? Did he say anything?"

"No, Mr. Song just said he was going out to take care of some business and asked us to keep an eye on the company. Mr. Zhou, should we send someone out to look for him?"

"No need for now, wait for my message." Zhou Wantong hung up the phone and stood on the steps in front of his villa, the night wind making his round belly feel cold.

He thought for a moment, then dialed another number, Mr. Wu Qingyuan's landline.

The echo lasted for a long time, so long that Zhou Wantong almost thought the old man was sleeping too soundly to hear it.

Just as he was about to hang up and redial, the call was answered, and it was Xiaofeng's voice on the other end, carrying the alertness and clarity unique to young people.

"Uncle Zhou? What's the matter so late?"

"Xiaofeng, where's your grandfather? Ye Chen went to your place this afternoon. Has he contacted you since he left?"

Xiaofeng paused, then lowered her voice slightly: "Uncle Zhou, Brother Ye was followed when he came this afternoon. After leaving Qing Shi Lane, he realized he was being watched, so he came back and chatted with Grandpa for a while. It was getting dark when he left. He said he was going to Longyin Mountain. Grandpa told him to be careful, and he said he understood. He hasn't contacted me since. Hasn't he returned to Jiangcheng yet?"

Zhou Wantong's face darkened: "No, we can't get through to his phone, and we can't contact Song Tiezhu either. Wake up your grandfather and tell him that the people from Medicine King Valley have gone missing. Ask him to help us out."

"Okay, I'll go call them right away!"

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Wantong stood in the night wind, his mind racing.

Ye Chen was followed by a woman in black at the entrance of the Martial Arts Association in the afternoon, and then went to Qing Shi Lane and then to Long Yin Mountain—what was Ye Chen doing there alone?

Although Qiao San had been forced to submit by the old man, Du Qiansui was still wandering around outside, and the origins of the woman in black were still unclear. If Ye Chen encountered both groups of people on Dragon Hidden Mountain at the same time...

Zhou Wantong dared not think any further.

He took out his phone and dialed the number he least wanted to dial in his life.

The phone was answered after ringing twice.

Qiao San's voice came from the other end, tinged with impatience at being woken up and his usual gloomy tone: "Zhou Wantong? Do you know what time it is?"

"Qiao San, my nephew Ye Chen has gone missing at Longyin Mountain. He went there this afternoon and we haven't been able to contact him since. His phone is unreachable. His companion, Song Tiezhu, has also gone missing. Longyin Mountain is your Qiao family's territory. I'll just ask you one question: did your people tamper with him on the mountain?"

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

Then Qiao San's voice suddenly turned extremely cold, not the coldness of anger, but the coldness of someone who had been wronged and was suppressing their rage: "Zhou Wantong, I, Qiao San, do things openly and honestly. The old man has spoken, and my feud with Ye Chen ends here. I will not touch him again. It is true that I invited Du Qiansui, but he is no longer under my control. However, since this is a matter concerning Longyin Mountain, the Qiao family will not sit idly by. I will send people up the mountain to look for him."

Zhou Wantong was stunned for a moment; he hadn't expected Qiao San to agree so readily.

"Qiao San, you..."

"Don't misunderstand, I'm not helping you or Ye Chen. Dragon Hidden Mountain is the Qiao family's ancestral property. If someone gets into trouble on the Qiao family's territory, it's a disgrace to the Qiao family. If the old man finds out, I can't bear the blame. That's all, I'll let you know if there's any news."

The call was disconnected.

Fifteen minutes later, Wu Qingyuan called back.

The old man's voice was steady and powerful, without the slightest hint of slurred speech from being woken up: "Wantong, Xiaofeng told me. I've already contacted several old friends in the provincial martial arts association, and they'll help keep an eye on the movements at each exit from the city. Don't worry, based on my understanding of Ye Chen, he's not someone who gets into trouble easily. Don't forget, who is his master?"

Zhou Wantong hung up on Wu Qingyuan and then tried dialing Ye Chen's number again.

Still unable to connect.

He gritted his teeth and dialed Jiang Ruoxi's number.

The call was answered almost instantly, as if Jiang Ruoxi had been holding her phone and waiting for this call.

Her voice was strained, and she spoke twice as fast as usual: "Uncle-Master Zhou, is there any news?"

"Niece-in-law, don't worry. I've contacted everyone I can. Song Tiezhu is searching, the Qiao family has agreed to send people up the mountain to search, and the provincial martial arts association is also helping to keep an eye on all the intersections. There's no news yet, but no news might be good news."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

Then Jiang Ruoxi, in a voice that was trembling despite her efforts to remain calm, said something that made Zhou Wantong's heart ache: "Uncle-Master Zhou, his right hand is still injured. If he encounters those people on the mountain, how can he fight them all by himself?"

"Niece-in-law, don't worry. That kid is the best fighter I've ever seen. Even if his right hand only has 50% of its strength left, he's not someone an ordinary person can handle. And his brain is even more powerful than his fists. If he can't beat you, he'll run away. If he can't run away, he'll dodge. Drink some hot water and wait patiently. I'll let you know as soon as I have any news."

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Ruoxi sat on the sofa in a daze.

The ghost servant remained seated in the chair by the door, his eyes closed, but this time he uttered no words of comfort.

Silence itself is an answer. Even the ghost servant doesn't know Ye Chen's current situation, so any further words would be meaningless.

Jiang Ruoxi didn't ask any more questions.

She just kept stroking the jade pendant, telling herself over and over again: He will come back, he said he would come back.