Chapter 170: The Hardships of Great Xia

"What?"

Xie Boyu's brow furrowed into the shape of the character 'chuan', and with a flash, he appeared at the bathroom doorway.

His gaze swept across the room; as expected, it was completely empty, without even a single hair left.

The windows were tightly locked, and the ventilation duct was so small that not even a mouse could squeeze through.

How was this possible?

How could a living person vanish into thin air?

His expression turned gloomy as he roared at his subordinates.

"Search!"

"Turn this entire nightclub upside down for me!"

"I refuse to believe a living person could grow wings and fly away!"

The subordinates shivered in fright, not daring to delay in the slightest. They immediately scattered and began a carpet-like search.

However, half an hour passed.

From the basement to the rooftop, the entire nightclub had been turned completely upside down, yet they still couldn't find even a shadow of Nakamura Shinichiro.

Xie Boyu's expression was so gloomy that water was practically about to drip from it.

With a heave, he flipped the expensive mahogany wine table in front of him onto the floor.

"Trash!"

"You're all a bunch of trash!"

"You can't even find a single person!"

Pointing at the terrified subordinates, who didn't dare to make a sound, he cursed angrily.

"All of you, get out there and search! Turn Skyfire City upside down for me!"

"If you can't find him, don't come back to see me!"

Right at that moment, a subordinate stumbled and scrambled in through the door, his face full of panic.

"G-Guild Leader!"

"This is bad!"

He gasped for breath, his voice trembling.

"We… We can't get in touch with Zhao Hu anymore!"

"The team you sent to capture Ou Yezi has… has also lost all contact!"

The subordinate hesitated for a moment, then spoke with hesitation.

"It's… It's very likely that…"

"They've been completely wiped out."

"What?!"

Xie Boyu could no longer sit still. He abruptly stood up from the sofa, his eyes filled with disbelief.

…

Meanwhile, in the Mo Family Estate of Skyfire City.

Inside the study, the lights were brightly lit.

Mo Xuanye was sitting on a rocking chair, leisurely wiping the forging hammer that had accompanied him for decades with a soft piece of velvet cloth.

At that moment, a gentle breeze swept past outside the door.

On the sofa opposite Mo Xuanye, a figure materialized out of thin air.

The newcomer was none other than City Lord Mo Bai.

By this time, he had already taken off his crisp military uniform and changed into a set of loose casual clothes.

He leaned back lazily on the sofa, crossing his legs with a casual posture.

He turned his head sideways to look at his father and curled his lips.

"You're polishing that crappy hammer of yours again."

"You've been polishing it for over seventy years, what's the use?"

"In the end, you were still easily surpassed by a punk who changed his class just a few months ago."

Hearing this, Mo Xuanye wasn't angry; he just smiled faintly.

His movements in wiping the hammer remained unhurried.

"Did you save that Ou Yezi?"

Mo Bai rested his hands behind his head and shifted into a more comfortable posture.

"He didn't need me to save him at all."

"By the time my men arrived, the battle had already ended."

"The scene was left littered with the corpses of Skyfire Guild members, without a single survivor."

He paused slightly, a hint of emotion in his tone.

"This Ou Yezi is no ordinary Forging Master."

Mo Xuanye's hand wiping the hammer paused imperceptibly, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes.

A moment later, he smiled and shook his head.

"No wonder he chose to leave the city overnight; he must have made arrangements beforehand."

"It seems I've misjudged again."

He rubbed his somewhat sore eyes and let out a long sigh.

"I'm getting old, truly getting old; these eyes are failing me more and more."

He put down the hammer in his hand, looked at his son, and suddenly changed the subject.

"That's right, by forcing Nakamura to kneel and crawl between Ou Yezi's legs today, you could say you've offended Old General Qi."

"How do you plan to explain this to him next?"

Hearing this, Mo Bai let out a cold snort.

"That old fellow Qi Heng—"

"If it weren't for him consistently advocating for peace talks with Sakura Country and making concessions everywhere over the years, our Great Xia Country wouldn't be held back by them to this extent!"

"Now that Sakura Country is getting increasingly brazen, at least half of the credit for that goes to him!"

He straightened his body, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"Explain? What the hell is there for me to explain to him!"

Hearing this, Mo Xuanye let out a long sigh.

"Peace talks are also a helpless move."

"Nowadays, Sakura Country's national power is growing increasingly strong."

"Leaving aside those four top-tier SS-rank powerhouses, openly speaking, they have as many as three Divine Craftsmen capable of forging Legendary-quality equipment."

"And in our Great Xia Country, after all these years, only one Ou Yezi has emerged."

He picked up his teacup, took a gentle sip, and his eyes were filled with worry.

"Great Xia has it difficult."

…

The next day, early morning.

Ou Yezi's motorcade returned safely to Donghai City without a hitch.

As soon as the cars reached the city gate, they were startled by the array of people before them.

Gu Yan, the president of the Donghai City Forging Guild, was leading a group of senior guild officials, waiting anxiously with high hopes.

Standing behind him were the presidents of various major guilds in Donghai City, and even several high-ranking officials dressed in military uniforms.

Seeing the motorcade appear, Gu Yan's aged face instantly blossomed into a bright smile resembling a chrysanthemum.

Taking two steps in one, he hurried forward and personally opened the car door for Ou Yezi.

"Great Master Ou Yezi! Welcome home!"

The pride and arrogance on his face simply couldn't be concealed.

This time, Ou Yezi shone brightly in Skyfire City, fiercely blunting the arrogance of Sakura Country in front of national audiences.

By now, the name of "Divine Craftsman Ou Yezi" had already spread to every corner of Great Xia Country.

Along with it, his Donghai City Forging Guild also rose in status, sharing in the glory.

"Great Master Ou Yezi, we have already prepared a banquet at Tianhai Tower to welcome you back!"

"Indeed, indeed! Great Master Ou Yezi, please do us the honor of attending!"

People from all sides stepped forward to extend warm invitations.

Faced with such warm hospitality, Ou Yezi inside the car merely shook his head calmly.

"Thank you all for your kind intentions."

"It's just that I've been traveling for days and am truly exhausted; I need to rest."

"I appreciate everyone's goodwill, but I will decline."

With that, he motioned for the driver to drive on, leaving straightaway amidst the regretful gazes of the crowd.

…

After finishing matters on Ou Yezi's side, Zhou Huai's consciousness quickly withdrew.

It transferred over to Moria.

Eternal Night Guild headquarters, third basement level.

Nakamura Shinichiro was curled up on the cold ground, his hands and feet tightly bound by thick rune-inscribed iron chains.

After a night of tossing about, the alcohol on him had long since dissipated.

At this moment, he was exceptionally sober.

He raised his head, looking in terror at the silent silver-haired man before him.

This man was like a lifeless sculpture; ever since he was brought here, he had maintained this exact posture.

Motionless.

Yet it made him feel even more terrified than facing a primordial fierce beast ready to devour people.

Nakamura Shinichiro's voice trembled uncontrollably out of fear.

"Your Excellency… Who are you, Your Excellency?"

"What exactly do you want?"