Palace sisters arrived. They weren't surprised to see Xiaoyao and Er'ers waiting for them, as they had walked ahead after all, naturally getting to choose first.Perhaps they didn't know that the two...Chapter 329 The Third Possibility 1

As for other matters, such as who those mysterious people were and what happened to them, and how Fang Chunsnow and her husband disappeared, there was no information at all.

Xiaoyao also went to that place to investigate but after twenty years had passed, there wasn't any trace left. Therefore, this search was in vain.

After finishing his trip to Beiming City, Xiaoyao immediately rode back to Donghai City on horseback, and along the way, he didn’t attract anyone’s attention because not only did he modify himself, but he also dyed his thousand-mile horse a different color. The original snow-white pure-colored horse was now spotted.

This was something that had to be done as this horse could lead others to find Xiaoyao. This thousand-mile horse was an exceptional horse in the Eastern European Kingdom and quite prominent.

It was also for this reason that during his return to Donghai City, Xiaoyao didn’t let down his guard completely but traveled at a relatively normal speed. It wouldn't be too slow though, still managing to cover a thousand miles a day, which qualified it as a thousand-mile horse, albeit barely.

Such a thousand-mile horse would not draw much attention in the Eastern European Kingdom because even small places there had some thousand-mile horses, just ordinary ones at best. The top-tier ones were non-existent.

Xiaoyao’s return to Donghai City was also about searching for clues and gathering intelligence as he did when he visited Beiming City; back then, although Xiaoyao was found near a small village, this place too held important clues.

Again after spending three days, Xiaoyao obtained some leads. What was somewhat strange was that these new hints seemed odd. Not only were the young lovers from the small village mentioned again but also Fang Chunsnow’s couple. It turned out they had been together before as well.

From people's almost forgotten memories, it was known that these four individuals used to be together and even had some arguments. These disputes could be confirmed, quite significant ones at that, so much so that even if some people forgot the appearance of those four, they still remembered how Donghai City suffered because of them.

No one knew why there were disagreements, only knowing that two pairs disliked each other intensely and left in discord. One pair had issued warnings to the others about consequences and regret.

Overall, it was quite chaotic now; Xiaoyao started feeling confused too as he initially thought these would be unrelated clues but they turned out to intersect. Two things which seemed like they should be investigated separately might actually be connected.

Although they could be one thing now, this situation didn’t make matters simpler; instead, it made them more complicated!

The current situation was that adding up the two parts made for a bigger whole, making things far more complex. Especially since Xiaoyao knew both couples were quite strong, seemingly having power at the level of kings or even emperors.

Though it had been twenty years since the destruction, some things hadn’t been repaired but merely covered up with modifications. Xiaoyao found those traces, and if not for the uncertainty introduced by time’s passing, he could have deduced their exact power levels; now he can only estimate that they were at least of king-level.

Moreover, Xiaoyao inferred that there was a higher possibility of them being emperor level. These martial arts techniques seemed unfamiliar to him, indicating secretive sects or forces behind this.

If it involved an emperor, then both sides should have emperors, otherwise the battle couldn’t last long enough and cause such severe destruction.

Should he be one of those pairs' child, good news would mean his parents had emperor-level strength, while bad news is that their opponents also held emperor power, potentially even stronger in terms of overall might.

If not for this situation, Xiaoyao wouldn't have been abandoned, no one looking for him in these twenty years; this alone indicated the severity of the matter.

Of course, this was based on Xiaoyao being their child. If he wasn’t, then this inference doesn't hold!

The clues suggest that after those incidents, the two pairs went separate ways: one towards Beiming City and another to an unknown destination; naturally, it would be Fang Chunsnow’s pair heading for Beiming City.

If he was Fang Chunsnow's child, she shouldn’t have been a newcomer to this world. She had traveled outside before but wouldn't feel like someone from another realm, meaning the couple seen in that small village probably wasn’t her and her husband.

Could those mysterious people who went to Beiming City be part of the lovers’ group seeking revenge against Fang Chunsnow, killing her, taking her child, yet unable to bear killing them outright, leaving the kid behind

This seemed plausible. If so, he would have some avowed enemies for his mother’s murder and an uncertain fate concerning his father.

Xiaoyao felt this possibility was quite high; he should be Fang Chunsnow's child, otherwise why would a higher force let him meet Chen Xi and lead him to the Fang family

Of course, this is just one possibility. No matter how big its probability, it remains merely that - a possibility.

To clarify these matters, Xiaoyao needs to continue questioning the people in the small village. The best subjects would be those who haven't been contacted yet, specifically those taken by Black Wind Fort. The most likely source of information would be the elderly man's daughter-in-law.

Xiaoyao feels that it seems unlikely for the daughter-in-law to have been captured. There doesn't seem to be any reason for Black Wind Fort to take an ordinary middle-aged woman unless there is a special reason; otherwise, they wouldn’t waste their resources on her.

However, even though this possibility is slim, it's still possible and cannot be ruled out. Therefore, Xiaoyao still needs to visit Black Wind Fort once more. He already has someone who can lead him there, so finding the fort isn't difficult.

Who is the guide Naturally, it’s Mr. Cao, as he has been in contact with people from Black Wind Fort.

This situation seems to have some interest; the people of Black Wind Fort haven’t denied that they didn’t capture young master Cao. They have only vaguely responded and told Mr. Cao to handle things however he wants and discuss other matters later.

The matter is quite straightforward: Regardless of whether Black Wind Fort was involved, someone offering them 100,000 taels of silver is something they wouldn't refuse. Therefore, they won’t say anything definitive about the incident, giving an implied acceptance.

Once they receive the money, Black Wind Fort will claim that they know nothing about this and didn’t do it themselves; they’ll keep the silver because it was offered to them.

Fraud Well, we never said it was us who did it. You thought of that on your own.

That's what Black Wind Fort intends to do, and they’re not afraid that Cao Family might react negatively since there wasn’t much rapport between them anyway.

As for whether Black Wind Fort will face retaliation, this is unlikely as they have relationships with several families including the Cao family. Even if the Cao family wants to sever ties, other families wouldn't agree, and the Cao family cannot go against these families either.

Additionally, Black Wind Fort thinks that since someone is targeting the Cao Family now, where would they have time or energy left to deal with them Dealing with future challenges will be their priority. If the Cao Family can't fend off those attacks, then this 100,000 taels of silver becomes a windfall.

Therefore, no matter how it's calculated, Black Wind Fort believes swallowing this large sum poses minimal risk, and as bandits, they see such risks as insignificant.

Xiaoyao has also considered this point. As outlaws, there’s no way they’d leave money behind even if the risk is high, not to mention that this risk isn’t significant.

As a result, Cao Family will definitely send these 100,000 taels over. The commotion would be obvious; even if they try to keep things low-key, transporting such an amount of silver would leave plenty for Xiaoyao to track.

Xiaoyao did not anticipate that Mr. Cao would personally go to Black Wind Fort because it was a large sum and he wanted to communicate with them. However, this isn't significant for Xiaoyao since whether or not Mr. Cao goes there doesn’t change his objectives.

Mr. Cao likely feels no danger in going to Black Wind Fort because he believes they aren't the main culprits and thinks he can convince them.

Naturally, this isn’t necessary since Black Wind Fort has no clue about the matter!

Soon, Mr. Cao will find out...

In a remote mountain area, at the end of an almost deserted path lies a fort, with surroundings that seem quite pleasant, akin to a summer retreat.

However, this isn't some kind of summer retreat; it's a bandit hideout — Eastern Europe’s most notorious gang, Black Wind Fort.

Right now, many people are moving boxes in and out. Someone accidentally overturned one box revealing piles of silver ingots.

This many boxes of silver would easily amount to several ten thousand taels, a sum few could ever dream of seeing in their lifetime.

This is the Cao Family's ransom payment for Black Wind Fort. The fort’s leaders have come out to welcome Mr. Cao with smiles rarely seen on their faces.

Anyone would smile at someone who brings them money, and bandit leaders are no exception; seeing Mr. Cao makes them feel as if they’ve met a god of wealth.

Their god of wealth is far from pleased, especially when inquiring about his son's whereabouts.

Clearly, the bandits don’t know this and answer straightforwardly: They’re now within Black Wind Fort’s territory. The silver is already theirs; they needn't pretend further.ce of a country, and simply by virtue of that title, his worth is considerable. They could let him owe them for a while. As a prince, he still has an income and will eventually pay it back.But with th...