Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Fooling Myself
Translator: 549690339
Tang Feng had heard of Zhang Chi's reputation before, but he didn't take him seriously.
Until today, when Zhang Chi brought himself to offend others by stating the thief might be an inside job, and in favor of helping him find his daughter first, did Tang Feng realize that there were indeed such nobly righteous individuals in the world.
At this point, he was only willing to trust Zhang Chi.
After the meeting at Jianghe Hall, he approached Zhang Chi to ask him about his strategy.
Zhang Chi did not immediately respond, instead suggesting, "Let's talk somewhere else."
Once they were at a quiet and secluded location, he reassured, "Valley Master Tang, if I'm not mistaken, Miss Tang should be safe at this moment."
"Are your words true?"
Tang Feng got excited instantly. Although he subconsciously doubted Zhang Chi's words, he hoped deeply that they were true.
Zhang Chi calmly replied, "The thief abducted Miss Tang surely for a purpose, it must be either for wealth or her beauty, but unlikely for revenge."
"Yes, yes, yes, Ruoling has always been kind to others, and Spirit Medicine Valley has never made deadly enemies."
Tang Feng echoed Zhang Chi's words, recognizing he was correct, but when it came to the possibility of beauty being the motive, his heart twisted in fear.
His Dao companion died too early, leaving only his treasured beloved daughter. Through the years he had always spoiled and loved her, nurturing her into the obedient and sensible girl she is today.
Thinking of his blooming daughter being brutalized by evil hands, being a father, his rage was brought to a boiling point.
"Master Tang, please compose yourself. Regardless of whether the motive was wealth or beauty, the thief should not harm Miss Tang's life for now."
"What is the explanation for this?"
Tang Feng fixated his gaze on Zhang Chi, waiting for him to convince him.
Zhang Chi certainly did not pass up this opportunity to appear impressive and calmly said, "The thief has stolen several times without leaving any traces. Such meticulousness indicates an extremely meticulous individual.
After abducting Miss Tang, he certainly wouldn't dare to act recklessly right away. There are many disciples in the Hezuo Alliance, but to be capable of executing such bold actions, they must have at least Foundation Establishment Level cultivation.
There aren't that many individuals with cultivation above the Foundation Establishment Stage. Once an investigation begins, it would be very easy to notice his anomaly.
Based on my assessment, the thief, cautious as he is, will continue behaving as usual until the investigation is over. That's when he plans to harm Miss Tang."
Hearing that his daughter was still safe, Tang Feng immediately grew hopeful.
Zhang Chi's reasoning was sound. No wonder others praised him for his intelligence and swiftness. The reputation was not undeserved.
Without any clue, he managed to deduce so much. Wouldn't he be able to catch the thief immediately if provided with a slight trace?
This was where Tang Feng was overestimating Zhang Chi.
This wasn't intelligence, it was working backwards to construct the process leading to the solution. As long as he made it sound plausible, it would be accepted as the standard answer.
"Little Friend Zhang, should we arrest all those who have reached the Foundation Establishment Stage now?"
For the sake of rescuing his daughter, Tang Feng was willing to go to any lengths.
Originally, he had made a mental preparation for his daughter to lose something. Now that he learned she could be rescued without any harm, his eagerness could only naturally intensify.
Zhang Chi tried to dissuade him, "That's not advisable. All the seniors at the Foundation Establishment Stage are the mainstays of each sect. Without evidence, we cannot incarcerate them indefinitely. What if Miss Tang cannot be located during the investigation? As soon as the investigation concludes, the thief would immediately harm Miss Tang, and might even take vengeance violently."
"So what should we do?"
At this point, Tang Feng was no longer thinking for himself.
With Zhang Chi analyzing the situation for him, his thoughts followed Zhang Chi's. With his heart consumed with his daughter's safety, he was unable to calm down.
In such a state, Zhang Chi could easily manipulate him.
However, manipulating him was not Zhang Chi's goal. His target was the person eavesdropping in the dark.
As to what calculations Grand Elder and Zhou Ran had in mind, Zhang Chi was crystal clear. Hence, he deliberately enticed Tang Feng to venture to a secluded spot for conversation. The Grand Elder would find it weird not to eavesdrop.
And he would undoubtedly deem the information he was eavesdropping on as credible.
He would also not have expected a lowly Qi Condensation Disciple to dare to scheme against him.
As predicted by Zhang Chi, the Perfected Chong Xu was indeed eavesdropping with his divine sense.
Learning that Zhang Chi had singled out the Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators as the prime suspects, he felt a stir of interest. He was about to tell Zhou Ran to take action, only to discover that Zhang Chi seemed to have another plan.
So, he decided to wait a little longer.
Sure enough, good things came to those who wait, like Patient Old Six.
He noticed that Zhang Chi lowered his voice and said, "Valley Master only needs to spread the word that Miss Tang Ruoling is a rare Innate Female Physique of Xuan Pin and that the only effective method to restore her spiritual root is through Mysterious Yin Nine Turns Cultivation Patching Technique."
"Thus, as long as the thief hears this news, he certainly won't be able to resist the temptation to restore his spiritual root."
"Sword Sect just so happens to have the technique of Mysterious Yin Nine Turns. At that time, all we need to do is wait for the rabbit to take the bait, and the thief will be captured."
Having a perfect spiritual root implies the possessor can at least cultivate to the Divine Ability Realm, with a high probability to break into the Union Realm.
Few cultivators can resist this temptation.
Very few cultivators have a perfect Five Elements at birth, but they can all restore their spiritual root through after-birth cultivation.
For example, Tang Ruoling's Innate Wood Spirit Body can restore her Wood Spiritual Root.
Meanwhile, the Female Physique of Xuan Pin that Zhang Chi made up can restore all spiritual roots at once.
Greater effects come with higher demands. Ordinary cultivation methods would ruin the Female Physique of Xuan Pin. Once this physique is destroyed, its effect is also lost.
The most fantastic thing is that the anomaly of the Female Physique of Xuan Pin only appears during childhood and gradually disappears as the person grows older.
In other words, without a good detection method, it's impossible to ascertain this physique.
This means that no one can disprove Tang Feng's lie once he tells it.
"But this claim could cause trouble for Ruoling!"
The Female Physique of Xuan Pin is very precious, and Tang Feng was worried that the Hezuo Alliance might not be able to protect it.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chi nearly rolled his eyes.
His daughter hasn't been rescued yet, and he's already worrying about future troubles. What a fine example of a worrywart.
Wanting to rescue someone while still worrying about potential problems, if he wasn't the thief, his daughter would definitely turn into a cream puff tonight.
However, despite his internal complaints, he still provided a solution, "Once you save her, just tell everyone it was a lie. Then immediately marry off your beloved daughter, naturally avoiding others' covetous gaze."
Having heard Zhang Chi say this, Tang Feng finally let go of his concerns.
Finally, he somewhat sobered up and realized that rescuing his daughter was the top priority.
"Thank you, Little Friend Zhang. I'll spread the rumor now."
"Don't rush. You have to make sure people find out in an unintentional way. Otherwise, the thief might get suspicious."
Though the thief was him, Zhang Chi was very meticulous in his plan.
The eavesdropping Perfected Chong Xu couldn't help but secretly sigh. This youngster, Zhang Chi, is indeed bright and wisdomous.
A pity that he is naive and does not know the capabilities of those in the Divine Soul Realm.
Your strategy is very effective, but it's mine now!
In that instant, Perfected Chong Xu conveyed the information to Zhou Ran.
If they could trap the culprit, why waste effort searching everywhere?
Thus, Zhou Ran's broad search was merely for show while his heart was focused on the event at evening.
Thinking that the idea Zhang Chi had painstakingly figured out was intercepted by him, Zhou Ran felt extraordinarily pleased.
Little did he know, all of this was part of Zhang Chi's plan…
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone