Back at the Huo family villa, Huo Yuwei recounted his encounter with Xuanzhenzi.
After listening, Huo Yusen frowned. "That doesn't sound very reliable."
Qiqi, however, was munching on an apple with a look of complete trust. "Big brother, don't worry. My master is very powerful, and his friends must be very powerful too. There won't be any problems!"
Huo Yuwei sighed, "I hope so."
For the next two days, Qiqi stayed home and rested obediently.
Taking medicine, sunbathing, and spending time with her grandma and mom every day, her little face gradually regained its rosy color.
Huo Yuwei and Huo Yusen were busy preparing for the operation.
Huo Yusen used the Huo family's business network to gather all the information about Zhao Tianxiang.
Huo Yuwei coordinated with Lin Wei to arrange for people to provide backup.
On the evening of the third day, the charity gala was held as scheduled.
Huo Yuwei and Huo Yusen disguised themselves as a wealthy father and son and infiltrated the banquet.
Qiqi originally wanted to go too, but was firmly refused and could only wait for news at home.
So after dinner, the little girl went back to her room alone, dejected, and locked herself in her bedroom.
She left a message saying that she was going to sleep and that neither her grandmother nor her mother should disturb her.
Both Madam Ji and Old Madam Huo knew that she was upset because she couldn't ask for help herself, so she agreed.
No one noticed that shortly after Qiqi closed the door, a small figure floated out of the window on a gentle breeze.
***
Zhao Tianxiang did indeed appear at the banquet.
He was dressed in a well-tailored suit and wore gold-rimmed glasses, exchanging pleasantries with celebrities from all walks of life with a beaming smile.
He appears to be a very successful philanthropist.
"Your acting is really good." Huo Yusen, after his disguise, held his older brother's hand and said softly.
Huo Yuwei had also changed his clothes. He touched his mustache uncomfortably and nodded, "Anyone who can get to this position is no ordinary person."
They secretly observed Zhao Tianxiang's every move and noticed that he would check his watch every now and then, as if he was waiting for something.
Halfway through the dinner, Zhao Tianxiang received a phone call and then hurriedly left.
"Follow me." Huo Yuwei and Huo Yusen also quietly left the scene.
In the parking lot, Zhao Tianxiang got into a black sedan.
Huo Yuwei followed at a distance in his car, while simultaneously contacting Lin Wei and Xuan Zhenzi.
"The target vehicle is heading towards the suburbs and is expected to arrive at the villa in forty minutes," Huo Yuwei reported.
Xuanzhenzi's lazy voice came through the earphones, "I know, I'm already waiting outside the villa. Hurry up, I'm almost asleep."
Huo Yuwei, “…”
Forty minutes later, Zhao Tianxiang's vehicle indeed drove into the private villa located in the suburbs.
Huo Yuwei parked the car some distance away and, together with Huo Yusen, lay in ambush outside the villa.
Soon, Lin Wei arrived with a special department team.
"Where is Daoist Xuanzhenzi?" Lin Wei asked.
“He said he went in first,” Huo Yuwei frowned. “But we didn’t see anyone go in.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than a loud bang came from inside the villa!
Immediately afterwards, all the lights in the entire villa went out, followed by several explosions and flames shooting into the sky!
"What's going on?!" Huo Yuwei exclaimed in shock.
Xuanzhenzi's smug voice came through the earpiece, "Done! The formation is broken, and the self-destruct device has been dismantled by me. You can come in now."
Huo Yuwei and the others looked at each other in bewilderment and then rushed into the villa.
The interior of the villa was in a mess, but miraculously, the main structure was not damaged.
Xuanzhenzi stood in the center of the living room, stepping on Zhao Tianxiang who was tied up like a rice dumpling, and holding a compass-like object in his hand.
"Taoist Master, what is this...?" Lin Wei was dumbfounded.
"Oh, I found breaking the formation too troublesome, so I just blew up the core of the formation."
Xuanzhenzi said matter-of-factly, "Don't worry, I've calculated the blast radius; it won't hurt the children in the basement."
Huo Yuwei's lips twitched. "That basement..."
“It’s down there.” Xuanzhenzi pointed to the floor. “The entrance is hidden, but I’ve already found it.”
He walked up to a wall and pressed a button in a certain spot.
The wall slid open silently, revealing a staircase leading downwards.
"Let's go, let's go rescue them."
The group rushed down the stairs and, sure enough, found the children being held captive in the basement.
There were about fifty people, all locked in specially made cells, with life support tubes inserted into their bodies.
"Quickly! Medical team!" Lin Wei immediately directed the rescue efforts.
Xuanzhenzi walked to a huge magic array and stroked his chin as he studied it.
"Tsk tsk, this soul-nourishing array is quite well improved, it's a pity it's being used for crooked and evil purposes."
While helping to rescue the children, Huo Yuwei asked, "Taoist Master, what about the restrictions on these children...?"
“It’s been lifted.” Xuanzhenzi waved his hand. “I lifted it when I came in. However, they had a lot of their soul power drained, so they need to recuperate properly.”
The children were rescued one after another and put into ambulances.
Zhao Tianxiang was also taken away by special departments for interrogation.
The operation was a complete success.
It was already 2 a.m. when they returned to the Huo family villa.
But the living room lights were still on, and Mrs. Ji and Mrs. Huo were sitting on the living room sofa waiting for them.
Huo Yusen's heart skipped a beat when he didn't see Qiqi.
Where is Qiqi?
"The little one is sleeping upstairs. How are things going? Is everything alright?"
Huo Yusen frowned. For some reason, he had a feeling that Qiqi's senior uncle was not simple.
"Let my older brother tell you. I'll go upstairs and check on Qiqi first."
After saying that, he ran straight upstairs.
"Xiao Jiu..." Old Madam Huo tried to stop him, but Huo Yuwei stopped her, "Never mind, Grandma, let him go."
This guy won't feel at ease until he sees Qiqi with his own eyes.
Grandma Huo nodded, knowing how much her grandson cared about Qiqi, and let him be.
Huo Yusen quickly went upstairs to Qiqi's room.
Standing at the door of the room, I listened intently to the sounds inside, and then suddenly pushed the door open and turned on the light in one smooth motion.
On the big bed, Qiqi was sleeping soundly under the covers.
Suddenly awakened by the glaring light, I groggily opened my eyes and saw Huo Yusen, which immediately snapped me back to reality.
She threw off the covers, jumped out of bed, and ran towards him, shouting, "Brother Xiao Jiu, you're back! How did it go? Did you succeed?"
Huo Yusen bent down and picked her up. Looking at the little girl's rosy face, he couldn't help but wonder if he was really overthinking things.
"It was a success; more than fifty children were saved."
"Yay!" Qiqi clapped her hands happily, "Grandpa Daoist is amazing!"
Huo Yusen reached out and patted her head. "Sorry, did I wake you up?"
"It's okay!" Qiqi leaned her head closer and rubbed against his palm. "Qiqi has been sleeping for a very long time, so she's not afraid of being disturbed!"
Madam Ji and Old Madam Huo also came up from downstairs. Seeing the two little ones being so affectionate, they smiled at each other.
"Are you hungry? I'll go cook some late-night snacks," said Madam Ji.
“No need, Auntie, you should go and rest.” Huo Yuwei shook his head. “We’re tired too, we want to go to sleep early.”
Mrs. Ji looked at their tired appearance and nodded, "Alright, then you should go and rest. Qiqi, you can sleep with your mother tonight."
"Mmm!" Qiqi obediently replied, then said to Huo Yuwei and Huo Yusen, "Goodnight, big brother, goodnight, little brother Jiu!"
"Good night."
After leaving Qiqi's room, Huo Yuwei tapped Huo Yusen's head with his finger.
"What? I'll just say you're overthinking it!"
Huo Yusen frowned and glanced back at Qiqi's tightly closed bedroom door.
Is he really overthinking things?
In the bedroom, Mrs. Ji was washing up in the bathroom.
Qiqi pulled out the things hidden under the bed, crumpled them up, and stuffed them into her bag before finally letting out a long sigh of relief.
That was close! We almost got caught!
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