After changing their appearances, Long Xiao and Xiao Ming returned to Zhao Family Village at dusk. The moment they stepped into the hotel, they realized they were being followed.
As they entered the elevator, the pursuers did not follow. Xiao Ming whispered, "Brother Long, someone is following us."
Long Xiao nodded and said, "Let them follow. Just be careful."
Back in the room, Long Xiao spread out his five-element qi to observe the situation in the hallway.
Soon, the two men who had been following them opened the door to the room opposite theirs and went inside.
They had only noticed they were being followed as they neared the hotel. It was possible they had been followed all along without them realizing it, or perhaps these two men knew where they were staying and were waiting for their return.
Long Xiao's greatest concern was the exposure of his identity. As long as no one knew that Ouyang Tuo was Long Xiao, it didn't matter who was following them.
They spent the night at the hotel. At dawn, Long Xiao and Xiao Ming did not go out for their morning practice. They were now Ouyang Tuo and Ouyang Yinglang, two wealthy, playboy second-generation individuals with some power; they couldn't be seen practicing martial arts.
They went downstairs and ate breakfast at the hotel's public restaurant. Complaining about the terrible food while they ate, they walked out of the hotel.
As soon as they reached the parking lot, they saw the two men who had been following them emerge and also arrive at the parking lot.
The moment Long Xiao and Xiao Ming got into their car, the two men walked towards them.
"Hello, Mr. Ouyang Tuo, right?" the middle-aged man who had been following them asked with a smile, walking directly to the car.
Long Xiao nodded, looking at the middle-aged man with surprise, and asked, "Is there something?"
The middle-aged man nodded and said, "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Xing Yuhui, the leader of the eighteenth team of the Tianlong Guard, and this is my brother, Zhao Tianxi."
A few days prior, Long Xiao had heard from Elder Cui that the Long family had five Dragon Guard teams protecting their security. The Dragon Guard team Elder Cui had brought to Long Nian Manor last time was the Dark Dragon Guard.
Very little was known about the Dragon Guards, so Long Xiao could only feign ignorance. "What is the Tianlong Guard? Have I offended you?"
Xing Yuhui smiled and shook his head. "Mr. Ouyang, you worry too much. Your performance in the capital a while ago was outstanding. Our captain sent us to find you, wanting you to join our Tianlong Guard."
Long Xiao shook his head without hesitation. "I'm used to my freedom. I'm not interested."
"Joining the Tianlong Guard does not hinder Mr. Ouyang's freedom. Apart from missions, no one will interfere with what you do in your free time."
Long Xiao shook his head again. "I'm not interested in joining any organization. People are best off being free and unfettered."
"Mr. Ouyang has been investigating the Long Xing Society recently. If you join our Tianlong Guard, we can assist you in your investigation."
"No need. My nephew and I have enough strength; we don't need outside assistance."
"Mr. Ouyang, our Tianlong Guard has an official nature. If you join us, you will have an official identity, which will make things more convenient."
Long Xiao shook his head again. "The Long Xing Society deceives, swindles, and murders. I believe the relevant government departments also want to eradicate this organization. We are helping the country, so no one should make things difficult for us."
Seeing that Long Xiao was utterly unyielding, Xing Yuhui sighed. "Mr. Ouyang, all the major families in Huaxia are looking for you now. It seems you took something from 'Hanshan Temple,' and even hidden sects are looking for you."
Long Xiao smiled. "Xing Yuhui, it seems you know quite a bit. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you to silence you?"
Xing Yuhui shook his head. "You won't kill me. You don't kill innocent people indiscriminately."
"Alright," Long Xiao started the car. "Stop trying. It's useless. I won't join you. If you're interested in the Long Xing Society, we can cooperate and eliminate them together. If you have other missions, go about your business."
"Does Mr. Ouyang mean you can help us deal with the Long Xing Society?" Xing Yuhui asked excitedly.
Long Xiao nodded. "We have a cooperative relationship, each taking what we need."
"Then let's go. We'll go catch Zhao Xinyue."
Xing Yuhui and Zhao Tianxi got into the car and followed Long Xiao's car.
As they drove, Xiao Ming whispered, "Brother Long, there must be people from the Tianlong Guard in the Pingcheng police station."
Long Xiao nodded. "That should be the case. Otherwise, they wouldn't know so much information. We've been betrayed."
"Brother Long, someone dares to betray us. Should we go back to Pingcheng and teach him a lesson?"
Long Xiao shook his head. "It's unnecessary. Our current identities are not afraid of trouble. The more trouble we have, the more opportunities we'll have to find useful medicinal herbs."
"Brother Long, the Tianlong Guard is a national agency. Why don't we use them to find the people from the Bian Que sect?"
"Good idea. That's an excellent suggestion. They have more people and special identities, so their work will surely be more convenient than ours."
The car traversed Zhao Family Village and soon arrived near an old residential complex on the eastern outskirts.
"Brother Long, you must be mistaken. How could Zhao Xinyue live in a place like this?"
"The information was extracted from that kid's memory. It won't be wrong."
Long Xiao drove directly into the complex. There were no security guards at the entrance. An old man sitting by the gate seemed unconcerned with who came and went.
He parked the car under Building No. 5. Soon, Xing Yuhui's car also parked beside them.
"Xiao Ming, you stay here. I'll go upstairs to take a look."
Long Xiao and Xing Yuhui went upstairs, while Xiao Ming and Zhao Tianxi remained in the car.
They reached the door of Unit 302. Long Xiao pointed. "It's this one."
Xing Yuhui knocked on the door. Someone inside asked, "Who is it? What do you want?"
The voice was female. Zhao Xinyue, whom they were looking for, was a man in his early fifties.
"From the community, an in-home visit," Xing Yuhui replied.
With a click, the door opened a crack, and a woman peered out. When she saw two men, she hesitated and asked, "You're not from the community, are you? I've never seen you before."
Long Xiao yanked the door open. "Of course not."
The woman tried to close the door, but her strength was no match for Long Xiao's; she couldn't budge it.
The woman nearly stumbled and, with a furious expression, shouted, "What do you want? I'm calling the police!"
Xing Yuhui pulled out his identification. "No need to call the police. I'm a police officer."
The woman looked at the two men with panic. "I haven't broken any laws. What do you want?"
After Long Xiao and Xing Yuhui entered the room, Xing Yuhui faced the woman, while Long Xiao checked each room, finding no one else.
"Where is Zhao Xinyue?" Long Xiao asked.
The woman looked at Long Xiao in a flustered manner. "I don't know Zhao Xinyue."
"If you don't know him, why are you so nervous? Tell me honestly, where did he go?"
"I really don't know," the woman said loudly.
Long Xiao slapped her. "Don't tell me you don't know. His subordinates have already confessed."
The woman spun around from the blow and fell to the ground.
She got up and looked at Long Xiao, no longer speaking. Long Xiao sat down on the sofa and stopped asking questions.