C21 Is It a Coincidence?

After leaving the highway checkpoint, Zhou Ming took a secluded path to enter his city district.

In the pre-dawn stillness, most were deep in slumber, and the city lay quiet. Only the streetlights cast a warm glow against the chilly night. Zhou Ming felt a wave of relief; it seemed the Watchtower hadn't initiated a widespread search. Otherwise, returning would have felt like walking straight into a snare.

Upon reaching his rental, Zhou Ming's face fell. The door frame appeared to have been hammered, leaving a noticeable dent. Half of the wooden door hung askew, clinging to the right side. Wooden debris littered the floor, and the living room was in disarray, with bloodstains marring the edge of the square coffee table. He quickly checked the two rooms, which were untouched, but Lin Xiaowu was nowhere to be found.

Without a thought for the neighbors, Zhou Ming dashed to the fourth floor and frantically rang the doorbell of a chicly decorated apartment.

"Who's there? I'm coming, I'm coming! What's all this at this hour?" grumbled a voice from within.

A bleary-eyed middle-aged woman, Lang Ruoyi, opened the door, squinting at him.

"It's me, Lang Ruoyi," Zhou Ming said, wiping the grime from his face to reveal his pallor. As the landlord, Lang Ruoyi wouldn't ignore the damage to her property. Zhou Ming needed answers.

"Zhou Ming?!" Lang Ruoyi gasped, pulling him inside and lowering her voice. "You've got serious trouble! You weren't home yesterday, and they took that young lady from your place. They were explicit about wanting you dead!"

"Who was it?" Zhou Ming's brow creased. Had he crossed anyone lately? Then it hit him – the encounter with Ming Xuanyang at the mall, where he had slapped the young man due to a system glitch.

Lang Ruoyi massaged her temples, trying to recall. "The guy was about your age. His henchmen called him... Mr. Ming. They were brutal, kicked in your door, and carried the girl off. Before they left, they pointed at me and said, 'Tell Zhou Ming to come to the Zephyr Heights Hotel.' It was terrifying."

As she spoke, Lang Ruoyi patted her chest, her expression one of lingering fear.

"I understand, Lang Ruoyi. Thank you."

Zhou Ming quickly said his thanks and dashed down the stairs.

"Hey..."

Lang Ruoyi tried to call out to him, but Zhou Ming was already sprinting away, faster than a rabbit, and she couldn't catch up. She wondered how such a boy, who never seemed to exercise, could suddenly burst with so much energy.

After a moment's thought, Zhou Ming grabbed a spare phone from his room and leaped down from the second floor.

"I'll wait for Brother Zhou Ming to come back. You better not lie to me. Pinky promise."

The image of Lin Xiaowu's smiling face and her voice echoed in Zhou Ming's mind, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he might never see the cheerful and vivacious girl again.

Zephyr Heights Hotel, a top-tier five-star establishment, stood out from other hotels with its Essence Weaver protection, ensuring safety and serenity. Guests could rest assured that they would not be subject to secret recordings or disturbances, as the hotel had a zero-tolerance policy for disruptive behavior.

In a luxurious suite at Zephyr Heights Hotel, Lin Xiaowu was bound to an armchair, her eyes shut tight, with a small cut on her forehead and dried blood on her cheek.

Ming Xuanyang reclined on a plush leather sofa, holding a bottle of disinfectant. He tossed it to a burly man standing next to him, saying, "Clean her wound. I can't stand the thought of such a pure beauty being marred."

"Right away, Mr. Ming."

The burly man, with a fawning expression, caught the disinfectant and gently dabbed it on Lin Xiaowu's face.

"Kun San, after all this time with me, how can you still be so incompetent? What are you even doing with your days?" Ming Xuanyang chided the muscular man with a mix of frustration and disappointment.

"Mr. Ming, I had no choice. I thought this gig was a surefire way to make money, but then we ran into Zhou Ming. He's no ordinary guy. He took down more than ten of my guys. I'm still wearing a steel plate on my chest because of him."

If Zhou Ming were present, he would immediately recognize the burly man as Kun San. Previously, when his extortion attempt had failed, he had tried to intimidate Zhou Ming with brute force, only to be thoroughly outmatched and left with serious injuries.

"Zhou Ming is far from simple; he's an Essence Weaver, just like me."

Ming Xuanyang shook his head. His face had been slapped by Zhou Ming, leaving him utterly humiliated, and he was eager for revenge. During the slap, Ming Xuanyang had sensed the fluctuation of Primal Essence in Zhou Ming's hand. The guy was merely a novice in the early stages of Source Tempering. Ming Xuanyang wasn't foolish; Zhou Ming's boldness in striking him was likely due to his confidence as an Essence Weaver.

Thanks to his influential father, digging into Zhou Ming's background was a breeze for Ming Xuanyang. He discovered that Zhou Ming had no significant connections. If anything, Zhou Ming's sister, who was studying at the Divine Martial Academy in Sliuhuan, could be considered his only backing. But who was Ming Xuanyang? His father was the renowned general of the Watchtower, Minghe. With such a powerful figure to support him, he had no reason to fear a student from the Divine Martial Academy.

Even more conveniently, his investigation revealed that his own men had previously clashed with Zhou Ming. This was perfect; he could settle both old and new scores at once.

"An Essence Weaver, no wonder none of us could handle him," Kun San said, rubbing the back of his head with a frustrated look.

"He might be able to push around ordinary folks like you, but against me, he'd have no choice but to kneel and beg for mercy," Ming Xuanyang declared, his hand instinctively touching his cheek. He had let his guard down at the time. As a late-stage Source Tempering, three-star Essence Weaver, he would never have been hit by that slap if it hadn't been for Zhou Ming's surprise attack. The thought of being struck by a beginner infuriated Ming Xuanyang.

He had vowed to torment Zhou Ming thoroughly, both mentally and physically. He intended to leave Zhou Ming as incapacitated as Lee Tianshan, watching helplessly as his woman was taken from him.

The thought of Bai Qingmei and Lee Yue stirred a restlessness in Ming Xuanyang. Surely Zhou Ming wouldn't fail to come to his girlfriend's rescue? The night was nearly over, and there was still no sign of Zhou Ming. Perhaps it was time for Ming Xuanyang to indulge in a little appetizer?

With dark desire igniting within him, Ming Xuanyang found himself unable to hold back any longer. He slowly made his way toward Lin Xiaowu...

At the reception desk on the ground floor of Zephyr Heights Hotel, a young man caked in mud made his entrance.

"Yuck!" The receptionist wrinkled her nose upon seeing the mud-covered youth enter the hotel. Despite her clear distaste, she maintained a professional demeanor and greeted him with a smile, "Sir, are you checking in?"

Zhou Ming, well-versed in social etiquette, sensed the receptionist's discomfort. He softened his tone, "I was sent by Ming Xuanyang. Could you provide me with his room number? Or perhaps you could give him a call to check?"

The receptionist glanced at Zhou Ming and replied with a hint of regret, "I'm sorry, but the hotel cannot reveal guest information to outsiders. I must ask you to leave."

Her tone carried a note of impatience, unmistakably signaling him to depart.

"Understood, my apologies for the inconvenience."

No sooner had he spoken than Zhou Ming swiftly turned and delivered a chop to the back of the receptionist's neck.

Gently laying the receptionist on the floor, Zhou Ming mentally offered his apologies while his fingers danced across the computer keyboard. In mere seconds, he located Ming Xuanyang's room number.