Living In Another World With A Farm Chapter 8580: Missing (1)

Seated within his room, Yu Qing faced his uncle who stood right in front of him. As the current island master, his island didn't have as vast a population as those other islands rooted for decades, yet it still harbored a solid number of residents. Naturally, every person on the island recognized Yu Qing's deepest respect for Uncle Yi, ensuring no one dared disrespect him or hinder his visits to Yu Qing.

Yu Qing always welcomed seeing Uncle Yi, yet the revelation from his uncle today furrowed his brows deeply. Staring at Uncle Yi, Yu Qing questioned, 'Uncle Yi, how many days has it been?' His foster uncle had just reported that a staff member from their shop had vanished. This alone wasn't catastrophic, but the employee was a longtime Yu family loyalist who grasped Yu Qing's background intimately. Though clueless about the ghost shadow group, he knew Yu Qing's ties to the Yu family. Any exposure of Yu Qing's identity would unleash serious chaos.

Precisely for this reason, Uncle Yi hurried to inform Yu Qing the moment he learned of the shop assistant's disappearance. Yu Qing grasped the urgency of the situation and probed his uncle on the length of the absence. Should too much time have elapsed, recovery would prove pointless. Deep down, Yu Qing felt it was already far too late.

Shame colored Uncle Yi's features as he replied, 'Young master, it's been two days. He hasn’t opened the shop for the past two days, but since he had handled matters outside before, I didn’t think twice about it. Still, with no sign of him returning these two days, suspicion hit me. I inspected his shop later and discovered fight traces inside. Cleanup had occurred, but remnants were visible. Most critically, if he’d gone out for business... he would leave a mark in the room, yet none existed this time. That's what tipped me off that something was wrong.'

Yu Qing gave a nod, his voice grave as he stated, 'Two days allows ample opportunity for grave deeds. Uncle Yi, do you reckon the foes target me or them? Or is it aimed at the main family?' By 'them,' Yu Qing meant Gu Ming and his allies. Though Gu Ming served as his master, the man's treatment of Yu Qing had chilled since gaining island master status. Gu Ming simply manipulated him, stirring deep discomfort in Yu Qing's heart. Hence, he often called Gu Ming's group 'them.'

Regarding the main family, that pointed to Zhao Hai and his crew. Unbeknownst to their full secrets, Yu Qing saw them as Zhao Hai's faction. Fully aware of his own weak standing, he used 'main family' for them to baffle outsiders.

Uncle Yi spoke solemnly, 'Young master, I believe this strikes at you and them, with little link to the main family. You know the main family stationed many on your island and my operations, none encountering trouble. Yet our shop's employees have. Those staff followed us ages ago, even prior to your island lord rise. To outsiders, they know our secrets well. Main family hires came after your promotion, viewed as fresh additions blind to our past, so untouched. As a low-key island lord, you've slighted no one, making direct targeting unlikely. It connects to them—you're tied to their side now, and your island's spot is critically sensitive. Attacking you strikes them equally.'

With another nod, Yu Qing intoned deeply, 'Evidently, they’ve lost patience. But no issue there; I foresaw this, just not strikes at your side. I need to alert them. Since it's chiefly against me, good thing only we two know of the main family. Else, true disaster.' Secretly, Yu Qing was relieved the attackers seized only his subordinate, sparing Zhao Hai's people, preventing deeper revelations and greater woes.

Unbeknownst to Yu Qing, should the foes truly attempt to seize Zhao Hai and his companions, the repercussions would prove unbearable. For this reason, Zhao Hai had implanted seals upon every individual he dispatched. Under assault, they would retaliate with utmost ferocity. Upon capture by the enemy, self-destruction would follow. Attempting a soul-searching technique on them would activate the seal, causing immediate detonation. Thus, any perpetrator employing soul-searching on his subordinates would face grave trouble from them, rendering Yu Qing's concerns pointless.

Yet, ignorant of this measure, Yu Qing remained deeply anxious. Uncle Yi shared this lack of knowledge, nodding as he replied, “That’s right. We must stay cautious. If the enemy strikes the main family someday, it’ll spell big trouble. Young Master, you should urge the main family to heighten their vigilance.”

Yu Qing responded gravely, “We need to warn them—not just for the main family’s sake, but ours too. I’ll dispatch a letter to the main family right away, then to our people. Should the foes learn of my status as a Yu family disciple, they’ll surely exploit it. Better to prepare ahead of time.” With that, Yu Qing produced a communication array. He inscribed a jade slip and set it upon the array. A white flash later, the jade slip vanished.

Next, he stowed the array and retrieved another jade slip. After inputting details, he approached the room’s corner where a small communication array sat. Placing the jade slip on the teleportation array, another white gleam sent it away.

Turning to Uncle Yi, Yu Qing instructed, “Uncle Yi, upon our return, commence preparations at once. If the enemy targets us, they might strike you too. Stay alert and alert the main family’s leader.”

Yi Shu acknowledged with a bow to Yu Qing before departing. Once Yi Shu was gone, Yu Qing sighed in relief. Abruptly, a voice rang out, “What’s amiss? Foes plotting to use your identity against you?” The sudden sound startled Yu Qing.

Yet Yu Qing swiftly identified the voice as belonging to the Man in Black. Glancing around, he spotted the Man in Black in his room undetected. Sighing, he admitted, “I fear my Yu family identity will soon be revealed. Truth be told, I never anticipated this turn.”

The man gazed at him with a smile. “It was inevitable. Once they decide to probe, your background will surface eventually. Beyond that identity, though, they’ll uncover little else. We’ve purged nearly all Rogue cultivators from that gathering over the past two years. Investigation yields nothing now. Plus, your disguised appearance back then shields you. Still, ties with your master and his group seem strained, no?”

Yu Qing affirmed, “Indeed. They’ve exploited me throughout. This island’s location was their gift, forcing my hand here. Frankly, I never desired it. With the enemy now gunning for me, their involvement remains uncertain. Without their aid, my plight worsens.”

“No such trouble exists,” the man assured. “Rest easy. Your master and allies will back you for certain. You’re theirs, after all, and your efforts serve them. Abandoning you amid this threat would forfeit their followers’ loyalty henceforth. Naturally, prepare for betrayal as worst case. Now, hear this: a secret regarding your island.”

Yu Qing’s interest sharpened at these words. During the island’s construction, the man had vanished for ten days, claiming defense array enhancements. Yu Qing had dismissed it, suspecting hidden alterations. Ignorant of the specifics, he now eagerly anticipated the revelation.

"To discuss the secret of your island, we must first reveal our identity. We are the Ghostshadow Group, yet we also form another organization. You've surely heard of it before—the Ghostwind Bandits. These Ghostwind Bandits are the ones who razed two islands of the Dark Ghost Sect and the Blood River Sea area. All the major sects hunted them down relentlessly."

Yu Qing stared blankly, unable to process the man's words. It had never occurred to him that this person belonged to the Ghostwind Bandits. After all, the Ghostwind Bandits and the Ghostshadow Regiment followed utterly different methods. Nobody had ever associated the two groups. But now, the man declared they were both the Ghostwind Bandits and the Ghostshadow Regiment. How could he not feel shocked?

"Since we are the Ghostwind Bandits, you know we require faithful slaves. We'll claim them all. Your island is included—we've already removed every faithful slave from it. No one at the faithful slave realm remains on your island anymore. We've reinforced it with multiple layers of restrictions. Furthermore, it acts as the primary intelligence hub for the Ghostwind Bandits inside the Dark Ghost Sect. It stores all the intel we've collected on the Dark Ghost Sect up to now, along with any additional information we acquire. So, if you have urgent matters here and it's too dangerous, go straight there. The people on site will arrange a safer location for you. Follow me now to see it—let's head out." With that, the man in black stepped slowly toward Yu Qing. A wave of his hand produced a flash of white light, and the two vanished from the room.