Chapter 360 - 309: Who is the Thief?

The Steward was obviously stunned; he hadn't expected the captain to be so confrontational.

But he quickly recovered, realizing they were clearly here to cause trouble.

They were obviously dead set on opposing Xianya Garden.

A flicker of embarrassment and helplessness crossed the Steward's face.

He had assumed that with Xianya Garden's prestige and status, outsiders wouldn't dare to act so presumptuously, but this captain's hardline stance was clearly beyond his expectations.

Although the Steward didn't think much of the captain himself,

he couldn't afford to provoke the Island Master whom the captain claimed to represent.

If this man was truly acting on the Island Master's behalf, things would be very difficult to handle.

But the Inner Garden couldn't be searched, no matter what.

Just as the Steward was caught in a bind, a gentle voice spoke up beside his ear.

"That's enough. You may go. Leave the rest to me."

The voice belonged to a slender, smiling, middle-aged man. He was impeccably dressed and his steps were unhurried. It was Lou Yanguang, the true master of Xianya Garden.

"Garden Master... Why are you here in person...?" the Steward stammered, turning his head in shock and alarm.

"Since this gentleman claims to have come on behalf of the Island Master, would it not be a breach of etiquette if I didn't receive him personally?" Lou Yanguang, who had appeared at the front at some point, said with a faint smile.

At this, Jiang Xu was suddenly startled.

He was startled not only because the man who had appeared had a cultivation at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, but more so because the target's aura, which his Seeking Technique had sensed, was now right in front of him.

Jiang Xu secretly used his Spiritual Eye Technique to take a look.

Beside the Garden Master, a handsome young man in a snow-white robe stood with his figure concealed by Stealth.

The young man's Stealth Technique was clearly of a high level; even with his Spiritual Eye Technique, Jiang Xu could only vaguely make out the man's general outline.

'Is this the famous Courtesan?'

'Flat-chested and no butt... why does he... kind of look like a man?'

Jiang Xu sized him up, and the more he looked, the more something felt off.

His mind was filled with doubt.

The figure's physical characteristics were a far cry from Jiang Xu's idea of a courtesan. He lacked a woman's curves, instead possessing a certain martial bearing.

Of course, Xiong Anling had no idea that Jiang Xu's imagination had already cast him as a fallen woman—and the top Courtesan, no less.

He was watching Lou Yanguang converse with the captain, his eyes glinting as he was lost in thought.

"You... are the Garden Master?"

The captain looked at Lou Yanguang. Knowing the man's status, position, and strength were far beyond his own, his tone softened.

"I am." Lou Yanguang smiled faintly, a hint of unspoken authority and calm in his expression as he gave a slight nod in reply.

Then, Lou Yanguang's words struck like a sword, straight to the heart of the matter: "You claim to have been sent by the Island Master. Can you present his token as proof?"

"My trip is indeed for the benefit of the Isle Master's Mansion, but as for a specific token of authorization..."

The captain faltered, trying to find a reasonable explanation, but Lou Yanguang's sharp gaze had clearly seen through it all.

The captain was starting to squirm.

He had gotten this far purely on bluster.

To put it bluntly, he was leveraging everyone's fear of the Island Master and his own projected confidence to keep them from seeing through his bluff.

But how could he possibly be representing the Island Master?

As for the Island Master's token, that was completely out of the question.

The Island Master couldn't even find out about the item he'd lost, let alone be notified directly.

Seeing the captain stammer, Lou Yanguang knew the Island Master was unaware of this affair. In all likelihood, he hadn't sent them at all.

The unease in his heart immediately subsided.

At the same time, his curiosity grew even stronger.

What exactly had been lost that would make this captain risk offending him to find it?

'Could it be something incredibly valuable?'

Lou Yanguang's gaze inadvertently swept over Xiong Anling, his eyes glinting with a complex mix of emotions.

What role was this perpetually mysterious and composed man playing in this game of chess?

Xiong Anling's thoughts, much like the faint smile perpetually on his face, were impossible to decipher.

Lou Yanguang mused to himself. Xiong Anling's machinations weren't just aimed at him; they might even involve the Island Master. He couldn't help but secretly admire such audacity and cunning.

On a place like Xiao Jin Island, anyone who dared to play games with the Island Master was invariably bold and skillful. History, however, proved that such people usually came to a miserable end.

As for Xiong Anling daring to include him in the calculations, Lou Yanguang was displeased, but there was little he could do.

Xiong Anling's genius was that he had laid it all out in the open. He had clearly anticipated Lou Yanguang's likely reaction and had prepared for it thoroughly.

This meant that even if Lou Yanguang were to act out of anger, Xiong Anling was confident he could escape unscathed, while Lou Yanguang himself might suffer even deeper retaliation.

But Lou Yanguang was, after all, the master of Xianya Garden. His wisdom and shrewdness were not to be underestimated.

He realized that accepting the situation and remaining calm was perhaps the most rational choice for now.

Besides, the "grand gift" Xiong Anling had mentioned earlier had genuinely piqued his interest.

After weighing the pros and cons, Lou Yanguang decided to suppress his displeasure for the time being. He would wait and see what kind of game Xiong Anling had set up.