Hearing his son's voice at the door, the head of the Jiang Family reflexively stood up and walked out briskly.
At that moment outside the door, Jiang Cheng had already shaken off the maid's support. His hair was disheveled, and he staggered as he ran through the gate. Upon seeing his father, he suddenly knelt at his feet, crying and shouting, "Father, you must help me. Fang Ze is too bullying!"
Seeing Jiang Cheng , and hearing his words, the head of the Jiang Family's expression was stern, his eyes filled with distress. While helping Jiang Cheng up, he said, "Cheng'er, don't panic, stand up slowly and talk."
Hearing his father's words, Jiang Cheng simply wouldn't get up. Despite being in his thirties, almost forty, he clung to his father's legs like a child, crying while saying, "Father. I have never suffered so much before."
"That night, I was clearly lying in bed at home, sleeping, but when I opened my eyes, I found myself in a completely unfamiliar place."
"Moreover, my powers were sealed, and my strength was controlled. I absolutely couldn't resist."
"And there was Fang Ze, staring at me with a predatory look."
"I had no idea what was happening, and then he grabbed me....."
As he spoke, Jiang Cheng's face showed a look of distress, and he said with a pained expression, "Then he hung me up..... and humiliated me in various ways."
Hearing Jiang Cheng's words, Jiang Cheng's father slightly tightened his arms, helped Jiang Cheng to a chair beside them, and took a deep breath with a troubled look, asking, "Are you sure it was Fang Ze?"
Jiang Cheng nodded vigorously, saying, "I am certain! Even if he turned to ashes, I would recognize him!"
Jiang Cheng's father's gaze flickered. After a moment, he looked at Jiang Cheng and then asked, "How did you manage to escape?"
Hearing his father's words, Jiang Cheng hesitated on his face. He said confusedly, "I don't know."
"All I know is that Fang Ze has been torturing me these past few days. But today, suddenly he was not around. Tonight, for some reason, the chains on my wrists just suddenly broke, and I fell from the torture device. When I opened my eyes again, I was back home."
"Perhaps the method he used to trap me had a time limit?"
Jiang Cheng's father narrowed his eyes and lowered his head, starting to ponder, seemingly lost in thought.
After a moment, he raised his head and asked Jiang Cheng for more details about the past few days he was missing. Jiang Cheng, following Fang Ze's instructions, relayed the events of the past few days, mixing truth with lies.
Jiang Cheng's father was clearly not a man easily fooled. He questioned Jiang Cheng for nearly an hour until he stopped his inquiries. Afterwards, he comforted Jiang Cheng, assuring him that he would definitely seek justice on his behalf, and then called for a maid to take Jiang Cheng down to rest, saying they would discuss more tomorrow.
After watching Jiang Cheng leave, Jiang Cheng's father's eyes narrowed slowly. After a moment, he suddenly spoke to the empty room, "What do you think?"
Upon hearing Jiang Cheng's father's question, a man dressed in traditional Han clothing, holding a folding fan, and with a refined demeanor, stepped out of a dark corner of the room. His brow furrowed, he was clearly also analyzing everything Jiang Cheng had recounted.
After a moment, he bowed slightly to Jiang Cheng's father and slowly said, "Family Head. I think there is more to this matter than meets the eye. It is very likely a trap or a scheme."
Hearing the scholar's words, Jiang Cheng's father gave a noncommittal "Oh?" and asked, "Why do you say that?"
The scholar analyzed, "First is the young master's mysterious disappearance and similarly mysterious reappearance. To silently break through the family's multi-layered defenses would definitely require a demigod's intervention."
"There are only two living demigods in Xida State now—the old progenitor and Mr. Bai."
"Neither of their excellencies would do such a thing for Fang Ze."
"So if it was indeed a demigod, it is very likely a demigod from the Outer Realm secretly arriving in Xida State or a noble from another state."
"Next is the young master stating that Fang Ze has been tormenting him for three days."
"But after the young master disappeared, we monitored Fang Ze immediately. He has been occupied these past two days with a secret mission for the Security Bureau. As a result, he has entangled the whole Provincial Government in chaos, creating panic. He simply had no time."
"Moreover, he met with you tonight, and the young master was returned this evening. Isn't that too coincidental? So coincidental it seems intentionally arranged...."
"Finally, as for the young master....."
At this point, he hesitated.
Jiang Cheng's father looked at him expressionlessly and said coldly, "Don't hold back. Continue."
"Yes." The scholar agreed, then analyzed, "The details the young master just described sound alright at a glance but don't hold up to scrutiny. There are too many loopholes and ambiguities."
"And.... the young master is simply too bad at lying. When he lies, his left hand fingers tend to rub together, and while he was telling this story, they hardly stopped."
"Therefore, in conclusion, I believe there must be more to this matter than meets the eye."
Hearing the scholar's words, Jiang Cheng's father also took a deep breath, then let it out heavily.
He asked with a stern gaze, "Then what do you make of Fang Ze bearing Cheng'er's aura?"