Chapter 392: Conflict

Upon hearing Ares' words, Yang Chen's first thought was not suspicion. If Ares had taken the Divine Stone, he had no reason to concoct such a lie. In fact, if Ares had indeed taken the stone and hidden himself, Yang Chen wouldn't be able to find him.

Although innate true qi allowed Yang Chen to defeat Ares, it couldn't help him track him down. Moreover, Ares was straightforward and kept his word. If he said he would give up, he would undoubtedly do so.

"What exactly happened?" Yang Chen asked.

Ares was momentarily taken aback by Yang Chen's lack of suspicion. Seeing this, his view of Yang Chen seemed to improve, and he explained the situation.

After being defeated by Yang Chen, Ares was somewhat displeased but not overly fixated on the outcome. For him, the fight itself was the most valuable aspect. So, Ares decided to honor his promise by recalling his two subordinates from Yang Chen's house and returning the Divine Stone to its original place.

However, when Ares attempted to contact his subordinates, he discovered they had disappeared without a trace! The only evidence left in Yang Chen's garage was the hole in the wall, and there were no other clues to follow!

The two men had vanished into thin air, taking the Divine Stone with them!

Ares, sensing something unusual, came to Yang Chen's vicinity, believing he needed to explain the situation, and found him near the bar.

After hearing this, Yang Chen immediately thought of the Holy Grail incident at the Liu family banquet. During that event, Elder Mobius had vanished without a trace. Although everyone was baffled, Yang Chen had clearly sensed that someone had used spatial laws to swallow Mobius and take the divine power from the Holy Grail, leaving it as an ordinary old cup.

Could it be that the same unknown individual was behind this incident? However, last time, the Holy Grail was only deprived of its internal power. This time, the entire Divine Stone was taken, suggesting a different intention.

Seeing Yang Chen deep in thought, Ares said, "If you know who did this and need my help, I'd be happy to assist in retrieving the Divine Stone."

"No need, we won't find it," Yang Chen replied.

Ares frowned. "So, you're going to give up on the Divine Stone?"

"We have no choice. The opponent understands spatial laws. Just as I can't find you, we won't be able to find him either," Yang Chen said with a bitter smile.

Ares was shocked and then his expression turned grim. "Who is the shameless one interfering?"

"It's not someone I know," Yang Chen replied. "It shouldn't be any of those who have awakened recently."

Upon hearing Yang Chen recount the Holy Grail incident, Ares frowned and said, "Although it's said that aside from the twelve major gods capable of reincarnation, other deities have dissipated, it's possible that some powerful ones still live in some corner of the world. But while I understand taking the Divine Stone, why take that broken cup?"

Yang Chen shook his head, also puzzled by the theft of the Holy Grail. To someone who mastered spatial laws, it didn't make much sense.

"In that case, I'll help you investigate this," Ares declared. "No one steals from me and gets away with it."

Yang Chen had no objections. Having a free hand to help investigate was certainly advantageous.

After Ares left, Yang Chen shook his head. Although the Divine Stone was important, it wasn't enough to make him lose sleep. Especially after encountering the enigmatic Ling Xuzi tonight, Yang Chen realized his own knowledge of power was still limited.

Returning to Rose's room, he found the two women looking worried. Yang Chen smiled lightly, "It's nothing. Just had a visitor in the middle of the night."

Rose and Mo Qianni knew Yang Chen preferred to keep some things to himself, so they didn't press further.

Rose suddenly said, "Husband, I want to move."

Yang Chen was puzzled. "Move where?"

"To the old house. It's bigger," Rose explained.

The old house Rose mentioned was the former residence of Situt Mingze. Since Situt Mingze was sent abroad, the house returned to Rose, though she hadn't moved in yet.

Yang Chen thought for a moment, then glanced at Mo Qianni, who seemed hesitant. He chuckled, "Are you planning to live with Qianni?"

Rose nodded. "Yes, Sister Qianni's place got destroyed. I don't want to stay here forever, and the old house is too empty for just one person. If Sister Qianni lives with me, we'll have a good time."

Yang Chen had no objections. This would mean less running back and forth for him. But whether Mo Qianni, with her independent nature, would want to live in Rose's house was another matter.

Seeing Mo Qianni's hesitation, Rose smiled and said, "Sister Qianni, you can take care of the household expenses. It'll be like you're renting the place. How about that?"

Mo Qianni, feeling it would be impolite to refuse further, nodded and gave Yang Chen a resentful look. "This is all too convenient for this bad guy."

Yang Chen didn't feel embarrassed, even though his intentions were clear. He laughed, "Listen to Rose. You two get along well. I need to go handle some things now. You two should get some rest; it's still early."

Surprised, Mo Qianni and Rose both thought Yang Chen would make some indecent suggestion upon hearing their plans to live together. Instead, he was leaving again.

Yang Chen, tempted as he was to stay with the two lovely women, felt he needed to check his home after Ares' revelation. He wanted to ensure nothing was left behind that could scare the women in his household.

Within half an hour, Yang Chen returned to his villa at Long Jingyuan.

While in the car, Yang Chen had already asked Mo Lin about the situation of the Sea Hawk team. Four team members were lost, but the rest only suffered minor injuries. This was much better than Yang Chen had anticipated, considering that the opponents were bioengineered warriors unafraid of death.

The lawn outside the villa had been cleared. Yang Chen went to the underground parking garage and replaced the stone blocks that had been removed. Everything looked as it did before, though the divine stone was indeed gone, leaving no traceable clues.

Yang Chen sighed, knowing he had no way to investigate further and could only take things one step at a time.

The next day, Yang Chen came down from the second floor to the dining room for breakfast. By the table, Lin Ruoxi, dressed in a standard professional outfit, had already finished eating and stood up.

Seeing Lin Ruoxi's impeccably tied hair and her cold, expressionless demeanor, Yang Chen felt uneasy but couldn't help asking, "Ruoxi dear, why are you dressed like this? Are you going to work?"

Lin Ruoxi ignored him as if she hadn't heard anything, picked up her bag from the sofa, and headed for the door.

At this moment, Guo Xuehua, carrying a bowl of millet porridge from the kitchen, suddenly laughed and said, "Oh, Ruoxi mentioned it's the New Year, and she wanted to buy some decent clothes for you, her husband. So, she has to go out today, right, Ruoxi?"

Lin Ruoxi had already reached the door. Hearing Guo Xuehua's words, she paused, her cold and beautiful face showing some struggle. Finally, she bit her lip, turned around, and agreed.

Yang Chen wasn't a fool. Lin Ruoxi's earlier demeanor clearly indicated she didn't want to stay home and chose to go to the office. Guo Xuehua, seeing the couple in a cold war, intentionally gave Yang Chen an excuse, indirectly advising Lin Ruoxi not to be too harsh.

While Yang Chen appreciated Guo Xuehua's protection, he couldn't help but feel this might be somewhat cruel to Lin Ruoxi.

Could it be that there were already conflicts between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in his home?

After agreeing with Guo Xuehua, Lin Ruoxi left silently. Given her nature, she wouldn't show any signs of grievance even if she felt it.

Yang Chen sat down, drank a few sips of porridge, and after some thought, said to Guo Xuehua, who was peeling a tea egg for him, "Don't treat Ruoxi like that in the future. It's my fault. She has every right to be angry."

Guo Xuehua was stunned for a moment, then said, somewhat sadly, "Is Mom being meddlesome? Mom knows she hasn't been a good role model and hasn't fulfilled her duties as a mother or mother-in-law to you and Ruoxi. Mom doesn't mean any harm, but she just can't help it. She feels that Ruoxi always gives you a hard time. You've been married for over half a year, and she still won't share a room with you. It's a bit much. I know she's a good child. I had a good talk with her a few days ago, but I don't want to see you wronged. Every time I think of the hard times you went through, I can't stand to see anyone, not even a daughter-in-law, treat you coldly."

Yang Chen looked at Guo Xuehua with a complex expression and shook his head. "I don't feel wronged. Our situation is special. From now on, leave our matters to us to handle."

With that, Yang Chen stood up, took a jacket, and prepared to leave.

Guo Xuehua was taken aback. "Yang Chen, are you going out too? You haven't even finished your breakfast."

"I'm going to the office. It's the New Year, and we can't have dinner with sour faces," Yang Chen shrugged. "Even if I have to kneel on a washboard, I have to bring that cold-faced goddess back."