Stranger Danger

"Missing?" Ye Qing lifted his eyebrows in surprise and puzzlement. "We've never heard of such a thing though."

Although he and Feng Qingyou weren't natives, and they hadn't been here for long, neither the island lord of Gold Island, Jin Tianlai, nor his wife, Ming Yueying, were insignificant people. On the contrary, they were famous and influential both in this area and the entire Profound Alliance. If something, anything had happened to them, the entire world should have learned about it in no time.

"At the moment, I'm the only one who's aware that something's wrong." Jin Wanliang looked bitter as he said this, "In fact, I myself only found out recently."

"What do you mean?" Ye Qing didn't quite understand what Jin Wanliang was saying. What did he mean that he was the only one who knew about this, and that he only found out recently? Was it that difficult to discover and confirm that two bigshots had gone missing?

Jin Wanliang realized that he was confusing Ye Qing and hurriedly explained, "The reason I said what I said is because both the island lord and his wife are still on Gold Island." "However, I recently discovered that they aren't my parents at all."

That was surprising. Ye Qing subconsciously questioned, "Are you saying that the island lord and lady currently on Gold Island are fakes?"

"That is exactly correct, senior," Jin Wanliang paid him a compliment.

"How did no one notice this sooner?"Were they blind?

"It's because they look exactly identical to my parents. Their temperament, personality, behavior, conduct and more are exactly the same as well. It is difficult for an outsider to notice that something is wrong."

Jin Wanliang explained, "Besides that, they rarely interacted with outsiders claiming that they acquired a secret art that required them to enter seclusion and practice for an extended period of time. That is why even those close to my parents did not notice a thing."

"In that case, how did you find out?" Ye Qing asked.

"I discovered it by accident." Jin Wanliang began, "Maybe it's because the two fakes truly think that I am an ignorant and incompetent, arrogant and foolish useless piece of trash, but they were unguarded against me. Not long ago, when I paid them a visit at the island and ate lunch with them, I noticed that they were drinking a type of wine called Green Amber Wine."

"Green Amber is a famous wine. It's created from a flower called Green Amber Flower. My mother once told me that she almost died from an allergic reaction toward Green Amber Flower when she was young. Although the flower no longer affected her after she started cultivating, she disliked everything relating to Green Amber Flower to this day because of her near death experience. She especially loathes Green Amber Wine and would not drink them unless absolutely necessary. Because of this, my father rarely drank Green Amber Wine as well."

"But that day, they were drinking the wine to their heart's content. I found it very strange."

Jin Wanliang's eyes darkened when he got to this point of this story. "Since then, I began testing them bit by bit. I spoke to them about my childhood and got a few details wrong on purpose. They did not notice a thing."

"Of course, it's possible that they didn't notice because those days were so long ago. However, I later said the date of my maternal grandfather's death anniversary wrong on purpose, and they still did not notice a thing. My mother was an incredibly filial daughter and shared a very close relationship with her father. There is no way she would ever misremember his death anniversary."

"That is the point I became certain that something is wrong with them, though at the beginning, I still did not suspect that they are fakes. I merely thought that they experienced something that resulted in their memories being scrambled."

"But as the days of my observation grew, I began noticing more and more disconcerting things about them. Although their appearance, behavior, and even most of their memories matched my parents' perfectly, there are always some slip-ups that are incongruous and even completely opposed to how my parents would have acted."

"Finally, I arrived at the horrifying conclusion that they weren't my parents; that they are fakes. My own parents were nowhere to be found. I searched the entire Gold Island for them to no avail."

Ye Qing asked, "If you knew that they are fakes, then why didn't you just capture them and interrogate them for your parents' whereabouts?"

"I couldn't."

A hint of terror and helplessness flashed across Jin Wanliang's face when he said this. "After a period of hidden observation, I realized that my parents weren't the only ones who were switched. Many others on Gold Island had come under their control as well, even... even my uncles. There is simply no one I can trust anymore." "As if that isn't enough, the two fakes are Half Sages. There is no one on the entire island who is a match for them."

"Until I have come up with the perfect solution, I am unwilling to beat the bush and alert the snake!"

Feng Qingyou lowered the book she was reading and asked curiously, "If the people of Gold Island are untrustworthy, then what about the Profound Alliance? Surely they wouldn't sit by and do nothing if they knew about this?"

"Even if they did ignore you, what about Bright Moon Island? The island lord of Bright Moon Island is your maternal uncle. Surely he wouldn't ignore this?"

"It's not that I'm unwilling to ask for their help. Again, I couldn't!"

Jin Wanliang's smile grew even more bitter and helpless. "You should know that the Profound Alliance is not united. In fact, the civil wars are quite severe. As Gold Island produces gold, it is the wealthiest member of the Profound Island bar none. In terms of wealth alone, not even the five great factions—Profound Moon Dynasty, the Sun Worship Divine Kingdom, Southern Sea Sword Sect, Xixa Abode, and Floating Light Celestial Island—are a match for us."

"Unfortunately, Gold Island has the wealth but not the strength to protect it. Simply put, we don't have a Sage. We are like that child who explores the market while carrying bars of gold in his arms. Anyone and everyone wants a piece of us. The major factions of Profound Alliance have long desired to put us under their control. They couldn't only because factions that are opposed to them are keeping them in check. That is how Gold Island had survived thus far."

"Had I told the Profound Alliance about this, it would be like delivering Gold Island into their doorsteps. They will use rescuing my parents as an excuse and invade Gold Island openly. Even if they managed to save my parents, Gold Island will surely fall into a quagmire of strife and conflict. Worst case scenario, someone would stake their claim on us once and for all."

"As for my maternal uncle... I'm sorry to air our dirty laundry to you, seniors, but please bear with me. From an outsider's perspective, it looks like Gold Island and Bright Moon Island are a tight-knit group. In reality, my parents and my maternal uncle share a poor relationship with each other. My mother especially shares a terrible relationship with him. The number of times they've seen each other throughout the years could be counted on one hand."

"Of course, the biggest problem is that my uncle is also just a Half-Sage. He is not necessarily stronger than the two fakes, and I simply cannot see him capturing them successfully. If the snake is alerted, or if the two fakes are driven to desperation, then my parents' lives would be in danger. I just cannot take the risk."

"Hmm... you are pretty cautious."

Feng Qingyou smiled. "You're barking up the wrong tree though. We are just Half-Sages as well. We may not necessarily be able to suppress the two fakes."

"You are being modest, senior. I am certain that the two of you will succeed," Jin Wanliang declared with certainty. "Back at Floating Island, not only did you succeed in destroying Jewel Tree Prince's conspiracy, he displayed power equal to that of an Ancient-class Stranger at the very end. Despite this, the two of you still managed to suppress and capture him effortlessly. This proves that your strengths are at least on par with a Sage."

"If the two of you are willing to lend me your aid, then I am sure that we can apprehend those fakes without trouble."