Su Qing glanced at the telegraph machine on the desk. It was obvious the other party hadn’t finished sending their message. But Su Qing had to know what they had already sent so she could react accordingly.
With this in mind, Su Qing smashed the telegraph machine to pieces with a single lash of her whip, then fed the man a drop of the gray liquid.
After some questioning, Su Qing breathed a sigh of relief.
The man who had been sending the message was part of the group left behind at the abandoned factory. He was one of their support staff, mainly in charge of logistics and communication. He hadn’t gone outside earlier when they were loading the trucks. During the fight between Su Qing and Ye Yuefeng, he assumed Ye Yuefeng would surely win, so he wasn’t in a hurry. He even came closer to watch the spectacle. But to his surprise, Ye Yuefeng couldn’t defeat Su Qing and even had to use an Illusion Technique. The man had fainted from fright on the spot. When he came to and realized something was wrong, he rushed to send a message with the telegraph machine, but Su Qing interrupted him before he could get more than a few words out.
As for the few words that did get sent out, they were: "Factory raided. Lord Ye Yue defeated."
Because he had fainted from the shock of Ye Yuefeng’s Illusion Technique, the man didn’t know what happened afterward. When he woke up, Su Qing was the only person left in the yard, and he knew something was terribly wrong. That was why he had rushed to send the message.
After getting the information she needed, Su Qing sent the man on his way. Then, she commanded her creeping vines to search the entire abandoned factory, inside and out. Once she confirmed there were no stragglers, she finally left.
Meanwhile, in the study of courtyard number 77 in Shuangqing Alley, Tian Qiu stared at the person before him in disbelief. "What did you say? Say that again."
"Young Master, we just received a message. The shipment we were preparing to transport today... it’s all been stolen."
"But wasn’t Lord Ye Yue there?" Tian Qiu still couldn’t believe it. Ye Yuefeng was one of the top five Onmyoji in Japan; his methods were incredibly formidable. Who could possibly steal something right under Ye Yuefeng’s nose?
’Does Hua Country even have someone that capable?’
’Didn’t Ye Yuefeng say that none of these masters or witches in Hua Country were any match for him?’
"The message said... Lord Ye Yue was defeated..." the man said in a low voice.
Hearing this, Tian Qiu erupted in anger. He grabbed the nearest object and hurled it, and it shattered with a sharp CRACK. Looking closely, he saw it was his favorite colored-glaze cup.
"How could he be defeated?" Tian Qiu didn’t dare to shout, afraid the neighbors might hear something. He lowered his voice and demanded, "Isn’t Lord Ye Yue incredibly powerful? Who were the people that raided the factory?"
"Th-that, we don’t know." The man said hurriedly, "Only a few words came from the factory. I suspect they only had time to send that much before they were cut off. As for who raided the factory, we have no idea."
"What a bunch of losers!" Tian Qiu’s chest heaved with rage. ’Over a hundred antiques and cultural relics... Just thinking about it makes my heart ache.’ To obtain these items, the Qiutian Clan had expended considerable financial and human resources. Not to mention, the price the Qiutian Clan had to pay just to have Ye Yuefeng escort this shipment was far from small.
"Young Master, the fact that our shipment was stolen might mean there was a leak. Perhaps this place isn’t safe anymore. It’s possible the higher-ups in Hua Country have found out something. Should you perhaps return to Japan for a while to lay low?" the man suggested after a moment of thought.
Tian Qiu considered this, then said, "It’s not necessarily the Hua Country leadership. If they knew what was going on, they wouldn’t have just stolen the shipment. This courtyard would have been surrounded long ago. Even if it wasn’t surrounded, it would definitely be under surveillance. I probably wouldn’t be able to leave even if I wanted to."
At this, Tian Qiu’s eyes narrowed. "And even if the Hua Country leadership did find out, with the power of my Qiutian Clan, they wouldn’t dare do anything to me. At most, they’d just deport me back to Japan."
"But what if it isn’t the Hua Country leadership?" the man worried. "What if the other party has no such scruples..."
"If it’s not the Hua Country leadership, then it’s even easier to handle. Since they stole the shipment, it means they’re after money. And people who are after money are the easiest to deal with. You should know, there’s an old saying in Hua Country: ’Money makes the world go ’round.’" Tian Qiu said confidently. "There is nothing in this world that money can’t move."
"Then why are you still staying here, Young Master?" The man still felt uneasy.
"Of course." Tian Qiu’s eyes narrowed as he thought of Su Qing. ’I still have important business to finish. I can’t just leave like this. Even if I do leave, I’m taking the beauty and the ancient texts with me.’
Seeing Tian Qiu’s resolve, the man didn’t dare say more. Tian Qiu was the most prized scion of the Qiutian Clan; you definitely couldn’t afford to anger him, or there would be hell to pay.
Tian Qiu thought for a moment before giving his orders. "Send someone to the factory to investigate the situation. Also, remind everyone in Beijing to be on high alert. Tell them not to slip up. If any information leaks because of them, I won’t be so easy to talk to."
"Yes, Young Master," the man said quickly.
"Alright, go on and get busy." Tian Qiu waved his hand dismissively. "Also, run a check on everyone who has ’come down from the mountain’ recently."
"Yes, sir."
After the man left, Tian Qiu picked up the phone. He glanced at the time, then put the phone back down with a frown. It was already late; that Miss Su Qing was probably asleep. He was quite frustrated that no one had answered when he called earlier today. Thinking of Su Qing’s beauty, Tian Qiu smiled faintly. ’A woman from Hua Country can’t be a wife, but she would make a fine mistress.’
Meanwhile, Su Qing, the object of Tian Qiu’s thoughts, did not return to Xilin Alley after leaving the abandoned factory. Instead, she went straight to Jin Zhicheng’s home—the staff apartment building for the Beijing Textile Factory.
In this era, there wasn’t much of a vibrant nightlife. Most people went to bed early. When Su Qing arrived at the apartment building where Jin Zhicheng lived, only one or two windows in the entire building still had lights on.
Su Qing went upstairs without a sound. Arriving outside the Jin family’s front door, she first sent a gray mist into their home. After the entire family had fallen into a deep slumber, she used a vine to quietly open the door and pull the unconscious Jin Zhicheng into her space.
Su Qing’s space was quite large now. Even though it was filled with many things, there was more than enough room for one person.
Under the cover of night, Su Qing went to the small grove where Jin Zhiwei had been harmed. She released Jin Zhicheng from her space, simultaneously commanding a creeping vine to bind him tightly and cover his eyes completely.
"Ah!" When Jin Zhicheng woke up, he immediately felt that something was wrong. ’I was in bed, ready to sleep. Why does it feel like I’m surrounded by grass?’
’Don’t tell me I’m dreaming again?’
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