While they were having their heart-to-heart talk, a pair of eyes had been secretly watching them from behind.
Whenever Lu Yunze turned to look back, she would hide her face behind the newspaper in her hands, avoiding eye contact with him.
She had forgotten to bring her storage box when she left today, so she had to settle for a temporary disguise consisting of a baseball cap and a pair of sunglasses. She had even rolled up her long, ash-brown hair to hide it under the cap.
Even so, she deliberately avoided the gaze of Lu Yunze and Xia Youqing, feeling as if she would be seen through the moment their eyes met.
After a short while, Lu Yunze and Xia Youqing set off again after their rest, continuing back toward the restaurant where they had eaten dinner. They likely still thought Jiang Sui was waiting for them there.
In reality, Jiang Sui had been secretly following Lu Yunze since he stepped out. Without her usual transformation tools, she didn’t dare get too close.
It wasn’t until their figures were gradually swallowed by the crowd on the street that Jiang Sui lowered the newspaper and took a sip of the drink on the table.
The black cat, which had been circling around her feet, jumped onto the table and spoke.
“Is it really necessary to take the risk of stalking them?”
“It’s necessary. Very necessary.”
Jiang Sui leaned back against her chair and shrugged.
“Anyone could see that their reason for leaving was suspicious. If they really didn’t want to arouse suspicion, they should have at least given a plausible excuse.”
“No, I’m talking about you.”
After hearing Jiang Sui’s reason for stalking, the black cat’s expression became meaningful, its doubt tinged with a hint of amusement.
Initially, Jiang Sui hadn’t been tailing Xia Youqing, but she was worried the woman might get into trouble. Coupled with her sudden departure from the dinner table and the strange things she had said in her sleep before, it was easy to associate the situation with something bad—after all, this involved her deadbeat father’s old debts.
Sure enough, Xia Youqing had been targeted.
Fortunately, Lu Yunze had noticed it too, saving Jiang Sui the trouble of intervening personally and successfully rescuing Xia Youqing.
Jiang Sui’s initial target had actually been Lu Yunze. She knew why he had left, but she just wasn’t comfortable letting him wander around outside alone.
“Is it that hard to understand?”
Jiang Sui had already explained herself once.
“In terms of looks, Lu Yunze is a handsome guy, and he’s rich to boot. People like him are the easiest targets for predatory women when they wander the streets at night.”
“Lu Yunze has a very simple mind. If he runs into a manipulative woman, he’ll be played like a fiddle in minutes. Not only would his money be swindled away, but he might even end up working himself to death for her willingly.”
“Are you introducing yourself?” the black cat couldn’t help but tease.
“Hah?”
Jiang Sui raised an eyebrow, looking a bit displeased.
“Don’t lump me in with those people. I approached Lu Yunze for our common goal, not for romance.”
Whenever this topic came up, her attitude became exceptionally firm. The black cat simply chuckled.
Although she didn’t know why the cat was laughing, Jiang Sui found it annoying. She crossed her legs and finished the rest of her drink in one gulp.
“They’re heading back to find you. Aren’t you going to move? Otherwise, another strange misunderstanding will happen.”
“No, I already sent a message saying I was full and went home first.” A slight smile played at the corners of Jiang Sui’s lips. “Lu Yunze thinks I’m in a bad mood, so he won’t suspect anything.”
“So?”
Jiang Sui stood up, and the black cat jumped onto her shoulder.
“It will still take them some time to get home. That’s enough for us to do a few things.”
“Senior, how did that thing I asked you to do go?”
“It’s handled. Luckily, there wasn’t a Secret Arts Practitioner among the police who arrived, or it would have been a bit troublesome.”
The two returned to the spot where Lu Yunze had knocked out the thugs.
Following the black cat’s guidance, Jiang Sui lifted the lid of a trash can.
There was no trash inside. Instead, a man lay there with his hands and feet bound and his mouth gagged. He began whimpering desperately the moment he saw them.
With the black cat’s abilities, quietly hiding a thug wasn’t difficult. If everyone had been taken away by the police, they would have had to find a way to sneak in, which would have been far too much trouble.
Jiang Sui tore the tape off his mouth, and the man’s voice trembled.
“Who… who are you people?”
Jiang Sui didn’t answer. She took a transparent Rhombus Crystal from her pocket and crushed it right in front of him.
A thick fragrance diffused through the air.
Jiang Sui and the black cat had no reaction, but the thug’s expression became dazed, and his voice grew sluggish.
“Cap… Captain… why are you here…”
“It looks like a success.”
Since merging with Kong Yang’s Futi Ability, Jiang Sui could refine more things and no longer needed additional containers; she could use these Rhombus Crystals directly.
Although the crystals had limited capacity, her potions required very small doses anyway.
“Do you have other companions?”
“Yes… we still have a B-Team. If the A-Team fails, the B-Team will continue the mission…”
“Who is your boss?”
“We are members of the Dilong Gang… we take orders from the Gang Leader…”
“Where is the Gang Leader?”
“Don’t know… never seen him…”
“What about B-Team’s location?”
“I know…”
“Very good.”
After draining all the useful information, Jiang Sui gagged his mouth again and closed the trash can lid.
“Let’s go, Senior. We need to find B-Team. We don’t have much time.”
***
Five minutes later.
In an old park two streets away from the alley, a group of people was gathered.
“Still can’t get in touch with A-Team?”
“No contact. They’ve probably been wiped out.”
The Captain put down his mobile phone and let out a cold snort.
“Useless. It has to come down to us. When the time comes, we’ll have to trouble the Gang Leader to bail them out of the police station.”
“Come on, Captain, isn’t that a waste of money?”
“Exactly. They’ll just end up back inside even if they get bailed out.”
the lackeys chattered incessantly until the Captain barked at them.
“Shut up, all of you. Get ready to move. It’s our turn now.”
“Since A-Team tried to stop her on the street, we’ll go straight to her house. I don’t believe she can run if we corner her at home.”
“Captain is right!”
The group voiced their agreement.
Right then, a voice rang out.
“My, you guys are quite energetic.”
“Who?!”
Everyone looked over in unison.
A figure stepped out from the shadows, wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, with a playful smile hanging on her lips.
“Do you need me to provide a bit of intelligence?”
“Who are you?!” the Captain shouted sternly.
“I’m just here to give you some advice. Don’t be so mean.” The girl pouted, appearing somewhat dissatisfied.
“Hah?”
“You’re going to Xia Youqing’s house, right? But did you know? Right now, besides her, there’s also her daughter and the man her daughter brought home. In other words, you’ll have to deal with three people.”
She held up three fingers and waved them in front of them.
The group fell silent.
Only the Captain asked with a grim expression, “How do you know all this?”
“Well…”
The girl took off her sunglasses and cap.
Her ash-brown hair cascaded down, and her pale purple eyes looked cold under the moonlight.
“Because I am her daughter.”
Her tone was calm but left no room for doubt.
“If you have business, you can come at me first. I’m not asking for your opinion; I’m informing you.”
She took a crimson Rhombus Crystal from her pocket and gently crushed it.
Flames erupted instantly, spreading across the ground like living creatures, forming a circle that trapped everyone inside.
The firelight illuminated her face but failed to dispel the chilling aura she radiated.
In just a few short minutes, everyone was knocked to the ground.
Only the Captain was still struggling.
Jiang Sui sat on a stone, tilting her head as she looked at him.
“I’m not here to talk about myself. I’m here to ask about your gang.”
“It’s no use. I won’t say a word.”
“You have backbone, but it’s useless,” she said flatly. “In the face of a Secret Art, your mouth is meaningless.”
Soon enough, she squeezed even more information out of him.
“I see… this Dilong Gang is just a small, arrogant local gang.”
Jiang Sui whispered to herself.
“Just what did that deadbeat father do to have so many enemies…”
Not only did he have many enemies, but he also hid himself away, leaving his wife and daughter to be dragged into his mess.
“If you leave them alone, they will continue to trouble you,” the black cat said.
“Tch.”
Jiang Sui sneered.
“Did I find that deadbeat father just so I could hand him over? Of course, I’m going to make him pay for his own sins.”
She paused, her gaze becoming even more dangerous.
“However, this gang certainly cannot be left alone, but they can’t be simply cleared out either.”
She looked at the black cat.
“Senior, can you manipulate living people?”
“Half-dead ones are fine.”
“That’s enough.”
Under the moonlight, a flash of excitement and danger flickered in Jiang Sui’s eyes.