Free Web NovelChapter 340: Chapter 294: Acquaintance
Yang Xiao continued to read on, and soon his brows furrowed; the report did indeed confirm that Li Qingxuan had returned alive, but recently he seemed to be ill, staying at home constantly. He had not attended several events held by the Hehuan Sect, nor had he gone fishing at sea.
"Always at home..." Yang Xiao faintly felt that something was amiss.
Seeing Yang Xiao’s suspicion, Zhuge Zhijie advised, "Captain, don’t worry, I’ve examined Li Qingxuan’s background. It’s very clean, there shouldn’t be any issues."
Yang Xiao thought for a moment, and suddenly the face of the script murder mystery store owner Zhao came to mind. He immediately took out his cell phone and found that Zhao had not replied to him even now.
The discomfort in his heart grew more pronounced, and Yang Xiao directly dialed Zhao’s mobile phone, only to discover that it had been switched off.
Zhao had two mobile phones. Yang Xiao tried the other one, only to find it too was switched off. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
It was then that Yang Xiao realized something was wrong. Zhao was a man with a strong sense of business; apart from the script store, he had other businesses as well, and he spent almost the entire year out hustling. Once, he had even specifically mentioned to Yang Xiao that the reason he carried two phones was to avoid issues like a dead battery or sudden shutdown of the device, fearing any delay in his affairs.
Yang Xiao immediately asked Zhuge Zhijie to check on Zhao. Zhuge didn’t dare to delay, and soon he received a reply: Zhao was missing, and had been for three days already. His family had reported it to the police.
Not many people around him knew Zhao, and Yang Xiao immediately thought of Li Qingxuan. Through Zhuge Zhijie, he obtained Li Qingxuan’s number. Upon hearing the icy female voice prompt that the number dialed was switched off, Yang Xiao’s face instantly turned gloomy.
Something had happened...
After confirming Li Qingxuan’s residence, on one hand Yang Xiao reported it to the authorities, and on the other hand, he immediately led his team there. As expected, there was no response to their knock on the door; technicians picked the lock and Yang Xiao led his team rushing in, only to find the room empty.
"Captain, I’ve just found out that this guy has a safe house in the west of the city." Zhuge Zhijie, holding a laptop computer, swiftly reported to Yang Xiao.
"To the west of the city!"
This concealed safe house was located in an old city area to the west, in houses dating back to the 80s and 90s, where not to mention elevators, decent trash rooms were non-existent. The residents nearby were mixed, with country folk who had come into the city for work, as well as people from other places conducting petty trades with a foreign accent, and old folks who had lived there for a long time. It was quite a hassle for Li Qingxuan to choose such a location for the safe house.
They found the corresponding building number and entered. The narrow and dim corridor was plastered with small ads for drain clearing and lock picking, and occasionally one or two garbage bags were thrown outside the doors, giving off an unpleasant odor.
Fourth floor, room 404—Yang Xiao looked at the door number, unsure what was on the guy’s mind. The door was an old-fashioned iron door left by the previous occupant, already rust-streaked. The technician opened it in less than a minute, but to their surprise, there was another door behind it.
This second door was new, sporting an electronic lock. After Yang Xiao knocked on the door with his fist, he found that it hardly moved, and the sound it made was dull.
The door was exceptionally thick. After the technicians examined it, they confirmed that it was a high-grade explosion-proof door, imported. Special grade concrete had been poured into the cavity behind the door, which also contained protective boards made of special fibers and ceramic adhesives. It was not just ordinary assault rifles that would fail against it—blowing it up with explosives was also not going to be easy, and using a large amount of explosive in such an old building was tantamount to suicide.
"Can you open it?" Yang Xiao frowned. He didn’t want to hear all this; at this point, it seemed more likely that Zhao had met with misfortune, and he might very well see Zhao’s body in this room soon.
"Yes, but it will take time. This door has been modified and requires simultaneous insertion of a fingerprint code and a key." A technician responded.
"How long will it take?"
"The equipment we’ve brought won’t work. With the new equipment arriving and then unlocking, it will take at least an hour."
"No need. You guys wait outside for me."
Yang Xiao went downstairs alone and in a corridor on the first floor, several dirty old glass panes stood, seemingly torn down from somewhere. Yang Xiao took one, wiped it with his clothing until his reflection could be seen, and then used the Soul-Capturing Mirror to enter the Mirror World.
Given the unclear situation, Yang Xiao did not emerge recklessly from the bedroom mirror in room 404. Instead, he observed for a while to ensure there were no ambushes and then stepped out of a bedroom mirror.
After a quick survey, finding no one, he first went to the window to look outside, then opened all the panes before he went behind the door, fiddled around for a while, finally opening the explosion-proof door to let Zhuge Zhijie and the others in.
"Captain Yang, you have great skills to actually get in through the window," commented a technician from the technical department, looking at the open window, as he wore his gloves.
Yang Xiao’s face had no trace of a smile, "Search carefully. There might be a body in this room. Report any clues you find to me right away."
Less than a minute later, Yang Xiao heard a technician, who was searching the bedroom, calling for him. Yang Xiao went over and saw a paper stuck behind the closet door.
On it, written vertically, were two lines of text, "Teacher Yang, until we meet again."
Signed, Yu Yuan Sect.
"Captain Yang, we can confirm that this is Li Qingxuan’s handwriting." The technician on site brought another two pieces of handwriting for comparison, which were apparently left by Li Qingxuan at the Hehuan meeting,
"Fuck!"
Yang Xiao suppressed his rage, barely resisting the urge to tear up the paper. It now seemed that this all was a setup, Tong Han was an Evil Cultivator, and so was this Li Qingxuan—the two of them had played him, performing a duet to deceive him.
If he hadn’t been cautious last minute, preventing Li Qingxuan from touching the corpse and the key, the Soul-Capturing Mirror would have likely ended up in his hands.
He was now almost certain that Zhao was dead, likely silenced by Li Qingxuan. This added another debt of blood between him and the Yu Yuan Sect, a feud unto death.
"Li Qingxuan, don’t let me catch you!"
Although he held little hope, Yang Xiao still requested his superiors to issue a search notice in the name of the Patrol Defense Office, calling for a full-scale search for Li Qingxuan and Zhao.
Back at the Patrol Defense Office, Yang Xiao was in a foul mood. Zhao’s death was entirely on him; far from helping, he had gotten him killed.
In the afternoon, Ms. Wen visited the office and told Yang Xiao that Director Nalan was looking for him. Yang Xiao thought there might be some results from the search and rushed over immediately.
When he arrived at the office, however, Nalan Shuo spoke to him about something else, mentioning that the guild’s people were looking for him, likely due to the earlier incident with Linghu Guishan.
"Are they looking for trouble?" Yang Xiao’s mood was already sour.
"No, I think they just want to talk and explain things. The fact that you killed Granny Hong can’t be hidden. Now, everyone of substance in Rongcheng knows about it, and not many can claim to have killed a Venerable Level Heretic Cultivator. The guild doesn’t want things to become too strained with you," Nalan Shuo explained nonchalantly.
Yang Xiao shook his head, "I don’t want to go." He remembered what Fu Qingzhu had told him before, that it was best not to have dealings with those guild people if possible.
Nalan Shuo nodded, "I understand your concerns, but if you want to establish yourself in Rongcheng, you will inevitably have to interact with the guild at some point. Some matters can’t be avoided. And this time, Chi Hengzhong, the guild president, is personally inviting you. It would really put him in a bad light if you didn’t show up."
Yang Xiao still had to listen to Nalan Shuo’s words, after all, it also reflected on Director Nalan’s prestige. So, Yang Xiao agreed to go, also intent on seeing what the guild’s people were really up to.
The meeting time was set for 8 o’clock in the evening at the most luxurious hotel in Lincheng District, Ming Yue Pavilion. Yang Xiao was familiar with the hotel but had never been there. The consumption there was said to be frighteningly high.
And as soon as he arrived, the scale of the event at the venue took Yang Xiao by surprise. He saw guild president Chi Hengzhong personally welcoming him at the entrance, with a very cordial attitude, "Captain Yang, I’ve heard so much about you!"
"I don’t deserve such praise. You are a senior, President Chi, please don’t be so formal," Yang Xiao said, not out of mere politeness. After all, as one of the three major powers in Rongcheng, the guild president was a figure on par with his own director. Yang Xiao was genuinely surprised to be received with such deference.
Chi Hengzhong led Yang Xiao to the 37th floor of the hotel, which was the best location for private rooms, offering a panoramic view of the city’s nightscape. Upon arriving, Yang Xiao sensed something was amiss—the security measures were very strict, and he could clearly feel that there were experts hidden among the people nearby.
First, he ruled out the possibility that these people were here to eliminate him—that was unthinkable, as it was an official invitation, and the guild wouldn’t dare go that far.
The 37th floor had only a few private rooms, and tonight only theirs was in use; the others were empty. Shortly after arriving at the door of the private room, Chi Hengzhong turned around, smiling at Yang Xiao, "Captain Yang, please come in. Someone is waiting for you inside."
Yang Xiao sharply looked at Chi Hengzhong, but Chi Hengzhong didn’t linger and left immediately, not even entering the room.
Yang Xiao now had some understanding—the position of a president like Chi Hengzhong was just a pawn, and the real important person was waiting inside the room.
With Chi Hengzhong at the helm, the guild member who had come must not be a local of Rongcheng. After all, neither Director Nalan nor the president of the United Federation had this much clout.
Yang Xiao was not flustered. Let the soldier meet the water and soil if the enemy comes. After all, he had been invited here for a meal. As he pushed open the door, he was greeted by an extremely luxurious private room with a huge round table at its head, where one person sat.
"It’s really you," Yang Xiao nodded, not particularly surprised.
Mo Daidai, without any elaborate dressing, leaned back in the chair, smiling at Yang Xiao. She was in casual clothes, yet her unique relaxed demeanor made it clear that she was the master here, "Yang Xiao, we meet again."
"What did you want to see me for?" Walking over, Yang Xiao found a chair to sit down on, right across from Mo Daidai.
"Of course, there is a matter, but before that, let me introduce an old friend. It’s been a long time since you last met, a rare reunion."
Following Mo Daidai’s clap, a hidden door on one side of the room opened, and a woman walked out.
"Yang Xiao, long time no see," Tong Han glared at him with malice, looking somewhat ragged with visible scars on her face and forehead, as if she had been through a fierce battle.
