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墨書 Inktalez
I lay in bed for a whole day, and after Fang Ying and Du Tao left, Wan Fei and Liu Sen entered my hospital room. Liu Sen was truly injured, but it was just a mild concussion.
"Have you seen Yue Qing?" I asked as they came in.
"No, I heard that Yue Qing was taken away by Du Tao without even receiving treatment for her injuries. It might be because she failed in her mission this time, and Du Tao is punishing her," Liu Sen sighed. At first, he thought the Hongmen members were acting impulsively when they tried to kill me, but now he understood that they never intended to kill me at all.
"That's a bit unfair," I frowned. My relationship with Yue Qing wasn't particularly close, but I still felt a twinge of discomfort at the thought.
"What do you mean unfair? Yue Qing is a killer raised by Du Zong. She's different from us. Once a killer fails a mission, no matter the reason, it's hard for them to survive. Dong Ge, what's wrong? Have you developed feelings after spending a few days together?" Wan Fei asked with a smile.
Indeed, Yue Qing's situation was different from mine. I was responsible for inciting the Helmsmen, while Yue Qing was tasked with eliminating them. In theory, I had succeeded where she had failed. Moreover, as Wan Fei pointed out, being a killer is a brutal profession—cruel to others and to oneself as well.
"It's not about feelings; it's just normal male hormones causing me to feel some sympathy," I replied helplessly. "It's just like I said—normal male hormones causing me to feel sympathy. And this was all orchestrated by me, which adds a bit of guilt and amplifies my natural response."
But there was nothing I could do; since I chose to join the Qing Gang, Yue Qing should have been aware of the risks involved. I couldn't achieve my goals without resorting to any means necessary, nor could I be overly sympathetic.
There was nothing more I could do but hope she would be okay.
The next day, I was still lying in the hospital. My internal injuries weren't severe, but having a knife stabbed into my chest still hurt quite a bit.
People from the Qing Gang arrived—a man in his fifties with a small mustache who looked quite imposing led the group. He introduced himself as Qu Zhan, the head of the Qing Gang Law Enforcement Hall.
"Qu Zhan? Another member of the Qu family," I thought. It seemed he was related to Qu Youyang. He was the Master of the Qing Gang's Enforcement Hall while Qu Gui was stationed at Tian Ye Gang as an Enforcement Hall Master under the Qing Gang Law Enforcement Hall's branch. Did that mean Qu Gui's backing came from Qu Zhan? The Enforcement Hall Master of the Qing Gang?
That would be quite impressive.
"Xiang Dong, this matter was assigned to you by Du Tao, yet you messed it up. What do you have to say about it?" Qu Zhan asked seriously as he sat down beside my hospital bed. Perhaps due to his long years in the Enforcement Hall, there was an air of menace about him that felt somewhat oppressive.
I didn't know how to respond; we were on the verge of success when suddenly a group barged in just as Yue Qing had gathered evidence and was about to take action—if they hadn't intervened, I might have been stabbed!
I feigned innocence and said with a troubled expression on my face, trying to look like a victim.
"I understand what happened; I just need you to explain where things went wrong!" Qu Zhan demanded coldly. Perhaps he was trying to intimidate me; I really had no choice but to keep up my act!
"I don't know either! But I'm certain there's an insider; otherwise, how could Hongmen possibly know about this?" I continued innocently.
However, Qu Zhan sneered and said, "If there's an insider, you're the most suspicious one. You're the one executing this plan; only you could provide Hongmen with such accurate information about when it would succeed."
What?
I immediately feigned surprise. I knew that Du Tao had already cleared me, and I also understood that Qu Zhan was just trying to trick me, so my expression had to convey nothing but astonishment!
Ahem! Ahem! Ahem!
My acting might have been a bit over the top, and I inadvertently pulled at my wound, causing me to cough violently a couple of times.
I apologize; my injury hasn't healed yet. What you said is truly shocking; it really caught me off guard.
I quickly replied, but Qu Zhan remained silent, staring coldly at me as if waiting for my explanation.
Alright then, let’s discuss this.
Qu Gui, I believe your judgment is too hasty. Yes, I was the one who handled this matter, and only I could report such accurate information. But think about it: the other party is Hongmen. If they learned about this situation, they would surely have the means to obtain accurate intelligence, right?
I glanced at Qu Zhan as I spoke.
Do I really need to elaborate on Hongmen's strength?
After hearing this, Qu Zhan didn’t respond but seemed to indicate that I should continue. I understood this as his tacit agreement with my words.
First of all, look at my injury; the fact that I'm still alive is already a beautiful accident. If I were to defect, would I want this outcome? Besides, why would I want to betray you? Qu Gui might not know this, but I'm not exaggerating when I say that I've been doing quite well in Tian Ye Gang; my potential is definitely not to be underestimated. If this matter succeeds, my contribution will be significant, right? Why would I run to Hongmen as a traitor? Am I out of my mind?
After I finished speaking, Qu Zhan still wore a blank expression, but I could see that his gaze had softened slightly; what I said made sense.
Isn't that right, Qu Gui? This matter has nothing to do with me. If it fails, the most troubled will be Du Zong, followed closely by me. No one can be more troubled than me in this situation; honestly, I'm not trying to deceive you at all.
I continued speaking; Du Zong's distress is real, but for me in our hometown dialect means telling lies.
So according to your reasoning, Du Tao isn't an issue either?
Qu Zhan raised an eyebrow and looked at me questioningly. I nodded and replied: Of course!
Could I possibly betray Du Tao? For now, we are on the same side; besides, I can't outmatch him anyway—there's a good chance I'd end up losing everything myself.
Not many people know about this matter. You say you have no problem with it and that Du Tao doesn't either; then tell me, whose fault is it if there are issues with this situation?
Qu Zhan shot a cold glance at me and asked, his imposing demeanor suddenly returning.
Damn it. Who are you trying to intimidate? You could bring in a tiger and it wouldn’t stop me from speaking out!
I actually had someone in mind whom I suspected...
“Speak!”
With a sudden shout, I was startled, causing me to shudder.
"What are you talking about? Do you even know what relationship Qu Gui has with us?"
At that moment, Qu Zhan furrowed his brow, and his followers immediately grew angry, reprimanding me.
However, the relationship between Qu Gui and Qu Zhan seemed rather close. Wasn't Qu Zhan just a wild father figure to Qu Gui, who had been estranged for many years? That connection felt a bit far-fetched.
"Shut up!"
Qu Zhan snapped at his subordinate, who immediately fell silent. Then he turned to me and said, " Qu Gui is my adopted son. I have no children of my own, so I took him in as my son. I know there have been past grievances between you two, but Xiang Dong, remember this: if you speak carelessly again, I will cut out your tongue!"
He was trying to intimidate me!
I glared back defiantly. "Cut out my tongue? Really? Can you be any more ruthless?"
"Qu Gui, look at this! You asked me to speak, and now when I do, you react like this. What am I supposed to do? I'm just expressing my doubts."
I said calmly as Qu Zhan stared at me coldly. I held his gaze for about ten seconds before he finally spoke again.
"Alright then, tell me why you suspect Qu Gui."
"First of all, I believe you know the relationship between me and Qu Gui, right? Sorry if I'm being a bit rude here, but do you think the situation resembles that of the farmer and the snake?"
I looked at Qu Zhan, questioning him. Qu Gui was just a bullied little waiter in a nightclub; I had helped him up, yet he wanted to kill me to achieve his own ends. Wasn’t that the essence of the farmer and the snake?
"A typical ingrate!"
After hearing this, Qu Zhan pursed his lips, clearly agreeing with my assessment. But I couldn't understand why he would take an ingrate as an adopted son—had he never been burned before?
"You don't need to tell me all that; just answer if you have any substantial evidence."
Qu Zhan asked, and I shook my head.
"No."
I replied calmly. Just like Du Tao thought, without substantial evidence, it was best not to fabricate any false claims; if someone investigated and found out your evidence was fake, it would be even more dangerous.
I wasn't sure how many people knew about this matter, but here it was just Du Tao, Qu Gui, Fang Ying, and a few others who were involved with me. One of them was Yue Qing, who must be one of Qing Gang's assassins, right? During our dealings, Yue Qing had always been right by our side, watching us closely. I was merely using the process of elimination; as for what really happened in the end, I'd need Qu Gui to provide some clarity on that.
I said seriously while amplifying the suspicion against the ghostly figure with vague yet impactful statements.
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