Chapter 33

Xie Yunshen wanted to see Shangguan Hong.

During this time, Lin Jin had kept him in the Tiangong Haoyuan villa. Lin Jin had been facing Shangguan Hong while disguised as the Black Impermanence, so Xie Yunshen appeared before Shangguan Hong once again in that same identity.

Shangguan Hong, who had woken up at some point, had his hands tied behind his back. He looked haggard, his head bowed low like a hibernating snake. Xie Yunshen lowered his gaze and saw the remains of a meal on the table. He could imagine Shangguan Hong straining his neck, using only his mouth to eat.

Xie Yunshen placed the photo of Lin Wanchu in front of him without saying a word.

The moment Shangguan Hong’s vision focused on the photo, his brow tightened sharply. “…How do you have a photo of Wanchu?”

Xie Yunshen’s voice was still processed through the distorter. “What is your relationship with her?”

“She was my junior in school.” Shangguan Hong looked up, staring at him calmly.

“That’s all?”

“Yes, that’s all.”

“Then do you know where she is now?”

Shangguan Hong stared at him for a long while before speaking. “I heard she died in an accident.”

“Would a normal senior and junior take a photo like this?” Xie Yunshen revealed the other half of the photo. The two in the picture looked very intimate.

“What does this prove? You want to judge me with a single photograph?” Shangguan Hong let out a cold laugh, though he lacked the strength to make it sound truly biting.

Xie Yunshen didn’t press further. Without substantive evidence, he couldn’t be certain Shangguan Hong was the killer. Besides, this didn’t strictly concern him.

Xie Yunshen walked out the front door and saw Lin Jin in the courtyard. Before coming, he had filled Lin Jin in; if he hadn’t warned him beforehand, this guy would have acted recklessly already.

“What did he say?” Lin Jin sat on the steps, holding Lin Wanchu’s ultrasound report. His eyes were heavy, a stark contrast to his usual cynical attitude.

“He didn’t tell a lie, but he didn’t tell the truth either.” Xie Yunshen, in his black hoodie and mask, took the photo of the siblings out of his pocket.

Lin Jin took the photo and touched his sister’s face, his voice raspy with emotion. “I didn’t even know Sister was pregnant.”

“I’m leaving.”

Xie Yunshen had only come today to check on Shangguan Hong’s state. As for the grudge between him and Lin Jin, he didn’t intend to get involved. If it weren’t for the Top Star Sect still searching everywhere for the Black Impermanence, he wouldn’t care about this mess at all. He didn’t want to bear any more risk for someone like Shangguan Hong.

Of course, dealing with Yang Zhongxu had been an exception.

“Thanks. I owe you a favor,” Lin Jin said.

“Hey, isn’t it two??” Xie Yunshen narrowed his eyes. There was also the matter of Lin Jin “scavenging” behind him at the hospital.

“Fine, two favors.” Lin Jin smiled. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. This information was found by Mr. Yan. I don’t have that kind of capability.”

Lin Jin froze for a moment.

Xie Yunshen took the opportunity to glance at his own luxury mansion next door. It was empty and felt a bit off. He ordered some toiletries and clothes to be delivered there.

By the time he returned to the Yan residence, it was midnight. He saw the light still on in the study. Yan Shiqi never worked late into the night; usually, if he was in the study at this hour, he’d have the lights off to contemplate life. Today was different.

Xie Yunshen entered the main door and headed straight for the study. A familiar figure was standing in the corner. Xie Yunshen froze for a second, then grabbed the man’s shoulders and shook him wildly. “Old Five! You’re back!”

He almost hugged him, but Yi Wuyi shifted imperceptibly to block him. This move hurt Xie Yunshen’s feelings; he stared at him blankly.

“Why did you push me away?”

Yi Wuyi was actually quite happy to see him, but his expression was a bit helpless. “I just rushed back from B-City. My clothes are a bit…”

Xie Yunshen immediately let it go and threw his arm around him. “It’s fine, I haven’t showered either. When did you get back?”

Yi Wuyi, being squeezed, could only manage: “…Just now.”

Xie Yunshen let go but suddenly felt a prickle on his back. He turned to see Yan Shiqi sitting behind the desk, watching them. Based on his experience, Yan Shiqi’s expression hadn’t changed, but his mood was definitely not pleasant.

Xie Yunshen gave him a look: “?”

“Where did you go so late?” Fortunately, Yan Shiqi’s tone was the same as ever.

“I just came back from Lin Jin’s.”

Yan Shiqi made no comment on that. He looked at Yi Wuyi. “Old Five, continue.”

Yi Wuyi said, “The hotel attack indeed involves an overseas illegal organization—the BKB assassin group. The two assassins woke up the day before I returned.”

“What did they confess?”

There were some documents on Yan Shiqi’s desk that Yi Wuyi had brought back. Xie Yunshen walked over and picked one up—it was the profile of the man called Lao Qu.

“They are just assassins executing missions. As for the employer, they have no idea. They only have a contact named ‘Baldy’ who gives them assignments.”

“How do they contact him then?” Yan Shiqi asked.

Yi Wuyi replied, “They said the contact method isn’t fixed. However, whenever there’s a mission, Baldy posts a travel advertisement on a specific website. The destination in the ad is the meeting point.”

The more Xie Yunshen listened, the more he felt he’d been tricked. They said Old Five was busy with the construction site, but he was actually off investigating an assassin organization.

“I had someone look into it. They frequently post ads for a sea cruise. Perhaps that is their regular meeting spot.” Yi Wuyi pointed to an advertisement on the desk.

Xie Yunshen picked it up. He saw the bold golden letters: [Ocean Cruise: Wine and Glamour, The Wild Capital, Beast Fighting Arena Special]. Below it was a picture of two large beasts facing off in an arena.

The Beast Arena on the cruise was a thrilling part of the novel. Seeing Yan Shiqi show no interest in it, Xie Yunshen said, “Mr. Yan, don’t you think this place looks quite nice?”

“Are you interested in this kind of thing?” Yan Shiqi asked.

“Actually, the main thing is that Lin Jin is going too…” Xie Yunshen mused.

In the novel, the Male Lead was on this cruise when he recruited a loyal subordinate with god-tier combat power. Most importantly, that subordinate was the long-lost young master of the Qin family, the giants of the Northern Region. This event was what allowed the Male Lead’s “map” to expand from the Southern Province to the Northern Region.

Since he had transmigrated, how could he watch such a golden opportunity fall into the Male Lead’s lap? Even if the Yan family couldn’t secure the person, offering “charcoal in the snow” to the destitute young master at a critical moment would surely boost their favorability.

While he was lost in his fervent thoughts, the room was silent. He realized Yan Shiqi was staring at him intently, his brow slightly furrowed and his gaze deep. Yi Wuyi was also looking at him with a complex expression.

“What’s wrong?” Xie Yunshen blinked.

Yan Shiqi leaned back in his chair. His words were calm, but they carried a hint of interrogation and a rare competitive spirit: “Lin Jin is going, so you want to go? What does Lin Jin have to do with you?”

Xie Yunshen froze. Recalling the events at the banquet a few days ago, he had a delayed epiphany. “Mr. Yan… are you jealous?”

Yi Wuyi looked at Xie Yunshen in disbelief. This guy really dares to say anything.

Yan Shiqi, however, looked at him with abnormal calmness. “Continue.”

“Are you afraid I’ll be poached by Lin Jin?” Xie Yunshen walked around Yan Shiqi’s chair, resting his hands on the backrest, feeling quite proud. After all, a professional bodyguard like him was rare anywhere.

Yan Shiqi played along. “Hm. I wouldn’t say that concern doesn’t exist.”

“That show-off Lin Jin and I are naturally incompatible. Besides, I would never betray you, Mr. Yan!” Xie Yunshen vowed solemnly.

Yan Shiqi didn’t need to turn around to imagine the determined, “going to war” look in Xie’s eyes. He read the original at bailiantales.com smiled. “Then why go to the cruise?”

Xie Yunshen couldn’t explicitly state his real reason, so he pointed to the beasts in the ad. “Don’t you have a vacation coming up? I’ve never seen a beast arena in my life. Why don’t we go check it out together?”

Yan Shiqi took the advertisement from his hand.

On the ad, the sun shone on a massive luxury cruise ship sailing across the sea. In reality, the ship’s outdoor arena was famous. Above the roaring crowd, people could see a suspended VIP room—a semi-circular balcony overlooking the chaos below.

Inside the VIP room, seven wealthy merchants sat around an abstract crescent-shaped table. Three on the left, three on the right. Sitting in the middle was the current Head of the Yan family, Yan Shiqi.

“Mr. Yan, we’ve invited you many times in the past, but you never gave us the face of attending. What brought on this sudden interest?” a portly man on the left asked with a smile.

“Master Yan, perhaps your luck is about to turn. Before you arrived, the small-time syndicates had already swallowed several ‘Gold Pools’,” said the Head of the Bai family, an old acquaintance, speaking with hidden meaning.

Just then, the cheers from the arena interrupted them. A lion and a man were about to duel. People cheered as stacks of cash were thrown around the arena.

The lion’s physique was formidable, but its legs were blood-stained. Seeing the human opposite still unharmed, the lion showed signs of fear. The man’s chest heaved with his breath, messy black hair covering his neck. He wore only a pair of shorts, revealing a lean, wild, and powerful waist. Compared to the lion’s raw muscle, he looked weak. But no one doubted his explosive power—he was the undefeated champion of the arena.

Xie Yunshen and Yi Wuyi stood behind Yan Shiqi. Xie Yunshen could look down at the entire arena. In the crowded stands, he spotted the Male Lead, Lin Jin. It had to be said, following the Bigshot had its perks; even with Lin Jin’s current status, he was stuck in the regular stands while Xie was in a high-end VIP room with air conditioning.

In the center of the arena, a golden crescent-shaped hourglass moved through the air. The golden sand inside represented the bets. One grain represented ten million. The person holding the golden hourglass automatically became the “Banker” of the round. If he won, he took the entire pool. If he lost, he had to pay out all the winners’ bets from his own pocket. It was a gamble of hundreds of millions.

As the bets poured in, the golden sand increased. The hourglass rose higher and higher until it stopped right in front of the suspended VIP room. The person qualified to grab it was inside.

A white-haired old man sitting in the second seat on the left laughed, his beard shaking. “I recall the Yan family has a strict code against gambling. However… perhaps Mr. Yan would like to take a gamble today?” He pressed a button, accelerating the flow of sand.

In the second seat on the right was a second-generation tycoon from a foreign syndicate. He said coldly, “Since we have a new guest, I’ll offer a chance. I won’t be the Banker this time.” This was the “small-time syndicate” the Bai family had mentioned. Before today, he had won the pool several times. He pushed his betting button, and the sand instantly flooded half the base.

The six men were now looking at Yan Shiqi. Yan Shiqi rubbed the signet ring on his finger with his lower lip. “I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you. My luck in gambling has always been poor, so I rarely dare to bet.”

The foreign tycoon said contemptuously to Master Bai, “So this is the ‘most powerful’ Yan family of the Southern Province you mentioned?”

The Bai and Yan families were both of the Five Families. Master Bai didn’t want to be looked down upon by this foreign upstart. He sneered, “This tiny pool is nothing. Take it if you want it.”

The tycoon mocked, “You people from Country A love to act tough.” He reached for the golden hourglass.

Yan Shiqi said, “Wait.” Everyone looked at him.

“You take it,” Yan Shiqi signaled to Xie Yunshen behind him.

Xie Yunshen, who had been watching the arena, was shocked. “Huh?!” If he took this, he’d have to sell his soul and be a bodyguard for ten lifetimes to pay it off if he lost.

Yan Shiqi said to the others, “My bodyguard’s luck has always been better than mine. Let him take the golden hourglass in my place.”

The tycoons turned to look at Xie Yunshen in shock. How could a gamble of billions be left to a bodyguard? Was Yan Shiqi being too arrogant?

Xie Yunshen wanted to protest, but Yan Shiqi had already grabbed his hand and placed it on the golden hourglass. The moment his fingers touched it, the sand flowed rapidly into his hand!

Xie Yunshen’s face appeared on the giant screens. A beautiful female voice announced: “What a surprise! The holder of the golden hourglass—our Banker—has been born! It’s a face we’ve never seen before!”