novelraw Chapter 1039 - 568: Allies
Chapter 1039 - 568: Allies
The cultivators behind were discussing the Li Family’s storeroom, and Liu Yunfeng also said, "It’s really strange. The Li Family actually has so many treasures. Why does Mr. Li still fiddle with a small-scale silk business every day?"
Huainanzi smiled and lowered his voice, "We’ve been neighbors for decades, and I’m often able to see who comes and goes from his house, so there is one thing I’m quite clear about: These treasures in his house are not his."
Ning Xiaoxian’s ears twitched, and she couldn’t help but focus her attention, "Those people who frequently come and go from his house, I later saw them at another place, can you guess where?"
She felt awkward, as it seemed Huainanzi had the potential for storytelling, enjoying leaving people in suspense. Liu Yunfeng seemed very aware of his old friend’s disposition, and cooperatively asked, "Where?"
"Heavenly Residence."
So that’s it! Her steps paused almost imperceptibly. With this revelation, her mind suddenly became clear.
Her adversary had stolen a hundred thousand catties of Spiritual Tea from the storeroom of Ning’s Ginseng Store, intending to sell it to Heavenly Residence, and then left clues along the way to mislead her to the Li Mansion. It seemed that Heavenly Residence understood well the principle of not putting all their eggs in one basket. Thus, this seemingly ordinary wealthy mortal household hid an unremarkable secret storage of Heavenly Residence’s treasures. If she charged in with the Hidden Guards, not only would she not find the Spiritual Tea, but she would also be accused of robbing Heavenly Residence.
On the eve of the Bai Yujing auction, amidst the congregated cultivators in Shangdu, if news of Hidden Stream robbing the Heavenly Residence warehouse broke out, let alone Heavenly Residence, the Supervision Bureau would deal with her, and just the public pressure alone would be enough to overwhelm her. No one understood "fear of public opinion" better than an outsider from Huaxia like her.
Meanwhile, this person had made dual preparations. Seeing that the Li Mansion remained silent and that Ning Xiaoxian did not fall for the trap, they set a fire that destroyed about seventy or eighty percent of the treasures in the secret storage and fabricated false evidence to implicate her. Fortunately, when she saw the fire, she immediately understood that while normal evidence could be destroyed by fire, if her enemy wanted to frame her, they would use tokens or weapons that could withstand high temperatures. Thus, Jiu Mo was sent in ahead of others to steal the evidence first.
When the Supervision Bureau arrived, she, like everyone else, was present at the scene. So if anything belonging to Hidden Stream appeared at the scene, it could not be used as evidence.
But why the Li Mansion? Why this particular secret storage? Heavenly Residence’s influence was extensive, so it was unlikely that this was the only secret storage in the Inner City. Why did the adversary choose the Li Mansion as bait? It’s not just about proximity; she’s confident there are other secret storages closer to Ning’s Trading Company. Why then take the risk of being caught to solely target the Li Mansion?
Moreover, the secret of Heavenly Residence setting up a storeroom here is known to very few people. Hence, the adversary’s identity is almost self-evident.
Can she allow this person to manipulate and frame her at will? Ning Xiaoxian clenched her fists, a cold smile forming in her heart, "Do not think your plan is seamless; do you really believe I cannot do anything about you?"
Midnight had passed, and even the starlight in the sky had dimmed.
After bidding farewell to Huainanzi and Liu Yunfeng, she returned to the inn with the Hidden Guards.
The interrogation of the spy hidden among the guards had concluded. About half a year prior, this person had been instructed to apply as a guard at Ning’s Ginseng Store. He had little impression of his superior, knowing only that every meeting was with someone short and clad in black. If it weren’t for the generous reward each time, he would have quit long ago.
Ning Xiaoxian was unsurprised by this result. The person was weak, and she hadn’t expected to extract any useful information from him. Instead, Qi Zai asked curiously, "How did our mistress recognize this guy as the traitor?"
"This idiot!" She glanced sideways at the guard lying limp on the floor, "When he sneaked into the kitchen while everyone was distracted and poisoned the tea, he probably got some Young Deer Powder on his hands. Worried about being discovered, he washed vigorously after drinking the Spiritual Tea with everyone."
"Therefore, while he thought he was covering his tracks thoroughly, ironically, he was the only one among all the guards without a hint of Young Deer Powder on him. That sort of clumsy cover-up, who else was I supposed to catch if not him?"