novelraw Chapter 1042 - 569: The Game of Wits (Part 2)
Chapter 1042 - 569: The Game of Wits (Part 2)
He really wanted to take the witness away, but knowing that under the gaze of so many eyes even he couldn’t reveal his true identity, let alone take another person with him. Ning Xiaoxian was quite confident: "Leave him with me, I have my ways to ensure that others can’t discover or take him." This witness was the bargaining chip with Steward Wu and the person behind him, and even if they asked for it, she had to hand him over only after the deal was done.
As for how to hide this person—she never needs to worry about pulling off a great disappearing act.
She didn’t even consider whether someone outside was monitoring their every move, or whether Steward Wu would be tracked. If he couldn’t even handle these minor matters, was he still fit to cooperate with her?
After he left, the liquid gold monster Faceless emerged from her sleeve and bowed to her in shame.
Ning Xiaoxian lightly sighed and said, "It’s not your fault, that woman was cunning to begin with." She had originally sent Faceless to spy on Juan Niang with ill intentions. Having been influenced by Hidden Stream for so long, she definitely didn’t want to use brains for problems that could be solved with violence.
Juan Niang was Wenren Bo’s aunt and had countless connections with the Mingshui Sect. Ning Xiaoxian even speculated that Juan Niang was the fixed contact between Heavenly Residence and the Mingshui Sect. And since Ning Xiaoxian had snatched away so many twins from the Beauty Collection Team, directly causing the Mingshui Sect’s earnings for Heavenly Residence to plummet this year, Juan Niang must have been severely reprimanded by her superiors, thus holding a grudge against Ning Xiaoxian.
This tea robbery incident was planned quite beautifully. People from the Mingshui Sect had never shown their faces in Central Capital, and Ning Xiaoxian had only seen Juan Niang once in Bai Yujing. How could they have suspected her? In normal circumstances, figuring out the mastermind behind this incident was next to impossible, and regardless of how powerful a cultivator one might be, what form of retaliation could they employ when the enemy was unknown? Unfortunately, she didn’t realize Ning Xiaoxian’s Divine Skills could spot the tiny flaws she exposed.
She originally intended to order Faceless to follow Juan Niang to her residence, capture the woman and interrogate her to retrieve the spiritual tea. This method was straightforward and brutal, lacking any skill but effective. Unfortunately, although Juan Niang’s cultivation wasn’t high, her mind was very sharp. Even though she didn’t know Ning Xiaoxian suspected her, she adhered to the principle of safety first, staying at Heavenly Residence these days, and never returned to her own residence!
Faceless returned this time, rarely without success.
Ning Xiaoxian tapped her finger lightly on the table for a moment, then took out a storage bag, ordering the Hidden Guard: "Go find Huainanzi, buy back ten thousand pounds of spiritual tea from him. Tell him that next time he buys, no matter the quantity, I will offer him a thirty-percent discount on the purchase price."
That night in the Northwest corner of Central City Inner City, several large carts pulled up outside a secret warehouse of Heavenly Residence. After checking the coachman’s token, the warehouse gate slowly opened to accommodate the carts.
As soon as the carts stopped, the coachman jumped down and addressed the mansion’s owner, a mortal rich merchant adorned in Qiluo, "I’ve been instructed from above, today ten thousand pounds of spiritual tea are going into storage, this is the material receipt."
This was both a material list and a receipt, two copies in total. The merchant had already received instructions from above, and now took a careful look, confirmed everything was correct, then took out his seal and promptly stamped the material list with a red mark. Heavenly Residence’s secret warehouse required two seals to accept goods: one from the gatekeeper and another from the owner.
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In a quiet room in Heavenly Residence, Juan Niang listened to her subordinate’s report, and even in the soft light of the Bright Pearl Lamp, her complexion remained very somber:
"Can’t convict Hidden Stream people?"
"Yes. The Supervision Bureau says Hidden Stream people were also present at the scene, so any evidence found at Li Mansion can’t be used. As for the Ning’s Token in Li Family’s son’s hand, it was purportedly stolen by someone unknown, and the words on the ground were rubbed out, so none of it can serve as evidence." Her subordinate sneaked a glance at her face, bracing himself to continue, "Additionally, Xiaoqi is missing."
"What?" This time she finally changed her expression. Xiaoqi was the person she arranged to "discover" Mr. Li’s token.
"Xiaoqi disappeared shortly after returning from Li Mansion. At first, no one noticed, but he still hadn’t come to collect his monthly salary by this afternoon. He never arrives late when picking up money."
Juan Niang’s cheeks were naturally thin and devoid of flesh, and now as she squinted her eyes, her cheekbones appeared even more pronounced: "Then he must have been captured by Hidden Stream people. This is bad. That coward has most likely confessed about me!" She paced back and forth, visibly annoyed, and the subordinate standing by dared not make a sound.
Wenren Bo wasn’t wrong; that woman was a force to be reckoned with, slyly resolving her framing attempt. The fire at Li Mansion burned so fiercely, and yet none of its accusations stuck to Ning Xiaoxian. Wenren Bo suffered losses in the Northwest with good reason. Yet not being able to handle this sly girl made her very unhappy! Furthermore, now she too was exposed to the other’s gaze, compromising her safety.
The demons of Hidden Stream were notoriously unreasonable; if they come knocking afterward, what should be done? Previously only filled with anger toward Hidden Stream, she now actually started to feel scared.
Juan Niang’s mind was in turmoil and only after pacing for the third time did her footsteps gradually slow, and her mouth slowly curled into a smile: "Hmph, she’s powerful indeed, but she still has to swallow the embarrassment of ten thousand pounds of missing spiritual tea! And with the agreed date with Heavenly Residence so near, I’m curious to see how she plans to deliver! As for after the sale, she can’t possibly stay in Central Capital forever; she’ll have to return to Ba Snake Mountain Range eventually, why should I fear her then?" (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)