Chapter 1381 - 1357: Chu Qi in the Box

Chapter 1381: Chapter 1357: Chu Qi in the Box

Three days! Chu Qi and Shao Qinyi seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth without a trace, even the ’Dark’ people had no way of finding out. They only found Xiao Lin’s white Land Rover on a stretch of highway—no scratches, no signs of gunfire. The entire car was intact, but the people were missing.

Shao Qinyi was severely injured and is now missing, with little hope for survival. Chu Qi came from the military, and his survival instincts are stronger than most, with a rich experience in enduring harsh environments. If Shao Qinyi is still alive, he couldn’t have made it far carrying an injured person. Additionally, the place where the car was found wasn’t in the direction of Sin City, but south of it, towards the sea. Chu Qi had no reason to go there.

One possibility is that Chu Qi was taking Shao Qinyi back to Sin City and encountered something that made him veer off course. If that’s the case, something or someone around Sin City caught Chu Qi off guard, an entity strong enough to rival the people of Sin City.

Xiao Lin gazed into the distance, unable to calm his thoughts. In three days, anything could happen, but the only thing he could console himself with was that no news is good news. In Palermo, the people who could target Chu Qi were very few. The scope was small, yet finding the person was still difficult.

Yelu Shou hurriedly entered, his face grim, inadvertently shocking Xiao Lin. It’s rare for anything to affect Yelu Shou’s emotions visibly, yet dust-covered fatigue marked his visage.

"Found them." Yelu Shou grabbed the water from the table and chugged it. "But dead."

"Dead?" Xiao Lin looked at Yelu Shou in shock, hesitant to accept the outcome. "Where’s the body?"

Yelu Shou hesitated; it was difficult for him to speak.

"Where?"

"Follow me."

Xiao Lin felt his hands tremble. Once upon a time, he had done the same thing, delivering bodies in boxes to his enemies. Now, looking at the blood seeping from the bottom, he surprisingly felt calm.

The box was delivered to the entrance in a car, thrown in front of the complex. Crowds had gathered at that moment—perfect timing for an opening—which meant many saw the blood-stained box. Scared, people left the mall in droves, and Lao Jiu immediately took the box back to the ’Catacombs.’

"Bury him and ensure his family never wants for anything in their next life," Xiao Lin ultimately decided not to open the box, not wanting to face the horrific sight.

If it weren’t for him, Chu Qi might still be executing tasks he found easy while in death row and returning to his family eventually. If it weren’t for him, Chu Qi wouldn’t have followed him into danger nor died so inexplicably.

Silent on the sidelines, Xiao Ya suddenly burst out of the room. Xiao Lin rushed over, pinning him to the ground. "Where are you going?"

Black eyes stared at Xiao Lin. For Xiao Ya, if it weren’t for Chu Qi, he might not return; Chu Qi’s death most likely involved Mu Rongyun or Quan Xianglin. "He can’t die for nothing."

"Given your current state, what can you do?" Xiao Lin’s words were cutting, bluntly laying the facts bare without sparing anyone’s feelings.

"Tell us, what did you find? Who are those people? I know your abilities." Xiao Lin initially hoped Xiao Ya would speak up on his own, yet he remained silent on his experience. Because of Chu Qi, Xiao Lin felt that Xiao Ya knew something.

Xiao Ya broke free from Xiao Lin’s hold. Glancing at the others dismissively, he snorted coldly and walked out. His attitude toward Xiao Lin was cold and disdainful. Hua Qingyi and Yelu Shou helplessly patted Xiao Lin’s shoulder.

In the corridor, Xiao Lin found Xiao Ya smoking. "Does it have anything to do with me?"

Xiao Ya glanced at Xiao Lin, continuing his silence, which stirred Xiao Lin’s urge to act. "You don’t have to speak; I have my ways to investigate."

"I advise you not to look further. Take your woman and leave here." Xiao Ya flicked the cigarette tail away, taking a deep breath. "What’s to come isn’t something you can know."

"Damn it, are you playing mysterious with me?" Xiao Lin was truly angry now. He shoved Xiao Ya against the wall, pinning him with his left hand. "For you, how many more people must I lose until you’re satisfied?"

Xiao Ya let his arms hang, allowing Xiao Lin to rough him up. He smirked sarcastically at him. "For me? My affairs don’t need your meddling, and I never asked you to rescue me."

"You..." An unexpected punch landed on Xiao Ya’s face.

"Have you forgotten? The Xiao Family abandoned me; I was raised by Mu Rongyun, which is a fact."

"So what? Are you going to help Mu Rongyun against the Xiao Family? Was being severely injured in the hills part of the act?"

Xiao Ya snorted coldly again, lapsing into silence.

"If I could leave with Xia Xue, I wouldn’t stay here. The old man uses you to threaten me, and you want to stand by while the blame for killing Quan Xianglin falls on you. The result of murdering a government official is unavoidable death. I won’t let the old man do that. I don’t know why he abandoned you back then, but I won’t do such things like him."

"Why was I abandoned? Do you really not know?" The same dark eyes emitted a chilling gleam. "Without you, I would be fine. If not for your presence, the heir of the Xiao Family would be me. However, thanks to you, I escaped those experiments. You surviving was not easy. Take your woman and get lost; there’s nothing for you here."

Xiao Ya shoved Xiao Lin, his strength sending him back two steps before he tumbled backward, flipping out of the window.

Xiao Lin stood there in a daze, not lifting a hand to block him, just watching as Xiao Ya disappeared from his view.

"His words carry meaning." Yelu Shou had been hiding outside out of concern; Xiao Ya’s resentment toward Xiao Lin was because his arrival had taken everything originally meant for him.

"Xiao Ya and Liu Yi give me the instinct that I’m not Xiao Zhenfeng’s son. If that’s the case, then who am I? What have I been enduring all these years?"

"Mere thoughts accomplish nothing." Following Xiao Ya might lead us to the person we seek.

Xiao Lin nodded; Xiao Ya couldn’t possibly be unaware of Mu Rongyun’s location. By following him, he’d find Mu Rongyun, yet reality said otherwise.

Trailing Xiao Ya to ’Wagangnei,’ Xiao Lin exchanged incredulous looks with Yelu Shou, who bewilderedly raised his hands. They would know the outcome only by continuing to follow.

Xiao Ya stood alone under the roof of the Assassin Group, staring at a window for a long time before turning into the darkness. In the spot where he stood, two shadows fell; one pursued Xiao Ya’s direction, while the other maintained the same posture, gazing at the house ahead.

The spot Xiao Ya watched was Liu Yi’s room. Xiao Lin silently stared at the darkened window, unable to comprehend the relationship between Liu Yi and Xiao Ya, or why Xiao Ya came here but didn’t enter, merely quietly observing.

Many questions suddenly flooded his mind, yet there was no clue, as if everyone knew something but refused to tell him. At this moment, he felt like a fool being played, blindly flailing like a fly in chaos.

In the darkness, equally black eyes observed the people below, following them ever since their entry into ’Wagangnei.’

Xiao Lin walked into the building, pushed open a door, and saw a slender figure curled up on the bed, tossing and turning. He quietly lay down, holding the sleeping woman in his arms, greedily inhaling the scent of her hair, as though only this way could he find a shred of calmness in his heart. Perhaps he could really leave here with Xia Xue like Xiao Ya did, put down everything, but can he? What about Sin City? What about everyone else?

Even without the Xiao Family, he had too many ties he couldn’t abandon. Face pressed against Xia Xue’s back, Xiao Lin closed his eyes.

Like waking from a dream, Xia Xue awoke from sleep, having spent the entire night warm and comfortable, never having slept so soundly, as if Xiao Lin was right beside her. However, upon opening her eyes, the illusion vanished, leaving the room as empty and cool as it did every morning when she awoke.

"Consort Ling, did he come?" Xia Xue stood on the terrace, asking the air.

"Left at four in the morning." A deep voice sounded, still unseen.

"Hmm!" Xia Xue showed a smile, without expectation or blame, savoring the sliver of warmth Xiao Lin left behind.

If Xia Xue were to leave the room, she might encounter Xiao Lin, yet the two missed each other at the same place.

Xiao Lin found Liu Yi behind the Assassin Group’s residence, standing at a height where one could see the distant blue ocean intersecting with the sky in a beautiful arc. Liu Yi sat on a stone bench beside it, admiring the horizon.

The rustling footsteps approached from afar, yet did not disturb him.

"Do you know Xiao Ya?" Xiao Lin spoke bluntly, failing to make Liu Yi turn his head; the purple robe flapped fiercely in the mountain wind. "I want to know whether you are enemy or friend."

Liu Yi stirred, raising a twig and thrusting it toward Xiao Lin, initiating a sudden battle between them. Forced to step back, Xiao Lin had no choice but to fight back.

"I’m not here to fight!" Liu Yi’s ferocious attack targeted vulnerabilities, quickly leaving Xiao Lin with multiple injuries.

Xiao Lin sighed; Liu Yi wasn’t joking around. If he didn’t counter, he would be humiliated under Liu Yi’s skill, even with Liu Yi showing restraint.

The twig moved like a sharp sword, flickering in all directions, bursting into countless beautiful blossoms in Xiao Lin’s surroundings. He tapped the ground with his toes, launched into the air, twisting downwards, hands suddenly holding two sharp spikes, facing the twig in Liu Yi’s hand. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)