As I walked out of the main hall of Tianci Tower, my entire back was soaked with cold sweat from the extremely tense and stimulating environment.
Paying no mind to the winter night wind that swept and blew against me, I couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
Although the outcome tonight seemed to have been a close call, it was actually a step-by-step nail-biter.
Aside from Master Camel and his disciple, among the two groups of reinforcements, Ying Baolin and Yu Shuang, if I had called for even one less group, Xiao Tianci might not have been willing to compromise.
He might have hardened his heart and completely subdued me along with the reinforcements, keeping us all at Tianci Tower.
For now, let Xiao Tianci fall into the trap I dug before leaving, briefly distracting him…
When we parted ways outside the entrance of Tianci Tower, both Jiang Xiaowan and Yu Shuang very tacitly chose to skip the matter of the Qian Wang Ling, only telling me to contact them if anything came up.
Looking at the two women, I couldn't help but secretly marvel at their intelligence and shrewdness.
Their silence didn't mean they didn't care; on the contrary, they understood each other and intended to leave the decision-making power to me.
No matter how I chose at that time, the half Qian Wang Ling could only belong to one person.
Even though they were all friendly with me now, when it came time to make a decision, the party I abandoned after careful consideration would inevitably turn against me.
Therefore, after the trouble with Xiao Tianci was completely resolved, I would have to carefully consider whether to hand over the half Qian Wang Ling and to whom.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, everyone got into their cars, preparing to head their separate ways.
In the following days, everything was calm and uneventful.
Xiao Tianci did not send anyone to track me, and neither Jiang Xiaowan nor Yu Shuang contacted me proactively.
But the more peaceful it was, the more uneasy I felt.
Setting aside Jiang Xiaowan and Yu Shuang for now, I knew very well that Xiao Tianci alone had no reason to easily let things go.
After all, Xiao Tianyu was Xiao Tianci's own brother, the sole person in charge of the vast casino business he left behind after going legitimate.
Under the combined ties of kinship and interest, Xiao Tianci had no reason not to make any move.
If such a situation occurred, it would mean he was meticulously brewing something, what is commonly known in later generations as "holding back a big move."
I thought Xiao Tianci's "big move" would definitely involve bloodshed, but I never expected…
...
On Christmas Eve afternoon, at the house rented by Camel.
Master Camel and his disciple went out to buy supplies, and Cheng Minglang took Zhu Wenjing for a follow-up examination at the hospital. When I was the only one left in the house, an uninvited guest suddenly arrived.
It was a woman.
The woman looked no older than twenty, with a ponytail styled like a girl next door. Beneath her pure and elegant makeup was a standard melon seed face.
When she entered, the girl politely knocked three times and smiled at me.
But for some reason, upon seeing the smile that was merely a formality, I suddenly felt an uncomfortable sensation in my heart.
This discomfort wasn't good or bad, just a simple feeling of unease.
Normally, even if the door was ajar, a stranger wanting to visit the host would knock first, followed by polite greetings.
Only after receiving permission from the host could they enter.
But this girl only knocked three times on the slightly ajar door, and without waiting for me to ask anything, she walked in with a smile.
To be honest, even though she was an attractive beauty, I found it too abrupt.
Just as I was lost in thought, I suddenly heard the girl speak, "Hello, may I come in and sit for a while?"
Upon hearing this, I calmly replied, "Didn't you already knock and come in? Why bother asking if you can sit down?"
"If I said no, would you obediently stand there?"
Hearing me say this, the girl immediately covered her face and giggled.
Covering her face while smiling, without revealing her teeth.
This was the standard smiling etiquette of ancient women.
From this scene alone, I concluded that this girl's background was not simple!
Because in the current social customs and culture, very few women would exhibit such standard smiling etiquette.
Even if they did, it was either because they were influenced by the culture of their aristocratic families and naturally learned it, or they achieved it through professional etiquette training.
Whether innate or acquired, the identities of these women were extraordinary.
Taking the woman before me as an example, beneath her seven parts pure appearance, her gesture of clasping her hands to cover her face contained three parts allure and... wantonness!
That's right! Wantonness!
The moment I thought of this word, a likely answer regarding the woman's identity immediately flashed in my mind.
The Orchid Gate!!!
I had heard Uncle Camel mention that Orchid women always waited for a price when acting outside, and rarely appeared or acted on their own initiative.
If the rare event I mentioned occurred, there were only two possibilities.
One, an Orchid woman was entrusted to target you.
Two, you have grievances or entanglements with the Orchid Gate.
If it was the first possibility, it would be fine. As long as you could resist the temptation of the Orchid woman and pay to resolve the issue in time, as long as the price was right, Orchid women always recognized money, not people.
But if it was the second possibility, then things would become much more serious and complicated!
Before this woman clearly stated her intentions, I could only secretly pray that it wasn't the second possibility and keep comforting myself to think on the bright side.
Unfortunately, reality is always cold and cruel.
After sitting down, when the Orchid woman revealed her identity and clearly stated that she was here to seek an explanation from me on behalf of her deceased fellow disciple, Mu Haitang…
I knew Xiao Tianci had begun his counterattack.
Using force to counter force!
He was using the influence of the Orchid Gate to weaken my strength first, and then waiting for an opportunity to strike from the shadows.
Regaining my composure, I looked at the Orchid woman and said, "I'm sorry! I deeply regret Mu Haitang's death! But…"
"Since ancient times, the rules of conduct in all illicit trades are that once the money is in place, any adverse consequences that may arise during the execution of the task are to be borne by the performer themselves!"
"I know Mu Haitang's death was very sudden, so sudden that it's unacceptable, but I paid fifty thousand in real money to hire her for this job."
"And she herself was well aware of the great risks involved, yet she ultimately chose to accept it."
"Therefore, this so-called 'seeking an explanation' that you speak of cannot be forced upon me so inexplicably, can it?"