"Wen Jiu, thank you. I really don't know how much longer this would have dragged on without you." Xia Qingtian surveyed Wen Jiu's hospital room and settled into a classic European-style high-backed chair.
"It's nothing. But how did you get to know the Miao family?" Wen Jiu tossed an orange to Xia Qingtian, then another to Xia Shang.
"Ow, that hurts." The orange hit Xia Shang's head before falling into his hand.
Seeing Xia Shang's state, Wen Jiu's lips twitched.
Xia Qingtian smoothly caught her orange and gave a dry chuckle. "It's a long story. I don't quite understand the specifics myself. But what about you, why are you hospitalized? What happened?"
"Just a minor injury. People were just making a big deal out of it." Wen Jiu adjusted the hem of her hospital gown, revealing bandages around her abdomen. "Just got shot twice."
"That doesn't sound like a minor injury at all!" Xia Qingtian's mouth twitched. "What happened? You only said you were here in the capital for something, you never mentioned it was this dangerous."
"Dangerous? Not really." Wen Jiu waved her hand dismissively, a hint of annoyance in her expression. "Though I feel like this trip was a waste."
The old guys in the capital, they always seemed to be at odds with each other.
But when trouble truly arose, they were surprisingly united, covering for each other, providing alibis.
After all this time, Wen Jiu had only managed to uncover two smuggling routes and one route involving collaboration with foreign powers to produce drugs.
Although the higher-ups felt this was enough, Wen Jiu knew it was just the tip of the iceberg.
The real danger was hidden beneath layers upon layers.
But now, it was incredibly difficult for Wen Jiu to investigate further.
Most importantly, she had touched upon the core interests of the aristocratic families.
These two bullets were a warning to her.
It was also what Mr. Gu had once told her – [Know when to stop].
Tsk.
Such a hassle.
"So how long do you have to stay in the hospital?" Xia Qingtian asked.
"Just a few more days. I can't stand being idle." Wen Jiu gave a self-deprecating smile. "I'll wrap things up and then my work here is done."
"Okay." Hearing Wen Jiu say that, Xia Qingtian felt somewhat relieved.
It was better to finish such dangerous work sooner rather than later.
"What about you?" Wen Jiu asked, looking at Xia Qingtian. "When are you going back to City Z?"
"Just a few more days." Xia Qingtian couldn't help but recall the system notification about the [assassination] event.
When she first saw Wen Jiu, she had wondered if Wen Jiu might be the [reliable external support] the system mentioned who could offer protection.
But Wen Jiu had been shot twice and was now hospitalized. She didn't look like someone who could provide protection.
Right now, the most important thing was for Wen Jiu to recover.
With that in mind, Xia Qingtian felt it was about time to leave.
"Then we..." Xia Qingtian's words were cut off by Wen Jiu.
"Oh, right. Old Man Miao died. Who did his dice go to?" Wen Jiu asked curiously.
Hearing about the dice, Xia Shang looked at Xia Qingtian, who then looked at Wen Jiu. "What dice?"
"I guess you wouldn't know." Wen Jiu shrugged. "They're like a token of authority for the Miao family head, white jade dice."
"That must be what Uncle Miao the Second was always clamoring for," Xia Qingtian asked. "The family head's token being white jade dice, that's quite romantic."
"Romantic? That thing was originally a key to a treasure. There were three white jade dice in total – one with the Tang family, one with the Miao family. The last one was supposed to be with the Lu family, but as luck would have it, the Lu family had their entire clan wiped out by enemies early on. Not even the cats, dogs, or mice survived. That last white jade die went missing."
"There are also rumors that the Miao and Tang families were behind the extermination of the Lu family."
"After all, the Miao family excelled at蛊 (gu) and the Tang family at poisons, while the Lu family specialized in hidden weapons. The three families were never involved in legitimate businesses since ancient times."
"Now, both the Miao and Tang families have moved towards the path of pharmaceutical families. Miao Biological and Tang Pharmaceuticals, have you heard of them?" Wen Jiu asked, looking at Xia Qingtian.
This brief explanation left Xia Qingtian completely stunned.
Although Xia Qingtian had indeed heard of Miao Biological and Tang Pharmaceuticals, she never imagined there was a Lu family that had been wiped out.
And that white jade die belonging to the Lu family…
Xia Qingtian finally remembered why Xia Shang's white jade die had seemed familiar.
She had bought it impulsively when she participated in the Lei family's auction, taking a gamble to turn a bicycle into a motorcycle!
Why would the Lei family put such an important item up for auction?
A key to a treasure!
And Xia Qingtian remembered the bidding price hadn't been very high.
2.8 million.
It was one of the three keys to a treasure.
She had acquired it for 2.8 million. Was that real? Was it reasonable?
Xia Qingtian felt her mind was in a bit of a muddle.
"Why haven't I heard anyone mention that treasure, or keys, or anything..." Xia Qingtian asked tentatively, looking at Wen Jiu.
"Because it's a secret. It seems to be a secret known only to the successive family heads of the Tang, Miao, and Lu families." Wen Jiu said mysteriously. "And the location of the treasure, supposedly, is also only known by the family head."
"Then how do you know about it?" Xia Qingtian asked.
"What do you think I came to the capital for this time? It was to pry into the secrets of various prominent families." Wen Jiu covered her mouth and whispered.
"So, this white jade die and the treasure are secrets you've uncovered?" Xia Qingtian asked.
"This? This isn't." Wen Jiu replied. "This was when I was bored after I was hospitalized. I was playing cards with Old Man Miao from down the hall. The loser had to stick paper strips on their forehead.
You've seen his face, right? He's so thin, there's hardly anywhere left to stick them. So, he lost this secret to me."
"Huh?" Xia Qingtian's mouth twitched. "That's allowed?"
"Hehehe~" Wen Jiu chuckled and said, "It's getting late, I won't keep you any longer."
"Then you should get some rest." Xia Qingtian figured that the [secrets] Wen Jiu obtained through gambling weren't very reliable, so she didn't ask further. She just took Xia Shang and left, reminding Wen Jiu to rest well before departing.
Wen Jiu repeatedly acknowledged her, waving as she watched Xia Qingtian leave.
As Xia Qingtian and Xia Shang walked further away, Wen Jiu traced Xia Shang's retreating figure with her eyes, recalling the words Old Man Miao had spoken to her that day.
"Wen Jiu, you and your grandfather have a history from the battlefield. I saved his life three times! Can't you go easy on me when we're playing cards?"
"Stop rambling! You didn't save me, so who cares about you!"
"Ungrateful child, without me, do you think you'd still be alive to play cards here? Do you think you'd still have the chance to bully this old man who's nearing his end?"
"Tch... I didn't ask you to save me, busybody." Wen Jiu slammed her cards onto the bed. "I'm not playing anymore. You have no place left to stick paper strips on your face, so winning isn't satisfying."
"If you win this round, how about I tell you a secret?"
Old Man Miao, with an oxygen tube connected to his nose, flashed Wen Jiu a smile, a somewhat mysterious smile.
"Fine." Wen Jiu whistled, picked up her cards, and played a consecutive sequence, a big hand that Old Man Miao couldn't match. "I won. Tell me."
"Oh dear, oh dear..."