"That's all we've found so far," a male voice came from the other end of the phone. "Young Master, do you wish for us to continue investigating?"
"That's enough for now. I'll handle the rest myself." Nie Qingkong frowned slightly.
His subordinates were truly useless, only digging up superficial information.
He didn't believe Xia Qing Tian's sudden change in attitude towards Xia Qing Yu was due to a pang of conscience, nor that Xia Qing Yu's earnest attempts to please had any effect.
Besides, Xia Qing Yu didn't seem like the type to grovel.
"Yes." There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone before the voice continued, "Young Master, you are in Kyoto. Shall we have people there make contact for covert protection?"
"No need. Don't act on your own initiative," Nie Qingkong stopped him.
The Yue family appeared warm and generous, but they were actually quite guarded.
This included Yue Cheng Feng's fiancée.
He had felt her scrutinizing gaze multiple times at the dinner table.
Arranging people around him rashly at this moment would easily be discovered by them, and would end up being a hindrance.
"Alright then." Seeing that the Young Master refused, the person on the other end dared not insist. Considering the possibility of needing assistance, he proactively sent the Young Master several reliable profiles of available operatives.
This way, should anything happen, the Young Master could find usable help immediately.
This time, Nie Qingkong did not refuse.
After hanging up, Nie Qingkong casually flipped through the profiles sent over. They were all individuals the organization had stationed in Kyoto.
His finger slid across the screen, and Nie Qingkong saw a familiar face.
Wasn't that the fiancée of Yue Cheng Feng he had seen at the dinner table today?
Was she also part of the organization?
Nie Qingkong singled out her profile, raising his eyebrows slightly. "Ling Lan?"
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Nie Qingkong immediately put away his phone and asked, "Who is it?"
"Have you rested? I've brought supper," a female voice came from outside the door.
Nie Qingkong didn't recognize the voice, but he walked over and opened the door to find Yu Zixuan standing outside, holding a tray. On the tray was a ceramic bowl filled with what looked like delicious wontons.
The plump, perfectly shaped wontons floated in a clear broth, shimmering with a faint sheen of oil, garnished with vibrant green chives.
"I sent a portion to everyone else as well. Please try some." Yu Zixuan, fearing suspicion, had indeed asked a servant to deliver wontons to all the guests. Only Nie Qingkong's bowl was brought by her personally.
"Thank you." Nie Qingkong glanced down casually and took the bowl.
"Are you getting used to staying here?" Without giving Nie Qingkong a chance to dismiss her, Yu Zixuan, after handing over the wontons, pretended to look around and squeezed into Nie Qingkong's room.
Nie Qingkong's brow furrowed slightly. He shot a look at Yu Zixuan's retreating back, then looked down at the bowl of wontons, noticing a faint white powder along the rim.
If he hadn't been so meticulous, he likely wouldn't have noticed.
A smile flickered across his lips. Nie Qingkong placed the tray on the side of the table and, with a swift movement, closed the door.
Turning back, Nie Qingkong observed Yu Zixuan, who had her back to him, his gaze dark.
Poisoning his Young Master?
Quite interesting.
It had been a while since he had encountered someone so fearless of death.
Yu Zixuan turned around then, looking at Nie Qingkong and smiling. "Eat it while it's hot."
"I'm not feeling hungry," Nie Qingkong leaned against the table, smiling. "I don't usually eat supper anyway."
"These wontons are delicious. Try one or two. If you like them, I'll have the kitchen prepare more tomorrow morning," Yu Zixuan said with a smile, walking towards Nie Qingkong to persuade him.
"I'm afraid if I eat this... there won't be a tomorrow morning for me," Nie Qingkong said. He extended a fingertip and lightly scraped the rim of the bowl, then rubbed the powder between his fingers and brought it to his nose to sniff. "R-type tranquilizer. It's a new development from the organization's Sixth Department. It acts on the central nervous system, causing mild motor impairment and general weakness. It takes effect within two seconds."
Upon hearing this, Yu Zixuan's smile vanished instantly, her expression turning grim. "It seems you're quite a capable subordinate under Gou Wen."
"Gou Wen?" Nie Qingkong laughed. Since when had he become Gou Wen's subordinate?
He had no idea.
"Speak! Did you leak information about the Yue family to her!" Yu Zixuan flipped her wrist, revealing a dagger that she pressed against Nie Qingkong's neck.
"You're the first to dare point a knife at me, Ling Lan," Nie Qingkong narrowed his eyes slightly.
"You really are Gou Wen's person," Yu Zixuan's brow furrowed deeply, killing intent blazing in her eyes.
Not many knew she was Ling Lan's person!
The organization placed great emphasis on secrecy, with clear hierarchies for years. Even between superiors and subordinates, information was only exchanged when necessary.
The only token that allowed members to identify each other was a golden button.
Given Gou Wen's influence within the organization, it wasn't difficult to obtain his information.
It was a pity that Ling Lan didn't even know what Gou Wen looked like, or who he truly was.
Unavoidable.
"Is there a possibility," Nie Qingkong found it somewhat amusing, flicking the powder from his fingertips with a casual tone, "that Gou Wen is my person?"
"What?" Yu Zixuan's brow furrowed slightly. Before she could react, she felt a wave of weakness wash over her, and the dagger in her hand clattered to the floor. "How could this be..."
"Your understanding of R-type tranquilizers is still lacking. This drug is not only effective when ingested, but also affects the respiratory tract," Nie Qingkong flashed a brilliant smile.
"!" Yu Zixuan immediately recalled Nie Qingkong's action of flicking powder from his fingertips, her face turning extremely unpleasant.
"Ling Lan, you've been in the organization for quite some time now." Nie Qingkong bent down to pick up the dagger Yu Zixuan had dropped, then took out his phone and continued to look through Ling Lan's profile. "At the age of six, your parents died in a car accident. You and your older sister were sent to an orphanage. Not long after, the Tong Meng Orphanage caught fire due to operational violations. You were rescued from the fire by the organization and subsequently underwent specialized training. You later returned to Kyoto under the identity of the Yue family's mistakenly swapped daughter. You've completed several missions quite well, and are considered a promising newcomer."
"You..." Looking at Nie Qingkong, Yu Zixuan appeared tense. Why did he know so much?
Did Gou Wen tell him?
No!
Even if it was Gou Wen, he could only access information after she became "Yu Zixuan." Gou Wen definitely couldn't have found out about her life before the orphanage!
Then how did this Nie Qingkong know?
Who exactly was he!
Yu Zixuan looked at Nie Qingkong's smiling face, a bad premonition creeping into her heart.
Suddenly, a thought she dared not entertain entered her mind, causing her entire spine to go numb.
"Judging by today's outcome, your training isn't very good either." Nie Qingkong sat down on a chair, resting his elbows on the armrests, supporting his chin with one hand. The other hand toyed with Ling Lan's dagger. "Ling Lan, tell me, according to the organization's rules, how should an attempt to assassinate the Young Master be dealt with?"
"!"