Li Chonglou suddenly understood.
Of all the people, he understood Shi Boqiong the most thoroughly.
His rebirth was due to this ultimate treasure.
He had Wu Hao establish the antique appraisal live streaming platform to track the whereabouts of the pedestal.
Li Hanlong had not killed him but kept him under house arrest to force his master to reveal clues about Shi Boqiong.
However, he never expected that he himself was the biggest informant.
In his previous life, the pedestal did not surface for several years.
Now, due to his rebirth, fate had changed, and the clue to its whereabouts was discovered by his senior sister so early.
"Where is the pedestal?" Li Chonglou's heart fluttered with excitement.
Li Hanlong's only demand was clues. As long as he could exchange the pedestal for his mother and Jiang Yuxin, there was no reason for him to refuse.
Once he got his hands on that item, he would be able to obtain the clues he desired.
The object itself was not as important.
"It's with Yan Bin." Lin Ying did not hide anything and recounted what Aunt Gao had said in full.
She had tried her best to resolve Yan Bin's inner turmoil and reached an agreement with him.
Unexpectedly, she also learned of Li Chonglou's confinement through this.
Without time to retrieve the pedestal, she rushed to the golf course.
She happened to see Li Chonglou being stopped by Li Hanlong as he opened the door.
Yan Bin could be found another time, but her junior brother could not be left behind. The priorities were clear.
"Li Hanlong is truly hoist by his own petard. He searched high and low, only to find it right under his nose!" Li Chonglou sighed in realization.
He naturally knew the relationship between Yan Bin and Li Hanlong.
Hearing this coincidence, he knew that Li Hanlong did not trust Yan Bin, or rather, he trusted no one.
Therefore, he had never mentioned Shi Boqiong to his adopted son.
As a result, Li Hanlong was unaware that the pedestal was in Yan Bin's possession.
If his senior sister and master had not been tracking Shi Boqiong for so many years, they too would have missed this opportunity.
It seemed the most important thing now was to wait.
Wait until his senior sister arranged another meeting with Yan Bin, and then retrieve the pedestal to exchange for his family.
There was one thing Li Chonglou was not worried about.
Li Hanlong would not dare to harm his mother and Jiang Yuxin until he achieved his goal.
Instantly, Li Chonglou felt full of remorse towards Lin Ying beside him: "Senior sister, I was a bit too impulsive just now, I'm sorry."
"Junior brother, my father values you because of fate," Lin Ying said with a radiant smile. "And I like you precisely because beneath your mature exterior lies a passionate heart."
"Youth is meant for exuberance!"
"If you were always gloomy and acted like an old man, I wouldn't find you appealing."
People are different.
Some people make you furious with their words.
Others make you feel as if you are basking in a spring breeze.
Lin Ying belonged to the latter. She diffused the tense atmosphere with a few playful remarks.
This also helped Li Chonglou's agitated heart to relax somewhat.
Given the circumstances, finding a way to rescue his mother and Jiang Yuxin was the only righteous path.
Any negative emotions were useless hindrances.
The two of them drove at high speed through Yong'an Street.
Yong'an was vast, at least ten times the size of Qin Zhou, with a constant flow of pedestrians.
Skyscrapers stood tall and dense.
As they passed a building over eighty stories high that pierced the clouds, Lin Ying slowed down the car: "That's the Xiao family's property."
"I haven't had a chance to contact Sister Yun since arriving in Yong'an."
"After you see your friends, I'll take you to the Xiao family."
Li Chonglou raised his eyebrows slightly: "Senior sister, doesn't Xiao Yun have a younger brother named Xiao Qiang?"
"That good-for-nothing brat, I didn't expect his reputation to be so widespread that even you know him," Lin Ying replied with a smile.
Clearly, she was not unfamiliar with Xiao Qiang.
And judging by her tone, she did not think highly of him.
"He's also being held under house arrest by Li Hanlong," Li Chonglou shook his head, recalling the guy.
A typical spoiled rich kid.
He should have taken him along when he left.
But the guy was holed up in his room, and he had forgotten about him for a moment.
"Li Hanlong is that audacious? He dares to place the eldest young master of the Xiao family under house arrest!" This time, even Lin Ying could not help but change her expression.
Although Xiao Qiang was a spoiled good-for-nothing, he was still a Xiao.
The Xiao family, one of the eight major families in the country, was the number one behemoth in Yong'an.
Li Hanlong actually dared to brazenly offend them.
This further solidified the speculation that he had powerful backing, otherwise, even if he had ten more guts, he wouldn't have done such a thing.
It seemed that when he met Xiao Yun, he would have to explain the situation to her.
Soon, the two arrived at a cafe on the ground floor of the Hilton.
Lü Yunxu was already waiting. Seeing Li Chonglou arrive, she quickly stood up and waved.
"This is my senior sister Lin Ying, and this is Lü Yunxu, the general manager of Lü's Group," Li Chonglou introduced them briefly.
The two women had never met before, but Lü Yunxu's reputation in Qin Zhou was well-known.
Who didn't know the eldest daughter of the Lü family?
Lin Ying was clearly no exception. She looked them up and down, showing admiration.
Lü Yunxu possessed an air of nobility and acted decisively. Her privileged upbringing from childhood gave her a natural confidence.
Coupled with her nickname "Qin Zhou's Top Three Beauties," she was pleasing to the eye even to women.
"Hello, Senior Sister," Lü Yunxu said politely, shaking hands. Her eyes still showed traces of redness.
She had always been curious about the source of Li Chonglou's skills. Seeing Lin Ying now, she thought he was indeed extraordinary.
Decisive and heroic, she was worlds apart from ordinary women.
She could not help but feel admiration.
"What's wrong with Lü's Group that requires you to personally come to Yong'an?" Li Chonglou asked directly after sitting down.
Lü Yunxu, the daughter of the richest man.
There were countless matters in Qin Zhou that needed her attention, yet she was in Yong'an.
The fact that she cried upon receiving his call indicated that she had encountered a major issue.
"Lü's Group and the Jiang family..." Lü Yunxu's expression turned serious as she recounted the events of the past few days.
Upon hearing that the Xiao family was pressuring Lü's Group, she suddenly understood.
It turned out that Li Hanlong's house arrest of Xiao Qiang was to force the Xiao family to comply and cooperate with him.
From this perspective, the Xiao family, this so-called one of the eight major families, had a very business-like approach to their actions.
They must have seen potential profits in Qin Zhou, hence they used this excuse to cooperate with Li Hanlong.
Xiao Qiang, as the heir, was likely a pawn.
Used as a pretext.
"I'll make a call," Lin Ying said after listening, her brows furrowed. She took out her phone.
After a brief conversation, she hung up, her expression becoming grave.
She sighed, "The Xiao family is experiencing internal strife. Sister Yun's uncle is vying for power with her, and she's already overwhelmed."
"It seems Sister Yun won't be able to help with the matters in Yong'an this time."
"Li Hanlong's backers are omniscient, and he doesn't even put the eight major families in his eyes."
"Junior brother, you need to be mentally prepared!"
Li Chonglou had never seen his senior sister so serious, and his heart sank.
"Could it be Lian Zijian of Lianchuang Group?" Lü Yunxu asked with surprise.
Besides the Xiao family, Lianchuang Group was also pressuring the Lü family this time.
Upon hearing this, Lin Ying sneered and shook her head: "Lianchuang Group is just a small fry."
"I've investigated. Although Lian Zijian has always treated Li Hanlong as a tool, in reality, he is the tool."
"In terms of skill and power, he is not on the same level as Li Hanlong."
"He's being manipulated without even realizing it."
"How can he dare to confront the Xiao family?"
After speaking, Lin Ying picked up her coffee and stirred it gently with a spoon, creating a delicate tinkling sound.
Then, she said calmly, "Currently, there is only one way to save Auntie and Jiang Yuxin, and that is to exchange the pedestal for them."
"Let's have coffee first. I'll contact Yan Bin in a while and ask him to find an opportunity to come out."