After a round of whispered conversation, Li Duo’er’s face bloomed with a smile.
Lifting her chin, she said hatefully, "Fine, watch me deal with him this time. How dare he anger me, hmph."
Then, with a face full of joy, she returned to the bedroom, as if eager to make preparations for this revenge.
Xiao Qiang also stretched his ears curiously, but he heard nothing. Just as he was about to ask, he saw Li Chonglou rise and leave.
Seeing the direction he was heading, to start practicing again, Xiao Qiang pouted in disappointment.
He consciously leaned back on the sofa, staring blankly, not daring to disturb them further.
Arriving at one side of the room, Li Chonglou sat down cross-legged on the tatami, his eyes narrowed in thought.
Was Li Hanlong using him to threaten his master, trying to find information about Shi Bōqióng through him? He couldn't be entirely sure at this moment.
Whatever his intentions, his master was currently imprisoned, so his safety was not an immediate concern.
However, knowing this, Li Hanlong still went to such great lengths to confine him and threaten his master.
This was enough to see how deep Li Hanlong's network of connections ran.
He wondered if his mother and Jiang Yuxin had been implicated.
What was the situation with the hotel and the company now?
If his senior sister had already returned, she would have surely anticipated his situation.
Her safety was not something to worry about; with her intelligence and skills, she should be able to protect herself.
He hoped his senior sister could inform his master quickly, so he could be alerted.
With all contact to the outside world severed here, the matters he was guessing about made Li Chonglou’s worries deepen.
Taking a long, deep breath, Li Chonglou collected his thoughts.
Calming himself, he focused his mind, silently reciting the cultivation mantra from the sheepskin scroll, circulating his Qi and regulating his breath.
At the same time, Lin Ying, breathing rapidly, pushed open the door to the Donglin shop.
The interior was already a mess, furniture overturned, all decorations shattered into pieces scattered across the floor.
The landline telephone and the camera in the corner had their wires cut.
Even the decorative wall clock on the side wall was damaged.
On the display shelf against the wall behind the solid wood counter, all the exquisite porcelain pieces were intact, with only scattered shards of porcelain remaining on the shelf.
A week prior, Lin Ying, who was still at the Hongdou Mountain Villa, received a call from the Qin Prefecture police.
After confirming if Lin Ying was the legal representative of the Donglin shop, she was informed that the shop had been maliciously vandalized.
Responding to a public tip-off, the police arrived at the scene to find the perpetrators had already fled. The case was currently under investigation.
Withdrawing her gaze, Lin Ying turned and closed the main door, quickly walking to the display shelf.
She forcefully moved the display shelf aside a corner, revealing an inconspicuous red dot on the ground.
Crouching down, she placed the tip of her left ring finger gently above the red dot.
A few seconds later, on the wall, where a landscape painting had hung,
The now bare wall slowly moved, retracting into the wall.
When the opening was wide enough for a person to pass through, Lin Ying quickly stepped inside and pressed a switch within the wall. The wall slowly closed, returning to its original state.
Inside the wall was the secret room of the Donglin shop. The small, roughly two square meter secret room could be surveyed with a single glance.
Finding nothing out of the ordinary, everything within the secret room appeared to be safe and sound.
She estimated that the intruders had not discovered this place.
Despite this, she still checked it meticulously.
In the safe within this secret room were important documents stored by her father, as well as some clues regarding Shi Bōqióng from the Qin Emperor’s tomb.
Opening the safe, and seeing that the file bags and some of the current items were all safe, Lin Ying finally let out a sigh of relief, her breathing gradually steadying.
After closing the safe door, she moved to the double-door cabinet made of ebony next to it.
Inside were all the necessary protective equipment.
To delve into information and clues within antiques, she often had to enter dangerous and remote places, making this kind of protective gear essential.
However, more often than not, with Lin Ying's own extraordinary skills, she would only carry ordinary necessary tools.
This time, the disappearance of her junior brother, his whereabouts unknown.
The vandalism of the Donglin shop, and her father's instructions; these events had brought them to a critical juncture.
Upon learning of the shop's destruction, she rushed back, having first visited her father.
However, her father already knew everything and informed her that Li Chonglou might be in danger.
She needed to find him as soon as possible and investigate all information about Li Hanlong, as it was almost certain that he was responsible.
There was no lengthy explanation of the reasons.
Even though her father was imprisoned, he could still stay informed about many matters outside.
Lin Ying was well aware of her father's exceptional methods and did not doubt him at all.
Lin Ying casually took off her backpack, packed all the equipment, and exited the secret room.
She scanned the shop once more, looking at the Donglin shop, which held so many deep emotional attachments.
It was opened by her father before he was imprisoned, and now it was unrecognizable.
Lin Ying’s eyes blazed, and she gritted her teeth.
Li Hanlong!
I will definitely find you!
A few seconds later, she turned and left the main door, driving towards Yong'an.
After hearing her father's words, she had already investigated the whereabouts of Li Hanlong. Although she only knew he was in Yong'an and knew nothing else,
It was already a lead to follow.
Despite her reluctance to leave the Donglin shop, she could only put it aside for now.
Li Chonglou's disappearance was the top priority, making Lin Ying's anxiety and worry overshadow all other emotions.
By this time, night had fallen. The sky was dim and not bright, with faint starlight visible intermittently.
The moon was hidden behind the clouds, out of sight.
There was no brilliant starry sky like usual; the land was shrouded in darkness, as if dyed with heavy ink.
The surroundings gradually quieted down, losing the hustle and bustle of the day.
Such a night made one's mood somewhat heavy.
It wasn't just Lin Ying. At the same time, Jiang Yuxin's mood was extremely heavy.
Inside the Jiang Group building, almost everyone from the Jiang family was gathered in the conference room.
Amidst the clamor, Jiang Yuxin sat quietly in the executive chair, looking at everyone.
Her willow brows were tightly furrowed, her teeth clenched, and her face was as pale as paper.
Just that afternoon, Jiang Yuxin had been forced to make a difficult decision.
The Jiang Group had announced bankruptcy!
This decision, like a heavy bomb, had exploded destructively in the hearts of the Jiang family members.
From that afternoon until now, the Jiang family members in this conference room had not left.
Anger, unwillingness, and accusations had not ceased.
Several of her cousins even pointed at Jiang Yuxin’s nose and cursed her.
"You are a jinx! The Jiang family has been ruined by you."
"We suspect you did this deliberately. Have you transferred assets?"
"First Li Chonglou disappeared, and then you announced bankruptcy. Is this your conspiracy?"
"All company accounts have been handed over, and we demand a thorough investigation!"
"..."
The overwhelming doubts and curses, mixed with crying and aggressive posturing, filled the conference room and the entire floor outside.
The company employees had also not left. Although they were waiting for their final salaries, seeing this scene, everyone was stunned.
Just then, Jiang Yuxin slammed the table fiercely.
With a whoosh, she stood up and roared in a voice like a thunderous bell, "All of you, shut up!"
The company employees had also not left. Although they were waiting for their final salaries, seeing this scene, everyone was stunned.
Just then, Jiang Yuxin slammed the table fiercely.
With a whoosh, she stood up and roared in a voice like a thunderous bell, "All of you, shut up!"