A hint of contemplation flashed in Lin Xiaotian's eyes, his gaze sharp and cold. "I'm afraid you won't be seeing her."
Upon hearing this, the joy in Ma Qiang's eyes instantly vanished, replaced by sheer terror.
"What do you mean? Are you going back on your word?"
"I've already done as you said, what more do you want?"
"And don't forget, the person she's supposed to meet tomorrow is me. If she calls me during this time and I don't answer, she'll definitely become suspicious. At that point, all your plans will fall apart."
"Murong Yu is very smart; she won't be fooled so easily."
A smile flickered across Lin Xiaotian's face, his eyes filled with disdain. "You yourself said Murong Yu is very smart. Since she's so intelligent, how could she possibly mobilize such a large force just because of a phone call from you?"
"And don't forget, after she received the news, she didn't immediately ask you to prove that the jade pendant was in your possession. What does that signify? Don't you have any idea?"
Ma Qiang's face paled. He had indeed vaguely guessed at some possibilities.
But he dared not voice them to Lin Xiaotian, as such a revelation could mean his immediate death.
Lin Xiaotian said with a half-smile, "You've already figured it out, so you probably don't want me to say any more, do you?"
"I told you before, if you couldn't seize this opportunity, you'd face the consequences yourself."
"I believe that woman is already sufficiently wary. Finding her again won't be so easy."
"Moreover, I even suspect you might have used some secret code during your call, otherwise, she wouldn't have paused for those few seconds."
Ma Qiang shook his head like a rattle drum, his eyes filled with even greater fear. "I really didn't say any secret code, and I was completely doing this for you before."
"You saw me make the call with your own eyes. If I had said anything suggestive, you would have noticed it immediately."
"Perhaps she's just very smart and sensed something was off, but that's not my fault!"
Lin Xiaotian chuckled lightly. "Indeed, it's not your fault. But you haven't provided me with the value I expected, so you'll have to pay the price for your past mistakes."
As he finished speaking, a silver needle shot from his hand.
Ma Qiang didn't even have time to react before the needle pierced his body.
His eyes were filled with terror, wanting to speak but unable to utter a sound. His body felt as if it were frozen, utterly immobile.
Lin Xiaotian said with a smile, "I'm afraid you have no further value to exploit."
"Now, I can directly hand you over to Old Li. Let him play with you at his leisure. He probably has plenty of time and will be very interested in prying some information out of you."
"It just so happens that Old Li has nothing much to do lately, so I'll leave you to him to handle."
Upon hearing this, disbelief flickered across Ma Qiang's face. He didn't know who Old Li was, but seeing the smile on Lin Xiaotian's face, he understood that this person was undoubtedly more terrifying.
"Please, don't..."
He instinctively blurted out, making Lin Xiaotian's smile even more pronounced.
"Your ancient medical skills are quite impressive. You can actually break my meridian sealing points. That's somewhat interesting. I suspect Old Li will be very interested in what you have on you."
After speaking, he took out his phone and flicked a few more silver needles from his fingertips.
This time, he completely sealed off several of Ma Qiang's meridians, leaving him no room for maneuver.
He had been deliberately testing him just now.
Old Li's call was answered quickly, his hearty laughter echoing from the phone.
"Young Master, why are you calling me so suddenly? Is there something important you need me to do?"
"Nothing too important, just entrusting someone to you. This fellow knows ancient medical arts, and I believe you'll be very interested. Oh, and he's also from the Ma family; Ma Xiuyuan is his uncle."
"Didn't you say before that when I dealt with Old Ma, you lost a channel for obtaining information? I believe this guy's status is much higher than Old Ma's. You can directly pry information out of him."
After a brief exchange, Lin Xiaotian's gaze turned to Ma Qiang.
Ma Qiang seemed to have guessed something, his pupils contracting violently. "The Old Li you're talking about, is it Li Chengfeng from the Special Operations Department?"
Lin Xiaotian nodded with a smile. "That's right, it's him."
"I didn't expect you to know Old Li. Very good, perhaps you're even acquaintances."
"You just wait here. Old Li will be here with his people before long."
"As for the person behind you, besides Murong Yu, I believe there will be others. However, I'm no longer interested in asking you any more questions. Your mouth is hard to pry open, and only when your spirit completely breaks will you tell the truth honestly. I'm too lazy to waste time with you."
"I'll tell the truth, please don't hand me over to him." Ma Qiang's mental state was beginning to crumble.
Lin Xiaotian realized that Old Li held such a terrifying position in the minds of these people.
This piqued his curiosity, so he directly asked, "What exactly did Old Li do to make you guys so terrified? He's such a good person, why does it feel like hearing his name is like hearing about a demon?"
Ma Qiang's voice trembled uncontrollably, his eyes filled with fear. "He's not like a demon; he's a complete and utter demon."
"You have no idea what terrifying methods he has used. Many people who fall into his hands never get to live again."
"And he loves to extract information from people, using any means necessary to make them talk."
"Their Special Operations Department is a sharp blade hanging over everyone's heads. No martial artist doesn't fear them."
Lin Xiaotian's face broke into a smile. "No wonder you all fear Old Li's name so much. So, you've done heinous things and are afraid he'll catch you and skin you alive."
"Old Li won't go easy on you. He has always been righteous and hates evil. You'll have to pay the price for the things you've done."
With that, he struck Ma Qiang's neck with a palm.
Ma Qiang's eyes still held terror, but his body collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Before he lost consciousness, only one thought remained.
He was completely finished this time.