Chapter 31: The Art of Manipulation and Unveiling Treachery

Ye Qingfeng had intended to dispose of Quan Haoqing immediately after their task was complete and the spoils divided.

To be frank, even though her identity remained unexposed, she always felt a creeping unease whenever she was with Quan Haoqing.

She constantly worried that one day he would be chatting with her, all smiles, only to suddenly pull out a cleaver, hack at her, and shout, “Give me back my hard-earned money! Give me back my treasures!”

Yet, if they continued to travel together, would she truly remain unexposed?

And could this man even be trusted? Was he perhaps planning to sell her out?

Another thing that troubled Ye Qingfeng was Quan Haoqing’s peculiar attitude toward her; he must surely have ulterior motives.

Quan Haoqing watched Ye Qingfeng fall into silence, her expression rapidly shifting.

‘Sure enough, she still doesn’t trust me,’ he thought.

‘Trusting my reputation is one thing; trusting me as a person is another entirely.’

‘Short-term cooperation is fine, but for long-term ventures, she becomes hesitant and apprehensive.’

Ye Qingfeng’s wariness was truly stronger than he had anticipated.

Quan Haoqing could vaguely sense that Ye Qingfeng was guarding against him; ever since their initial encounter outside the Bounty Pavilion, she had consistently maintained a certain safe distance from him.

Increasing his bargaining chips, Quan Haoqing continued, “There’s no need to agonize over this. The location for that commission is also where I’ve arranged to meet the young master of the Yuelai Winehouse.

Or, are you planning to rely solely on bounties to earn spirit stones from now on?”

Ye Qingfeng’s heart stirred.

While earning money through bounties was quick, the risks were simply too great.

Many people foolishly believed that those listed on bounty warrants were mere piggy banks, lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

They were oblivious to the fact that many of the ruthless criminals on those same warrants also viewed bounty hunters as nothing more than the rabbit in the ‘Waiting by the Stump’ fable, which dashed itself against a tree trunk and died.

“Alright, I’ll help with this task. As for the matter of ‘dying once’…”

Quan Haoqing nodded with satisfaction and said, “Ah, that, we can discuss the specifics of how to ‘die’ at length.”

****

The time arrived at dawn the next day.

The gentle sunlight streamed through the window, dappling You An’s face with patterns of light.

Slowly stirring awake from his stupor, You An’s mind was a complete blank as he stared blankly at the finely carved bedspread.

Although the effects of Quan Haoqing’s potent brew had worn off, and most of the alcohol’s influence had faded, he could barely recall what had transpired yesterday.

Just then, a voice came from beside him.

“Brother You, are you awake?”

You An jolted awake, instantly sitting upright, his eyes ferocious and savage, yet a hint of terror flickered deep within his gaze.

He habitually reached for his waist, only to find nothing there, and immediately clenched his fists, looking like a wild dog poised to strike.

“Brother You, what’s wrong?”

A second voice spoke, and You An finally saw who was talking.

It was a well-dressed young man, sitting at a table, holding a cup of steaming hot tea, and looking at him with a hint of surprise.

You An, his expression tense, inquired, “Who are you?”

Quan Haoqing set down his hot tea, spread his hands, and said with a wry, helpless smile, “Brother You must have slept yourself silly.

I’m Quan Haoqing; I just joined yesterday and even slipped you a mid-grade spirit stone.”

At the mention of the mid-grade spirit stone, You An finally remembered Quan Haoqing, who had just joined the gang yesterday.

Awkwardly, he lowered his fists and quickly nodded, saying, “Oh, oh, Brother Quan, I remember now, I remember.

Look at my memory.

Why am I sleeping here?”

Quan Haoqing raised an eyebrow, thinking, ‘This man got himself drunk and now has built-in amnesia?’

Left with no choice, he decided to help You An recall that ‘secret mission’ he had shared with Ye Qingfeng.

“…Brother You, you truly drank too much; how could you forget?

Boss Rong and Second Brother Song tasked you with assisting me in monitoring that merchant’s actions.

Originally, a surveillance spot was arranged for you, Brother You, but when I later went to find you, I discovered you were dead drunk.

So, I brought you here.”

Upon Quan Haoqing’s reminder, Ye Qingfeng’s sharp, venomous words echoed in You An’s mind once more.

Even after a day had passed, they still pierced his chest like a sharp sword.

Seeing You An’s expression turn ferocious again, Quan Haoqing understood that the man had remembered.

‘It’s good that he remembered,’ he mused.

‘If only you had remembered earlier, would you have needed to be ‘stabbed’ twice?’

“Alas.”

Outwardly, Quan Haoqing still had to offer comfort.

He first sighed, then advised, “Brother You, some words are best heard and then forgotten.

Don’t take them to heart; it will only bring you unhappiness.”

Perhaps feeling that only Quan Haoqing and he were present, or perhaps because both of them had heard those soul-piercing words, You An grew bolder and more unrestrained.

“So, I’m supposed to just endure it?! To hell with him!”

Quan Haoqing didn’t elaborate, and You An didn’t press for details, merely continuing to curse, “I work like an ox and a horse for them every day.

All the arduous and dirty tasks are mine, but what do I get?

I do the most tiring work, receive the smallest share, and am scolded daily for being incompetent and useless.

If those beasts truly have any ability, why don’t they do it themselves?!”

After cursing for a long while, You An turned to look at Quan Haoqing, who had remained silent since he started, and suddenly asked, “What about you, Brother Quan?

You just joined yesterday and already encountered such a scene.

What are your thoughts?”

Quan Haoqing finally broke his silence, slowly stating, “I’d rather betray all men than let all men betray me.”

You An stared at Quan Haoqing, stunned, and after a long moment, he sighed with emotion, “I am indeed not as capable as you, Brother Quan.

Since Brother Quan possesses such grand ambitions, then why…”

Quan Haoqing smiled and shook his head, not continuing the topic, but deftly changed the subject.

“By the way, should we go check if your drinking companion is awake?”

You An looked at Quan Haoqing with a puzzled expression.

“What drinking companion?”

Quan Haoqing said in surprise, “He’s one of our gang brothers.

I don’t quite remember his name, but he was drunk in the same room as you, Brother You.

I arranged for him to be in the next room.

It seems you truly slept yourself silly, Brother You, to have forgotten all this.”

You An’s pupils constricted, and he hastily asked, “Where is he? Take me to him!”

Quan Haoqing’s mouth subtly curved upwards.

He stood up and led You An to the adjacent room, where Xie Xiang had not yet woken up.

Of course, Quan Haoqing would not allow him to wake at this moment.

Upon seeing Xie Xiang’s rather unsightly sleeping posture, You An’s expression worsened significantly; on a moonless night, one might even mistake him for a headless corpse coming back to life.

He once again asked Quan Haoqing, “Was he found in my room?”

Quan Haoqing nodded and said, “Yes, both you, Brother You, and this brother were lying on the ground at the time.

It truly startled me.

Fortunately, you were just drunk.”

He turned to look at You An, who was staring down, lost in thought, and asked thoughtfully, “Could it be that even you, Brother You, don’t know when this fellow arrived?”

You An silently shook his head.

Quan Haoqing asked, perplexed, “Then how did you two end up drunk in the same room?”

You An bit hard on his lip, saying with some pain, “I don’t know.”

‘He truly doesn’t know?’

‘Then don’t blame me.’

A sharp glint flickered in Quan Haoqing’s eyes.

“Could it be that Boss Rong sent him to monitor us?!”

You An’s expression instantly became fierce and terrifying.

Quan Haoqing had voiced what he had thought but dared not say.

“Alas, Brother You, you also have it rough.

However, it might not necessarily be to monitor us.

Perhaps it’s just directed at me; after all, for someone who just joined the gang today, it’s quite normal to have multiple people monitoring them.

It also helps you, Brother You, in spotting deficiencies and making up for omissions.”

Quan Haoqing’s comfort did not improve You An’s expression.

In truth, from a normal perspective, Boss Rong’s actions were not inherently wrong; the problem lay in his usual attitude and methods towards the gang members.

There was no mutual trust among the gang members; in fact, under Rong Guangliang’s indulgence, they were locked in a vicious competition.

This was because a small portion of the gang members was destined to suffer oppression, and no one wished to be among them.

Yet, this position was bound to exist; it was a rule tacitly endorsed by Rong Guangliang.

Thus, the oppressed minority would not remain static; they, too, wished to climb higher, necessitating someone to replace them in their suffering.

These replacements were to be found among those not currently oppressed.

But how could those not oppressed willingly abandon their current positions?

Therefore, they would resort to unscrupulous means to frame and exploit those who were currently oppressed.

Both sides fought relentlessly for their own self-interest, with the only solution being to unite and overthrow Rong Guangliang.

However, Rong Guangliang held a trump card that prevented them from acting rashly: a type of addictive, control-oriented pill.

‘Heh, so this is the real breakthrough point, isn’t it?’

A sharp glint flickered in Quan Haoqing’s eyes.

‘An antidote to the drug?’

“Hmm~”

On the other side, Xie Xiang let out a soft groan; it seemed he was about to wake up.

‘Is it almost time?’

Quan Haoqing leaned close to You An’s ear and said, “He was likely sent by Boss Rong to monitor me, so it wouldn’t be convenient for me to be here.

After all, it wouldn’t look good for the one being monitored to see a fellow gang member passed out drunk on the floor.

I’ll leave the rest to you, Brother You.

Don’t mention me; let’s just say you handled everything.”

Listening to Quan Haoqing’s words, You An rolled his eyes thoughtfully and nodded, saying, “Don’t worry, just leave it to me.

After all, we’re all brothers in the gang; it’ll be fine.”