“Wang Yilong,” Qin Keqing replied.
“Wang Yilong?” Li Feng was taken aback. Wang Yilong was just Sun Xipeng’s lackey. How was his order any different from Sun Xipeng’s?
“Yes, it was him. He’s the one who told me to approach you,” Qin Keqing said, a hint of embarrassment crossing her face. That day was the first time she’d ever been forced to seek someone out like that. Thinking back to the situation in the private room, had the police not arrived in time, she might have been compromised.
“Wang Yilong is just Sun Xipeng’s lackey, isn’t he? Wasn’t he just passing on Sun Xipeng’s orders?” Li Feng asked, puzzled. In his mind, Wang Yilong’s words were Sun Xipeng’s words. He’d never considered separating the two.
“I don’t know. That day, it was Wang Yilong who found me,” Qin Keqing said, shaking her head. “But after that day, Wang Yilong left Tianhai City, and I don’t know where he went. Also, when he approached me, he mentioned something about ‘Young Master Feng.’”
“Young Master Feng?” Li Feng froze. Sun Xipeng was called Young Master Sun, so Young Master Feng clearly wasn’t him. Could it be that Wang Yilong wasn’t just Sun Xipeng’s lackey, and the incident at Tian Shang Ren Jian wasn’t Sun Xipeng’s doing?
Thinking back, Li Feng recalled Sun Xipeng’s reaction the day after the incident. He hadn’t paid attention at the time, but now, reflecting on it, Sun Xipeng genuinely seemed unaware of what happened at Tian Shang Ren Jian. His excitement had only been about Li Feng’s ruined reputation.
“Yes,” Qin Keqing nodded. “Li Feng, I know I wronged you in this matter. That’s why I didn’t follow Wang Yilong’s instructions to accuse you of harming me. I’m apologizing to you now. Please, let me go. I’m just a weak woman who doesn’t want to get caught up in the conflicts of you rich heirs.”
Li Feng’s expression shifted. If Qin Keqing had followed Wang Yilong’s instructions that day, his ruined reputation would have been the least of his problems. Who had devised such a vicious scheme?
Was it the Black Stone Gang? The Emperor’s Pavilion? Or someone else?
After some thought, Li Feng realized many parties could have been involved. The Black Stone Gang had been wiped out, and Master Wen had left China, so investigating further was impossible. If it was indeed the Black Stone Gang, it wasn’t a big deal—the gang was gone, and the matter could end there.
But Li Feng’s concern now was that the Tian Shang Ren Jian incident might involve the Emperor’s Pavilion or Qin Feng. If so, this was far from over. The Emperor’s Pavilion had always wanted him dead, and Qin Feng, as the mastermind behind Su Xin and Sun Xipeng, was his sworn enemy.
Li Feng was certain that at the upcoming business association meeting in Tianhai City, both the Emperor’s Pavilion and Qin Feng would show up. There would surely be a new confrontation between them.
“Whether it’s the Emperor’s Pavilion or Qin Feng, at this business association meeting, I’ll make you pay,” Li Feng thought, a cold snort in his heart.
Though Qin Feng’s name included the character for “wind,” suggesting he could be Young Master Feng, Li Feng couldn’t rule out the Emperor’s Pavilion based solely on that. It wasn’t enough to pin it on Qin Feng.
“Li Feng, I’ve told you everything. Please don’t bother me anymore,” Qin Keqing said, seeing him silent and fearing he was scheming something. She pleaded again.
“Miss Qin, if you’d explained everything that day at Tian Shang Ren Jian, I might have let you go. But now, don’t you think it’s a bit late?” Li Feng said with a cold smile.
“Li Feng, what more do you want?” Qin Keqing’s expression changed.
“There’s a price to pay for actions. Do you know what that incident at Tian Shang Ren Jian cost me?” Li Feng countered.
“I…” Qin Keqing took a deep breath. “For rich playboys like you, isn’t fooling around just another day? What impact could it have? At most, it showed you’re a reckless womanizer.”
“Haha,” Li Feng laughed, looking at her. “You said it yourself—fooling around is just another day for playboys like us. Do you think I’d let you go?”
“I…” Qin Keqing was speechless.
“Miss Qin, I want to know what forced you to approach me,” Li Feng asked, curiosity in his eyes.
From their interactions, Li Feng had learned Qin Keqing wasn’t a casual woman. So what could have made her set aside her dignity to frame him at Tian Shang Ren Jian?
Qin Keqing’s expression shifted. “You don’t need to know.”
“Then I won’t let you go,” Li Feng said with a smile.
“You… you’re shameless,” Qin Keqing said angrily.
“Shameless? Miss Qin, you have the nerve to say that? You approached me, but I’m not allowed to approach you? What kind of logic is that?” Li Feng said, a glint of amusement in his eyes as he looked at her anger.
“You…”
“What ‘you’? Miss Qin, you shouldn’t have agreed to Wang Yilong in the first place. Since you did it, you have to pay the price. Want me to let you go? Sure, but… heh,” Li Feng said, his gaze sweeping over her curvaceous figure before he ignored her, leaning back in his seat to rest with his eyes closed.
Qin Keqing glared at him, itching to slap him out of the first-class cabin, but with other passengers around, she suppressed her anger and stormed off.
After she left, Li Feng opened his eyes, watching her retreating figure with a smile.
He’d only wanted to chat with her to pass the time, but he’d gained unexpected information. Still, he didn’t fully trust her words.
Something about Qin Keqing felt off. Wang Yilong was just a small-time lackey of Sun Xipeng. How could he know Qin Keqing, let alone hold leverage over her?
It wasn’t that Li Feng looked down on Wang Yilong, but someone like him shouldn’t have crossed paths with Qin Keqing. Even if he did, was Qin Keqing someone who could be easily coerced? What leverage could Wang Yilong possibly have?
A secret that could make a woman sacrifice her dignity to approach a stranger wasn’t trivial.
And from Qin Keqing’s reaction, she was deeply sensitive about this supposed leverage.
“I need to investigate Wang Yilong and Qin Keqing,” Li Feng thought, a sharp glint in his eyes.
—
Tianhai City, National Security Branch.
“Li Feng is back in Tianhai City.”
Looking at the intelligence from Yongzhou, a fierce glint flashed in Fo Zhu’s eyes. He hadn’t expected that, despite sending Zheng Xiaoyang to trouble Li Feng, not only was Li Feng unscathed, but Zheng Xiaoyang was dead.
If Zheng Xiaoyang’s death had nothing to do with Li Feng, Fo Zhu wouldn’t believe it. Zheng Xiaoyang had gone to Nanling Province specifically to target Li Feng. Why would he inexplicably go to Kunyang Town to fight Dumen’s Master Du?
To Fo Zhu, that was impossible. The idea of a congenital master appearing in Kunyang Town was nonsense in his eyes.
Li Feng had hidden his strength for over twenty years, and no one, not even Fo Zhu, could gauge his true power.
“Useless trash,” Fo Zhu cursed inwardly. With Zheng Xiaoyang dead, his plan to use him against Li Feng had failed. Worse, Zheng’s death might lead the Zheng family to investigate him, putting him in a passive position.
Fo Zhu was deeply unwilling to accept this. He couldn’t stand the thought of his plan failing or Li Feng slipping further out of his control.
“Should I issue a kill order?”
Fo Zhu hesitated. Issuing a kill order would mean an all-out war with Li Feng. If Li Chuanwei and Mu Chunfeng found out, they wouldn’t let him off.
Fo Zhu wasn’t the director of the National Security Bureau and lacked the power to fend off Li Chuanwei and Mu Chunfeng. Even if he were the director, he couldn’t withstand their combined assault.
So, should he issue the kill order or not?
After some thought, Fo Zhu shook his head. He didn’t dare take the risk, and Li Feng’s situation hadn’t reached that point yet.
But without a kill order, how could he deal with Li Feng?
Fo Zhu frowned, pacing restlessly in his office. He knew he couldn’t delay on Li Feng’s matter. The longer it dragged on, the more likely the Li family’s higher-ups would notice Li Feng’s capabilities, making it harder to act against him.
Fo Zhu was unwilling to let this happen. If the Li family’s higher-ups discovered Li Feng, within twenty years, the Li family could surpass the eight top families, becoming a super-family and disrupting the balance among them—something he didn’t want to see.
Tap, tap, tap…
Footsteps approached, and a young man entered Fo Zhu’s office.
“What is it?” Fo Zhu asked, not angry despite the interruption, as this was his most trusted subordinate.
“Boss, we’ve detected a large number of operatives from the U.S. intelligence agency entering Tianhai City,” the young man reported.
“The U.S. intelligence agency?” Fo Zhu’s brows furrowed deeply. He knew his old adversary well and understood their purpose in coming to Tianhai City—likely tied to that cyber incident.
After arriving in Tianhai City, his prolonged investigation had narrowed the suspects to Li Feng and Hu Yuanyuan, though he had ruled out Li Feng. That left only Hu Yuanyuan.
He knew the U.S. agency’s capabilities. If his bureau could pinpoint Li Feng and Hu Yuanyuan, so could they. This meant the U.S. agency also suspected them.
His mission from above was to protect the target at all costs. With Li Feng ruled out, he only needed to protect Hu Yuanyuan. But the U.S. agency might not have ruled out Li Feng, and with their policy of killing a thousand rather than letting one go, they wouldn’t spare him.
Wait…
They wouldn’t spare Li Feng?
Fo Zhu paused, a glint of realization in his eyes. This could be a perfect opportunity to let someone else do the dirty work.
