Under the night sky,
the lights were just coming on.
The moat that spanned the entire city, with a width of 150 meters and a perimeter of 5,840 meters, cut across the two banks facing each other from afar.
On the river were five or six luxury cruise ships, with upper class socialites in gorgeous dresses holding champagne glasses, starting their nightlife on deck, arousing much envy from the people watching by the shore.
By the riverside was also docked a blue and white cruise ship.
Compared to the other cruise ships, this one, which had not yet begun operating, was deathly silent. Occasionally one could see staff members dressed in black suits walking around on it.
The lighting was also not as bright and colorful as on the other boats, but it was the largest of all the cruise ships, with a full five levels, completely overshadowing the others in size and appearance.
Even just sitting there motionless, it was still extremely eye-catching.
People continuously boarded the cruise ship, walking steadily and dressed low-key. They were all men, giving the impression that they were staff on the cruise ship. In any case, they did not look like tourists.
Around 10 o’clock,
the cruise ship moved,
slowly heading towards the center of the river.
The music hall was playing soothing pure music. Cautious Wei Qingyuan did not even hire a band or piano player. Besides the shadows on the ship, the only ones left were his own people.
However, Teng Yan was still uneasy.
On the fourth level,
in the luxury suite,
Wei Qingyuan sat facing two others.
Teng Yan picked up a bottle of red wine, opened it, and poured for the three.
“Father, you two talk slowly. I’ll go outside and take a look.”
Putting down the wine, Teng Yan left the suite and shut the door.
Then he started inspecting layer by layer: “All of you be vigilant and keep your eyes peeled, don’t miss any unusual signs.”
“Yes.”
The well-trained bodyguards were stationed layer by layer, patrolling around.
No one noticed that there was an additional person on the cruise ship.
No one knew when that delicate figure boarded. Right under their noses, she passed through every corner of the ship as if no one was there,
randomly walking past them without a hint of sound.
Qiao Ying looked as if she was just strolling through a backyard. In her hands she carried a backpack, which after one round on the ship, was emptied.
Casually throwing away the now empty backpack into a corner, Qiao Ying dusted off her hands. Stuffing both hands into her pant pockets, her steps became even more leisurely.
“You guys, go down to the third floor to entertain guests. I’ll come over after I finish patrolling up here.” Teng Yan waved his hand to have the few people on the top deck go down.
Then he continued his inspection.
The corridor up ahead was a bit dark, one section blanketed in shadows. A petite figure with a high ponytail stood by the railing, appreciating the scenery while drinking, utterly carefreely.
Teng Yan was shocked. His footsteps cautiously approached.
“Miss Qiao?”
The weather had started cooling down after National Day. On the moat at night, the wind was strong, blowing at the clothes on one’s body noisily.
Qiao Ying turned her head to look. Half her face was obscured in the shadows, a faint smile on her face. “Mr. Teng.”
She thought: “I’ve been waiting a long time for you.”
The stray hairs on her head were slightly messy as they were blown around.
“Miss Qiao, what are you doing here?”
Teng Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone gentle but dangerous.
He walked towards Qiao Ying, one slow step at a time, his hand behind his back secretly clenched into a fist.
Qiao Ying: “I got lost.”
Teng Yan: “Lost? Has Miss Qiao been up here for a long time?”
Qiao Ying: “Quite some time.”
Teng Yan: “How did Miss Qiao get on board?”
Qiao Ying: “Same as yesterday, I walked on.”
She had already wandered around yesterday night.
Teng Yan’s eyes flashed sharply. His hand behind his back took out a dagger tucked into his waistband while his mouth said: “It’s easy for a girl to get drunk drinking such strong spirits.”
Qiao Ying glanced at the wine in her hand and cocked her head slightly. Her tone was innocent but her eyes were full of mischief as she said: “But I’ve poisoned all the other alcohol, this is the only bottle I can drink.”
Teng Yan was greatly shocked. Forgetting about the uninvited guest in front of him, he turned to go down to the lower levels.
Qiao Ying dashed forward in a flash.
Teng Yan heard the sound and was turning to check while sensing that fierce momentum. He shifted his body, wanting to dodge.
Teng Yan knew his own skills were decent. He was far from those assassins that came and left like ghosts in the dark world, but his abilities were still at the mercenary level.
He could not believe that his skills were no match for this girl who looked so delicate and gentle, not lasting more than three moves against her.
Qiao Ying opened up a storage room behind her. From the boxes inside she pulled out a nylon rope, unhurriedly tying up the unconscious Teng Yan.
Then she patted Teng Yan’s face. “Be more careful in your next life.”
Stepping out of the storage room and pulling the door shut behind her, she headed down from the fourth level.
On the fourth level,
inside the suite,
Wei Qingyuan personally poured wine for the other two sitting with him.
The two were frightened and declined: “We can do it ourselves, for you to serve us like this is truly flattering. We cannot accept.”
Wei Qingyan smiled. “It’s no big deal. I already have one foot out of the shadows. You don’t need to treat me like this. Not to mention, I have always seen you as my own children. What’s wrong with a father pouring some wine for his kids?”
Mu Ying lowered his head slightly. “No matter if you have left the shadows or what position you hold, you will always be our teacher.”
Fei Ying echoed his agreement.
Wei Qingyuan: “With you saying this, I can rest easy in my old age. So what are your thoughts on what I said earlier?”
The two looked at each other, remaining silent without responding.
Wei Qingyuan: “Mu Ying, Fei Ying, among you ten with ‘shadow’ in your names, the two strongest were Blood Shadow and Feng Ying, who both died while on missions. As your teacher, I really do not want to stand by helplessly and watch you follow in their footsteps.”
Neither spoke.
Wei Qingyuan continued. “I have devoted over half my lifetime to the shadows. Yet in the end, JOKER treats me like a thief, not allowing me to leave the shadows but also not giving me any real power. If, after ten or twenty more years, you can still keep your lives and make it to my position, your outcome will be the same as me—ending up as puppets.”
Wei Qingyuan: “The Qin Family in the Capital City is already under my control. It will soon change ownership to take my surname of Wei.”
Upon hearing this, both revealed looks of astonishment towards Wei Qingyuan.
Wei Qingyuan smiled. “As long as you are willing, the Qin Family will belong not just to your teacher, but also to you.”
“I only want you to serve me. I am not asking you to betray the shadows. Young men, have foresight. With your capabilities, you should not limit yourselves to just the shadows. I can provide you with a much wider world elsewhere.”
Wei Qingyuan: “What do you think?”
Just as the two did not know how to respond, the cabin door was pulled open from the outside with a loud bang that startled them.
Wei Qingyuan frowned, giving an admonishing look over, but the person who entered was not his adoptive son Teng Yan. Instead, it was someone Wei Qingyuan could never have imagined.
“I didn’t expect Teacher Wei to be so well-versed in brainwashing when doing charity work. Even multi-level marketing would be sad to lose you.” Qiao Ying placed the bucket of gasoline she carried in her hand brazenly down on the floor. Pulling the door shut behind her, she looked towards Wei Qingyuan. “It’s truly a pity you didn’t go into multi-level marketing.”
“You?” Wei Qingyuan looked at the newcomer in shock, his gaze sweeping over the bucket of gasoline she had brought in.
Qiao Ying glanced at the three people sitting at the table ahead. She smiled.
They were all old friends.
The Capital City branch of the shadows was actually managed by Mu Ying and Fei Ying. The branch with the strongest power was hiding two assassins from the numbered “Shadows”.
With Qiao Ying’s smile, Mu Ying inexplicably felt a sense of familiarity. He could not help but ask Wei Qingyuan, “She is...?”
Wei Qingyuan did not answer him, his gaze fixed intensely on Qiao Ying.
“How did Miss Qiao get here? Could it be that Mr. Qin...”
Qiao Ying: “Why bring up some Mr. Qin? Is Teacher Wei so wary of him? Didn’t you say that the Qins were already under your control?”
When Qiao Ying’s words came out, the three exchanged a look, their auras instantly shifting.
Unbeknownst to them, there was someone eavesdropping outside the door.
Qiao Ying: “Don’t be nervous. I merely came to catch up with my old friends.”
Wei Qingyuan’s eyes were ice cold. “Old friends? Why did Miss Qiao come looking for friends and end up here? Could Miss Qiao’s friends be here?”
