Chapter 43: I Come from Mount Qiwus

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At four in the morning, the world was silent.

A villa stood alone on the desolate southern outskirts of Songdu.

Encircled by tall iron railings, surrounded by bodyguards, and with countless cameras hidden in the darkness, the villa was a fortress.

The moonlight was veiled by clouds, casting an unshakable gloom over the house, a pall so oppressive it set the heart trembling with unease.

In the dimly lit basement, a man covered in blood was shackled inside a locked iron-doored room.

Suddenly, a steady, rhythmic footstep approached from outside.

The locked iron door was opened from the other side.

Yet the man, imprisoned, had no strength left even to lift his head to see who had come.

Not until the figure stood before him did a cold, unhurried voice explode in his mind like a bomb: “I hear you claim I stole something from you?”

A trace of chill rested between Gu Ci’s brows. She stood before the man, carelessly setting a wooden box on the table, then crushed a white pill between her fingers. A faint, nearly imperceptible fragrance began to fill the room.

The man jerked his head up, catching sight of the girl in black standing calmly before him.

For a moment, he thought he must be hallucinating.

His hoarse voice trembled with a forced bravado, “Who are you?”

Gu Ci wore a pair of silver-rimmed glasses perched on her nose today. She casually pulled over a chair and sat, crossing her legs. “Don’t recognize me?”

A cold sweat trickled down the man’s back.

He knew her—of course he did!

The day Gu Ci had beaten him, he’d barely glimpsed her face, but her voice was unforgettable.

So when she spoke again, he was certain of her identity.

The girl before him was the one who had subdued him with a single move in that narrow alley.

But why was she here? And how did she know he had tried to pin that matter on her?

Even a man who had shown no fear when brought to this place now felt a sudden, inexplicable terror.

The girl’s voice remained unhurried, “It seems you remember now. So, perhaps you should tell me where the thing I supposedly ‘already’ stole is?”

It was only today, when Gu Ci was leafing through that book, that she recalled having once seen a certain character—it was carved into a box, a box that had fallen from this very man.

Yet Qin Yu and the others had not found the box at the scene that day.

So Gu Ci was certain the box had been taken during the brief time between her subduing the man and the agents arriving.

Since he insisted she had taken it, why not let him believe it?

As Gu Ci mentioned “that thing,” the man suddenly came to his senses, eyeing her warily. “Who are you really? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Gu Ci pushed up her glasses, saying nothing.

Just then, someone patrolling outside shone a harsh flashlight through the corridor.

But the guard seemed oblivious, passing directly by the door.

The man’s eyes widened; he wanted to shout for the guard but suddenly realized he couldn’t make a sound—not a single syllable.

Even after the patrol moved on, he found himself unable to utter a word.

It was as if the guard hadn’t noticed the extra presence in the room at all, continuing on without a second glance.

Only then did the man realize he could speak again.

He knew that if he shouted now, help would arrive instantly—but whether it was the girl’s earlier trick or the calmness in her face, he found he lacked the courage to raise his voice.

Gu Ci folded her hands on her knees, her posture graceful as a cat, her tone languid. “By the way, let me reintroduce myself. I come from Mount Qihu.”

At the mention of Mount Qihu, the man’s pupils contracted. A shiver of fear snaked up his spine, seizing his heart.

Staring at the girl’s still placid face, his voice trembled, “You’re the—on Mount Qihu… no wonder! No wonder…”

Gu Ci smiled faintly, analyzing coolly, “So, the person you tried to kill that day was actually me.”

“Or perhaps you thought I had the item as well, and came to take it?”

The veins on the man’s forehead bulged, betraying him instantly.

Gu Ci tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

It was only when searching his face that she recalled that curious scene from the satellite feed above Mount Qihu.

Rong Ye, who had been attacked, had, strictly speaking, merely suffered from her own unforeseen misfortune.

“Who took the item?”

The man gritted his teeth, growling like a trapped beast, “I really don’t know! After you left, someone else snatched it. I don’t know who they were!”

“Oh?” Gu Ci nudged her glasses, a hint of resignation in her smile. “If you won’t say…”

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The man watched, sneering with contempt, as a silver needle appeared in Gu Ci’s hand.

Moments later, his pupils widened and unfocused in sheer terror…

Dawn broke.

Gu Ci walked out of the villa as though nothing had happened. Thinking over the extra information she had extracted, she let out a slow breath, lost in thought.

Sitting in her car, she reasoned that Principal Ji must be awake by now, so she called him. “Uncle Ji, the person you mentioned last time, who wanted to borrow that book from you—was it Rong Ye?”

Principal Ji’s voice was still tinged with sleep. “Yes, Gu girl, why do you ask? But let me warn you, don’t mess with that boy. If you see him, keep your distance, understand?”

“Mm, I know, Uncle Ji.” With the confirmation, Gu Ci rubbed her temples.

Her head ached.

Suddenly, Principal Ji thought of Gu Ci’s so-called elders and couldn’t help asking, “By the way, Gu girl, what’s going on with your two uncles and your aunt? They…”

Principal Ji wasn’t one to gossip, but when it came to Gu Changfeng and Chu Shixian, it was hard not to feel at a loss for words.

“I understand—they’re not important,” Gu Ci said, eyes on the road ahead, her tone unconcerned.

“Don’t worry, Uncle Ji, I know what I’m doing.”

…

At ten in the morning, a black Cayenne pulled into the villa in the southern suburbs.

Rong Ye arrived, travel-worn, heading straight for the basement, with Rong Shan following close behind.

Just a few days ago, Rong Shan had pulled the man out from the agent bureau, but even after days of interrogation, they had failed to discover his contacts. Now Rong Ye had to come in person.

Entering the room, they found the man still shackled in the center.

“Wait!” Suddenly, Rong Ye halted.

Rong Shan watched as Rong Ye knelt on one knee, brushing his fingers across the floor, pinching a trace of nearly invisible dust between his fingers, his expression darkening.

Three seconds later, a chilling aura descended over him. He looked up, eyes frosty. “Someone’s been here.”