Chapter 110 – The Opportunity to Repay a Favor

In a room of another residential building at the Frontline Camp.

At this moment, Xu Qianqian was listening to a report from her subordinates.

Before the young lady, figures cloaked in hoods knelt on one knee, reporting to Xu Qianqian.

Specifically, she had long ago instructed her subordinates to investigate matters she couldn’t ignore—such as what exactly had happened in the Xu Family, what mishap had befallen her father, and why she couldn’t get in touch with them.

Now, it seemed preliminary intelligence had been gathered.

“You’re saying Father, as a representative of the Base City’s higher-ups, went to Yinze City to discuss matters like reinforcements with the people there, so he’s currently not in Longyao City?”

Xu Qianqian was surprised by this news.

She hadn’t expected her father to have left Longyao City and gone to Yinze City.

The reporting person, however, nodded with absolute certainty.

“This is the latest news from the Xu Family and has been confirmed without error.”

The reporter’s words first made Xu Qianqian sigh in relief, reassured of her father’s safety, before she voiced her confusion.

“So, the reason I couldn’t contact Father isn’t because something happened to him, but because of interference from my uncle’s side?”

Xu Qianqian had realized this.

“Yes,” the reporting person said respectfully. “It seems the people on the Eldest Young Master’s side considered taking action against the Second Young Master while he was away, but the Second Young Master went out as a representative of Longyao City’s higher-ups to discuss important matters with Yinze City’s leadership. This concerns the survival of Longyao City, and acting against the Second Young Master now would undoubtedly be a grave crime—one the Eldest Young Master cannot afford.”

In other words, considering the consequences of moving against Xu Qianqian’s father, her uncle had abandoned the idea of targeting him.

However, not being able to act against the Xu Family’s Second Young Master didn’t mean they couldn’t target Xu Qianqian, the Young Miss.

If they could eliminate Xu Qianqian, it would still be a great boon for her uncle’s faction.

Firstly, the Xu Family’s next generation wouldn’t have to worry about being led by Xu Qianqian, who would overshadow everyone else. Secondly, Xu Qianqian was the only child under her father’s wing; if she perished, the blow to him and his faction would be immense.

If this could make the Family Head refocus his attention on Xu Yanyan, then the position of the next generation’s leader would undoubtedly solidify the standing of Xu Yanyan’s father’s faction within the Xu Family.

For these reasons, Xu Yanyan’s faction had secretly manipulated events to set a trap for Xu Qianqian, with one part of the plan being to completely sever her contact with the outside world, leaving her isolated and unaided.

Thus, Xu Qianqian wasn’t unable to contact her father—all her communications were being intercepted.

Similarly, her father might have tried to contact Xu Qianqian, but those attempts were also intercepted.

For a great Family like the Xu Family, this wasn’t difficult to accomplish.

Even things like mobile signals could be easily blocked if they wished.

Moreover, this world had many Extraordinary Items and alchemical tools; intercepting someone’s signals and cutting off their contact with others was simple, as long as one was willing to invest the resources.Unfortunately, Xu Qianqian’s father had also left Longyao City and traveled far away, causing significant delays in the covert communication methods they had privately arranged between father and daughter, rendering them ineffective immediately.

Thus, Xu Qianqian found herself isolated and without support.

“What about mother? And what does grandfather have to say?”

Xu Qianqian asked about these matters as well.

“Madam is well and currently staying at the Xu Family residence. Even the eldest young master wouldn’t dare to act against his own people within the Xu Family,” the informant promptly replied. “As for the Family Head, he has accepted the transfer order and gone to the frontlines, unable to divert his attention to other matters.”

Xu Qianqian wasn’t surprised by this.

Her grandfather, being one of the highest-starred Hunters in Longyao City, would inevitably be called to the frontlines to participate in combat at this critical juncture.

The other notable high-starred Hunters in the Xu Family must have also been summoned, causing the family’s forces to disperse and creating an opportunity for her uncle’s faction to exploit.

She just didn’t know whether this had been their long-standing plan.

Thinking this, although the situation remained far from optimistic, Xu Qianqian felt somewhat relieved.

At least her father was safe, and that was enough for now.

The next issue was her own predicament.

She was the one facing the greatest danger, and Xu Qianqian hadn’t overlooked this fact.

“What’s the current situation with Xu Yanyan?”

Naturally, Xu Qianqian wouldn’t neglect to investigate her enemy’s intelligence.

The informant straightened up, not daring to show any negligence.

“Young Miss Yanyan hasn’t shown any major abnormalities. Both she and the Xu Family Hunters brought to this defense line adhere to a strict rotation system, continuously fighting on the frontlines. Outside of combat, they spend all their time resting without exception, remaining in their quarters during rest periods without going out.”

Saying this, the informant hesitated for a moment, his tone becoming uncertain.

“As for Mr. Gao, we still haven’t been able to locate his whereabouts.”

There was no helping it.

Gao Xu was both an Upper-Rank Professional and this defense line’s most crucial trump card. If he didn’t want others to know his whereabouts, it would be difficult for anyone to discover him.

Even when attempting to investigate, people didn’t dare to be too reckless, fearing they might accidentally alert Gao Xu and ruin everything.

Therefore, among all their investigations, only the one targeting Gao Xu had made little progress.

“As expected?”

Xu Qianqian murmured to herself.

Gao Xu was no ordinary person, and she had long been mentally prepared for the difficulty of investigating him.

Thanks to this preparation, she didn’t feel disappointed, though her heart grew increasingly heavy.

To be honest, she wasn’t afraid of Xu Yanyan, nor of the Xu Family Hunters Xu Yanyan had brought.

Even though Xu Yanyan was a Three-Star Hunter, currently much stronger than Xu Qianqian who was still studying at the Academy, Xu Qianqian had some methods and trump cards that could allow her to hold her own against her.

Xu Qianqian herself also commanded a private force trained by the family, whose quality and capabilities were quite high, not necessarily inferior to those Xu Family Hunters.

Only Gao Xu was someone against whom Xu Qianqian couldn’t conceive any countermeasures.

Unless she was willing to perish together with him.

But that was her last resort.”You all continue with the investigation.” Xu Qianqian dismissed the crowd and instructed, “Try to clarify Gao Xu’s whereabouts, and don’t forget to keep a close watch on Xu Yanyan.”

“Yes!”

The group accepted the order and withdrew.

At that moment, two figures flashed in.

“Young Miss!”

“Young Miss!”

Like the previous group, the two knelt on one knee before Xu Qianqian.

But upon seeing them, Xu Qianqian furrowed her brows.

“Why have you returned?”

Xu Qianqian questioned sharply.

The arrivals were none other than Yin and Lie, who had come back.

“Didn’t I order you to stay with Su Ming and protect him?”

Xu Qianqian’s voice carried a hint of anger.

This was an extremely rare occurrence in daily life.

Xu Qianqian was accustomed to being aloof and seldom expressed emotions like anger.

But when she did, it proved she was genuinely upset.

“Sorry, Young Miss.”

Yin quickly lowered her head.

“It’s not that we wanted to disobey your orders,” Lie hastily added, “Su Ming himself told us to return.”

With that, Lie relayed Su Ming’s exact words to Xu Qianqian without any embellishment.

Xu Qianqian’s tightly furrowed brows did not relax, but her anger subsided.

“So, what Xu Yanyan said is true?” Xu Qianqian murmured to herself, “She really doesn’t dare to act recklessly against him for some reason?”

Xu Qianqian might doubt Xu Yanyan’s words, but she would not doubt Su Ming’s.

Since Su Ming said so, it was likely true.

But…

“Who is the one backing him?”

Xu Qianqian became concerned about this matter.

However, she didn’t dwell on it too much.

After all, Su Ming had always been mysterious, and it wasn’t the first or second time he had concealed something.

This man was already shrouded in many mysteries; now, there was just one more.

Yin and Lie, watching the pensive Xu Qianqian, exchanged a glance.

“Since Mr. Su doesn’t need our protection, we can focus all our efforts on dealing with Young Miss Yanyan. That’s a good thing, Young Miss.”

Yin spoke up.

“Right, right! If he doesn’t need us, why should we meddle?”

Lie quickly chimed in.

Xu Qianqian glanced at the two.

She knew very well that their primary concern was her safety. Being assigned to Su Ming had displeased them from the start, and the current situation was exactly what they had hoped for.

Xu Qianqian, too, was reluctant to lose these two combatants.

Yin and Lie were the most outstanding in strength and ability within Xu Qianqian’s Private Army, and she trusted their capabilities deeply.

Now that they had returned and Su Ming seemed unlikely to face further trouble, it was undoubtedly a positive development.

“Fine.” Xu Qianqian sighed, “You may rejoin the team.”

“Yes!” Yin and Lie responded happily.

Xu Qianqian withdrew her gaze and unconsciously took out her phone.

She opened Su Ming’s contact, stared at his profile picture for a long time, and fell silent.

After a long while, as if severing her attachment, she put the phone away again.

……At the same time, Su Ming stood before the window in his room, holding his phone. Xu Qianqian’s number was displayed on the screen.

He stared at the screen for a long, long time, ultimately putting away his phone and confirming one thing.

“No contact. This girl really doesn’t intend to ask for my help, does she?”

Su Ming was certain that Xu Qianqian didn’t want to drag him into her affairs, planning to face the threat posed by Gao Xu and Xu Yanyan alone.

From now on, she probably wouldn’t contact Su Ming again.

“So stubborn.”

That was Su Ming’s assessment.

“It seems I have a chance to repay the favor.”

(End of Chapter)