Chapter 407: Ran Away Again
Chapter 407: Chapter 407: Ran Away Again
"Tell me more." Hearing Xiang bring up this Master Ning, Su Qing said, "What has he done? Tell me everything you know."
"Yeah, okay." Xiang nodded quickly. He took a sip of water to wet his throat and continued, "When it comes to Master Ning, he doesn’t care about right or wrong. As long as you pay him enough, there’s nothing he can’t do. Over the years, there have been a lot of bizarre murder cases in Xiangcheng where the killer was never found. The officers from the police department worked themselves to the bone on those cases but couldn’t find a single trace of the culprit. Many people say Master Ning was behind them, but while everyone suspects him, there’s just no proof."
"The victims must have had enemies or rivals. Couldn’t they find anyone by following that lead?" Su Qing asked.
"Oh, they could definitely find them," Xiang said with a nod. "The officers naturally found people who held grudges against the victims. They even knew those people had financial dealings with Master Ning. But that couldn’t be used as evidence. The suspects would just claim it was payment for Master Ning’s Feng Shui services and flatly deny anything else. You know how it is with Xiangcheng’s wealthy circles. They can smooth over just about anything with a bit of money, unless they’ve crossed someone they can’t afford to offend. So, just like that, the cases went cold. No matter what, that’s as far as the investigations could go."
Su Qing narrowed her eyes. "So, you’re saying everyone knows deep down that Master Ning is involved, but they can’t do anything to him."
"Yes, that’s exactly it," Xiang said. "After all, Master Ning is a Feng Shui Master. If you get on his bad side, who knows what kind of tricks he’ll pull behind your back. His methods are impossible to guard against. I guess even the officers don’t want to make an enemy of him, so they just turn a blind eye."
"Truly lawless," Su Qing said with a cold snort.
Thinking of the Hetian Association, Xiang shot Su Qing a glance and asked hesitantly, "Ma’am, you’re not planning on going after Master Ning, are you? Let me tell you, you really shouldn’t. You don’t know... not only is that man greedy, but he’s also a huge lecher. With your looks, if he ever lays eyes on you, he’ll definitely come after you. Really, I’m not kidding."
Su Qing glanced at Xiang but said nothing.
Xiang was afraid of Su Qing, but he also secretly admired her for being able to take down the Hetian Association. He genuinely didn’t want anything to happen to her, so he quickly tried to persuade her again. "Oh, ma’am, I’m serious! That Master Ning is a real piece of work. Master Wen is his senior brother, you know? You’d think they’d be close, but they’re completely estranged. I heard Master Wen can’t stand Master Ning’s character and thinks he’s a disgrace to their school."
"Mm, you don’t need to worry about that," Su Qing said. "Tell me, besides these three, are there any other masters in Xiangcheng who use these kinds of Feng Shui methods?"
"Ah, that..." Xiang frowned in thought. "I don’t know about any others. As far as I know, these three are the most powerful Feng Shui Masters in Xiangcheng. I haven’t heard of anyone else."
"Have any of these three masters taken on apprentices?" Su Qing asked again.
"Apprentices? Yeah, they have," Xiang nodded. "But Master Wen’s apprentice isn’t in Xiangcheng right now; I heard he went to A Tai. Master Sun had an apprentice too, but he died three years ago under mysterious circumstances. I heard Master Sun is still looking for the killer but hasn’t found them yet. As for Master Ning, I’ve never heard of him taking any apprentices. However..."
As he spoke, Xiang gave a lewd grin. "He has quite a few ’female confidantes,’ or so I’ve heard."
"Anything else? Tell me everything you know."
"That’s all I know," Xiang said after thinking it over again. "When it comes to the Feng Shui Masters of Xiangcheng, that’s the extent of my knowledge."
"Do you know where these masters live?" Su Qing asked.
Hearing this, Xiang’s eyes went wide. "Ma’am, are you really planning to go find them? I know you’re formidable, but you’re better off not provoking those Feng Shui Masters. Their methods are really subtle. You’re just an ordinary person; no amount of precaution will work. It’s just too easy for them if they really want to go after someone."
"That’s not your concern. Just tell me what you know," Su Qing said, her tone flat.
Seeing that Su Qing was adamant, Xiang sighed. "Alright. I only know a few addresses, but those masters all have several properties. I can’t be sure where they’ll be staying."
"It doesn’t matter. Just tell me."
"Yes, of course." Xiang quickly told Su Qing the addresses he knew for the three Feng Shui Masters. When he finished, he wanted to try persuading her again, but after a look at her expression, he swallowed his words.
Having learned what she wanted to know, Su Qing produced another Big Yellow Fish and placed both of them in front of Xiang. "Your payment."
"Oh! Thank you, ma’am! Thank you, ma’am!" Seeing the two Big Yellow Fish, Xiang’s eyes lit up. The dazzling golden gleam was almost blinding, leaving him mesmerized. By the time he snapped out of it, Su Qing was long gone.
Cradling the two Big Yellow Fish, Xiang blinked and stared at the door for a long while before muttering to himself, ’Maybe I should go into hiding again. Heaven knows what kind of earth-shattering trouble this ma’am is going to stir up this time.’
No sooner said than done.
Xiang immediately packed a few belongings and fled that very night.
Su Qing had no idea she had scared Xiang into running away again. She found a random hotel and checked in. After a simple dinner, she waited until the dead of night, then slipped out of the hotel without anyone noticing and headed for Xiangcheng’s wealthy district.
The people who could attend the Cheng Family’s wedding banquet were all prominent and influential families in Xiangcheng. Naturally, they lived in nice places, mostly concentrated in the wealthy district. As for the girl Su Qing had seen targeting Li Huan with the Fishtail Palm that day, she had already gotten the details from Cheng Beize. Her surname was Fan, and her name was Fan Yuqian.
The Fan Family was considered upper-middle class among Xiangcheng’s elite. They had businesses both in Xiangcheng and abroad, having gotten their start in the textile industry. The "Fan Yi" brand, founded by the Fan Family, was now the largest local clothing brand in Xiangcheng and was highly sought after by its residents.
Males had always far outnumbered females in the Fan Family. Although several girls had been born in the grandchildren’s generation, Fan Yuqian was the only one to survive to adulthood. Naturally, she became the apple of the Fan Family’s eye.