Chapter 481: A Favor
Chapter 481: Chapter 481: A Favor
"Okay, don’t worry, Grandpa. I won’t put myself in danger," Su Qing said with a nod.
Su Qing planned to handle the matter with Master Zhang herself. However, when it came to Tian Qiu, she decided to entrust the task to Li Fenghuo and Gu Xinsheng, now that her grandfather and the other two were aware of her abilities.
"What did you say?" Su Qing’s words astonished the three men. "There are Japanese secretly stealing things from our Hua Country, and it’s been going on for several years?"
"Yes. A member of the Qiutian Clan is now using the alias Tian Qiu. He’s currently in Beijing and is after Old Mr. Gong’s medical expertise," Su Qing replied with a nod.
Mr. Li took a deep breath. "Considering the shamelessness of the Japanese, they’re more than capable of something like this."
"How despicable!" Li Fenghuo slammed his hand on the table in anger. "Qingqing, how much do you know about this Tian Qiu?"
Su Qing told the three men everything she knew. Of course, she didn’t mention her ability to control plants for eavesdropping, only saying she had gathered the information by tailing him in secret.
Regarding Tian Qiu’s identity, Su Qing also shared her thoughts. "This Qiutian Sanlang’s alias for coming to Hua Country... logically, he could have picked an unrelated name. But he specifically chose Tian Qiu and was so certain about his fabricated background. I suspect there’s more to it than meets the eye, and it’s very likely someone is secretly helping him."
No matter the era, there are always people who can’t resist temptation. The "sugar-coated bullet" approach, while simple and crude, is often incredibly effective.
"We will investigate this thoroughly," Li Fenghuo said. "If someone really dared to aid those Japanese, they are a traitor to Hua Country!"
Mr. Li also nodded. "That’s right. We must root out these parasites."
"Oh, and there’s also a man named Du Xiangbao," Su Qing added. "You can secretly arrest and interrogate him later. He should know a lot. I suspect he may have been helping Tian Qiu for several years now."
"Who is this Du Xiangbao?" Gu Xinsheng asked. "Do you know his current whereabouts?"
Su Qing nodded and explained how Du Xiangbao was living in Beijing under a false identity. Then she continued, "Speaking of Du Xiangbao, he used to live in Lihua Village. My father knew him. They went hunting in the mountains together back then. My father’s disappearance, his life or death unknown, is likely connected to this man. I suspect he murdered my father. Before, I never understood his motive, but now it seems possible that my father discovered his secret, which is why he killed him."
The Li family, including Gu Xinsheng, all knew about Su Shengjun. They had always believed he died in a hunting accident in the mountains. Now, hearing that he might have been murdered, they were all completely shocked.
"Qingqing, rest assured, we will get to the bottom of this," Li Fenghuo promised Su Qing.
Su Qing nodded. She knew her uncle and Uncle Gu were reliable; there would be no problem entrusting this matter to them.
Gu Xinsheng was silent for a moment before saying to Su Qing, "Qingqing, regarding the possibility that your father was murdered, I will do everything in my power to get him justice. However, I hope you can keep this from your mother."
"Okay." Su Qing nodded.
She completely understood Gu Xinsheng’s request. Li Wan had already been hurt once by Su Shengjun’s death. After so many years, Gu Xinsheng certainly didn’t want her to be hurt again because of him. If Li Wan were to learn that Su Shengjun might have been murdered, it would undoubtedly be another devastating blow to her.
Seeing Su Qing agree, Mr. Li and Li Fenghuo also breathed a sigh of relief. They didn’t want their daughter and sister, respectively, to be struck by this blow either.
Su Qing and the three men talked late into the night in the study, and she didn’t return to her room to rest until nearly midnight. The next morning, Su Qing left the compound and went to Old Mr. Gong’s place.
Now that they knew of Su Qing’s capabilities, Mr. Li and Li Fenghuo were no longer worried about her safety and certainly wouldn’t keep her confined to the compound.
Su Qing went to Old Mr. Gong’s place looking for An Zhihan. Since Master Zhang was from Xiangcheng, and she couldn’t leave Beijing while worrying about the Li family’s safety, asking An Zhihan to find him was the most logical choice.
"Could this person have been hired by the An Family to deal with you?" Both Old Mr. Gong and An Zhihan were startled to learn that a Feng Shui Master was targeting Su Qing. An Zhihan immediately thought of the An Family, suspecting they were the ones who had hired Master Zhang.
"I don’t know," Su Qing said, shaking her head. "This is a portrait of Master Zhang. I’ve never seen him before, and I don’t know him. It’s not convenient for me to leave Beijing right now, so I was hoping you could help me look into his background in Xiangcheng."
An Zhihan took the portrait of Master Zhang and nodded. "Alright, I’ll have my people in Xiangcheng look into his whereabouts."
Meanwhile, An Zhihan’s disgust for the An Family grew. ’The An Family,’ he thought, ’they really won’t even spare the people around me.’
Seeing the anger on An Zhihan’s face, Su Qing said, "Nothing’s confirmed yet. Maybe Master Zhang wasn’t sent by the An Family."
An Zhihan replied, "In Xiangcheng, I can’t think of anyone else besides the An Family who would want to harm you. They must know you’re on good terms with me, and because of what happened with An Zhiwei, they hold a grudge against you."
"The most important thing for you right now is to heal your injuries," Su Qing said. "Everything else can wait. I think your grandmother, after returning to Xiangcheng this time, will more or less rein in your two uncles. They won’t be causing any trouble in the short term, at least. You should focus on recovering and secretly build up your strength. Only after you’ve healed can you properly fight back against them."
"I understand." An Zhihan nodded silently. Speaking of his grandmother, although he already understood her favoritism and stubbornness, he still felt a little hurt. After all, when she had asked Su Qing to have Old Mr. Gong treat his injuries, he had, for a time, felt a renewed sense of affection for her.
Seeing An Zhihan like this, Su Qing didn’t know how to comfort him. She could only ask about the progress of Old Mr. Gong’s medicine preparation. She hadn’t seen Old Mr. Gong when she arrived today, and sure enough, upon asking, she learned that he was still holed up in his room, working intensely to prepare the medicinal powders and pills.
Su Qing didn’t disturb Old Mr. Gong. After settling things with An Zhihan, she left. Meanwhile, Old Mrs. An, who had rushed back to Xiangcheng, didn’t even go back to the old family home. Instead, she went straight to the An Family’s company building without a moment’s rest.
"Mom, what are you doing here?" Seeing Old Mrs. An return with such a stern expression, An Likang and An Lizheng were instantly alarmed.