Qu Xiujie remained seated on the bed. A desolate expression flashed past his face as he looked at the couple before him. His voice was a little hoarse as he said, “Young Master Ji, I have some things to speak to you about. Please have your guards leave.”
Ji Ziming’s gaze shifted from Pei Ge’s face to the one on the sick bed. Seeing that the middle-aged man’s gaze was sincere, he ordered his people to leave, then asked, “What do you have to say to me?”
“Madam, don’t you feel my accident and yours are similar?”
Qu Xiujie had a solemn expression. Even his usual flamboyance could not be seen at the moment.
Upon his reminder, Pei Ge recalled that the car accident this time was truly similar to the many car accidents she had had before.
“Mr. Qu, what do you mean?”
Forced calmness flashed briefly in her eyes, but it did not escape her man’s gaze.
“You should know without me saying it. Since that is the case, let’s talk about what happens next and how we should deal with Old Lady Qu.”
He subtly deflected her question. What he was most concerned about now was if the old lady had succeeded in poaching all his spies. He was even worried about his father’s safety in the family villa.
Just as the three of them were discussing how to deal with Old Lady Qu, a person suddenly barged into Sire Nine’s house.
Sire Nine was reclining in his lounge chair, peacefully enjoying his tea, when a man dressed in leather stopped before him. The old man remained calm and had an apathetic expression.
“Since you’re only coming to find me now, it looks like something happened.”
His lips had a smile, yet it was clear that he was unhappy. Instead, there was a threat in it.
“Did you know I was coming to look for you?”
The aide revealed a look of disdain. From his years of expression, he was clear that Sire Nine was not as innocent as he revealed to the outside world.
How could someone who was able to withstand Ji Ziming’s power and have his company remain untouched after meeting that man be someone without a power backing him up?
“Of course, I know your reason for seeking me out. I also know that it’s because of Ji Miao that you’re here. I even know who you are and who your present master is.”
Sire Nine suddenly opened his eyes to look at the man ranked first among the Envoys of Darkness that he had built. What abilities did this man have to rise up the ranks from rock bottom in five years’ time and command tens of millions of remunerations?
“You…”
Although the aide suspected something, he did not reveal the fear he felt through his eyes.
He looked at the elderly man. He could feel the old man’s thirst for blood. It was even more violent and bloodthirsty than his.
“Your name is Xu Yansong, currently the highest paid Envoy of Darkness in the Empire. You’re contracted by Old Lady Qu for three years more than a year ago. Other than helping her with assassinations, you bought an odorless and tasteless aphrodisiac water on the black market and gave it to Qu Jingwan. By accident, Pei Ge benefited from it, so your mistress’s plan failed. You even bought the most vicious abortion medicine on the black market under your name. The medicine was so deadly that it could torture the pregnant woman to her death. Alas, again by accident, this medicine had no effect on the woman for she’s not pregnant. As a result, Pei Ge did not die from it as Old Lady Qu wished.
Sire Nine listed off Xu Yansong’s deeds against Pei Ge, when Qu Jingwan was still living in the Ji family, together with Yang Hua.
“Who are you?!”
He looked at Sire Nine cautiously. Alarm bells rang in his heart. His intuition told him that Sire Nine was no average person and was certainly not the normal businessman he appeared on the surface.
“Who am I? Those who know my real identity are most likely dead, but I want you to be the exception today. I will spare your life because Old Lady Qu has truly spent quite a large sum on you.”
Sire Nine revealed a threatening smile, looking at Xu Yansong as though he had seen through him.
“Who are you exactly?”
The latter’s eyes were dyed with fury. If the old man were to speak nonsense with him again, he would not hesitate to make a move against him.
“You know about the Empire of Darkness, right? Have you ever met the famous boss of it?”
Sire Nine’s lips curled into a smile—a sign of his satisfaction at the surprise which had fleeted across the man’s eyes.
Xu Yansong had indeed never met his boss. All Envoys of Darkness had to listen to the directions of a man called Brother Long. It was indeed queer because everyone listened to him. If someone defied him, that person would soon disappear from the Empire.
No matter how strong that person was, or who the person’s ex-master was, as long as they defied Brother Long, they would not survive for much longer.
That was because Brother Long had once said: ‘You can only do one thing after entering the Empire of Darkness—that’s to obey. I don’t want or need a disobedient person, unless they are dead or trash, and you guys are no trash! It is up to you if you want to die, though.”
“You…”
Xu Yansong hurriedly knelt. The sound of his knees thumping against the floor resounded. The sharp pain from his knees made cold sweat drip down his forehead.
“Why? Do you know who I am now?”
Sire Nine’s smile deepened as he looked at the man kneeling before him as he lay in his lounge chair. A look of disdain flashed across his eyes. “Looks like you’re not enjoying the work you’re doing for Old Lady Qu. Should I terminate your contract with her in advance?”
The bloodthirsty aura that the old man was exuding forced Xu Yansong to give in.
When he heard the words ‘terminate your contract,’ he did not even dare to straighten his back as he knelt—because any Envoy of Darkness whose contract had been terminated would become trash.
“Why? Are you afraid now? Then, why are you here to find me? My little Yansong?”
Sire Nine had a unique quirk, and that was: Any Envoy of Darkness deemed as trash had to be sent to another Empire of his to accept their reformation. Only those who had entered there would know whether that place was hell or abyss.
“Boss, I know my mistake now. I will properly complete my tasks.”
