Chapter 72: Fourth Master Wants to See You

Xiao Jie couldn’t figure it out no matter how hard he thought—how had Jing Xi ended up in the Taihang Mountains?

And after being missing for so many days, she suddenly contacted him, saying she was there.

The most bizarre part was that she just happened to run into the escaped Meng Fanxin.

After hanging up the phone, Xiao Jie, burdened with countless questions, first arranged for someone to pick up Jing Xi.

Once everything was settled, he slumped onto the sofa, glancing at Liang Chen.

“Chen, I really can’t see through this girl, Jing Xi. How did she end up in the Taihang Mountains? What was she doing there? And she stayed away for so long!”

Liang Chen rested his chin on his hand. “She’s definitely not an ordinary person, that’s my gut feeling. Now I’m starting to wonder—maybe she didn’t even know her house was burned down? Maybe she wasn’t even home when it happened!”

Xiao Jie shook his head. “That’s impossible. Did you forget? The Xia siblings said she was inside, sleeping. They even locked the door for her when they left.”

Liang Chen eyed him with curiosity. “But what if she left right after that? This whole thing is strange, really strange. No wonder Fourth Master is so interested in her. He’s got a sharp eye—found himself a remarkable woman at first glance! But let me say this—Meng Fanxin is pretty damn impressive too. He actually managed to hide in the Taihang Mountains.”

Xiao Jie’s expression turned cold. “That guy has definitely trained. My guess is this isn’t his first kill—his methods are too skilled. And you said it yourself, he took down Zhou Shu in just two moves during their fight in the courtyard. That’s not something a regular street thug could do. He’s been hiding his true abilities from the start.”

Liang Chen crossed one leg over the other. “This little town sure has its fair share of ‘talents.’ Being so close to the capital, yet completely different from what we expected.”

Xiao Jie stood up. “Alright, enough talk. Let’s head to the Taihang Mountains and see what’s going on!”

Liang Chen shot him a look. “Just admit you’re curious about Jing Xi! But let me give you some friendly advice—curiosity is fine, but don’t get attached to that girl. I have a feeling Fourth Master has his eye on her. Don’t be the fool who realizes too late.”

Xiao Jie rolled his eyes. “You’re disgusting! Do I look like I’m interested in her?”

“Who knows?”

“…”

Whatever.

---

With the help of some warm-hearted locals in Xiaopo Village, Jing Xi managed to rest temporarily in the village committee’s office.

Since there were always people around in the other rooms, she couldn’t slip into her space, so she made do by lying across two chairs for a quick nap.

She didn’t sleep well, and her shoulders ached.

Her mind had been on high alert, constantly thinking about Meng Fanxin.

It wasn’t until just before dawn that she heard the sound of a car horn.

She quickly got up and stepped into the courtyard, spotting a black sedan pulling in.

The license plate was from Shaanxi Province.

As soon as the car stopped, a well-dressed young man stepped out from the driver’s seat, followed by two strong, intimidating men from the passenger and back seats.

Jing Xi had never seen any of them before.

The young man walked up to her with a polite handshake.

A slender yet striking girl stood at the entrance, her face filled with curiosity.

“Are you Comrade Jing Xi?”

“I am. Did Xiao Jie send you to pick me up?”

“Yes, I’m from the Long family. Let me introduce myself—I’m Ah Jun. These two are also from the Long family. This is Ah Qiang, and this is Ah Xin.”

After shaking hands with each of them, Jing Xi glanced behind them. “The police aren’t here yet?”

Ah Jun patiently explained, “They’re on their way. They should arrive in about half an hour. We set out earlier. Xiao Jie and Liang Chen are also coming—they’ll probably arrive with the police. We’re taking you back first. This place is too dangerous. It’s best if we leave now and don’t interfere with the police investigation. Once they enter the mountains, their search will take some time.”

Jing Xi understood. “Alright. Thank you all for coming to get me. I’ll leave with you.”

Before leaving, she went back inside to thank the villagers who had helped her. After some convincing, she managed to leave them twenty yuan as a token of appreciation before departing.

Once inside the car, one of the strong men thoughtfully handed her a blanket to keep warm.

The three men remained quiet during the drive, allowing Jing Xi to get some rest.

After two or three hours on the road, they stopped at a small town for breakfast.

Ah Jun disappeared for about ten minutes after eating, though she had no idea what he was up to.

When he returned to the car, he turned to look at Jing Xi, who was sitting in the front passenger seat.

“Miss Jing Xi, I just spoke with Fourth Master on the phone. He wants to see you. So, we won’t be taking you back to Fucha Village—we’re heading to Shaanxi Province instead.”

Jing Xi blinked. “Come again?”

Did she hear that right?

Long Yuezhi wanted to see her?

For what?

To offer his condolences?

To ask how she felt about her house burning down?

Would she end up unable to eat and have to spend money on mukbang videos instead?

Or would he just throw a wad of cash in her face, hook a finger under her chin, and say, “I want to keep you as my mistress”?

Of course not!

None of the above!

Ah Jun repeated himself, “Fourth Master said he wants to see you, so we can’t go back to Fucha Village. We’re heading to Shaanxi Province.”

Alright then!

Jing Xi finally heard him clearly this time.

But she still asked, “Why does he want to see me? What does he need from me?”

Ah Jun shook his head. “I don’t know. Fourth Master didn’t say. He just said he wants to meet you.”

Jing Xi frowned. “Can I refuse to go?”

Ah Jun glanced at the two men in the backseat. “Only if you think you can take both of them in a fight.”

Jing Xi: “……”

So she had no choice but to go?

It seemed like these two men weren’t necessarily here to protect her.

More like they were here to keep an eye on her.

When the car doors locked and the vehicle turned in the direction of Shaanxi, Jing Xi knew that whether she wanted to go or not was no longer up to her.

The journey to Shaanxi was nearly a thousand kilometers. Jing Xi massaged her sore lower back—great, just more suffering ahead.

Road conditions in this era weren’t great, and Jing Xi got carsick multiple times, nearly throwing up.

Ah Jun couldn’t bear to watch her suffer anymore, so when they passed through the capital of Shanxi Province, he found a decent hotel for her to rest in for the night.

The three of them continued their journey the next day.

Jing Xi didn’t try to run away.

Although Long Yue Zhi gave her a dangerous feeling, she didn’t find herself strongly opposed to meeting him.

Besides, she was curious—why exactly did Long Yue Zhi want to see her?

She absolutely didn’t believe in those cliché, over-the-top romance dramas where a domineering CEO falls in love with an ordinary girl.

She was sure that there must be something about her that had caught Long Yue Zhi’s attention!

And honestly, she was intrigued.

She wanted to know why Long Yue Zhi was interested in her!

Maybe… there was some big secret about herself that she had yet to discover!

The more Jing Xi thought about it, the more excited she became.

She tossed and turned on the hotel bed, unable to fall asleep.

By the time she finally started to feel drowsy, the bed felt so uncomfortable that she decided to enter her spatial dimension to rest.

But once she was inside, she worried—what if, like last time, her physical location shifted while she was inside?

She hesitated for a while.

In the end, the comfort of her familiar bed won out, and she quickly drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

She woke up naturally the next morning.

As soon as she exited the space, she heard loud banging on the door.

“Miss Jing Xi! Are you in there? If you don’t open the door, I’m going to break it down!”

Ah Jun sounded anxious outside—he was worried she might have snuck off, leaving him unable to report back.

Jing Xi quickly opened the door and yawned. “Sorry, I slept too deeply and didn’t hear you! Are we leaving now?”

Ah Jun finally let out a sigh of relief.

“Wash up first. We’ll grab breakfast before we hit the road.”