Chapter 59 Chapter 59: What a Brilliant Move!

Xu Lin waited until their convoy had left, then decisively gave up on checking the home of Wu Chenguang’s mistress. Instead, she chose to follow Zhou Xuemei. Who knew, perhaps all of Wu Chenguang’s family possessions had just been carted away by them.

The group hurried along the road for half an hour, arriving at a residential house on the northern edge of town, near the highway. Zhou Xuemei ordered the big fellow and the others to carry the goods inside while she stayed behind to cover their retreat. She looked around carefully, making sure no one had followed, before finally entering the yard.

Not long after Zhou Xuemei entered, Xu Lin also made her way to the back of the house, slipping easily into the backyard and surveying her surroundings. To her surprise, the yard was very tidy; there was no sign of any secret rooms or hidden spaces. She moved toward the front yard and discovered the treasures brought back by the big fellow and his group were still on the carts, not yet unloaded.

From the east wing of the house, Xu Lin heard the sound of multiple people breathing and guessed there must be people hiding there, so she became even more cautious. The other bedrooms were simply furnished, no different from any ordinary household, and Xu Lin found nothing of value. In the main hall, Zhou Xuemei and her companions sat around an Eight Immortals table, which was laden with good food and wine. Zhou Xuemei, her hands injured and her face swollen and cut, could not drink, so the man beside her fed her porridge.

The others were not surprised by this; they too understood that with wounds on their bodies and faces, they could not eat rich food. Being able to drink thick, warm porridge was already a blessing. Yet none of them realized they were walking into a feast of death.

The big fellow, who was eating and drinking most heartily, was the first to sense something amiss. Suddenly clutching his stomach, he slid to the floor, foaming at the mouth and staring at Zhou Xuemei in terror. “You—you—you poisoned us!” he gasped.

As soon as the word “poison” left his lips, the others beside him also began showing signs of poisoning, collapsing to the ground. They looked at Zhou Xuemei in disbelief—how could the woman, who had been smiling and making promises to them just moments before, now be killing them with poison? Why?

“Why?” the big fellow managed to croak, his eyes widening in horror as he fell to the ground, dying with his eyes open. The others grew even more terrified, begging and pleading for mercy, but Zhou Xuemei responded only with a cold, mocking laugh.

Mercy was out of the question—Zhou Xuemei hated them to the bone.

She had only gone to scout out the new gang, to see what kind of strength they had and how much loot they possessed. If they had been weak, she had planned to rob them herself. Who could have predicted that before she could even size them up, she would fall into a trap herself? Remembering the suffering she had endured, Zhou Xuemei now wished she could skin them alive. Spare them? Impossible.

Hidden in the shadows, Xu Lin watched the scene unfold, gaining a new respect for Zhou Xuemei’s ruthlessness. This woman was not only merciless, but also had a silver tongue—she had talked the big fellow and his men into turning traitor, then killed them all without lifting a finger, earning herself three cartloads of treasure in the process. Most importantly, if Wu Chenguang’s people started investigating, all the clues would point to the big fellow’s group. Investigating a pile of corpses—what could they possibly find? As for getting their loot back, there was no hope at all. Such cunning methods—truly impressive!

Xu Lin glanced at the three carts of treasure. After some thought, she decided not to act yet and continued to eavesdrop.

“Sister Mei, how should we deal with these people?” Liuzi nudged the corpses at his feet and asked calmly.

“Chop them up and feed them to the dogs. And send those three crates of treasure to A-Song,” Zhou Xuemei replied, rising to survey the still-warm bodies with a sneer. “Feeding them to the dogs is letting them off easy.”

“Yes, yes, Sister Mei, you’re right. Letting them off too easy, if you ask me. We should’ve hung them up and tortured them for three days and nights, then sold them off to the mines,” Liuzi chimed in, eager to please, his suggestion as cruel as ever.

Zhou Xuemei snorted. Selling them to the mines would still be too kind. Not one of those who had tormented her would be allowed to live.

“I’m going to rest. You get people to deliver the goods. Seventh Brother will send men to collect them tomorrow. Be careful—don’t let anything go wrong,” she ordered.

“Don’t worry, Sister Mei, I’ll take care of everything,” Liuzi promised, pounding his chest. Instead of getting right to work, he fussed over Zhou Xuemei like a eunuch, waiting on her until she went to bed before summoning the others.

Soon, more than a dozen strong men emerged from the east wing. At Liuzi’s signal, they quietly hauled away the three carts of treasure.

Xu Lin slipped over the wall and silently followed the group.

They walked along the highway for more than ten minutes before turning into a large courtyard by the roadside. The grounds were quiet, giving no hint of activity from the outside. Xu Lin crept to the wall, but instead of climbing over, used her spatial black hole ability to scan the interior.

Her brows shot up at what she saw. The courtyard was huge—at least three or four hundred square meters. It was mostly empty, so the three carts parked inside did not seem crowded at all. Four burly men stood at the corners, each with a clear view of the whole yard. If she tried to climb over, it would be almost impossible to avoid being seen.

Liuzi was speaking with a refined, pale-faced man at the head of the carts. Judging by Liuzi’s attitude, the man clearly held a high rank.

Xu Lin pricked up her ears to listen and heard Liuzi address him repeatedly as “Brother Song.”

“Brother Song, these are the things Sister Mei took from Wu Chenguang’s mistress. She says Wu Chenguang can be gotten rid of now. Also, there’s a lot of treasure buried at Wu Chenguang’s ancestral grave. Sister Mei wants you to send people to dig it up,” Liuzi reported.

“If it’s Sister Mei’s accomplishment, why isn’t your side handling the job?” A-Song replied coolly, his gaze sweeping over Liuzi’s face.

“My men can’t compare to yours, Brother Song. Besides, I have to escort Sister Mei to the commune for supplies tomorrow,” Liuzi answered smoothly, immediately laying out all his plans for A-Song, hiding nothing, and keeping a sycophantic smile plastered on his face throughout.

“Brother Song, I know my place. I would never compete with you. My loyalty belongs to you alone,” Liuzi declared so obsequiously that a smile played at the corners of A-Song’s mouth. He patted Liuzi’s shoulder and said quietly, “Remember what you said today. I’m not a forgiving man—I don’t tolerate betrayal.”

“Rest assured, Brother Song. Once your little brother, always your little brother. I understand that. My life belongs to you—you saved me, and from then on, you can take it any time you wish,” Liuzi said earnestly, his expression utterly sincere. Whether A-Song believed a word of it was another matter.

Their business concluded, A-Song signaled that Liuzi and his men could leave. Only after they were gone did A-Song let out a quiet laugh and shake his head.