Imperial Treasure

Elder Tang's spirit, like his expression, carried a faint chill, like steel needles suspended in front of Sui Yi.

"You wouldn't."

"Why not?"

"The person who went to catch Hei Pi last night was sent by you."

The goods were already in hand, Hei Pi was on the police blacklist, and there was no reason for Elder Tang's people to make a move unless it was...

"Are you so sure I sent someone over to save you? I'm not exactly a good person..."

"My intuition is never wrong."

Such confidence, without a shred of hesitation.

Sui Yi's hands were clasped together, her eyes glimmering faintly with depth, as Elder Tang looked down at her slender, flawless fingers—fingers that hadn't touched spring water, and yet these very hands had taken more than two hundred thousand in rewards from him over the years, creating tens of millions in profits for him.

An orphan from birth, self-supporting, and alone, she lacked nothing from childhood to adulthood, in food, drink, or living conditions, she took very good care of herself.

If it weren't for certain concerns, perhaps she'd have fared even better, and maybe wouldn't have needed to walk this path at all.

But in the end, she was dragged into it.

"Indeed, as you said, my original plan was to send Hei Pi to prison. However, the crimes he bears are much heavier than you think. There were no fewer than a dozen of those tomb raiders in his group, and now only he remains, with all the unearthed items in his possession. You've been chased by him before, so you must know what kind of person he is. Black on black, I have no qualms,"

Elder Tang indeed seemed somewhat at ease as he continued, his voice deepening with a snort, "But I didn't expect him to be so bold as to charge at you with a knife... The man's brain isn't quite right; why did he come after you?"

"Is Elder Tang regretting that he didn't come for you instead?"

"Eh, better he goes after you..." Elder Tang gave a resigned laugh, tapping the table, "But who knows, he might indeed come for me soon enough... Such a man, when he needs money, he doesn't care about his life; when he needs to survive, he doesn't care about money. Quite a hassle."

"Huh? He wasn't caught by the police?" Sui Yi was startled, figuring that under last night's circumstances, Hei Pi shouldn't have been able to escape, especially since she sensed that the police were about to search the area. Could it be that he escaped underwater too?

That guy had been shot, even if he fled, he'd be half-dead...

"Yep, he escaped," Elder Tang said gloomily, obviously feeling that it was an unlucky turn of events.

Maybe he should hire a bodyguard? But that's so expensive...

As he raised his head, he saw Sui Yi calmly drinking tea, "I say, aren't you worried at all? Hei Pi has escaped!"

"Worried? He won't come to kill me."

If Hei Pi wasn't stupid, he definitely wouldn't risk attacking her, a minor goon, and would more likely aim to assassinate the instigator.

Sui Yi's tone was so cool and detached that it choked Elder Tang up.

Damn, should I really go into hiding?

Right when one was calmly drinking tea and the other was brooding inside, Zhou Ran suddenly knocked on the door, somewhat flustered, "Shopkeeper, Shopkeeper... the police are here."

The police?

Sui Yi and Elder Tang exchanged a glance simultaneously.

There was an ominous premonition.

--------------------------------

On the living room couch, Lin Quan and Zhang Xiao and the others were startled when they first saw Sui Yi.

"Sui Yi, you're not dead?"

"As Captain Lin can see, I'm not dead," Sui Yi said, holding her tea and sitting on the sofa right next to Elder Tang.

How convenient, two people who should have been mortal enemies, now both aligned silently on the same side.

Zhou Ran felt something was off but quickly served the tea, then repeatedly looked back as he went to mind the counter.

Zhang Xiao and the other police officers scrutinized Sui Yi closely, feeling increasingly uneasy.

This unease stemmed from Sui Yi being unharmed and seemingly having undergone many changes.

This change was inexplicable, yet it gave them an elusive feeling that lingered.

"Since you didn't die, why don't you tell us what happened to you last night…" Lin Quan felt that Sui Yi was crucial, so his tone became heavier.

Elder Tang glanced at him, straightened his posture, and said with a smile, "Before you question me, shouldn't I have the right to ask the purpose of your visit, ... as a law-abiding citizen who pays taxes diligently every month?"

Trouble had arrived, this old man was even more troublesome than Sui Yi.

Zhang Xiao and the others looked gloomy.

Lin Quan, however, remained unmoved, glancing at Sui Yi, "Last night... Hei Pi escaped."

"So, you're here to ask me where he escaped to?" Sui Yi's lips curled coldly, his eyes almost smiling.

Lin Quan felt a sudden tightness in his heart; this guy was indeed as difficult as ever, leaving them with no face.

"We wouldn't need to ask that, because this morning... we found him," Lin Quan stated.

"Ha, then why come to ask? Surely you're not expecting Sui Yi to identify the body!" Elder Tang scoffed coldly, his disdain for the police was quite apparent.

Damn it, I pay taxes every year, and spend money to buy antiques to care for them, that's surely better than having those antiques taken by you guys and not having funds to preserve them, right!

Basically, this is class hatred.

Lin Quan and his team were well aware of this, but Zhang Xiao couldn't restrain himself upon Elder Tang's remarks, and exclaimed, "How did you know Hei Pi is dead!"

What?

Elder Tang was stunned, and Sui Yi, who was pouring tea, paused, looking up at Zhang Xiao and asked faintly, "Dead?"

"Yes… he's dead, shot to death," Lin Quan articulated word by word.

Elder Tang fell silent. Should he laugh, or should he cry?

In the silence, the police officers sneered, and Sui Yi, too, said nothing, as if an invisible pressure was pushing down, waiting for Elder Tang and him to crumble psychologically, and then...

"So, you really want me to go and identify the body?" The words that came slowly from Sui Yi's mouth made the officers feel suffocated.

Lin Quan's face turned dark, and he couldn't help but grip the teacup tightly...

"If you're willing, then you could," Lin Quan replied sarcastically, then said solemnly, "Tell me, what happened after you jumped down from the third floor yesterday?"

"Hei Pi captured me and took me to the riverbank in the woods, forcing me to find him an escape route... I agreed," Sui Yi admitted.

"And then?" Lin Quan's gaze was sharp.

"I resisted... and then he pushed me into the river," Sui Yi said.

"What happened after that?" Zhang Xiao couldn't help but ask.

What happened after that? Sui Yi glanced at him, expressionless, "Naturally, I sank, came back up, and then climbed ashore," he said.

Sank down, came up, climbed ashore...

It sounded strange, yet logically it was correct.

Lin Quan continued with several more questions, focusing on the events at Sui Yi's Family...

Sui Yi told most of the truth, except for the part about the fragments sticking to his palm.

Lin Quan and his team did not look happy because, as always, they got not a shred of useful information from Sui Yi.

With Elder Tang shielding him, Lin Quan couldn't even threaten to take Sui Yi into custody, so he had to leave sullenly.

However, before leaving, Sui Yi spoke to Lin Quan in a low voice unintentionally, "I think that the person who fired the gun... it wouldn't be hard for him to find Hei Pi before the police did."

That statement was still quite unsettling.

Lin Quan suddenly turned around, glaring at Sui Yi, "Have you seen him?"

(PS, brothers and sisters, I need votes, the new book's performance is so low on the charts I can't make the list, sisters and brothers, please help me out with recommendations and bookmarks~~~)