Chapter 46: The Chart to the Heavens

In the blink of an eye, night fell.

Around Qin Feng, more than a dozen martial arts experts had already gathered, all dispatched by Qingluan. This was partly due to Xu Banxia’s presence, as he wanted to avoid creating too much of a commotion that would be difficult to explain.

"Qin Feng, who are these people?"

Xu Banxia asked, her face full of astonishment.

She had not expected Qin Feng to be able to summon so many people.

"I hired them with my own money. Once we rescue Gu Qingyun, he'll have to reimburse me," Qin Feng explained.

"I see..." Xu Banxia nodded, not pressing the matter further.

"Are you certain that those thugs will make a move tonight, just as you said earlier?"

"Of course."

Just as Qin Feng spoke with absolute certainty...

...

In a motel a few hundred meters away from Gu Qingyun’s residence, four men dressed in black sat cross-legged on the floor. The leader, a man wearing glasses, silently chanted a string of incantations and formed hand seals with both hands: "In my name, capture their souls and minds! By the aid of the eight directional deities, descend with utmost speed!"

A wisp of black Qi suddenly emerged from the bespectacled man’s fingers, darting out of the motel and vanishing into the night.

"The deed is done. Now we just wait for the fish to take the bait."

The bespectacled man sneered.

"With the boss making a move, success is guaranteed. It seems the northern district of Yunhai City is already within our grasp."

"Once we take the northern district and acquire that precious treasure, our status within the clan will rise significantly," the other three said excitedly.

Given their status, holing up in a dingy little motel was naturally done to seize Gu Qingyun as quickly as possible.

The last time they cast a spell on him, it had somehow been accidentally broken by someone. They had no idea who possessed such capability, which only wasted their time and forced them to do it all over again.

"We must not be careless," the bespectacled man warned. "Are the contract and the official seal ready?"

"Don't worry, Boss, everything is ready."

"As soon as Gu Qingyun stamps the seal, it will be too late for him to regret it, even if he wants to."

"Hahaha!"

The other three laughed heartily. This method had never failed them; clearly, this was not their first time doing such a thing.

Meanwhile, at Gu Qingyun's residence:

Gu Qingyun, who had been lying in bed, suddenly began to twitch. He abruptly opened his eyes, put on his coat, and walked out straight as a puppet.

Seeing this while tidying up the living room, Li Hui asked with a puzzled frown, "Where are you going so late, Qingyun? You have to go to work tomorrow!"

Gu Qingyun ignored her. Annoyed, Li Hui muttered, "Are you mute? I asked you a question, didn't you hear me?"

With that, Li Hui reached out to tap Gu Qingyun on the shoulder.

However, Gu Qingyun executed a shoulder throw, slamming Li Hui directly onto the floor and causing her to gasp sharply in pain.

Hearing the commotion, Gu Chuoran ran out of her bedroom. Taking in the scene, she cried out in shock, "Mom, what happened to you?"

"Quick, stop your father!" Li Hui endured the pain and shouted.

Gu Chuoran looked up, but Gu Qingyun was already nowhere to be seen.

Fortunately, Qin Feng had noticed Gu Qingyun walking out of the residential compound. Gu Qingyun boarded a delivery truck that had been waiting there for a long time, and headed straight south.

"Follow them."

At Qin Feng’s command, everyone started their cars and quietly tailed the vehicle.

Throughout the entire process, Xu Banxia watched with her mouth slightly agape, inwardly stunned.

This guy... how on earth did he guess it?

Gu Qingyun had actually come out. Moreover, he looked like a walking corpse, completely devoid of a soul.

Shortly after, the group followed Gu Qingyun and parked near a remote motel.

"What is Gu Qingyun doing here?"

"Could it be..."

An absurd thought flashed through Xu Banxia's mind, and she gasped in shock, "A secret rendezvous with a lover?"

"..." Qin Feng was left speechless. "My dear Director Xu, stop letting your imagination run wild and just watch quietly."

"Oh."

Realizing she was being looked down upon by Qin Feng, Xu Banxia hummed in displeasure and decided to say no more.

"Tell everyone to surround the motel and not let a single person escape," Qin Feng instructed the operatives sent by Qingluan.

"Understood!"

The men responded in unison, their voices ringing with resolve.

"Director Xu, care to join me and check it out?"

"Ah?"

Looking at the somewhat gloomy and eerie motel, Xu Banxia hesitated.

"If you're scared, forget it."

Seeing Qin Feng push open the door and step out of the car, Xu Banxia gritted her teeth. "Who's scared? Let's go, I have nothing to be afraid of."

At that moment, inside a room in the motel, Gu Qingyun had been brought there by the delivery truck driver. His eyes remained hollow and devoid of consciousness.

"Well done. Here is your bonus."

The bespectacled man tossed a stack of one hundred thousand in cash to the driver.

The driver expressed his gratitude excitedly, "Thank you, Boss! Thank you, Boss!"

"Get lost, and as for what happened here—"

"I guarantee I won't say a single word."

Pocketing the money, the driver hurried downstairs.

"Who would have thought that the mayor of Yunhai City would be so dull-witted? We managed to pull it off with almost no effort."

"Boss, hurry up and have him sign the contract. We can't wait anymore."

Seeing the eager looks of his subordinates, the bespectacled man pointed at Gu Qingyun and commanded, "You, sign the contract."

Gu Qingyun obediently followed his orders, signing all the pages of the contract and stamping his official seal upon it.

"It's done!"

The other members of the Miao minority laughed heartily. "Boss, where should we go to celebrate later?"

"Shouldn't we find a few women and cut loose for a while?"

Just as the words fell, the tightly closed door suddenly burst open.

"Bang!"

The delivery truck driver flew backward into the room, coughing up several mouthfuls of fresh blood mid-air.

"This..."

The Miao tribesmen turned pale with shock.

"I think you guys should celebrate in the netherworld instead!"

Qin Feng and Xu Banxia walked in one after the other.

"Who are you?"

Unlike his panicked subordinates, the bespectacled man remained calm. He stared fixedly at Qin Feng. "I've seen you before."

A few hours ago, at Gu Qingyun's home, he had caught a glimpse of this person. At the time, he had felt an inexplicable aura coming from him, but he never expected this man to track them all the way here, clearly having uncovered their entire plot.

"Controlling the mayor of Yunhai City—that crime alone is enough to keep you rotting in a maximum-security prison until you die. Are you going to surrender quietly, or do I need to help you?" Qin Feng said indifferently.

"Kid, just you?"

One of the Miao men sneered in disdain.

Qin Feng casually flicked his wrist, unleashing an invisible surge of true Qi that struck the Miao man squarely, sending him crashing into the wall. The man spat a mouthful of blood, suffering severe internal injuries.

The remaining men were instantly struck with terror.

"I'm a man who dislikes beating around the bush. To be direct, what is your purpose in going to such great lengths to acquire that plot of land in the northern district of Yunhai City?" Qin Feng asked, satisfying his inner curiosity.

"You don't know?"

Though shocked by Qin Feng's formidable strength, the bespectacled man maintained his composure and said, "Since Your Excellency is unaware, why not let us off the hook? We can offer you millions in wealth; we only ask that you show mercy and let this matter rest."

"Millions in wealth? That sounds quite tempting."

Seeing that Qin Feng seemed moved, Xu Banxia said anxiously, "Qin Feng, don't forget what you promised me."

The bespectacled man pressed on, "Your Excellency, we can actually cooperate quite pleasantly. As long as you drop this matter, I will transfer the money immediately."

"Alright then. Go ahead and transfer the money to my account."

Qin Feng immediately rattled off a string of bank card numbers.

Though it pained the bespectacled man—that sum represented half a lifetime of hard-earned money for them—he gritted his teeth and transferred ten million to Qin Feng's account.

"Can Your Excellency let us leave now?"

Witnessing this, Xu Banxia grew extremely indignant, feeling utterly disappointed in Qin Feng.

The next moment, Qin Feng chuckled. "You gentlemen certainly are generous. Let me ask just out of idle curiosity—that northern district is remote and mostly inhabited by impoverished commoners. What sort of treasure could possibly be worth such a heavy investment from you worthy brothers?"

"Rest assured, even if there were gold buried there, I wouldn't fight you for it. I still have my professional ethics, you know."

The bespectacled man and the others exchanged glances before taking a deep breath. "Since Your Excellency asks with such sincerity, we dare not conceal it any longer."

"Rumor has it that an eighth of the Heavenly Map lies hidden in the northern district."