Chapter 535 - 550: The Roundabout Way Isn’t For Me

When Mr. Hao learned that Brother Hu had survived falling into the sea, he asked a few more questions about it.

Brother Hu told him everything An Ning had done. Mr. Hao, his leg in a cast, grew thoughtful. ’Could she really have some genuine skills?’

However, Mr. Hao had his own Feng Shui Master, so he wasn’t in a hurry to find An Ning. Still, he had his men keep an eye on the two women.

At the same time, Mr. Hao went to see the Feng Shui Master he was acquainted with.

"Mr. Hao, this way, please. The master is inside."

"Thank you."

The ever-polite Mr. Hao followed a young man in a white training uniform into a room made of bamboo.

"Master, Mr. Hao is here."

"Mm."

The simple grunt was enough to make Mr. Hao bow respectfully. "Mr. Qingzhu, please forgive my sudden visit."

"It is of no concern. Come in."

Mr. Hao pushed the door open and entered. The room was filled with the scent of fresh bamboo. Seated within was an old man with the air of a sagely immortal.

Upon entering, Mr. Hao found his designated seat and sat down properly.

Mr. Qingzhu, sitting opposite him, finally opened his eyes. But a single glance was all it took to startle the usually composed master.

"Mr. Hao, I cannot help you. Please, find someone more capable."

"Huh?"

Mr. Hao, who hadn’t said a single word since entering, stared at Mr. Qingzhu in confusion. ’What does he mean?’

Mr. Qingzhu could no longer be bothered with his sagely immortal image. He scrambled backward several meters in a panic. The Mr. Hao before him was radiating Evil Qi from head to toe—the kind that spells disaster for anyone who comes close.

The crucial point was, this was a type of Evil Qi he could not handle.

"Mr. Hao, to be honest with you, I specialize in the art of Feng Shui. This Evil Qi is beyond my abilities. You had best seek help elsewhere."

Mr. Hao wanted to ask for more details, but Mr. Qingzhu was already pressed flat against the wall. If it were possible to burrow through it, he probably would have disappeared without a trace.

"In that case, I will take my leave."

After leaving Mr. Qingzhu’s place, Mr. Hao specifically sought out a master who specialized in dispelling Evil Qi. But this master was injured by the Evil Qi clinging to Mr. Hao after just a single glance.

Mr. Hao had no choice but to leave again. This time, before he could even reach another master, disaster struck him personally.

Along the way, he was beset by one calamity after another: a burst tire, an object falling from a great height, a fallen tree branch, a car crash, and so on.

Mr. Hao’s suit was torn to ribbons. He was left with only one shoe, which was missing its sole. His hair had been singed off, leaving only curled, blackened roots.

"Where are they?"

"Who?"

"Who the fuck else could it be! The two women! The ones from the nightclub!"

"Oh, oh, oh, right! Over at—they’re right there."

The underling pointed, and Mr. Hao saw An Ning smiling at him.

’It has to be An Ning’s doing,’ Mr. Hao thought. ’Otherwise, why would all this happen to me, while she just sits there completely unscathed?’

Regardless, Mr. Hao forced a smile onto his face and walked toward An Ning and Zhao Pandi, who were in the middle of a meal.

Zhao Pandi very kindly grabbed a stool, set it down, and said to Mr. Hao, "What a coincidence. Please, have a seat."

"Is it really a coincidence?"

Mr. Hao looked at the demure-looking An Ning, who smiled at him in the next second.

"An engineered coincidence is even more terrifying, isn’t it?"

Her words made Mr. Hao force another smile. "It was really you?"

"That’s right."

An Ning admitted it without a hint of hesitation or concealment.

Originally, she had wanted to be an aloof, otherworldly master whom everyone would revere.

But after a night of serious thought, An Ning decided that being the bad guy was actually quite nice.

Earning reverence as a good person took too long, and she was starting to feel homesick.

An Ning’s frank reply left Mr. Hao confused. "Why? Have I offended you? If I have, I offer my sincerest apologies right here and now. Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you."

Mr. Hao was no fool. Regardless of whether she did it on purpose, he knew one thing for sure: her skills in Mysticism were formidable, far beyond what an ordinary person like him could ever hope to counter.

An Ning first ate a crystal shrimp dumpling, the fresh, crisp texture making her shake her head in delight.

"This is the first time we’ve met. You haven’t offended me."

"However... you offended my friend, Jiang Donghua."

As soon as Uncle Jiang’s name was mentioned, Mr. Hao played dumb. "What? You’re a friend of Boss Jiang? This is all a huge misunderstanding—"

SLAP. A folder as thick as a fist was slammed down in front of Mr. Hao.

Zhao Pandi giggled and made an inviting gesture. "Please, take a look."

Mr. Hao opened the folder with a bad feeling. The text inside detailed his background, the process of how he framed Uncle Jiang, and even the subsequent plans for dividing the spoils. Every single person involved in the affair was clearly listed.

"Who... who in the world are you people?"

This was the first time Zhao Pandi had played such a direct, confrontational villain. In her previous undercover work, she always had to be cautious. This experience was incredibly fun. She loved it.

She propped one foot on a stool, her boss-lady aura particularly striking.

"Who we are isn’t important. Right now, you have two paths. First, you can take this file, leave, and call for backup. A battle of wits, a battle of fists—we’ll be right here waiting for you."

"Second, leave this file here, go back to your master, and tell him that the matter with Jiang Donghua ends here. Compensate him for all his losses, and we will leave. As for the future, if anything happens to Jiang Donghua, the consequences will not be something you want to see."

After speaking, Zhao Pandi went back to eating. Beside her, An Ning was eating even more earnestly; she had already ordered two more servings of shrimp dumplings.

Mr. Hao felt the folder in his hands grow heavy. He wanted to leave. They had been planning the Jiang Donghua affair for so long. ’Are we supposed to just give up like this?’

’But even if I know powerful experts in Mysticism, can I really live long enough to find them?’

"Um, if I really do leave, will I make it there alive?"

An Ning finished her last shrimp dumpling and offered a very honest suggestion. "No. But you could pretend to agree with us, then go back and find people to help you. It’s all the same."

"I know you won’t give up. Such a huge fortune is quite tempting, isn’t it?"

Having his thoughts seen through so completely, Mr. Hao really wanted to cry. ’You’ve already planned everything out, so why are you even asking me?’

"I—I don’t."

Mr. Hao stubbornly tried a weak rebuttal. An Ning just gave an innocent smile, looking lovely and kind.

In the end, Mr. Hao didn’t take the file. He walked all the way back to his destination, his feet worn to a bloody pulp.

But compared to staying alive, he found he didn’t seem to care about that so much anymore.

「While Mr. Hao was calling for backup, An Ning was out shopping.」

Zhao Pandi watched the carefree An Ning and asked curiously, "Why did you stop using the indirect approach?"

"I’ve discovered that being indirect goes against my destiny. It’s inauspicious."

Zhao Pandi chuckled, then asked seriously, "Do we need to call for backup?"

"You have people?"

"I do."

"Oh. No need. One person is enough to hold off an entire army."