What You're checking even this

The middle-aged man beside her happened to be raising his cup to his lips when her words froze him mid-motion, nearly causing him to choke.

He glanced at Liu Yuan, then at his colleague, before finally staring down at the cup in his hand, his Adam's apple bobbing unconsciously.

The air grew thick with tension.

The previously amicable atmosphere vanished without a trace.

The female mediator's voice remained steady, though a keen ear might detect a faint undercurrent of strain: "What did you put in the water?"

The middle-aged man hastily set his cup down on the coffee table, leaning back slightly to create distance, his gaze sharpening with wariness.

All talk of leisure or compassionate law enforcement took a backseat in the face of potential danger.

Liu Yuan blinked at their sudden shift in demeanor, confused but answering honestly: "Sleep aids for low-tier Cardholders."

While not lethal, the drugs were fast-acting—drowsiness made it hard to concentrate, drastically reducing the effectiveness of card abilities.

Of course, the more likely explanation was that she couldn’t get her hands on actual poison. Otherwise, she might’ve truly followed her brother’s advice and spiked their drinks.

Tilting her head, Liu Yuan added, "My brother taught me that. Said it’s better to be safe than sorry."

"......"

"......"

The two mediators exchanged glances, momentarily at a loss for words.

The woman retrieved a slender, pen-like detector from her waist pouch and cautiously dipped it into her cup.

The tip emitted a faint blue glow before shifting to orange-yellow after a few seconds.

Staring at the reading, then at Liu Yuan’s innocent face, she felt her worldview take a seismic hit.

At least the test confirmed it was just a potent sedative—and a hefty dose at that.

The man peered over, his expression easing slightly, though now tinged with exasperation.

Rubbing his face, he said dryly, "Kid, your... sense of self-preservation might be a tad... overdeveloped?"

"Really?" Liu Yuan blinked. "My brother says you can never be too careful."

The female mediator put away the detector and straightened up.

She attempted a smile but only managed a strained twitch. "Well, your brother’s clearly a cautious man... And you’re very... proactive about safety. That’s... good."

So good she nearly knocked out two mediators in broad daylight.

The man stood abruptly. "Ahem. Well, it’s getting late. We should... probably head out."

Staying longer might’ve given him a heart attack. This assignment had been far too "eventful."

Liu Yuan nodded sweetly. "Okay! Thanks for coming. Take care!"

She escorted them to the door, watching as they hurried away, their retreating figures almost comically hasty.

......

"Hey, run a check on the residents of Apartment 203 in that old back-alley complex—supposedly a pair of siblings?"

"And dig up everything on that Su Qi guy. I’m betting they’re not full siblings. Vet his family tree three generations back. His teachings are downright unhinged."

......

Elsewhere.

Guardian Jiang’s interlaced fingers stiffened noticeably.

His carefully maintained air of authority crumbled like he’d been sucker-punched.

His jaw twitched as he struggled to regain his composure, but Su Qi’s blunt "dipshit" had thoroughly shattered the mood.

"...Cough."

Guardian Jiang cleared his throat, lowered his hand, and spoke with a hint of reproach: "Su Qi, can’t you at least try to match the mood a little?"

"I even prepared lines for you—'The gears of fate have begun to turn,' 'We shall make the gods tremble when they finally realize...'"

Leaning slightly forward from his executive chair, Guardian Jiang pointed at Su Qi, then at himself.

"Does it have to be so blunt?"

He sighed, reclined back, and spread his hands.

"Young people these days—no sense of fun at all."

"Making me look like a complete idiot."

A puzzled expression crossed Su Qi’s face. "Aren’t you?"

Guardian Jiang: ???

In all of Jiangxia, Su Qi was the first person who dared talk to him like that.

"Enough, cut the sarcasm."

"Let’s get down to business."

Guardian Jiang seemed thoroughly exasperated by Su Qi.

He straightened up, his expression turning serious.

"The Descendants’ recent activities... something’s off."

His fingers tapped rhythmically against the desk.

"It’s too quiet."

"Based on past patterns, they should be far more active by now."

"But over the past week, multiple surveillance points report their movements have drastically decreased."

"Some areas have even lost all traces of them."

Su Qi raised an eyebrow.

"Gone?"

"Not quite."

Guardian Jiang shook his head.

"More like... lying low."

"They’ve pulled back their operations, become unusually cautious."

"From intercepted intel, they seem to be undergoing some kind of internal consolidation—or maybe... a selection?"

He sounded uncertain about the word.

"Selection?"

Su Qi repeated, thoughtful.

"Right."

Guardian Jiang nodded.

"Like they’re purging their ranks, or... preparing for an operation that requires absolute unity."

"Plus, they’re avoiding our heavily fortified zones."

"Abandoning resource points they could’ve easily taken."

"That’s not like them—they’re usually greedy, impulsive."

Su Qi fell silent for a moment.

"Could it be a trap?"

"Possibly."

Guardian Jiang’s expression darkened.

"That’s our biggest concern."

"The calm before the storm often signals a greater crisis."

This kind of abnormal dormancy—it unsettles me.

“Feels like they’re gathering strength, waiting for a fatal opportunity.”

Su Qi walked over to the opposite side of the desk, pulled out a chair, and sat down. "Any concrete leads? Don’t tell me you suspect the Martial Exam?"

Guardian Jiang sighed.

"That’s the worst part."

"The clues are too obvious—everything falls into our hands without effort. How can I trust that?"

"I’m afraid they’re playing mind games, anticipating that I’d anticipate their moves."

"Leaving us even more clueless."

"A fifty percent chance... that’s high."

"But as the Guardian of Jiangxia, can I really gamble on those odds...?"

He looked at Su Qi.

"Remember the Origin Realm you visited before?"

Su Qi nodded. "Li Hu and I even captured a Descendant there."

Guardian Jiang slid his phone across the desk toward Su Qi.

"Save the act for others—don’t fool yourself. We both know Li Hu’s capabilities."

“Even if he went supernova, he couldn’t win that fight—let alone blow a kidney.”

"Take a look at the pictures yourself."

Su Qi picked up his phone, the screen displaying a post he had made in the Yuanjing forum.

[Seeking advice from the experts—what should I do if I suddenly discover my online girlfriend is actually my stepsister with no blood relation?]

"What's the big deal? Why dig into this? It's not like I messed with your sister..."

But Su Qi's words trailed off abruptly there.

Both of them were sharp-minded; some things didn’t need to be spelled out.

Clearly, Su Qi had also realized something was off.