Honest Bean Paste Talisman

Xia Zhi couldn't comprehend how things had spiraled to this point.

Was this considered internal strife?

"Impulsive."

Lin Mo's tone held a hint of amusement. "And what about you? Aren't you the least bit puzzled as to why the three of you are still standing here safe and sound?"

"Huh?" Xia Zhi couldn't quite keep up with his train of thought for a moment.

"A faction capable of slaughtering so many people at the Pengcheng safe house... why would they only take Ning Qingcheng from this place without laying a finger on the three of you? Don't you find that odd?"

"Why didn't they just finish you three off while they were at it? You don't actually believe that bunch suddenly decided to become pacifists, do you?"

These words were like a basin of ice water poured over her, leaving Xia Zhi shivering and her mind a blank slate.

Yes.

Why?

At this moment, Shouzhen, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up. His tone was calm to the point of being eerie.

"Not just kind, but also very polite."

He paced over to the table nearby and pointed at the bare surface.

"They didn't just take Ning Qingcheng; they even cleaned off the dinner table while they were at it."

That's right, they had been eating.

But now the table was empty, without a scrap of food left.

Even the glass shards on the floor had been swept away cleanly.

Seeing this, how could Xia Zhi not understand?

She turned her head to look at Ma Wenlong.

"Old Ma! You..."

She couldn't bring herself to say the rest, feeling only a deep sense of distress.

Ma Wenlong struggled on the ground. "I didn't! I really didn't!"

In reality, eliminating the three people in the rental apartment would have been the optimal approach.

It wouldn't have even been an issue to dispose of the bodies after killing them.

Yet, strangely, the three of them hadn't been attacked at all.

The jades on Shouzhen and Xia Zhi showed no reaction.

Lin Mo only found out something was wrong because of a text message from Shouzhen.

So, the moment he entered, Lin Mo locked onto Ma Wenlong.

This man was suspicious—ten times, no, twelve times over.

Combined with Shouzhen's description, and finally Lin Mo's own spiritual consciousness sweep, the truth was clear.

After Lin Mo made his move, Shouzhen immediately realized what was wrong as well.

"Layman Ma, in order to make us believe you, you allowed yourself to be knocked unconscious as well. We didn't expect such a desperate, remove-the-firewood-from-under-the-cauldron tactic."

The reason Ma Wenlong was so anxious to urge everyone to go to the Yangcheng Branch was actually just to cover all this up.

After all, Ma Wenlong wasn't in direct, straight-line contact with the people who came up.

He had fainted. Although those people wanted to cover their tracks, their work was too sloppy, and he had to find a way to fix it.

But he never expected Lin Mo's appearance to completely disrupt his deployment.

Ma Wenlong was currently filled with regret.

"Are you regretting being in such a hurry to persuade everyone to go to the Yangcheng Branch? You should have at least sent the message out first, right?"

Pinned to the ground, Ma Wenlong didn't speak, though a flicker of stunned realization passed through his eyes.

It was quickly replaced by struggle and denial.

"That's just speculation! I didn't betray everyone. Besides, if I were the mole, I never would have suggested going to the Yangcheng Branch."

But Lin Mo sneered.

"Although I don't know the specifics of Yanhuang Juexing, I imagine there's definitely a contact of yours within the Yangcheng Branch. With his manipulation, you would certainly end up safe, and your part of the mission would be complete."

Lin Mo wasn't exactly peeling back the layers like a detective, but this guess aligned perfectly with what Liu Zheng and the others feared.

Liu Zheng had chosen to have Xia Zhi and the others hide precisely to avoid the possibility of that invisible hand reaching into the Yangcheng Branch as well.

Now, it seemed that was indeed the case.

"Enough! Without access to the Sky Eye system and support from the main force, we have no way to save Ning Qingcheng."

Stubborn to the end. Ma Wenlong felt that as long as he remained tight-lipped, they couldn't do anything to him. At worst, they would just imprison him.

They still had no concrete evidence.

Fortunately, those people had taken everything away; otherwise, the evidence would have nailed him to the spot.

Unfortunately for him, Lin Mo shook his head with a smile.

"We don't need to go through the trouble of finding evidence. We can learn much more directly from your mouth."

As he spoke, Lin Mo pulled out a talisman.

"Here. This one is called the 'Honest Bean Paste Talisman.' Stick it on, and you become honest."

Spiritual power, like invisible shackles, instantly penetrated Ma Wenlong's limbs and bones, clamping precisely onto his spiritual root.

Hum. A muffled sound resonated.

Ma Wenlong's body shuddered. The power surging within him felt like a water bag being punctured; it drained away in an instant, leaving him completely limp.

Then, the talisman was slapped onto Ma Wenlong's body.

Soul Seizing, activate!

There was no such thing as an Honest Bean Paste Talisman; it was merely a sleight of hand.

Ma Wenlong, who had wanted to struggle just a second ago, now had eyes that were completely unfocused. His pupils held no spark of life, resembling a puppet whose soul had been extracted.

Lin Mo's voice was devoid of emotion.

"Who is your handler?"

Ma Wenlong's lips opened and closed mechanically, his enunciation clear but completely flat: "My handler is Director Qian of the Logistics and Equipment Department, Pengcheng Branch."

Lin Mo turned his head and glanced at Shouzhen, who was watching in a daze.

"What are you staring for? Write it down! Tell Liu Zheng and Old Bai to dig up everything on this Director Qian, down to the color of his underwear."

Shouzhen muttered "Oh, oh," and immediately took out his phone. He first sent the message that Lin Mo had controlled the situation, then began typing out the details regarding Director Qian.

"And this Director Qian... whose pocket is he in?"

Lin Mo continued to ask.

Xia Zhi was from the Pengcheng Branch, so she naturally knew who this Director Qian was.

"Director Qian... I have some impression of him. He has a good relationship with the Ning family branch. He's very diplomatic, smooth in his dealings, and popular within the bureau. He gets along with everyone."

Hearing this, Lin Mo knew immediately that this man was an old fox.

Sure enough, Ma Wenlong's hollow voice confirmed his suspicion: "Director Qian works for the Ning Family Main House."

Once these words were spoken, the air grew a few degrees quieter.

The Ning Family Main House.

The weight of these four words was clearly different.

Lin Mo turned his gaze toward Xia Zhi with a look of inquiry. "We've been talking for a while, but what exactly is the background of this Ning family? Give me a quick lesson."

Xia Zhi took a deep breath, seeming to organize her words to sort through the complex information.

"The Ning family is one of the original founders of Yanhuang Juexing."

Lin Mo raised an eyebrow, instantly understanding.

"So they're founding elders. That makes them an Aristocratic Family, doesn't it?"

He clicked his tongue, thinking to himself that for the Main House to strike against their own branch family without hesitation for some objective... they were truly ruthless.

Of course, it was likely that the branch family had been disobedient, prompting the Main House to stir up all this trouble.

With this thought, Lin Mo looked at Ma Wenlong again.

"Keep talking. Why did the Ning family go to such great lengths to capture Ning Qingcheng?"

Lin Mo could tell there was a special power hidden within that little girl, but he really couldn't figure out why a genius who hadn't even grown up yet would cause the Ning family to mobilize such a major operation.

"Ning Qingcheng's potential is rated as extremely high. But as for exactly how high, or why she needs to be captured, I have no idea." Ma Wenlong's voice was completely flat, sounding as though he were reciting a script that had nothing to do with him.

To put it bluntly, Ma Wenlong was just another piece in this game, and he really didn't know much.

He was nothing but a pawn.