Three Companions

The phone screen lit up, Wang Qin's name jumping on the display.

Jiang Yunlu's fingertips paused.

Actually, Wang Qin rarely called her directly unless it was something urgent.

But it should be almost lunch break right now.

She swiped the screen to answer.

"Hello, Qin, what's wrong?"

Dead silence came from the receiver.

It wasn't the static of a bad signal, but an oppressive silence where not even a breath could be heard.

The silence lasted for over ten seconds before someone suddenly spoke, their tone bizarrely calm.

"Jiang Yunlu, I never thought that liking someone would push me to this point today."

Hearing the voice, Jiang Yunlu felt as if her blood had run cold.

It was Zhou Nianqian.

Her grip on the phone suddenly tightened, but her voice was surprisingly steady: "Zhou Nianqian! Why do you have Wang Qin's phone? Where is she!"

A faint sneer came from the other end, as if mocking her naivety.

"It seems you still haven't figured it out. Your good friend is right beside me now. Oh, right, let me remind you: whatever you do, don't call the police. The moment I hear a single siren, I'll send her on her way. I couldn't care less about my own life anymore anyway."

In Zhou Nianqian's voice, that suppressed madness was finally laid bare.

Jiang Yunlu stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, her gaze sweeping over the busy traffic below as her mind raced.

"What do you want? To leave China? I can arrange a plane for you. If you want money, I can give you a large sum."

"Haha... Hahahaha!"

The laughter was dry and piercing, completely devoid of joy.

"Do you think I lack whatever little you can offer? If I had wanted to leave, I would have disappeared without a trace a week ago."

He paused, his voice suddenly turning uncomfortably sickly sweet.

"But I couldn't bear to part. I want to see you. I want to invite all of you, one by one, to come before me."

"If you want Wang Qin to be safe, come downstairs right now. There's a gray van parked at the entrance. Get in by yourself."

"Remember, come alone. If you want to drag those other two down with you, feel free to call them and see what happens."

Zhou Nianqian's voice switched back to that polite and gentle tone, as if he were thoughtfully considering her needs.

Jiang Yunlu's eyes turned icy. "You've been preparing for this day for a week?"

On the other end of the line, Zhou Nianqian fell silent.

This brief silence was like a tacit admission.

When he spoke again, his voice was laced with a twisted sense of grievance and venom.

"What do you know? Someone like you, born with everything and never having lost it all, what do you know about despair! Wang Qin is innocent, yes, but who told her to be your friend, Jiang Yunlu? You caused all of this!"

The moment he finished speaking, the call was cut off.

Only the busy signal remained in the receiver.

Jiang Yunlu put down the phone. The private room was terrifyingly quiet. She didn't tremble, nor did she panic; she only felt a chill shoot straight from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.

Taking a deep breath, she directly dialed Situ Yunshu's number.

"Mom, something's happened..."

On the other side, Xie Yuling's finger hovered over her phone screen, the chat box showing Ning Qingcheng's profile picture.

After hesitating for two seconds, she turned off the screen.

Thinking that she was at home and her mother would be watching, she decided not to tell Ning Qingcheng.

Instead, she checked the talismans she carried with her. The texture against her fingertips gave her a bit of reassurance.

Hanging up the phone, Jiang Yunlu didn't waste any words. She turned and strode toward the door with large steps.

Just as her hand touched the doorknob, someone firmly grabbed her wrist.

The grip was strong.

"I'll go with you," Xie Yuling stared at her, her tone leaving no room for negotiation.

Jiang Yunlu paused, her brows knitting tightly. "Stop messing around. Zhou Nianqian is coming after me. I've been cultivating recently, so my body is tough. I just need to stall until the people from my family arrive. If you come along, I'll have to distract myself to protect you."

"If I don't go, how will he look at me when this is all over?"

Both of them knew perfectly well who "he" referred to.

Xie Yuling didn't let go; instead, she gripped even tighter. "Besides, what makes you think that I, who started cultivating even earlier than you, would be a burden?"

This left Jiang Yunlu a bit stunned. Just as she was about to pull her hand away, a small, pale hand suddenly thrust into the space between them, raised high in the air.

"And me! I'm going too!"

The two turned their heads and saw Chu Miaomiao with a serious little face.

"No way!"

This time, Xie Yuling and Jiang Yunlu were in perfect sync, speaking in unison.

The two of them felt they had the ability to protect themselves, but what about Chu Miaomiao?

Chu Miaomiao was not pleased. She puffed out her cheeks and put her hands on her hips:

"Who are you looking down on? I have awesome magic too!"

As she spoke, she pulled out that divine pen as if performing a magic trick, spinning it rapidly in her hand.

Jiang Yunlu and Xie Yuling exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness in the other's eyes.

The next second, Jiang Yunlu suddenly made a move.

Without a word, she reached out and snatched the pen from Chu Miaomiao's hand. A martial artist's speed was incredibly fast; in the blink of an eye, the divine pen in Chu Miaomiao's hand was in hers.

As the pen landed in her grip, Jiang Yunlu felt a wave of relief. She was just about to lecture her: "Confiscated. You just stay here and behave..."

Before she could finish her sentence, her palm felt empty.

The sensation disappeared extremely abruptly, as if the object had suddenly turned into quicksand and slipped away.

Jiang Yunlu's pupils shrank slightly, and she snapped her head up.

She saw that the divine pen was once again resting securely in Chu Miaomiao's hand. Miaomiao had her chin raised high, looking down her nose at them. That smug, triumphant look was both punchable and inexplicably comical.

"Blehh, it's bound equipment! Cannot be dropped, cannot be traded, cannot be stolen!" Chu Miaomiao smugly waved the pen in her hand. "Do you believe me now?"

Jiang Yunlu looked at her empty hand with a solemn expression. In that instant just now, there was no fluctuation of power whatsoever. The pen had vanished into thin air and appeared out of nowhere.

It was a bit bizarre.

Xie Yuling accepted it quite quickly. She sighed, "Besides being theft-proof, can this pen be used for self-defense?"

Chu Miaomiao nodded vigorously. "Of course it can."

"Then that's fine."

Xie Yuling stopped dwelling on it and turned to the still-hesitant Jiang Yunlu. "Let's bring her along. Wang Qin is still in Zhou Nianqian's hands. What we need to do is rescue her, and every second counts. With Miaomiao here, our chances might actually be better."

Jiang Yunlu thought about it for a moment, and it indeed made sense.

After all, they each had their own strengths, so there was no harm in trying.

Hearing Xie Yuling say this, Jiang Yunlu didn't insist further. She nodded.

"In that case, we'll make our move as soon as we get downstairs."

The three of them stopped dawdling, pushed the door open, and headed straight downstairs.

The gray van was parked right across from the restaurant's entrance.

The car window rolled down, revealing the silhouettes of two men who looked like people you shouldn't mess with.

Jiang Yunlu walked over and took the initiative to knock on the door.

The car door was yanked open instantly.