Chapter 36

Chapter 36

The average altitude of Dachaidan is over 3,400 meters, still considered a highland region.

When Qu Yixian leads a tour, she usually only stays in Dachaidan the night before the Gansu Dunhuang leg. It’s rare to stay three nights in a row like this trip.

One reason is that Dachaidan is just a small town with no tourist resources and very few supply options. Combined with the climate and local routines, after dark the streets are nearly deserted.

It’s like a transfer station on the Northwest loop, just a place to rest and catch a breath.

The second reason is that the altitude is so high that even though guests have adapted to the plateau for two days, discomfort and danger are still likely.

So at this moment, Fu Xun couldn’t think of any open-air food stalls nearby.

——

They arranged to meet at the hotel’s back entrance, which connects to the parking lot.

Qu Yixian arrived early. Used to waiting, she quickly found something to occupy her time.

The back door of the parking lot was simply decorated, with only a fish tank, haphazardly housing various ornamental fish.

She circled the fish tank a few times, picked up a small net resting on top, and bent down to scoop some fish.

At first, she wasn’t very skilled. Every time she dipped the net, it came up empty. Not a single fish, not even brushing past one. Gradually, she figured out some techniques.

Once the net is in the water, you can’t rush to scoop the fish. You have to swipe gently in the opposite direction of their swimming, whether from bottom to top or left to right. You just can’t reveal your purpose immediately.

After a while, Qu Yixian lost interest.

She placed the net back on the fish tank, turned around, and saw Fu Xun standing in the shadow of the corner. She had no idea how long he had been there, silently watching.

She put her hands in her pockets, raised her chin slightly, displeased: “You come and don’t make a sound—what’s wrong with you?”

Fu Xun wasn’t affected by her displeasure at all. He said, “Wait until you notice me yourself.”

Qu Yixian’s eyes narrowed slightly, a faint displeasure flickering.

This guy is addicted to teasing, isn’t he? Thinking she’ll fall for it? Dream on!

She concealed her thoughts, took two steps, and asked, “Where are we talking? At this hour, Dachaidan probably has no night stalls left. If you don’t mind, I’ll go next door to buy two buckets of instant noodles, throw in some marinated eggs and chicken feet to make do.”

Her concept of talking business was to find a proper small restaurant, order some dishes, have everyone sit down, and chat slowly. Even if the topic strays, it’s fine—smoke a cigarette, drink a little, and eventually things get resolved.

If none of that is available, at least have a cigarette to exchange; the effect is the same.

If even that isn’t available, then fine—everyone goes their own way, and what’s the point of talking?

Fu Xun furrowed his brow almost imperceptibly, gathered his coat around him, and said, “Follow me.”

He skillfully led Qu Yixian through the passage, then through the hotel back door and parking lot, to the security booth at the gate.

The security booth was a small one-story building built in the last two years, not very big, divided into two rooms.

The front room was for work—receiving packages, guarding the parking lot entrance, overseeing vehicles. The back room was for living, furnished with only a bed and a few pieces of furniture.

The booth was well-heated. The only lit window had condensation from the temperature difference. Rising steam filled the small room with warmth against Dachaidan’s biting cold.

Qu Yixian looked puzzled as Fu Xun stepped forward and lightly knocked on the iron door.

Soon, someone opened it.

The parking lot attendant poked his head out, saw Fu Xun, and greeted him with a big smile, letting him in.

Qu Yixian, still confused, watched Fu Xun enter before lifting the thick curtain and stepping inside.

Upon entering, the smell of grilled meat and cumin hit her.

Following the aroma, she saw a grill set on top of a heated stove, roasting lamb skewers. Space was limited—only four or five skewers could fit at a time, and they had to be watched carefully.

After Fu Xun entered, the attendant immediately set up a small folding table and pulled over two stools for Fu Xun and Qu Yixian to sit.

The room was warm. Qu Yixian took off her coat and hung it on the rack, scanning the security booth again: “How did you find this place?”

“You left for the hospital with Jiang Yun this morning. I came to the parking lot right after, saw him tidying up utensils, and just chatted casually,” Fu Xun said. The attendant then brought out a plate of peanuts, a plate of tomatoes dipped in sugar, and a small pot of warmed wine.

“I’ll grill the meat for you—lamb and beef—but it’s slow, so take your time talking.” After saying that, he took two sets of bowls and chopsticks from the cabinet and placed them in front of them, gesturing for them to help themselves.

Qu Yixian saw him return to the stove to tend the meat, picked up her chopsticks, tapped them together, and first tried the tomatoes.

Northwest China doesn’t lack meat, but fresh vegetables are rare. Seeing a full plate of tomatoes, Qu Yixian’s appetite surged. After a few bites, she finally asked, “Did you plan to have someone over tonight to cook already?”

The attendant’s posture made it clear—it had been prepared long in advance, not Fu Xun’s spur-of-the-moment idea.

“Yes.” Fu Xun poured himself some wine. “I was worried about managing the room swap with you tonight, so I arranged this.”

Qu Yixian didn’t detect any hidden meaning. She had been well taken care of, especially now, and was easy to talk to: “What’s the big deal? Just helping you handle Jiang Yun, that’s normal.”

Fu Xun sipped his wine. The alcohol was strong, slightly burning his throat. He paused, got up, and poured a cup of hot water for Qu Yixian in a disposable cup.

Qu Yixian appreciated how considerate he was, respecting her approach to discussing matters.

When leading a tour, she avoided alcohol to prevent delays and stayed disciplined. Off-duty, she usually had light drinks, never overindulging.

The same went for quitting smoking—she stopped immediately, chewing candy whenever cravings hit, leaving no room for regret. If Yuan Ye had even half her self-control, he wouldn’t just have quit smoking—he’d have shed that extra weight too. No worry about not having a girlfriend.

“Yuan Ye said you don’t touch alcohol, haven’t had a drop three days before leading a tour, to stay clear-headed.” Fu Xun poured another glass for himself, sipping slowly, letting the taste spread before swallowing.

“Hm. Nothing special. Every tour leader in my team can do that,” Qu Yixian said, picking up some peanuts. “You said it’s no small matter that Xiang Xiaolong got rid of the jade pendant. Explain.”

“Two days ago, I gave Jiang Cuo my contact. He’s in Dunhuang now, and the news he got is the same as yours—the Cloud Hook Jade Pendant was sold. It’s easy to get this info, so it’s not a secret. Beyond Dunhuang’s antique market, a top-tier item like this sends ripples through the entire domestic antiques circle.”

So basically, the entire domestic antiques world knows that a genuine Cloud Hook Jade Pendant appeared in Dunhuang?

So what? Just because Xiang Xiaolong has ten million doesn’t mean anyone can go and rob him, right?

Fu Xun guessed her doubts and prompted her: “I told you before, Xiang Xiaolong has other enemies.”

Qu Yixian bit her chopsticks, asking, “Who did he make enemies with?”

To avoid him giving half-truths again, she slammed her cup on the table, putting it front and center: “Tonight you said you wanted to talk business. I agreed to help you find Xiang Xiaolong. I’m not asking about Jiang Yuan yet—we’ll plan that after this is done. I’ve stepped back this far. If you keep hiding things from me, I’ll quit right now. From then on, if I see you, I hit you. So think carefully before speaking.”

Fu Xun smiled.

The previous lack of honesty had left an irreparable trust gap.

He focused on Qu Yixian, seriously: “I only gave half the story before because you weren’t officially with me yet. You need to leave room for yourself, right?”

Qu Yixian reluctantly muttered, “…I guess so.”

Fu Xun smiled, adding, “Since you decided to participate, I have no reason to hide anything. Ask what you want—I’ll tell you.”

There was subtlety in this promise.

If she asked, he would answer. If she didn’t anticipate or think comprehensively, he wouldn’t volunteer. Her agreement implied tacit consent, so any withholding wouldn’t count as deliberate.

Mostly, it was his prior behavior undermining her trust—some things she didn’t want to hear from him at all.

The first batch of grilled meat was served.

Five skewers in total; Qu Yixian immediately claimed four.

She bit into the crisp, flavorful lamb, asking vaguely, “Then tell me—who did Xiang Xiaolong offend?”

“Xiang Xiaolong’s real name is Pei Yuliang. He offended the loan sharks in Nanjiang. A few years ago, after escaping Nanjiang, he disappeared. It wasn’t until the end of June this year, because of the Cloud Hook Jade Pendant, that I discovered his whereabouts. He goes by Xiang Xiaolong now and operates around Dunhuang.”

Fu Xun hadn’t been in a hurry to find Pei Yuliang before—not only because he was hard to locate but also because he knew the jade pendant was in his hands.

He knew it was valuable and would wait for the right moment to sell at a good price. Once it appeared, finding him would be easy.

Qu Yixian didn’t respond immediately. She connected the dots and asked, “You mean those loan sharks are looking for Xiang Xiaolong too? Then what about the Cloud Hook Jade Pendant?”

Her mind sparked, exploding like fireworks: “Wait.”

She chewed a piece of meat, swallowed, and asked, “…The Cloud Hook Jade Pendant is yours?”

Fu Xun tracked her because she had the last contact with Xiang Xiaolong. So he’s looking for him to recover the stolen item! Xiang Xiaolong now only has a priceless Cloud Hook Jade Pendant, causing all this chaos…

With Fu Xun’s cautious nature, there’s no way he’d sit idle—so the Cloud Hook Jade Pendant was bait to catch Xiang Xiaolong.

That made perfect sense.

Xiang Xiaolong stole Fu Xun’s jade pendant, and with Fu Xun’s personality, there was no way he’d just let it go. He used the Cloud Hook Jade Pendant as bait, waiting for Xiang Xiaolong to walk right into his trap.

And this trap wasn’t set by him alone. Nearby, the loan sharks were watching, waiting to settle scores. No wonder he said that in retrieving his property, plenty of people wanted him to get justice.

Using someone else’s hand to kill, Fu Xun could pull that off.

Sure enough.

Fu Xun nodded. “It’s mine. Calling it ‘dirty goods’ is because it was in Pei Yuliang’s hands—definitely not clean, with no purchase proof.”

Qu Yixian looked at the skewer in her hand, suddenly unable to swallow.

A single jade pendant worth over ten million, how could she be in the mood to eat roasted lamb…

She regretted it.

She envied the rich.

She swore she would marry a money printer someday.

Thinking that, her mood finally improved a little. She bit into the roasted lamb angrily and casually asked, “You think the antiques circle already knows about this, and the loan sharks have been tracking the pendant, so they’ll find out eventually, right?”

Fu Xun paused, hand at his lips, looking up at her: “They already know. The man is in Dunhuang.”

Qu Yixian: “…Then isn’t Xiang Xiaolong in danger?”

Everyone knew he had sold the Cloud Hook Jade Pendant, and he must be holding ten million in his hands. The loan sharks would be trailing him everywhere—they wouldn’t miss this opportunity.

Hiss.

Wait a minute.

Qu Yixian frowned, asking, “The news I heard said Xiang Xiaolong already left Dunhuang. What are they waiting for there?”

Fu Xun saw her guess was close, the corner of his lips curling slightly as he confirmed: “They’re waiting for you.”

…

Now she really couldn’t eat.

Qu Yixian felt wronged: “Just because Xiang Xiaolong got in my car?”

“Do you remember how I found you?” Fu Xun asked softly.

Qu Yixian stayed silent, feeling a bit lost.

“At the end of June, an informant in Dunhuang told me a stranger had brought the Cloud Hook Jade Pendant for appraisal. I checked the surveillance and confirmed it was Pei Yuliang. The final footage from the three pawnshops where he had appraised items shows him getting into your car and leaving,” Fu Xun’s gaze deepened, half-smiling: “All the clues point to you. Whether you’re the key link or not, they’ll come looking for you.”

“But you don’t need to worry too much. Since they’re patiently waiting in Dunhuang, they’ve discovered I’ve been by your side. In Nanjiang, I can control the situation. Here, they still wouldn’t dare touch me. When we reach Dunhuang, I won’t leave your side for a step.”

Author’s note: Qu Ye’s first dream: find Jiang Yuan.

Qu Ye’s second dream: marry a money printer.

Qu Ye’s third dream: put Diao Chan in the pot!

Let’s turn dreams into reality—everyone, give a round of applause!