Chapter 37

Chapter 37

This conversation ended rather abruptly.

Qu Yixian was in a bad mood. Using the excuse that she had to get up early to drive the next day, she went back to rest first.

Fu Xun escorted her to the stairwell, watching her enter the room before turning and heading back downstairs to the four-person room.

After returning to her room, Qu Yixian took a hot shower.

After ten o’clock, the hotel’s hot water was no longer hot, and the water pressure fluctuated.

When the water flow was slow, it was like someone had pinched one end of the pipe, dripping intermittently like squeezing toothpaste. It made her nervous, worried that the water would run out before she finished washing.

After finishing her shower without incident, Qu Yixian moved a stool next to the radiator, drying her hair and sorting out her thoughts.

She drew a relationship diagram on a piece of sticky note with a pencil.

The main character was Fu Xun. The vine-like auxiliary lines connected Xiang Xiaolong, Dongjiaxing, and the loan sharks. After thinking for a moment, she added herself to the diagram.

Xiang Xiaolong owed a large debt to the loan sharks in Nanjiang, and he had taken Fu Xun’s jade pendant and was hiding in Dunhuang.

He knew the jade pendant was worth a fortune, so he must have stayed hidden for quite a while. By June this year, thinking the heat had died down, he let his guard down and contacted her via WeChat on June 23 to book a private car in Dunhuang for the 25th, paying a 200-yuan deposit in advance.

Qu Yixian, who had been leading tours for years, often handled airport pickups, day trips, and other bookings. With her good reputation and many friends, her WeChat account wasn’t a secret.

So how Xiang Xiaolong found her WeChat, and why he chose her, was nearly impossible to trace—it was purely random.

It’s like robbing a bank—aside from choosing the day and which bank to rob, do they care who the bank staff are? No!

It’s just about fate—who happens to run into the wrong luck at the wrong time.

Qu Yixian felt that she was simply unlucky this time.

But there was nothing to fear.

Fu Xun was willing to act as her protection, and she herself was capable. Otherwise, how could a woman from out of town smoothly lead tours in the Northwest loop? How could she make a bunch of big men willingly call her “Qu Ye”?

But this matter did indeed begin on June 25, when Xiang Xiaolong booked her cruiser for the day.

She had thought that day was just an ordinary day among many, but who knew the gears silently started turning and swallowed her up?

Fu Xun obtained news of the Cloud Hook Jade Pendant from his informants in Dunhuang and, after investigating, found that the only clue related to Xiang Xiaolong pointed to her in the end.

So he tested, observed, and tried to find weaknesses, and finally confirmed she was completely unaware. Then he extended the olive branch and proposed cooperation.

At the same time, Xiang Xiaolong sold the Cloud Hook Jade Pendant. He quietly made a windfall, and when strict checkpoints were set up in early September in Dunhuang to inspect vehicles and people, he left and disappeared.

Meanwhile, her progress lagged three steps behind Xiang Xiaolong. From learning about his connection with Fu Xun to deciding to intervene and help, Xiang Xiaolong had already disappeared like a fish in the river.

All she could do now was wait until the day after tomorrow in Dunhuang, meet Quan Xiao and the girl Xiang Xiaolong had left in charge of his business, and see if she could find more clues.

If not, she would have to use her poor drawing skills to make an abstract portrait and put him on a wanted poster across the city.

Wait!

Qu Yixian paused her pencil, her gaze landing on Fu Xun’s name, lost in thought.

Fu Xun had his valuable jade pendant stolen—he didn’t report it to the police?

This pendant involved a sum large enough to be classified as a major case. Even Fu Xun hadn’t mentioned reporting it.

Normally, when people encounter theft and lose valuable items, isn’t the first reaction to call the police?

——

The direct consequence of overthinking before sleep: Qu Yixian couldn’t rest the entire night.

In the first half of the night, she dreamt of Xiang Xiaolong in Dunhuang’s June sandstorm, walking toward her with his head down. After getting into the car, he took off his mask, revealing a three-centimeter scar from his left ear to his temple.

Sensing that she was observing him, he turned, showing a not-so-friendly smile, instructing her to drive to Dongjiaxing.

All the way, Xiang Xiaolong stayed in the passenger seat, eyes fixed on her. Before getting out of the car, he suddenly said to Qu Yixian: “Do you know why I chose you?”

“They’re all watching me. I had to find you to temporarily divert their attention.”

Qu Yixian frowned in confusion: “Why would finding me divert their attention?”

Xiang Xiaolong laughed, his expression contemptuous: “My goal is to sell the Cloud Hook Jade Pendant and run off with the money. Once I sell it, that bunch of vampires in Nanjiang will catch the scent and come looking. If they can’t find me, they’ll naturally find the private car I booked. Moreover, the driver of the private car is a beautiful woman.”

“But don’t worry, they won’t do anything to you. At most, they might detain you for a couple of days. Once they get bored, they’ll let you go.”

Damn you!

Qu Yixian instantly erupted, locking the car doors and pounding Xiang Xiaolong relentlessly. She hit him so hard that he scrambled like a scared rat, while she quickly grabbed the jade pendant wrapped in red silk in her lap, then shoved him out of the car with a kick and turned to drive off.

Dare to scheme against your aunt! Think she’s as easy to bully as a loan shark?

Her whole body radiated anger, her killing intent fierce. The cruiser’s overspeed warning blared as she roared through the mountain tunnel, heading straight for…

Where exactly?

At the end of the dark tunnel, there was a blinding white light.

The cruiser shot through it at high speed. After a brief dizziness, Qu Yixian saw Fu Xun leaning against a black G-Class.

Behind him, sand and dust whipped by a fierce wind.

He stood at the center of the storm, squinting as he gazed over Dunhuang hidden beneath the sand, and said to her: “Don’t worry. In Nanjiang, I can handle the situation. In Dunhuang, I can protect you just the same.”

Tsk tsk, look at that.

Both Xiang Xiaolong and Fu Xun said not to worry. The former made her want to rip him apart, the latter was much more pleasant to hear.

In high spirits, she proudly handed him the Cloud Hook Jade Pendant, carefully wrapped in red silk: “Here, your thing. I helped you find it.”

Fu Xun stood there, unmoving, his gaze shifting slightly to her palm: “My thing?”

Seeing his doubt, Qu Yixian peeled back a corner of the red silk, smugly presenting the pendant: “Weren’t you trying to get back the Cloud Hook Jade Pendant from Xiang Xiaolong? I got it back for you.”

Fu Xun’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the pendant in her palm. “My jade pendant? I already found it.” He reached up and pulled a necklace from around his neck; at the end of the black braided cord hung the jade ornament Qu Yixian had recently bought from a Xi’ning antique store.

Her heart skipped a beat, a chill rushing from head to toe.

Impossible.

That ornament only cost her… three thousand yuan. The shop owner said it was real jade, though not of great quality—just a high-quality replica. After wearing it for years, it might not increase much in value, but selling for five or ten thousand would be no problem.

How could this possibly be the Cloud Hook Jade Pendant Fu Xun was looking for?

Before she could recover from her shock, a sharp pain hit the back of her hand. She looked down. Fu Xun’s ferret, Diāo Chán, had somehow jumped up and bitten her hand tightly.

The suddenness woke Qu Yixian instantly. Reflexively, she touched her bitten hand, only to feel not her own skin, but… the furry head of the ferret.

She shivered violently and bolted upright.

Diāo Chán clearly hadn’t expected her to wake so quickly. It held onto her hand and stared at her in a moment of mutual eye contact.

Perhaps feeling awkward, it slowly released her hand and stepped back.

Qu Yixian glared at it, quickly raising her hand.

Two fang marks, snake-like in appearance, ran deep across the back of her right hand, nearly piercing the skin.

Her gaze darkened. She shifted her eyes from the bite marks to Diāo Chán, who had retreated to the corner, ready to bolt, and slowly made a ferocious, teeth-baring expression as if licking blood.

The bold little ferret froze for a moment, hiccupped, and looked startled.

It actually… got scared enough to hiccup?

——

Half an hour later, Qu Yixian, brimming with fury, dragged Diāo Chán down to the four-person room and slammed on the door: “Fu Xun, you come out here right now!”

She knocked two more times. Just as she was about to shout, the door creaked open from the inside.

Fu Xun, freshly washed and looking crisp, stood in the doorway, eyes on her.

That look was like a pause button; the words on Qu Yixian’s lips instantly caught. She shoved Diāo Chán back into Fu Xun’s arms, raised her right hand, and showed him the bite marks: “I got bitten awake by this little beast early this morning. Look at these marks—they haven’t faded yet.”

Fu Xun was slightly startled and looked down at the ferret.

Diāo Chán met his gaze innocently for a moment, then drooped its head weakly.

Fu Xun said nothing. He held Qu Yixian’s outstretched hand and brought it up in front of him. His warm fingertip rubbed over the faint fang marks: “Does it still hurt?”

Qu Yixian: “…” How was she supposed to answer that?

If she said it hurt, it had already been half an hour; there was no feeling left…

If she said it didn’t hurt, would that make it seem like being bitten was just brushed aside lightly?

Seeing her not answer, Fu Xun examined it carefully and asked: “Did it break the skin?”

Qu Yixian glanced at his long fingers resting on the back of her hand, her gaze drifting, and replied: “No.”

That made it easy to handle.

Fu Xun released her hand and asked: “How do you want me to make it up to you?”

Qu Yixian stared at the ferret, eyes blazing: “This little beast actually bit me. It’s rebelling. How about this—you give me the ferret, and tonight I’ll make a ferret hot pot for you?”

The ferret in Fu Xun’s arms… looked even more languid.

It squirmed a little, pressing its head hard into Fu Xun’s crook of the arm, showing only its rear end to Qu Yixian.

Fu Xun lowered his eyes and stroked the ferret to calm it, refusing without hesitation: “I’m afraid I must decline.”

Qu Yixian let out a disappointed sigh, mumbling: “Then just treat me to breakfast.”

Fu Xun: “…” First time seeing someone extort like this, and this is how the conditions start.

He stifled a laugh and nodded: “Wake the other two up; we’ll all eat together.”

——

Yuan Ye, taking advantage of Qu Yixian’s presence, was unusually enthusiastic early in the morning: “Master Qu, I heard from Brother Xun that Diāo Chán bit you?”

Qu Yixian had spent the night in a dream beating Xiang Xiaolong, and looked especially drained: “Yeah.”

Yuan Ye turned to Fu Xun: “Brother Xun, if Diāo Chán bites someone and draws blood, what kind of shots do they need? It’s not a dog, so rabies vaccine isn’t applicable, right?”

“Rabies vaccine.” Fu Xun fed a small dried fish to Diāo Chán as he spoke. “It gets rabies and distemper vaccines every year. There’s a month interval between the two shots.”

Yuan Ye liked cats and dogs, but he was a rough type, found taking care of himself troublesome, so he only liked pets others raised. Hearing this, he felt a sudden curiosity: “No wonder it bit people. Half of it is practically a dog.”

Qu Yixian found his fussing annoying. She shot him a look and urged: “Can you stop talking so much? Hurry up and eat, we’re waiting for you.”

——

After breakfast, they prepared to set off for Kekexili.

To reach Kekexili, they first had to cross the Kunlun Mountains and then enter the Yaochi area. Beyond climbing the mountains, they still had to traverse the salt bridge before finally reaching the destination.

The entire route wasn’t just long in kilometers; it was also difficult to drive.

Continuing past Kekexili led to Lhasa, which was another travel route—the Qinghai-Tibet loop.

For the Northwest loop, reaching the Sonam Daje Protection Station in Kekexili was usually considered the end. The team leader would return the same way to Dachaidan, stay one night, and then the next day take National Road 315 to Dunhuang.

Qu Yixian was starting from Dachaidan anyway, and tonight she had to return, so she didn’t have Jiang Yun carry luggage.

Halfway along, Qu Yixian suddenly remembered all the glucose injections were left with Jiang Yun. Coincidentally, Jiang Yun intended to return to her room to change clothes, so Qu Yixian went along to pick up the glucose.

Jiang Yun, having been scolded mercilessly by Qu Yixian the night before, kept her head down during breakfast and didn’t dare look at her.

Now, seemingly finding a topic, she timidly asked: “Sister Qu, you’ve been on the plateau for so long—do you ever get altitude sickness?”

“Nowhere else, except Tibet and Kekexili.” Qu Yixian, intending to lighten the mood, added: “Even the locals from Xining in our team can’t handle Tibet.”

“Logically, Kekexili shouldn’t cause altitude sickness. I’ve been there countless times every year, but it seems that place just doesn’t agree with me. Every time, I have to obediently drink a bottle of glucose. Otherwise, I get dizzy and sleepy, which affects driving safety.”

Jiang Yun made an “oh” sound. When they reached the room door and swiped the card to enter, she looked at Qu Yixian and said sheepishly: “I’m not used to having someone clean when the room isn’t checked out, so it’s a bit messy inside.”

Qu Yixian smiled and followed her into the room.

The glucose was sitting on the TV cabinet; Qu Yixian saw it as soon as she entered. She glanced at her wristwatch and urged Jiang Yun to change quickly: “If we’re late, we won’t see the Tibetan antelopes.”

Jiang Yun responded and pulled a warm vest from her suitcase to change in the bathroom.

While waiting, Qu Yixian looked around.

Jiang Yun wasn’t modest at all; her room was more than messy—it was impossible to even place your feet down.

Besides the luggage and items she had brought, there was trash scattered everywhere.

Qu Yixian couldn’t stand it and threw the bowl of cold instant noodles into the trash.

As she bent down, her gaze fell and froze on the trash can—a ticket torn in half.

Qu Yixian had been leading tours for so many years; she had visited every paid and free attraction. She wouldn’t be mistaken—this was a ticket for Chaka Salt Lake.

She looked back at the bathroom door, which was tightly closed, and bent down to pick up the torn ticket.

The bathroom door handle clicked lightly as Jiang Yun pressed it down.

With the soft click of the lock, Qu Yixian turned her back and quickly checked the time.

Jiang Yun tugged at her coat, wrapped her scarf, and stepped out: “Sister Qu.”

Qu Yixian didn’t move.

Her eyes fell on the date on the ticket, and she furrowed her brows sharply.

The ticket had been purchased at the attraction’s ticket window the day before yesterday.

If she remembered correctly, Jiang Yun had gotten out of Yuan Ye’s car that day, specifically opened the trunk, and said Yuan Ye told her that Chaka Salt Lake was free for Zhejiang residents, so she needed to show her ID.

Then why had she bought a ticket?

Jiang Yun looked puzzled.

Her little shoes tapped lightly on the floor. The rhythm gradually matched her heartbeat. Panicking, she almost roughly pulled Qu Yixian over.

Caught off guard, Qu Yixian swayed and faced her.

Jiang Yun lowered her head.

Qu Yixian was holding the glucose instructions.

She immediately relaxed, her gaze subconsciously flicking to the trash can under the table. Seeing it hadn’t been moved, she finally felt completely relieved.

Jiang Yun gave Qu Yixian an apologetic smile, with that same innocent expression: “Sister Qu, did I pull you too hard? I’m sorry.”

Qu Yixian also smiled.

She said: “It’s okay.”

Author’s note: Master Qu: Today’s another day I want to cook Sister Diāo—oh yeah!

Sister Diāo: Today’s another day of trembling in fear—boohoo!