Tomb robber: I am the tenth of the nine gates

Wow! There's so much food here!

Qi Tiezui didn't stand on ceremony; he casually sat down, grabbed a bag of snacks, and popped them into his mouth.

He acted like he was at home. Now, influenced by Chu Ning, he felt uneasy if he didn't have something in his mouth to eat.

Master Xie shook his head, gently patted Chu Ning's head as he stood up, and then welcomed Zhang Qishan forward.

"The Buddha is much better now."

Seeing Zhang Qishan's condition, Master Xie greeted him with a smile.

Zhang Qishan looked towards Chu Ning, "I have people protecting me."

Chu Ning sat obediently. Qi Tiezui wanted to speak, but Chu Ning grabbed his arm. Master Jie understood and began to explain the current situation in Changsha.

"The informant reported this yesterday."

Chen Pi and the Huo family stayed at the mine overnight. Lu Jianxun had sent several groups of people down, but they hadn't heard from them.

With no progress at the mine, Lu Jianxun couldn't wait any longer. Second Master had already returned home; they needed to keep a low profile.

"Currently, the cooperation between Chenpi and the Huo family with Lu Jianxun is merely a formality and is not stable at all."

It was only a matter of time before Lu Jianxun fell from power.

The main concern now is that Jude Kao and the Japanese will focus all their attention on the mine.

It seems we need to find something for Lu Jianxun to do.

Master Xie agreed with Zhang Qishan, and the two looked at each other before turning to look at Chu Ning.

Seeing this, Qi Tiezui patted Chu Ning, signaling him to look up, then spread his hands at Chu Ning, his squinting eyes full of smiles.

"Our Xiao Ning, the capable are always given more work~"

Chu Ning naturally did not miss the conversation between Zhang Qishan and Master Xie, so he knew what the two wanted him to do.

It's inconvenient for them to come forward. Changsha is currently under Lu Jianxun's administration, and various factions are entrenched there.

Then create conflict and let Lu Jianxun deal with the Japanese. Even if Qiu Dekao cooperates with Lu Jianxun, Lu Jianxun will only be more wary of him.

"I will talk to Master Chen, but whether he agrees or not depends on his wishes."

Chu Ning mimicked Qi Tiezui's gesture and spread his hands towards Zhang Qishan and Master Xie.

Chu Ning meant that he wouldn't take advantage of his relationship with Chen Pi to force others to help him.

More importantly, it was because Zhang Qishan and Chen Pi didn't get along well. Although Chu Ning was in the middle, Chen Pi's anger was inevitably diverted.

Chu Ning was taking Zhang Qishan into consideration.

Master Xie waved his hand, "It's nothing, thank you for your hard work, Xiao Ning."

His eyes were full of mockery as he looked at Zhang Qishan. He had long told the Buddha not to exert too much pressure on the Nine Gates, and the current situation was a good example of a rebound after hitting rock bottom.

Zhang Qishan twitched his fingers, ignoring Master Xie's gaze. This kid is really... lively (and deserves a beating)!

Zhang Qishan smiled, and Chu Ning hid behind Qi Tiezui, pulling Qi Tiezui's scarf to cover her face.

Qi Tiezui then flashed a standard eight-tooth smile, meeting Zhang Qishan's gaze, which earned him a dark expression from Zhang Qishan.

Qi Tiezui sighed inwardly, but of course he had to spoil his own child.

The children are all hiding behind us, so we have to step forward no matter what.

But Chu Ning was still being mischievous at this moment, whispering in Qi Tiezui's ear, "Eighth Master, the capable should do more work~"

Qi Tiezui really wanted to rub Chu Ning's little face hard right now, to let the child know why flowers are red.

"Ninth Master, what are the next arrangements for Buddha?" Qi Tiezui quickly tried to divert Zhang Qishan's attention.

Master Xie received the message and came to the rescue.

"When the Buddha first arrived in Changsha, he funded the army to purchase weapons, partly to seek an official position."

On the other hand, it is about expanding one's power.

This tactic still applies today.

"Does Ninth Master mean that since it's inconvenient for me to appear in person, I can find someone to act as my proxy?"

A wise person speaks only to the point, and Master Xie nodded, raising his hand to push up his glasses.

"Putting aside his official position for now, we must definitely reclaim Zhang Dafoye's status within the Nine Gates."

Zhang Qishan left Changsha City, and Lu Jianxun issued a warrant for his arrest, so he was almost forced to leave. As a result, his reputation among the Nine Gates Commanders was not as good as before.

There are also some operational steps involved.

Zhang Qishan glanced at Chu Ning with some concern. He couldn't show himself, but he needed to let the Nine Gates know that Chu Ning was one of their people.

Master Jie understood Zhang Qishan's meaning, so he asked Chu Ning in a reassuring manner.

"Xiao Ning, would you like to go with Ninth Master to get to know the other families of the Nine Gates?"

Chu Ning pointed to herself, "Me?"

His eyes flickered, and he immediately understood the reason.

By having Master Xie Jiu personally introduce himself, he was indirectly telling the members of the Nine Gates that he was a trustworthy member of their own side.

He will be the first to know if there are any future actions.

"Thank you."

Chu Ning expressed his sincere gratitude, while Zhang Qishan and Master Xie had not yet expressed their thanks.

Qi Tiezui, standing beside Chu Ning, slapped his forehead and looked at Chu Ning with a disappointed expression.

This silly child, why thank those two old foxes? They probably just want Chu Ning to join the Nine Gates.

Others may not know, but they certainly do; Chu Ning's blood alone is a gift from the gods.

Chu Ning's arrival is entirely beneficial to the Nine Gates.

They've been sold out and are still foolishly helping the seller count the money.

Qi Tiezui turned his head to look over and, sure enough, saw the child tilting his head and looking at him with concern. Qi Tiezui's heart clenched under that gaze.

All the words I wanted to say came out as a weak, powerless sentence: “I will take you to see them with Ninth Master.”

……

【next day】

When Chen Pi returned to the workshop from the mine, he saw his fellow workers rushing toward him.

Chen Pi was already annoyed after seeing Lu Jianxun, so he immediately kicked the waiter in a bad mood.

"He's going to a funeral!"

"Why are you running? Is this how I've always taught you?"

The guy was stunned by his own leader's kick.

Ber, didn't you tell us to keep an eye on that young master Chu next to Master Zhang?

Now that young master Chu has arrived, judging from the leader's gloomy face, should he speak or not?

"Mute?"

Chen Pi gave him a single glance, and the waiter shuddered, stammering, "Master...Master, Chu..."

Chen Pi's expression softened upon hearing a surname.

Before the man could finish speaking, he was kicked again.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

After kicking the man, Chen Pi quickly left, leaving the waiter rubbing his buttocks with a wronged expression.

Ber, you didn't even ask, waaaaah.

When I went up to the second floor, I saw the child sitting obediently waiting for me.

Chen Pi straightened his collar before slowly walking over.

"Why are you here? How long have you been waiting?" He spoke softly, as if afraid of startling someone.

Chen Pi sat down opposite Chu Ning, reached out and touched the teapot on the table to feel its temperature.

Chu Ning was certain that his companion hadn't neglected him.

Noticing Chen Pi's actions, Chu Ning smiled and narrowed her eyes, "It didn't take long. You've got some interesting things going on here."

After saying that, he held out his fist, gesturing for Chen Pi to extend his hand.

Chen Pi didn't understand, but he patiently stretched out his palm and received a handful of melon seeds.

Chen Pi couldn't help but twitch his eye. It turned out this little brat really didn't mind; he was quite interesting after all.

"Tsk, get to the point."

"I've already been dealt with a lot, so one more thing to worry about won't make a difference."

The fact that Chu Ning came here probably means that something has happened to that Zhang Dafoye.

He didn't believe that this kid would be so bored as to come and shell sunflower seeds for him.

Although Chen Pi was disgusted, he carefully gathered the handful of melon seeds into his handkerchief and then put it in his pocket.

"Go to that shop on the street corner and buy a serving of sugar-coated fried dough sticks."

After finishing making these dried tangerine peels, he didn't forget to tell his employees to buy some snacks for Chu Ning. It seems he also needs to tell his subordinates that there will be plenty of snacks and treats for this kid when he comes over.

Chu Ning thoughtfully poured Chen Pi a cup of tea, "Did you come back from the mine?"

"Lu Jianxun didn't give you any trouble, did he?"

Chen Pi nodded. He knew the child was smart and quick to understand. He didn't even need to explain to him what to do.

"What? You want to stand up for me?"

Chen Pi stared intently at the child, not missing a single subtle expression, and began to look forward to Chu Ning's answer.

Chu Ning shook his head, while Chen Pi's gaze was deep.

"If I were to take action against Lu Jianxun now, Changsha would undergo a major transformation."

But we can find him something to do.

After hearing Chu Ning's words, Chen Pi was somewhat surprised. He thought Chu Ning didn't care about him at all.

Chu Ning blinked at Chen Pi, knowing that Chen Pi was testing him.

This indirectly shows that Chen Pi also cares about him; otherwise, given Chen Pi's personality, he wouldn't care whether he came for him or not.

"It was Buddha and Ninth Master who sent me to discuss with you whether we could cause Lu Jianxun some trouble without him noticing."

But before I ask you, I want to know if Lu Jianxun has bullied you.

Now I know.

The word "bully" sounded somewhat funny to Chen Pi; he hadn't heard that word used to describe himself in years.

After he became famous, he dealt with all those who looked down on him and bullied him.

Hearing the word come out of the mouth of this teenager again, Chen Pi curled his lips into a terrifying smile.

With a "thud," Chu Ning placed an oil paper package on the table.

The moment Chen Pi held it in his hand, he knew what was inside—a pistol.

"Lu Jianxun will likely seek cooperation with Qiu Dekao, who is backed by the Japanese."

There's no need to stop their cooperation; we can send people from Jude Kao's side to the mine.

They can't take anything out of the mine right now; going in will only drive people insane.

Chen Pi listened to what Chu Ning said, his attention was entirely on the gun in his hand. He tossed it a couple of times and looked at Chu Ning.

"Fourth Master, take good care of yourself."

"They don't go mining unless absolutely necessary, and neither do the Huo family."

Chu Ning looked at Chen Pi with a serious expression.

What did you do in the mine?

Chen Pi keenly noticed the hint in Chu Ning's words.

"They left behind some things that could be considered 'date rape drugs'."

Chu Ning rested her chin on her hand, her eyes full of cunning.

That was what he scattered when he took out the meteorite last time; its scent could disorient people and plunge them into a hallucination.

People with weak wills may even see illusions... as to which world the illusions are from, they cannot guarantee.

Chen Pi carefully put the gun away, knowing that it was Chu Ning's good intention. He always considered people's needs, making it hard for anyone not to accept his help.

I guess the kid got this from Zhang Qishan or his adjutant.

"Did that drug have any effect on you?"

Chen Pi was only concerned about Chu Ning at the moment. He could stop Zhang Qishan from taking Chu Ning down into the tomb, but he couldn't stop Chu Ning from wanting to go down on his own.

"Of course there's nothing wrong with what I make."

Even if something goes wrong, there's always a chance to fix it.

As Chu Ning spoke, her gaze fell, and she covered her right wrist with her left hand. Her whole being instantly lost its color, but only for a moment.

The clear sky suddenly turned cloudy, and the light on the second floor dimmed instantly.

It was at this very moment that Chen Pi, who had been watching Chu Ning closely, captured the moment.

He grabbed Chu Ning's wrist, his eyes blazing with anger.

"Who exactly is Zhang Qishan that you would scheme so much for him? That you would risk your life to help him?!"

The sudden heat from Chen Pi startled Chu Ning, causing him to flinch and struggle, but he couldn't break free from Chen Pi's grasp.

"Fourth Master?"

"Do you have enough pills left?"

Chu Ning's smile vanished, replaced by a serious question to Chen Pi.

Chen Pi frowned, not expecting Chu Ning to answer him anyway.

The name he asked could be replaced with his own.

Chen Pi just couldn't understand it; it seemed like Chu Ning would protect anyone from the Nine Gates to the end.

Would it kill you not to help?!

Ignoring the awkward atmosphere, Chu Ning raised her paw and pressed her fingertips against Chen Pi's brow.

Why do you all frown so much?

What should I do if I get a headache later?

Master Chen, this habit is not good, you should change it.

Otherwise, I'll have to prepare more pills for you.

Chen Pi's brows gradually relaxed as Chu Ning massaged them, but his eyes were full of stubbornness as he looked at Chu Ning; he wanted an answer.

So Chu Ning simply looked at Chen Pi, her clear eyes devoid of any other emotion.

With the two sides locked in a stalemate, Chenpi gradually loosened his grip.

Chu Ning scooped up Chen Pi's drooping arm and hooked her little finger around Chen Pi's finger.

Her curved eyes gazed at Chen Pi. At that moment, the clouds dispersed, and the sunlight on the second floor returned to its bright state.

Just as Chu Ning's words to Chen Pi at this moment were deeply imprinted in Chen Pi's mind.

Every year since then, Chen Pi has been waiting for Chu Ning to fulfill the promise he made himself.

"If you still insist on getting an answer after this is over, I will tell you in person."

Fourth Master, I'm so glad you care.

Chu Ning, please take good care of yourself.

People like Chen Pi, once they have a conclusion about something, will stop at nothing to verify it, even if it leaves them battered and bruised.

This is probably what later generations called...yandere.

Chu Ning didn't want Chen Pi to torture herself, so she made a pinky promise with Chen Pi, which looked just like coaxing a child. It was hard to tell who was coaxing whom.

In short, Chen Pi was appeased by Chu Ning until Chu Ning left.

Chen Pi was still staring at his little finger, which seemed to be surrounded by a jade-like touch and still seemed to retain warmth.

Chu Ning left the sugar-coated glutinous rice cakes on the table; there was nothing she could do about it.

This Chen Siye, who owns Chenpi, is also someone who needs to be coaxed with snacks.

(Fu Ni's ramblings: I still love group scenes the most, sob sob)