Stealing the Pen: Kirin's Primordial Lotus

Zhang Qiling didn't even realize that he had left the valley. Just as he was still immersed in the words He had just spoken before leaving, the Zhang family members he had sent away came looking for him.

"Chief! Are you alright?!"

"Clan leader!"

"Chieftain! Why have you come here alone?"

Zhang Qiling waved his hand, "What happened outside?"

"His Highness has already returned to the Hua residence. They just sent someone to inquire about your whereabouts."

Zhang Qiling rubbed her forehead, her brows furrowed, and didn't notice the hesitant look on the person next to her.

"Everything is going according to plan with Ayu. Is there anything else?"

This was something the two had discussed beforehand; they split up to get a general idea of ​​what was going on.

"News has come from Yanjing that Gu Minghui is gone, supposedly having died of old age. However..." The subordinate beside him briefly summarized the latest news.

The man's stammering attitude caught Zhang Qiling's attention. "But what?"

He turned to look at the people behind him, "Have you found out Xiaohua and the others' location?"

Upon hearing Zhang Qiling's question, the man shook his head violently. "There isn't much information about the young master yet. Our people are mobilizing all available resources to investigate."

Seeing his hesitant manner, Zhang Qiling was also aroused. "What major event has happened that makes you so hesitant?"

The man looked down, glancing left and right, only to find everyone else with their heads down, too afraid to speak. Left with no other option, he reluctantly told Zhang Qiling.

"Clan leader, news has come from Zhang Haining's side, they say, say..."

Upon hearing the news from Zhang Haining, Zhang Qiling immediately tensed up. "Something happened to Lao Xu and the others?"

The man nodded and then shook his head. "There was indeed a problem with Uncle Xu, but it wasn't Uncle Xu who had an accident. It was Wu Xie and... and Fatty Wang."

Zhang Qiling was taken aback at first, then tentatively asked, "Did something happen to Wu Xie?" After receiving a denial from his subordinate, he knew what had happened.

“Wang Pangzi is gone.” Zhang Qiling’s tone carried a hint of doubt, yet also a hint of certainty.

"Cheng Ye led Uncle Xu and the others into the sacrificial site. By the time Zhang Haining and the others arrived, the sacrifice had already begun. They didn't have time to rescue everyone. It was Fatty Wang who pushed Wu Xie and Uncle Xu out. He... he left himself there." The man lowered his head further and further, his voice choked with sobs, and finally, the yellow sand was soaked with tears that welled up in his eyes.

"I understand," Zhang Qiling said simply, then turned and got into the car. "It's time to go back. If we get back late, Ayu will be unhappy."

At first, Zhang Qiling was worried that he would hear bad news about Hua Yu, Xiao Hua, or Hei Xiazi, but when he heard that it was Wang Pangzi, he felt a sense of relief, but also a strange sadness.

The people below hadn't expected their clan leader to react this way, but it was understandable, given that Fatty Wang wasn't really related to them. If there was any connection, it was a very roundabout one.

Wang Pangzi and Wu Xie were best friends, and Wu Xie could also be considered their young master's childhood playmate, although it was only for half a year, so the relationship was extremely superficial.

"Remember to notify me in advance about Gu Minghui's funeral, and also have someone prepare wreaths to send to the Gu family." Zhang Qiling took the tablet handed to her from the passenger seat, handling group affairs while also keeping an eye on the situation on the screen.

“There are so many eyes watching his position right now. Let our people wait patiently.” Zhang Qiling’s finger was swiping across the tablet when she suddenly saw something and stopped.

"Have he cleaned up all the mess he's made of behind the scenes and all the troubles his family has caused? Now is a crucial moment. He shouldn't give someone a handle to use against him, so that he can be pulled down just when he's about to climb up."

"Don't worry, Chieftain. We haven't put all our eggs in one basket. If one fails, we still have another. We've invested in at least three of the five, so one of them will surely succeed."

"You handle it!" Zhang Qiling gripped the tablet tightly, then calmly handed it back to the passenger in the front seat. "Keep an eye on this guy."

He was wondering who the clan chief had asked him to pay attention to. After taking the tablet, he looked at the person's information in the photo for several minutes, but he still couldn't see anything wrong with it.

He cautiously inquired, "Clan leader, is there something wrong with this person?"

“His resume is too normal, everything is too perfect.” Zhang Qiling leaned back in her chair, relaxing. “What kind of person do you think could work in this industry for so many years without making a single mistake? Not even a single member of their family has done anything wrong?”

After reviewing the information on the tablet again, the man broke out in a cold sweat. "Clan leader, it was my oversight!" he said, turning his head to bow to Zhang Qiling in the back seat, still feeling a sense of lingering fear.

“If they really wanted to do something, they wouldn’t let you know. This was just a small test.” Zhang Qiling gently pressed her temple. “However…”

After hearing Zhang Qiling's previous words, the man's heart, which had been at ease, was raised again upon hearing the next one.

"However, it is truly unacceptable that you failed to detect even such a simple test."

"Please punish me, clan leader!" The man said in a trembling voice, secretly glancing at Zhang Qiling, who had her eyes closed.

"When you get back, go find Zhang Haike and accept your punishment yourself. You know better than anyone what kind of punishment it should be." After saying that, Zhang Qiling ignored him.

The car drove smoothly along the muddy country road and reappeared on the bustling and crowded streets of Yanjing.

"Brother, where have you been?" Hua Yu had been waiting at home for a long time.

"I went to find out about something, but the result was alright." Zhang Qiling sat down next to Hua Yu and pulled her into his arms.

"Fatty Wang is dead." Hua Yu leaned against Zhang Qiling's chest, as if sighing.

"I heard on my way back that Wu Xie might really go crazy this time." Zhang Qiling sighed slightly, already able to imagine what would happen next.

"Wu Xie isn't stupid, he just won't admit it. Wang Pangzi's death has just pushed everything forward by a big step."

"A person who can study in Germany is intelligent enough to crush most people. It's just that the Wu family didn't nurture him properly in the past, which led to him always thinking too simply when he encountered problems later on."

"I'm afraid that after he does everything, he will lose the will to live."

Do you think Fatty Wang wouldn't have left him a way out?

Zhang Qiling stroked the head of the person in her arms, "Wang Pangzi will make sure he lives a good life. And with Xiao Hua around, he will also ensure that Wu Xie lives a peaceful and stable life."