Shen Hongbin said that Li Mazi ‘was back’ instead of ‘found.’ I was surprised. 

Their efficiency rate is actually this high? 

As we were talking, a Rolls-Royce pulled over outside. Li Mazi walked out of the car, and the rich woman followed closely behind him.

Li Mazi wore a brand-new casual suit, and his hair was also nicely cut. He didn’t look as if he was tortured. Instead, it looked like people had treated him very well. However, he seemed somewhat absentminded. The rich woman pulled his arm, holding her head high.

Yin Xinyue curled her lips. “Immediately seizing the chance when the wind changes. This woman’s disgustingly cunning!”

As soon as the rich woman entered the hotel, she put on a worried face. “Hongbin, where’s my husband? Did he wake up?”

Shen Hongbin blew a puff of smoke. “Don’t pretend. If I were you, I would buy a ticket and flee to some other country. Let alone Wuhan, from now on, there’s no place you can hide in this country. Anyway, don’t worry. I will ask my brother to pay for my niece’s and nephew’s tuition until they finish university.”

The woman sneered, “What kind of joke is this? Why do I have to flee abroad? Tell me, what did I do that was illegal? Kidnap someone? I just invited Master Li out for a chat, and it didn’t even last forty-eight hours. Is that illegal?”

Then, she pulled Li Mazi and said to him in a friendly tone, “We drank tea and had a nice chat. We really enjoyed our time together. Isn’t that right, Master Li?”

Li Mazi nodded dumbly.

I found it strange. With his nature, it was illogical for him to not have said anything since he came here. 

“Brother Zhang, move aside!” Yin Xinyue suddenly screamed. Then, Li Mazi took out a dagger from his chest and tried to stab me!

Although I saw it coming, my body didn’t react fast enough. Luckily Chuyi grabbed Li Mazi’s wrist. With a cold face, he hurled Li Mazi onto the ground, making the dagger fly away.

Li Mazi struggled hard on the ground, but Chuyi pressed his foot on his back, calling us to see him.

There was a silver needle stabbed into Li Mazi’s neck. It had sunk deep into his flesh. Chuyi pulled it out, but no blood dripped from his neck.

As soon as the needle was pulled out, Li Mazi fainted. Yin Xinyue was startled and asked, “The needle was in so deep. Did it damage any of his important organs?”

“No, it didn’t. It’s an acupoint. Hm, it’s called…” I couldn’t recall the acupoint’s name at this moment.

Chuyi helped me out. “Dazhui, Great Vertebra. It is one of the twelve soul acupoints in the human body.”

He brought the needle under the sunlight and studied it. Many incantations were exquisitely carved on the tiny needle. “It looks like it was a tool refined by an evil master.”

The rich woman was scared. “I don’t know what just happened.”

I retorted, “Who did it? You should tell me honestly. Laws may not be able to touch you, but don’t forget what I do for a living. I can use a dozen otherworldly items to torture you to death!”

The rich woman felt threatened and paled. I shouted at her one more time. 

“That woman asked me to call her Black Spider. She’s from a place called Longquan Villa,” answered the woman. 

“That Black Spider was the one that supported you behind the curtain? Was she the one who gave you the metal token?” 

The rich woman nodded. 

“Chuyi, have you ever heard about this name before?” I asked. 

He shook his head. 

I asked the rich woman to take me to find that Black Spider, but she told me that the woman had left already.

“That person came because of you,” said Chuyi. “Perhaps all of this was aimed at you. I didn’t expect this.”

“Aimed at me?” I was puzzled.

Although the Longquan Villa and I had several grudges between us, I had helped them once. Things should be even between us now. 

Why would they want to discreetly harm me?

We brought Li Mazi to a room. I ordered some rice wine and rubbed it on his chest until it reddened. Li Mazi coughed then woke up. “Damn. Little Brother Zhang, I just had a nightmare. I dreamt I was holding a dagger and stabbing you!”

“You were controlled,” I said.

“What?” Li Mazi suddenly found that he was lying on the bed half-naked. He hurried to pull the blanket to cover himself, muttering, “Hey, did I just run around naked?” 

“Even if you ran around naked, you would have needed an audience. Did the rich woman torture you?” I sniggered.

Li Mazi replied honestly, “No, she just locked me up in a room.”

“Did you happen to meet another woman?”

“No, but did a beautiful woman do something to me while I was unconscious?” Li Mazi grinned. 

“I’m going to tell Ru Xue that!” shouted Yin Xinyue, who stood at the door.

“Don’t, please don’t! Sister-in-law, my tongue just slipped. Moreover, how could something so beautiful happen to me…” Li Mazi seemed very scared of Ru Xue.

Since Li Mazi was safe and sound, I heaved a sigh of relief.

A moment later, the four of us planned to leave. Shen Hongbin walked with us to the entrance and shoved a check into my hand to thank us. “I know the rule of your business. I’ll ask my bodyguards to send the Red Barbarian Cannon to your antique shop. Oh right, when you have time, come visit my house. I have something I want to tell you,” said Shen Hongbin.

“Can’t we just talk here?” I was exhausted, and I didn’t want to leave any unfinished business behind.

“I want to invite some distinguished guests to have dinner at my house. Right, I have a 1982 Lafite, and I haven’t opened it yet. Will you join me?” Shen Hongbin smiled gently.

I had no interest in wine. However, Li Mazi agreed. Later on, he told me that a bottle of 1982 Lafite would cost around several million renminbi. How could he let this chance slip away! 

When I got back home, I took a nice nap and showered after waking up. I spent some time studying the metal token. However, I couldn’t figure out any clues.

A few days later, we went to attend the feast at Shen Hongbin’s house. Since the tycoon had experienced enough ups and downs, wealth was no longer attractive to him. Two days ago, he had signed the contract to transfer the company’s equity. Shen Hongbin was the new President of the company. He was full of spirit. 

The rich woman went abroad with her children, and the tycoon was planning to divorce her later. 

I asked Shen Hongbin if he showed the paternity test result to the tycoon. 

“No, I haven’t. My brother’s not doing well, and he can’t bear the shock. And, it’s like I’m holding her weakness against her. To earn big money, my brother’s hands have been soaked in blood. He’s destroyed many companies inland and also many families abroad. To get an oil field in Africa, he even sold weapons to the terrorists there. People in that area had to suffer a lot. One time, he even connected an undersea pipe to illegally sell crude oil to the Japanese companies because they offered him a higher price.”

While listening to him, I was speechless. Those shady activities weren’t something an ordinary citizen like me could comprehend. 

“As he earned more and more money, my brother became strange.” Shen Hongbin sighed. “I have asked him to stop many times. Sooner or later, he would have to receive retribution! He didn’t listen to me. I had even considered hiring an assassin to murder him. But it was just a flash of thought in my mind. No matter what, he’s my blood brother. But now, everything has come to an end. I’m the new President, and I’m going to stop all the dirty transactions. I will properly compensate the ones my brother has caused damage to…”

“Perhaps when you find that those dirty business deals can bring you a lot of money, you will become like him.” I smiled reluctantly.

“You’re right. That’s why I don’t trust human beings. I will share the equity in my hands. In the future, every business deal will be determined by the board of directors’ votes. Things like this will not happen,” Shen Hongbin answered. 

I looked at him in disbelief. When I saw him for the first time, he appeared as a bad guy. Meanwhile, the rich woman appeared as a loving wife who was desperately worried about her husband. 

Sometimes, it was hard to judge someone’s character. Honest people could somehow look disloyal while the traitors could look honest.

Otherwise, several hundred years ago, Emperor Chongzhen would not have listened to false accusations and sentenced Yuan Chonghuan to a slow and painful death. His action had pushed the Ming dynasty into the abyss of damnation.

Perhaps only time could tell the color of one’s heart!