Chapter 134: Scum?
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“I’m going alone?”
Qin Chuan asked for confirmation once more. This was no trivial matter. It was not only the Dragon Fang Special Forces; most of the elite operatives from China’s various special forces teams were probably on the list of those being sent to the Sakura Nation to investigate the truth. There would certainly be no shortage of experts. Why, then, had Long Qianqiu thought of sending him alone?
Long Qianqiu nodded and said with absolute certainty, “You are going alone. The reason is simple. Ordinary agents might not be able to handle unexpected situations, but anyone too powerful would already be on the Sakura Nation’s watch list. The moment they set foot in the country, they would probably be exposed. So, if we want this mission completed, we need to send someone unfamiliar.”
Qin Chuan suddenly understood. Stroking his chin, he said, “So, I really am the best candidate.”
“Look at you, getting cocky. You’ll only be the best candidate if you complete the mission. If you fail, you’ll be nothing at all.” Ling Qingxue could not resist taking him down a peg. She could not stand Qin Chuan’s smug, irritating expression. If she had been able to beat him, she would have pinned him to the ground and given him a thorough thrashing long ago.
Qin Chuan chuckled. “Second Senior Brother, you know me. I never do business at a loss. Though our relationship is closer than that of blood brothers, accounts still have to be settled clearly. I can help, but what do I get in return?”
Before Long Qianqiu could respond, Ling Qingxue pointed at Qin Chuan’s nose and cursed, “Are you even Chinese? Put bluntly, this concerns the survival of the nation, and you still have the nerve to bargain with us for benefits? Don’t you know that makes you a典型 traitor—one who eats China’s food while smashing China’s cooking pot?”
“Xiaoxue, enough!”
Long Qianqiu glared fiercely at Ling Qingxue, his voice unusually cold. She immediately fell silent, though the grievance on her pretty face was impossible to conceal. She did not think she had been wrong to scold him.
Long Qianqiu sighed inwardly. His goddaughter was excellent in every way, but she sometimes viewed matters too subjectively. Others might not understand Qin Chuan’s character, but Long Qianqiu knew perfectly well that his junior brother’s love for his country burned more fiercely than anyone’s.
He still remembered how, years ago, several drug merchants from the Sakura Nation had brought a fortune to the mountain to purchase precious medicinal herbs. After their request was rejected by their master, they had secretly sent experts to steal them. Qin Chuan had not said a word; he had simply killed every one of those experts. Even the merchants themselves had failed to escape a miserable death.
Later, Long Qianqiu had also heard from their master that during Qin Chuan’s three years of training and adventuring on foreign battlefields, the people he had killed most often had been mercenaries from the Sakura Nation. The hatred toward that country, etched into the bones of every Chinese person, had been displayed by Qin Chuan through his actions with utter clarity. His demand for a reward was merely an excuse to teach Ling Qingxue a lesson.
But Long Qianqiu had no way to explain all this to Ling Qingxue immediately. He could only follow Qin Chuan’s lead and ask, “Little Junior Brother, what reward do you want?”
Qin Chuan glanced at Ling Qingxue and said with a grin, “Once I complete the mission, have her serve as my bed-warming maid for a month. If you agree to that condition, I guarantee I’ll finish the mission.”
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Three black lines appeared on Long Qianqiu’s forehead. His junior brother was still as unreliable as ever. He had only two goddaughters under his care: Mo Qingqiu had already been taken away to protect Qin Youyou in secret, and now it was Ling Qingxue’s turn to become a bed-warming maid?
“If you can complete the mission, I’ll agree to more than being your bed-warming maid. I’ll even agree to become your second wife. The question is, do you actually have what it takes?” Ling Qingxue beat Qin Chuan to the punch and turned his own words against him.
“In your dreams!”
Qin Chuan crossed both arms dramatically over his chest as if protecting himself. A trace of disdain colored his voice. “With your figure and looks, you think you can be my second wife? Letting you serve as a bed-warming maid would already be doing so out of consideration for my Second Senior Brother. And let me warn you—don’t get any improper ideas about me. I’m the unattainable god of your dreams.”
“Godfather, step aside! I’m going to fight this bastard today,” Ling Qingxue shouted furiously.
Ling Qingxue had never cared particularly much about her figure or appearance compared with improving her strength. Yet Qin Chuan had actually looked down on her and said she was not even qualified to be his second wife. That was more than she could tolerate.
Long Qianqiu’s expression suddenly darkened, and he said coldly, “All right, the two of you, stop fooling around. Little Junior Brother, this matter is of great importance. Be extra careful when you go to the Sakura Nation. Don’t let yourself capsize in a shallow ditch.”
“Don’t worry. No matter how deep the ditch is, it won’t be able to stir up much trouble,” Qin Chuan said confidently.
Long Qianqiu nodded in satisfaction. As long as his junior brother took the matter seriously, the mission should proceed without incident. Even so, he could not help worrying. The Sakura Nation had plenty of experts operating behind the scenes, and the two suspects were of enormous importance. The Sakura Nation would certainly keep a close watch on them. The difficulties Qin Chuan would face were therefore easy to imagine.
“I’ll have Xiaoqing send the relevant information to you. Pack your things and leave tomorrow morning.”
After speaking, Long Qianqiu gently patted Qin Chuan on the shoulder. Qin Chuan gave him a reassuring look. The two exchanged smiles, and everything was understood without another word.
Seeing how perfectly in sync they were, the resentment in Ling Qingxue’s chest gradually faded. She now realized that Qin Chuan’s earlier words and actions had merely been meant to tease her.
“No wonder Xiaoqiu always reacts with helpless amusement whenever she mentions Qin Chuan. He’s simply too irritating!”
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Ling Qingxue composed herself, opened the briefcase she carried, and handed Qin Chuan a device about the size of a tablet computer.
“All the information concerning this operation is stored inside. You need to memorize it as quickly as possible. I’ve already taken care of the other formalities. You’ll enter the Sakura Nation as a tourist. If you can’t locate the suspects within three days, return to China immediately.”
The moment the conversation turned to the mission, Ling Qingxue completely shed her earlier fury. She became as calm as a machine operating according to a predetermined program. In that respect, she bore a slight resemblance to Long Wuhen.
Qin Chuan accepted the electronic device but did not examine it immediately. Instead, he inspected the two corpses, which had been reduced to something resembling weathered remains, once more. He detected no trace of anything like a parasitic worm within them.
“It may have been some kind of special powder capable of turning blood to water and rotting flesh. That corpse-sealing talisman was probably nothing more than a bluff meant to frighten people. Second Senior Brother, since there are no clues here that can be tracked, I’ll return to the Lan family residence first. Send the documents for my departure abroad to the Lan family. I’ll head straight to the airport tomorrow morning,” Qin Chuan said solemnly.
Long Qianqiu nodded gravely. He wanted to remind Qin Chuan to be careful, but in the end, he said nothing.
After leaving the old residential compound, Qin Chuan refused Long Qianqiu’s suggestion that Ling Qingxue drive him home. For one thing, he did not want that madwoman doing anything reckless in the car. For another, he did not want to create unnecessary complications. Ling Qingxue was, after all, a senior member of the Dragon Fang Special Forces. If spies hidden in the shadows discovered her involvement, it would cause considerable trouble for his journey to the Sakura Nation.
Qin Chuan took a taxi directly back to the Lan family’s old residence. However, the moment he got out, he saw Ah Wei pacing anxiously back and forth in front of the main gate.
When Ah Wei saw Qin Chuan return, he let out a long breath of relief. Hurrying over, he said, “Mr. Qin, you’ve finally come back. If you had been any later, the Lan family residence would probably have been torn apart by now.”
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