Chapter 139: Winter is Coming

Around midnight, in Keke’s studio, even the cats and dogs had drifted off into a sleepy haze. Li Lan was still slumped on the sofa, dozing off.

Hearing the sound of keys in the lock, he rubbed his bleary eyes. "You’re back? Didn't you say it was just a dinner that would take two or three hours? Why so long... Whoa, what happened to you two?"

They had left dressed to the nines, but now they looked completely wilted.

Li Ruoke waved a hand. "Don't ask... just go to bed."

They had just come from the police station. Dong Ye and Feng Xin had been given a stern lecture by the officers, and the ridiculous part was that not only were the two of them injured, but everyone else had been caught in the crossfire to some extent.

Qi Yan felt incredibly stifled. What kind of mess was this? He had initially thought Chen Huiting’s insistence on inviting him was driven by ulterior motives, but he had overthought it; she simply wanted to consult him in person about Thai Yin plaques.

However... he was grateful that Li Ruoke had persuaded him to go, or he would have missed this new Yin plaque.

Once Li Lan went back to his room to rest, the two of them began to whisper.

"Should we tell Uncle Yan and the others immediately? This is already the sixth Yin plaque that has surfaced."

Qi Yan sighed and nodded. "Yes. There are seven in total, and the holders aren't even the same people. I thought tracking down all the plaques would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, but it’s actually... surprisingly easy."

Li Ruoke thought for a moment and said, "I don't think this is just a coincidence. Have you ever considered that this might be a form of causality?"

The moment Qi Yan heard the word "causality," his head began to ache.

But she continued, "Think about it. Based on the current situation, although these seven Yin plaques appeared at different times and places, since you acquired yours, they have been moving toward us one after another. It might look like a coincidence, but there can’t be that many coincidences. I suspect... there must be some unspeakable connection, a force manipulating your destiny from the shadows."

As she spoke, it became more and more mystical. Qi Yan gave a bitter smile. "You’re going to say it’s fate, right? Sigh..."

Even though it sounded far-fetched at first, upon reflection, it really did seem that way.

Looking at the results, they had indeed appeared in his life in quick succession, especially in the short time since he had obtained the seventh plaque.

"That may be true, but I got a clear confirmation from Chen Huiting. Her boyfriend is definitely the holder of the Yin Palace Yin plaque. It’s easy to verify; just hearing how he obtained it is enough to be certain."

"However... I think we need to plan this carefully. Even if we know who the holder is, I don't think we can just tell him everything. Whether he believes us is one thing, but the key is that this Zhong Yu doesn't seem to have experienced anything as harrowing as I have yet. He’s likely still in the dark, just like I was before."

Li Ruoke felt that made sense. "But we have the upper hand now, don't we? Since he has one of the seven plaques of the Yin Palace, it’s only a matter of time before those people target him. Look at him... he’s wearing it right around his neck, so conspicuous."

Qi Yan spread his hands. "What else can he do? Can he just throw it away? If he could, do you think I’d be dragged into this mess?"

"But I don't think we need to worry too much. We have the intelligence first, so we have the initiative. This Zhong Yu is different from me. I only ended up on their radar after the boss, Zhao, caught me and Xiao Lan, and Watanabe Shinji saw me. I think if he stays out of their sight... he might be able to hide it for a while longer."

"What I’m worried about is... even if we find all the remaining plaques, how do we take back the two that are already in their hands? Theoretically, the plan is to collect all of them to uncover the secrets of the 'Yin Palace'."

Speaking of which, Qi Yan felt exhausted and leaned back against the sofa. "Sigh... when will this end? Why has living a carefree life become such a distant, extravagant wish?"

Li Ruoke comforted him, "Don't think too much tonight. I believe everything will be alright. If this is a trial or a tribulation destined for you, then you can't run from it... but things are better than before, aren't they? You have us with you; you aren't facing these hardships alone."

Qi Yan sighed helplessly. "Yes... that’s the only thing that gives me any comfort. If I were struggling in this dark vortex alone, I might have had a mental breakdown and jumped off a building long ago."

They chatted for a while longer before preparing to sleep. There had been too much going on tonight, and they had received a lot of information that needed to be digested. Sitting there worrying wouldn't help, so they decided to wait until tomorrow to invite Uncle Yan and the others to discuss it properly.

Qi Yan was too lazy to go home, so he decided to make do on the sofa for the night to avoid the back-and-forth.

Before washing up and sleeping, he didn't forget to check the Buddha plaque whose chain had broken during the dinner. Fortunately, the plaque itself wasn't damaged; he just needed a new chain.

One thing puzzled him: when the fight broke out earlier, why had he suddenly thrown up? Although he had been drinking, it was only a few light glasses, nowhere near enough to make him vomit—he hadn't even felt dizzy. How could it be that bad?

Yet, after he threw up, his stomach didn't feel uncomfortable anymore.

Early the next morning, the Siamese cat, Maodou, jumped onto Qi Yan’s pillow and flicked its tail, waking him up.

"Go on, get down..." He yawned, no longer sleepy. Sleeping on a sofa was nowhere near as comfortable as his own bed.

Looking at the time, it was just past seven. Li Ruoke and her brother weren't awake yet, so Qi Yan put on his jacket and got up to tidy up.

It was the weekend. He called Uncle Yan first, but no one answered, likely because he was still asleep. He sent a text message asking him to come to Keke’s studio today, saying only that there was "major news." It was hard to explain in a few words, so he decided to wait until they met to go into detail.

It was so early that he looked in the fridge for something to eat, but found it looking as if it had been ransacked—other than plenty of bubble tea supplies, there was no food at all, not even a single egg.

"Oh, give me a break! And they call themselves a cafe? Unbelievable..."

Qi Yan replaced the plastic bags in the various trash cans, planning to take the garbage down and buy breakfast for three on his way back.

As soon as he stepped out of the elevator and walked out of the building, a damp, chilly wind hit him in the face.

It truly was cold the moment he stepped outside. The weather had indeed turned; to use a classic line from *Game of Thrones*, it felt like... winter was coming.

Strictly speaking, it wasn't long until winter anyway.

Carrying several large bags of trash, Qi Yan walked down the steps and looked up, freezing in his tracks. The trash nearly slipped from his hands.

A sleek, pitch-black Bentley was parked not far from the entrance of the unit. Aside from Yang Han’s Porsche, he hadn't seen such a high-end car in this neighborhood before.

What really startled Qi Yan wasn't the car itself, but the woman standing next to it, leaning against the door, dressed in a long, bright red trench coat.

The black and red colors created a striking contrast.

Seeing Qi Yan walk out, she looked up and curled the corners of her lips. Clearly, she had been waiting for him.