The two of them descended the stairs quickly. It wasn't that Jun Xie didn't want to explain things right there, but his senses had been persistently detecting someone observing him from within the tavern, an aura that made Jun Xie deeply uncomfortable, which was precisely why he suggested the Evergreen Pavilion, that supposedly "quiet" venue.

After Jun Xie and Tang Yuan had gone downstairs, in a private booth of the tavern, a voice remarked, "Brother Li, they've left. What do you make of it?"

A gentle voice replied with measured calm, "Tang Yuan, while he has some understanding, that is all. He is too much of a reckless dandy. Even if this sort of person harbors ill intentions, they will only show their hand openly and challenge us head-on. Therefore... he can be dismissed. It is only Jun Mo Xie... his recent conduct seems rather different from the rumors." His tone was thick with suspicion.

"Oh? Brother Li means... that young Third Master Jun has some anomaly?" The first person questioned, "But this fellow is still as frivolous and greedy as before. Did you not see him extorting Qin Hu just now? This fellow has quite the appetite, actually demanding Qin Hu hand over all the gambling dens of the North City Gang; haha... truly a pipe dream! Isn't he afraid of choking?"

"There are things you don't know. The strangeness surrounding Jun Mo Xie these past few days is not limited to that. This matter is indeed peculiar; have Li Yan pay close attention, tell him to instruct Qin Hu to visit Jun Mo Xie tomorrow afternoon, and he must remember every single word Jun Mo Xie says. Then, compile it immediately for me, without the slightest omission. I need to contemplate this thoroughly."

The second person pondered, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. Recalling Jun Xie’s demeanor from moments ago, he finally shook his head: from his words to his actions, it was the pure facade of a typical spoiled brat. Why did he feel something was off? Was he being too... paranoid? No, caution is the mother of wisdom!

"During these next few days, find a way to meet with Jun Mo Xie." The 'Brother Li' spoke slowly, "There is news that this lad has been training at home like his life depends on it recently, and he speaks with a certain conviction about it. I have a feeling something is very wrong. I want to see if it is true."

"Me? Meet Jun Mo Xie?" The other person immediately sounded reluctant, as if being asked to share a table with such a reprobate was utterly humiliating.

"You are still so arrogant and self-important! This arrogance will be your undoing." The 'Brother Li' looked up; his features were refined and handsome, revealing himself to be Li Youran. He still spoke those words lightly, but the person opposite him instantly broke into a cold sweat: "Yes, I will arrange it when I return."

"Good. I will be listening in from the side then. To see what kind of mischief Jun Mo Xie is truly plotting," Li Youran stated calmly.

"Oh, right, Brother Li, I received word that the Second Brother might make a move in the next few days; he is getting impatient. However, we don't know if his target is the Third Brother or Ling Meng; the intelligence from that side is very discreet, with no further details coming through."

"Oh?" Li Youran’s gentle voice gave a soft snort, his tone slowly deepening, "The Second Brother is truly a bit foolish. At this juncture, whoever moves first will be the one to suffer. Hmm... we might as well remain spectators for now; staying still is the best strategy."

"But, that girl Ling Meng is someone you took an interest in..." The first person seemed hesitant to continue.

"It matters not, she is just a woman in the end. If Ling Meng can be used to make the Eldest, Second, and Third Brothers spill each other's blood, then that is something I would welcome." Li Youran’s gentle voice was calm and natural, yet it exuded an immense cold detachment, slowly stating, "Our grand enterprise spans millennia; as for women... hehehe, they are not worth a moment's thought!"

Silence settled back into the private booth.

On the road, inside the carriage, Jun Xie sat far across from Tang Yuan, striving to restrain himself, enduring the greasy smell emanating from Fatty Tang with great difficulty. Even the endurance of a former King of Assassins was struggling to hold up.

He opened the carriage curtain to breathe in some fresh air, and Jun Xie said, "Fatty Tang, from what you've said, you've been having a miserable time at home lately?"

Tang Yuan, who had been excitedly engaged, suddenly deflated, waving a hand weakly, "Third Young Master, if you're my brother, please don't bring it up. Mentioning it makes me want to hang myself. Tell me, why am I so unlucky? Others don't encounter these things, but mine keep coming one after another. Third Young Master, your brother is truly... Damn it all!"

"And do you want to escape this situation?" Jun Xie grinned wickedly twice, speaking seductively.

"Of course I do, how could I not? Anyone who doesn't want to is a bastard! But this matter isn't something easily resolved!" Tang Yuan scratched his head, looking like someone from the old days of societal struggle.

"What's easy or difficult, I only ask if you want to escape this sea of suffering!" Jun Xie squinted, observing the Fatty with a rather amusing look, like a fisherman watching his bait.

"I want to, I truly want to!" Tang Yuan became instantly excited, "Third Young Master, could it be you have a way?"

"Ways? Though I don't have many, I certainly have two or three clever schemes. But even one of my clever schemes is enough to get you out of this bind. Want to know?" Jun Xie chuckled, swinging his legs casually.

"I want to!... Third Young Master, my dear brother! Brother Jun, Uncle Jun, Ancestor! ... Please, tell me quickly, I truly cannot stand it anymore." Tang Yuan instantly seized a life raft, becoming agitated, panting heavily, nearly bringing tears to his eyes.

"Did you see the arrogance of the North City Gang today? Did it make you very unhappy?" Jun Xie prompted casually.

"It made me unhappy! Damn it, the father and son are a pair of scum, so annoying! If it weren't for all the rotten things happening at home these days, I would have eliminated them immediately. Even if he comes to deliver silver tomorrow, I won't bother seeing him!" Tang Yuan shook his head, "Third Young Master, hurry up and tell me the method, why bring up those two pieces of trash?"

"Isn't this the method?! Tang Yuan, not many people know that your home was robbed, do they?" Jun Xie smiled.

"Certainly, many people know things were stolen! The theft itself isn't a huge deal, but nobody knows exactly what was taken. If the news that a Ninth-Grade Profound Pill was stolen from my own home got out, wouldn't my Tang family become a laughingstock? We claimed it was just tracking down runaway slaves and searching out enemies." Tang Yuan muttered, becoming increasingly confused about what Jun Xie was up to.

"But, according to my speculation, Qin Hu actually knows about this," Jun Xie swung his legs. "Did you notice just now, when you mentioned the Tang family being robbed, Qin Hu's expression was very flustered, seemed like he was sweating profusely." In truth, Qin Hu had only had a slight flicker in his eyes, with no real change in expression, and the profuse sweating was pure fabrication. But Fatty Tang wasn't the observant sort, nor could he recall such subtleties anyway.

"You mean... Qin Hu is connected to this matter?" Tang Yuan sat bolt upright, his small eyes wide open. What Young Master Jun said was indeed significant, making doubt unavoidable. Normally, if Young Master Jun said something, Young Master Tang would simply believe it.

"Fatty, why are you thinking so rigidly? Regardless of whether he is truly connected to this matter, all that matters is that you believe he is involved. You just need to go back and tell your grandfather that Qin Hu's North City Gang might be connected to this incident. That way, regardless of the investigation's outcome—whether the North City Gang is involved or not—the pressure on you will be significantly alleviated, won't it?" Jun Xie sneered, "Besides, we aren't framing him. Qin Hu’s panic just now was undeniable. If he didn't have a guilty conscience, why would he panic?"

"But what if my grandfather investigates... and it turns out Qin Hu wasn't responsible? Wouldn't that backfire?" Tang Yuan hesitated.