NOVEL NEXT Chapter 400: Not Going Anymore
"Mister Xu."
After going upstairs, Xu Ke came across Wang Wu standing at the entrance of the corridor.
"Uncle Wu, why are you here? Aren't you going in?" Xu Ke asked, startled.
Today, Tang Yingchang had gone with Xu Ke to swindle the Ye and Huang Families, so he had asked Wang Wu to protect Xu Yi.
"I just came out to answer a call. Miss Xu Yi is still inside," Wang Wu explained.
Xu Ke nodded slightly. "I see."
Wang Wu hesitated for a moment before saying, "The content of this call is related to you."
"What is it?"
"Lin Zhongtian originally came to Tianhai for Sun Luo, but he was also slated to serve as one of the judges for the Martial Artist selection competition," Wang Wu explained. "But given your relationship with Lin Zhongtian, Wong Ting surely knows about it now. Therefore, they've sent someone new from Long Capital."
"Do they have so little confidence in Qian Jun?" Xu Ke's lips curved up. "Are they really afraid I'd cheat by using Lin Zhongtian?"
Tang Yingchang, standing behind him, added, "With Mister Xu's abilities, you naturally have no need to cheat. But given their penchant for cheating, they'll definitely assume that if you were to lose, you would cheat just like them."
He continued, "Let's hope this new elder from Long Capital doesn't look for trouble. Otherwise, he might have come here alive, but that doesn't necessarily mean he can leave the same way..." Tang Yingchang trailed off, but the murderous intent in his words was obvious.
Xu Ke said nothing.
Wang Wu continued, "I've also heard that Wong Ting is making some moves, but for the time being, we don't know what they're planning. Please be extra vigilant, Mister Xu."
Xu Ke nodded. "Thank you, Uncle Wu."
"No need. I'll head back now."
Since Xu Ke and Tang Yingchang had returned, he no longer needed to protect Xu Yi. The three of them then said their goodbyes.
* * *
Just as Xu Ke returned to room 2301, there was a knock on the door. Xu Yi was standing outside.
"What's up?" Xu Ke asked, taken aback.
Xu Yi was holding a phone, looking exasperated. "My dad suddenly decided to check up on me for no reason and made my roommate answer his call. I had no choice but to tell him I was with you. He said you should take my phone and call him back."
Xu Ke frowned. "Okay, I'll call him."
What is Second Uncle up to?
Xu Ke called the number back.
"Second Uncle, have you eaten?"
"Where did you take your sister?" Xu Zhentai demanded.
Xu Ke began to bluff. "Nowhere. She's at my place studying. She just got back to the country and needs to catch up on her schoolwork."
"Oh, oh, that's fine then..." Xu Zhentai said, his tone emphatic. "Make sure you send your sister back to school. Don't let her wander off, you hear?"
"No problem," Xu Ke nodded repeatedly. "I guarantee she won't be going anywhere."
"Okay, that puts my mind at ease... wait, I've only been talking about her." Then, Xu Zhentai added, "This is about you too. If you encounter any problems you can't solve, make sure to call me right away, got it?"
Xu Ke was silent for a moment before nodding. "Got it, Second Uncle."
He's probably talking about the press conference incident.
"Okay." Xu Zhentai hung up.
Xu Yi looked at Xu Ke curiously. "What did my dad say?"
"Nothing much. He just told you not to run around and to get some sleep. Now, off you go." Xu Ke began to push Xu Yi toward the door.
Xu Yi was instantly annoyed but was powerless to resist as Xu Ke firmly pushed her out.
Afterward, Xu Ke returned to his room to cultivate and then had a call with Wong Qifu.
Before going to sleep, Xu Ke's thoughts turned to Ye Chong's scheme. His eyes narrowed slightly. After pondering for a while, he rolled over, picked up his phone, and made several calls.
* * *
The next morning at nine o'clock, Xu Ke instructed Tang Yingchang to continue protecting Xu Yi and to keep an eye out for those few brazen Houtian Martial Artists from before.
"Room 202."
Ye Chong sent the text.
So that's the rendezvous point.
Xu Ke chuckled and texted Jiang Yi, "Have you arrived?"
Jiang Yi, who had received Xu Ke's message the night before, replied immediately, "Already here."
"I'm sitting by the window. The place is pretty crowded right now. I've specifically invited a few friends to eat with me, which makes for a good cover."
Xu Ke replied, "Keep an eye on 202."
Jiang Yi's strength is mediocre and he isn't well-known, which makes him the perfect 'monitor' for me. In fact, I had originally considered using Yuk Dalong, a regular at the Felice. But Yuk Dalong followed Ye Chong before he started following me. Calling him over now would be too conspicuous.
Jiang Yi's reply came through.
"Room 202 is empty, but the door is open. Like the other reserved private rooms, it has an 'Occupied' sign on it."
"Everyone around seems to be minding their own business, but quite a few are secretly watching room 202. They're probably Ye Chong's men, worried you'll show up and cause trouble."
"Based on my experience, there are probably a lot of recording and camera devices inside."
"Alright, keep waiting," Xu Ke texted back.
I knew that if Ye Chong was planning to frame me, recording devices and cameras were inevitable. A quick check from Jiang Yi confirmed my suspicions.
"No problem," Jiang Yi replied.
Xu Ke put his phone down and began to cultivate, with no intention of leaving his room.
Since I know Ye Chong and Wang Yu are planning to frame me, why would I walk right into a trap at the hotel? That would just be asking for trouble. My original plan was just to stand him up and let him waste his entire morning at the Felice. But on second thought, that would be letting him off too easily. Since he and Wang Yu want to play games, it would be a disservice not to take this opportunity to play along, wouldn't it?
An hour later, Xu Ke got out of bed.
A message from Feng Wei came in. "Mister Xu, I've successfully hacked into the recording device they placed in 202. They didn't notice."
The corners of Xu Ke's mouth lifted slightly.
* * *
A little while later.
「Felice Grand Hotel, Room 202.」
Ye Chong walked into the room with a smile and pushed the door shut. His bodyguards followed him inside.
Jiang Yi sent Xu Ke a message: "Ye Chong has entered 202."
Xu Ke nodded, all while busying himself with preparing the antidotes for the Hundred-Day Bone Erosion Poison and the Shitian Elixir.
* * *
Half an hour later.
A message from Ye Chong arrived: "Not here yet?"
Xu Ke casually replied, "On my way. There's a traffic jam near Longcha, I can't get through. If I take the subway, I'll probably get ambushed by your Grandpa Jiu again."
Ye Chong didn't reply.
* * *
Another half an hour passed.
Ye Chong sent a message: "Where are you?!!!"
Seeing the three exclamation marks, Xu Ke burst out laughing. He could almost picture Ye Chong's seething frustration in the private room.
Xu Ke replied again, "I'm at your house, having tea with your dad."
Then, he blocked Ye Chong's number.
* * *
At 11:10 AM.
Jiang Yi sent a message: "He's left the room. Still no sign of Wang Yu, though."
A smirk played on Xu Ke's lips. "Good. You can head back now."
Since Ye Chong had left, Jiang Yi, his "monitor," was no longer needed.
At the same time, a message from Feng Wei arrived. "The recording device was taken away. Do you want to hear what happened in the room?"
"Sure, send it to me," Xu Ke replied, then asked, "Can you still track the location of the recording device?"
"No problem."
Feng Wei replied with an 'OK' hand emoji and an audio file.