It Was Here

"Was there something more important than the journal?" Xia Qiang's pupils widened slightly. "What is it? That oil painting?"

Everyone knew there was something strange about the painting, but in Xia Qiang's eyes, it represented danger more than it did a clue.

Jiang Cheng hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "It isn't the painting. I haven't figured out exactly what it is yet, either. My gut tells me we're overlooking something important. I'm trying to think it through, but my thoughts are all over the place."

"I trust your instincts, Mr. Jiang. Please let me know as soon as you figure it out." Xia Qiang turned toward Lin Muyun and Lin Muwan, who were sitting near the sofa, and lowered his voice. "Whether my brothers and I make it out alive won't have much impact on the situation outside. But the Lin siblings must get out alive. It sends a message from the Xia Family to the Night Watch: we have the ability to protect the people we want to protect. That matters."

"I can more or less see why." Jiang Cheng had no objections. Lin Wan'er had told him a little about the current situation. The conflict had reached a fever pitch, and there was no reconciling the Night Watch and the state forces Lin Wan'er represented. It would end with one side dead.

Xia Qiang let out a breath, his voice turning solemn. "Mr. Jiang, could I ask you for a favor?"

"To help you protect the Lin siblings?" Jiang Cheng answered naturally. It was a simple enough question. He couldn't think of any other reason Xia Qiang would ask him for help.

"Yes. I know it'll be difficult. In return, my team and I will do everything we can to assist you, and we'll share