"What's going on?"
Xu Yi felt like something was seriously wrong.
The commotion downstairs was growing louder. The woman could tell that someone was causing trouble, probably some hooligan come to shake them down.
She had seen this sort of thing plenty of times.
Anyone who wanted to set up a factory or do business in the 38th Shop District had to be able to handle this much. If they couldn't, they might as well pack up and get out.
The factory had its own security team. She didn't need to worry about it.
Impatiently, she rolled over, turning her back to Xu Yi.
Just as another burst of shouting erupted downstairs, there was suddenly a sharp crash behind her as glass shattered.
The woman sprang upright. She had just caught sight of a blurry black figure outside the window when her body went limp and she collapsed to the floor, unable to move.
The thing that had shattered was a glass soda bottle filled with Fox Incense, thrown in by Xu Yi.
The woman watched helplessly as Xu Yi's arm reached through the window, found the doorknob, and opened the door.
The door swung open, and the night breeze arrived before Xu Yi, scattering the Fox Incense lingering in the room.
The woman had already inhaled the Fox Incense, so she couldn't move.
Xu Yi found a bundle of cable ties on the desk. He used them to bind the woman's hands and feet firmly to the desk legs, then searched through the biggest desk.
"Kid! Who are you?!"
The woman, who looked exactly like Ji Xiao, snapped at him.
"What are you trying to do?!"
"Our security team will be up here any minute! They'll break your legs and toss you in a brothel to work as a pretty boy!"
"Say something!"
"Or did some pretty boy wreck your throat?! Can't even talk anymore?!"
No matter how much the woman who looked just like Ji Xiao tried to provoke him, Xu Yi ignored her.
Xu Yi remembered clearly: if he talked with Ji Xiao for more than three minutes, she would be able to control him.
If he didn't speak to her, her ability couldn't take effect.
Before long, Xu Yi found the company seal registered by Lingtong Hall with the Puxi City Bureau of Industry and Commerce, several contracts for large orders Lingtong Hall was about to fulfill, a staff roster, and two pens.
He put everything in a mailbag, slung it over his shoulder and across his chest, then walked up to Ji Xiao and stared at her.
Ji Xiao's expression slowly changed. She looked at Xu Yi with soft, flirtatious eyes, her arched brows full of affection. Her outfit was clearly demure, yet somehow she radiated an irresistible allure.
"Little darling, why are you looking at me like that~?"
Her coy, high-pitched voice made the listener's heart quiver.
"Why don't you let me go, little darling? A weak woman like me can only do as you wish~"
Xu Yi suddenly moved closer.
He carefully sniffed Ji Xiao's scent.
Ji Xiao was stunned by his sudden move. She thought he was some pervert with an unusual fetish. Her face went pale, and she didn't know what to say.
Xu Yi sniffed more carefully, drawing closer and closer. The more he sniffed, the tighter his brows knitted, and the more puzzled he grew.
This...
It really was Ji Xiao's scent!
But...
How was that possible?!
Xu Yi had an exceptionally keen sense of smell.
Especially when it came to women's scents.
He could distinguish each woman's scent with great precision.
Even identical twin sisters wearing the same perfume smelled different.
But the Ji Xiao in the Lingtong Hall office on the second floor and the Ji Xiao in the cellar of the Jing Family estate earlier that day...
They smelled exactly the same!
Xu Yi stood up and backed away two steps, staring at Ji Xiao as if she were a monster.
This was downright absurd!
But Ji Xiao was a demon, not a ghost!
After a moment of silence, he picked up a newspaper from the desk, crumpled it into a tight ball, and stuffed it into Ji Xiao's mouth. Then he used more cable ties to bind her hands and feet before striking her shoulder with a hand chop.
Ji Xiao's eyes rolled back, and she passed out.
Xu Yi found a burlap sack in the corner, stuffed Ji Xiao inside, hoisted it onto his shoulders, and hurried out the back door.
At the side entrance, Xu Yi let out a sharp whistle. As they had agreed beforehand, it meant, "I've got her. Fall back!"
After whistling, Xu Yi carried the sack with Ji Xiao inside and left.
The shouting and cursing behind him gradually faded.
Xu Yi didn't stop. He carried Ji Xiao straight to the Jing Family estate at No. 2, 38th Shop District.
He knocked and ignored the [strange] doorman. Then he went to the main hall and quietly called Jing Tao's name.
Jing Tao came out of the main hall. The moment she saw Xu Yi carrying a sack, she knew something was wrong.
The two of them went down to the cellar together.
They each used their own method to activate their spiritual powers.
A black-and-white world spread out before them. Xu Yi opened the sack and saw the fox-headed Ji Xiao lying quietly inside, still unconscious.
"How could this be..."
Jing Tao was just as baffled.
They looked at each other, speechless for a long moment.
Xu Yi was the first to break the silence.
"Here. The company seal, along with some personnel files and contracts."
Xu Yi took the documents and pens from the small bag on his chest and handed them to Jing Tao one by one.
"You keep the company seal and the contracts. I looked through the files. The company's legal representative and majority shareholder are your father. They probably couldn't manage it, didn't have connections, didn't want to spend the money, and weren't afraid your family would cause trouble, so they never changed it.
"Look at the people on the staff list and mark a check beside anyone you want to keep alive.
"Put an X beside anyone you want to disappear.
"I need it now."
Jing Tao picked up a pen, her emotions in turmoil. She pulled off the cap with her teeth, held the file in one hand, and marked it with the other. In no time, she had made her selections and handed the personnel file back to Xu Yi.
Xu Yi put the file away in his backpack.
"I'll go take care of things. You look into Ji Xiao.
"I'll be back at eight tomorrow morning. I'll give you an answer about the ointment factory."
Without waiting for Jing Tao to reply, Xu Yi turned and left.
Jing Tao watched him go, momentarily lost in thought.
The way he had everything under control in the business world, dealing strictly in business, reminded her so much of Jing Hesheng in his prime.
She hadn't felt that kind of bearing and presence in many years.
In the underworld, there was a kind of person known by the nickname Bao Dating. The name came from local Puxi dialect and meant "someone who made a living by gathering information."
When Xu Yi returned to the Peacekeeping Hall, the Bao Dating that Duan Hu had called in was already sitting outside the counter.
Bao Dating wasn't someone trained by a gang. He was a genuine "lone wanderer of the underworld."
People like him had spent generations building up their own networks. Whether among common folk or government officials, they could make connections with people from all walks of life.
Xu Yi cupped his fists toward Bao Dating. After exchanging coded phrases and confirming each other's identities, Xu Yi named the people Jing Tao had just marked with X.
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