Chen Jing had just arrived at the entrance to Zhuang Mansion when the gatekeeper spotted him. A smile immediately spread across the man's face, and he hurried over to greet him.
Chen Jing and Zhuang Tao had been seeing each other frequently lately, and they were as close as brothers. Everyone in Zhuang Mansion had long since become thoroughly familiar with Chen Jing.
Now that Chen Jing had arrived, the gatekeeper didn't need to announce him. He led Chen Jing straight to a side hall.
Chen Jing had barely taken a seat in the side hall when hurried footsteps sounded from outside.
"Brother Jing?"
Zhuang Tao came out from the inner courtyard. When he saw Chen Jing sitting in a chair, he smiled and asked, "What brings you here at this hour?"
"Brother Tao, something's happened."
Chen Jing rose to his feet and said bluntly, "The Liu Family... has lost people."
The moment the words fell, the smile froze on Zhuang Tao's face. His whole body visibly jolted.
Zhuang Tao didn't ask another question. He strode forward, grabbed Chen Jing by the wrist, and lowered his voice. "Come with me."
Before Chen Jing could respond, Zhuang Tao pulled him straight toward the study.
Once inside, Zhuang Tao closed the door behind them, personally poured Chen Jing a cup of hot tea, and then sat down across from him.
Chen Jing didn't beat around the bush. He set down his teacup and spoke directly. "Brother Tao, what you warned me about has come to pass."
"I just got back from upstream on Cold River today. At a fork in the forest road, I ran into people from the Liu Family being ambushed."
"People from the Liu Family were ambushed?"
Zhuang Tao's body jolted, and a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.