Return of the King, Dominating the City-Chapter 1533 - 1518: A Murky Pool

At this moment, it was exactly seven o’clock in the evening in Shen Zhou.

While this incident was happening, Song Yun was dining with Qingluan and some others.

The others were Ye Yinyin and a white-haired woman, who seemed to be Ye Yinyin’s mentor and had once guided her in cultivation.

It was at the dinner table that Song Yun learned the white-haired woman’s name was Liu Li, the most formidable person on Kunlun Mountain.

The four of them were dining in a Chinese restaurant, with Song Yun sitting beside Qingluan, while Ye Yinyin sat with Liu Li.

This was Ye Yinyin’s first time meeting Qingluan face-to-face, and she seemed very interested, watching Qingluan constantly once they sat down.

"Am I that good-looking?" Qingluan asked with a smile. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Ye Yinyin nodded and said, "Even more attractive than I imagined."

"Thank you," said Qingluan.

"So you’re leaving once the holidays start, right?" Ye Yinyin stopped speaking to Qingluan and turned to look at Song Yun.

"Yes."

Song Yun nodded and said, "I need to go back to Sunan first and then head to Beijing."

"Master, what should we have for dinner?"

Ye Yinyin turned to look at Liu Li again.

"Whatever you like," Liu Li said with a smile. "Yinyin, Qingluan is very impressive, capable of shouldering the banner as the Holy Daughter."

"I know," Ye Yinyin nodded and said, "She gives me a sense of danger, just like you do, Master."

"Throughout your life, your intuition has always been the most accurate," Liu Li shook her head and said, "I still don’t understand why your feelings are so spot-on, almost like you have the power of foresight."

"I don’t know either."

Ye Yinyin shook her head and said, "But, Song Yun, I want to tell you something."

"Ah, what is it?" Song Yun asked as Ye Yinyin suddenly turned her focus onto him.

"Don’t easily trust everything you see and hear," Ye Yinyin said seriously.

"Ah."

Song Yun looked at Ye Yinyin in surprise.

"I was just casually saying,"

Ye Yinyin’s initial focused gaze on Song Yun quickly dispersed, "I just have a premonition, but I don’t know what it is about."

"Song Yun, Yinyin’s premonitions are usually very accurate," Liu Li said.

"Yes, I know." Song Yun nodded and said, "I’ll keep that in mind."

"That’s good. Anyway, Qingluan, you’re also going to Beijing with Song Yun, aren’t you?" Liu Li asked.

"Yes, why?" Qingluan asked.

"Nothing," Liu Li shook her head and said, "If you and Song Yun see Qingsi, ask her to visit the mountains if she has a chance, and tell her I miss her."

"Thinking about my mom," Song Yun looked at Liu Li in surprise.

"I’ve guided the leaders of the Shi Family and the Ye Family in cultivation," Liu Li said with a smile, "Back when your mother was cultivating with me, she was the life of the party, and everyone adored Qingxia."

"We’ll remember," Qingluan nodded and said.

The meal was rather uneventful. Initially, Song Yun had suspected that a strong-willed woman like Ye Yinyin meeting Qingluan, another strong-willed character, might spark some reactions. But in the end, Ye Yinyin seemed like a drifting cloud in the sky, lost in thought, while Qingluan engaged in light conversation with Liu Li and Song Yun, speaking neither too much nor too little, maintaining the same elegant demeanor throughout, and speaking with a calm, steady rhythm.

However, to Song Yun, it seemed a bit odd that nothing happened when two such women were dining together—it seemed abnormal.

Song Yun’s mischievous imagination indeed ran wild, hoping for something to happen between Qingluan and Ye Yinyin, yet if they did get along, it would certainly lead to tears for Song Yun.

While they were eating, an attack on a responsible official was quietly brewing elsewhere.

The responsible official, thanks to good fortune, was unharmed as the bullets only pierced the car body. However, this incident directly shook the system of SH city.

This is a law-based society, and such blatant, audacious attacks on key people in the system show a flagrant disregard for law and order.

The system in SH city couldn’t sit still, and neither could the leadership in the Red Wall.

This was no minor issue. The fact that the leader of Shen Zhou’s second-largest city was attacked so openly, on the street, raised concerns about public safety, and damaged the system’s reputation internationally, especially now when stability is a priority due to leadership changes. Such an event was a slap in the face for the Red Wall’s system.

Immediately, nine key figures convened a meeting in the Red Wall to address the situation, and the sense of urgency from the meeting was swiftly communicated to SH’s municipal committee.

"Please ensure to swiftly investigate who, or what organization, plotted this attack."

This was the most crucial line in the document from the Red Wall.

At this moment, Ma ChunTian was feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Really overwhelmed.

Initially, Ma ChunTian received information that the responsible official seemed to have submitted some material regarding the Sam case to the mayor of SH privately. At that time, Ma ChunTian didn’t think much of it. But feedback from the city’s system suggested that material mentioned something about himself.

Just now, his old rival, the mayor of SH, even called him personally to remind him to pay attention to some of the more obscure things that shouldn’t be known about him. Since everyone works in the system, Ma ChunTian wasn’t too surprised that the mayor knew about his unsavory dealings, as the whole circle is quite transparent, but it is those caught who are the failures.

After that, Ma ChunTian began to ponder just what exactly the responsible official had learned. Upon investigation, Ma ChunTian was shocked to discover that the official seemed to have obtained direct evidence linking him to Sam’s death. While the evidence was one thing, Ma ChunTian was startled by the official’s audacity in trying to involve the mayor. Did he not realize that even if he handed the evidence to the mayor, it would have been useless? Did he think this would be enough to bring him down? Such naive simplicity.

Just as Ma ChunTian was contemplating teaching the responsible official a lesson, the official was attacked.

Now, the situation became complex because this official was now firmly within the purview of the Red Wall and even the United States government, since he was in charge of the Sam case investigation. An assault on such a key investigator could only suggest that certain individuals wanted to halt the investigation.

Soon enough, rumors started circulating that the official had gathered evidence linking Ma ChunTian to Sam’s death, then submitted it to the mayor of SH, who informed Ma ChunTian. Consequently, Ma ChunTian allegedly orchestrated the attack to prevent the truth from coming to light.