Chapter 1328: Identity Suspicions
The "Spiritualist War" Xiao Kang spoke of referred to the world-shaking chaos that had already passed. Because the orchestrators of this great turmoil were Spiritualists, and their target was the Underworld Office, it came to be known as the Spiritualist War.
At this moment, Xiujuan's slightly furrowed brow remained, unsoftened. This was because Xiao Kang's explanation, to her, wasn't detailed enough, or rather, she wasn't satisfied with it. So, she didn't speak, choosing instead to remain silent.
Seeing his mother remain silent, her brows still furrowed, Xiao Kang understood she wasn't satisfied with his explanation. So he continued to speak.
“Ah Mei's home address—I sent people to investigate, and there were no issues. And although the rest of Ah Mei's family is dead, they still have neighbors. Those neighbors also confirmed that Ah Mei's identity is completely clear. ”
No matter how one looked at it, Xiao Kang's explanation seemed to prove that Ah Mei's identity was completely without issue. Yet, Xiujuan's brows furrowed even deeper.
Xiujuan's reaction registered in Xiao Kang's eyes, and a strong sense of doubt appeared on his face, accompanied by a touch of dissatisfaction.
“Mom, I truly have investigated Ah Mei's background, and it's been confirmed that her identity is perfectly fine. Why are you still not at ease? ”
Xiujuan naturally detected the dissatisfaction in her son's tone. With a soft sigh, she gently shook her head, then replied.
While Xiujuan's words didn't make Xiao Kang's expression change drastically, they did cause his brows to furrow slightly.
“Uncle Yang? Mom, what do you mean by that? ”
Xiujuan knew her son likely understood what she meant, but she still asked Xiao Kang directly.
“No sooner had you left Lecheng than your Uncle Yang told your mother to come to Honghai City to find you. Why do you think your Uncle Yang would do that? Was it merely to reunite mother and son? ”
Xiujuan asked. Xiao Kang's brows furrowed a little deeper, but he didn't reply. Xiujuan also didn't seem to be waiting for his answer, continuing immediately.
“You are one of your Uncle Yang's trusted aides. The reason your Uncle Yang had you come to Honghai City to serve as an Emissary of Death, in my view, was merely as a stepping stone to silence certain people. Once you've truly achieved something in Honghai City, I believe your Uncle Yang will certainly transfer you back to his side. Since your time in Honghai City is only temporary, why would your Uncle Yang go to such extra lengths to have me come to Honghai City to reunite with you? And it happened precisely as you had just left Lecheng, then he immediately sent me to Honghai City to find you. Do you believe there isn't a deeper meaning to all of this? ”
Xiao Kang still didn't respond, but by now, the smile had long vanished from his face, and his brows were furrowed even tighter.
“My speculation isn't baseless. In my last conversation with your Uncle Yang, he brought up your girlfriend to me. Although he didn't state it directly, based on my understanding of your Uncle Yang over all these years, he was telling me that he's uneasy about this girlfriend of yours who suddenly appeared. ”
Xiujuan's words instantly made Xiao Kang's expression change.
“Does Uncle Yang want to break up Ah Mei and me, or. . . or does he want to kill Ah Mei? ”
Xiao Kang's voice was somewhat low, no longer as relaxed and lively as before.
Xiujuan didn't answer immediately. Instead, she thought for a moment, organized her thoughts, and then spoke.
“If her identity truly isn't an issue, then given your Uncle Yang's fondness for you, I firmly believe he wouldn't 'break up a loving couple'; in fact, he would certainly bless you both. Conversely, if her identity really does have problems, then it's hard to say what might happen. The possibility of her dying is much greater. ”
Xiao Kang didn't speak. His expression was solemn, his brows tightly knit, his mind a labyrinth of unknown thoughts.
“As for the current situation between the Jingling Continent Underworld Office and the Tong Continent Underworld Office, it’s normal for ordinary Emissaries of Death not to know. But as one of your Uncle Yang's trusted confidantes, I believe you are well aware that both sides have reached a point of irreconcilable conflict. And your Uncle Yang is one of the nine Guardians of the Jingling Continent Underworld Office; the number of people who wish him dead is far from small. Not to mention the Tong Continent Underworld Office, even within the Jingling Continent Underworld Office, there are those who desire your Uncle Yang's life. However, your Uncle Yang is not an easy opponent, so if they wish to eliminate him, they would have no choice but to resort to underhanded tactics. Targeting your Uncle Yang's trusted aides—that is one such underhanded tactic. ”
Xiao Kang, of course, understood perfectly what his mother meant. His mother was worried that Ah Mei was one of the methods his opponents would use against his Uncle Yang, that her purpose in getting close to him was to strike at his Uncle Yang, though she hadn't explicitly said so.
Seeing Xiao Kang remain silent, Xiujuan paused slightly, giving him a moment to digest her words. Then, with a soft sigh, she continued to speak.
“Sigh, while you are very clever, you are still young, and your life experience is limited. It's much easier for the other side to target you compared to your Uncle Yang's other confidantes. Furthermore, you are precisely at the age of first love, so using someone of the opposite sex to attract you, to get close to you, is absolutely the best choice for them. If you haven't fallen deeply into their net of affection, then perhaps it's still fine. But once you're ensnared, it will be very difficult to extract yourself. And as the saying goes, 'those involved are often confused'; when you're deeply entangled in love, your mind will also become muddled. You will definitely selectively ignore certain details because subconsciously, you don't want the worst outcome to materialize. ”
After Xiujuan finished speaking, Xiao Kang did not remain silent.
“'Those involved are often confused, while bystanders see clearly. ' Mom, you are right about that. Perhaps I, deeply entangled in this emotional net, truly have overlooked some details. As a bystander, Mom, have you noticed anything? ”
Xiao Kang asked, his tone flat, neither humble nor arrogant. At this moment, he seemed to show little emotional fluctuation, but in reality, that wasn't the case; his use of such a tone with Xiujuan already indicated the considerable instability of his inner emotions.
Upon hearing this, Xiujuan gently shook her head, then spoke.
“The time we've spent together is still too short. I haven't discovered anything yet. ”
No sooner had Xiujuan finished speaking than Xiao Kang spoke again.
“Then do you think Ah Mei seems like someone with problems? After you arrived in Honghai City, Ah Mei has been utterly respectful towards you, meek and compliant, even afraid to speak too loudly for fear of displeasing you. Someone as gentle and thoughtful as her, I find it hard to believe she has issues. And I truly have investigated her background; it's spotless, perfectly clean, with no problems whatsoever. Her neighbors can also confirm this. For you to still suspect her even with all this, isn't that being a bit overly suspicious? ”
Xiao Kang's expression hadn't changed, nor had his tone, but the meaning behind his words carried strong dissatisfaction. Anyone could hear it, and Xiujuan, as Xiao Kang's mother and the one who understood him best, how could she not perceive the discontent in his speech?
“Ah Mei is indeed very respectful towards me, I cannot deny that. But for someone skilled at disguise, how could they not even manage that? Of course, your mother isn't necessarily convinced that Ah Mei has problems, nor does she wish for Ah Mei to have problems. However, this matter is too far-reaching; we must treat it with utmost caution. Do you wish for your Uncle Yang to suffer misfortune? And for it to be because of you? ”
Xiujuan asked. Xiao Kang didn't respond immediately. At this moment, his brows were tightly knit, revealing the deep internal conflict he was experiencing.
“Of course I don't want anything to happen to Uncle Yang. Whether it's because of me or not, I don't want anything to happen to him. So, Mom, what do you think I should do now? How can we clear Ah Mei's suspicions? ”
Xiao Kang asked. Xiujuan thought for a moment, then spoke.
“I need to personally confirm whether Ah Mei's identity is problematic or not. You don't need to worry about this; just wait for my findings. ”
Xiujuan didn't want Xiao Kang to interfere in this matter because he was already deeply ensnared in Ah Mei's web of affection. She worried that his investigation might be biased, or that he would selectively overlook certain details. She couldn't bring herself to be at ease, so she simply decided not to let Xiao Kang get involved, choosing instead to figure things out herself, lest all their efforts prove to be 'drawing water with a bamboo basket'—a futile endeavor.
Xiao Kang didn't immediately agree, nor did he immediately refuse. After some deliberation, he gritted his teeth, nodded at Xiujuan, and simply uttered a single word: “Alright. ”
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