Chapter 883: Three-Way Black Markets powers (1/2)

With Gu Qishao’s reminder, Mu Linger recalled Han Yunxi’s earliest words and compared it to the contents of the letter. She finally understood.

Anxious, she asked, “Qi gege, could Ning Cheng have done something to my big sister? Is he going to betray the West Qin Dynasty?” Han Yunxi was the West Qin princess, Ning Cheng’s master!

Since Ning Cheng had fabricated Han Yunxi’s letter, he must have kept the real one for himself. What was in that letter? A revelation of the truth? A cry for help? Just why had East and West Qin come to a ceasefire?

“Qi gege, Ning Cheng wouldn’t put my big sister under house arrest. Could they be planning a puppet regime just like the Chu Clan did before?” Mu Linger’s heart was in chaos.

Gu Qishao had been full of worried too. He had long sent men to investigate, but no one could get any definite intel. His men had entered the West Qin camp but were unable to find the main barracks. He didn’t dare send any more letters either, afraid that they’d fall into Ning Cheng’s hands and expose himself. Many times he considered making inquiries around East Qin, but held back in the end. What was there to find out from that guy Long Feiye? He’d only be treated as a joke if Long Feiye found out the situation here.

Gu Qishao could only lay low and make his move from Ning Cheng’s side. No matter what devious ideas Ning Cheng had in mind, he wouldn’t really do anything against Han Yunxi. Gu Qishao would just have to keep the guy in check. He refused to believe that he couldn’t exchange Ning Cheng for his Poison lass eventually!

“Qi gege, say something. What do we do now?” Mu Linger was so impatient, she stamped her feet.

“What are you so anxious for?” Gu Qishao said unhappily.

“Why aren’t you anxious at a time like this, Qi gege?” Mu Linger didn’t get it. Qi gege had rushed in like a madman the last time Han Yunxi was in Tianning palace.

“Because Poison lass has forgiven me!” Gu Qishao chuckled. He was only playing to his whims instead of being impulsive. The last time he’d been so anxious, it was because he feared Poison lass would never acknowledge him again. As long as he forgave her, his world would remain intact no matter what he faced.

Mu Linger avoided the brilliance in his eyes and asked, “Qi gege, then what are your plans for coming onto Ning Cheng’s turf?”

Gu Qishao sat up and rapped her on the head. “Who told you that the Three-Way Black Market is Ning Cheng’s turf?”

Mu Linger felt wronged. “You said he was the host…” But she suddenly remembered something and grabbed his hand. “Qi gege, you...what do you mean by this?”

Gu Qishao’s smile turned cold. “Cloud Realm Trade Consortium’s influence in the Three-Way Black Market pales to its prestige in the past. Ning Cheng doesn’t even count as its co-owner right now.”

Mu Linger sucked in a cold breath. “Qi gege, you, you…”

“Shhh…” Gu Qishao’s long, slender finger pressed against Mu Linger’s lips as he looked mysterious.

The Three-Way Black Market used to be dominated by the Di Clan, but as new consortiums grew and developed, the Cloud Realm Trade Consortium gradually lost power. About twenty years ago, the black markets here were split into three evenly-matched factions: Cloud Realm Trade Consortium’s Myriad Merchant Hall, Gu Qishao’s Golden Wing Hall, and the East Origin Hall of unknown background. Gu Qishao had no relations with the Three-Way Black Market in the beginning beyond coming here occasionally to auction medicinal ingredients. Five years ago, the leader of the Golden Wing Hall fell ill and personally went to Pill Fiend Valley to beg for medicine. Gu Qishao thus opened his lion’s maw and asked for the entire hall in exchange for a single ingredient.

The leader of the Golden Wing Hall loved wealth, but valued his life more. For the sake of survival, he gave all of Golden Wing Hall’s wealth and power to Gu Qishao, making him a big financial backer of Three-Way Black Market. He had silently funneled in medicinal ingredients of his own to buy and trade here, thus creating plenty of revenue for Golden Wing Hall and cementing his position as leader.

Hearing this left Mu Linger stunned. When she recalled how she claimed to understood Qi gege well, she couldn’t help but feel sick at heart now. Perhaps her Qi gege still had plenty of other unknown identities in wait.

“Qi gege, then who’s the leader of East Origin Hall?” Mu Linger muttered. “A name like East Origin...does it come from the idiom purple vapor from the east,[1]

“I couldn’t find out. The East Origin Hall has always kept a low profile, but they’ve snatched a few big businesses in recent years. If it came to a measure of strength, it’s uncertain if Myriad Merchant Hall could beat them,” Gu Qishao stated.

“Qi gege,” Mu Linger said hastily, “Then if we fight Ning Cheng without provoking East Origin Hall, they won’t bother with us either, right?”

Gu Qishao smiled guilelessly. “Don’t worry, they can’t control us.”

Mu Linger stopped fretting and grew excited instead. “How are we going to fight Ning Cheng, Qi gege?”

Gu Qishao drew closer to her ear and murmured a bunch of things that made Mu Linger laugh secretly up her sleeve. She was looking forward to it!

--

Ning Cheng and Gu Qishao made arrangements to check out the path to Blacktower tomorrow and figure out the situation before moving in. After all, they couldn’t trust Bai Yuqiao’s words completely, and it was possible things had changed since she left. Ning Cheng had only stationed men to keep a close watch on Gu Qishao and Mu Linger, but didn’t visit them afterwards.