CHAPTER 1883: CHAPTER 1884: DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES

Ye Qingming blinked, neither denying nor confirming anything.

Su Chengyu’s identity was indeed too special. If it weren’t for the old master of the family speaking up this time, Ye Qingming would never have willingly gotten involved in this mess.

It’s not that he was unconcerned about the Ye family’s matters, but as the representative pushed to the forefront by the Ye family, he couldn’t afford to make any mistakes.

Ye Qingci had talent and was not power-hungry, so she might have encountered some troubles before advancing to the Earth Immortal status.

But once she became an Earth Immortal, even if she openly declared her intent to investigate the events of that year, no one on the surface would dare to do anything to her.

Ye Wujiang was the Ye family’s greatest support; his strategic retreat was not just to avoid trouble, but to consolidate his contacts and strength for use in more appropriate places.

No one dared to touch him; Ye Wujiang, who inhabited his own domain without participating in any affairs, left others without reason or power to take any unfavorable actions against him.

Only Ye Qingming.

In this life, he had no hope of becoming an Earth Immortal, and he was the Ye family’s visible person in charge.

To shake the Ye family’s influence, the only entry point would be Ye Qingming.

This is why Ye Qingming, for decades, has been conscientious, almost never engaging in any political struggles within the Capital City.

He can’t make mistakes, because once he errs, he might become the next Su Linyuan, and the Ye family would be significantly implicated because of it.

But restraint never meant Ye Qingming had lost his spirit.

The teachings of Ye Wujiang from childhood, Ye Qingming had never forgotten.

The guidance from Uncle Su back then, even pointing out the only possible path to Earth Immortal for him, Ye Qingming remembered it to this day.

The moment the old master came out from the old residence, Ye Qingming understood that the time had come.

"Master Ye, isn’t it being a bit too cautious? You should know that this place of mine is absolutely safe."

Ye Qingming shook his head, looked at the somewhat flustered woman, and said, "Miss Qian, you’re a bit too anxious. Rest assured, I’m not here to talk about that Qian family direct line who has been missing for over a dozen years. You should know why I’m really here, Miss Qian."

Facing Ye Qingming’s words, Qian Jinming did not relax at all. She squinted and calmly spoke to this Demon Slayer Officer.

"Master Ye should know, although our Qian family is just in business, we have never done business under duress. Never."

"I’m not threatening. Concerning Su Xiaoxiao, I won’t tell him anything, regardless of the perspective. I don’t think him knowing about this would be a good thing."

"Why?"

Qian Jinming was a bit puzzled; the Qian family had spared no effort to hide this matter, worrying that Su Chengyu would make too many demands of them because of it.

Well, they could repay.

But, as businessmen, they preferred to measure the weight of this favor themselves.

"If my sources are correct, Miss Qian should have met Su Chengyu once already, right? Your Qian family has also engaged in several cooperative transactions with him, yes?"

Qian Jinming snorted coldly, "Master Ye seems to know a lot."

Ye Qingming shrugged, not hiding anything.

"After all, Su Chengyu is with the Demon Slayer Department. Regarding his whereabouts, there’s naturally a record in the department. It’s no secret; with my clearance, I can have a look."

An explanation without any flaws, leaving almost no room for suspicion.

But even so, Qian Jinming still caught that tiny gap and spoke.

"Even if you, Master Ye, have the right to look, isn’t it a bit too attentive to matters concerning this Tian Heng Saint Envoy?"

"Indeed."

Ye Qingming’s straightforward response stunned Qian Jinming for a moment, then Ye Qingming continued.

"The name Tian Heng, after all, was conferred by the late emperor, clearly aiming to cultivate Su Chengyu as a royal direct line. I work in the Capital City; how could I not pay attention to him?"

"You..."

Qian Jinming squinted her eyes, clearly at a loss about Ye Qingming’s attitude of being untouched by both soft and hard approaches. She took a deep breath to adjust her emotions before continuing, "So, what exactly do you want to know this time?"

Seeing that Qian Jinming finally gave in, Ye Qingming slightly curled his lips and said, "Two things. The first concerns my sister, Ye Qingci..."

"If it’s about her Earth Immortal body, then there’s no need to mention it. Su Chengyu has already informed me in advance, and our Qian family has been working hard to gather information over the past few months, but unfortunately, we haven’t found any useful intelligence."

Ye Qingming’s eyes dimmed a little, but he quickly recovered and said softly, "That kid does have a conscience, which makes me seem a bit too detached."

"Master Ye need not be too modest. While probing these matters, our Qian family already had agents detect that the Dragon Soul Department has been using public resources to investigate. I assume it’s Master Ye’s doing?"

Ye Qingming laughed lightly and changed the subject, "I can’t help it; after all, she’s my sister. It’s normal for subordinates to want to take advantage of this opportunity to curry favor."

"Hmph."

Qian Jinming snorted coldly, obviously not believing Ye Qingming’s words.

The anomaly concerning Ye Qingming’s Earth Immortal Realm, though not a top secret, was certainly not something an ordinary person could know. If she didn’t believe that Ye Qingming was behind the Dragon Soul Department’s involvement, she would never be convinced.

"Hurry up and say the second matter."

"The second matter concerns the Yu Clan."

Qian Jinming slightly turned, looking at Ye Qingming with a mocking expression.

"What? With such a large intel network, the Dragon Soul Department still can’t figure out what’s happening inside the Yu Clan?"

Ye Qingming listened without getting angry and calmly said, "The Nine Ancient Tribes... oh no, now it should be called the Eight Ancient Clans, considering none of them have a good impression of our Three Departments. They have always been extremely cautious of us. Moreover, having just taken action against the Luo Clan recently, our personnel is indeed being watched closely by them."

"I see? The Yu Clan still has the energy for such actions now, but then again, Su Zhedian’s lunacy was just about making the Yu Clan pay for the events of that year; you all are the ones truly wanting the Yu Clan to vanish from history."

"Miss Qian, those words are a bit much."

Qian Jinming rolled her eyes, another reason she disliked interacting with these so-called big figures in the Capital City, always beating around the bush.

Compared to these folks, Su Chengyu, even with his apparent hostility towards her, seemed much more straightforward.

"Regarding the Yu Clan, my Qian family doesn’t know much. But it isn’t anything unspeakable; I’ll have someone deliver it to your residence later."

"Hmm... better send it to my father’s place, it’s safer there, and Miss Qian will be more at ease."

"Whatever, is there anything else?"

"There are a few minor matters. The first concerns Southern Xinjiang..."

"We won’t involve ourselves in that mess. Even though it relates to that kid, we have unanimously decided to stay out of it."

"Unanimous?"

Ye Qingming was noticeably skeptical of Qian Jinming’s words.

Qian Jinming glared at Ye Qingming with disgust, "There were some dissenting voices from others, but they were all overruled. In any case, our Qian family’s main house definitely won’t get involved in the Southern Xinjiang affair."

"Alright, there’s one more thing concerning Su Xiaoxiao..."

"She’s fine; our Qian family isn’t the Luo Clan, and Xiaoxiao isn’t a sacrifice of ours. No matter whom you’re helping with this question, you don’t need to worry too much about this matter."