Pushing the door open, a rich scent of agarwood wafted over.
The interior decor of the room was extremely luxurious, yet it carried an elegant, ancient charm. Several ink wash paintings of unknown authenticity hung on the walls, and a few blue-and-white porcelain pots sat in the corners, planted with clivias and spider plants.
Right in the center of the room, there was even a miniature landscape featuring a rockery and flowing water, complete with a babbling stream and swirling white mist.
Tianque closed the door behind him with a backhand motion, took off his mask, and tossed it onto the nearby red sandalwood table.
Beneath the mask was a face so handsome it hardly seemed mortal.
Sitting in a mahogany armchair next to the rockery was a man who looked exactly like him. The only difference was that the man had ink-black hair and a pair of smiling green eyes.
Tianyan, the behind-the-scenes boss of the Senluo Pavilion, was also Tianque's twin brother.
You are back. Tianyan picked up his teacup, skimmed the floating tea leaves, and took a sip. Quite lively outside?
Tianque pulled out another chair and sat down. I saw her.
Oh? Tianyan let out a low laugh, his voice tinged with curiosity. How interesting. We spent so much effort planning a hidden route to the capital planet, only for the prey to throw herself right into our net.
She is not prey, Tianque corrected coldly, speaking an unprecedented number of words. There was a trace of protectiveness in his tone that even he did not notice.
A slip of the tongue. Tianyan rested his chin on one hand, a flash of curiosity in his green eyes. What does she look like? Compared to the photo in the database?
Alive. Moving. Tianque leaned back in his chair and slowly closed his eyes. In his mind, the scene in the dim alley surfaced uncontrollably: Jiang Lijin lifting her foot and crushing those pills.
Tianyan was clearly accustomed to his brother's bizarre yet precise way of speaking and gave a light chuckle. The Senluo Pavilion had obtained the intelligence about Jiang Lijin coming to Valoran a long time ago.
Tianque picked up the tea in front of him to moisten his throat, then recounted everything that had happened in the alley, word for word.
Truly interesting. Tianyan played with the teacup in his hand, rubbing his thumb against the rim, and could not help but chuckle. Our little wife is smarter and more ruthless than I imagined. Crushing half the pills and leaving half for Arden to take back... This pitiful amount of medicine probably will not even be enough to fill the gaps in that crazy woman Felwin's teeth.
The Senluo Pavilion's intelligence network spread throughout the galaxy, and the name Felwin left a deep impression on him.
Speaking of which, that Felwin is a major client of our Senluo Pavilion, Tianyan said unhurriedly. When others go bankrupt to buy mental power enhancement potions, it is either to fight for their lives or to drug and plot against their mortal enemies. Only she treats that deadly stuff like jellybeans just to maintain her fake S-class rating.
The side effects of this special drug that forcibly elevates mental power are nothing short of terrifying. At best, it shatters the mental sea; at worst, it causes direct genetic collapse, turning the user into a monster. Felwin was completely risking her life to prop up a glamorous, empty shell.
Tianyan stood up and walked over to the precious pot of clivia. His slender fingers flicked the delicate leaves, but his gaze gradually deepened.
I originally thought the Main Brain had matched us with a delicate flower that needed careful tending. Now it seems she is a thorny rose capable of drawing blood.
Tianque and Tianyan had left their headquarters this time specifically to go to the capital planet and meet this nominal legal wife.
Because the Senluo Pavilion belonged to an absolute gray area in the galaxy and could not see the light of day, they kept their whereabouts hidden and traveled very slowly to avoid attracting the Federation Military and the Empire Police.
Who would have thought that just by stopping over in the resort galaxy of Valoran to rest, they would receive intel on Jiang Lijin coming to Valoran and unexpectedly run into the person herself.
Do you want to go see her? Tianyan turned his head, looking at his brother with burning eyes.
Tianque raised his eyes and spoke softly, Tinia is with her.
True. Tianyan sighed. That golden-haired fox is very protective of his food. Not just him, but also the commander-in-chief of the Federation Military, Baal, and Chiron from the Empire Central Hospital... Our little wife is surrounded by some tough, ruthless characters.
Tianyan walked back to the table and poured a cup of hot tea.
Tell me, if the two of us just swaggered over there right now and told them that we are also Jiang Lijin's legal husbands, would those three guys team up to throw us into a space garbage dump?
Tianque shook his head. We could not beat them.
Right. However, the one thing our Senluo Pavilion does not lack is fake identities. Tianyan smiled.
Aside from a few core death squads in the Senluo Pavilion, no one knew what the Pavilion Master and the number one assassin looked like.
We will switch to clean identities and approach her slowly, Tianyan said. This is the most suitable wife matched to us by the Main Brain. We cannot let others take advantage of the situation.
Tianque put down his teacup and nodded. Mm.
Since she is in Valoran, we have to give her a decent meeting gift. Go check on Felwin's recent movements. After Arden takes that half back, Felwin definitely will not be able to hold back. We will stay in the dark and help our little wife add some fuel to the fire, burning those eyesore bugs to death.
Tianque stood up and picked up the mask on the table. I will go arrange it.
By the way, Tianyan stopped Tianque, give a heads-up to all the branches below. While Jiang Lijin is in Valoran, all Senluo Pavilion strongholds, intelligence networks, and armories are to grant her the highest level of clearance. Whatever she wants to investigate, give it to her directly; whatever she wants to take, deliver it directly. Clean up our tracks here in Valoran, and do not let the Yunlan Group trace anything back to the Senluo Pavilion.
Tianyan continued, Tinia is not easily fooled. Do not provoke his displeasure at this time and ruin our plans.
Tianque nodded, put his mask back on, pushed the door open, and vanished into the darkness.
The room fell quiet, leaving only the babbling sound of the flowing water from the rockery.
Tianyan returned to the desk and picked up Jiang Lijin's file. The woman in the photo had a cold gaze, as if she did not care about anything.
He rubbed the edge of the holographic projection with his thumb.
I really wish... I could see you sooner.
