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墨書 Inktalez
Upon hearing the voice, Luo Yi quickly recalled the face that matched it from his memory.
A month ago, a certain gentleman who stayed in Room 305.
On the night of the incident involving Summer Melody, everyone was either panicking or furious, but his expression remained blurred at the edge of vision.
On the night of the conflict between Zhou Yao and the Curly-Haired Woman, those in the room wore complex expressions, troubled and difficult to read, while he merely watched the commotion.
Only at the last moment did he say a few words of mediation: "Let's just leave this matter here, alright?"
...
"It's you."
There was no response from the other end of the phone, as if waiting for him to confirm.
Luo Yi rummaged through his memory; he had submitted his ID when checking in. The address was in C City.
Luo Yi said, "Your name is Jiang Peng."
"Boss Luo has a good memory," the other party chuckled, his voice hoarse.
"Is there something you need?" Luo Yi asked lightly, pulling out a cigarette from the pack.
Jiang Peng said, "I invite Boss Luo to come over for tea."
Luo Yi replied, "I don't drink tea."
"Is Boss Luo not coming?"
"Not coming."
This was unexpected for the other party, and there was a pause of one second on the phone.
Before he could respond, Luo Yi disinterestedly said, "I run an inn, not a kindergarten. If that girl has something going on, her companions will naturally find a way. If something really happens, it won't ruin my business here."
Jiang Peng paused for a few seconds and then laughed heartily, "Boss Luo, you are quite interesting. Alright, I’ll listen to you. After having tea, let her go."
The tone shifted,
"—However, a few out-of-town tourists always go missing around here each year. Whether they were abducted or eaten by wolves, no one knows."
Luo Yi held an unlit cigarette, his thin lips pressed tightly together.
"Boss Luo, there’s a car parked outside now. My brothers don’t have much patience; if it doesn’t arrive in a minute, we’ll leave."
Luo Yi lit the cigarette and took a few puffs expressionlessly. While his exterior remained calm, his mind raced to search for anyone related to the name Jiang Peng.
Eventually, he found a result.
In the same city and district as that ID address, Luo Yi only knew one person who happened to share the surname Jiang—Jiang Hong—who had a close friendship with him. Jiang Hong was once the boss of an auction house but went bankrupt after being affected by counterfeit auction items and committed suicide by jumping off a building.
Luo Yi knew that Jiang Hong had a brother but nothing beyond that.
He speculated that the other party was likely Jiang Hong's brother. If it was just about seeking revenge on him, Zhou Yao should be safe.
However, he suddenly recalled Zhou Yao's face and wondered if she would be scared enough to have tears in her eyes.
A little over half a minute later, as the car was about to start, Luo Yi stood up, took out some cash from his pocket and tossed it on the table before leaving the restaurant.
Before getting in the car, he quickly scanned the surroundings, but Lu Xu was not nearby. The thought of actually expecting Lu Xu to be tailing him made Luo Yi lightly curl the corners of his lips.
The phone was soon confiscated, and his eyes were covered.
……
This was a room with a traditional Chinese style. There was a yellow wooden sofa, a yellow wooden table, and various sizes of bonsai plants displayed in the closet—sturdy pines, withered wood, and more; next to the cabinet stood a floor clock, its pendulum swaying back and forth. Looking around, there were ink wash landscape paintings on the walls, and on one side was a Japanese sliding door covered with white paper depicting the Three Friends of Winter.
On the table in front of her sat a tea cup, and smoke wafted from an incense burner filled with faint sandalwood.
Zhou Yao recalled what had happened not long ago: a man had suddenly grabbed her neck from behind, holding a sharp knife to force her to get up and leave for the car, bringing her here after about an hour's drive.
An hour's journey—where had she ended up?
She had been trying to remember everything. She heard the strong wind outside as they drove halfway down from the highway onto a rural dirt road. There were sounds of cows mooing and horses neighing. Unfortunately, she was not familiar with this place and could not make any judgments.
Initially, she felt some fear, but now sitting here looking at the person in front of her, she felt calm instead.
Zhou Yao had not closely observed the man from Room 305 before; she had seen three men during two confrontations, but this one left the least impression. Now that they were making eye contact, she felt he was completely different from the quiet and reserved state he had shown at the inn.
Jiang Peng had a very solid and rugged appearance; looking at him more closely revealed a masculine charm. He sat with one leg crossed over the other, arms stretched out on the sofa, his brows furrowed with an undeniable aura of dominance and aggression that even suppressed the two expressionless muscular men standing behind him.
After feeling tense all this time, Zhou Yao felt parched in her throat and took a big sip from her tea cup.
Noticing this, Jiang Peng raised an eyebrow and said, "Aren't you afraid I poisoned your tea?"
Zhou Yao smiled slightly, quite politely: "Brother Jiang has no grievances with me; why would you harm a mere student like me?"
She was subtly trying to get closer to him while showing weakness.
Jiang Peng chuckled, his gaze ambiguous: "I could tell early on that you’re quite bold for a young girl." He took a sip from his tea cup. "Last time you scared everyone just by bending a finger. I've really never seen someone so good at putting on airs."
Zhou Yao was exposed by him, and a cold sweat suddenly broke out behind her, but there was no sign of it on her face. She smiled and took over his words, "Brother Jiang, you truly have deep insight; you can see through me at a glance. Thank you for not exposing me back then and letting this little girl have a moment of false bravado."
She really knew how to talk, countering every move, making it hard for anyone to get angry.
With every "Brother" she said, and her constant flattery, Jiang Peng's expression changed countless times, but in the end, he softened slightly.
Seeing this, Zhou Yao pondered for a moment and tentatively asked softly, "Brother Jiang, do you have a grudge against Boss Luo?"
Jiang Peng shot her a sharp and bright look from the edge of his teacup.
Zhou Yao was startled but still maintained her smile, slightly regretful as she said, "But I'm just a guest at the inn and don't have much connection with Boss Luo. I'm afraid this time will be in vain; Boss Luo won't come."
A hint of amusement flashed in Jiang Peng's eyes as he put down his teacup and said, "He has already come." Then he added, "I won't be mistaken."
Zhou Yao was instantly immersed in shock from the first sentence and completely ignored the meaning of the latter.
"He has come?" Zhou Yao couldn't hide her surprise as she pointed tremblingly at the ground, "Here?"
Jiang Peng chuckled softly, "Just one door away from you."
Zhou Yao's pupils dilated as she immediately turned to look at the paper-and-wood door made of bamboo. However, the light here was bright, and she couldn't see what was happening on the other side; not even a vague shadow was visible.
Thinking about how her earlier flattery towards Jiang Peng for self-preservation had reached Luo Yi's ears, Zhou Yao felt her face flush; but then she realized that he was just behind that door, not leaving her all alone. The late-arriving fear and grievance surged in her heart again. Overwhelmed with emotions, her throat felt sore, and she couldn't speak for a long time.
After a while, she finally asked quietly, "You—aren't you going to talk to Boss Luo?"
"I have nothing to discuss with him," Jiang Peng replied with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, a flicker of ruthlessness passing through them.
Zhou Yao felt a slight chill in her palms. Although she didn't understand their grievances, it wasn't hard to discern the killing intent.
"You—" She wanted to say something when Jiang Peng spoke first. "But you, little girl, are more interesting to talk to. Let's chat some more."
Zhou Yao forced herself to calm down and tugged at the corners of her mouth. "What are we talking about?"
Jiang Peng slowly rubbed his forehead, recalling, "When I was staying at the inn, I heard people say you were here to find treasure?"
"Not treasure. We're surveying the geology, not looking for treasure."
"Are you knowledgeable about jade?"
"—I know a bit, why?" Zhou Yao became slightly cautious.
"Since you're here, help me with a favor." Jiang Peng raised his finger and pointed in the air.
A man behind him took out a delicate small box from the cabinet and placed it in the center of the table.
Zhou Yao glanced at the box and then at Jiang Peng. The latter smirked and nodded slightly, indicating her to open it.
Zhou Yao picked up the box and opened it. A dazzling light refracted out, dazzling her eyes—a green gemstone, lush and vibrant. Zhou Yao paused for a moment and said, "Emerald, around three carats. —What’s wrong?" She looked up at Jiang Peng.
Jiang Peng asked, "Is it worth this much?" He gestured with his hand and said, "The person who gave it to me said this is a Colombian Emerald, the best emerald, worth this amount."
Zhou Yao frowned. "It has a yellowish tint—" She held up the gemstone and carefully examined it against the sky for a while before shaking her head. "It's not from Colombia. That one tends to be bluish."
"Not? Are you sure?" Jiang Peng squinted at her.
Zhou Yao slightly lowered her eyelids and whispered, "If you don't believe me, you can take it under a microscope to look at the inclusions."
"Oh?"
"A Colombian Emerald contains three-phase inclusions made up of shale, quartz, feldspar, and similar materials." Zhou Yao glanced at the door with some distraction and hurriedly said, "An experienced person can tell just by looking at it; this is definitely not from Colombia; it might be from Brazil. It's about thirty to forty percent cheaper than what you just mentioned."
"Oh." Jiang Peng nodded, his dark eyes gazing intently at Zhou Yao. "Little sister, you're quite impressive."
Zhou Yao had no leisure to pay attention to his compliments; she only wanted to ask how he would treat Luo Yi, but feared that asking might make things worse. Just as she was caught in this dilemma, Jiang Peng spoke again, "Then please help me with one small favor."
As he spoke, several people brought four pieces of raw stone.
Zhou Yao understood immediately; they wanted her to guess which one contained jade.
She couldn't calm down for a moment and was confused about the current situation. He was clearly looking for Luo Yi to settle scores, so how did it turn into asking her for help? It felt endless.
But since it was like this...
Zhou Yao clenched her fists, gritted her teeth, and looked up at him, mustering the courage to make a request: "If I help you, in the spirit of reciprocity, shouldn't you—"
"Let go? —That's easy to say."
Zhou Yao's expression immediately settled. She asked, "Do you have a flashlight and a magnifying glass?"
"I do."
Zhou Yao got up to grab the tools. At first glance, the stones were washed clean and didn't seem to be waste. She remained silent for a moment before saying, "I can only bet on the probabilities; there are no absolutes."
"That won't do." Jiang Peng tilted his head slightly and said softly, "Someone owes me a sum of money and brought these stones as payment. However, he sent four pieces, and I can only choose one. The rest must be returned immediately.
Among these, only one stone is worth a million. If I guess right, it’s mine; if I guess wrong, it’s his. Regardless of win or lose, the debt will be cleared. —But I must win.
I’ll give you ten minutes." He pointed with his thumb at the clock behind him. "Find it within that time. —If you can't find it, then don’t talk to me about conditions."
Zhou Yao swallowed slightly and bit her lip. "Alright. You keep your word."
"Of course."
Zhou Yao knelt beside the table, observing the raw stones' surfaces. She touched the textures with her hands, leaned in closely to examine the patterns; sometimes she shone a strong light on them and other times used the magnifying glass to take a closer look.
The first stone's skin was loosely structured, with a mixed color presenting an uneven gray. Although there were a few scattered spots of fluff, their distribution was irregular and darker in color, and under the magnifying glass, faint black dots were visible.
Zhou Yao assessed that there was some green inside, but it was sparse and inferior.
"This isn't worth anything," she pushed it aside and glanced at the floor clock; three minutes had already passed, and a thin layer of sweat formed on her palm.
She glanced at the paper door, firmly believing she could take Luo Yi away.
Next was a brown-green stone, its surface crystallized finely, with large patches of green covering the skin. Zhou Yao had already formed a preliminary judgment in her mind; although another minute had passed, she dared not slack off. She almost seemed to want her eyes to penetrate through the magnifying glass into the crevices of the stone for a thorough inspection, confirming it was merely typical stringy green, which gave an illusion of being fully green but was actually worthless.
Jiang Peng sat nearby with his legs crossed, smoking leisurely while watching her. He glanced at the floor clock; five and a half minutes had gone by.
"This one won't do either." She had completed half of her assessment and let out a sigh. Wiping her lips with the back of her hand, which was slick with sweat, her expression became more resolute.
The door to Meizhulian remained quiet and silent.
She hurriedly moved to the next stone, which had a yellowish surface with streaks and patches of green that continuously changed.
"Colorful flowers, poor seed head, not worth it."
After several inspections, Zhou Yao's eyes felt strained and painful; all she could see was the white light from the flashlight. A glance revealed seven minutes and fifteen seconds had passed. The first three were not suitable.
"That leaves just the last one," Jiang Peng said with a faint smile as he stood up to grab that stone.
Zhou Yao looked at the door and suddenly lunged forward to seize the stone, gazing up at him. "Let me confirm it one more time."
Jiang Peng's smile slightly stiffened as he looked at her; Zhou Yao's small face turned red, her forehead dotted with fine beads of sweat, and her eyes held an almost neurotic persistence.
Jiang Peng released his grip.
Zhou Yao rubbed her eyes vigorously and tried hard to open them wide again, inching closer to the stone to examine it meticulously, as if she wished to carve a hole into it with her gaze.
Is this the last piece?
— Yes, this is it. The skin is soft and shiny, delicate with a uniform texture, a layer that shimmers with a hint of green, completely free of other colors.
It's glass quality, and there are colors within; the water is also excellent—
Zhou Yao suddenly felt a chill. The bright light in front of her burned her eyes like fire. She squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them again. The deepest point of the faint green that the light could penetrate revealed a tiny crack—
A crack?!
Impossible.
Zhou Yao widened her eyes. Her gaze could turn into a knife, and the flashlight's beam made her want to cry. What exactly was that—a crack?
If it’s not this piece, could it be one of the three pieces in front?
Zhou Yao felt as if struck by lightning; her mind went blank. She looked up at the clock; nine minutes and forty seconds had passed.
Fine beads of sweat dampened Zhou Yao's forehead as she gripped the flashlight tightly, motionless.
"Have you made up your mind?" Jiang Peng asked from the side.
Zhou Yao remained silent. No, she really hadn’t. Did she make a mistake? Which piece was it??
"You seem to favor this last piece the most. I’ll choose it," Jiang Peng said with a smirk, picking up the last piece and signaling for those nearby to collect the items. "Send the rest back."
Zhou Yao suddenly stood up. "Wait a minute!"
Her face was flushed with intense nervousness and excitement. "Not a single one!"
Jiang Peng's expression changed dramatically.
Zhou Yao repeated firmly, "Not a single one."
"What did you say?"
"This piece you have. It's colored, it's got potential, but it has cracks. The other three are not good either. Among these four, the stone you said is worth a million, is not here."
"What do you mean?" Jiang Peng said coldly.
"I mean, you've been fooled," Zhou Yao gasped, her voice trembling.
Someone nearby frowned and was about to step forward, but Jiang Peng raised his hand to stop them. His gaze was fierce as he stared at Zhou Yao for a moment before suddenly ordering, "Open all four of them."
His subordinate was taken aback. "Boss, we agreed to gamble on one; the other three have to be returned. Opening one more means losing money—"
"I'll cover the loss! Open them!"
The subordinates exchanged glances in surprise.
Jiang Peng lowered his voice, "I said open them; didn't you hear me?"
Everyone shivered slightly and hurried to comply. Zhou Yao could tell that Jiang Peng was already furious. She stood aside, cold sweat trickling down her back, her eyes glued to the stones.
As they slowly opened them, the first stone was mediocre, the second was inferior, the third was flawed, and the fourth was vibrant and lush.
"This one is really valuable!" a subordinate exclaimed while polishing the stone. "The first three were worthless—"
His words were abruptly cut off as a deep crack appeared beneath the jade's surface.
This stone was ruined!
Everyone instantly held their breath in shock.
Jiang Peng had no expression on his face as he stared at the stone for a moment before turning to Zhou Yao.
Zhou Yao looked back at him, her lips dry and breathing slightly labored.
A few seconds later, he suddenly smiled oddly and said, "You win."
Zhou Yao felt her legs go weak, as if all her strength had been drained away.
She slowly inhaled, calming herself, and returned to sit on the sofa, wondering whether Jiang Peng would fly into a rage next.
But he did not; he was unusually calm, so calm it was frightening.
She wondered whether he would vent his anger on Luo Yi or find someone else to unleash it on first.
One of his subordinates held the stone, harboring resentment and eager to deal with that person immediately, but Jiang Peng lowered his head and smiled, fiddling with the watch on his wrist. He slowly said, "There’s still plenty of time. We’ll take things one at a time; he can’t escape.
Put the stone away and tell him I haven’t made my choice yet. I’ll personally return it tomorrow.
Today, I have another person to meet. No matter how big the matter is, it won’t stop me."
Zhou Yao was taken aback and suddenly looked up. "Didn’t you just say—"
The cold anger radiating from Jiang Peng was palpable as he sneered, "When I said 'good talk,' I meant you. You can leave safely."
In an instant, an unprecedented humiliation and fury surged to Zhou Yao's head; she almost lunged at him to tear him apart and curse him.
Zhou Yao clenched her fists tightly, struggling to control her tone. "You don’t keep your word."
Jiang Peng curled one corner of his lips into a smirk. "Little sister, don’t speak carelessly. I’ve already promised you can leave safely."
Tears welled up in her eyes as she gritted her teeth. "What about Boss Luo? Are you going to—"
Before she could finish speaking, the door opened, revealing a small living room similar to this one. Luo Yi sat on a mahogany chair, his expression calm.
As the door opened, he glanced at her, his eyes seemingly calm yet with depths like turbulent waves.
Zhou Yao's anger vanished in an instant, replaced by endless grievance and self-blame. She wanted to explain to him that she hadn't willingly come with others; she had wanted to resist but felt powerless. She thought breaking the stone would save him, but it only made things worse.
Her eyes reddened further as she softly said, "I am not—"
"I know," he interrupted her briefly, his gaze deep and profound.
After a brief moment of eye contact, he no longer looked at her. Instead, he turned to Jiang Peng and stated plainly, "You are Jiang Hong's brother."
"You still remember the name Jiang Hong," Jiang Peng sneered repeatedly. "Since he died, have you had a single night of peace?"
Luo Yi remained seated, unmoved by the winds.
"Jiang Hong trusted you so much, considered you his best friend. And look at you, colluding with outsiders to replace the genuine with the fake, causing him to lose everything and commit suicide. What will you use to compensate?!"
Suddenly, he punched Luo Yi in the abdomen!
Zhou Yao gasped in shock, covering her mouth.
Luo Yi did not retaliate. The chair collapsed under him as he fell to the ground, likely in severe pain, his jaw muscles tightly clenched.
Zhou Yao trembled all over, too afraid to make a sound.
Jiang Peng laughed loudly, a fierce madness gleaming in his eyes.
He crouched down and patted Luo Yi's head. "Boss Luo, I called you here to settle accounts; you know it well. This debt has been pending for over two years; it’s time to resolve it."
A few people were holding Luo Yi and Zhou Yao from behind, while Jiang Peng walked in front.
They passed through a long corridor, reaching a large door at the end.
From beyond the door came the sounds of Men shouting, but it was not the usual behavior of men; it was more frenzied and uncontrolled, like a pack of wild male animals roaring and screaming, chaotic and primal.
This sound sent chills down Zhou Yao's spine, as danger and fear crawled up from her soles like insects. And at the moment the door opened, that fear reached its peak.
The overwhelming shouts of men filled the air.
In the center of the spotlight on the boxing ring, a muscular man had his head smashed open by another man's punch, blood splattering everywhere, while the spectators cheered wildly.
Underground Boxing Match.
Zhou Yao had only heard about it in the news before.
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