Chapter Forty-One: Pursuit

All of a sudden, a fragment flashed through Li Minghao’s mind.

A crisp snap.

It was a mountain village nestled beside a river, lush and vibrant, with emerald waters flowing gently by and fish darting merrily through the stream. Beneath a centuries-old tree at the village entrance, a strip of red silk hung from a branch. Two young people, dressed in simple clothes, stood together beneath the tree.

Carved into the trunk were two names:

Peng Qingshan and Jiang Zhen’er.

“Minghao, Minghao.”

Hu Xiong’s voice sounded from beside him, pulling Li Minghao out of the scene in his mind. As he returned to himself, he vaguely recalled that Jiang Zhen’er, in that memory, wore this very jade bracelet on her wrist.

“Peng Qingshan…”

Li Minghao murmured softly, then said, “Look into the nearby mountain villages. At the village entrance, there’s a centuries-old yellow horn tree.”

Hu Xiong and Bai Chuan, standing by the window, exchanged a glance. Hu Xiong shot a look at the bracelet. “I’ll have someone check right away.”

Leaving the Bureau 36 building by car, Li Minghao’s mood was heavy. He drove toward the city center and returned to his residence.

It was a villa in Xinhua Garden, a residential district at the heart of Nanlin City, each villa worth nearly three million Lang coins.

The car pulled up before one of the villas. Li Minghao drove into the garage and entered his home. The living room boasted a grand crystal chandelier, a marble coffee table, and a plush, expensive sofa.

Li Minghao raked his fingers through his hair, sitting on the sofa with a troubled face.

The phone rang.

He picked up the receiver beside the sofa. “Hello?”

“General Manager Li, there’s a banquet later. The Chairman has arranged for you to attend. Miss Jin Shasha will be present at the dance. Remember to invite her for a dance—her father and the Chairman have been business partners for years…”

“I won’t be going,” Li Minghao said wearily.

“This is the Chairman’s arrangement. If you don’t go, his condition could worsen. You know, his health is already precarious and he needs peace of mind…”

“I…”

…

In the grand ballroom of the Jintian Hotel, a large charity gala was underway.

Business and political figures from every corner of Nanlin City filled the hall, dressed to the nines. Men, young and old, wore designer suits, red wine glasses in hand, occasionally inviting elegantly gowned ladies to dance.

Li Minghao tugged uncomfortably at his tie. This outfit was stifling.

The flattery from his subordinates only increased his discomfort.

“I told you, I don’t fit in at these events. Yet here I am.”

“Minghao, this is my daughter, Jin Shasha.”

A middle-aged man approached with a smile. He was the Chairman of Kangdu Construction Group, a long-time business partner of the Li family.

Jin Shasha, about eighteen, had sweet features. Her white evening dress made her look all the more innocent.

“Hello.” Her large, bright eyes blinked curiously at Li Minghao.

Li Minghao was to be the heir of the group. Before she came, her father had told her that if the two found each other agreeable, the family would support them. Of course, if Jin Shasha wasn’t interested, no one would force her.

At this moment, however, Li Minghao showed none of the spoiled airs of a rich scion, though neither did he seem a model businessman.

“Hello.” Li Minghao shook her hand perfunctorily.

“Haha, I’ll leave you young people to your conversation. I have friends to catch up with,” the middle-aged man said tactfully, leaving them.

Jin Shasha smiled and asked, “Li Minghao, which university did you graduate from? My father said you studied abroad in the Lamela Empire. That must have been an amazing experience?”

“Nothing special,” Li Minghao replied, taking a sip of his wine.

Seeing he didn’t want to continue, Jin Shasha smiled again. “Would you like to dance?”

“I’m sorry, Miss Jin, but I’m a dreadful dancer—I’d just end up stepping on your toes.”

That was a clear refusal. Jin Shasha accepted it with an elegant smile and walked away, sighing inwardly at their lack of affinity.

Music filled the hall. Li Minghao lingered in a corner, drinking wine and nibbling on pastries, waiting for a chance to slip away once the time was right.

He didn’t expect what happened next.

“Care to dance? I don’t mind if you step on my feet.”

Jiang Zhen’er, dressed in a black evening gown, suddenly appeared beside him. Her delicate features wore a faint, enigmatic smile.

“You…” Li Minghao’s pupils contracted. How had she appeared here so suddenly?

He slipped his hand behind his back, ready to subdue her.

“You wouldn’t want to start a fight here. Too many people would die,” Jiang Zhen’er whispered, a chilling aura of resentment slowly radiating from her. She leaned close to his ear. “If you refuse to dance with me, I’ll tear everyone here to pieces. You won’t be able to stop me. If you don’t believe me, try it. I’ll be waiting.”

She glided into the center of the dance floor. In her black gown, a strange, shadowy aura seemed to gather around her.

She fixed her gaze on Li Minghao.

The dancers nearby noticed nothing amiss, unaware that if Li Minghao refused, they would be slaughtered in an instant.

Li Minghao clenched his fist slightly, pressing the emergency button on his phone in his pocket to alert Hu Xiong.

Then he strode onto the dance floor.

The dance was one that had originated among the nobility of the Lamela Empire and had gradually become popular among the elite of the Vermilion Bird Federation.

Having studied abroad in the Lamela Empire, Li Minghao was no stranger to the steps.

He gently placed his hand on Jiang Zhen’er’s slender waist, and the two began to dance to the music.

“What are you really after?”

“I want to see when you’ll remember me. Or perhaps, whether you’ve forgotten me entirely.”

“Do we know each other?”

“You’ll remember.”

They spoke in low voices, their conversation lost among the swirling couples. Many eyes turned their way. Li Minghao was one of the evening’s central figures—his prestigious family, his impending inheritance of the group due to his father’s illness. Many had assumed Jin Shasha would be his partner for the dance.

No one expected him to be dancing with a mysterious woman.

Jin Shasha’s father frowned, displeased.

Jiang Zhen’er’s steps were a little clumsy, far from practiced, but she seemed unconcerned.

Soon, the dance ended.

With a faint smile, Jiang Zhen’er turned and disappeared into the crowd.

After she left, Li Minghao’s expression darkened. Without greeting anyone, he left the ballroom, pulled out his phone, and called Hu Xiong. “I ran into her again. I just planted a tracker on her. I’m at the Jintian Hotel. Come pick me up, quick.”

In less than ten minutes, a black sedan pulled up in front of the hotel.

Li Minghao jumped in and looked over. “Why are you alone? Where’s Old Bai?”

“I happened to be nearby. Otherwise, I couldn’t have gotten here so fast. Old Bai’s still at the Bureau. I just notified him—he’s on his way.”

Li Minghao was silent for a moment. “Let’s not wait for him.”

He opened his phone. The map of Nanlin City appeared on the screen, a red dot moving rapidly toward the city’s eastern edge.

“After her.”