It was night, and it was raining.

Except for the rainy season, there are only a handful of rainy days in the desert, but tonight, it happened to rain.

The rain is like a hazy veil, adding a mysterious beauty to this city that never sleeps, lit up by the light of jade.

It was on such a night that Li Bai quietly slipped out of the hotel where everyone was staying, and set off towards the helm of the "Secret Jade Society".

Mr. Pei once taught Li Bai: When dealing with anything, you must think more critically, and don't take it for granted just because everyone thinks something is.

Therefore, Li Bai was skeptical of this "well-known" treasure legend from the beginning, and this doubt was part of the reason why he was interested in the treasure.

Originally, he thought that this might just be because of false rumors, so that the truth was distorted or exaggerated, but an incident that happened during the day today changed his opinion - he found something on the corpse of the "jade-faced gecko".

This thing is exactly the same as the "treasure key" he saw at the auction that night.

Is it necessary for a man with a key worth five million to rob?

The answer, of course, is no.

Then comes other assumptions: for example, the jade-faced gecko does not know that the jade is the key or its true value.

But a sand bandit near Jade City would not know about it, and this is very unlikely.

Or maybe the key is fake, which raises another question – is the one at auction real?

At least in Li Bai's opinion, the "key" on the jade-faced gecko and the one at the auction are put together, and no one can tell the truth from the fake.

So...... If the keys are fake, and the ones at auction are fake, who made and distributed them? Can it be inferred that the whole legend of the treasure may not be true?

If you want to know the answer to all this, the "key" is the most important clue, and looking at the entire King Continent, the only ones who have the ability to make such high-quality jade are those jade mages in the secret jade society who have mastered the "jade technique".

Thinking of this, Li Bai naturally would not wait passively, so he chose to take the initiative and went to the Secret Jade Society to investigate.

And such a move is undoubtedly inconceivable in the eyes of others......

Everyone knows that the jade mages of the Secret Jade Society are extremely capable, and it is their magical "jade technique" that has turned this jade city into a pearl of bliss in the desert, and in terms of combat power, a jade mage with a jade guard is definitely better than the elite organ masters in Chang'an Yu Hengsi.

Not to mention that in addition to those jade mages, there are also a large number of armed guards and jade mechanisms in the helm of the Secret Jade Society, which can be described as heavily guarded.

Therefore, don't look at the powerful parties gathered in this jade city now, and there are constant disputes, but none of these forces dare to move the secret jade society.

Of course, Li Bai obviously didn't think so.

His thinking is different from ordinary people, he believes that when a place is considered "absolutely impossible for anyone to enter", the difficulty of breaking into it will become lower...... Because those who are on guard probably think so too.

Tonight's rain is like a boost from heaven to Li Bai, the rain blurs people's vision, and the sound of the rain can largely cover his footsteps.

Li Bai's martial arts are outstanding, and it is not difficult for him to fly the eaves and walls, he almost didn't touch the ground, only jumped on the roofs of various buildings, and came all the way to the helm of the Secret Jade Society.

Li Bai did not rush in, but looked at the main rudder from the top of a tall building nearby for a long time, noting down the locations of several major buildings in the group of buildings in front of him, the distribution and patrol routes of some guards, and the intersections and corners that looked spacious but were deliberately avoided by the guards......

Then, he found a gap where the guards moved, and climbed over the wall by the sound of the rain.

As Li Bai expected, although there were a large number of guards here, and the sentry posts and patrol routes were also closely coordinated, they were all relatively lax in spirit, because the guards also felt that with so many people guarding, and a powerful jade mage as a backing, plus the assistance of traps, no one would dare to sneak in, even if there were...... It will also be spotted immediately.

But Li Bai was not discovered, not only was he not discovered, but he also easily deduced the places where the traps were hidden by observation and wit, and avoided them all.

It didn't take long for him to sneak all the way to the vicinity of a tall tower, and he climbed up the wall and climbed into a balcony.

Before he could peek through the window, he heard voices in the room.

"It's so late, what's the matter?"

It was a man's voice, and his voice sounded a little deep, but not heavy, on the contrary, it gave people a magnetic, gentle feeling, which made people listen to it very comfortably.

When Li Bai heard this, he was also slightly shocked in his heart, and at that moment, he thought that he was exposed, and the other party was talking to him.

Fortunately, two seconds later, another voice came from the house: "Master, just now there was another large-scale clash between the Viscount's subordinates and another group of adventurers from the South China Sea Chamber of Commerce, destroying a private house and several shops, this is a report of the incident...... You have instructed that whenever there is an incident in which the number of casualties exceeds twenty, a report shall be sent to your ...... immediately."

"Okay, okay, I got it. The man with the voice interrupted before his men could finish speaking, "Put things on the table, go make me a pot of tea." ”

"Yes. The second voice answered, and there was a slight sound of footsteps in the room.

At this time, Li Bai, who knew that he was not exposed, had also quietly looked in through the window between the balcony and the room.

In the luxurious house, the luxury goods made of jade are everywhere, and those high-priced jade items that Li Bai once saw in the bazaar of Thousand Cave City are simply defective compared to those things in this house.

Especially the large jade bed under the man in the room, even people who don't know much about jade can see that such a huge piece of jade, which is complete and has been precisely cut and carved on all sides, must be a priceless treasure.

But in the eyes of the man in front of him, it was just a daily item he didn't care about......

"Host, your tea. The subordinate quickly brought the tea from the next room.

It was only then that the man with a deep voice got up lazily from his jade bed and came to the table.

Through the light in the room, Li Bai saw the man's side face from the side: it was a face with feminine soft lines, the skin on his face, neck, and arms was extremely pale, and his long hair was also white, like a cluster of white jade filaments scattered behind him.

Li Bai just saw the side of this person and understood that this should be a "jade mage".

Since these jade mages use jade techniques all year round, resulting in the quality of the jade in their bodies, they will become more and more like jade figurines, so this pale and morbid beauty is derived.

There is no doubt that this change is certainly harmful to the body, and as the jade becomes more and more inconvenient, their movement will become more and more inconvenient, but they themselves do not resist this phenomenon, but instead regard it as honor.

In the eyes of the jade mages, every jade point is a ritual of the passage of life and the blooming of life, and they regard themselves as flowers that bloom until death, and the beauty of jade is a symbol of their status.

And the jade mage in front of Li Bai's eyes, although he didn't seem to be very old, only about thirty years old, but from the degree of his jadeization, he was obviously a senior high-level jade mage.

"Hmm...... Are the casualty figures and lists accurate?" The jade mage drank the fine "Jade Boy Green Tea" while looking at the report sent by his subordinates, and after reading it for a while, he opened his mouth to confirm.

"Yes, the Viscount's people are often troublesome, so we keep an eye on them. The subordinate replied.

"Hmph......" the jade mage snorted coldly, "and only a few innocuous little characters died, not a single big fish." As he spoke, he casually tossed the report on the table.

As if hearing the disappointment of his boss, the subordinate rolled his eyes, and quickly picked up another sentence: "Master, speaking of 'big fish', there is indeed a small figure in the city today." ”

"Oh?" the jade mage was skeptical when he heard this, but he also asked, "Who is it?"

The subordinate replied, "It's the young master of Haidu's 'Executioner Family', Césaire de Abel Medici. ”

"Heh......" When the jade mage heard the name, he just sneered, "Is the little ghost of the Medici family here too...... That's a bonus. ”

The subordinate said: "Master, it seems that there are not many people around Cezaire now, why don't you take this opportunity to create some 'conflict' or 'accident' for him tomorrow and give him ......"

"Instead of deliberately doing this kind of thing, it is better to put a few more 'keys' out. Master Jade continued.

"The subordinates understand ......"

Although the conversation between these two people is only a few sentences, the amount of information is really not small.

Li Bai had heard a lot of things from their few words, such as...... The Jade Mage's actual age is probably much higher than he seems, and for example, Cezaire's true identity turned out to be a nobleman from Haidu, and a member of the controversial family of executioners of the Twenty-Two Families known for their "force", "radicalization", and "marginalization".

Of course, the most crucial piece of information is that this high-ranking jade mage seems to be intent on using the treasure to cause the various forces to fight, and is happy to see important people die because of it.

Just when Li Bai was analyzing what he heard and was about to continue listening, suddenly!

A flash of lightning streaked across the night sky.

The thunder at that moment illuminated the dark rainy night as if it were day.

This time, Li Bai's luck was not good, the sky where the lightning crossed was just behind him, so when the thunder shone in the sky, the shadow of the balcony window was reflected on the ground in the house.

Before the rumbling thunder could come, the jade mage in the room and his subordinates had already seen the reflection on the ground at the same time, and saw the ...... There was also the shadow of half a head on the outline of the window edge.

The next second, they turned their heads sharply and looked at the balcony window.

But at this time, Li Bai on the balcony was no longer there.

The subordinate of the Jade Mage rushed over quickly, came to the balcony and looked out against the wind and rain, but he looked around for a long time, but he didn't find Li Bai's figure.

"Forget it. The jade mage spoke again at this time, "A man who can sneak in here and eavesdrop on my conversation...... You can't catch up with you. ”

The subordinate returned to the room and knelt down on one knee: "The subordinate is incompetent......!

"There's no need for that. The jade mage interrupted his subordinates again, "If you can't catch someone at this moment, even if you find out your identity, it will be meaningless to catch it again after a while...... For what he knew by then might have been known all over the city. ”

"That'...... What now?" asked the subordinate cautiously.

"Heh......" Mage Jade smiled, "It seems that this city is not full of mediocre talents, at least there is such a smart person...... Then 'Ben Gongzi' will play with him. ”

............

When Li Bai returned to the hotel, it was already early in the morning.

He walked into his room in a soaked suit, and before he could light the jade lamppost in the room, he said, "Don't tell me you're in the wrong room." ”

As soon as the words fell, in the darkness, Li Xingwei's voice sounded: "Huh...... If I go to the wrong room, then I'm afraid you're going to the wrong hotel?"

Li Bai knew what the other party meant, so he turned on the light and said, "Have you waited for me for a long time?"

Li Xingwei didn't plan to mess around with him: "I'll wait for as long as you go out." ”

Li Bai said: "Since you knew when I left, why didn't you just come along?"

Li Xingwei said: "If I follow you, will you find that you can't find it?" Besides, ...... The place you're going to is so dangerous, even if you ask me to come along, I probably won't agree. ”

Li Bai said: "Do you still know where I went?"

Li Xingwei said: "With your ingenuity, you naturally understand that only by going to the Secret Jade Society can you find out further information about the treasure. ”

"You know everything, why don't you go?" Li Bai said.

"I'm not in this trap suit, not for this kind of sneaking thing. Li Xingwei replied.

"So you're here waiting for me, and you want to hear 'ready-made'?" Li Bai said.

Li Xingwei smiled and said, "If you don't mind, Brother Li......"

Li Bai also smiled: "Why don't I mind?

"Huh...... In fact, there are many similarities between the two of us. At this time, Li Xingwei suddenly changed to a rather sincere and conversational tone, "Maybe it's because of your dress and accent...... I can tell you grew up near the Wall, right?"

"Oh, are we still fellow villagers?" said Li Bai.

"Not really. Li Xingwei seemed to be sure of this, "But the place where we grew up should not be too far away." ”

"Heh......" Li Bai smiled coldly when he heard this, "Actually, it doesn't matter if you are a fellow villager or not...... Because Brother Li, you are not the kind of person who would get close to others for this reason. ”

Li Xingwei was still smiling: "Then what kind of person am I?"

"You're supposed to be that...... In order to achieve your goal, you can watch the stranger die in front of you without changing your face. Li Bai replied calmly.

As soon as these words came out, the smile on Li Xingwei's face disappeared.

Because Li Bai used this sentence to break a secret that Li Xingwei thought others didn't know - in fact, at noon yesterday, as early as when the sand boat team of the Sasaire brothers and sisters was just ambushed, Li Xingwei was already nearby, but he had been hiding in the dark to observe and did not show up to help.

In fact, if it weren't for Li Bai and Fu Feichen who came out halfway, Li Xingwei would probably have to wait a little longer, and wait until a few more of Cezaire's bodyguards died before showing up.

"Li Bai, it's smarter than I imagined......" Li Xingwei quickly regained his composure, but his attitude was no longer as calm as Fang Cai.

"Sometimes it's not a good thing to be too smart. Li Bai replied, "Thinking too much...... It often leads me to make assumptions that are not very pleasant. ”

The assumption he is talking about at this moment undoubtedly means that even the incident of the Cesaire siblings encountering the sand bandits itself may have been secretly planned or facilitated by Li Xingwei, and the robbery that occurred today may just be a game set up by Li Xingwei to try to get close to the Cesaire siblings and win their trust.

"Heh......" Li Xingwei shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Brother Feichen also said that you are a fledgling and don't understand anything, now it seems that ...... The most naïve thing is him. At this point, he changed his words, and a trace of coldness suddenly appeared in his eyes, "But...... Have you ever thought that if I was as bad as you thought, then you are telling me this now, and you are likely to be killed by my impromptu intentions. ”

"Aren't I still carrying a sword?" Li Bai said, gesturing with his eyes to the broken iron sword beside him.

And Li Xingwei also understood what he meant: "It seems that you are very confident in your swordsmanship." ”

"I ...... You alright. Li Bai replied indifferently.

There was no bluff in his words, just composure and a strong sense of oppression.

Therefore, Li Xingwei was silent.

In this mutual temptation, Li Xingwei seemed to have lost the upper hand.

After a while, he spoke again: "Then it seems that I have been waiting in vain today, and I should not be able to pick up any 'ready-made' ones." ”

"Heh......" Li Bai smiled again, "That may not be ......" He knew that in the face of people like Li Xingwei, it was better to use yang to plot the effect than to make up or hide something, so he said directly, "If I tell you that this so-called 'treasure' is just a lie, a conspiracy to lure the powerful to fight each other and profit from it, do you believe it?"

These words made Li Xingwei stunned.

He was silent for a moment, and there was a look of loss in his eyes: "Since you said it, then I can only believe it." ”

"You believe me like that?" asked Li Bai.

"You're not like me......" Li Xingwei said, already getting up and walking towards the door, "You don't need to lie to people......

With that, he left Li Bai's room and closed the door.

Li Bai looked at his slightly lost back, and he was also thoughtful.

This "Hanmen Mechanic", who is surrounded by many mysteries, seems to be carrying something very important that others don't know.

Li Bai can feel that many of the things Li Xingwei did may not be what he did voluntarily, but they were something he had to do, but for the reason for this, I am afraid he would not and could not tell others.