Chapter 1056: The Curtain Rises
After seeing Sun Heyu off, Qi Xuansu returned to his office.
There were three files on his desk—one detailing Sun Yaoping’s profile, one being the Huasheng Hall’s latest medical report on the Yu King, and the last being a progress summary of the dragon qi leakage investigation.
These represented three distinct leads, but they were not entirely separate. They intersected in subtle ways. For instance, the Yu King’s illness was clearly entangled with the dragon qi leakage.
Qi Xuansu picked up the medical record once more and read it carefully.
A comparison between the earlier and current records revealed something troubling. The Yu King’s condition had not improved at all. In fact, it had worsened. The only difference was that he no longer suffered from those bizarre nightmares, no longer dreaming of Wu Luo.
But in truth, whether the Yu King had those bizarre dreams could not be verified. All of it was based solely on the King’s own words. Perhaps he still dreamed, yet now claimed he did not. Or perhaps he had never dreamed at all and had lied about it in the past.
Undoubtedly, there was something amiss here. Qi Xuansu simply could not discern the purpose behind it. He could only hope that Chen Jianchou would make progress soon.
Then, there was Sun Yaoping. After Xu Jiaorong’s reminder and Sun Heyu’s reaction, Qi Xuansu was almost certain that the boy was involved in something. It was no surprise. With his troublemaking nature, it would be even more suspicious if he were completely innocent.
Qi Xuansu had handled no small number of major cases, and they all shared one pattern. They never began at the top. Every investigation started with the small fry, which then led to mid-level operatives, and finally, to the mastermind behind the curtain.
By that logic, Sun Yaoping was clearly a pawn, a loose end on the thread.
Of course, Qi Xuansu’s first priority was to keep Sun Yaoping alive. He could not afford the boy’s death. Though Sun Heyu himself might not be ruthless enough to kill his grandson, others might seize the chance. After all, using Sun Yaoping’s death to provoke Sun Heyu into clashing with Qi Xuansu was a good strategy.
By reason, Sun Heyu should have seen through such petty schemes at a glance. Yet after their encounter, Qi Xuansu could not shake the feeling that the elder had grown disconnected. Perhaps as his life limit drew near, his mind had begun to shift, becoming irrational and volatile, no longer as clear-headed as in his youth. So Qi Xuansu still had to stay wary of the Old Sage.