Longyue flicked her hair, obscuring the hideous wound on her left cheek. She alighted from the car and said in a low voice, "So many people to pick me up, are you afraid I'll abduct you again?"
"What happened to your face? Where are your subordinates?" I asked.
As Yaoyao and the others approached, Longyue made no effort to hide her wound. Yaoyao gasped, "It's from the Gu worms!"
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"She's been poisoned by Gu worms," Shao Chen, who was well-informed, said coldly. "The Gu worms are growing inside her and preparing to take over her host. She must have forced it to a thinner part of her facial skin and dug it out herself, right?"
Longyue nodded. "Yes."
"Who poisoned you..." I asked. "Could it be the Miao King?"
"Yes." Longyue remained unperturbed, pushing me aside slightly. She turned to face Yaoyao, fully exposing her face. Only then did I see clearly that it wasn't just her left cheek, but also a portion of her neck that was wounded. Below her neck, hidden by her clothes, I also noticed that her clothes were soaked with blood. Judging by the bloodstains, it was highly probable that she had torn open her entire upper body herself.
"I don't want to be disfigured, and I know you can heal this kind of injury. Name your price," Longyue said. So she wasn't here for me, but for Yaoyao.
Yaoyao looked at me. I reacted quickly and decided to give her some face. Such an important figure would appreciate a gesture of goodwill. Trying to haggle now would only provoke her. It wasn't about helping her for free this time; it would be easier to discuss matters later. Moreover, since the Miao King was responsible, it meant she had parted ways with him. With the two largest factions of the Shanhai clan in disarray, what better "condition" could there be?
"Oh, what conditions and what not. We're all locals. Yaoyao, heal her quickly," I said.
"Please follow me."
Since it involved surgery, and not just on her face, I couldn't follow. I stayed outside. Longyue's BMW was still running, so I got in and turned off the engine. Just as I was about to get out, I saw a pocket in the passenger seat, its opening ajar. Inside was a handgun.
She was truly brave to drive with a gun. Wasn't she afraid of being stopped by the police on the road?
It was an M1911, a model I recognized but had never seen in person. I picked it up, examined it, and smelled the barrel. There was no scent of gunpowder, so it was likely just for self-defense and hadn't been fired. I ejected the magazine to check; it was indeed fully loaded.
The fact that Longyue was forced to defend herself with a gun showed that the Gu worm's influence on her was perhaps more than just disfigurement.
Since we were at our place and no longer needed protection, I confiscated the gun. I'd deal with it if she asked for it later.
After getting out of the car, I sent Lin Xi a voice message, briefly reporting the incident. Lin Xi was excited to hear the news and immediately asked me to inquire if the Miao King was also injured.
"The Miao King poisoned Longyue. Why would he be injured?" I asked, confused.
"Oh, you don't understand Longyue. She's like a little ginseng, never letting an offense slide. Since she knows the Miao King harmed her, she wouldn't let him off easily. She must have fought him, and perhaps that's why she returned to the Northeast alone," Lin Xi explained.
"You mean her subordinates all died?"
"Not necessarily. They might have been captured. And I suspect the Miao King was also injured, otherwise, he wouldn't have retreated to his stronghold."
"Alright, I'll ask," I said. I went into the room and, through the door, asked about the Miao King's condition.
Longyue replied coldly from inside the room, "The Miao King's true essence is greatly depleted. If you intend to eliminate him, now is still an opportunity."
"Why 'still an opportunity'?" I asked. Shouldn't it be 'the perfect opportunity'?
"I only injured the Miao King. He still has many powerful subordinates. Just the few of you might not be enough."
"Then you don't need to worry about that," I said with a smile. We have plenty of people, and quite a few experts!
I came out of the room and immediately informed Lin Xi. Lin Xi said she would relay the information to Bai Qingcheng at once.
Five minutes later, I received a call from Bai Qingcheng: "Gather your experts and head to the airport immediately. I'm sending a private jet to pick you up and take you to Xiangxi!"
A private jet? That's great. I could bring Xiao Nu and Bao Bao, those two Yin messengers, along.
It seemed Bai Qingcheng was ready to go all out, to strike while the Miao King was weak and end him.