While Ning Ge was fiddling with breaking into Master Weiâs study, far away in an office in Yanjing, two men were also secretly discussing matters they didnât want others to know about.
"Elder, thereâs trouble. Zhao Wei has come under scrutiny," a man in his fifties addressed the man in his sixties before him.
The older man dismissed the concern with a wave of his hand, "Whatâs the panic for?"
Seeing the elderâs composed demeanor, the man in his fiftiesâ racing heart steadied as he asked, "Elder, what should we do?"
"What should we do? You come to me for such a trivial matter? Canât you handle such a small fry? I even pulled strings to promote you," the elder glared at him.
The man in his fifties felt his ears heat up and pursed his lips.
"Such a small fry, what does it have to do with us? We have no direct association, donât you understand escalation? Getting so flustered over such a minor issue, what big things can you accomplish?" the elder voiced sternly.
The man in his fifties, chastened, said, "I just fear it might lead back to us..."
"That is indeed a problem. Though we neednât fear him yet, itâs best to avoid if possible, to not ruin our plans," the elder mused, rhythmically tapping his fingers on the desk.
The fifty-year-old man listened to the tapping of the fingers, feeling his heart slowly settle and didnât rush the elder.
"What was that Weiâs name again?"
"Zhao Wei!"
"He really doesnât know how to keep a low profile, blowing things up like this, and now attracting attention from all sides. Itâs impossible to retract now; we owe the public an explanation!" The elderâs sharp eyes conveyed disdain.
The fifty-year-old man hesitated, "What do you mean?"
The elder glanced at him, "The words âdetachmentâ, âabandonmentâ, âletting goâ, do I need to teach you again? Not cutting the Gordian knot only leads to more chaos. Do you still want to protect something useless and dig your own grave?"
A chill settled in the manâs heart.
"As humans, we must learn to let go. Without a Zhao Wei, there will still be Chen Wei, Wang Wei, Li Wei," the elder said meaningfully.
"Yes..." the manâs expression tensed, then he added, "Elder, what about Zhang..."
"Heâs useless too," the elder snorted coldly and after a pause added, "With this matter being investigated, the leak must have occurred; we must provide an explanation to the masses. Dispose of anything useless."
The fifty-year-old man suddenly understood, "I know what to do now!"
"Handle it well, donât leave a trace, lest you get caught," the elder stood up.
As the man accompanied him to the door, he said, "I know what to do. It will all be unrelated to us."
Only then did the elder pat his shoulder and walked out the door.
All fell silent, as if all the demons and monsters were hidden beneath the wings.
In Locust Tree Village, Ning Ge was rummaging through the useful items in Master Weiâs study. When he got to the bookshelf, his ears twitched, and he immediately hid in a dark corner.
Someone came in, accompanied by voices.
"Master Wei, calling me over in the dead of night like this, whatâs going on?" That was the voice of Jin Hong.
"Stop talking, we leave by tomorrow night at the latest. Weâve been targeted; itâs time to pull out!" Master Wei said.
"What, why so sudden?" Jin Hong was startled.
"Donât ask too much. Go back and pack up, bring a couple of useful people, and leave the useless ones behind," Master Wei paused before saying, "Arrange for a boat, letâs depart from Aozi Bay."
"This..."
"What about the operation tomorrow night..."
Master Wei paused, clenched his teeth, and said, "Forget about them, we canât even ensure our own safety. As long as we keep a green hill, you donât have to worry about no firewood; go quickly."
Jin Hong felt a chill in his heart, nodding as he looked at Master Weiâs face, dark as ink.