The wine was half gone.
More than half of the dishes were eaten.
Han Zhan had asked nearly everything he wanted to.
As Ye Qiu said, he was almost completely in the dark about what happened at Sanatorium No.3 before.
But when it came to the information about the forty-three missing persons, he shared everything he knew, sparing no detail.
He finished the last sip of his drink and put the glass down.
"The wine has been drunk, the dishes have been eaten, and all the questions have been asked. You can leave now."
Ye Qiu issued an eviction order to Han Zhan.
"One last question."
Han Zhan said, standing up from his seat.
He fixed his gaze on Ye Qiu across from him, and asked, word by word, "Fourth Senior Brother, do you think this matter has anything to do with Meng Xiaobei?"
When Han Zhan asked this, Ye Qiuâs hand paused slightly as he set down his glass.
"Meng Xiaobei?"
It seemed to him quite surprising that this name came out of Han Zhanâs mouth, as Ye Qiu repeated it, shaking his head.
"Meng Xiaobei is an ambitious person, but heâs not a bad guy."
"Of course, if you donât trust my judgment, you can investigate for yourself and confirm whether itâs accurate."
After saying this, Ye Qiu didnât say more.
He stood up and began tidying the dishes in silence.
Han Zhan, seeing this, understood Ye Qiuâs intention to see him off. He cupped his hand in salute and turned to leave.
Not long after Han Zhan left,
Ye Qiu also finished washing the dishes. He walked out of the kitchen and called towards a dark corner of his bedroom, "You can come out now."
As soon as his words fell, a transparent ripple spread from the shadows throughout the room.
A figure wearing a black hood stepped out of the bedroom.
He pulled back his hood, revealing that he was indeed the Meng Xiaobei Han Zhan had mentioned earlier!
In his hand was an object resembling a watch, which should be the tool used for concealing himself.
"You should have heard our conversation just now."
"The authorities have started to suspect me. I knew it, my behavior at the amusement park that day was too obvious! Damn it!"
Meng Xiaobei cursed in frustration.
"But you still killed Wang Gang." Ye Qiu looked calmly at Meng Xiaobei.
He noticed Meng Xiaobeiâs hand slightly curling, his staggered steps forming a defensive stance.
"If I said I didnât kill Wang Gang, would you believe me?"
"I donât believe you." Ye Qiu pointed to his own eyes, his meaning clear.
Itâs one thing to deceive yourself, but donât try to fool me.
"Alright then." Meng Xiaobei exhaled a heavy breath, "Let me put it this way: Wang Gang had to die. If he didnât, it would have caused a lot of trouble. Do you believe that?"
After listening to what Meng Xiaobei said, Ye Qiu leisurely sat back in his seat.
He gestured for Meng Xiaobei to sit down as well.
Meng Xiaobei didnât.
"I believe what you just said." To his surprise, Ye Qiuâs next words left Meng Xiaobei a bit stunned.
"You truly believe it?"
"I really believe it, more than believing you, I believe myself."
Ye Qiu poured himself a cup of freshly brewed tea, speaking mildly.
"As I just told Han Zhan, youâre an ambitious person, but youâre not a bad guy."
"No need to rush to thank me."
Seeing the excitement overflowing on Meng Xiaobeiâs face, Ye Qiu raised his hand to stop him.
"Believing you doesnât mean Iâm willing to help you, and besides, with my current ability, I canât do much to help you either."
"The fact is, you killed Wang Gang, you killed Zhao Qi, Tan Chunhua... you killed forty-three people, all of whom were from Sanatorium No.3."
"One more thing I didnât tell Han Zhan is that these forty-three people all lived in the northern courtyard of Sanatorium No.3. The entire northern courtyard had forty-six people."
Forty-six people, except for the already dead forty-three.
The remaining three are Ye Qiu, Meng Xiaobei, and the only survivor, Zhao Hancheng!
"You can leave now too."
"I was originally planning to treat you to a meal today, but with this mess, the meal is off."
"I helped you this time, so the breakfast you were going to treat me to is written off."
Looking at the silent Meng Xiaobei, Ye Qiu waved his hand.
He picked up his teacup and sipped slowly.
The food today was a bit greasy, so he brewed a pot of strong tea.
The strong tea was quite bitter upon entering his mouth.
"Brother Ye Qiu, donât you want to know why I had to kill them?"
"Thereâs no need."
Ye Qiu directly interrupted Meng Xiaobeiâs words.
"If you donât tell me, I can pretend I donât know. I havenât deceived anyone."
"If you tell me, I wonât be able to sit here and drink tea as calmly as if nothingâs happened."
"Iâve already said, whether I believe you or not isnât important. Whatâs important is how you make the Great Xia authorities believe you."
Meng Xiaobei understood Ye Qiuâs meaning.
He nodded, bowed respectfully to Ye Qiu, then turned and walked away into the night.
"When you come to kill me, remember to give me a heads up."
"So I can prepare a sufficiently lavish âlast mealâ for myself."
Ye Qiuâs words came from behind, causing Meng Xiaobeiâs steps to pause.
After a pause, he quickened his pace, swiftly blending into the nightâs darkness and disappearing.
...
The watch on Meng Xiaobeiâs wrist, called the "Nightwalker", is an antique.
Its function is simple but useful, allowing everything covered by the Nightwalkerâs range to enter a "Night Travel" state.
In Night Travel state, itâs impossible to be detected normally.
Itâs a method used to evade Celestial Netâs monitoring.
It also has a certain effect on Lin Jingxuanâs Heaven and Earth Array.
To this day, Meng Xiaobei still doesnât know what grade this antique watch exists as a tool.
Lost in thought, he moved through the night, everything around shrouded in black, like draped in a dark veil, becoming obscured and unclear.
But at this moment, a figure suddenly blocked his path.
Not only that, at the instant the figure appeared, an enormous pressure assaulted Meng Xiaobei, forcing him out of his special Night Travel state!
Meng Xiaobei staggered, his form revealing on the street.
Opposite him, Han Zhan silently withdrew the Nuwa Stone radiating with the Divine Artifactâs brilliance.
"Hiding here and there, do you really think that the same thing can work on me twice?"
Han Zhan looked coldly at Meng Xiaobei, especially at the watch he wore.
Back at the Spring Tide Dance Hall, he had already sensed the presence of a special tool that blocked perception, though he hadnât pinpointed its exact location.
Now encountering it again, there was no way heâd let it escape.
"Youâve known about me for a while?" Meng Xiaobeiâs expression darkened.
"Otherwise, you wouldnât just wait here specifically for me to walk into a trap!"
"Thatâs right." Han Zhan slowly drew the Moonlight Longsword, twirling it with a flourish.