Chapter 56: Zhi Qi, This is a Conspiracy
A dim mist slowly crept through the dense forest.
Exhausted travelers trudged forward, their steps heavy and weary. The wind rustled through the treetops, producing an eerie “swooshing” sound. The setting sun wavered on the horizon, casting its final golden rays upon the landscape.
Fang Xiaocao bit her lip, struggling to move forward. Her face was pale, and after hours of trekking through the mountain paths, her stamina had reached its limit.
Among the group, only Wan Xiaozhou remained composed. Other than Zhi Qi, who was leading the way and still appeared to have some energy left, everyone else looked completely drained.
Su Wanqing gasped for air like a fish out of water, her mouth wide open as she desperately tried to inhale enough oxygen.
“Hah… hah… I really can’t walk anymore… I can’t breathe…”
With great difficulty, she forced the words from her throat in a broken whisper.
Fang Xiaocao glanced at Su Wanqing, then waved her hand, signaling Yun Luoshu and Wen Shi to stop for a moment and let Su Wanqing catch her breath. Leaning against a large tree, she turned to Zhi Qi and asked,
“Zhi Qi, how much further is the campsite?”
It wasn’t just Su Wanqing—Fang Xiaocao herself was nearing her limit.
“The map seems to have a problem…” Zhi Qi’s expression grew serious.
Everyone turned to her at once.
“What do you mean?” Fang Xiaocao asked, her voice tense.
“The map is wrong!” Zhi Qi repeated, frowning.
“We’re moving in circles,” Wan Xiaozhou said in a deep voice. “We’ve passed this tree three times now!” She pointed to the large tree Fang Xiaocao was leaning on.
Fang Xiaocao blinked in surprise, instinctively looking at the tree trunk.
There was a faint scratch on the bark.
“This is…?” she hesitated.
“A marker I made!” Wan Xiaozhou replied. “There should be another scratch on the other side.”
Fang Xiaocao immediately peeked around the trunk—sure enough, there was an identical mark.
“There really is one!” she exclaimed.
“The first two times we passed this tree, we took different paths around it, so I didn’t notice at first,” Wan Xiaozhou explained. “It wasn’t until I tried to mark it again that I realized…”
She trailed off, but everyone understood what she meant.
“We’re definitely going in circles,” Zhi Qi confirmed.
“According to the map, we should have arrived at the campsite an hour ago. But after walking for an extra hour, we still haven’t seen any sign of it.”
“Look here—this patch of moss is where Su Wanqing slipped earlier,” she added grimly.
“So…” Fang Xiaocao hesitated, lowering her voice. “Are we… caught in someone’s trap?”
“Very likely,” Zhi Qi nodded.
“This could be a conspiracy targeting the Zhi family—or even a larger scheme against the influential families and businesses of Tang City and its neighboring regions.”
“From what I know, several well-known family enterprises were invited to participate in this project investigation. Apart from my Zhi family, I’m familiar with the Helan family, the Yu family, and others.”
At these words, a thought flashed through Fang Xiaocao’s mind. The mention of the “Helan family” and “Yu family” immediately brought two names to the forefront of her mind—Helan Xiaoyue and Yu Tianqi.
“So Helan Xiaoyue is from the Helan family, and Yu Tianqi is from the Yu family.”
“If what Zhi Qi says is true—that this is a conspiracy targeting these families—then Helan Xiaoyue and Yu Tianqi must also be involved.”
“That means… Wan Xiaozhou is even more suspicious.”
Fang Xiaocao’s mind raced as she rapidly pieced together the clues.
Stealing a glance at Wan Xiaozhou, she observed that the woman’s expression remained perfectly calm—neither worried nor afraid, as if the situation had nothing to do with her.
“As expected…”
Seeing this, Fang Xiaocao silently confirmed her suspicions.
Wan Xiaozhou was definitely hiding something.
If the attacker that Hot Noodles’ friend had mentioned was indeed Wan Xiaozhou, then she was the prime suspect.
But more questions arose in Fang Xiaocao’s mind.
Why did Wan Xiaozhou only injure people instead of killing them?
What was their true objective?
Money?
Murder?
Thoughts swirled in her head.
Based on the information she had gathered from Hot Noodles’ friend, the possibility of this being a financial scheme seemed more likely.
If it were purely about killing, there would be no need to merely injure people instead of eliminating them.
Fang Xiaocao had been closely observing Wan Xiaozhou throughout their journey and was certain that she possessed keen instincts, impressive combat skills, and a physique comparable to that of a well-trained man.
If she had the ability to wound Yu Tianqi, she certainly had the ability to kill him.
“So it’s about money?” Fang Xiaocao muttered.
“So… does that mean we’re in serious danger now?” Su Wanqing finally caught on and blurted out.
“Yes, we are,” Zhi Qi nodded.
“If it’s dangerous, what are we waiting for?” Su Wanqing cried. “Let’s run!”
“Luoshu, Wenshi, help me up! I can still run!”
Fang Xiaocao: “Pfft—”
“This idiot…” she mentally cursed.
Even at a time like this, Su Wanqing still managed to lighten the mood with her antics.
The rest of the group exchanged strange looks at her over-the-top reaction.
“Don’t look at me like that~” Su Wanqing whined, pretending to act shy.
Fang Xiaocao glanced around, considering whether to stuff a sock in Su Wanqing’s mouth.
Realizing that socks were hard to come by in the wilderness, she turned to Yun Luoshu and said, “Luoshu, take off your sock and stuff it in her mouth!”
Yun Luoshu: “???”
Su Wanqing: “!!!”
The others: “…”
Fang Xiaocao had officially killed the conversation.
“Ahem…”
“Maybe now isn’t the best time for jokes,” Zhi Qi said dryly, looking exasperated.
“Ahem… Sorry,” Fang Xiaocao chuckled awkwardly. “I couldn’t help it—she’s too ridiculous.”
Zhi Qi gave a small nod of agreement.
“If this is truly a conspiracy, then whoever is behind it won’t let us escape so easily. We don’t know what other dangers await us on the way back.”
“Besides, in your current condition, you can’t run anyway,” she added.
At this, Su Wanqing fell silent.
“I’m sorry…” she murmured, looking ashamed. “I’m dragging everyone down.”
She bowed deeply to the group.
Seeing this, Fang Xiaocao gently pulled Su Wanqing into a hug and softly reassured her, “It’s okay. No one blames you.”
(End of Chapter 56)
