Why did you provoke me?

Jingyi's expression didn't change much. But everyone still unconsciously shut their mouths.

Yu Meng first checked Liu Wei and Si Jiu again to make sure there were no problems before letting everyone enter the room one by one.

Yu Meng was in charge of finding the mark, while Ba Wang and Niannian's line straws got busy.

The energy within the mark seemed incredibly delicious. Both the king prawn and the straw expressed a sense of joy.

Secretary Wu and Nangong Tianshou were very happy to hear that the matter had been resolved.

Secretary Wu activated his voice transmission ring and sent a message to Xiao Wen, instructing him to bring back all the people who had entered the dense forest that time for mark removal.

However, Xiao Wen did not reply for a long time after the message was sent.

Secretary Wu was a little confused, so he sent another message to Yan Lei.

"Brother Xiao, he went to the county a day ago. It seems there's been a change in the matter of contracting the mountain. Have him go and confirm it."

Secretary Wu had a bad feeling.

He looked at Nangong Tianshou and Yu Meng. "Could something have happened?"

Yu Meng hesitated for a moment before saying, "Really? Yan Lei went into the dense forest before."

"Keep sending messages to Xiao Wen, keep sending them," Nangong Tianshou suggested from the side.

Secretary Wu would send Xiao Wen a message every 10 minutes, but an hour later Xiao Wen hadn't replied with a single word.

"No need to send it anymore. Xiao Wen's communication ringtone must have been taken down," Yu Meng concluded.

"So something's happened?" Secretary Wu looked at the communicator in his hand. "Could it be those people from the first battlefield?"

Yu Meng tapped her finger on the table. "Unless they used a plane, it's impossible for them to get to Feng County where Xiao Wen is in such a short time."

"With their strength, they shouldn't lack aircraft," Nangong Tianshou said, revealing another truth.

Secretary Wu looked at Yu Meng and asked in a low voice, "Should we investigate?"

"An investigation is definitely necessary, but it will take us at least five days to get there. If it's the group from the First Battlefield, then Yan Lei and his team might..."

"Teacher Yu, you forgot that we also own airplanes," Secretary Wu quickly revealed his financial situation.

Seeing Secretary Wu's anxious expression, he couldn't help but ask, "Then who do you think is suitable to go?"

"Jing San," Secretary Wu answered without hesitation.

Niannian, standing to the side, quickly raised her little hand. "Fourth Sister, let me go too, that way the mark can be removed over there."

Yu Meng fell silent.

Then she looked up at Niannian. "Can you find the location of that mark?"

Niannian's eyes widened immediately. "That's right, I can't find the exact location of the mark, so going there is pointless."

Nangong Tianshou spoke slowly and deliberately. "If it's the group from the first battlefield, whether or not the mark is removed doesn't seem to matter much."

Niannian belatedly chimed in, "Yeah, they've already arrested them, so it doesn't really matter if we don't remove the mark."

Then she suddenly looked up at Nangong Tianshou. "No. I was almost fooled by Uncle Nangong. Brother Xiao was tricked into going to Feng County, but Yan Lei and the others weren't arrested. So the people who tricked Brother Xiao might not be the group from the battlefield. They're so arrogant, they wouldn't stoop to such methods; they would arrest people directly."

Nangong Tianshou raised an eyebrow and looked at Yu Meng. "From now on, you should also take the time to teach my Xiao Hao, just teach him to be like Nian Nian."

Yu Meng remained noncommittal. Teaching Nian Nian was teaching the techniques of a bone-drawing master; teaching Xiao Hao? What was she teaching him?

Secretary Wu coughed lightly. "Let's talk about this another time. Let's discuss Xiao Wen's issue first."

Nangong Tianshou looked at Secretary Wu with confusion. "Didn't you say you'd already sent people? What else is there to discuss?"

Secretary Wu opened his mouth, as there were many things he could have discussed. For example, was Xiao Wen safe now? Or why was his communication ring dismantled? But in the end, he remained silent.

Secretary Wu turned her gaze to Yu Meng. "Teacher Yu, what do you think?"

Yu Meng nodded. "If Xiao Wen hadn't gotten into this mess, I was planning to bring them back. But now someone is targeting Xiao Wen, and we don't know why for the time being. This makes things a bit difficult."

Niannian chimed in from the side, "What's so difficult about that? Just let them go back, and we'll go meet them. That way, we'll run into them in the middle."

Nangong Tianshou chuckled softly at this moment. "The dense forest is a forbidden area on the battlefield, but it can also be considered a treasure trove. I didn't expect so many of your Jingchuan people to have gone in."

Niannian pouted and looked at him. "We didn't know these things back then. If we had known, we would have sneaked in and out without anyone finding any fault with us."

"This is a top secret even among powerful families. You still want to know?" Nangong Tianshou's tone wasn't sarcastic; he was simply stating a fact. But his words were too hurtful, and Nian Nian couldn't help but roll her eyes again.

"Teacher Yu, shall I go and ask someone to prepare?" Secretary Wu stood up, preparing to leave.

"Old Wu, pick some tough guys, and bring the best weapons too."

After Secretary Wu left, Nangong Tianshou looked at Yu Meng. "Don't you think our small force is missing a crucial element—an intelligence network?"

Yu Meng knew all this, of course, but she didn't have the energy to care about it.

Nangong Tianshou tapped the armrest of his chair with his fingers. "Intelligence networks are expensive."

Niannian couldn't help but add, "How much does it cost?"

"It's like filling a bottomless pit; it can never be filled," Nangong Tianshou described bluntly.

"Fourth Sister, do we have that much money?"

Yu Meng patted Niannian's arm. "Niannian, you must remember, we are bone painters, not intelligence gatherers. Therefore, we must focus all our energy on improving our abilities."

Nangong Tianshou looked at Yu Meng and said, "I'll handle this, and I can also pay for it. But I have one request: if I need your help, I hope you can lend a hand."

Yu Meng did not immediately agree, but instead sized up Nangong Tianshou. "If my life is threatened, I will not intervene."

What a joke! She came into this world wanting to live a peaceful life, not to fight and kill for some reason.

"I can't say for sure right now, but if you feel there's any danger, you can refuse." Nangong Tianshou didn't give a definitive answer, because he didn't know what would happen in the future.

"Uncle Nangong, do you have a lot of money?" Niannian asked with bright eyes.

"It's alright. After all, I'm getting on in years, I need to have some savings."

"But you're too stingy. Your intelligence network was built for Jingchuan, but my fourth sister worked for you, and you didn't even mention paying her."

Yu Meng lowered her head and covered the corners of her upturned mouth with her hand. What Niannian said makes perfect sense.

Nangong Tianshou was taken aback by Nian Nian's words. "Isn't Jingchuan Guild Hall your fourth sister's?"

"Of course not. It's a clubhouse for everyone," Niannian said matter-of-factly.