Then let them offer their loyalty!

I am Yan Chen's maid! And I was even ordered by Yan Chen to come and monitor him!

Isn't he afraid of Yan Chen's wrath?

She tried hard to turn her head to see Qiu Tu's expression, but the large hand on her mouth pressed firmly against her face, making her unable to move.

She struggled to break free of the control, but it only intensified the pain as she twisted and turned.

At this moment, perhaps sensing her resistance, Qiu Tu's deep, hoarse voice rang in her ear at just the right time, "Take a deep breath, it's okay, it will pass soon."

Accompanying the whisper was a slow but determined twisting of the dagger and an even more intense pain...

Feeling her body weaken and life slipping away, Cuilan couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her face. She shook her head desperately, weeping silently, but nothing could stop her life from slowly counting down...

In her dying moments, she seemed to see herself vividly recounting to Yan Chen the scene from yesterday noon, describing the flirtatious exchanges between Qiu Tu and Qin Shuman...

It was as if I could see the gloating look in her eyes when she led Qiu Tu the way last night...

It was as if she could see herself hiding by the door this morning, eavesdropping on Qiu Tu and Qin Shuman's whispered conversation...

She could almost see the ecstatic expression on Yan Chen's face as he summoned her to his dark study, rewarded her with a silver coin, and tasked her with monitoring Qiu Tu...

If she had known it would end like this, how could she have gotten involved in the affairs of such important people...?

Gradually, Cuilan's consciousness became increasingly blurred, until it finally dissipated completely...

...

Feeling Cuilan gradually stop struggling, Qiu Tu expressionlessly released his grip.

He coldly stared at Cuilan's corpse, then skillfully dragged her into the house. He returned to the courtyard, lit a cigarette, and silently smoked while calmly wiping away the bloodstains on the ground.

After doing all this, Qiu Tu changed his clothes and then dialed a phone number.

Soon, Eagle and Ah Kun arrived late at night. They saw Cui Lan's body but said nothing. They simply took out a sack, put the body in it, cleaned up the traces again, nodded to Qiu Tu, and carried the body away.

Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, the darkness in Qiu Tu's eyes deepened.

After a moment, he said softly, "The first one..."

......

Late at night, the door of a side room in the Qin family's secondary residence was suddenly knocked on.

A moment later, a middle-aged woman's voice came from inside, asking, "Who is it?"

The man whispered, "Madam, I am Afu. I have important matters to report to the head of the family."

After a while, the sound of clothes being put on could be heard from inside the house.

A moment later, Qin Heng, the head of the Qin family, put on a coat and came out of the house.

He looked about five or six parts like Master Qin, but he was very thin and frail, with a sickly pale complexion.

Stepping out of the room, a cool breeze blew, and he coughed twice, covering his mouth, before turning to Afu and coldly asking, "What happened?"

---

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Chapter 25 I killed him

Knowing that Qin Heng was unwell and couldn't stay outside any longer, Afu quickly stepped forward and whispered, "Master, three hours ago, the guards reported that Detective Qiu summoned two people."

"Half an hour later, the two men left carrying a sack."

“An hour ago, a servant reported that Miss Schumann’s personal maid, Tracy, had gone missing.”

“She said she was going out for a walk around 9 p.m. tonight, but she hasn’t returned yet. I’ve had people search everywhere, but there’s no trace of her. We’ve also checked all the ponds and wells, but there’s still no sign of her.”

"But a servant recalled seeing her go to the courtyard where the guards were staying three hours earlier..."

Ah Fu didn't say what he was going to say next, but the meaning couldn't be clearer.

Qin Heng murmured softly, his face expressionless, "Cuilan...?"

"This doesn't seem to be the maid that our Qin family assigned to serve Shuman, does it?"

Afu whispered a reminder, "Master, have you forgotten? The maid who served Miss Schumann was sent to Director Yan's villa and was returned on the same day."

"Therefore, Cuilan is Director Yan's personal maid."

Qin Heng's face immediately darkened. "Did he bring it from the shelter?"

This time, Afu was clearly taken aback for a moment, then hesitated for a second, remembering Cuilan's dark and plump appearance, and shook his head, saying, "It shouldn't be."

Qin Heng's expression softened slightly. He pondered for a moment, then said, "Tell the second brother that they can handle their internal affairs."

Afu accepted the order, "Yes."

Qin Heng coughed twice more, then turned and went back to his room.

A moment later, a woman's concerned voice came from inside the room, "What's wrong?"

Qin Heng said in a low voice, "It's nothing, just a small matter."

The woman hummed in agreement.

The room gradually quieted down, and the blue moonlight, like water, bathed the entire Qin family compound...

[7 days]

【64:25:01】

.......

Silent all night.

The next morning, Qiu Tu got up and habitually glanced at the two hourglass countdowns in the upper left corner.

Of the two countdowns, the first was the deadline Yan Chen had set for him to investigate the Qin family's crimes. There were six days left.

The second is the time it takes to create the Cataclysmic Potion; there are still about 57 hours left.

'Judging by the time, the Qin family should have already reported Cuilan's death to Yan Chen, right?'

'Then we should see Yan Chen's reaction soon...'

'We'll see if my guess was right then and there...'

Thinking this, Qiu Tu got up, washed up, and then went out of the room to have breakfast.

To accommodate the guards, the Qin family specially set up a small kitchen in the courtyard. Every morning, the kitchen would prepare meals for the guards.

During the meal, Qiu Tu and Fang Ming sat at the same table.

While eating with his head down, Fang Ming said in a low voice, "Qiu Tu, to be honest, I really admire you."

"When I first met you, you were just an ordinary agent, and it seems you had gotten involved with the chief's woman, which made the chief dislike you."

"As a result, you turned things around that very night. Not only were you transferred to the political department, but you were also promoted."

"At the time, I was surprised and curious."

"Unexpectedly, the situation reversed again in just one day. You were appointed as the head of the guard regiment to escort Qin Shuman back to the Qin family."

"Although I don't know what you're up to, anyone with eyes can see that this is a trap."

"A top-level detective from the Political Department is leading the team; they're practically ready to pull out the investigation warrant."

"Anyone who can survive in officialdom isn't shrewd; who wouldn't guess this is a political statement?"

"Therefore, countless eyes in the New Territories are watching the Qin family, the Commissioner, and you."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "So last night you first met with Master Qin, and then you killed Yan Chen's personal maid, Cuilan..."

"I'm actually a bit confused about which side you're on, and what kind of scheme you're involved in..."

“My dad once said that when you meet someone you don’t understand but who seems trustworthy, the best thing to do is to be honest with them.”

"Otherwise, they'll have you completely under their control and make you count their money."

"So, I also want to be honest with you. I got involved in this purely by accident, and I hope you won't involve me when you set this up."

"As long as you don't involve me, I'll owe you a favor."

"As for your group of brothers, I really think highly of Atai. I already arranged for him to participate in the Special Operations Department's selection this morning, so there shouldn't be any problems."

"If you eventually overcome this difficulty and he goes back to you, I'll consider it repaying a favor."

“If something happens to you, I will treat him as my own brother and nurture him with care. With him around, your group of brothers won’t completely lose power without your protection.”

"But try not to involve him in your future affairs. Otherwise, I won't be able to protect him either."

After saying that, Fang Ming continued to eat his rice, as if waiting for Qiu Tu's decision.

Qiu Tu stared at Fang Ming, just staring. After a moment, a smile bloomed on his face, and he extended his hand. "Deal."

Fang Ming breathed a sigh of relief and also extended his hand.

Their hands were clasped tightly together.

As he released his grip, Fang Ming whispered a reminder, "Be careful. The Qin family's affairs aren't simple; they might involve some higher-level power struggles..."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu's heart stirred slightly, recalling the warnings his [Crisis Sense] had been giving about Yan Chen being caught in a storm vortex. He nodded and sincerely said, "Thank you."

...

After finishing his meal, Qiu Tu, as the leader of the guard regiment, naturally had to report to Qin Shuman.

Before he could even set off, Qin Shuman, holding up her skirt, hurriedly came looking for him.

Upon seeing Qiu Tu, Qin Shuman visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

She quickened her pace, came to Qiu Tu's side, bent down and whispered, "Qiu Tu, something's happened."

Smelling the wafting fragrance of cherry blossoms and watching the surging white waves before him, Qiu Tu continued eating calmly while softly asking, "What happened?"

Qin Shuman looked around. There were still a few tables of detectives eating nearby, but she couldn't care less. So, as she sat down next to Qiu Tu, she lowered her voice and said, "Cuilan has disappeared. I suspect someone has attacked her."

"Last night after I went back to my room, she asked me for leave, saying she wanted to..."

Before she could finish speaking, Qiu Tu interrupted her, "I know."

"You know?" Qin Shuman's eyes widened in surprise, making her appear quite naive.

Qiu Tu grunted in response, continuing to eat with his head down, and said casually, "I killed him."

Qin Shuman: ! ! ?

Qin Shuman's eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Qiu Tu.

Fortunately, she still had her senses, so the next second she came to her senses, swallowed, and asked softly, "Why?"

Qiu Tu glanced at her and without hesitation began to use the 37th of the 108 ways to enhance feelings: For you.

"Of course it's for you."

"For me?" Qin Shuman blinked, her eyes revealing a mixture of innocence and naivety...

Chapter 26 Testing the Bottom Line

Qiu Tu said matter-of-factly, "Nonsense, why would I kill her if it weren't for you?"

Qin Shuman's mind went blank for a moment. She asked, puzzled, "But... what did she do to me?"

As Qiu Tu picked up some food, he explained slowly and deliberately, "She's Yan Chen's person. She's following you around to keep an eye on you."

"Yan Chen clearly doesn't believe you're a spy for the military, so she assigned her to record your every word and action and report back regularly."

At this point, Qiu Tu countered, "Are you a spy for the military?"

Qin Shuman shook her head blankly.

Qiu Tu said, "Isn't that it? She discovered you had a problem and recorded all the details."

“Last night, when she was about to report to Yan Chen, I happened to catch her, so I just killed her without hesitation.”

Qin Shuman's mouth opened slightly, and for a moment she didn't know what to say.

At this moment, Qiu Tu, with a smile on his lips, picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and ate it with great satisfaction.

The most important thing in life is learning to pass the buck.

Why take the blame yourself when you can shift the blame to someone else and still get their gratitude?