Li Weijun's invitation for dinner was declined with gratitude. Qin Yu entered the hotel and headed towards the room where Mo Yongxing was staying. Their rooms were adjacent, but to be honest, Qin Yu wasn't entirely at ease handing over the "Chasing Shadow" to Mo Yongxing.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
Qin Yu knocked on the door for a while but received no response. Could it be that Mo Yongxing wasn't in the room? Puzzled, Qin Yu was about to turn and leave when suddenly he heard a shout from inside the room.
"Is that Qin Yu? Come in quickly, hurry! If you don't come, I'm going to die."
The voice sounded hoarse and urgent. It was indeed Mo Yongxing. Could something have happened? Without hesitation, Qin Yu placed his hand on the doorknob and turned it, and surprisingly, the door wasn't locked.
"Why are you sitting on the sofa? I thought something happened to you." Qin Yu pushed the door open and rushed in with a swift step, only to find Mo Yongxing sitting on the sofa with his back facing him, completely still without even turning his head.
"Come over here and take... take this sword away."
Mo Yongxing's voice almost had a sobbing tone. As Qin Yu approached to take a look, he burst into laughter.
As it turned out, the reason Mo Yongxing was sitting motionless on the sofa was because there was a long sword floating in the air, pointing towards his forehead. The distance between the sword tip and his forehead was no more than an inch.
"You're still laughing? Take it away quickly. What kind of sword did you bring back? It can even fly on its own."
"Chasing Shadow is back." Qin Yu waved his hand and beckoned to the sword, and in an instant, the sword left Mo Yongxing and flew into Qin Yu's hand.
"I knew you would get into trouble with Chasing Shadow. Didn't I tell you not to open that box?" Qin Yu lay down on the sofa and asked Mo Yongxing.
"We'll talk about it later. Damn it, I can't hold it any longer."
Suddenly, Mo Yongxing jumped up from the sofa with a leap that was no less impressive than Liu Xiang's hurdles, and with lightning speed, he rushed into the bathroom and slammed the door shut with a bang.
"Haha." Qin Yu laughed heartily as he watched Mo Yongxing's figure. Then, he turned to the Chasing Shadow in his hand and said, "Chasing Shadow, how did he manage to provoke you?"
"Yiya." The blade of Chasing Shadow trembled a few times, and a young and innocent voice echoed in Qin Yu's mind, tinged with a hint of annoyance. Unfortunately, Qin Yu couldn't understand what it was saying. He continued, "Just scare him a bit, but whatever you do, don't actually stab him and leave a hole in him."
"Yah!" Chasing Shadow responded with a sound, and the sword tip flickered a few times, indicating understanding.
"I mean, Qin Yu, where did you find this strange sword? Can you please put it away? I feel uneasy just seeing it." Mo Yongxing emerged from the bathroom and noticed that Qin Yu was still holding Chasing Shadow. He muttered to himself.
"Buzz." Before Qin Yu could respond, Chasing Shadow, which had been quietly held in Qin Yu's hand, vibrated again, as if it wanted to approach Mo Yongxing.
"Alright, stop messing around, don't worry. I've already talked to Chasing Shadow, it won't scare you anymore. And don't speak ill of Chasing Shadow; he can understand. If you make him angry, I can't guarantee that you won't end up with a bloody hole in you."
"This sword can understand human speech? You're pulling my leg." Mo Yongxing had an expression that seemed to say, "You're just fooling me," and the words "I don't believe it" were written all over his face.
"Chasing Shadow, say hello to him, get friendly."
"Swoosh!" Qin Yu's words had just fallen when Chasing Shadow flew out and instantly arrived above Mo Yongxing's head, spinning continuously, stirring up gusts of cold wind that tousled Mo Yongxing's hair.
"I believe, I believe! Qin Yu, quickly tell him to leave. I believe he can understand human speech now." Mo Yongxing felt the coolness on his head and hurriedly shouted to Qin Yu.
"Come back, Chasing Shadow."
"I mean, Qin Yu, where did you find such a... um, treasure sword?" Chasing Shadow returned to Qin Yu's hand, and Mo Yongxing finally breathed a sigh of relief, sitting back on the sofa.
"It was in Guangxiao Temple. Chasing Shadow can be considered a relic of my sect," Qin Yu answered as he caressed the sword's blade.
"Actually, I wanted to ask you how you managed to provoke Chasing Shadow?"
"Well..." A rare blush appeared on Mo Yongxing's face, and he seemed a bit awkward. He glanced at Chasing Shadow before speaking, "I was just curious about what was inside this box. As soon as I returned to the room, I opened it and found a sword inside. I took it out, intending to take a closer look. But unexpectedly, it flew right in front of my forehead in an instant. I was too scared to move on the sofa until you came back."
"Is that so?" Qin Yu's tone elongated, showing clear disbelief. While Mo Yongxing spoke, Chasing Shadow kept making frustrated noises in Qin Yu's mind. If Qin Yu hadn't tightly held onto the hilt, the sword might have stabbed Mo Yongxing.
Moreover, another point was that when this guy lied, just like his brother, Ah Long, he couldn't meet Qin Yu's eyes, always glancing upwards or downwards. It was easy to tell.
"Alright, if you don't want to talk about it, then forget it. Just be more careful in the future. If you don't provoke Chasing Shadow, it won't cause you any trouble." Qin Yu didn't continue to inquire. He had more important matters to attend to.
"I'm going out again for a while. You can have dinner by yourself tonight; no need to wait for me."
"What are you going to do?"
"There's something I need to take care of. I might be back a bit late."
It was already approaching evening, and Qin Yu planned to prepare some things before heading to the Jingxiu District again. He couldn't rest easy without resolving the issue of Dragon Resentment.
"Are you going to the Dao Tower? Let me tell you, I want to go with you." Mo Yongxing's eyes lit up. Having witnessed Qin Yu's extraordinary abilities a couple of times, Mo Yongxing was enthusiastic about such matters.
"I'm not going to the Dao Tower. I'm going back to the Jingxiu District."
"Then go ahead." Mo Yongxing lost interest in going together upon hearing that it was the Jingxiu District. However, if he were to learn about the Dragon Resentment situation, his interest might change.
"I'm leaving Chasing Shadow with you. Don't provoke it again. If you end up with a few extra holes in your body, I won't be responsible." Qin Yu reminded Mo Yongxing.
"Yah!" Hearing that Qin Yu was leaving and leaving him with this annoying person, Chasing Shadow continued to protest in Qin Yu's mind, expressing its unwillingness.
"I can't take you with me for what I need to do. Just stay here and behave."
Qin Yu didn't expect Chasing Shadow to be so clingy. But this was the modern world, and Chasing Shadow was a long sword. He couldn't walk around carrying a long box every time he went out.
In fact, Chasing Shadow's attachment to him was also related to its own experiences. As Zhuge Master's artifact, Chasing Shadow had been lying in the box ever since Zhuge Master's passing. Over the years, Qin Yu was the first person who made it feel a sense of familiarity. It was inevitable for it to be drawn to Qin Yu, much like a child who liked to stick close to their loved ones.
Qin Yu left Mo Yongxing's room and returned to his own door. After a while, there was a knock on the door, and his cousin Zhang Hua walked in.
"Xiaoyu, I've bought everything you need."
Zhang Hua placed a bag on the table in the room. Qin Yu went to the bathroom to wash his hands, then came out and checked the contents of the bag. Infinite Water, Yin-Yang Mirror, Incense... According to his request, his cousin didn't miss a single item. He even bought some in duplicate.
"Let's go, we'll go to the Jingxiu District again." Qin Yu carried the bag and left the room with his cousin Zhang Hua. They got into Zhang Hua's car and drove towards the Jingxiu District once more.
"Xiaoyu, how confident are you in solving this Dragon Resentment issue?" Zhang Hua asked Qin Yu while driving.
"If the Hidden Dragon hasn't died, I have an 80% chance of success. But if the Hidden Dragon has already died, then I only have a 30% chance."
"So low!" Zhang Hua's voice rose a notch, and a worried expression appeared on his face. He advised, "Why don't we tell Secretary Meng and ask him to find another expert?"
Zhang Hua was afraid that his younger cousin wouldn't be able to solve the Dragon Resentment issue and would end up angering Secretary Meng. In Zhang Hua's mind, it was better to maintain some distance from these high-ranking officials.
"Even without certainty, I still have to give it a try." Qin Yu smiled bitterly. After all, the other party was Meng Yao's father. If he wanted to overcome the obstacles and be with Meng Yao, passing this test with his father was crucial.
"Even if Secretary Meng holds a high position, he can't force you, can he?" Zhang Hua found his cousin's words strange. Secretary Meng was indeed a high-ranking official in GD, but his cousin wasn't pursuing a career within GD. If things didn't work out, he could just leave GD.
"It's not about his position." Qin Yu replied and then closed his eyes. He began to review the records about the Hidden Dragon in the Zhuge's Internal Classic in his mind.
"Well, just be careful." Zhang Hua saw that his cousin closed his eyes and didn't say anything more. He focused on driving.