Naming Technique of the Night

Chapter 786: 471, Confidential Talk

Subordinates behind Shadow, one by one, stepped forward to kill the prisoners on the execution frame.

They were all lured by the lake with Qing Chen as bait.

Now, however, he had lost interest in finding the masterminds behind these people.

In Shadow’s view, the people who could command these were only a few.

Since these people were tight-lipped, it was better to assume all those who could be behind the scenes as enemies.

No one was to be spared.

However, this time the capture of Qing Chen was clearly different.

The mastermind behind instructing Zhou and others to kill by the lake wasn’t that capable.

Shadow knew exactly who had the capability to plant an insider by his side.

Such a person existed, and there was only one.

Shadow washed his hands in the pool beside the execution frame, washing away the blood.

The expressions of those around him were solemn.

By now, they understood the severity of the situation.

Shadow said casually to a few subordinates, “Among you, a traitor has emerged.”

The subordinates’ expressions froze; they were all too aware of how severe the consequences of betraying Shadow were.

Moreover, this was Shadow.

The emergence of an insider within Shadow’s circle was a very serious matter.

Shadow continued, “But no worry, I know whom you are serving.”

Zhou, on the execution frame, watching his comrades die one by one, said in a panic, “I’ll tell you everything I know right now, just let me go.”

Shadow turned to look at him, “I don’t want to listen anymore.”

With that, he actually opened the Door of Shadow and left without looking back.

It was only at this moment that Zhou realized that this wasn’t any interrogation technique; Shadow was genuinely impatient!

The next moment, Shadow had already arrived at the Qing’s Ginkgo Manor in City No. 5.

The manor, perched halfway up the hill, was still brightly lit, resembling a palace complex above the vault of heaven.

Lavish blue and purple light strips outlined the eaves, corners, and walls like a dream.

Shadow made his way up the stairs, and the hidden guards and servants who saw him moved aside.

They bowed respectfully, standing on both sides of the path.

They sensed that something significant must have happened for Shadow, who rarely appeared at the Ginkgo Manor, to return all of a sudden.

Shadow continued toward the highest point, where there was an isolated building.

In the entire Ginkgo Manor, only this building was dim, with barely any lights.

Shadow arrived at the door and pushed open the great hall’s door without greeting, standing at the entrance.

The light from outside penetrated through the open door, illuminating the dim interior of the building.

At this time, an old man with his hair in a bun was sitting cross-legged on a futon, his back to the door, motionless like a bronze bell.

“Having been Shadow for so long, you’ve forgotten the rules. In Qing’s Family, the Family Head’s power still overrides that of Shadow. So, you should have knocked on the door first, and entered only after I had allowed it,” the old man said slowly and casually.

“It was you who leaked the information about Qing Chen, wasn’t it?” Shadow asked bluntly.

In fact, when he received the call from Yan Chunmi and learned that information, Shadow was very clear about who was manipulating everything.

In Shadow’s view, there was only one person who could plant an insider by his side without him noticing and betray him at the crucial moment, and that was the Qing Clan House Master.

Shadow never suspected anyone other than the Qing Clan House Master.

If other powers could do this, then he wouldn’t need to be Shadow anymore, and Qing’s Family would likely be swallowed up sooner or later.

This was a confidence.

Only someone like the Qing Clan House Master, whose power was completely overbearing over him, could achieve this.

Some in the intelligence system were loyal to Shadow, and others were loyal to Qing’s Family, and there was a significant difference.

That is why he told his subordinates that he knew the traitor was among them, but it didn’t matter.

Because, if Qing’s Family had to choose someone to represent the entire clan and its conglomerate, it would absolutely not be him, Shadow, but the Family Head.

Is it wrong to betray Shadow for the Family Head? No.

The old man was the true decision-maker of the clan, and everyone’s will, including Shadow’s, had to serve him.

The Qing Clan House Master said without turning his head, “It was me.”

“Why?” Shadow asked coldly.

The Qing Clan House Master countered, “Is it because you are about to die, hence you’ve become somewhat merciful, causing your work to be messy and inefficient, right?”

“What do you mean?” Shadow asked.

“You sent him to bring Qing Mu back home to curry favor with the hearts of the personnel in Qing’s information system,” the Qing Clan House Master slowly said.

“Yes, does this conflict with your wishes? Isn’t this what you wanted to see?” Shadow asked.

“There’s no conflict, but you’ve been too merciful,” the Qing Clan House Master always left only his back to Shadow, “Simply bringing Qing Mu back home might at most earn some gratitude and admiration from the intelligence personnel, but if you want him to quickly take over the intelligence system, or to climb to a higher position, you need to be more ruthless.”

Shadow said earnestly, “You want him to become the second Qing Mu, one who returns alive to the Qing Clan and is capable of commanding and intimidating all intelligence personnel.”

Shadow finally understood what the Qing Clan House Master truly wanted.

Shadow had completely understood.

The ones taking action this time were from the Jindai family.

The Qing Clan House Master, through some unknown means, had given Qing Chen’s information to Jindai!

After obtaining the information on Qing Chen, what Jindai wanted to do was to find a new ‘Qing Mu’.

Since the Qing Clan had captured someone from Jindai to trade for Qing Mu, they would find a new replacement.

Jindai, being a conglomerate as well, how could they allow others to provoke them without striking back?

The trouble and humiliation that Qing Chen had caused them were already too much, so this time Jindai decided to strike like thunder and nip this potential major threat in the bud.

Jindai wanted to humiliate Qing Chen endlessly, just like they treated Qing Mu, to show the entire Federation the consequences of provoking Jindai.

And in the eyes of the Qing Clan House Master.

A person who brings Qing Mu back home is merely a hero; while people might admire him, such credentials are not enough for Qing Chen to swiftly rise to a higher position.

But if a clear-headed and alive ‘Qing Mu’ returns to the south, then his prestige and authority would be completely different.

The person who brings Qing Mu back and ‘Qing Mu’ himself are entirely two different concepts.

“It seems, neither you nor I have much time left, so you have to resort to this harsh measure,” Shadow said calmly.

The old man neither agreed nor disagreed and did not answer.

But Shadow couldn’t understand, “Aren’t you worried about him dying in the north? Or someone using the method of connecting neurons to swap his soul?”

The Qing Clan House Master said calmly, “No one in this world can replace him using that method. You and I have known this for more than ten years. If Jindai can’t even replace Qing Mu, how can they replace him?”

“But what if he dies in the north?” Shadow asked heavily.

“You really have become somewhat softer,” the Qing Clan House Master said calmly, “In my view, this is not a problem at all. What concerns me more now is that all of you are so soft, if the Qing Clan’s foundation were handed over to you, would it collapse?”

It seemed the Qing Clan had other plans.

Shadow sneered, “Do you really have plans to hand over the Qing Clan? It seems like you intend to, but it’s hard to say what the reality is.”

Now, the reason why various factions within the Qing Clan are restless and targeting Shadow.

Is merely because the Family Head casually mentioned a few days ago, “What do you think of Shadow as the Family Head this time?”

That alone sparked a huge outcry.

The leaders of those factions simply couldn’t accept being controlled by Shadow anymore, they didn’t want to see Shadow ascend to the position of Family Head, hence the later incidents occurred.

Only Shadow knew that the old man had never intended to let him become the Family Head.

The other party said that sentence, knowing what the factions were thinking, the Family Head wanted to use those people to counterbalance him.

Shadow didn’t say anything more, and turned to leave.

The old man asked, “Are you going to rescue him now?”

Without saying a word, Shadow paused, turned around, and gave the Qing Clan House Master a cold look.

The old man continued slowly, “If you rescue him now, then all the hardships he endured and the injuries he suffered today would have been in vain. Remember what I once said, a person should not have emotions, for emotions lead to flaws. Only when he truly becomes ‘Qing Mu’ will he have value.”

Shadow said coldly, “That is your opinion, I don’t think so.”

The Qing Clan House Master asked, “Didn’t you also deliberately leak his information to win over Qing Yi’s loyalty? What I am doing now, how is it any different from what you have done? You’ve also killed many innocents.”

Shadow responded calmly, “You make some sense, I have never considered myself a good person. But I am prepared to bear the sins and go to Hell. Are you prepared to do the same?”

With that, he turned and left.

Shadow received a message on his phone: it was a complete rundown of the events sent by someone.

Included in it were the news of Qing Chen’s disappearance after a deadly battle, as well as the news of Li Yunjing and Fire Pit losing the trail after their investigation.

Shadow made a phone call and said, “Qing Ye, first thing, send people to block all the paths leading to the north, don’t give Jindai a chance to take Qing Chen out of the Central Plains. Second thing, find out which airship is supposed to meet them. Third, order the Qing Clan combat troops to ignore Fire Pit.”

“Lastly,” Shadow paused before continuing, “pass this information to Li Changqing, she’s in the City 19 north of the battlefield, let her join in searching for Qing Chen’s whereabouts.”

From this moment onward, Jindai’s actions in capturing Qing Chen were like stirring a hornet’s nest, affecting countless people’s nerves.