Based on the intelligence I've gathered, "Shen Xian Ke" has abandoned its cooperation with "Nan Pai." These emergent "Mr. Ke" figures are merely a smokescreen deployed by a certain schemer.
From the current situation, the cooperative channel between "Nan Pai" and "Shen Xian Ke" is through "Mr. Ke," Ke Yingying. If this schemer is using a fake "Mr. Ke" for their machinations, then Ke Yingying should be completely unaware of the matter.
Therefore, I've decided to meet Ke Yingying.
...
Old Ke has his own residence in Beijing, a house located outside the Fifth Ring Road, over 80 square meters, on the ground floor, with a small courtyard. When I went to find him, Ke Yingying was watering flowers in the courtyard.
Upon entering, I noticed a dog in the corner, dark-furred, with piercing, bright eyes. It was the dog that spotted me, but it showed no aggression.
Ke Yingying looked at me, then at the dog, and smiled knowingly, "Sect Master, how did you find me here?"
"Someone is monitoring you, and you don't care, but you're quite curious how I found you."
I didn't try to hide anything. The information that led me to Ke Yingying came from the Special Crimes Unit. I didn't think Old Ke would mind, as I firmly believed he would discover anyone tailing him.
"So you used the Special Crimes Unit's resources."
"Indeed!"
"Sect Master, although your abilities are greater than mine, I have lived longer than you. We are schemers, and who knows what the future holds? You shouldn't become dependent on the Special Crimes Unit."
I understand... Li Jiu is a schemer hidden in the shadows, so his disciples naturally possess an innate awareness of schemers as criminals. However, true schemers are not criminals. The most obvious example is Teacher Wang Ren, who is also a schemer and a police superintendent.
Although I understood his point, I had no intention of explaining it to Ke Yingying. There's an old Chinese saying: heed advice, and you'll have plenty to eat. Ke Yingying's words weren't entirely without merit.
"You think that because they are monitoring you."
Ke Yingying smiled calmly, "Although I am a black informant, the Special Crimes Unit has never fully trusted me. They're likely monitoring me again because they've encountered a problem. Do you know why?"
"I do!"
This answer surprised Ke Yingying. He probably didn't expect me to tell him. Judging from his perspective, I was here to inquire, to pry for answers indirectly. My straightforward honesty was beyond Ke Yingying's consideration.
"Don't blame Teacher Wang Ren for this. She can't trust you. It's because many 'Mr. Ke' figures have appeared in Beijing recently."
"Many?"
"Yesterday I met someone who told me there are many 'Mr. Ke' in this world, and they belong to an organization called 'Shen Xian Ke'."
Hearing my words, Ke Yingying's expression changed slightly. I knew these matters touched upon Ke Yingying's hidden secrets, but I didn't care. I came here today to be open and honest.
"Who did you meet?"
"Ping Fan!"
"Don't know him!"
So, the real "Mr. Ke" doesn't know other "Mr. Ke" figures. But I didn't intend to investigate further. I knew "Shen Xian Ke" was an organization, but it didn't necessarily mean they were my enemies. The world is vast, and everyone has their own karma. In terms of causal relationships, "Shen Xian Ke" and I have this much connection, and I've now clarified it.
"It doesn't matter if you don't know him. Ping Fan told me something that led me to a conclusion. Are these 'Mr. Ke' figures that the Special Crimes Unit is dealing with lately, fake?"
"And then?"
"So, I need your help, the real 'Mr. Ke,' to find the schemer behind this."
Ke Yingying fell silent, contemplating.
"Perhaps there's a lead."
"What?"
"Your friend Tie Zhishan, using his membership status with the Shen Xian Ke restaurant, commissioned us to find someone."
"Chen Ling?"
"Yes!"
But when doing good deeds, one should not dwell on karma.
Sometimes, the connections of karma are so peculiar. In the previous "True and False Monkey King" incident, I intentionally helped Ke Yingying find his son. This invoked Ke Yingying's gratitude. I believed that a betrayer would eventually betray again. Ke Yingying's betrayal wasn't unexpected. He betrayed "Nan Pai," but it was different from what I imagined. Ke Yingying's method was not subtle at all; it was very direct.
"Nan Pai" finding Chen Ling must be preparation to deal with me. However, I received no news about Chen Ling from my side, and Old Tie's feedback was also that Chen Ling hadn't been found. In reality, Shen Xian Ke found her, but Ke Yingying unilaterally suppressed this information.
...
Also, while these fake "Mr. Ke" figures are unrelated to Ke Yingying, from his perspective, he should know who is behind it. However, I understand Ke Yingying's position; he cannot reveal his affiliation with "Nan Pai," so he can only provide me with the lead on Chen Ling again, guiding me to deal with Nan Pai through Chen Ling.
...
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Sometimes schemers are not omnipotent. I believed the general trend was that "Nan Pai" would use the information about Chen Ling that I released to deal with me. However, I didn't anticipate the process; the enemy was not lurking by my side, so Lin Han and I remained indifferent. The enemy might have learned my methods and leaked it solely through Shen Xian Ke.
...
Ke Yingying was unaware of the process of finding Chen Ling. He only told me that a friend from the martial world helped him find her, and Chen Ling was now working as a "princess" at a place called "Bai Xue Club."
Such a club is not like the nightclubs we've been to. It's a place specifically for wealthy men, providing special services, and it's very expensive.
"Where is that Bai Xue Club located?"
"Near the Third Ring Road. I have the address," Ke Yingying said with a frown.
"Let's go there."
"Alright!"
"Shall we go?"
"Now?"
"Sect Master, you are too naive. It's daytime now; such establishments are not yet open, and the 'princesses' haven't started work!"
...
Indeed, revealing the matter of Chen Ling and letting the enemy exploit it was my initial idea. I felt a pang in my heart. I understood Chen Ling to some extent. In high school, her family background was not good, and she was very proud, so she lied to other classmates, claiming her family was well-off. She studied diligently and achieved excellent grades. When people asked her for advice, she would say, "Just hire a tutor." In reality, her grades were a result of her intelligence and her sleepless efforts.
With a family like that, what was wrong with Chen Ling lying? Everything she did was simply to avoid being looked down upon by her classmates. However, her father's "heroic" act ruined the happy life she should have had.
The world's indifference made people unwilling to acknowledge her father as a hero, further disheartening her. She was teetering on the edge of danger. At this point, people should have offered her support. At the very least, the school, which is responsible for nurturing people, should have done so. Yet, it was the school that inflicted more pain on her wounds, like rubbing salt into them.
...
If, at that time, the school had extended a helping hand and believed me, believed that her father was a heroic figure who acted bravely, Chen Ling's future might have been entirely different.
But the school didn't do that?
Chen Ling left school. Without a father, in her formative years, she was quite attractive. But she fell into the wrong company and inevitably went down the wrong path. She transformed, no longer the girl who would blush when we walked side by side.
...
The Bai Xue Club is a private club located in a bustling, central area of Beijing. It spans over two thousand square meters, is luxuriously decorated, and has more than 20 VIP suites in various top-tier styles.
As a private men's club, the staff at Bai Xue Club are almost all beautiful women, and even the receptionists are print models from an entertainment company.
The basic requirements for working here are appearance and a good figure. The job involves chatting and drinking with clients, with the main income derived from tips. A single visit here, excluding the core services, can cost over ten thousand yuan.
Of course, accompanying them for conversation and drinks is just the surface-level activity. The illicit physical transactions that occur privately within the club and the wildness in the VIP suites are the real reasons men come here.
...
These illicit transactions should be prohibited. But for some reason, the Bai Xue Club, established in 2005, has survived to this day. Despite crackdowns and related venues losing their licenses, the Bai Xue Club has remained a constant.
...
This place must have backing. I don't care who their patron is, as I'm not here to shut the place down. My sole purpose for coming here is to pull Chen Ling out of the inferno of fate tonight.