"No, just to be friends, nothing more."

Tang Qing shook her head again and explained, "The reason I've withdrawn from the world is that I no longer want to let my emotions control me. I won't get involved in your struggle, but I can tell you the truth about the 'disaster' two years ago that you want to know."

At this point, Tang Qing slowly turned around, her eyes holding a hint of invitation, and the woman quietly awaited Chuan Liu's decision.

At this point, Chuanliu understood why Tang Qing had given her a week to delay the kill order, why she had chatted with her alone at night, and why she had shown such trust and friendliness towards her.

Because of Li Quanyou's inquiries about "Plum Blossom 10", Tang Qing became curious about Chuanliu. Whether it was Jia Zuowei at the beginning or the subsequent annihilation of the three Long Dongqiang brothers, it actually had a severe impact on their partners in the Plum Blossom City.

This made Tang Qing feel that Chuanliu was deliberately going against Plum Blossom City.

Later, when Cao He, the "King of Hearts," sought out the "Secret Gate" to hunt down Chuan Liu, Tang Qing became even more convinced of this.

This is probably a twist of fate, but Chuanliu has indeed been passively raised to the level of hatred between "Plum Blossom 9" Hou Yifan and "Plum Blossom 10" Li Quanyou.

Chuanliu's biggest enemy right now is these two people from Plum Blossom City. Although her ultimate goal is not to seek revenge on them, Tang Qing's understanding is not entirely wrong.

Therefore, Chuanliu did not explain, but nodded in agreement, "Alright, since Sister Tang Qing trusts me, what else can I say? I will keep what I said today to myself, and no one else will know."

Tang Qing sat on the railing of the wooden bridge and began to recount: "What I know is what happened four years ago, right at the beginning."

The woman's gaze drifted into the air, her thoughts gradually sinking into memories.

——

Four years ago was the last year that stability was maintained among the four suits.

The reason why the four suits have been able to maintain this delicate balance for so long is thanks to the little devil's long-term maneuvering within it.

He was the first person on Paradise Island to advocate for peace, and his ideas were initially met with skepticism and ridicule from many. This was because, before him, the Spades, Hearts, Clubs, and Diamonds had been fighting for far too long, using their own resources, to the point that people had become accustomed to this fighting and killing.

However, Xiao Gui did not give up. He firmly believed that the four cities could achieve harmonious coexistence by sharing resources.

Under his influence, a high-ranking official emerged in each of the cities of different colors, who began to support the little devil's peace initiative and work together for the stability of Paradise Island.

Among them, the person who supported him in the City of Spades is now "Queen of Spades" Tang Qing.

The person who supports him in Plum Blossom City is now "Plum Blossom K" Wang Qiao.

As for the City of Hearts and the City of Diamonds, the two high-ranking officials who originally supported Little Ghost had already sacrificed themselves in that "disaster" two years ago.

Yes, the kid isn't a high-ranking member of any of the suits.

However, the reason why Xiao Gui had such a great influence among the four types of people was not just because of his so-called "personal charisma". It was because Xiao Gui had almost all the resources of the Wuwang District at that time, and the most important part of them was the Yorozuya.

The business directly under his control is the First Yorozuya, now well-known to the residents of Paradise Island.

The little devil never mentioned his own identity or even his own name, and no one ever found out. Even Tang Qing, who had always supported him, never found out.

Using his own resources and power, along with the influence of the four high-ranking officials, Xiao Gui was able to mobilize resources one after another.

Through mutual assistance between East and West, and communication between North and South, his vision was gradually realized.

Thus, this stable balance was maintained for many years.

After the peace was restored, the residents who landed on the island were more adapted to the peaceful environment. Although there were still many illegal activities and professions, at least most people lived earnestly and reformed themselves.

But in reality, the kid was always lobbying among the higher-ups, and his efforts never stopped.

There will always be someone who wants to monopolize the benefits.

Perhaps because he had met too many people with the little devil, Tang Qing increasingly supported Xunzi's theory of the inherent evil of human nature—"Human nature is inherently evil."

"That's what he thinks too," the kid said.

However, he supports another of Xunzi's sayings: "Even a commoner can become a Yu."

The person who painted?

Do these people who are being judged still deserve to be called "people of Tu"? Tang Qing now finds it even more incomprehensible.

What happened next?

Later, Tang Qing discovered that Xiao Gui was having trouble controlling his emotions. He gradually became easily agitated, constantly falling into doubt about others and himself, muttering to himself all day long. Perhaps it was due to too much pressure?

Everything changed four years ago.

The little devil suddenly disappeared.

He disappeared without any warning or trace.

Tang Qing, Qiao Jie, and the other two, fearing that the disappearance of the little devil would cause unnecessary chaos, chose to keep the news a secret. They mobilized all their connections to secretly search for the little devil, but without finding a trace. The little devil was also nowhere to be found in the First Everything Shop.

In the end, the paper couldn't contain the fire.

The news of the little devil's disappearance was leaked.

As a result, those with ulterior motives began to stir, testing the balance that was being painstakingly maintained step by step.

The scales couldn't withstand the pressure and tilted to one side.

The key to breaking the final balance was Cao He, then known as the "Nine of Hearts" and now as the "King of Hearts".

At the very beginning of the turbulent "9" vs. "10" contest in the City of Hearts, Tang Qing quietly began to closely monitor Cao He.

However, to Tang Qing's shock, her investigation uncovered a secret unknown to everyone—Cao He and the now powerful "Ace of Clubs" had long been secretly colluding and had reached an undisclosed deal. "Ace of Clubs" was generous, providing Cao He with a huge sum of money, which was like a timely rain, giving Cao He the strong capital to compete with the then stronger "10 of Hearts".

At that moment, Tang Qing realized that this struggle was not merely an internal conflict within the City of Red Peach; behind it lay a far more complex web of power struggles and intrigues than it appeared on the surface.

——

Chuanliu took a deep breath and said, "Looking at it this way, you should hate Caohe even more, and the center of the struggle—the City of Hearts, but why is it the City of Plums?"

Tang Qing dusted off his clothes and stood up. "Don't forget, Plum Blossom City shut down its main city before anything even started, before news of the little devil's disappearance spread. Who do you think told 'Plum Blossom A' that?"