Upon hearing my words, Song Laosan's voice immediately perked up: "You mean the other two sects have made moves? Are you referring to Duan Jinyan's matter?"

"Yes, Wei Shengnan came to the shop just now, trying to get rid of me. She used the old man as an excuse to send me to raid tombs in western Liaoning alone."

I said bluntly, "Wei Shengnan is a straightforward person. Although she didn't reveal any flaws, her eyes darted around when she talked to me, and she seemed to be saying things against her will."

Song Laosan thought for a moment: "If your guess is correct, it means they've become too close to you and me, and they don't even trust me anymore. But that's fine too. If I hadn't been involved this time, they would have been more willing to use me next time."

"That's true, but there has to be a next time. If they really find Duan Jinyan's whereabouts and succeed in their scheme, I'll be completely at a disadvantage."

I added with some concern, "To confirm whether my deduction is correct, I'm afraid the only way is for you to come to Shenyang and pay a visit to the Wei family."

Song Laosan chuckled and said, "I don't think that's necessary, because I know what they're going to do."

I frowned immediately: "You've had clues all along?"

"Don't think of me as so cunning. Since I agreed to cooperate with you, I naturally have to conduct an investigation. The reason I didn't tell you is because things have only just begun to take shape."

Old Man Song then changed the subject: "What I'm worried about now is something else. Now that you've returned to the Four Gates, you should naturally show some attitude. I originally thought you wanted to obey orders but not summons, but I didn't expect you to even reject Old Master Wei's request. Isn't that inappropriate?"

“There’s nothing inappropriate about it. I’m already injured, so surely they wouldn’t even allow me to recuperate? If the old man has nothing to hide, then consider me petty. If he truly feels guilty towards me, then it’s perfectly reasonable for me to refuse him.”

I steered the conversation back on track: "You just said you found a clue, is it about Duan Jinyan's whereabouts?"

"Come to Beijing, I'll treat you to Peking duck at Bianyifang tonight."

...

Half an hour later, I locked the shop door and got into Monkey's newly bought BMW 5 Series.

The monkey patted the steering wheel and arrogantly asked me, "Young Master Duan, look! The latest BMW, isn't it cool!"

I caught a whiff of the new car's distinctive smell and casually asked, "All that money you worked so hard to earn, just went out like that?"

"Isn't the point of risking my life to make money to change my life? If I take such a big risk and end up living the same poor life as before, then what's the point of risking my life?"

The monkey handed me a cigarette: "To be honest, ever since I bought this car, it's been like a tank, spending every day amidst the sound of cannons firing."

"Show-off!"

I was amused by the monkey and rolled down the car window a crack: "Drive, to the high-speed rail station."

The monkey's eyes lit up: "Another job?"

I booked train tickets for both of us on my phone: "It's just a trip to Beijing to handle some personal matters. You're coming with me. If things go smoothly, we might not be back for a while."

...

At 1:30 p.m., after I left the station, I dialed Song Laosan's number, but after two attempts, it said the phone was switched off.

Looking at the endless stream of cars on the street, the monkey was speechless: "How can Song Laosan be so unreliable! Didn't he invite you to Beijing? It's one thing that he didn't pick you up from the station, but now I can't even get through to him on the phone?"

I typed a text message and sent it to Song Laosan, then looked around and said, "Maybe his phone is out of battery. Let's find a hotel to rest for a while and wait for him to call me back."

"What's the point of two men going to a hotel in the middle of the afternoon?" Monkey gestured with his phone: "I've already called a ride-hailing service. Let's go to the nearest bathhouse, take a bath, get a massage, and the afternoon will pass by."

Monkey and I waited in the private room of the bathhouse all afternoon, but there was still no news of Song Laosan until after five o'clock.

At this point, I started to panic, because I realized that Song Laosan's disappearance was no accident.

After getting to know him, I found that although he was not very reliable, he still had basic integrity. Since he had invited me to Beijing, he would definitely not stand me up.

Therefore, there is a strong possibility that someone doesn't want us to meet because of his disappearance.

So who was the person stopping him?

Was he detained because he leaked information while investigating Duan Jinyan?

It was either Grandpa Wei or Qu Ruilin who noticed my unusual behavior and feared that I was forming an alliance with Song Laosan, so they took him into custody in advance to prevent me from obtaining any useful clues.

As I was lost in thought, Monkey had the waiter bring over two light meals and said to me, "Young Master Duan, have something to eat! Now that Song Laosan is out of contact, even if you don't eat or drink, he won't just appear out of thin air. Eat your fill first, so that if we get any news about him, our next move won't be too passive, don't you think?"

"You eat first."

Although I understood what the monkey meant, I was so upset that I had absolutely no appetite.

"Ring ring ring!"

Just then, my phone rang. I saw the words "Third Master" on the caller ID and immediately picked up the phone to answer: "Song Laosan, you haven't answered the phone all afternoon. Where have you been?"

On the other end of the phone, Song Laosan said urgently, "Xiao Duan, listen to me, be at the intersection of Beichang Street and Xihuamen Street at 6:30 sharp, holding a lily in your hand. A friend of mine is looking for you! Remember, it must be a lily!"

When I heard Song Laosan's changed tone, I suddenly realized something was wrong: "What do you mean? Where are you?!"

"Don't ask, and don't call the police, or you'll get me killed!" Old Song said in a low but firm voice, "You must show up on time. Only you can save my life now!"

"Beep...beep..."

Before I could ask any more questions, the phone went dead.

When I called back, the phone was already switched off.

I glanced at the time; it was almost 5:30, and there was only one hour left until our agreed time.

Remembering Song Laosan's urgent tone, I didn't have time to think much and jumped off the bed: "Monkey, go downstairs and change your clothes, we have to leave right away!"

I changed my clothes, ran out of the bathhouse, opened the door of a taxi, and sat in the passenger seat: "Driver, North Chang Street."

The driver rolled his eyes: "What North Long Street? I'm waiting for passengers, get off!"

I opened my wallet and handed over all the cash inside, around two thousand yuan: "I have an emergency, it's a matter of life and death!"

"Hold on tight!"

The driver took the money from my hand, stepped on the gas, and the car sped off.

Looking out the car window at the rapidly receding street scene, I was filled with doubt.

Who exactly detained Song Laosan and then gave him a chance to make a phone call, asking him to call me over as well?

Could it really be Duan Jinyan?