"The closest person..."
Chuanliu was taken aback. "Sister Qiaoqiao, what do you mean by this?"
Qiao Qiao lowered her eyes. "Four years ago, the only people Xiao Gui usually interacted with, besides the four high-ranking members of the Four-Colored Group who were the first to support him, were the four of us 'A's. So, basically everyone who knows about this is already dead."
Chuanliu asked with some confusion, "But... why didn't Master tell me?"
What she was really thinking was why Feng Mi, Qian Chuan, or Tang Qing hadn't mentioned this matter.
Qiao Qiao chuckled lightly, but there was no real joy in her laughter. "This matter must be a painful memory for the little devil. It's understandable that he doesn't want to talk to you, his disciple."
Chuanliu remained silent, waiting quietly for Qiaoqiao to continue.
"After Xiao Gui first proposed the peace initiative, among the four suits' high-ranking members, the first to respond was A Qing, followed by the two people from the 'Hearts' and 'Diamonds' suits, and finally Wang Qiao from the City of Clubs."
At that time, all the city leaders disapproved of Xiao Gui's ideas and launched a collective attack against him. I was already the "Ace of Spades" then. Because my identity was too conspicuous, my words would represent the entire city's stance, and I couldn't rashly take sides. Therefore, I only contacted Xiao Gui later with the help of Ah Qing.
This five-person team had put in a lot of effort before reaching a gentleman's agreement with the Four Cards. Little Ghost was also working hard to develop his own power and seek to be treated as an equal with the Four Cards. Ah Qing and the other three had been by Little Ghost's side, helping him deal with the potential problems of their respective cards and lobbying the higher-ups with him.
I remember the first time I met Xiao Gui, it was Ah Qing who introduced me to him.
The person who came with the little devil was Wang Qiao, who is now known as the "King of Clubs". However, at that time, Wang Qiao was known as the "Jack of Clubs".
Xiao Gui and Wang Qiao presented their ideas to me, and during our meeting, I also discovered a secret.
At this point, Qiao Qiao paused, as if giving herself some breathing time, or perhaps waiting for Chuan Liu to absorb the information.
When Chuanliu heard Qiaojie's name, he thought of what Tang Qing, the "Queen of Spades," had once told him.
Tang Qing once said that she suspected that Qiao Jie betrayed Xiao Gui by suddenly leaving when Xiao Gui fell ill and telling Wu Lide about Xiao Gui's illness, which led Wu Lide to do what happened later.
But hearing Qiao Qiao's version again gave Chuanliu another idea.
"You discovered... that Kid and Sister Qiao are together?"
An incredulous look appeared in Chuanliu's eyes as he voiced his speculation.
In response, Qiaoqiao nodded in affirmation.
"That's right, they're together."
Sometimes, you have to trust your intuition. There wasn't much interaction between them, and they even seemed quite unfamiliar with each other. That's what I initially thought too. I was wondering why they seemed so unfamiliar with each other after working together for so long, until A-Qing walked in.
Looking at the way A-Qing and Xiao-Gui talk to each other, and then at the way Wang Qiao and Xiao-Gui talk to each other... I understood.
When you observe things from a certain perspective, many things that were unclear become clear.
Xiao Gui and Wang Qiao started a secret relationship sometime during their relationship. Only someone as oblivious to such things as A Qing would not have discovered it. Those of us who found out didn't say much.
They didn't want anyone to know, so we pretended not to. Anyway, as the little devil's "Boundless Zone" grew bigger and bigger, the other three suits gradually agreed to his ideas. Until we reached a gentleman's agreement, and later signed a peace treaty.
Up to this point in the story, it seems that no conflict has occurred.
But Chuanliu knew that a turning point was coming.
Qiaoqiao continued, "The first time the kid fainted, it happened so unexpectedly that the news couldn't be kept secret, and we all heard about it. At that time, Paradise Island maintained peace and achieved an unprecedented tranquility. I was worried that someone would use this incident to make a fuss, so I sent people to investigate, and the investigation led back to Plum Blossom City."
Since the founding of Paradise Island, Plum Blossom City has been conducting drug research. Initially, their research focused on drugs with special functions. The poison in the little devil was one of their experimental subjects.
These experimental subjects are only accessible to core members of Plum Blossom City. No one else in Plum Blossom City has the opportunity to have close contact with the little devil except for one person—Wang Qiao.
Just as I expected, Wang Qiao disappeared not long after the poison took effect.
It's not leaving, it's disappearing. The kind of disappearance where you can't find them, where you don't know where they went, or if they're still alive.
Later, the boy became increasingly delirious, often becoming extremely agitated. He would mutter to himself, "It's my fault."
I think Wang Qiao must have said something to him when he was in a state of mental confusion before she left, which made his emotional state even worse. However, it is said that the experimental drug was not produced afterward because its efficacy was very unstable and did not achieve the desired effect.
Therefore, I think Wang Qiao probably didn't expect that Xiao Gui would still be able to rationally arrange many things some time after she left.
The imp vanished without a trace, and Plum Blossom City shut down its main city. The so-called 'peace' had long since crumbled, and only then did everything that followed unfold.
After Qiaoqiao finished speaking, she didn't say anything more, giving Chuanliu time to think.
The river flows quietly as it reviews the events.
Therefore, when Wang Qiao secretly returned to the City of Plum Blossoms, Wu Lide learned about the little devil's affairs and began to plot to support Cao He in challenging "Red Heart 10", thereby instigating others to break the peace agreement.
Zhou Zheng's signing of the "guarantee" with Cao He after Wu Lide's likely stemmed from a connection to Tang Qing, where he learned of Cao He's support from Plum Blossom City. Their formal cooperation began after Zhou Zheng acquired the weapons.
If Wu Lide knew that the "9" and "10" dispute initiated by Cao He would escalate, then his sudden announcement to close the main city to protect himself would be quite reasonable.
Chuanliu never expected that Lao Feng's symptoms were related to Qiao Jie.
Wang Qiao, who was adept at navigating relationships with men, actually had this past with Feng Mi.
Indeed, Lao Feng could very well keep this clandestine relationship a secret from everyone, including his apprentice Qian Chuan.
Therefore, Lao Feng's repeated "I was wrong" was probably what he wanted to say to Qiao Jie.
Chuanliu suddenly thought of something and asked Qiaoqiao, "I've seen the peace agreement in Master's hand, and I also saw your name, Qiaoqiao, but there's one name I don't quite understand."
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