Unparalleled medical and martial arts skills, saving the CEO's fiancée at the start.

Ye Chen didn't contact the Blackwater people first, but Fang Zhe.

Fang Zhe had been detained for several days, and he had lost all the dignity he had when he first arrived. His hair was a mess, and one of his gold-rimmed glasses was broken and hastily wrapped with tape.

Ye Chen moved a chair and sat down in front of him, slowly pouring a pot of cooled tea into two cups and pushing one of them towards him.

Fang Zhe took it and drank a sip, his brows furrowing at the bitterness.

"Wen Jiuhong has run away."

Ye Chen cut to the chase: "However, he doesn't know that you've fallen into my hands yet. I've spread the word that you've been sent away and imprisoned in the provincial capital. Wen Jiuhong is definitely looking for his eyes now. You know who his eyes are."

Fang Zhe put down his cup, licked his chapped lips, and said in a low voice, "Are you really going to fight him to the death? You can't beat the headquarters. Even if you wipe Jiangcheng out, there will be a second and a third wave in the south."

"That's my business. Just tell me who Wen Jiuhong can trust and use in Jiangcheng." Ye Chen leaned back in his chair, his expression as if he were discussing a deal that had already been agreed upon.

Fang Zhe was silent for a moment, then held out a hand: "Give me a cigarette."

Ye Chen didn't have any cigarettes, so he asked He Jianping to get him a pack.

Fang Zhe lit a cigarette, took three puffs, and slowly said, "After Wen Jiuhong arrived in Jiangcheng, he found a local. I don't know his name, but I know his surname is Qiu. He runs a shop on that antique street. On the surface, he's in the secondhand business, but he actually helps Blackwater dispose of stolen goods and also delivers messages. The shop seems to be called Wangu Zhai."

Ye Chen's eyes narrowed slightly.

Wangu Zhai? Manager Qiu?

That is, the old acquaintance of the Ghost Servant, the cunning schemer who gave him the list of his undercover agents.

Ye Chen immediately felt that the old man was as slippery as an eel, moving effortlessly between the black waters and the righteous path.

But the list that Wangu Zhai gave him was really useful. Could it be that Manager Qiu was hedging his bets?

"Are you sure?" Ye Chen asked.

"Wen Jiuhong mentioned to me personally that Qiu Laogui of Wanguzhai has the sharpest eyes, and he sells information to both sides, giving it to whoever offers the highest price."

But Wen Jiuhong wasn't afraid of him turning against him, because Qiu Laogui's grandchildren were all studying in the south, and Wen Jiuhong was in charge of arranging their tuition and living expenses.

Fang Zhe flicked his cigarette ash: "If you want to gouge out eyes, take these eyes out first. That old man knows more than I do."

Ye Chen stood up, walked to the door, and said to Han Song, "Prepare the car, we're going to the provincial capital."

Han Song nodded and walked out.

The ghost servant followed from the side and whispered, "Wow, I know Wangu Zhai better than you do."

Ye Chen glanced at him: "Let's settle things together, what needs to be settled."

That evening, Ye Chen and his ghost servant appeared on the antique street in the western part of the provincial capital.

As dusk fell, the antique street was nearly deserted, the stone pavement gleaming with a bluish-gray sheen.

Wangu Zhai was still open, with two potted Podocarpus macrophyllus trees squatting half-dead at the entrance, and the black plaque with gold characters on the lintel looked like a half-closed eye.

Ye Chen pushed open the door and went inside. The room still smelled of old wood and incense mixed with dampness.

Shopkeeper Qiu was fiddling with something behind the counter, wearing his broken glasses. Hearing the door open, he slowly looked up. When he saw that it was Ye Chen and the ghost servant, the smile on his face froze for a moment, then quickly spread across his face again.

"Distinguished guests, what brings you to my humble shop so late at night?" Shopkeeper Qiu put down the jade piece in his hand, walked around from behind the counter, and tapped his cane on the ground with a soft thud.

Ye Chen ignored him and walked straight to the counter, taking out the black token of the Ghost Servant from his pocket and slapping it on the counter.

Manager Qiu paused, his eyes darting around, but he still smiled: "Minister Ye, what are you saying now? Wasn't the information from last time enough? Old Ghost's influence has always been effective with me."

"I'm not buying any tips today." Ye Chen turned around, leaned against the counter, and looked at him with a half-smile.

"I've come to ask you something today. When Wen Jiuhong came to Jiangcheng, how many messages did he send to you? And how much true and false information did you sell me? Manager Qiu, you can be slippery, but don't be so slippery as to push your own family into a fire pit. Your grandchildren are studying in the south and are living a good life, but if you continue to eat from both sides like this, their good days will come to an end."

Shopkeeper Qiu's expression changed drastically. The jujube wood cane in his hand paused on the ground, as if he was about to get angry, but he managed to hold back.

The ghost servant stood at the door, his tall shadow blocking the entire doorway, preventing anyone from entering or leaving.

The air seemed frozen, with only the faint hum of an old light bulb on the beam.

"What...what do you want to do?" Manager Qiu's voice changed, and he finally stopped laughing.

"I'll ask, you answer. If you answer wrong, or try to play tricks on me, Uncle Gui will first take apart your cane, and then your old bones." Ye Chen pulled over a chair, sat down, and crossed his legs.

"How many informants does Wen Jiuhong have in Jiangcheng? Where are they located? How many things have you done for him? Were you involved in Zhang Da's affair?"

Manager Qiu seemed to be struck by the last sentence, and he swayed, almost dropping his cane.

He opened his mouth, and after a long while, he finally said, "I really didn't know about Zhang Da's matter. Wen Jiuhong asked me to investigate the most trusted old man under Jiang Ruoxi, so I gave him a few names. I gave him Zhang Da's name, but I didn't know he was going to make a move. I... I was forced into it. He threatened my grandchildren's lives, saying that if I didn't cooperate, something would happen to the children on their way home from school. Ye Chen, you are a person who follows the rules. You should understand that an old man like me, who is halfway to the grave, has no other weaknesses except for those two children."

Ye Chen didn't speak, but stared at him for a long time.

The ghost servant remained silent, but his hand, which had been pressing on the iron ruler, slowly loosened by half an inch.

When Manager Qiu saw that the two of them didn't speak, his legs went weak, and he slumped down on the row of old boxes by the wall, his cane resting on his knees, as if half of his spirit had been drained.

He closed his eyes and rattled off Wen Jiuhong's contact information in Jiangcheng, his two hiding places, and the information about his informants who were using the guise of secondhand dealers.

Ye Chen instructed the ghost servant to write down all those names and addresses.

Before leaving, he walked to the door, then turned back and said, "I will have people protect your two grandchildren. If Wen Jiuhong comes looking for you again, just deal with him as usual, but let me know every word first. If you do well, the past will be wiped clean. If you do something again that would offend the Jiang family, your shop, like your glasses, will be beyond repair."

Shopkeeper Qiu huddled against the wall, nodding incessantly, like an old cat soaked by the rain.

Ye Chen looked away without another glance and stepped out of Wangu Zhai. The night breeze blew in, carrying the unique scent of old wood and incense from the antique street.

Ye Chen took a deep breath.

Now that the eyes have been found, the next step is to remove all the eyeliner, pair by pair.

Even if Wen Jiuhong is good at hiding, without his eyes, he can't go very far.