Chapter 35

"How could it be you?" Mo Yongxin's face was full of disbelief as she heard the man's voice.

"Miss Mo, I apologize, but as long as Mr. Qin hands over the jade plate, I promise I won't harm you," the man said behind Mo Yongxin.

"Li Long, my family has treated you well. Why are you doing this? And didn't you fall into the river and get overwhelmed by the millipedes?" Mo Yongxin's tone was filled with anger and confusion as she asked the man behind her.

"Miss Mo, I cannot disclose these matters," the man did not answer Mo Yongxin's question, instead, he shouted to Qin Yu, "Mr. Qin, I only want the jade plate in your hands. Hand it over, and I'll release Miss Mo. Otherwise..."

"Cough... cough..." The man's left hand tightened, and Mo Yongxin's throat was constricted, causing her to cough involuntarily. Her face turned red due to the difficulty in breathing.

"Li Long, don't be reckless. I'll give you the jade plate if you want it."

Qin Yu lifted the jade plate from the stone platform and began to step down from the altar. Li Long's eyes were fixed on the jade plate in Qin Yu's hands, not blinking for a moment.

"Qin Yu, be careful!"

"Ouch!"

Two different voices came from Mo Yongxin and Li Long. The former was filled with worry, while the latter was filled with pain. It turned out that Qin Yu had stumbled on a step, almost falling, and a portion of the dragon crystal liquid in the jade plate spilled out, along with a significant amount of the red creature.

No one noticed that at the moment of his stumble, Qin Yu lowered his head, and a glint of intelligence flashed in his eyes. He took in the expressions of both Mo Yongxin and Li Long, especially the latter's pained look, which made him think deeply.

After regaining his balance and holding the jade plate steady, Qin Yu continued to walk down carefully, as if afraid of stepping into the air again. His eyes were fixed on the steps, not lifting.

Mo Yongxin and Li Long did not notice that Qin Yu's eyes were constantly moving, with a glint of intelligence flashing in them. However, when he finished descending the steps and looked up, he returned to his usual demeanor.

"Li Long, I'm sure you saw just now. To pass this formation, two people must cooperate. Otherwise, it's impossible to get through," Qin Yu shouted as he approached the ninth stone pillar.

"Come over here, don't play any tricks!" Li Long threatened Qin Yu, loosening his grip on Mo Yongxin's throat but still holding the triangular knife to her throat.

Earlier, he was far from the two, only able to see their actions clearly. He knew that the two had cooperated to pass the formation, but he was not sure about the specific method. He had a good understanding of this formation, and even in the organization, no one had the confidence to pass it. Otherwise, they wouldn't have lured the Mo family into this place.

"Miss Mo, stand in your previous position and pay attention to the five elements again."

"Fire!"

Qin Yu took a step, and Mo Yongxin scanned the surroundings before shouting.

Li Long's gaze kept shifting between the two, seemingly trying to spot any suspicious behavior. However, after observing for a while, he found nothing and stopped worrying. Besides, Mo Yongxin was still within his control, so he didn't think they could play any tricks.

Just like before, Qin Yu walked and paused, but each pause seemed slightly longer than before. However, unless someone had precisely calculated it, they wouldn't have noticed.

"Alright, here's the jade plate. You can release Miss Mo now," Qin Yu said as he took the final step and approached Mo Yongxin and Li Long, extending the jade plate.

"Miss Mo, take the jade plate," Li Long glanced at Qin Yu but did not reach out himself, instead, he ordered Mo Yongxin.

"Miss Mo, hold it steady, be careful not to spill it," Qin Yu instructed as he handed the jade plate to Mo Yongxin. In a place where Li Long couldn't see, he lightly tapped Mo Yongxin's extended fingers three times.

Mo Yongxin looked at Qin Yu with a puzzled expression, but soon seemed to understand something. She nodded slightly, her eyes flashing with a bright light as she slowly took the jade plate.

"Move back, go to that corner," Li Long said, his eyes fixed on the jade plate, showing signs of excitement. However, he quickly looked up and shouted at Qin Yu.

"Why so cautious? With your physical condition, the two of us together wouldn't be a match for you," Qin Yu said, showing dissatisfaction, and slowly walked to the corner.

"Miss Mo, give me the jade plate." Seeing Qin Yu move away, Li Long almost rudely snatched the jade plate from Mo Yongxin, looking at the red creature inside with extreme excitement.

At the moment Li Long was holding the jade plate with both hands, Mo Yongxin quietly lifted her foot and took a step forward, then quickly took three more steps.

"What are you doing?"

Li Long quickly reacted, but it was too late. As Mo Yongxin took her third step, the nine stone pillars began to rotate, and several arrows shot out from the pillars, heading straight for Li Long.

Hearing the whistling sound, Li Long bent down, but because he was holding the jade plate, he couldn't make a big move. He dodged the arrows above but couldn't avoid the ones below.

"Ah!" Three arrows pierced his knees, and Li Long couldn't help but cry out in pain, kneeling down. He lost his balance, and the dragon crystal liquid and the red creature in the jade plate spilled out. Blood gushed from his knees, and soon his entire lower body was drenched in blood.

"Stay there, don't move!"

Mo Yongxin was shocked by the bloody scene. She was only three steps away from Li Long, and the blood was about to reach her feet. Just as she was about to step away, she heard Qin Yu's warning.

"If you move, the formation will activate again." Qin Yu ran over quickly. Earlier, when he stumbled on the stairs, it was intentional, giving him the chance to think about the formation without arousing suspicion.

This Nine Stars and Three Talents Formation, once a step is taken wrong in the Three Talents, the entire formation would activate, leading to the death of everyone inside. However, if the Nine Stars outside the Three Talents are touched, only a single mechanism would be triggered. Qin Yu had been estimating the mechanisms of the Nine Stars, and by the time he reached Li Long, he had finally figured it out.

"You tricked me!" Li Long knelt on the ground, his eyes glaring at Qin Yu, almost spitting fire.

"No one tricked anyone. From the beginning, it was you who were tricking us. Those who kill will be killed, and you should understand this principle."

Qin Yu shook his head. The other party had set up a trap from the beginning, and if he hadn't understood the Nine Stars and Three Talents Formation, they might have succeeded.

"Now, let's talk. Your goal was to get the red creature in this jade plate, right? Tell me what it is."

"Haha, you think you can get information from me? Impossible! Cough... cough..." Li Long laughed, but due to the excessive blood loss, his face turned pale, and his voice became a weak cough.

"Li Long, my family has treated you well. Your salary is several times higher than in other industries. Why did you betray us?" Mo Yongxin's eyebrows furrowed, and she scolded from the side.

"Miss Mo, you have treated us well, and you are indeed a good employer. Unfortunately..."

"Unfortunately, when you applied to be a bodyguard for the Mo family, you already had a special identity. Your mission was to infiltrate the team searching for the dragon crystal liquid, then hide here and wait for the opportunity to obtain the jade plate on this altar."

Qin Yu directly interrupted Li Long's words, his tone turning to disdain, "You thought your plan was flawless, but it was full of loopholes."

"You're talking nonsense. What plan? I don't understand what you're saying," Li Long argued.

"Qin Yu, what do you mean by that?"

"Miss Mo, from the beginning, a force has been setting up a trap, and you were their bait." Qin Yu saw Mo Yongxin's suspicious expression and explained, "A force had already entered this cave before us. Their target was the jade plate on this altar, specifically the red creature inside."

"Unfortunately, they encountered a problem, the Nine Stars and Three Talents Formation. I believe they tried for a long time but couldn't break it, and they might have lost several lives in the process."

Qin Yu looked at Li Long with a mocking expression, and the latter stared back without hesitation, as if what Qin Yu said was nonsense.

"Ha, don't try to hide it. When I walked through the Three Talents Formation, I found this on the ground." Qin Yu pulled out something from his pocket and showed it to Li Long, "A wireless mini Bluetooth earphone. This must be what your companions dropped when they tried to break the Nine Stars and Three Talents Formation."

"I don't understand what you're saying." Li Long's gaze shifted away when he saw the earphone, unable to meet Qin Yu's eyes. Even Mo Yongxin could see that he was nervous. Thinking about Qin Yu's words, she realized she had been set up from the beginning. She bit her lip and said, "Qin Yu, tell me everything you know."

"Since you couldn't break the formation, you had to find someone to do it. However, your identity couldn't be exposed, and ordinary fortune-tellers wouldn't do. You couldn't hire powerful masters, so you decided to target Miss Mo. The Mo family, with its wealth and status, could provide the necessary resources to break the formation."

"Wait, you said they wanted to use the Mo family's resources, but how did they know about the Mo family, and why were they so sure I would fall into their trap?" Mo Yongxin frowned, interrupting Qin Yu.