Chapter 2672 — Keeping It Secret for Now

This was already beyond what she could do for Tang Yuqi within the scope of her duties, so Qiu Lingshan paused for a moment, then said, "They left in July or August? I really didn't notice. I assumed they'd only gone recently..."

"Is that so?" Tang Yuqi, with a detective's instinct for such things, could not shake the feeling that Qiu Lingshan was speaking with a hidden meaning—that she was keeping something from him.

"Naturally, that's how it is. But I can ask around for you. I have a friend who is on good terms with Tang Zhi. Let me see whether she knows anything." Qiu Lingshan left herself room to maneuver; she intended to consult Gu Mengyao first.

"Oh? In that case, could you introduce me to this friend? Perhaps we could go and visit her together?" Tang Yuqi's eyes lit up at once, and he asked eagerly.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible. Until my friend agrees, I can't disclose her identity." Qiu Lingshan shook her head. "She is not like me. You came to me through Captain Zhang to look for your second uncle—that falls within my work. But my friend does not wish to be disturbed by just anyone. I hope you understand, Mr. Tang."

"I understand." Tang Yuqi nodded. "I was a little hasty and rash. Very well—Captain Song, here is my business card, with my contact details on it. I'll stay nearby for now, and we can be in touch at any time. If you hear anything, please let me know at once."

"That works. I'll notify you if I hear anything." Qiu Lingshan nodded and took the card. It was a foreign business card, though Tang Yuqi had handwritten a local temporary number on it.

Tang Yuqi said no more and rose to take his leave. From Qiu Lingshan's tone and expression he could tell that she was keeping something from him, but he had no way to press her. By Tang Yuqi's reasoning, it must involve that friend of hers—some private matter of the friend's. If Qiu Lingshan would not speak, asking would be useless. Better to wait patiently for news.

After Tang Yuqi left, Qiu Lingshan phoned Gu Mengyao. Though the two had once had their frictions, ever since they worked together that time to let Gu Mengyao escape with the unconscious Wei Zhao, their relationship had naturally grown much more cordial.

"Sister Lingshan? You're looking for me?" Gu Mengyao was a little surprised. She was in class when Qiu Lingshan's call came and had asked the teacher for leave to step out and take it. As a rule, Qiu Lingshan did not call her just to chat when there was nothing going on—the only possibility was that something had come up.

"Yes, Yaoyao. There is indeed something very important I need to ask you about. I can't make up my mind, so I wanted your opinion," Qiu Lingshan said.

"What? My opinion?" Gu Mengyao was taken aback. She did not understand why Qiu Lingshan would ask for her opinion. "Sister Lingshan, your business... why ask me?"

"Ha, I didn't explain clearly. It isn't purely my business—it concerns Wei Zhao and Tang Zhi." Qiu Lingshan quickly added, "The thing is, someone has come looking for Tang Zhi..."

"Looking for Tang Zhi? What's going on?" Gu Mengyao was startled and asked at once, "Who is it?"

"It's not an enemy. It's a relative of Tang Zhi's family. Don't worry, Yaoyao—here's how it is..." And Qiu Lingshan recounted in detail how Tang Yuqi had come that day looking for Tang Jucheng and his family.

Hearing this, Gu Mengyao could not help but sink into thought. This matter of Tang Zhi's truly could not be told to just anyone! Tang Yuqi might be Tang Jucheng's nephew and Tang Zhi's cousin, but he was still not someone they knew well, and they had no idea of his character—whether he might leak the secret.

Most importantly, this whole affair was being kept from Wei Zhao. If Tang Yuqi found out, might he not blurt it out to Wei Zhao? If he did, all their previous efforts would be wasted. With Wei Zhao's temperament, he would certainly go to the Snow Valley to look for Tang Zhi and stop Tang Zhi from **the Heartless Formula. But if he really did stop it—would the Snow Valley let Wei Zhao go?

With Wei Zhao's current strength, he could fight above his level and even kill Heaven-rank experts in a single blow, yet he was still far from the peak late-stage Heaven-rank masters of the ancient factions. Gu Mengyao could not possibly let Wei Zhao take such a risk!

Besides, whether the Tang Zhi of now was still the Tang Zhi of before was impossible to say. Having **the Heartless Formula, would Tang Zhi still have any dealings with Wei Zhao?

All of this was Gu Mengyao's concern, so after a moment's hesitation she said, "Sister Lingshan, I think we should be cautious about this. This man may be Tang Zhi's cousin and a close relative, but we know nothing of his character. So I think we should observe and make contact for a while first. If he really is reliable, telling him won't hurt. But if he isn't, telling him could ruin everything. Most importantly—is this Tang Yuqi a **user? Does he know about **users? If we tell him, might it bring other troubles?" She paused. "Hm? His name is Tang Yuqi?"

Having said all this, Gu Mengyao came to the name Tang Yuqi and suddenly felt it sounded rather familiar. Had she heard it somewhere before?

But for the moment she could not recall. He was probably not someone she knew well—perhaps she had only heard the name or met him once. Gu Mengyao did not bother to rack her brains over it.

"Yes, Tang Yuqi. Why, Yaoyao—do you know him?" Qiu Lingshan was slightly taken aback.

"No, it just sounds familiar. Or perhaps I heard Wei Zhao mention that the Hidden Tang family has a younger member named Tang Yuyi. That may be why," Gu Mengyao said.

"Oh, I thought the same. I plan to observe this Tang Yuqi a while before deciding. If he really is reliable, then telling him a few **things won't hurt, but if he isn't, then forget it." Qiu Lingshan agreed. "And what you said about whether he knows about **users is also very important. I'll find an opportunity to sound him out."

"All right, Sister Lingshan. You make the call—just try not to let it affect Wei Zhao," Gu Mengyao said.

"Yes, I understand." Qiu Lingshan nodded. "Don't worry. I'll act as the situation allows."