Kyoto, within the First Ring Road, the Qi family estate.
Inside the room of the eldest young master of the Qi family, Qi Mo.
Yun Dandan, her clothes disheveled, nestled in Qi Mo's arms. She traced circles on Qi Mo's chest with her index finger and said in a syrupy voice, "Brother Qi, recently that bitch Bai Qiao has been so arrogant, relying on her background. I've been bullied at school and suffered a lot of grievances."
"Also, Brother Qi, you know the Yun family's situation is not good lately. Brother Qi, could you..."
Qi Mo lit a cigarette, took a puff, and then said, "You don't need to whisper sweet nothings in my ear. Bai Qiao is much more important to me than you and the Yun family. I don't care about the life or death of the Yun family, and you shouldn't think too highly of yourself."
Hearing Qi Mo's words, Yun Dandan gave an awkward laugh, then composed herself and continued, "Brother Qi, you misunderstand. I am devoted to you, and I only wish to be a well-behaved kitten by your side, with no ulterior motives."
"Hmph." Qi Mo sneered, pushed Yun Dandan away, got out of bed, and put on his clothes. "The Yun family is useless now, and I've grown tired of you. After you get dressed, get out of the Qi family."
"Qi, Brother Qi?" Yun Dandan stared blankly at Qi Mo's retreating back, never expecting Qi Mo to just kick her out like that!
At this moment, someone knocked on the door from outside and said, "Young Master, the person has been caught. We can inspect the goods at any time."
"I'm coming." Qi Mo, now dressed, pushed the door open without even looking at Yun Dandan, leaving Yun Dandan sitting alone on the bed, looking desperate.
Ever since Yun Shanhe was dealt with by Ye Ling, the Yun family's status in Kyoto plummeted. Their family businesses either went bankrupt or were acquired by other families that kicked them while they were down. Now, the once grand Yun family was not even comparable to a third-rate family.
In desperation, Yun Dandan had no choice but to seek Qi Mo's help, only to be abandoned like a dog after he had his way with her!
However, the Qi family was a behemoth; even at its peak, the Yun family couldn't contend with a single finger of the Qi family. Now that the Yun family had lost power, Yun Dandan dared not speak ill of Qi Mo.
After being ruthlessly abandoned by Qi Mo, Yun Dandan could only silently get dressed, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Soon, Yun Dandan's expression shifted from sadness to distortion. She gritted her teeth and cursed, "It's all that bitch Bai Qiao's fault! If it weren't for Bai Qiao, my father wouldn't have been killed, and the Yun family wouldn't have ended up like this!"
"I must kill that bitch! Make her feel my pain!"
To Yun Dandan, the Qi family was a colossus, and she dared not provoke them. But Bai Qiao was just a poor person from a remote mountainous area. Even if she was lucky enough to have some backing, she was still someone Yun Dandan could provoke!
Since she was already in this state, it would be a life for a life at worst!
As Yun Dandan cursed Bai Qiao furiously in the room, she failed to notice that in a corner of the room, a purple box inlaid with rubies had quietly opened. Black mist emanated from it, slowly spreading towards her.
At this moment, on the other side of the Qi family estate, at the entrance to the underground wine cellar.
Wu Long and another woman in a suit, who had kidnapped Bai Qiao, were guarding the cellar door, waiting for Qi Mo's arrival.
Not long after, Qi Mo, now dressed, arrived, led by a white-haired butler.
Seeing Qi Mo appear, Wu Long and the woman in the suit bowed to him. "Young Master Qi, the person is inside."
Qi Mo nodded at them and asked, "Is she injured?"
Wu Long replied, "She just fainted. She wasn't hurt."
"Well done." Qi Mo pushed open the door to the underground wine cellar and saw Bai Qiao, bound by rope, lying motionless on the ground.
Qi Mo glanced at Bai Qiao, confirmed it was the person he wanted, and then instructed Wu Long, "Wake her up."
"Yes." Wu Long replied respectfully and then signaled to the woman in the suit beside him.
The woman in the suit didn't hesitate. She immediately picked up a bucket of ice-cold water that had been prepared earlier and doused Bai Qiao with it.
The sudden cold water shocked Bai Qiao's nerves. She woke up abruptly, seeing several unfamiliar faces standing before her and an unknown environment around her.
Suddenly being kidnapped and brought here, a flicker of fear crossed Bai Qiao's eyes. She quickly asked, "Who are you?"
Qi Mo squatted in front of Bai Qiao with a smile and said softly, "Don't worry, you have the Demon Palace backing you. We won't lay a hand on you unless absolutely necessary. We've brought you here now simply because we want to retrieve something that rightfully belongs to us."
Bai Qiao gritted her teeth and said, "I have nothing!"
"No! No! No!" Qi Mo wagged his finger. "We've investigated thoroughly. The item is definitely with you. As long as you cooperate with us and let us retrieve it, we promise to return you to Jinghua University safely."
Bai Qiao still insisted, "I don't even know who you are, let alone what you want!"
Qi Mo said, "You might not know me, but you must know Qi Yang, right?"
"Qi Yang?" Hearing this name, Bai Qiao's pupils contracted sharply, clearly recognizing it.
Seeing Bai Qiao's reaction, Qi Mo's smile widened. He continued, "That's right. The person who died in the car crash with your father, Bai Yue, was my good-for-nothing uncle."
"Actually, my uncle had defected from the Qi family, taking a family heirloom with him. Our family was pursuing him at the time. Then, on his escape route, he collided with your father, Bai Yue, and the vehicle exploded, turning him into charcoal."
Bai Qiao stared blankly at Qi Mo, her eyes becoming hollow. Memories from over a decade ago returned, the night she learned of her father's fatal car accident.
That night, she had a nightmare.
Her surroundings were filled with chilling black energy and sinister laughter. She stood helplessly in the darkness, watching her father burn in flames, dragged to hell by demons.
Recalling the nightmare, the fear in Bai Qiao's eyes intensified.
Qi Mo continued, "After Qi Yang's car accident, we dissected his body and searched all his hiding places, but we couldn't find the treasure he took. For over ten years, our Qi family has never stopped searching. We've investigated all of Qi Yang's connections, yet there's still no trace of our Qi family's treasure. It wasn't until you came to Kyoto and our Qi family's ancient mirror reacted that we speculated that the treasure we lost might have been transferred to you in some incredible way on the day of Qi Yang's accident, merging with your soul."
"To confirm whether the treasure had merged with you, I sought out Yun Dandan and had her torment you in various ways, all with the aim of triggering the hidden power within you. Unfortunately, you've always been submissive, showing no signs of awakening. We almost thought our ancient mirror was malfunctioning. It wasn't until recently, with the Demon Palace's protection, that your cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, that we became certain you must have obtained my Qi family's treasure! Otherwise, Ye Ling wouldn't have taken an interest in you!"
"No, it's impossible..." Bai Qiao shook her head repeatedly, unable to accept what Qi Mo was saying. She couldn't accept that everything she had experienced over the years, even Ye Ling's salvation, was all because of the Qi family's lost treasure!