Liu Qi is quite traditional—he insists on having three people dine together for dinner, saying that since the matter has been settled, the finer details should be discussed over drinks, which helps strengthen personal rapport. The restaurant, named Tian Shan Ke, is located near the card room and is also one of Liu Qi’s own ventures. It’s still early for dinner, so Liu Qi has a few other tasks to attend to. Chang Dong and the others head over first. The server, having been instructed by Liu Qi, guides the three into a private dining room, which, though a bit outdated, is richly appointed—so much so that the large round table could easily serve as a bed. To prevent the guests from growing restless, the server serves tea and then brings over two sets of playing cards. Chang Dong has no interest in playing cards; instead, he carefully reviews his handwritten notes. The diagrams are indeed hard to dispute—on the road leading from Sima, he even marked the exact spot where the gray-eighth was buried. Fortunately, his written explanations for the textual elements are concise. For instance, phrases like “blood, wind, and the Jade Gate” are only briefly described. That’s precisely why Liu Qi said he only understood half of it— After finishing, he tore off those few pages, rolled them into strips, picked up the matches on the table, struck them to light, and tossed them into the ashtray. Yefu watched as the white paper turned instantly gray between the flickering flames: "The characters and the paintings were quite nice—just like that, burned away. What a pity." Chang Dong said: "They've already given you lessons. You've got to learn from this." Few people were naturally insightful; most learned through repeated mistakes, gradually refining their skills, making fewer errors over time, and climbing higher in position. With the paper fully burned, a gentle warmth of smoke filled the room. Chang Dong asked Yefu: "You really took Li Qi's money?" Yefu thought his question unnecessary: "Why wouldn't I?" "Some money is hard to hold onto—you can't just focus on what's immediate. You have to think ahead, about the possibilities." "What possibilities? Li Qi is investing—what if he ends up with nothing? That would simply mean he picked the wrong stock, that his investment vision is lacking. What does that have to do with me?" She always came up with such complicated justifications Changdong pondered, "A man like Liu Qi—someone who is thorough and well-organized—wouldn’t simply hand over money and expect me to spend it freely." He expected the finer details at the dinner table to come with strict conditions. Ye Liuxi replied, "When things get desperate, I’ll just wash my face and deal with them then." Changdong glanced at her, "You really need to improve—your mindset is so broad." Ye Liuxi corrected him, "It’s not just broad-mindedness—it’s confidence. It means no matter what happens, I can handle it. After all…" She rested her hands on her cheek and winked at him, "I can certainly manage half of the things that require commanding the winds and summoning the rains." Changdong was at a loss and could only sip his tea. Fei Tang, listening from the side, was completely confused, "Miss Xi, what exactly does 'commanding the winds and summoning the rains' mean? Can you manage half of it?" Ye Liuxi prompted, "Just think about it—look at the literal meaning." Fei Tang said, "Commanding the winds and summoning the — The main seating starts at 9 p.m., with dishes being laid out gradually beforehand: big plates of chicken and rice, roasted lamb ribs, flatbread stuffed with meat, hand-grabbed rice, all served in large platters and generous portions. Chang Dong has no appetite, Fat Tang is too hesitant to eat, and even Ye Liuxi admits she’s full just by looking at the plates. This meal inevitably becomes background, mere decoration, and a supporting act. After 9 p.m., Liu Qi arrives with only two people. One is a young girl, around seventeen or eighteen, petite in build, wearing a short skirt, fishnet stockings, and a short leather jacket adorned with numerous rivets. She’s heavily made up—her hair is loosely piled into a knot, with a few strands dyed purple, bright eyeshadow, mascara, and dark, sleep-deprived circles under her eyes. As soon as she enters, she sits down before Liu Qi, yawns, and then picks up a bite of the crispy, spicy red dish. Liu Qi frowns and says, “No sense of etiquette.” Another man with a neat, short haircut, in his early to mid-20s, had a slightly darker complexion, with a pendant hanging from the upper part of his ear. The tattoo on the rolled-up sleeve revealed a cluster of slender, delicate plum blossoms—something that instantly elevated his demeanor beyond the typical street brawler, giving him an air of quiet, unspoken grace. Compared to the young girl, this man was more composed—he helped Liu Qi move the chair, then stood by with his arms folded, eyes fixed straight ahead. "As for me, I'm thinking this way—everyone's just getting to know each other, and trust hasn't fully taken root yet. Once I've invested my money, if you guys go off half-crazy and waste it, and then come back to me and say, 'Master, we found nothing,' I'll feel deeply unbalanced. So I'm sending two people from my side—trust me, both are capable and won't slow you down at all. Xiao Liu is young, but she's been taking care of the affairs for me for three years now; no one dares to cause any trouble. Chang Dong said: 'What about Hui Ba's fate, Master? You must know. It makes sense to send someone to keep an eye on things, but sending out your own daughter—doesn't that seem a bit excessive?' Liu Qi smiled: 'I'm getting older. Over the past two years, I've been trying to delegate responsibilities to Xiao Liu, but many people aren't satisfied. She's still lacking experience and has a restless spirit—without shaping and polishing, jade won't become a fine article. I need to give her something challenging to grow through. Now, with this very situation, she's stepping She didn't flinch, though her face was heavily made up—her complexion had changed little, and it was hardly noticeable. Chang Dong thought for a moment: "Two people will do, as long as we can distinguish between primary and secondary roles. I'd like to have assistants, but not senior managers." Liu Qi beamed: "Of course! Please go ahead and rely on them—everything will be taken care of. As for this young colleague, I'll make sure he's well looked after." His gaze settled on Fei Tang. Fei Tang shivered—on this table, he was the lightest in weight. He had expected to be the one who would never be mentioned at all throughout the evening. His lips were dry, and he glanced nervously around. Chang Dong furrowed his brows, as if about to say something. Just then, Ye Liuxi called out, "Chang Dong!" She extended her plate: "Could you please help me with a piece of lamb? I can't reach it—preferably a larger one." Chang Dong bowed slightly, picked up his chopsticks, and helped her select a large rib of lamb, generously sprinkled with coarse cumin and At the table, only she was eating. She ate with complete ease, and later, finding the knife and fork cumbersome, simply picked them up with her hands. Fei Tang noticed something was off—he sensed that Ye Liuxi didn’t want Changdong to speak on her behalf. “West Sister…” Ye Liuxi didn’t lift her head. “What do you want from me? What do you want to do, what don’t you want to do—why don’t you just speak up yourself? Why are you holding back? What’s the rush for others to rush in? You haven’t even started eating, and you’re already stiffening up.” As she said this, she glanced sideways at Changdong. Changdong smiled, touched her lips with her finger, and wiped off the chili powder that had settled there—then licked it off. Everyone at the table knew there was more to her words than met the eye. Fei Tang also understood. After a moment’s hesitation, he looked up at Liu Qi and said, “I don’t want to stay here.” Liu Qi remained calm. “Speak louder,” she said. “I can’t hear you.” Fei Tang felt his scalp tingling, his heart nearly leaping out of his throat. When he saw Ye Liuxi wiping his hands with a napkin, he suddenly found the courage, slapping the table hard and shouting, "Don't bother to take care of me—I don't want to stay here!" Liu Qi's expression grew cold. Gao Shen's face darkened, his hands clenching into fists, his arm muscles bulging. Ding Liu glanced sideways at Fei Tang, while Chang Dong looked steadily at Ye Liuxi. Ye Liuxi set down the napkin and spoke calmly, "Lord Qi, Fei Tang is indeed not the right fit for this place." "You've always liked to probe people's backgrounds—have you done so with Fei Tang? Fei Tang was born in Xi'an, from a family of antique collectors and appraisers. With just a glance at the style and a simple sense of weight, he can instantly identify the dynasty and the value. I remember…" She looked at Fei Tang, "You're a senior member of the Xi'an Committee for Antiquities Appraisal and Evaluation, aren't you?" Fei Tang replied, "I joined last year." As he said Ye Liuxi looked at Liu Qi: "Seventh Uncle wasn't looking for solid, valuable items? If we don't have any experts this time, then we're just sending a bunch of blind men out. Then, when we get back, we'll treat the truly valuable things as scrap and bring back only flashy, yet worthless ones. Don't hold it against us, Seventh Uncle." ... Liu Qi remained silent for a while, then suddenly burst into laughter. He lifted his wine cup. "Come on, drink! True friends are those who share both wine and meat—without wine, you can't truly be a friend. So, we've settled this." Chang Dong interrupted: "Seventh Uncle, there's one more matter. Do you still have contact with that so-called 'mystic'?" Liu Qi replied: "How could I not? He's the only one with a nervous breakdown. He managed to get out of Lop Nur only because I've been traveling with him all the way. If he really starts acting like a god, and keeps heading into those dangerous places, I'm not sure how long he'll survive." "Then, when you parted ways, did you leave any contact information?" "Staying on, after we arrived in Hami, he said he wanted to commemorate this journey and took me specially to a photo studio to have a portrait taken. He didn't have a phone or a mobile number—on the back of the photo, he wrote down a QQ number. I'd never added him before, but the photo is still there." "Then, could you kindly help me find it, Uncle Qi? I'll try to reach out. He's remembered so many stories—perhaps not all of them have been shared with me. Maybe he can tell me something about the ghost camel caravan or the shadow coffin." ... Midway through the meal, Chang Dong went to the restroom. When he came out, he saw Ye Liuxi washing her hands at the sink. Chang Dong approached, opened another faucet, applied a bit more hand sanitizer, and then looked down at her, asking, "Do you have any insights?" Ye Liuxi took a paper towel to dry her hands and then adjusted her hair in front of the mirror. "And you?" The old restaurant, aside from the private dining rooms, had dim lighting throughout. Under the soft glow, people appeared slightly blurred—yet in the mirror, she felt quite satisfied with how she "Li Qi still looks out for Ding Liu. That deep, attentive presence—must be specifically there to protect her." Ye Liuxi nodded. "The relationship between Gao Shen and Ding Liu is no ordinary one." Chang Dong looked up, their eyes meeting in the mirror. "How did you figure that out?" "After Gao Shen entered the room, he mostly kept his gaze straight ahead, only occasionally glancing at her—though Ding Liu seemed completely indifferent. She even pays more attention to Fei Tang than to him." "What does it mean to glance at someone secretly?" "When the heart is restless, it begins with the eyes." ... As they walked back, passing by a vacant private dining room, Chang Dong suddenly stopped, raising his index finger to his lips to signal Ye Liuxi to be quiet. The door was slightly ajar, dark inside, clearly empty, yet a soft mist of smoke drifted out. A moment later, voices emerged—Ding Liu's. "Do you think these two are difficult to handle?" A man replied, "Master Li said they're both accomplished people—be polite, don't make a fuss." Chang Dong had a hunch this should be deep. Ding Liu snorted, “My father says all the nice things, but I don’t believe he’d let anyone take food from his plate. I wonder if Chang Dong and that woman are a couple?” Gao Shen paused and said, “Maybe.” “If they’re a couple, that’ll be easy. Making a couple fall out of love is never difficult.”