370: Chapter 369 Divine Item - Xuanwu Domain Suppressing Ring

Beijing, West Fourth Ring Road, inside a quiet detached villa.

Minister Chen, Chen Qingzhou, who was in charge of the Ministry of Commerce, was just about to rest when his private phone rang.

Seeing the caller ID as "Si Hongjun," Chen Qingzhou's brow twitched slightly, and he then answered, his tone carrying just the right amount of warmth: "Hongjun, calling so late, is there something the matter?"

On the other end of the phone, Si Hongjun's voice sounded a bit troubled: "Minister Chen, I hope I'm not disturbing your rest? Sigh, there is indeed a bit of a tricky matter that I must trouble you with..."

"Cough, what trouble? We're old acquaintances, no need to be formal, feel free to speak." Chen Qingzhou responded readily without hesitation.

"Cough, it's about the marriage alliance between our Si Family and the Zhao Family." Si Hongjun's tone carried a hint of annoyance, "My troublesome daughter went back to the Southwest today to discuss the engagement face-to-face with Zhao Lintai. But who would have thought, this girl actually brought back a boyfriend behind my and the old man's backs! And she was caught right in the act by the media waiting outside! Now it's great, our Si Family has completely offended the Zhao Family."

Hearing this, Chen Qingzhou chuckled and spoke in an official tone: "Oh, young people these days have their own ideas, not like in our day. Regarding marriage, I think it's better to respect their own wishes; we old fogies should stay out of it."

"That's the truth." Si Hongjun followed up, his tone even more earnest, "But you also know that my old man values promises most and has always remembered the past kindness of the Zhao Family's help. If we completely anger Old Master Zhao over this, wouldn't our Si Family get a reputation for being ungrateful? That's why I took the liberty of asking you to step in, mediate a bit, and feel out Old Master Zhao's stance."

"Oh, this might be difficult to handle..." Chen Qingzhou's voice carried a hint of helplessness, "To be honest, I haven't had much contact with Old Zhao over the years, though I have dealt with Zhao Lintai a few times."

"Minister Chen, how about this? If you could take the trouble to personally visit Old Master Zhao tomorrow and see his attitude. Rest assured, I won't let your efforts be in vain."

"Eh, saying that is too formal." Chen Qingzhou's voice still held a smile, but then his tone suddenly shifted, lowering his voice, "But... Hongjun, if you trust me, forget about visiting Old Zhao. As for the engagement between your Si and Zhao families, just let it drop."

Si Hongjun's heart jolted, and he immediately asked with feigned shock: "Ah? Wh... why?"

The other end of the phone was silent for a moment before Chen Qingzhou's meaningful whisper came through: "The specific reason... don't ask too much. Take my word for it, if Old Master Zhao is angry, let him be angry. Times have changed; it's better to keep some distance from the Zhao Family. Especially Zhao Lintai..." He paused deliberately, as if teasing Si Hongjun, "I heard he is in the Southwest right now?"

"Uh, yes, he's in the Southwest." Si Hongjun quickly replied.

"Mm, the Southwest is your Si Family's territory. You should know better than I what Zhao Lintai has been doing in the Southwest recently." Chen Qingzhou's tone carried an unquestionable warning, "I'll only remind you of one thing: don't let him leave the country from the Southwest. Otherwise, your Si Family... might not be able to explain it to the higher-ups." Without waiting for Si Hongjun's response, he quickly moved to end the call, "Well, that's all I have to say. It's late, get some rest."

"Oh, okay, okay... thank you for the guidance, Minister Chen. I'll pay you a visit when I go to Beijing. Goodnight." Si Hongjun said quickly, his tone full of gratitude.

Hanging up the phone, a slight smile appeared at the corner of Si Hongjun's mouth, and he muttered to himself: "This Zhao Family... it seems they really are finished!"

Just then, another call from Shanghai came in; it was Si Hongfei.

"Hello, Brother Jun, I've seen the photo you sent. That Shen Nan is actually called Shen Jianan; she's the daughter of Shen Zhendong, the director of the Shanghai Municipal Public Security General Bureau. She was previously a police officer in Shanghai and was later transferred to the Special Operations Department of the Security Bureau by Ye Qingcheng."

"As I thought!" Si Hongjun's eyes were sharp, "Alright, I understand!"

After verifying these two pieces of information, Si Hongjun didn't dare delay and immediately called the old man.

After listening to his son repeat the entire conversation with Chen Qingzhou, there was silence on the other end for a long while before Si Zhengxiong's grave voice came through: "Chen Qingzhou has gone this far... it seems the mess Zhao Lintai has made is a massive hole! In that case, my Si Family must immediately cut ties with the Zhao Family! We must not let the higher-ups think we are still in the same boat as the Zhao Family!"

He pondered for a moment and said, "Let the media add more fuel to the fire, and write about the matter between Yaoyao and Qin Yi even more sensationally! It would be best if it makes Old Zhao jump in anger! The more public and intense the conflict, the better. Only then will our subsequent actions be justified!"

"I understand!" Si Hongjun deeply agreed, "Since the Zhao Family is a crumbling mansion, we must cut the Gordian knot!" He shifted the topic and added, "Also, Shen Nan's identity has been confirmed; she's from the Security Bureau, and her target is clearly Zhao Lintai as well."

"The Security Bureau has already stepped in..." Si Zhengxiong mused for a moment, then suddenly asked, "What have the people you sent to watch Zhao Lintai found?"

"I was just about to tell you about that. According to news from the Shangri-La Hotel, shortly after Zhao Lintai returned to his room this afternoon, a woman named 'Bai Ruoxue' went to find him. After staying in the room for a while, they left together to eat at the hotel restaurant. After dinner, they both returned to their rooms." Si Hongjun said quickly, telling the old man everything he knew.

"Bai Ruoxue? What's her background?" Si Zhengxiong asked with a frown.

"That's unknown for now. However, according to the hotel staff, it seems it's not just our Si Family watching Zhao Lintai; Yan Yan from the Southwest Branch of the Security Bureau is also watching him. If it weren't for this Bai Ruoxue appearing today, the people I sent wouldn't even know the Security Bureau had already stepped in."

Si Zhengxiong quickly weighed the pros and cons and responded: "Good, with the Security Bureau watching from the front, Zhao Lintai won't be able to escape even with wings! We'll act as if we don't know and cooperate fully. Afterwards, it will be seen by the higher-ups as our attitude of making up for past mistakes! Understand?"

"Understood, Old Master, don't worry, I know the limits."

"Mm. Alright, it's late, get some rest." With that, Si Zhengxiong hung up the phone.

The night was deep. As the lights of the Si Family Old Residence's main house went out, like a silent signal, the lights of the subsidiary residences guarding the old house at the foot of the mountain also darkened one by one.

...

As the first light of dawn appeared and the chirping of insects gradually rose, the thin mist in the mountains quietly dissipated in the rising sunlight, and soft light filtered through the window screens, flooding into the room.

Qin Yi slowly opened his eyes but didn't get up immediately. Instead, he quietly felt the mountain forest's tranquility, so different from the city.

Outside the courtyard, the faint sound of someone exercising in the morning could be heard, adding a touch of vitality to this peaceful morning.

Qin Yi sat up cross-legged, and with a slight thought, his consciousness sank into his Sea of Consciousness, commanding the System: "System, start the daily lucky draw!"

The command was given, the familiar System notification sounded, and a golden roulette wheel suddenly emerged within Qin Yi's Sea of Consciousness.

Then, the lottery wheel began to spin, light flowing in a dazzling manner.

A few seconds later, the wheel came to a sudden halt, an unprecedentedly brilliant golden light erupted, and the System notification followed.

[ bite! Congratulations to the Host. In today's lucky draw, you have obtained a Divine-Grade System item—xuanwu domain suppressing ring!]

A Divine-Grade item!

Qin Yi's spirits were greatly lifted, and a surge of surprise and joy rose in his heart. Since obtaining the System, this was the first time he had drawn a Divine-Grade item!

He immediately looked into the System Space and saw a mysterious black ring quietly floating there, with a faint, deep halo flowing around it. With a thought, the ring automatically fell into his palm.

It felt slightly cool to the touch, with a strange texture—neither metal nor jade, it was as heavy and solid as deep-sea profound iron, yet possessed the fine smoothness of warm ancient jade.

On the face of the ring, there were no traces of manual carving; instead, fine and complex profound patterns had formed naturally. Looking closely, the patterns skillfully formed a miniature Xuanwu Sacred Beast: a snake coiled around a turtle's body, full of dynamic energy, with the turtle's head slightly raised as if it were hissing at the sky!

At the center of the ring face where the patterns converged, a tiny point of deep blue light flickered quietly, like a Xuanwu lying dormant at the bottom of the boundless North Sea.

"System, give a detailed introduction of the 'xuanwu domain suppressing ring'." Qin Yi suppressed the excitement in his heart and asked calmly.

[ bite! In reply to the Host, the xuanwu domain suppressing ring will automatically activate when the Host's life is threatened! Once activated, it can form an absolute defense Domain, completely negating fatal attacks! Please note: Each successful activation will randomly consume a large amount of the Host's Mental Energy or stamina and will automatically enter a thirty-day 'dormancy period,' during which the protective effect will be temporarily disabled.]

"Absolute defense Domain?!" Qin Yi's heart shook violently, followed by a surge of wild joy, "This is practically an extra life! Today's luck is truly off the charts!"

Thinking this, Qin Yi's consciousness quickly withdrew from his Sea of Consciousness. He didn't hesitate to take the mysterious black ring out of the System Space and solemnly put it on the ring finger of his right hand.

The moment the ring touched his skin, a trace of faint, cool air quietly circulated, calming his mind, which had been agitated by the surprise.

Just then, a "thud, thud, thud" knocking sound came from outside the door, followed by Si Yao's voice: "Qin Yi, are you awake yet?"