AUBTN -Chapter 7 There’s a Traitor in the Tongfu Inn

“Say one more useless word, and I’ll cut out your tongue.”

Seeing the tip of the knife so close, Yu Qing instantly snapped back to reality.

This man was serious!

If she tried to act all sorrowful now, she’d probably end up dead on the spot!

She had no idea who the traitor was!

Everything she said before was pure fabrication!

But now… she had no choice but to keep making things up.

“I… I actually don’t know who that person is…”

Yu Qing swallowed hard, her voice trembling as she spoke.

When Lu Yan’s eyes turned sharp and he advanced the knife again, Yu Qing quickly shouted:

“But I heard something! When I was delivering meals at the Shangshi Bureau before, I accidentally overheard two eunuchs in the corner whispering while cracking melon seeds!”

“Shangshi Bureau?” Lu Yan squinted.

“Go on.”

“They… they said that for this case the Jinyiwei are investigating, someone had already leaked the information in advance!”

Yu Qing kept watching Lu Yan’s expression while rambling, cold sweat streaming down her face and mixing with tears, making her look utterly disheveled.

“They also mentioned a place… they said… they said it was the meeting point…”

“Where?” Lu Yan didn’t lower his knife, but his voice grew tensely.

“Tong… Tongfu Inn!”

Yu Qing screamed with her eyes shut.

“Down south of the city! They mentioned the Tongfu Inn in the southern district! They said… they would meet there!”

【Sniff sniff… Manager Tong, Old Bai, I’m sorry! Borrowing the name of your inn for a moment! After all, My Own Swordsman is the most entertaining show I’ve ever watched, and this name brings luck!】

Yu Qing waited anxiously. The knife didn’t fall, and there was no roar from Lu Yan.

Trembling, she carefully opened one eye.

Lu Yan, who had just been filled with murderous intent, was frozen in place.

He hadn’t heard a single word she said—because the only words that registered in his mind were “Tongfu Inn.”

The world only knew that the Jinyiwei were hunting the remnants of the previous dynasty across the city—they had no idea what the real target of the operation was.

No one knew except him, the current emperor, and the two trusted aides assigned to the mission.

The secret rendezvous point for transferring the border tiger tally was none other than that unassuming Tongfu Inn in the south of the city.

This was top-secret information!

Even that eunuch dog Shen Jue from the Eastern Depot hadn’t discovered it!

And this little palace maid, who looked scatterbrained, lied constantly, and cried at the drop of a hat—how could she possibly know?

Eunuchs from the Shangshi Bureau?

Impossible!

Those two aides were his personally trained killers; there was no way they would reveal even a single word in public!

Unless…

She was on their side?

No—even someone on that side couldn’t have known with such precision!

Lu Yan’s fingers clenched tightly around the knife handle.

Yet he came to one conclusion—

This woman was definitely lying.

Her absurd, flawed, tearful performance was all a disguise for the fact that she knew a world-shattering secret!

Such deep scheming.

Such terrifying camouflage.

If he hadn’t been able to hear her inner thoughts, he probably would have really been fooled by her foolish act.

Lu Yan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the tremor in his chest.

He slowly sheathed his knife.

“Tongfu Inn.”

Lu Yan repeated the four words, his voice betraying no emotion.

Suddenly, he bent down, his stern face looming close to Yu Qing’s, their breaths almost mingling.

Yu Qing was completely stunned by the sudden closeness.

She even forgot to cry, staring blankly at Lu Yan’s eyes just inches away.

Such long eyelashes… such flawless skin…

【WTF! What’s happening? A domineering CEO falling in love with me? Is he about to kiss me?!】

Lu Yan twitched at the corner of his eye at the voice.

He forced down the urge to strangle her, staring straight into her eyes, speaking slowly and deliberately:

“If you want to stay alive, you’d better explain clearly who the traitor is…”

Yu Qing could even feel the pressure radiating off him, seeping through her pores and into her bones.

She really wanted to cry.

This time, it wasn’t acting.

Who in their right mind time-travels and ends up responsible for solving a case?!

She was just an ordinary college drama student, whose only mental exercise was memorizing lines and figuring out how to snatch the last braised meatball in the cafeteria.

Couldn’t this high-level, national-security-level situation leave a Bronze-tier player like her alone?

“I… I really don’t know…”

Yu Qing sniffled, tears streaming down like they were free.

Her lashes stuck together with wetness, making her look utterly pitiful.

Sobbing, she kept repeating her meaningless words in broken sentences: “Sir… I was really scared… I was hiding behind a bucket at the time… those two eunuchs spoke so quietly… I only heard ‘Tongfu Inn’… the rest… I really didn’t hear clearly…”

“Really didn’t hear clearly?”

Lu Yan sneered. He drew his embroidered spring knife again, sliding it slightly forward so the cold blade grazed her delicate neck, sending a shiver through her.

“Think carefully. You know my patience.”

Yu Qing’s body stiffened. Her sobs caught in her throat, leaving only hiccup-like sounds.

Just as Lu Yan considered whether to use more extreme measures, that familiar, noisy inner voice exploded in his mind again.

【Big bro! Could you move the knife a bit? Ever heard of metal allergies? Also, why are you staring at me like that?】

Lu Yan’s brows twitched sharply.

Then the voice became even more brazen, with a hint of… strange excitement?

【But I have to admit, this Jinyiwei uniform is really handsome… is this the legendary uniform temptation?】

【Tsk tsk tsk, it’s just that the collar is buttoned too tightly, looks like it’s choking him. This kind of disciplined, untouchable high-cold flower—if he unbuttoned just two buttons to show a little collarbone… ugh, can’t even imagine!】

【No, Yu Qing, wake up! When will you stop being seduced by good looks! Help!】

Lu Yan’s hand holding the knife trembled uncontrollably.

Even though he couldn’t understand the words, he clearly understood the meaning of all those lewd thoughts!

Shameless! Ridiculous!

Did this woman have no awareness at all of being a prisoner?

The knife was already at her neck, and she was still fantasizing about whether his collar was tight or not?!

Lu Yan felt a vein throb violently at his temple, a strange heat climbing up his neck.

He subconsciously loosened his grip on the knife, even awkwardly wanting to tug at his own collar—but professional discipline forced him to resist.

“Enough!”

Lu Yan sharply withdrew the knife.

He feared that if he didn’t stop, he might lose control and split open this woman’s head just to see if it was filled with anything other than mush.