Chapter 674
Nangong Wan stood behind an old locust tree in the backyard of the Jinchan Chamber of Commerce under the moonlight, his eyes fixed on the agile figure in front of him. Liu Qingshuang, wearing a nightgown, seemed to blend into the night as she moved lightly through the intricate buildings of the Chamber of Commerce. Her steps were very regular, sometimes pausing, sometimes running fast, as if she was deliberately avoiding some invisible traps.
"Sure enough, there is a problem." Nangong Wan whispered to herself, her fingers gently stroking the copper coin string around her waist. As the newly hired mechanical consultant of the Chamber of Commerce, she had long noticed the occasional abnormality of this seemingly gentle female accountant when she taught mechanical techniques - those theories were too profound, and some of the techniques were even completely different from the skills passed down by the Jinchan Chamber of Commerce.
Liu Qingshuang stopped in front of a seemingly ordinary warehouse, looked around, and quickly fiddled with the door lock. With a light click, the heavy wooden door opened. Nangong Wan narrowed his eyes - that was clearly the "keyless door opening" technique in the Mohist mechanical art, which had been lost for nearly a hundred years.
Nangong Wan waited for a moment, and after confirming that no one was around, she quietly followed in. The interior of the warehouse was much more spacious than it looked from the outside, filled with all kinds of antiques and wooden boxes. Moonlight shone in from the high air vents, outlining streaks of light on the ground. She held her breath and followed the faint footsteps inside.
In a hidden corner of the innermost room, a secret door was half open, and dim light seeped through the crack in the door. Nangong Wan approached the wall and glimpsed a scene through the crack in the door that made her heart beat faster -
Liu Qingshuang stood with her back to the door, in front of a large workbench filled with various parts and tools. The most eye-catching thing was the broken metal token in the center of the table, which glowed with an ancient bronze luster under the oil lamp. Liu Qingshuang was concentrating on carefully splicing a newly found fragment onto the token.
"Mohist Matrix Order" Nangong Wan's pupils shrank slightly. As a member of a family of mechanical engineers, she certainly recognized this token that symbolized the highest power of the Mohist School. According to legend, a complete Matrix Order could open all the secret treasures of the Mohist School, but it had long been lost in the turmoil a hundred years ago.
Just then, a wooden board creaked slightly under her feet.
Liu Qingshuang turned around suddenly, and her right hand had already pulled out a short knife as thin as a cicada's wing from her waist. "Who?" Her voice was as cold as ice, completely different from her usual gentle image.
Nangong Wan knew that hiding was meaningless, so he pushed the door open and entered, while the copper coins in his hand formed a five-element trap. "It's late at night, what is Liu Zhangfang doing here?"
The two men's eyes met in mid-air, and the air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Liu Qingshuang's eyes changed from shock to alertness, and finally returned to a resolute calm. "Miss Nangong followed me late at night, why?" She did not put down the dagger, but turned her body slightly to the side, assuming a posture of both offense and defense.
"As a guest of the Chamber of Commerce, I have to investigate any suspicious behavior." Nangong Wan walked forward slowly, the string of copper coins flowing between her fingers, ready to be used at any time. "The thing in your hand is not something that an ordinary accountant should have."
Liu Qingshuang's eyes flashed, and a bitter smile appeared at the corner of her mouth: "It seems that I can't hide it from the eldest lady of the Nangong family." She moved her right hand slightly, and put the dagger back into her sleeve, but her left hand was still on the workbench, only an inch away from the broken token.
"Do you know my identity?" Nangong Wan raised his eyebrows.
"The only female heiress of the Nangong family in a hundred years, a genius who cracked the Thousand Machine Lock at the age of 18." Liu Qingshuang said softly, "Since I have infiltrated the Golden Toad Chamber of Commerce, I will naturally do my homework on the important figures."
Nangong Wan was shocked. Not only did the other party know her background, but he also directly mentioned the word "infiltrated". It was obvious that he had stopped pretending. "So, who are you? Where did the Mo family's Juzi order come from?"
Liu Qingshuang was silent for a moment, then turned around and took out a small wooden box from under the workbench. She opened the box and took out a yellowed portrait, which showed a middle-aged man with a serious face, with the young Liu Qingshuang standing beside him, and the unique mechanical totem of the Mohist school could be vaguely seen in the background.
"My father, Liu Yuanzong, is the last deacon of the Mohist School." Liu Qingshuang's voice became low, with suppressed pain, "Fifteen years ago, the Golden Toad Chamber of Commerce invited him to repair an ancient mechanism with a large sum of money. But when he found out that it was the lost Mohist treasure 'Heavenly Box', he refused to hand over the method to open it."
Nangong Wan noticed that Liu Qingshuang's fingers were trembling slightly.
"Three days later, they found my father's body floating on the river outside the city, holding this incomplete Ju Zi Ling in his hand." Liu Qingshuang's eyes flashed with hatred, "The Chamber of Commerce claimed that it was an accidental fall into the water, but I know that they wanted to get the method to open the Tiangong Box!"
Nangong Wan frowned: "The Tiangong Box is said to be a treasure of the Mohist school that can automatically create any mechanism? I thought it was just a myth."
"Myth?" Liu Qingshuang sneered, took out a yellowed parchment from his arms and unfolded it, "Take a look at this."
Nangong Wan took a closer look and couldn't help but gasp. It was an incredibly detailed mechanical design, with dense Mohist code marks and an exquisite polyhedron structure in the center, which was the legendary Tiangong Box.
"This is."
"This is the clue my father left behind." Liu Qingshuang stroked the blueprint gently. "Before he died, he hid the Juzi Ling and this blueprint in a place only I knew. I spent ten years tracking it down and finally confirmed that the Tiangong Box is in the secret vault of the Jinchan Chamber of Commerce."
Nangong Wan's eyes moved between the blueprint and the incomplete token, and she was torn between her conscience and her desires. She originally thought that she had only discovered a spy who stole the Chamber of Commerce's secrets, but she didn't expect that it would involve such a complicated feud. As a guest of the Chamber of Commerce, she should have reported the matter immediately; but as a mechanical engineer, she could not remain indifferent to the Mo family's relics and this blood feud.
"How long have you been infiltrating the Chamber of Commerce?" Nangong Wan finally asked.
"Three years." Liu Qingshuang put away the blueprint. "It took two years to gain trust, and only in the past year did I start searching for the fragments of the Matrix Order and the whereabouts of the Heavenly Crafts Box." She paused. "I need a complete Matrix Order to safely open the Heavenly Crafts Box. Otherwise, the mechanism will self-destruct and everything will come to nothing."
Nangong Wan thought of the ingenious arrangements of the mechanisms in the Chamber of Commerce's secret room, and suddenly understood why some of the designs had Mohist characteristics. "Does anyone in the Chamber of Commerce know your true identity?"
Liu Qingshuang shook her head: "No one knows except you." Her eyes suddenly became sharp, "Miss Nangong, how do you plan to deal with me? If you want to report me, I understand, but please give me three days to deal with some things."
Nangong Wan looked at the woman who had gone through years of hiding her identity to avenge her father, and a trace of respect rose in her heart. She thought for a moment, then quietly untied the string of copper coins in her hand and hung it back around her waist.
"I didn't see anything tonight." Nangong Wan turned and walked towards the door, "But I need time to think about it. During this period, Fu Shaoping will be 'accidentally' arranged to assist you in sorting out the accounts - don't get me wrong, this is surveillance."
Surprise flashed in Liu Qingshuang's eyes, and then she nodded knowingly: "Thank you."
Nangong Wan paused at the door and asked, "How many pieces are missing from the Juzi Order?"
"The last piece." Liu Qingshuang's voice came from behind, "It's in the 'Thousand Machine Box' in the Chamber of Commerce's treasure pavilion." Nangong Wan's heart was shocked - the Thousand Machine Box was the Chamber of Commerce's most confidential storage mechanism, and only the president and a few elders knew how to open it. She said no more and quietly left the secret room.
Nangong Wan returned to her courtyard and couldn't sleep. The moonlight cast mottled shadows on the ground through the window lattice. She looked at those lights and shadows, and her mind was full of thoughts. Although Liu Qingshuang's story was bizarre, the details could stand up to scrutiny. If it was true as she said, the Jinchan Chamber of Commerce would kill people in order to obtain the Tiangong Box, then should she continue to work for such an organization?
When the sky was just getting light, Nangong Wan finally made up her mind. She took out a piece of letter paper, wrote a few lines of code, and then called her personal maid: "Give this to Mr. Fu, and tell him that I asked him to help check the accounts."
The maid took the order and left. Nangong Wan knew that Fu Shaoping, as a young talent of the Chamber of Commerce, was meticulous and proficient in mechanical techniques, and was the most suitable person to monitor Liu Qingshuang. More importantly, his ambiguous relationship with the Chamber of Commerce's top management made it unlikely that he would report the matter immediately.
In the next few days, the Chamber of Commerce operated as usual, but Nangong Wan could sense an undercurrent. Fu Shaoping began to frequently go in and out of the accounting office as arranged, while Liu Qingshuang behaved like an accountant who was truly focused on his work, without any abnormality.
On the evening of the fourth day, Nangong Wan "accidentally met" Fu Shaoping in the corridor.
"Miss Nangong." Fu Shaoping bowed, a faint smile on his handsome face, "There are some interesting things in the accounts you asked me to check."
Nangong Wan understood and led him to a secluded flower pavilion: "What did you find?"
Fu Shaoping lowered his voice and said, "Liu Zhangfang goes to the abandoned warehouse in the west wing every night, and..." He took out a small piece of metal from his sleeve, "I found this in her room."
Nangong Wan took the fragment and his heart sank - this was exactly the material of the Mo family's Juzi Token. It seemed that Liu Qingshuang was indeed piecing together the token in secret.
"There's something even stranger." Fu Shaoping continued, "When I followed her yesterday, I found that she seemed to be looking for a way to enter the treasure house. What's more coincidental is..." He paused, "When I was looking through the old files, I found that fifteen years ago, there was indeed a mechanical engineer named Liu who was invited by the Chamber of Commerce and died unexpectedly."
Nangong Wan stared into Fu Shaoping's eyes: "What do you think is the connection between them?"
Fu Shaoping smiled slightly: "Miss Nangong already has the answer in her heart, why ask me?" He shook his head gently, "I just think that some things may not be as simple as they seem on the surface. The history of the Chamber of Commerce is much darker than we imagined."
These words made Nangong Wan look at Fu Shaoping with new eyes. It seemed that this seemingly cynical young man was much more thoughtful than he appeared.
"I need you to continue to observe secretly," Nangong Wan whispered, "but don't alert the enemy. If she really finds the last piece..."
Fu Shaoping nodded: "I understand. But..." He hesitated, "The president will be back from the capital in three days, and he will bring the new inspector with him."
Nangong Wan frowned. The return of the president meant more eyes and stricter supervision, which would make Liu Qingshuang's actions more difficult. And the mysterious inspector Dongfang Xuan was rumored to be a ruthless character who was specifically responsible for eliminating the "hidden dangers" of the Chamber of Commerce.
"I understand." Nangong Wan stood up, "If Liu Qingshuang has any unusual behavior in the next three days, notify me immediately."
Fu Shaoping nodded solemnly. Just as the two were about to leave, a commotion suddenly came from the distance. Nangong Wan looked in the direction of the sound and saw a group of Chamber of Commerce guards rushing towards the treasure pavilion.
"Something happened!" Fu Shaoping's face changed, and the two of them hurried towards the source of the commotion at the same time.
The Treasure Pavilion was already crowded with people. The guard leader announced with a grim face: "Someone tried to break into the Treasure Pavilion! The Thousand Machine Box was tampered with, but the thief seemed to have triggered the mechanism, leaving some blood and then fled."
Nangong Wan's heart sank - Liu Qingshuang couldn't hold back after all and took action ahead of time. She looked around, but didn't see Liu Qingshuang.
"Search! Search the entire Chamber of Commerce!" the guard leader roared, "The thief must be caught before the president returns!"
The crowd quickly dispersed and began a carpet search. Nangong Wan quietly pulled Fu Shaoping over and said, "Go find Liu Qingshuang and confirm whether she is safe. If you find her, bring her to see me."
Fu Shaoping's eyes flashed with understanding, and he quickly disappeared into the crowd. Nangong Wan walked in the opposite direction. She needed to return to her own courtyard first to prepare for a possible storm.
Just as she turned around a corridor, a weak voice came from behind the rockery: "Miss Nangong"
Nangong Wan turned around suddenly and saw Liu Qingshuang leaning against the rockery with a pale face. The clothes on her right shoulder were soaked in blood, and she was holding a piece of bronze fragment tightly in her hand.
"You are injured!" Nangong Wan stepped forward quickly and supported the staggering Liu Qingshuang.
"The mechanism is more complicated than expected," Liu Qingshuang said weakly, holding up the fragment, "but I got the last piece."
Nangong Wan looked at the blood-stained bronze fragment, then at Liu Qingshuang's pale face, feeling mixed emotions. This woman could persist to such an extent for her father's last wish.
"Don't talk, I'll take you to treat your wound first." Nangong Wan carried Liu Qingshuang and quickly moved to her own courtyard. She had to hide Liu Qingshuang before being searched, otherwise everything would be over.
However, just as they were about to reach the courtyard, the sound of orderly footsteps suddenly came from outside the moon gate in front of them - it was the patrol team of the Chamber of Commerce!
Nangong Wan made a prompt decision and pulled Liu Qingshuang into the bamboo forest nearby. Liu Qingshuang staggered due to excessive blood loss and almost fell, but was supported by Nangong Wan in time.
"Hold on, we're almost there." Nangong Wan encouraged in a low voice, while vigilantly observing the movements outside.
The patrol team seemed to have received new instructions and suddenly changed their route. Nangong Wan seized this opportunity and quickly led Liu Qingshuang through the last section of the road, and finally returned to his room safely. (End of this chapter)