TGA Chapter 108

Unfortunately, there was no time for the two sides to bond.

The announcement from the “Listening Wind, Fine Rain Pavilion” sounded again—Shi Zhuoqu informed everyone to return to the main hall.

Mei Rujing said, “Let’s go, don’t waste time.”

Tan Muxing stole a glance at the Taoist priests’ expressions. He quickly led Chu Qianli away, already thinking about whether he should ask his family to send something up the mountain later. After all, competition always has winners and losers, but Xu Zaiyuan couldn’t hide his disappointment.

After the three of them left, Xu Zaiyuan began to reflect. He lowered his head and said, “If I had handed the stone to someone else earlier, instead of keeping it myself…”

Liu Jun clapped him hard on the shoulder and tried to comfort him. “Alright, don’t think like that. You’re still young, and getting this far is already amazing. Even we make mistakes!”

Xu Zaiyuan didn’t respond. He wasn’t immediately comforted by those words, mainly because his opponent wasn’t much older either.

“Sigh, there’s always someone better out there. You’ve stayed on the mountain most of your life and haven’t met people from outside. Take this as a learning experience—next time, you’ll know better.”

“Don’t be so down. This is your first time losing. We lose all the time, and life still goes on,” Liu Jun smiled. “Didn’t Master Xu Qian also say that many things can’t be solved just by divination? This is a new beginning for you.”

Xu Zaiyuan lowered his eyes, finally responded softly, “Mm.”

“There you go! Cheer up!”

Elsewhere, Tan Muxing kept glancing back and noticed the Taoists still standing where they were. Troubled, he said, “He looks really upset.”

Mei Rujing replied, “Well, we basically beat the neighbor’s kid into a meltdown.”

Tan Muxing knew Xu Zaiyuan had strong skills in divination. Otherwise, that brat wouldn’t have been so wary of him at first. He glanced at Chu Qianli, who was skipping happily, and hesitated before asking, “So, is this how you were when you lost?”

She seemed to understand Xu Zaiyuan’s mindset well—perhaps because of their similar abilities.

Chu Qianli, now seemingly unburdened and light on her feet, replied cheekily, “Dunno. I’ve never lost. After all, I’m the best in the world.”

“…”

Facing the polar bear’s subtle expression, Chu Qianli scratched her chin and confessed, “If it were before, I probably would’ve reacted like him. If I lost in astrology, I’d have felt like the sky was falling and life was meaningless.”

“It’s the only thing I’m good at. I suck at everything else. Without this, I’d be nothing.” She casually said as she kicked a pebble with her foot.

Mei Rujing mused, “So even kids can have clear self-awareness.”

Chu Qianli cheered, “But now I don’t think I’d care if I lost.”

Mei Rujing replied, “That’s probably because you haven’t lost yet.”

“No, it’s not!”

Tan Muxing asked curiously, “Then why?”

Chu Qianli met his curious gaze and froze slightly. She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she suddenly fell silent. After a moment, she grew a bit awkward and mumbled, “Not telling you.”

Caught off guard by the sudden refusal, Tan Muxing looked helpless. “?”

Mei Rujing joked, “A delayed rebellious phase?”

Chu Qianli pushed Tan Muxing into the main hall, changing the subject entirely. “Let’s go, let’s go, Starboy’s got an award to collect!”

The hall was already crowded with candidates. Lin stood at a high spot, holding badges, waiting.

Huang Jue and Joe’s teams were already standing on either side, and A and Lilith could also be seen in the crowd. Before long, the Qian Sect team returned as well, ready to hear Lin and the others announce the results of the selection.

Chu Qianli watched as Tan Muxing received the badge from Lin’s hand, but her thoughts had drifted elsewhere.

She had indeed once believed that she was born for astrology and should die for it. After all, without that, she was nothing.

But there were also people who, even knowing her shortcomings, could accept her as someone who was “nothing.”

The selection process had officially come to an end, and everything was settled. The owners of the three special badges were each different: Chu Qianli, Tan Muxing, and Xu Zaiyuan.

After the event dispersed, Chu Qianli and the others received a private message from Shi Zhuoqu—Lin wanted to meet them that night to discuss matters related to the relic key.

The two sides had made an agreement earlier: Chu Qianli would suppress the Qian Sect and decode the key, while Lin would pay a deposit and share the profits. Now it was time to move on to the next step.

Chu Qianli glanced at the time, then looked at the candidates gradually leaving the area, and said, “Not bad. The game’s over. Now the real work begins.”

Mei Rujing asked, “Should I go with you?”

“Sis Rujing, better not go, in case we all get caught in one sweep.” Chu Qianli turned to ask, “Star, are Uncle Qi and the others still nearby?”

“Yes, just like you said—Uncle Jin came too,” Tan Muxing replied while looking at his phone. “But they’re still outside the villa area. We can contact the police now, but if they rush over and nothing happens, it’ll be awkward.”

“Don’t worry. Something will happen tonight!”

—-

In the lounge, Lin sat leisurely on the sofa waiting. He heard rhythmic knocking, and upon seeing the blond man who entered, he raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Oh? Ebner, I didn’t expect you to come looking for me now. I thought you were still immersed in your ‘Candidate A’ persona and had no intention of contacting us lately.”

“I remember your abilities weren’t bad. But after two rounds, you didn’t win once.” Lin was in a good mood at the moment. He felt that he wouldn’t need this person anymore, so his tone was naturally casual.

Ebner replied with displeasure, “Lin, I just saw someone familiar here. Did you bring the relic key?”

Lin folded his hands and raised an eyebrow. “What kind of question is that? Are you interrogating me?”

Ebner said, “Q should’ve told you—all found keys are to be stored in Country H. You taking the relic key without permission makes it impossible for me to trust you.”

The Mondeson family stored all discovered relic keys in Country H. However, Ebner had just seen the storage personnel inside the villa, which clearly meant Lin had secretly taken the key away from Q’s oversight!

“Are you still a child? Quoting ‘Q said this’ like it’s ‘my mom said’—you sound like you have no independent thought.” Lin sneered. “Yes, Q is in charge of this matter, but I’m the one carrying it out. You’d better get used to it. Maybe before long, the person handling and executing things for the Mondeson family won’t be Q—it’ll be me.”

“Unreasonable,” Ebner said. “I’ll report this to Q.”

Lin shrugged. “Go ahead. Let’s see how he reacts to the words of an outsider like you.”

“You’ll regret this.”

“I didn’t expect a gentleman to speak in threats.”

Ebner flicked his sleeves and left.

Lin’s eyes grew cold. “He’s wasting my time for the real guests.”

—

Before long, the guests Lin was waiting for finally arrived.

Shi Zhuoqu knocked gently, and Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing entered the room.

“Today’s performance was spectacular—truly a surprising victory with few against many!” Lin stood up as soon as he saw them, praising warmly, “Even I didn’t expect it. Everyone else didn’t dare to attack the Taoists.”

Huang Jue’s team hadn’t attacked the Qian Sect in the arena, but Chu Qianli’s group did, which naturally earned more trust.

“As long as the money’s good, anything is negotiable,” Chu Qianli waved her hand. “But I still don’t get—why don’t you want the Taoists to gain the spotlight?”

Lin narrowed his eyes slightly and probed, “I thought you two could guess.”

“Why would I waste time guessing this nonsense? I’m more interested in whether you’ll back out of our 10% profit share.”

Seeing that Chu Qianli only cared about the money, Lin was finally at ease and said, “As long as the key’s secrets are deciphered, I will absolutely honor the previous agreement.”

Chu Qianli extended her hand. “Alright then—show me the key. I’ll take a look and let you know what I find.”

Lin smiled. “Sorry, but you can only study it here. The relic key can’t be taken out.”

Chu Qianli’s eyes widened in surprise. “Are you kidding? How much can you figure out just sitting here?”

“Ms. Mei didn’t come along today. I believe we share the same concern,” Lin spread his hands helplessly. “Honestly, letting you two examine the key tonight isn’t even allowed. Let’s try to be understanding with each other.”

Lin was extremely cautious. He was willing to let them study the key, but not to take it away under any circumstance.

Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing exchanged a glance, and she relented. “Alright, fine.”

“Then let’s move next door,” Lin signaled the bodyguards with his eyes.

The relic key was locked in a safe in the next room, heavily guarded by numerous men in black. Unlocking it even required Lin’s fingerprint and iris scan.

The doorway was guarded—no one could leave.

Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing were completely surrounded by the black-clad guards. As Lin carefully unlocked the safe, she looked around at the unfamiliar faces and said in a weak voice, “I’ve always had a question.”

“Please go ahead.”

“You people who bring bodyguards with you… can you actually remember what your bodyguards look like?” Chu Qianli looked around. “I can’t tell foreigners apart at all.”

Lin retrieved a black case from the safe and chuckled. “Honestly, I can’t tell Asians apart either.”

Tan Muxing saw the small locked case and asked, “This is it?”

“This is one of them. The other has already been sent back. I figure one should be enough for your research.”

Chu Qianli grumbled, “…You’re so stingy. You could’ve at least given us one each.”

Just yesterday they’d seen the crystal ball and the Ru’en stone, and now there was only one item left. It was obvious Lin still hadn’t let down his guard.

Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing stood nearby, watching as Lin unlocked the small black case.

Just then, a black-clad man standing just two steps away from Lin suddenly struck. He snatched the still-locked black briefcase and, in one swift motion, smashed through the window and jumped from the tall building!

This room was located on the top floor of the building—falling from such a height would mean certain death or serious injury. No one expected such a scene!

People rushed to the window, only to see the man agilely navigating the rooftop edges, sliding swiftly down a long rope. It was clearly premeditated—he even threw the black briefcase midair to a waiting accomplice below.

Chu Qianli was rather impressed: “Damn, it’s like an action movie!”

Lin, confronted with this sudden and unexpected disruption, twisted his face in rage. “Chase them! Don’t let them reach the consulate!”

The man wasn’t of Asian descent, and the identities of this group were unknown. It appeared they had been lying in wait for quite some time. If Lin hadn’t opened the safe, they would never have had the chance.

Chaos erupted immediately.

The black-suited bodyguards rushed out first, and Shi Zhuoqu began making phone calls to lock down the entire villa area.

Lin didn’t have time to deal with Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing anymore; he stormed out, frantically directing others to capture the mysterious thieves.

Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing watched the drama unfold with great interest. The two looked toward the remaining Shi Zhuoqu and asked, “So, what should we do now?”

“Please wait here for a bit,” Shi Zhuoqu said, gritting his teeth. “They won’t be able to escape.”

Though the thieves were well-trained, they were no match for the sheer number of people from the Monderson Group, and the villa area’s terrain made escape routes quite limited.

Shi Zhuoqu couldn’t linger either and soon ran off to help retrieve the case.

Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing, outsiders to this unexpected incident, were naturally left behind—no one had time to bother with them. She watched Shi Zhuoqu leave in large strides and muttered, “Maybe they knew they couldn’t escape from the start.”

Tan Muxing asked, “Should we send Uncle Qi and the others in now?”

“Not yet—it’s not time to swoop in just yet.” Chu Qianli confirmed, “Sister Rujing already got the real item out, right?”

“She’s been at the villa entrance for a while, with Uncle Qi and the others.”

To avoid all three of them getting caught in one sweep, Chu Qianli had Mei Rujing leave early with the real relic key, staying out of the chaos inside the villa.

Twenty minutes later, the thief group was detained by the Monderson Group, including the black-clad man who had snatched the black briefcase.

Night fell. On a secluded path.

In an inconspicuous corner at the northern part of the villa district, someone was avoiding the main roads, trying to escape via a newly opened route. They had been surveying the area for days, carefully studying the layout of the villa and planning an alternative escape route.

This path wasn’t on any map; they had created it themselves recently.

In the dim shadows, a woman’s voice asked, “They were caught?”

“Yes, just now in the south. They haven’t realized it’s a fake case yet, but it’s only a matter of time,” said the person beside her.

“Then we’re still in time.” The woman held the black case in one hand. Her face was revealed in the moonlight—it was the gypsy girl Lilith. “We really owe those two from yesterday. If Lin hadn’t taken out the key last night, we wouldn’t have known what it looked like, let alone had a chance to replicate it.”

Lilith and her people had been following the Infant Stone project closely. They were all working for Country A and had long suspected something odd about the ruins. Unfortunately, no one had ever seen the key, nor even knew what the black case looked like.

If Lin hadn’t shown it to Chu Qianli and the others the night before, they never would have had the opportunity to fabricate a replica to buy themselves time.

Lilith had crafted a fake crystal orb and swapped it for the real case mid-escape. The accomplice who got caught had the fake—the real relic key was still with her!

Lilith had no interest in the Monderson selection. Her team’s goal was always the relic key—but they’d never had a chance to access it.

She had suspected the Qianmen folks were no ordinary participants and probably had their own hidden agenda, just like her group. However, as long as the Monderson Group didn’t cross any lines, officials had no legitimate reason to step in.

Everyone was waiting—waiting for the calm surface to crack and chaos to erupt.

That moment was tonight. And the victor was Country A!

“Now we just need to reach the consulate. Even if they track us down, they’ll have to deal with Chinese authorities.”

Country A had a consulate in G City, China. Once the key was brought inside, the situation would become more complicated—a diplomatic standoff involving three parties. The key might go in easily, but it would be difficult to get back out.

The decoy team with the fake case fled south to divert attention, while Lilith’s group carried the real one north. They had split up to maximize time.

Seeing the exit ahead, Lilith chuckled. “This time we really owe the Chinese. Maybe we should say thank you.”

Her group moved toward the prepared escape route—only to run straight into an unfamiliar, massive net!

“What is this…” Lilith exclaimed. Suddenly, a strong beam of light blinded them. A well-equipped, uniformed team stood right in front of them.

Someone moved swiftly to arrest them, as if they had been waiting there all along!

From behind the bright light, a familiar female voice called out, “I should thank you, actually. I’ve always wanted to steal from them, but I had to play the law-abiding citizen. No excuse to act—until now.”

Chu Qianli had long wanted to take the key from Monderson, but stealing directly would be a crime. Now that Lilith and her people had taken it, the situation changed.

If Chu Qianli had taken it straight from Monderson, it would’ve been called theft.

But Lilith stole it first—so now when Chu Qianli reported her via the national security hotline (12339) and took it back, it counted as retrieving classified intel from foreign spies. It would be a major counter-espionage success, and she might even get a big reward. Totally different context!

This was a conflict between Country A and Monderson in G City, China. Chu Qianli and national security weren’t instigating trouble—they were restoring order!

Chu Qianli sang joyfully: “I finally waited for you, good thing I didn’t give up…”

Lilith had no idea she was the mantis stalking the cicada—only to be caught by the oriole behind. She didn’t even have time to warm her grip on the case before it was seized by those lying in wait!

“Hand it over, you!”

I am just a novice translator and Chinese is not my native language. I try my best to translate the chapters as accurate as possible.
If there are any mistakes then kindly comment and remind me. Your support means a lot.