Longevity Begins With Zongmen Handyman

Chapter 110: Launching an Attack

In the evening.

Li An arrived at the front gate of Mo Rong's residence, where the servant boy greeted him warmly and said, "Left Steward, you're here."

Li An asked, "Is Miss Mo at home today, Xiao Zhang?"

Xiao Zhang replied, "Yes, but she's hosting a banquet for some important guests tonight. You might have to wait, or come back tomorrow."

"No need, I do have some urgent matters. I'll wait until after Miss Mo's banquet to pay my respects."

Li An was not in a hurry.

"Are you in a hurry? Should I inform her for you?"

"No need, I'll wait here. I'll speak to her after the banquet."

"Alright, Left Steward, please come in and have a seat."

Xiao Zhang, the servant boy, warmly invited Li An into a small side room inside the gate, and they chatted casually.

Initially, when Li An was a candidate for the position of an appraiser, Mo Rong was very cold towards him. But after he chose to work in the treasure vault, Mo Rong's attitude towards him improved significantly, and he could occasionally visit her residence.

The reason for this was simple. When he was a candidate appraiser and got close to her, it would have hurt the relationship between Lu Hua and Zheng Xiaoxiao. However, Li An voluntarily gave up competing with the two of them, so she no longer had that burden.

On the contrary, as the head of the treasure vault, Li An held a key position in the pavilion, so having an ally like him was not a bad thing.

Li An had a good relationship with the servants, maids, and others in her residence, especially Xiao Zhang, who had received many favors from Li An. At this moment, they chatted happily.

Li An listened with a smile.

From Xiao Zhang, he learned that Mo Rong was hosting a banquet tonight for two elders in the pavilion, Han Fang and Zhao Zhong.

Apart from the pavilion master, the positions of the chief appraiser and the three elders were the most prestigious in the Treasure Pavilion. The current chief appraiser was nearing the end of his life, with only about ten years left to live, so it was almost time for a change.

The three senior appraisers were competing openly and secretly, trying to advance their positions.

Naturally, Mo Rong was trying to win over the elders.

Combining the idle talk Xiao Zhang mentioned, Li An pondered and deduced repeatedly.

It wasn't until midnight that Mo Rong personally saw the two elders off.

The three of them exchanged pleasantries at the door for a long time before Han Fang and Zhao Zhong finally got into their carriage and left.

Seeing that the timing was right, Xiao Zhang quickly went out and whispered a few words to Mo Rong.

Mo Rong nodded.

Xiao Zhang ran back into the small side room and said, "Left Steward, the master agrees to see you."

Only then did Li An step out and bow respectfully.

"Follow me."

Mo Rong spoke lightly.

They walked into her study.

Mo Rong had obviously drunk a lot of alcohol, her clothes were half-open, revealing her snow-white shoulders. The smell of alcohol mixed with a faint fragrance as she asked, "What urgent matter do you have?"

Li An replied, "Reporting to Miss Mo, there's been some trouble in the treasure vault."

"It seems that Master Lu Hua has attracted someone's attention, and many of the valuable items he appraised may have been discovered by Xu Changkong's side."

Upon hearing this, Mo Rong's eyebrows raised instantly!

In the competition for the position of chief appraiser, Xu Changkong was her strongest opponent.

The two had been competing openly and secretly for a long time.

And Lu Hua and Zheng Xiaoxiao were her confidants!

Was Xu Changkong targeting Lu Hua? If Xu Changkong had found something to use against Lu Hua, it would indeed be a troublesome matter.

"Tell me in detail!"

Her expression became serious.

Li An immediately explained in detail, "Reporting to Miss Mo, recently I discovered that one of Zhang Qingqing's subordinates in the treasure vault has been in frequent contact with Xu Changkong's people."

"I secretly investigated and found out that she had given all the records of the items appraised by Master Lu Hua to Xu Changkong's side, with special emphasis on certain items."

"I found it suspicious, so I checked each item that Master Lu Hua had handled, and I discovered that Master Lu Hua's mistakes... are very serious!"

Li An's expression was stern: "Four years ago, he mistook a second-grade spiritual medicine for a second-grade one during the appraisal and purchase. Three years ago, he appraised four first-tier refining materials at once but paid for them as second-tier materials..."

Li An listed them one by one.

This is what he has been doing in the treasure house all these years.

Check!

He focused his attention on Zheng Xiaoxiao and Lu Hua. He carefully examined every treasure they handled and kept a mental record of them.

The appraisers in the pavilion were not clean to begin with, and under his patient observation, he naturally grasped these things.

In fact, in Li An's opinion, Lu Hua was considered restrained, but the black material in Zheng Xiaoxiao's hands was even more severe.

But Zheng Xiaoxiao's elderly relative is still alive, deeply rooted in the pavilion.

Lu Hua's grandfather died first.

So, target Lu Hua!

This way, the resistance will be minimal.

As she listened to his explanation, Mo Rong's eyes widened in surprise.

The treasures Li An mentioned were all extremely easy to manipulate. For example, the second-grade and second-grade spiritual medicine, Snow Lotus, even ordinary people would find it difficult to distinguish, let alone appraisers.

Unless it was a master appraiser of medicinal pills, they would have such knowledge.

And Li An spoke confidently, hitting the nail on the head.

This proves...

Li An possesses eyesight no weaker than a true appraiser.

She couldn't help but nod secretly. Li An's abilities and knowledge impressed her deeply back then, and now she feels that Li An is extraordinary.

She also instantly thought that Li An deliberately took up a position in the treasure house back then. Could it be for today?

Retreating to advance, waiting for an opportunity, like a lurking cheetah, when Lu Hua's weaknesses are fully exposed, he will suddenly strike and kill with one blow?

If that's the case... Li An is too patient!

Did Li An come to find her to take down Lu Hua and create an opportunity for himself?

She couldn't help but hesitate. The problems Li An mentioned could be big or small, depending on whether she was willing to protect Lu Hua this time.

If she protects Lu Hua, Li An will never have a chance in the future.

If she doesn't protect him, Li An will take Lu Hua's position!

Choose one of the two?

However, does Li An have such value?

"All of the above is not the biggest problem..." Li An's expression became serious as he said, "The most terrifying thing is that the batch of 'Fetal Soul Grass' he recently acquired also has issues. They are substandard, with a ratio of thirty percent!"

As soon as these words came out, Mo Rong's face changed. "He actually dared to tamper with the Fetal Soul Grass!"

She was truly shocked.

Collecting Fetal Soul Grass was an important task of the Treasure Pavilion in the past six months.

And she knew very well that this batch of supplies... was requested by the Wang Family.

The results of this collection were even a crucial factor in determining whether she or Xu Changkong would take the position.

If there were problems with this batch of spiritual medicine and Xu Changkong found out... If Xu Changkong directly reported it to the Wang Family or the Pavilion Master, even she, Mo Rong, would be implicated.

The anger of the Wang Family is something the Treasure Pavilion cannot bear.

Because the Wang Family is the biggest backer of the Treasure Pavilion!

But even with just a little thought, she could imagine that if Xu Changkong found out about this, would he let go of such a good opportunity and not deal a heavy blow to Mo Rong?

"Does Xu Changkong know about the situation with this batch of spiritual medicine?"

She couldn't help but feel nervous!

Li An nodded heavily. "Yes."

"It's all my fault. I discovered it too late. I didn't expect them to extend their reach to this side of the treasure house and plant their spies here..."

He sighed deeply. "Vice Pavilion Master Mo, this matter is extremely urgent. After Left Wen investigates it thoroughly, I rushed here without stopping. Please consider your actions carefully, Vice Pavilion Master Mo!"

...

(End of this chapter)