Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

Chapter 1304 Already Targeting Him

Xu Damao sat at the table with his usual smile on his face, holding a glass in his hand, the liquid in the glass swaying, reflecting the dim light. He Yuzhu stood in the corner opposite the window, lighting a cigarette, frowning, as if thinking about something.

"That kid must know something." He Yuzhu exhaled a puff of smoke, his voice low and with a hint of impatience.

"If you know, then know." Xu Damao shook the cup with a smile and said lazily, "What can he do? Besides, if something really happens, he will definitely be the first one to suffer."

Li Xiangqian's heart suddenly tightened. Although he couldn't hear the two people's words clearly, "that kid" was undoubtedly referring to him. Sure enough, they had already set their sights on him.

"Don't be careless." He Yuzhu stared at Xu Damao, his tone becoming colder, "Li Xiangqian is not easy to deal with. If things really get serious, it's hard to say who will suffer."

"What are you afraid of?" Xu Damao smiled disapprovingly and put the cup in his hand heavily on the table. His tone was full of disdain. "No matter how smart a person is, he has to provide evidence. Even if he knows what we are doing, what can he come up with?"

"We can't let him find out about the purse." He Yuzhu put out his cigarette fiercely, his tone particularly heavy, "If there is any problem with this thing, both of us will be in trouble."

"Don't worry, the bag has been taken care of." Xu Damao lowered his voice, a smug smile on his face, "I hid it in a place he would never guess. If he could find it, it would be a miracle."

Hearing this, Li Xiangqian's mind was in a mess. Xu Damao's words sounded like some kind of cover-up trick, but what made him even more uneasy was He Yuzhu's tone. That kind of suppressed tension could never be explained by ordinary "trouble". What was hidden in that black leather bag?

The conversation in the room continued. Xu Damao seemed to be a little tipsy, and his voice was louder: "Don't worry, Li Xiangqian is not as powerful as we think. He is stubborn and has a straight mind. He has no idea what is in the bag. At most, he thinks we are playing some tricks and can't guess it at all...haha..."

Before he finished speaking, He Yuzhu suddenly raised his hand to stop him, and looked towards the window with alert eyes. Li Xiangqian's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly squatted down, pressed himself against the wall, held his breath, and his heart beat like a drum. He knew he couldn't be discovered, so at this moment, he could only try to hide himself in the dark.

There was silence in the room for a moment, and He Yuzhu's voice slowly rang out: "Don't drink anymore, there can't be any more mistakes tonight."

"Okay, okay." Xu Damao waved his hand impatiently, "So how are you going to deal with tomorrow's matter?"

"Tomorrow?" He Yuzhu lowered his voice so low that it was almost inaudible. "If he dares to interfere again tomorrow, I will..."

His voice stopped abruptly. Li Xiangqian couldn't see He Yuzhu's expression, but he knew that this silence was more lethal than any threat. He Yuzhu was not a pushover. Once he made up his mind, he would never leave any room for maneuver.

After waiting for a long time, the sound of a chair being dragged finally came from inside the house, followed by heavy footsteps. Li Xiangqian quietly looked out and saw He Yuzhu open the door and disappear into the corridor. Xu Damao stayed where he was, leaning on a chair, drinking wine unsteadily and mumbling something.

Li Xiangqian was not in a hurry to leave. He knew that when Xu Damao drank too much, he would be most likely to reveal his flaws. Sure enough, not long after, Xu Damao suddenly muttered to himself: "Hide it there... Haha, let's see if he can find it..."

Li Xiangqian listened carefully, holding his breath, trying to grasp more information. Xu Damao's voice became increasingly unclear, and he muttered, "... the manhole cover... is the safest... hehe... if he can think of this, I lose..."

Manhole cover? Li Xiangqian was shocked and his thoughts became active instantly. Xu Damao's words obviously revealed a key piece of information - the bag was most likely hidden under a manhole cover.

Without further hesitation, he turned around and left quietly in the night. After walking out of the alley, he found that his back was soaked with cold sweat. The night wind blew with a bit of biting cold. Li Xiangqian took a deep breath and began to recall the possible locations of manhole covers nearby. Xu Damao seemed cunning, but he was lazy and greedy in his bones. He would never hide things too far away, and it must be a place where he could retrieve them at any time.

"Manhole cover..." Li Xiangqian whispered to himself, and a clear picture gradually emerged in his mind. At the intersection of several alleys, there was an abandoned water supply point, and the manhole cover was located next to it. It was covered with dust and garbage and looked like no one had cared about it for a long time.

"Could it be there..." Li Xiangqian narrowed his eyes, and his gaze gradually became sharp.

The night was dark, and the cool breeze with a few wisps of damp air brushed across Li Xiangqian's face. He stood beside the open space where the alleys intersected, his eyes fixed on the inconspicuous manhole cover. Dust and dirt covered the surface of the manhole cover, as if it had not been moved for many years, and it was so silent that people almost ignored its existence. But Li Xiangqian knew that the more such a place was, the easier it was to hide secrets.

He looked down at the manhole cover, wondering whether to take action immediately. He Yuzhu and Xu Damao were not ordinary people. They were always cunning and cautious. What if there was not only the bag hidden under the manhole cover, but also a trap? This thought flashed through his mind, and he couldn't help but hesitate.

"We can't delay any longer..." Li Xiangqian whispered to himself, his eyes fixed on the manhole cover.

He looked around and confirmed that there were no suspicious figures around, then slowly walked over. He gently wiped away the dust on the edge of the manhole cover with his fingers, revealing the rusty metal. He squatted down and reached out to feel the edge of the manhole cover, and found that one side was slightly raised, as if someone had touched it.

"Sure enough..." His heart tightened, and his fingertips quietly reached into the gap and lifted it up. The manhole cover made a dull metallic friction sound, and Li Xiangqian quickly stopped and looked back vigilantly. The end of the alley was still quiet, with only a few pieces of paper swirling on the ground in the wind.

He held his breath, clenched his teeth, and pushed again. The manhole cover slowly opened, and the heavy weight made his arms numb. A dark hole was revealed under the manhole cover, and the air was filled with a damp and moldy smell. Li Xiangqian frowned, and the beam of the flashlight shone into it. Under the well mouth was an iron ladder extending downwards. At the bottom, a few messy bricks could be vaguely seen, and next to it was a seemingly randomly stacked oilcloth package.

"Is this what they want to hide?" Li Xiangqian's heart tensed up, and he held his breath and slowly climbed down the iron ladder. The well wall was slippery and covered with moss, and every step he took made a slight squeaking sound from the soles of his shoes. He tried to slow down his movements, and his palms were sweating from nervousness.