The Reborn Aristocrat’s Daughter
Chapter 654 The Matter of the Traitor (1)_1

Chapter 654: Chapter 654 The Matter of the Traitor (1)_1

"Xuan. Let’s go inside to discuss this slowly," Xiao Muli said as he watched Xuan draw the gaze of everyone as soon as he appeared at the entrance to the Ammunition Empire of the Xiao Family. Every move he and Xuan made was observed by all, so even if they were cautious and spoke in hushed tones, the keen onlookers would still be alerted.

Looking around, Xuan nodded in agreement with Xiao Muli’s suggestion, "As you wish, my lord."

After arriving at Xiao Muli’s private office with Xuan, Xuan presented all the information he had gathered. "My lord, this is all the information we have gathered so far. Although we have not yet identified the spy, we have a guess, with eighty percent certainty, of who is behind it. However, we lack concrete evidence."

"Oh? Is that so?" Xiao Muli said, flipping through the documents in his hand, his expression unchanged as he listened to Xuan. It was as if what he heard and saw was of no great importance.

Xuan found it difficult to fathom his lord’s thoughts from the expression on Xiao Muli’s face, so he simply stood in silence by the side, waiting for Xiao Muli’s instructions.

Xiao Muli skimmed the documentation. Although there was no clear evidence pinpointing the instigator, with just one glance, Xiao Muli knew Xuan’s suspicions were correct—it was someone from that side.

Xiao Muli wasn’t surprised by this outcome at all. He had foreseen this moment when he seized control of the Ammunition Empire from the Xiao Family’s collateral branches, well aware that those from the Xiao Family collateral branches would be discontent and unwilling to accept their loss.

One day they would make a comeback, for he saw the unresolved resentment in the eyes of those in the collateral branches, but resentment was all they had. Back then, the person in charge had no power to resist Xiao Muli, the Family Head.

Aside from the head of the Ammunition Empire from the collateral branches, there were a few others who, though young and not fully mature at the time, were ruthless characters.

Thinking back, Xiao Muli knew that those individuals were about his age back then, and years had passed since. Surely, they had grown considerably. Indeed, Xiao Muli was quite curious to see what they had become.

After reviewing the information, Xiao Muli remained silent for a long time before finally raising his head to look at Xuan and saying, "Continue with the original plan."

No sooner had Xiao Muli spoken than Xuan could not help but say, "My lord, our opposition must know about our trading plans this time. Moreover, the volume of this trade is significant. If something goes wrong, it would be difficult to resolve the aftermath."

"I haven’t finished speaking," Xiao Muli responded differently than Xuan, calmly waiting for Xuan to finish before he continued.

"My apologies, my lord." The trade was of great importance to the Ammunition Empire of the Xiao Family; any mistake could lead to significant losses and would be unfavorable for Xiao Muli, the Family Head of the Xiao Family.

"No need to apologize. I understand your concerns," said Xiao Muli, unusually good-natured today, which made him more tolerant and less prone to anger. "The plan will proceed as intended. If we rashly change the entire trading plan now, not to mention whether the other party would agree, the spy is still at large. Any sudden change now would alert the spy, making it much harder to capture them later. As long as the spy remains uncaught, it’s a dangerous situation for us. We would have to be vigilant against potential leaks. Moreover, when I say the original plan stands, it doesn’t mean I have no other actions planned."

Taking a sip from his tea cup on the desk, Xiao Muli frowned. The water tasted terrible.

During his time in the hospital, Situ Xin had spoiled him; the water he drank there had always been an amalgamation of Spiritual Spring water and regular water procured secretly from her space. How could ordinary water compare?

Xuan, for his part, was puzzled by Xiao Muli’s sudden focus on his surroundings. He didn’t understand how Xiao Muli, who hadn’t even frowned at his earlier mistake, would knit his brows upon sipping tea.

Regardless of what Xuan thought, from that moment on, Xiao Muli never touched the water in that cup again.

"Then, my lord, do you have any other plans?" Xuan asked after hearing Xiao Muli’s words, feeling reassured that his lord had other intentions.

"It’s time for those we’ve secretly trained to come out and see the world. This would be a good opportunity," Xiao Muli said, tapping his fingers lightly on the desk.

Upon hearing this, Xuan hesitated. "My lord, this may not be wise. Those we’ve trained in secret are skilled, but they lack real combat experience. I think we should wait, especially since the stakes of this operation are so high. Any mistake could be enormously consequential." Although he had confidence in the abilities of those he had personally trained, he was reluctant to take the risk.

"There’s always a first time. That is the decision. Moreover, our openly known personnel have surely been thoroughly investigated by now, and you are all under surveillance. At this point, our only option is to deploy those trained in secrecy." These final words were an explanation to Xuan, who quickly realized the truth and let go of his previous concerns.

"You may go," Xiao Muli said, waving his hand to dismiss Xuan.

"Then I shall take my leave," said Xuan after saluting Xiao Muli. Turning around, he left the office briskly. Time was pressing, with the trade approaching.