About 150 kilometers from the Grand Canal stood a secluded estate, the property of a certain high-ranking noble from the Imperial Capital. Several other nobles had estates nearby as well. These capital elites referred to them as gardens, places they would visit under the guise of leisure, serving as summer retreats.0

But that was only nominally true. In reality, it was a secret base of the Qingping Society, known only to its A-rank members.0

In terms of secrecy, the various branches of The Inn still had to do business and thus were easier to locate. In contrast, the Qingping Society’s bases were entirely off-limits to outsiders. Even lower-ranked members knew little about them, making them far more concealed than The Inn’s branches.0

At this moment, Qi Xuansu, Dreaming Cloud, and Ceremony Prelude were waiting here for Madam Qi’s return. The silver shipment was being handled by two Canal Gang leaders, so Dreaming Cloud no longer needed to worry about it.0

The three of them sat separately in the main hall, with the central seat left vacant. Dreaming Cloud sat to the upper left, Ceremony Prelude sat across from him, and Qi Xuansu...0