835: Chapter 824: Almost Exposed Identity 835: Chapter 824: Almost Exposed Identity “Damn it, I’ve been discovered.
I wonder if that old fox recognized my identity…”
Walking alone in the hallway, Zhu Xuetao muttered under his breath.
He thought he had concealed himself well enough, but unexpectedly, Teng Yun Ge Shang had suddenly directed his gaze toward him.
The other party must have noticed something—Zhu Xuetao wasn’t imagining it.
Teng Yun Ge Shang staying so well-behaved in Huaxia was clearly due to his apprehension about Huaxia’s various organizations, including Fallen Angels.
Zhu Xuetao had indeed interacted with Teng Yun Ge Shang before.
Back then, Umbrella was still in its prime, and it wasn’t odd for Fallen Angels and Umbrella to have dealings.
Even Western families like Vampires and Werewolves maintained connections.
But times have changed…
Now, he was deeply curious about what Ning Fan and Teng Yun Ge Shang had discussed.
Teng Yun Ge Shang was a sly old fox, and Zhu Xuetao hoped Ning Fan wouldn’t fall into his trap.
“Master Huo, have you seen your brother-in-law?”
“Oh, Minister Zhu, you’re looking for my brother-in-law?”
“Yeah, have you seen him around?”
“No idea.
I was about to ask you the same thing!”
There was no way Huo Zhanyuan could know where Ning Fan was.
Zhu Xuetao had already searched throughout the company but still hadn’t found Ning Fan’s whereabouts.
It was as though Ning Fan had vanished along with Teng Yun Ge Shang’s departure.
In fact, that’s precisely what happened.
After Teng Yun Ge Shang left, Ning Fan had pondered for a while in the conference room, said a word to Xu Ruolan, and then left.
The matter of the Nine Souls Jade weighed heavily on his mind.
He needed a quiet place to calm himself down.
After leaving the company, Ning Fan returned to the Shadow Base.
The news about the sixth and seventh Nine Souls Jade pieces still left his mind unsettled.
Moreover, there was something he urgently needed to confirm.
Thus, he immediately sought out Tulip—a former member of Umbrella.
“Why are you looking for me?”
Tulip stared at Ning Fan with some fear.
The past incidents still lingered vividly in her mind.
Even though her strength rivaled Ning Fan’s, it was his methods that had truly terrified her.
Facing Ning Fan, she was like a mouse before a cat.
“Teng Yun Ge Shang.
Tell me everything you know about Teng Yun Ge Shang!”
Ning Fan realized he knew far too little about Teng Yun Ge Shang.
The latter, however, had thoroughly investigated him.
At this point, Ning Fan was utterly passive.
If he wanted to regain the upper hand, he had to truly understand the nature of Teng Yun Ge Shang.
Seeing Ning Fan show interest in Teng Yun Ge Shang, Tulip froze for a moment.
Her expression became peculiar, and her tone carried a hint of hesitation as she asked, “What are you planning to do?”
“Spit it out!”
Ning Fan’s tone turned sharp, laced with a faint trace of killing intent.
He didn’t have the slightest inclination to be gentle or considerate toward Tulip—any semblance of kindness was absent.
Tulip shuddered, gazing fearfully at Ning Fan.
Memories of the unbearable torture she had suffered resurfaced, amplifying her dread of Ning Fan even more.
She didn’t dare to resist him at all in this moment.
“Teng Yun Ge Shang is Umbrella’s number two.
Aside from Konstantin, he’s the one with the most power.”
Of course, Ning Fan already knew this.
Frowning, he observed Tulip’s visibly anxious expression and deliberately adjusted his tone to be calmer, asking, “What’s his relationship with Konstantin like?”
Teng Yun Ge Shang’s ambition had revealed many things to Ning Fan.
This old fox’s desire for Umbrella’s leadership—the position held by Konstantin—was something Ning Fan needed to confirm.
This was crucial.
Ning Fan had to be sure, not only about the two Nine Souls Jade pieces but also about the cooperation Teng Yun Ge Shang had mentioned.
“…This matter isn’t entirely clear to me, but I’ve heard some rumors in the past.
Allegedly, Teng Yun Ge Shang and Konstantin don’t really see eye to eye.
There’s been quite a bit of hidden friction between their factions, and Teng Yun Ge Shang seems eager to replace Konstantin…”
Tulip couldn’t fully verify the rumors, but Ning Fan found them credible.
Protection within Umbrella wasn’t harmonious; open and covert power struggles certainly existed—especially between Teng Yun Ge Shang and Umbrella’s leader, Konstantin.
Their rivalry was the fiercest of all conflicts.
Teng Yun Ge Shang had always coveted Konstantin’s position.
The two had risen to power during the same era and had both contributed extensively to Umbrella.
Neither believed their contributions paled in comparison to the other’s.
Teng Yun Ge Shang undoubtedly harbored resentment over Konstantin becoming the leader.
He was unlikely to accept it.
Meanwhile, Konstantin surely felt his leadership was well-deserved, and the ambitions of Teng Yun Ge Shang were equally clear to him.
After decades of close interaction, they knew each other’s quirks and motives inside out.
There was no way they could be ignorant of each other’s true personalities and intentions.
Aside from themselves, no one understood each other better.
Thus, the internal discord within Umbrella was apparent.
On one side, the ambitious second-in-command, Teng Yun Ge Shang, and on the other, the power-preserving leader, Konstantin.
“Have they had any disagreements recently?”
Ning Fan asked again.
Tulip thought for a moment, then looked at Ning Fan with an odd expression, hesitating as she replied, “Konstantin is bent on eliminating you, while Teng Yun Ge Shang believes you can still be recruited into Umbrella…”
Ah, so that was the reason.
No wonder Teng Yun Ge Shang hadn’t taken action.
It turned out he didn’t want to play into Konstantin’s hands.
Since neither agreed with the other, naturally they would act contrary to their counterpart’s wishes.
One wanted Ning Fan dead, while the other wanted him alive.
That was their recent point of contention.
What concerned Ning Fan most, however, was still the matter of the two Nine Souls Jade pieces.
He glanced at Tulip, deliberated for a moment, but ultimately chose not to question her about the Nine Souls Jade.
“Alright, you can go now…”
Ning Fan waved his hand, dismissing Tulip.
She breathed a sigh of relief and quickly darted out of Ning Fan’s sight.
As for Ning Fan, he remained absorbed in thoughts about the cooperation Teng Yun Ge Shang had proposed.
Regarding this collaboration, Ning Fan had already made up his mind.
Working with Teng Yun Ge Shang wasn’t out of the question—especially given the matter involved two Nine Souls Jade pieces.
The two pieces of Nine Souls Jade were things Ning Fan was determined to obtain.
Besides, he had to give Teng Yun Ge Shang some credit—the old fox didn’t fight battles unprepared.
Investigating Ning Fan so thoroughly before approaching him was something Ning Fan hadn’t anticipated.
Precisely because of this, Ning Fan had formulated his plan but wasn’t in a rush to give Teng Yun Ge Shang an answer.
Instead, he planned to let the old fox stew for a few days.