Chapter 135: The Matrilocal Son-in-Law

The living room alone was larger than several standard homes combined, and this was in a high-end residential complex in Licheng where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold. Li Changluo couldn't help but sigh at the sheer financial power of this Boss Zhang.

The room was filled with precious furniture, antiques, and potted plants that clearly cost a fortune. Yet, Heiwa’s gaze was locked intensely onto a custom-made, several-meter-long fish tank. Inside, a single Arowana swam leisurely, the sole inhabitant of the massive tank. Heiwa stared at the fish, drool already beginning to leak from his mouth. Li Changluo was genuinely terrified that this guy might suddenly shed his disguise, reveal his true form as a hamster, and dive into the tank to devour the dragon fish alive.

Boss Zhang had mentioned that items were always going missing, things that were hard to find—and now, Li Changluo had every reason to believe him. If one lost something in this house, it would indeed be impossible to find.

"Please, have some tea, both of you."

Boss Zhang fussed over a root-carved tea set for quite a while before finally brewing a pot of Gongfu tea. He poured the tea into two small cups and pushed them toward Heiwa and Li Changluo. For someone like Li Changluo, who wasn't a tea drinker, he found this style of tea service quite annoying—it was like preferring to bite into a large chicken leg rather than eating a delicate Western meal with a knife and fork. However, Boss Zhang was so polite and hospitable that it was hard to refuse. Li Changluo took the cup and, mimicking Boss Zhang, sipped the tea in small mouthfuls. It was agonizing.

"Master Li, what is he doing?" Boss Zhang asked, staring at Heiwa in astonishment.

Li Changluo hurried to look back. Sure enough, Heiwa was acting up again; after finishing his tea, he had actually put the cup into his mouth and started chewing on it.

"Boss Zhang, this is my master. He... he is concentrating his energy," Li Changluo said, giving Heiwa a pat and offering an awkward explanation to Boss Zhang.

"It seems I was right to seek you two out. A master is indeed no ordinary person," Boss Zhang said, setting down his teacup and leaning in closer. "In our home, once night falls, things start disappearing for no reason."

"At first, I thought I was just being careless, that I’d forgotten where I put things..."

"But later, items started vanishing every few days..."

"Now, as soon as night falls, something in the house always goes missing."

After saying this, Boss Zhang looked around the room with a wary gaze.

"What kind of things go missing?" Li Changluo asked.

In truth, the more powerful and wealthy people were, the more superstitious they tended to be. Even the emperors of ancient times seemed obsessed with such matters. Some even hired Taoists to cast spells, hoping to make their soldiers invulnerable to blades and arrows. Li Changluo figured these rich people were just bored and had too much time on their hands, leading them to overanalyze minor inconveniences like missing belongings.

"At first, it was small items: dinner plates, fruit, food, miscellaneous things..."

"But later, even large household appliances, washing machines, and furniture began to vanish mysteriously..."

"Finally, large sums of cash also disappeared into thin air."

By the time Boss Zhang reached this point, his previously composed demeanor had become jittery and neurotic.

"Did you... report it to the police?" Li Changluo asked with a smirk.

Isn't this just a case of having a burglar in the house? Why make it sound so mysterious? Although Li Changluo knew there were many monsters in the world, he couldn't believe any of them would be interested in stealing household goods. What for? To eat like Heiwa? To a monster, these items would be as useless as paper offerings of gold and silver jewelry in the human world.

"I don't mean to make you laugh, but we have a professional security firm managing our home's anti-theft system. The surveillance footage doesn't show any human interference..."

"Because..." Boss Zhang whispered nervously, "The surveillance shows these things simply vanishing into thin air."

"I suspect you stole them yourself, and you're just claiming they vanished into thin air to get your hands on the family money, while putting on a show by hiring two charlatans..."

Just then, an old man walked slowly out of the living room. Stooped over a cane, he passed by Boss Zhang, shot him a fierce glare, and walked away.

"Please forgive the intrusion; that is my father-in-law," Boss Zhang said, nodding respectfully toward the elderly man as he departed.

Li Changluo was furious. Had it not been for Boss Zhang’s apology, he would have been tempted to rush up and ask the old man if his family was in need of a son-in-law. It was only at this moment that Li Changluo deduced Boss Zhang was a live-in son-in-law.

Boss Zhang chatted with them a bit longer, detailing the recent occurrences in the house and giving them a tour of the living room. Li Changluo saw nothing out of the ordinary. Although he was a minor monster himself, he was completely clueless when it came to hunting them. If he had known, he would have brought Xiaoqing along; she could at least perceive demonic energy. If she had scanned the room with her "white eyes," she would likely have discovered any anomalies immediately.

"Master, that is the situation. What do you think I should do?" Boss Zhang asked, looking at Li Changluo. Boss Zhang was good at reading people; after their conversation, he realized that Li Changluo was the one in charge. As for the man in the Taoist robe, he only seemed interested in eating.

"We need to stay the night in your house," Li Changluo said.

"This..." Boss Zhang hesitated.

"Don't get the wrong idea. We aren't con artists looking for a free meal. Even doctors need to observe and ask questions before making a diagnosis. You gave us a tour, but we couldn't see anything. Besides, you said these strange phenomena only happen at night, so I believe it is necessary for us to stay overnight."

"I repeat, we have absolutely no intention of freeloading."

*Grumble!*

Just as Li Changluo was providing a logical excuse to secure a free meal, Heiwa’s stomach betrayed him with a loud growl.

"I understand, Masters," Boss Zhang said, though he looked reluctant, he remained polite.

Night fell quickly. In the dining room, the family was gathered around the table for dinner. However, the six members of the Zhang family—men, women, young and old—all sat there holding their rice bowls, unable to take a bite. Li Changluo and Heiwa were devouring the food like starving ghosts, sweeping the table clean with terrifying speed.

"Eat up, don't be shy," Li Changluo said, his mouth stuffed with food as he warmly encouraged the family.

"What kind of creatures did you find..."