Chapter 136: Stirring Up Trouble

"Zhang Zhiqiang, I'm telling you, you'd better deal with this immediately..."

Seeing Li Changluo and Heiwa acting as if they were completely at home, the fat woman threw down her chopsticks in a rage and stormed off.

Remaining at the table were an old man, an old woman, and a pair of young children—a boy and a girl who appeared to be fraternal twins.

"I'm done eating. Hmph."

The old man shot Mr. Zhang a fierce glare, stomped his feet, and followed suit. Only the old woman remained, tending to the twins, helping them with their food. The children, seemingly unaccustomed to such an amusing spectacle, watched Li Changluo and Heiwa devouring their meal and were delighted. At one point, the little boy, caught up in the excitement, even picked up some food and threw it at Heiwa.

"Wang Xiao, stop that."

Mr. Zhang, usually a man of mild temperament, finally reached his limit. He spoke in a low, firm voice to stop the boy. Unexpectedly, the boy burst into tears.

"Zhang Zhiqiang, you just wait! I'm going to tell my mother!" The little girl pointed a finger at Mr. Zhang, then grabbed the wailing boy and led him away. The old woman cast one last glance at Mr. Zhang, sighed, and also left.

Li Changluo and Heiwa paid no mind to these domestic affairs. Since arriving in this world, food had been a luxury for them; in the tavern, they could only complete menial tasks and were lucky to get simple steamed buns. Thus, they dug into the lavish feast before them without a shred of hesitation. Mr. Zhang even went back to the kitchen to bring out two more dishes for them.

"Mr. Zhang, if I may be blunt," Li Changluo asked, his mouth full of goose leg, "with a family as wealthy as yours, why don't you have a nanny or any household help?"

Even in ordinary working-class families where both parents were busy, one would expect to hire help. Yet, Li Changluo noticed that in this household of six, Mr. Zhang seemed to be the only one doing any work. He was essentially a live-in son-in-law living a miserable life, forced to moonlight as a servant while even his own children treated him with disdain.

"They were all scared away..."

Mr. Zhang poured himself a glass of wine and downed it in one gulp. He immediately began to cough, his eyes watering—it was clear he was not a drinker.

"I leave tonight in your hands." He handed a keycard to Li Changluo and gestured toward the upper floor. "This is the access card for our bedroom; take the elevator up. My wife doesn't care for strangers, so I'm afraid I must ask you two to make do with the living room for the night."

"No problem." Li Changluo took the card. He didn't mind; they were here for a job, and he had no desire to face that woman's cold stares anyway. Having the living room to themselves was actually quite comfortable.

After they had eaten their fill, Heiwa lounged on the sofa, playing a mobile game where you could "recycle" equipment for instant cash. As the night deepened, Li Changluo stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing out. From this twenty-third-floor vantage point, the city was bathed in brilliant light. It was the first time since arriving in this world that he had stood at such a height to properly observe the city.

"Li, why are you kneeling on the floor? Is the scenery so enchanting that it’s bewitched your soul?" Heiwa, engrossed in his game, noticed Li Changluo standing motionless at the window with a strange expression on his face.

"Come here..." Li Changluo said, his face grim as he stared outside.

"Did you find something?" Sensing the shift in tone, Heiwa dropped his phone and rushed over. Li Changluo was still staring out the window, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

"Damn it! What kind of monster is it? Come out! Don't make Black Grandpa angry, or I'll beat you until you're shattered in every direction, eight-sided and exquisite, dragon-dragon..." Heiwa, seeing Li Changluo’s state, immediately grew alert. He struck a pose, glared in all directions, and frantically rattled off idioms, as if the sheer fluency of his speech would strike fear into any demon.

"Heiwa..." Li Changluo’s voice had changed.

"Li, keep your heart in your pants. I can handle a mere minor demon..." Heiwa stood in his Daoist robes, performing various dramatic motions as if dancing for the spirits.

"Heiwa..." Li Changluo’s voice turned hoarse.

"Don't speak, just watch me..." Heiwa muttered incantations, extended a finger, and began tracing strange symbols on the glass with his saliva.

"Damn it, I'm just afraid of heights! Can you help me up?" Li Changluo was drenched in sweat, his eyes fixed on the twenty-third-floor drop, terrified to even blink.

He had meant to ask Heiwa to help him up from the floor, but he hadn't expected the old black spirit to get so carried away with his "performance" in those robes.

"Oh, you scared me to death! I thought we were already under attack. You really are playing the lute to a cow—could you be clearer next time?" Heiwa patted his chest and pulled Li Changluo up.

It took a long time after sitting on the sofa for Li Changluo to recover. The last time he had been dragged into a "dogfight" in mid-air by Biluo, his fear of heights had only worsened.

"Heiwa, please..." Li Changluo sat on the sofa, staring blankly at Heiwa, who was now fixated on the arowana in the aquarium, his eyes gleaming.

"Li, do you think this dragon fish looks like a demon?" Heiwa smacked his lips, eyeing the fish greedily. "I wonder if it tastes better steamed or as sashimi?"

Li Changluo clutched his head in frustration. This foreigner was a glutton through and through; he even wondered if, in a past life, this guy had been so hungry he’d cooked and eaten himself.

Time passed quickly. The vast living room, occupied only by the two of them, began to feel unsettlingly quiet. They turned off all the lights and lay on the sofa, waiting to see if any demon would appear.

As he lay there, Li Changluo pondered. He found Mr. Zhang highly suspicious. To be despised by his entire family, looked down upon by the security guards, and treated with indifference by his own children—yet, to remain so calm and steady under such pressure? It wasn't logical. Perhaps there was no demon at all, and it was all just a stunt orchestrated by Mr. Zhang to frighten his family?

But that seemed unnecessary. Moreover, Bai Lianhua had been very serious when she said the money could be his, but the demon had to be brought back. So, this job surely had something to do with a supernatural entity.

Deep in thought, Li Changluo suddenly heard the faint, slow sound of footsteps echoing through the quiet living room.