Chapter 120: Thanking the Boatman

Lanqu Qi effortlessly caught the small iron box as it was handed to her. Hu Xiong and Sima Xi both turned their gaze toward her.

Yet Lanqu Qi remained completely composed and calmly said, “Mr. Li, this is a gift I gave you. Are you really just going to return it to me like this?”

Hu Xiong narrowed his eyes, confirming his suspicion that there was something fishy between these two.

This was bad. How was he supposed to explain this to Tang Xiaoyu later?

Forget it. It was better to pretend he hadn’t seen anything.

“You only asked me to keep an eye on it for you; you never said it was a gift for me,” Li Changqing replied, unwilling to have any connection with the object.

Lanqu Qi shot him a glance. Li Changqing was truly the type who wouldn’t take a loss for anything.

The group boarded the sightseeing vehicle they had used earlier. Under the guidance of the federal soldiers driving, they were brought to the exit of the Investigation Bureau.

Their own vehicle was parked nearby.

Just as Li Changqing had anticipated, many federal soldiers stood guard there, fully armed, with demon-hunting dogs sniffing around.

They held instruments that detected demonic energy.

Everyone leaving had to undergo a thorough search.

Li Changqing and Hu Xiong, of course, passed without issue.

After exiting, Li Changqing’s eyes fell on Lanqu Qi trailing behind.

She remained calm and unperturbed. The demon-hunting dogs sniffed her but showed no reaction.

Lanqu Qi breathed a sigh of relief. She had been sprayed with an odor-masking concoction that dulled the dogs’ sense of smell.

Her belongings were inspected as well; the small iron box was opened.

The soldiers noticed the chilling crystal inside and questioned her about it.

Lanqu Qi smoothly explained that she was a witch and that the crystals were ingredients for her potion-making, successfully deflecting suspicion.

Before leaving, Lanqu Qi smiled at Li Changqing and said, “Changqing, I’ll come find you to hang out when I get the chance. See you next time.”

With that, they each got into their respective cars.

Li Changqing boarded with a scowl, while Hu Xiong, sitting in the driver’s seat, glanced sideways at him.

Li Changqing was about to explain when Hu Xiong cut him off.

“No need. Don’t worry, I’m known for keeping my lips sealed. I won’t say a word to Tang Xiaoyu.”

He gave Li Changqing a knowing look, signaling that he understood everything.

Li Changqing rolled his eyes but was too tired to argue.

That night, at nine o’clock, the two finally returned to Nanlin City.

Hu Xiong drove straight to the Tingyuxuan Bun Shop.

Li Qingxue sat at the dining table, yawning as she worked on her homework. These tedious math problems were too difficult!

Her interests in math and music were completely mismatched.

Hearing footsteps, she lifted her head and exclaimed as if seeing a savior, “Second Brother! You’re back! Sister Xiaoyu, Second Brother is home!”

Tang Xiaoyu, busy helping out in the kitchen, poked her head out at the sound.

“You’re back,” she said, wearing an apron dusted with flour. Quickly wiping her hands on the apron, she asked, “Was the business trip smooth?”

“Yeah, of course,” Li Changqing nodded with a smile.

Tang Xiaoyu’s eyes discreetly flickered to Hu Xiong standing by the car outside.

Hu Xiong cleared his throat and nodded. “Pretty smooth.”

“Thanks to Xiaoyu helping me these past few days,” Li Lin said, stepping out from the kitchen with a smile. She was quite pleased with this “sister-in-law.” Smart, hardworking, and not picky—she always finished whatever was made.

Li Changqing chatted with Li Lin.

Suddenly, Hu Xiong’s phone rang. He glanced at it and answered, “Hello?”

“Hm?”

Hu Xiong furrowed his brow slightly, then called Li Changqing outside the bun shop and whispered, “Alright, let Miss Tang stay here another day. Something’s happened by the river.”

“Something by the river?” Li Changqing was taken aback but nodded. He returned inside, explaining he still had unfinished work and that Tang Xiaoyu would stay another day.

Li Lin had no objections.

Soon, the two got back into the car.

“What happened?”

Closing the car door, Li Changqing asked.

Hu Xiong drove swiftly toward Linjiang and said, “Boatmen by the river claimed they saw someone dragged underwater and drowned by a woman. At first, we thought they were mistaken, but today, a body was pulled from the river.”

“Let’s go check it out. Baichuan is already there.”

The riverbank by Linjiang was cordoned off by federal police.

After arriving, Li Changqing and Hu Xiong showed their IDs and were allowed through.

They crossed the police line and approached the river.

A body lay covered with a white sheet.

Baichuan stood nearby, his expression calm.

Several federal officers were taking photos and gathering evidence. Not far off, eight boatmen stood together while two federal officers questioned them.

“Is it true you saw this? Are you sure a woman dragged him into the water and drowned him?”

“Are you certain you didn’t mistake what you saw?”

The boatman being questioned was quite elderly, with white hair. He seemed nervous and stammered, “I-I’m sure I saw it.”

“Officer, could it have been a water spirit? I’ve ferried on this river for years and heard stories like this many times,” the boatman whispered.

A younger federal officer glared at him. “Don’t spread superstitions.”

Hu Xiong and Li Changqing approached, and Hu Xiong showed his credentials.

The two officers immediately saluted. “Sir.”

“You two go take a break. I’ll handle the questioning,” Hu Xiong said with a smile.

“Yes, sir,” the senior officer nodded and pulled the younger one aside.

“Hello, brother, please describe the scene you witnessed,” Hu Xiong said kindly, offering the boatman a cigarette.

The boatman accepted it, his expression relaxing somewhat. Embarrassed, he added, “I’m not sure if I saw it clearly. At my age, eyes sometimes play tricks… I hope I’m not giving you false leads…”

“No worries,” Hu Xiong said with a smile. “Just consider it a chat. Don’t overthink it.”

While Hu Xiong spoke with the boatman, Li Changqing’s gaze was drawn to another boatman standing on the edge.

He had seen this boatman, named Xie, during a previous dockside investigation.

Xie wore a straw hat, head bowed, and a raincoat hiding his face.

Yet Li Changqing felt a strange familiarity emanating from him.

This feeling was difficult to describe.

After some thought, Li Changqing approached Xie and smiled. “Hello, Master Xie, we met last time, didn’t we?”

Xie looked up. He appeared to be in his forties, unremarkable in appearance, but his eyes were calm and serene.

He nodded slowly. “Yes, we have.”

“Earlier, the boatman said he saw the deceased dragged underwater by a woman. Did you or the others see anything?” Li Changqing’s question wasn’t just for Xie but for the boatmen beside him as well.

They all shook their heads, indicating they had not seen anything.

Xie, however, said calmly, “I saw it. He wasn’t mistaken.”