Chapter Thirty-Five: Li Minghao (Please add to your favorites and vote for recommendations)

Li Changqing had never seen such nauseating photographs before—the crime scene images were nothing but fragments of flesh. He didn’t have to guess what kind of meat it was; Hu Xiong wasn’t the sort to amuse himself by using a pile of pork just to disgust himself.

Hu Xiong’s smile faded considerably as he said, “In the past two days, quite a few people have already fallen victim. This malevolent entity is highly aggressive—it must be the work of a demon.”

“A demon?” Li Changqing asked, his face full of curiosity. Aside from the shadow cult and Tang Xiaoyu, who was somehow tied to him, he knew almost nothing about the strangeness lurking in this world.

Hu Xiong put the photos away and explained, “Demons are generally more aggressive, and wherever this one has struck, there is a heavy residue of resentment left behind.”

Li Changqing asked, “Are there many people in Division Thirty-Six?”

“Currently, there are three action teams. The other two are each staffed with five members,” Hu Xiong replied. “Our team, at the moment, is just me and Old Bai. There’s another young man, not much older than you, but he’s away handling some family matters for now.” Hu Xiong smiled and added, “You might just become the fourth.”

Li Changqing wasn’t particularly interested in joining Division Thirty-Six. He rose to his feet, smiled, and said, “Perhaps. It’s getting late, so I’ll take my leave now.”

“I’ll walk you out,” Hu Xiong offered, standing up.

Bai Chuan wasn’t one for conversation and had already returned to his quarters. Li Changqing headed downstairs, and Hu Xiong drove him toward the detective agency.

“So, what do you think of Division Thirty-Six?” Hu Xiong asked as he drove.

Li Changqing, in the passenger seat, replied, “There are far fewer people than I imagined.”

Hu Xiong merely chuckled and didn’t elaborate.

“By the way, how can I actually see these malevolent entities?” Li Changqing asked.

“First, you need spiritual energy. Try to channel it into your eyes, and you’ll be able to see them,” Hu Xiong said with a grin. “But that’s not all spiritual energy can do. For example, if you wanted to improve your virility, you could guide the energy—”

“That won’t be necessary for now…” Li Changqing interjected.

Hu Xiong, almost never without a cigarette, lit another. “Detective Li, your reputation for solving bizarre cases is already well known. What are you planning to do next? Once you start attracting all sorts of supernatural cases, there will inevitably be ones you can’t solve. You might even lose your life in the process.”

“The strangeness in this world isn’t limited to demons killing people or cults harming innocents. There are powers beyond anything you can currently imagine.”

“I know you’re not keen on joining Division Thirty-Six, but one day, you’ll want to.”

Li Changqing remained silent. He neither agreed nor refuted the statement. In truth, he’d considered asking Hu Xiong if there was a way to cure his own petrification.

But there were two possibilities.

The first: Division Thirty-Six really did have a cure for his condition.

The second: they had no solution, and would turn around and treat him as a monster to be captured.

All the way, Li Changqing chatted with Hu Xiong. He could sense that Hu Xiong was deeply interested in getting him to join Division Thirty-Six.

At last, they arrived beneath the detective agency.

Li Changqing opened the car door and got out. “According to the contract, Wei Jin can delay payment for a month if there are extenuating circumstances. But if the delay drags on too long, I’ll have no choice but to see him in federal court. Let’s hope for a pleasant cooperation.”

After Li Changqing left, Hu Xiong opened the car’s armrest and took out a device about the size of a mobile phone. It had two antennae, both flashing and beeping.

Hu Xiong looked at the reading: five hundred seventy-five.

Astonished, he glanced toward Li Changqing’s office. “Just as I suspected. This kid has spiritual energy—five hundred seventy-five? That much?”

This was a device used exclusively by Division Thirty-Six to measure a person’s spiritual energy. Reaching a value of five hundred seventy-five would require at least a year of arduous cultivation.

Hu Xiong put the tester away and drove off.

Li Changqing had no idea that Hu Xiong had secretly tested his spiritual energy.

Back at the detective agency, Li Changqing collapsed onto the sofa.

Finally, it was over.

All that was left was to wait for Division Thirty-Six to uncover the mastermind behind the shadow cult and make the arrests. Then this matter could be considered resolved.

…

Ding.

Ding.

Ding.

The clear clinking of jewelry echoed through the deserted street.

A beautiful girl, sixteen or seventeen, dressed in a crimson wedding gown and barefoot, walked down the avenue.

Her face was expressionless, her pale feet pressing against the cold pavement.

At that moment, a man in his late twenties sat on a bench by the roadside, brow furrowed. He wore a simple white leisure suit and looked utterly dejected, staring blankly at the street.

The girl walked softly to his side and slowly reached out her hand.

The man turned, sizing her up. “Who are you?”

The girl’s hand paused midair, her gaze fixed intently on him.

Noticing her attire and bare feet, the man asked, “Did you run away from home after arguing with your parents, too? My name’s Li Minghao.”

He shifted a bit, and the girl quietly sat beside him, her eyes locked onto his face.

Li Minghao didn’t notice, lost in his own gloom. “I just can’t understand why I’m not allowed to do what I like. My parents have arranged everything for me from childhood until now.”

“I’m sure you have your own troubles, don’t you?”

“They always made me study hard, taught me countless lessons on how to conduct myself, demanded that I be fair and just. Yet, in their own business dealings, they secretly suppressed their competitors.”

“When I went to university, they sent me to study in the Lamella Empire. I gained all sorts of skills there, but when I came back and wanted to do something I enjoyed, they wouldn’t allow it.”

“Instead, they want me to inherit the family conglomerate.”

“I haven’t experienced any real struggle, yet they want me to take over the affairs of the group directly.”

“And then they’ll arrange a marriage with some rich girl I’ve never even met.”

“If things go on like this, won’t my life be over?”

The girl sat quietly beside him, nodding occasionally.

Li Minghao sighed and glanced at her. “By the way, what’s your name?”

“Jiang Zhen’er,” the girl replied, her voice crisp and clear.

“Thank you for listening to me ramble on,” Li Minghao said.

Jiang Zhen’er slowly removed a jade bracelet from her wrist and handed it to Li Minghao. “This is yours.”

“Do we know each other?” Li Minghao frowned, looking at the bracelet she offered him.

The jade wasn’t particularly valuable. For someone as wealthy as him, he’d seen much finer pieces. Yet, as he accepted the bracelet, a strange feeling swept over him.

“Hey, this belongs to you. I can’t accept it.”

Regaining his senses, Li Minghao looked up, intending to return the bracelet—only to find that the girl had vanished without a sound.

His expression darkened instantly. Could it be…

He picked up his phone and dialed Hu Xiong. “Hey, Old Hu, this recent A-level incident—is it the work of a woman?”

On the other end, Hu Xiong’s voice came through. “Weren’t you supposed to be taking over the family business? Why are you asking about this all of a sudden?”

“I think I might have just met her.”