Chapter Thirty-Seven: Kong Xue

The effect of the flyers was even better than Li Changqing had anticipated. Perhaps it was because such promotional methods had never been used before. Most people were curious and happily accepted the flyers, taking them home. Unlike in his previous life, where after taking a flyer, people would just toss it into the nearest trash can.

Li Changqing and Tang Xiaoyu quickly finished distributing their own flyers and went to Kelly Rossedy’s assigned location.

“You finished yours too?” Li Changqing was somewhat surprised. He had expected Kelly Rossedy to be reluctant, but things had gone much more smoothly than he imagined.

Seeing the two approach, Kelly Rossedy finally took off her mask and sunglasses. “It went better than I thought. But next time, can’t we hire a few people to help?”

Tang Xiaoyu spoke up, “If we hire someone, it’d be a hundred Lang coins per person per day. That’s not worth it. If you really don’t want to do it, I’ll distribute your share tomorrow.”

Of course, Kelly Rossedy refused. With her mask and sunglasses on, even her own father wouldn’t recognize her standing across the street. Her aristocratic pride wouldn’t allow a beautiful lady to work on her behalf.

“Come on, let’s get something to eat. Let’s keep distributing for another few days and see how things go.”

Having worked all day, Li Changqing invited them to a street-side restaurant, ordered a few dishes, and shared a bottle of wine with Kelly.

Afterward, they took the bus home. Kelly's rented apartment was in the Donghai District of Nanlin City; she would move closer to the detective agency once her lease expired.

On the bus, Li Changqing and Tang Xiaoyu sat together. She watched the nighttime scenery outside the window, her face alight with joy. Though to Li Changqing, these dark cityscapes held nothing new. In his previous life, he had seen all manner of beautiful views, but Tang Xiaoyu enjoyed them immensely.

“Li Changqing, you should’ve taken me out more often. Every time we go out, I hide under your stinky hat. It smells awful,” Tang Xiaoyu said, grinning as she stared out the window.

Li Changqing touched his nose. “I recall that it’s you who’s timid, always hiding under the hat.”

“Really?” Tang Xiaoyu turned from the window. “By the way, I feel like you’ve changed since you first went to that abandoned factory.”

“Have I?” Li Changqing smiled, subtly steering the conversation away. “Speaking of which, I’m curious—why do you always scrimp and save, never spending a single Lang coin?”

“That’s a secret. Anyway, you’re not allowed to get any ideas about my money,” Tang Xiaoyu said, her brows furrowing with suspicion.

“Penny-pincher.”

Currently, Li Changqing had eighty thousand Lang coins in hand, including the payment from Li Zhenzhen’s case. When Hu Xiong gave him the remaining money, and after sharing with Tang Xiaoyu, he’d have one hundred forty thousand Lang coins. With a bit more, he could pay off his family’s debts, start saving up, and rent a larger storefront.

Li Changqing was growing more accustomed to this world.

Suddenly, a loud bang erupted ahead. The bus screeched to an abrupt halt. They were almost out of the city now, and there weren’t many passengers.

“Are you trying to get yourself killed?” The driver—a balding man in his fifties—stuck his head out the window and shouted angrily.

Five meters ahead, a woman lay on the ground, a pool of blood spreading beneath her.

“There’s been an accident,” Li Changqing frowned.

To his surprise, the woman slowly stood up. With a crack, she pressed hard on her right arm, and her broken limb snapped back into place.

She wore a long black dress and looked to be about thirty-five or thirty-six. Her face and body were stained with blood.

The bus driver shuddered. This eerie scene left all the passengers holding their breath.

Li Changqing’s eyes widened. He felt as though he’d seen this woman somewhere before.

That’s it!

“Kong Xue—Mr. Lin Zhixin’s wife.”

Images of Lin Zhixin flashed through his mind; he had seen Kong Xue’s photograph before.

Kong Xue walked across the street and entered a shadowy alley.

“What should we do?” Tang Xiaoyu saw hesitation on Li Changqing’s face and didn’t know what to do.

“Let’s follow her and see what’s happening,” Li Changqing said, taking a deep breath. He touched the revolver at his waist and the iron bead in his pocket.

He hadn’t expected to encounter Kong Xue here. He didn’t dare investigate the abandoned factory, but since they met her now, he had to see where she went.

Even though this was the city’s edge, there were still plenty of pedestrians; it shouldn’t be too dangerous.

The two quickly got off the bus and followed Kong Xue into the alley.

The alley was cluttered with abandoned furniture and miscellaneous items. The stench from the garbage bins was overpowering.

At the end of the alley was a dead end, but Kong Xue was nowhere to be seen.

Tang Xiaoyu scanned the surroundings. “She’s gone.”

“Let’s head back,” Li Changqing said as he retraced their steps, observing the houses lining the alley. These low, residential buildings hadn’t yet been slated for demolition; some were already vacant.

“Kong Xue must have hidden in one of these houses,” Li Changqing thought, making a mental note of the location. “Let’s return for now.”

Tang Xiaoyu followed him, whispering, “Those two guardians died at the abandoned factory. Should we keep investigating? If we get involved…”

Li Changqing replied gravely, “Even though Mr. Kong only paid one Lang coin, since we accepted his commission, we must do our best.”

He picked up his phone and dialed Ding Jiashi. “Hello, Mr. Ding? This is Li Changqing. My master has something he’d like you to help with.”

“To assist Master Hu is my duty. Please instruct me.”

“I need you to help my master investigate a location…”

“Understood. I’ll inform you as soon as I have results.”

After hanging up, Li Changqing and Tang Xiaoyu caught another bus back to the detective agency. Night had already deepened. They each went to their rooms to rest.

Li Changqing didn’t sleep. He took out red ink paper and brush, drawing talismans to accumulate spiritual energy.

The people who disappeared from the abandoned factory kept appearing in Nanlin City, surely planning something. Especially since Baichuan gave up investigating the factory after seeing the black handkerchief.

The two guardians of the Shadow Cult died mysteriously in the factory.

What was in there?

What did it want?

Li Changqing couldn’t figure it out, but he felt certain that sooner or later, he would be entangled with it again.