Chapter Forty-Three: Peng Village

"If it's not about the money, then what is it?" Tang Xiaoyu couldn't understand. In her eyes, making money was the most important thing! Even though she didn't have much to spend on, just seeing her savings pile up could keep her happy for days.

In this respect, Tang Xiaoyu and Li Changqing were truly birds of a feather.

"Not everyone lives for money," Bai Chuan said, showing little interest in wealth. As long as he had enough for his daily needs, that was sufficient.

"Must I help you?" Li Changqing asked.

Bai Chuan smiled faintly. "You must have misunderstood me. I'm not like Hu Xiong. He likes to threaten people, but I don't care for such methods."

Li Changqing replied without hesitation, "Then I refuse."

Was there even a need to think it over? With Hu Xiong already missing, why should he walk into trouble himself? Getting involved now was, in some ways, even more dangerous than being an undercover agent in the Shadow Cult. He valued his own life more.

Upon hearing Li Changqing's answer, Bai Chuan slowly rose, straightened his clothes, and seized Li Changqing by the arm, pulling him toward the door. "I told you, I don't like threats—but I will act directly."

Despite his frail appearance, Bai Chuan’s strength was astonishing. Li Changqing struggled several times but could not break free from his grip. "Let's talk about this!"

But Bai Chuan gave him no chance to negotiate, dragging him downstairs and shoving him into the back seat of a car.

Tang Xiaoyu quickly locked up the detective agency and hurried after them. She had wanted to help Li Changqing, but after thinking it over, realized that the two of them together probably weren't a match for Bai Chuan. All she could do was climb into the back seat as well.

Sitting in the back, Li Changqing thought to himself, At least offer some carrot and stick, you brute.

At this point, unless he leapt from the moving car—which, at this speed, and not being Jackie Chan, he dared not attempt—he was stuck.

He pulled out his phone and called Kelly Losetti, informing him that he and Tang Xiaoyu were occupied and that he needn’t come to the agency today.

After hanging up, Li Changqing turned to Bai Chuan, who was driving. "Mr. Bai, you're overestimating me. I'm just a small-time detective—I can't crack this kind of case. Isn't it more convenient to go to the Federal Police?"

The air in Bai Chuan’s car was crisp and fresh as he drove attentively. "At best, the Federal Police can maintain order at the scene. Investigating this case—even someone like you, who possesses spiritual energy, is unwilling to look into it. Naturally, they would not dare."

"Besides, you have spiritual energy, and you possess a detective’s meticulousness. Together, these make you capable of noticing details others would miss."

Yet his own skills—both in spiritual energy and detective work—were nothing more than half-baked.

The vehicle rolled quietly into Nanshan Town. This was the largest town in the eastern suburbs of Nanlin City, with a registered population of nearly fifty thousand. Of course, only about five thousand actually lived in the town itself; the rest resided in surrounding mountain villages and rural areas.

After a brief stop for gas, Bai Chuan, Li Changqing, and Tang Xiaoyu pressed on.

The road led toward a range called the Southern Mountains. "Nanshan" here did not refer to a single peak, but rather a series of connected mountains.

The mountain road was now cordoned off, with a sign warning that a landslide ahead made passage impossible. Two Federal Police officers were turning away vehicles.

Of course, the real reason was to preserve the scene of the disappearance.

Bai Chuan drove straight through the cordon and continued for another three kilometers. To the left, the green forested mountains rose high; to the right, a sheer cliff fell three hundred meters to a roaring river below.

The car came to a stop.

The place was deserted. Hu Xiong’s car sat quietly by the roadside, while four Federal Police officers stood a full hundred meters away, smoking and cursing their luck at being assigned to such an eerie case. No one wanted any part of it.

Li Changqing and Tang Xiaoyu got out and followed Bai Chuan to Hu Xiong’s vehicle.

Li Changqing surveyed the area. "Are there any villages or places to stay nearby?"

Bai Chuan couldn’t answer, so he called over a Federal Police officer in his fifties.

The officer, a longtime member of the Nanshan Town force, knew the area well.

"Good day," the officer greeted them, wearing a white shirt and slacks, the Federal badge on his chest. He smiled and offered cigarettes to Bai Chuan and Li Changqing.

"Thank you, I don’t smoke," Li Changqing said, and repeated his question.

The officer lit his own cigarette and took a drag. "There’s a mountain path three kilometers ahead. Up there is Peng Village. Besides Peng Village, there’s nothing around here—no villages, no shops."

He was clearly familiar with the terrain.

Li Changqing nodded, inspecting Hu Xiong’s car and the tire tracks on the road.

The car had come to a gradual, precise stop—not the mark of someone panicking. The doors were locked, suggesting the occupants got out on their own.

Unfortunately, there were no footprints, so it was impossible to tell which way the pair had gone.

"If Peng Village is the only place nearby, we’ll start searching there. The car is here, so the range is limited to within five kilometers. If they’d gone farther, they’d have driven. Most likely, the two of them saw something worth investigating, and during their investigation, encountered some irresistible force and lost contact with you."

He turned to Bai Chuan, puzzled. "Did they send you any information afterward?"

Judging by the car, they’d left calmly and had time to send a message.

"No," Bai Chuan replied. "Their last contact with me was just after leaving Nanlin City. They only said they were heading toward Nanshan Town."

He then addressed the officer. "Sir, may I ask your name? Would you take us to Peng Village?"

"My name is Peng Zhilin. As for Peng Village…" For a moment, Peng Zhilin hesitated, then lowered his voice. "You may not know this, but Peng Village has been deserted for a long time. My parents were from there. Before I was born, everyone in the village moved away. No one’s lived there for years."

Li Changqing frowned. Such abandoned mountain villages were not uncommon—many had left for the city in pursuit of a better life.

Yet something in Peng Zhilin’s expression didn’t sit right with him. And considering the officer’s age, that must have been some fifty years ago.

Why would everyone leave?