Chapter Seventy-Three: It Begins

For the next two days, Li Changqing stayed at the detective agency, never stepping outside, continuously drawing talismans. He was accumulating Exorcism Talismans and practicing the “Great General Arrives” talisman to gather spiritual energy. As his inner magic power steadily increased, along with his growing familiarity with the “Great General Arrives” talisman, his success rate gradually improved. From the early days when he had to draw dozens of times just to succeed once, now he could achieve two or three successes out of ten attempts. That rate was already quite impressive; if he could keep this up, he would hardly need to rely on glutinous rice any longer.

His attention then shifted to the third talisman among the Supreme Three Caverns Divine Talismans: the Evil-Subduing Incantation. According to the description, the Evil-Subduing Incantation was used to suppress malevolent spirits. Its more specific effects, however, were still unknown to Li Changqing; he would have to draw and use it to find out. Over the past two days, he’d tried several times; the Evil-Subduing Incantation was about as difficult as the “Great General Arrives” talisman. But his proficiency with this one was much lower, so his success rate lagged far behind.

In the blink of an eye, dusk fell two days later, and the world outside began to darken. There was a knock at the door of the detective agency. Tang Xiaoyu, who was watching television, rose to answer it. Li Minghao, dressed in an elegant suit, stood outside with Bai Chuan. Glancing inside, Li Minghao asked, “Is Li Changqing here?”

“He’s in the bedroom. I’ll go get him.”

Hearing voices, Li Changqing came out to the living room, his gaze lingering a moment on Bai Chuan, who followed behind Li Minghao. After inviting them to sit, Li Changqing poured them coffee. “So, you’ve decided to take action?”

Two days earlier, Li Minghao had informed Hu Xiong that an important demon would soon arrive at Linjiang Wharf. Hu Xiong said he needed to consider whether or not to act. He wanted Li Changqing and Li Minghao to investigate the wharf in secret and uncover its hidden secrets. The higher-ups of the Thirty-Sixth Bureau were already conducting a covert investigation there. Acting rashly could potentially interfere with their superiors’ plans.

But after much consideration, Hu Xiong decided to move. If they could capture the approaching demon alive and interrogate it, perhaps they could uncover the truth about the wharf.

Sitting on the sofa, Li Minghao took a sip of coffee and said, “Li Changqing, this operation does not represent the official stance of the Thirty-Sixth Bureau. Bai Chuan’s involvement must also remain a secret from outsiders.”

If the situation repeated itself—like last time, when Uncle Yun was captured and then had to be released by order of their superiors—then this operation would be for nothing.

“When the time comes, Bai Chuan and I will handle capturing the demon. You don’t need to intervene, but you must find a way to keep Shen Qingdai occupied, so she can’t help the demon escape.” Li Minghao’s expression was serious. “Can you do it?”

“No problem,” Li Changqing replied without hesitation, feeling secretly delighted. The less he had to do, the better.

Soon, dinnertime arrived. Li Changqing prepared the meal, but Bai Chuan didn’t eat. Li Minghao was unsurprised; Bai Chuan never ate anyone’s cooking except his own.

Around ten o’clock that night, Li Changqing asked Tang Xiaoyu to stay and mind the agency while he left with the other two, driving together to Linjiang Wharf. The wharf was uncharacteristically quiet that night, almost desolate. Employees scheduled for duty had been notified they had the night off. Except for the security guard at the main gate, there was virtually no one else on the premises.

The three parked by the roadside near the wharf. At this hour, the street was deserted. They scaled the wall and entered the wharf, finding themselves among rows of massive shipping containers.

“Do you have a plan? How will you keep Shen Qingdai occupied?” Li Minghao crouched beneath a container, speaking in a low voice. “If we can’t be certain she’ll be distracted, then—”

“I guarantee I’ll get it done.” This was simply too easy. Shen Qingdai already wanted to kill that fellow Shen Qingchi. Did he really need to restrain her? All he had to do was sit and chat with her over tea about life and dreams.

“As long as you’re sure,” Li Minghao replied, though his face betrayed concern. Li Changqing’s role was the key to the operation’s success. If Shen Qingdai became suspicious, the whole plan would collapse.

The three waited among the containers for midnight to arrive. At eleven thirty, seeing the time was nearly right, Li Changqing got up and headed for the office building to ‘distract’ Shen Qingdai.

The lights in the office were still on. Shen Qingdai wore a long azure dress with a purple ornament in her hair, hands clasped behind her back as she paced within. Uncle Yun stood nearby, speaking quietly: “Fifth Miss, the Fourth Young Master will arrive in half an hour. If you turn back now, there’s still time.”

“If the Fourth Young Master dies in Nanlin City as soon as he arrives, and your father demands an explanation, it won’t be easy for you.”

Shen Qingdai was unfazed. “You know my father’s temperament, Uncle Yun. If my fourth brother dies right after arriving, it’s his own fault for being inept. Besides, if it’s the Thirty-Sixth Bureau who kills him, what does that have to do with me?” She smiled at Uncle Yun, her face bright with amusement.

Uncle Yun shook his head slightly, but said nothing more.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Uncle Yun called.

Li Changqing stepped inside. “Boss Shen, as you instructed, the Thirty-Sixth Bureau agents are already inside the wharf.”

“Well done.” Shen Qingdai’s face lit up with a smile. “Has that Bai fellow arrived?”

“Yes, he’s here too.”

“Excellent.” She settled back onto the sofa and gestured for Li Changqing to sit as well. “Aren’t you joining them on the mission?”

“They’re worried you might spot them, so they asked me to stay and ‘distract’ you.”

Shen Qingdai couldn’t help but laugh. “Very well done.”

She turned on the office television, revealing a security camera feed that gave a clear view of the wharf. “Now, we just sit back and watch Bai’s performance.”

She relished this feeling. As long as she made good use of Li Changqing, even someone like Bai Chuan could become a pawn in her hand. With the right maneuvering, the Thirty-Sixth Bureau itself could become her personal weapon, all for the price of a bit of trivial, useless money.

Li Changqing, of course, had no inkling of her thoughts. Watching the somewhat grainy surveillance footage, he found himself amused. This Boss Shen certainly knew how to have fun—enjoying a live performance. Pity he hadn’t thought to bring some sunflower seeds, peanuts, and beer.

At last, as midnight approached, the figures of Li Minghao and Bai Chuan appeared at the edge of the wharf on the monitor.

“It’s starting,” Shen Qingdai said, sitting up straighter.