Chapter 147: The Stingy One

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Hu Xiong was displeased. “If you mean the central bureau, then say the central bureau. Don’t drag me into it.”

“It was only an analogy.” Li Changqing frowned as well. The central bureau’s instruction to “pay close attention” carried another implication: Do your best. They would send reinforcements only if the situation truly spiraled out of control.

The Vermilion Bird Federation was enormous, and the Strange Investigation Bureau did not have many combat personnel in total.

Only the First Bureau in the capital could command such a vast number of agents and such a large establishment.

“For now, let the federal police look into it,” Hu Xiong said.

There was no helping it. The manpower available to the Thirty-Sixth Bureau was nowhere near the level of the First Bureau.

They could only rely on the federal police and other departments to provide information before taking action themselves.

Searching the entire vast city of Nanlin with the personnel of the Thirty-Sixth Bureau alone was simply unrealistic.

After leaving the food-processing plant, Hu Xiong drove Li Changqing and Tang Xiaoyu home.

“I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything!”

With that, Hu Xiong drove away.

Li Changqing and Tang Xiaoyu stood below the building, just about to go upstairs, when someone suddenly bumped into Li Changqing.

He turned at once.

To his surprise, it was an acquaintance.

Lan Qiqi.

She wore light makeup, a white T-shirt beneath a black-and-white plaid overshirt, and a pair of fashionable jeans. A rather cartoonish stuffed-animal backpack hung from her shoulders.

“What a coincidence!” Lan Qiqi said to Li Changqing with a bright smile. “I never thought we’d run into each other.”

“A coincidence?” Li Changqing rolled his eyes at her. “The world is huge, yet you managed to run straight into me. Do you really think that was accidental?”

Seeing that they knew each other, Tang Xiaoyu asked in confusion, “Changqing, who is she?”

“And who is this female ghost?” Lan Qiqi countered.

Li Changqing said to Tang Xiaoyu, “She’s someone I met when I took the bureau’s entrance examination. We were in the same group.”

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“We went through life and death together. Have you forgotten? The two of us survived the Bimo’s hands.”

“Enough. What do you want with me?” Li Changqing asked, frowning.

With her hands behind her back, Lan Qiqi smiled. “I’m just visiting Nanlin City. I came over here for a look and never expected to run into you…”

“Visiting? This area is mostly an industrial development zone. If you were sightseeing, you should have stayed downtown.” Li Changqing saw through her excuse at a glance.

Lan Qiqi giggled. “That’s true. But then I remembered that you’re from Nanlin City, so I came by to see you. The last time we parted, didn’t you invite me to visit Nanlin City whenever I had the chance?”

“Since you’re already here, won’t you invite me into your detective agency?”

“Come upstairs.” Li Changqing narrowed his eyes. “But let me warn you: Don’t even think about playing any tricks.”

Seeing that Li Changqing’s attitude toward Lan Qiqi was far from friendly, Tang Xiaoyu finally relaxed.

Back at the detective agency, Lan Qiqi glanced around the room before casually taking a seat on the sofa. “You’re an official member of the Strange Investigation Bureau, yet you run a detective agency like this? You’re far too low-key.”

“What have you come to Nanlin for?” Li Changqing stood across from her with his arms folded, watching her intently.

“What’s this? Are you interrogating a criminal? I’m an official member of the bureau too, you know. Can’t people show one another a little trust?” As she spoke, Lan Qiqi poured herself a cup of hot water, behaving as though she were completely at home.

“No official member would steal something from the central bureau.” Li Changqing’s gaze remained calm. “You’re here because of that Evil Star, aren’t you?”

Lan Qiqi’s eyes shifted. She did not deny it. Instead, she said, “The rumor has certainly spread far and wide. You’re with the Thirty-Sixth Bureau, and Nanlin City is your territory. Have you found anything?”

“No.” Li Changqing understood at last. So after all that, this girl had come to pry information out of him.

“All right, although we’ve joined the bureau, neither of us is exactly respectable.” Lan Qiqi smiled sweetly. “I’ve always considered you a kindred spirit. If you have any information, we can share it.”

“Share it? Fine. You first. What exactly is this Evil Star, and which bastard started the rumor?”

“A rumor?” Lan Qiqi hurriedly said, “Don’t go spreading that nonsense. It was a prophecy from the Living Immortal.”

“The Living Immortal?” Li Changqing frowned slightly.

Lan Qiqi looked at him strangely. “Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of the Living Immortal?”

“That Living Immortal has no one knows how many years it has lived. No one knows what sort of monster it is, but whenever it speaks, its words have never once proven false.”

Li Changqing was astonished. There was really such a remarkable being?

“You’ve at least heard of the Three Demons and Four Devils, right?” Lan Qiqi continued. “Even the Three Demons and Four Devils treat the Living Immortal with courtesy.”

Li Changqing frowned faintly. The Three Demons and Four Devils?

“You don’t know about them either?” This time, Lan Qiqi was genuinely stunned. “They are the seven strongest monsters in the entire world!”

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Li Changqing truly had no idea.

He gave a light cough and said, “Enough. What exactly is this Evil Star?”

“No one knows. The Living Immortal gave only a set of coordinates and said that an Evil Star would descend upon the world. After that, it refused to say another word.”

“I came here to try my luck too.” Lan Qiqi’s face was filled with anticipation. “If fortune favors me, perhaps I might even get my hands on it…”

“Do you have any special information?” Lan Qiqi asked, her eyes full of expectation.

“No.” Li Changqing shook his head. “Then you came all this way for nothing.”

“What about the central bureau?” Lan Qiqi blinked, wanting to know how the central bureau regarded the matter.

“I don’t know.” Li Changqing shook his head again.

Lan Qiqi was somewhat disappointed, though she did not show it. Instead, she said with a trace of puzzlement, “What’s strange is that this time, quite a few powerful monsters have shown no movement at all. On the contrary, many minor monsters with little strength are making their way toward Nanlin City.”

That was indeed unusual information. Li Changqing was surprised. “Something like that is happening?”

Lan Qiqi stayed at Li Changqing’s place for a while longer. When she realized she could not coax even the slightest bit of information out of him, she said goodbye and left.

Before departing, she smiled and said, “I’ll come back to see you in a few days.”

After she had gone, Tang Xiaoyu slowly gathered the cups and said, “That Miss Lan is very beautiful.”

“Mm…” Li Changqing answered automatically. But the moment he finished speaking, he noticed Tang Xiaoyu staring at him resentfully.

What a jealous little thing…

He quickly added, “But she’s far too calculating and scheming. She’s nothing like our Xiaoyu—innocent, adorable, pure, and endearingly naive…”

Only after hearing Li Changqing heap praise upon her did Tang Xiaoyu finally brighten.

Tang Xiaoyu might be a little petty, but she was easy enough to cheer up.

A few sweet words were all it took to make her happy beyond reason.

Li Changqing sat back down on the sofa and pondered the information he had gleaned from Lan Qiqi.

The powerful monsters had made no move at all, while the weaker ones were rushing here instead?