Chapter Sixty-One: Those Beggars?

Tang Xiaoyu dutifully calculated, “Initially, we signed a commission for twenty thousand, with a deposit of four thousand coins paid upfront. Later, an additional eighty thousand was added, so he still owes us ninety-six thousand…”

Shen Qingdai wore a faint smile on her face. “This sum is what Huang Chao owes you both. I am under no obligation to pay it on his behalf. However, if you can help me investigate why Huang Chao has gone missing, I am willing to double the ninety-six thousand as your reward.”

Li Changqing’s heart sank slightly. So she had come specifically because of Huang Chao’s disappearance?

Did she know that Huang Chao was a monster?

Was she unaware, or were they all in league?

Sitting across from Shen Qingdai, Li Changqing kept a serious expression and said, “After the murder at the docks, Mr. Huang invited us to investigate the clues. We returned to analyze them, but the next day, we could no longer reach him. We would very much like to know where he’s gone.”

“Is that so? In that case, I have a new commission for you—twenty thousand coins. Please help me find out what happened to Huang Chao.”

“Detective, are you willing to take the case?”

Shen Qingdai took out four stacks of coins from her exquisite leather handbag and placed them before Li Changqing.

This money did not tempt Tang Xiaoyu. She did not even glance at it.

She knew this money would burn the hand that touched it.

Li Changqing picked up the money and counted it. “Very well. Xiaoyu, please bring the commission contract. I will sign it with Miss Shen.”

Tang Xiaoyu was surprised. She hadn’t expected the always-cautious Li Changqing to accept such a case.

After all, Huang Chao’s disappearance was closely tied to them.

Tang Xiaoyu quickly retrieved the standard contract from the drawer. Once Li Changqing had filled it out, he signed his name, pressed his fingerprint, and brought it into effect under federal law.

He handed one copy over. “Two copies. Miss Shen, please keep this one.”

Shen Qingdai took the contract and read it, her expression inscrutable, her thoughts unreadable.

Li Changqing really had no choice but to take this money…

He considered the worst-case scenario. If Shen Qingdai was also a monster, her greatest motive for seeking him out was to test whether he had anything to do with Huang Chao’s disappearance.

Huang Chao still owed him ninety-six thousand coins, and now she was offering two hundred thousand for the case.

If he hesitated even slightly, he would reveal a flaw. Any normal person, uninvolved in Huang Chao’s disappearance, would accept the contract without a second thought.

He kept a close eye on Shen Qingdai, observing her every word and action.

“Very good.”

Shen Qingdai folded the contract and slipped it into her bag, fixing her gaze on Li Changqing. “Detective Li, how much do you actually know about Huang Chao’s disappearance?”

She was trying to catch a hint of guilt in his expression.

Li Changqing had already anticipated such a question. He met her gaze without flinching. “Not much. After our investigation at the docks, we said our goodbyes to Huang Chao and left.”

“But I heard from the staff on duty at the docks that day that the detectives accompanied Huang Chao to investigate, and then there was an explosion. After that, Huang Chao disappeared.”

“Detective Li, didn’t you hear the explosion? You shouldn’t have left the docks by then.”

Li Changqing looked genuinely puzzled. “An explosion? I’m sorry, I truly know nothing about that.”

When a detective lies, it leaves nothing for others to do.

Every detective is trained to spot the signs of a lie. Even though Li Changqing was only halfway proficient, he could still conceal most of the usual tells.

For example, when normal people lie, their eyes instinctively glance aside, unable to meet the gaze of the person they are deceiving. It’s a developmental reflex—lying while staring directly into someone’s eyes is no easy task.

Shen Qingdai picked up on a flaw in his answer. “As a detective, even if you weren’t present, if your client went missing, you would follow up. The explosion at the docks would be something you’d have learned of afterward.”

“You didn’t say you weren’t there, you just said you didn’t know about the explosion.”

“How interesting. Detective, are you deliberately concealing your knowledge of the explosion?”

“Why would you hide it? Was the explosion your doing?”

Li Changqing maintained his composure. “Miss Shen, I admire your imagination, but as for these matters…”

Shen Qingdai pointed at Tang Xiaoyu, her tone growing cold. “Imagination? Then what about the ghostly woman at your side?”

A heavy silence fell upon the room.

So she could tell Tang Xiaoyu was a ghost? That meant Shen Qingdai herself was no ordinary person—most likely an accomplice of Huang Chao.

Li Changqing slowly took a step back, edging closer to the bedroom door.

His talismans and his pistol were inside the bedroom.

“Get behind me,” Li Changqing said to Tang Xiaoyu.

Tang Xiaoyu hid behind him, casting a wary glance at the imperious Shen Qingdai seated on the sofa.

Li Changqing tried to explain, “Miss Shen, I don’t know who you really are, but I truly had nothing to do with Mr. Huang’s disappearance.”

In truth, Li Changqing still had one question—had Shen Qingdai failed to see that he was a zombie?

Shen Qingdai looked disdainful, threatening, “Since we’re all from the crooked path, just tell me where Huang Chao is, and I’ll spare your life.”

Li Changqing was momentarily stunned, then instantly understood—she took him for a practitioner of dark arts?

Well, it made sense. What normal person would keep a ghost by their side?

Wait…

He’d almost forgotten his other identity.

“Miss Shen, to be frank, my master is none other than the current acting leader of the Shadow Cult, Hu Qideng! I am his direct disciple.”

“We’re all from the same underworld circles. It’s only courteous to give each other some face.”

After all, as the direct disciple of the grand leader, that ought to count for something…

Shen Qingdai thought for a long while, then recalled, “The Shadow Cult? That bunch of beggars on their knees?”

Li Changqing: “???”

Begging?

The great Shadow Cult had such a pitiful reputation?

Elsewhere, the Shadow Cult might be a prestigious name, but to the Shen family, they were nothing more than beggars.

He had intended to use his master’s name as leverage, but Shen Qingdai only grew more dismissive. “I’ll give you three seconds to decide. Three…”

She hadn’t even reached two before—

“I’ll talk,” Li Changqing said without hesitation.

Shen Qingdai was taken aback by his quick surrender. Was it because the Shadow Cult couldn’t intimidate her, and his psychological defenses had collapsed?

Li Changqing took a deep breath, “This really has nothing to do with me. Before Mr. Huang disappeared, I heard he was going to an abandoned factory. After that, the trail went cold.”

“An abandoned factory?” Shen Qingdai, seeing that he’d begun to talk, asked carefully, “What kind of factory? Do you know where it is?”