Chapter 172: We Sleep Together

At 1:30 AM, a soaking wet Zou Guoming, known as Big Head, entered the Dark Star Bureau building and found Sun Haoran on duty.

Like Lightbulb, Sun Haoran was also a newcomer to the security team, but their situations were completely different.

Sun Haoran possessed exceptional talent and a quick mind; he was highly valued and was considered the Dark Star Bureau's rising star.

His nickname was "Star," putting him several levels above Lightbulb.

Seeing Big Head's disheveled state, Sun Haoran quickly stepped forward and asked, "Brother Ming, what happened?"

Zou Guoming wiped his face and said, "I found Hu Lishan."

"Hu Lishan?" Sun Haoran couldn't quite recall.

Zou Guoming glanced at Sun Haoran.

Some things Sun Haoran would never forget, such as what wine Captain Xiao liked to drink or what cigarettes Captain Chen smoked.

Some things Sun Haoran often couldn't remember, such as what cases he was currently working on.

"The female university student who went missing in Hualake Park a couple of days ago—I found her."

"The university student from Hualake Park! Things have been so busy lately, I completely forgot. Where is she? What's her mental state like? Should we take a statement immediately?" Sun Haoran deliberately rubbed his forehead; in truth, he still hadn't remembered, but he had to put on a show.

Big Head waved his hand and said, "No need for a statement. I didn't find a living person; I found a corpse. Get someone to retrieve it."

"A corpse?" Sun Haoran was startled. "Brother Ming, how did you find it?"

"By reviewing surveillance footage and looking for traces. It's hard to explain here. We can discuss it at the scene."

Sun Haoran nodded and said, "I'll inform both captains immediately."

Big Head told Sun Haoran to get someone to retrieve the body, but Sun Haoran's first thought was to contact the captains.

This just goes to show that such a person was destined to be a star.

Late at night, Li Banfeng got out of bed and got dressed, feeling refreshed.

What he promised Old Yao naturally had to be done. Li Banfeng had dinner and drinks with Yu Nan and even slept.

Old Yao was right; two people sleeping close together indeed felt warmer.

But Yu Nan never fell asleep.

Because Li Banfeng did nothing but sleep!

He just kept sleeping, doing absolutely nothing!

Watching Li Banfeng's retreating figure, Yu Nan covered her mouth and sobbed.

Li Banfeng placed the Intestine Roller Silkworm in front of Qin Tianjiu.

He had explained the pros and cons to him, leaving the decision up to him.

Qin Tianjiu didn't hesitate. He picked up the Intestine Roller Silkworm and swallowed it with Old Yao's medicinal wine. "Brother Qi, anything you give me is surely good. I, Qin Tianjiu, will always remember this kindness. Even if I can't handle this good thing, it's because my fortune is shallow and my life is short, and I deserve this calamity. It definitely won't be your fault, Brother Qi!"

Li Banfeng nodded. "With that courage, you're someone who can achieve great things."

After a brief chat, Little Fatty Qin brought up the news received by the Three Heroes Sect:

"Lu Dongjun has gone silent. Many are saying he's dead. Our Bronze Seal members say Old Master Lu Maoxian of the Lu family has made it clear that Lu Dongjun was killed by Monkey Qiu."

Li Banfeng asked, "Did Monkey Qiu confess?"

"Of course not! No matter how big the uproar, Monkey Qiu shouldn't have killed a Lu family member. Monkey Qiu retaliated, claiming Lu Maoxian did it. It seems the two families are about to start a fight. Our two Gold Seals have also gotten involved."

"Where are they fighting? Greenwater City or Sea-Eating Ridge?"

"I heard it's still in Greenwater City, but there's also trouble at Sea-Eating Ridge. This is what Brother Zhang Liu told me. After Lu Dongjun's departure, the business at Sea-Eating Ridge was taken over by the He family and the Ling family. They couldn't agree on how to split the profits, and it seems they're about to resort to force."

The Ling family?

When did the Ling family get involved in Sea-Eating Ridge's affairs?

Little Fatty continued, "At Sea-Eating Ridge, all the major and minor gangs are preparing to make their move. The Azure Cloud Society sides with the He family, and the Hundred Flowers Sect supports the Ling brothers."

"What about the Jiangxiang Gang?"

Little Fatty said with a look of disdain, "What's the Jiangxiang Gang? They don't belong in a big situation like this."

"Which side is your Three Heroes Sect on?"

"Our Eldest Boss is closer to the He family, while our Second Boss and Third Boss are closer to the Ling family. But our Silver Seal said business is business, and relationships are relationships. When it comes down to actual fighting, the situation could change. There's also another grievance that's supposedly coming to a head. Monkey Qiu sent a message to the Chu family's Second Miss a few days ago, telling her to hand over the Hundred Pleasures Gate within a month. The Chu family's Second Miss said that the Hundred Pleasures Gate was run by her and the Ma family's Fifth Young Master. This matter needed to be discussed with the Ma family's Fifth Young Master. The Ma family's Fifth Young Master, we've even met him, at the peddler's, that Fifth Young Master, Fifth Young Master..."

Halfway through his sentence, Little Fatty's face was covered in cold sweat, and he couldn't continue.

"What happened to the Fifth Young Master?" Li Banfeng's greatest fear had materialized. That crazy woman Chu Er had brought trouble upon them.

"Brother Qi, I, I need to eat something..." Little Fatty wiped his sweat and began chewing on a biscuit.

Soon after, after two catties of biscuits, Little Fatty regained some strength and told Li Banfeng, "I have leftover rice in the pot. I'll heat it up, and we can eat together..."

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "I won't eat. You first tell me about the Fifth Young Master. I find it quite interesting."

"The Fifth Young Master hasn't made a move yet, and no one knows where he is. The Chu family's Second Miss has moved into Lanyang Village, and she's not leaving! Monkey Qiu is furious. He said he'll settle the score for Lanyang Village as well. Lanyang Village is also Lu family territory. Ma Wu seized Lanyang Village, and this matter hasn't been cleared with the Lu family yet..."

Li Banfeng saw Little Fatty constantly wiping sweat and figured he hadn't eaten enough.

He left Little Fatty a hundred silver dollars and told him not to starve himself.

Leaving the courtyard, Li Banfeng went to Fengji General Store.

The travel permit issue was still unresolved. Li Banfeng bought some canned goods, biscuits, fuel, and engine oil.

With everything ready, Li Banfeng returned to his portable dwelling, placed his items, and was about to set off when he suddenly noticed the outer room's door had opened.

As he entered, the red lotus petals opened, and two lotus seeds had materialized.

He held the lotus seeds in his palm and watched them slowly burst. The first lotus seed yielded ninety-eight Golden Yuan Pills.

These were from Pan Dehai's core essence.

A complete Lu Dongliang had yielded eighty-one Golden Yuan Pills, yet a piece of Pan Dehai's core essence could yield ninety-eight?

Was the quality difference between them that significant?

The second bursting lotus seed produced thirty-six Golden Yuan Pills.

The Drenched Monster, whose cultivation was less than five layers, yielded only two fewer Golden Yuan Pills than the eight-layered Madam Suo'e. This native anomaly was truly formidable.

Adding the sixty Golden Yuan Pills remaining from Lu Dongliang, the total was one hundred and ninety-four pills.

These Golden Yuan Pills represented 19,400 days of lifespan. This translated to fifty-one years and a little over a month.

Li Banfeng felt an impulse. He suddenly wanted to swallow all the Golden Yuan Pills at once!

Because if he ate them all, he would become an Eighth-Layer cultivator!

He had Blue Leaf Pills. Although the number of Blue Leaf Pills was slightly less, with 158 remaining, this difference was negligible in proportion.

At first, Li Banfeng was just idly calculating.

After a while, he got carried away.

An Eighth-Layer cultivator!

Having stayed in Prolific Prefecture for a long time, he knew what an Eighth-Layer cultivator meant.

He held the pills in his hand, his eyes gleaming, and was about to pop them into his mouth when a whirlwind flew out from the Bronze Lotus, stopping Li Banfeng.

This madman was asking for death!

No one could understand what he was trying to do!

Blown by the Bronze Lotus, Li Banfeng sobered up.

Indeed, he couldn't eat them all. His Home Cultivation was at the third layer, and his Travel Cultivation was also at the third layer.

If his Travel Cultivation suddenly ascended to the eighth layer, but his Home Cultivation didn't, wouldn't he just drop dead?

After calming down, Li Banfeng, accompanied by a Blue Leaf Pill, first consumed one Golden Yuan Pill. After his body recovered, he quickly set off along the New Land route, hurrying towards Lanyang Village.

By the Hualake Park lake, relevant personnel were recovering the body.

Xiao Zhenggong looked down on such minor cases, so he didn't come to the scene. Sun Haoran was reporting to Captain Chen.

"Investigator Zou Guoming and I examined the surveillance footage at the scene, found several overlooked details, and discovered Hu Lishan's discarded glove by the lake. Following this clue, we located Hu Lishan's body..."

Lightbulb spat nearby. "That's truly shameless! Big Head found the body. He's just a messenger, for crying out loud. He doesn't even blush when taking credit!"

Big Head smiled and said, "Never mind, never mind. Closing the case is what matters. Whose credit it is isn't important."

Sun Haoran continued to report on the case-solving process. Captain Chen listened with a smile, while Tangyuan diligently took notes.

After he finished his report, Captain Chen nodded and said, "Truly our bureau's star. This case was handled so efficiently."

Tangyuan nodded beside him and said, "Star's future is limitless."

Sun Haoran humbly smiled and said, "Brother Ming led me. Finding Hu Lishan's body was entirely due to Brother Ming's extensive experience. I was just there as a helper. All the seniors in our team look out for me. Captain Chen and Captain Xiao, needless to say, Sister Xuehan and Brother Ming are also exceptionally good to me."

You Xuehan (Tangyuan) remained silent.

Whether in private or public, Sun Haoran often flirted with You Xuehan.

You Xuehan also admired this sunny, handsome, and ambitious junior colleague, but she felt his actions today were somewhat inappropriate.

Big Head was the team's elder brother. Sun Haoran shouldn't have taken his credit.

Captain Chen didn't show his stance. He smoked, looking meaningfully at Big Head Zou Guoming.

Big Head was chatting casually with Lightbulb, seemingly not bothered by who got the credit.

It was just a missing persons case that had been handled. For the Dark Star Bureau, it truly wasn't a major achievement.

But Old Chen felt there was something subtly off, though he couldn't pinpoint what it was.

After the body was recovered, Zou Guoming said he was too tired from the past two days and requested a week off. Captain Chen approved it and handed Hu Lishan's case entirely over to Sun Haoran.

Sun Haoran was thrilled.

Lightbulb was annoyed. He drove Big Head home, complaining the whole way.

"Big Head, why are you taking leave now? Isn't this clearly benefiting that guy? Aren't you afraid he'll climb over you someday?"

Big Head shook his head and chuckled, "He's bound to climb over me sooner or later. He knows how to play the game; I just know how to get things done."

"I just can't stand his scheming..." Lightbulb was still complaining, while Big Head turned his gaze towards the mansion in the park.

Hu Lishan's case wasn't important. What was important was that for the first time in his life, he had seen the New Land.

He had never been to Prolific Prefecture. The New Land was a place only found in Prolific Prefecture, yet now he had seen it in an outer prefecture.

Hu Lishan's body was found by He Jiaqing in the New Land.

All the traces by the lake were faked by He Jiaqing.

Whose credit it was didn't matter. Pushing this matter to Sun Haoran was a better choice. As long as Hu Lishan's case was closed, the matter of the New Land wouldn't be exposed.

At the Dark Star Bureau, Big Head was destined to remain an investigator his whole life.

The person who could truly change his fate had now appeared.