——
“…They didn’t say, just ntioned a treasure. But…”
That “but” from Yan Feifan caught Lu Ding’s attention.
“When did you start keeping people in suspense?”
“No, no, Lu-ge, that’s not it. I was just thinking—this is Bao Fan District, not so remote mountain. There aren’t that many places where treasures could be hidden. It’s nothing more than a few possibilities.
First, these two guys spotted sothing that others overlooked—sothing valuable hidden in plain sight. But whoever owns it isn’t soone they can afford to ss with, so they want to work with you, using your skills as their blade.”
“That’s unlikely. If they can’t afford to provoke this person, why would they assu that person has worse judgnt than them?”
“Then there’s the second possibility: there’s sothing hidden in the tombs of Bao Fan District, sothing that others missed or couldn’t take away.”
“I personally lean toward the latter.”
“And based on their behavior today, they’re not complete idiots. So my guess is that they don’t want to hand things over too easily. They’re trying to intimidate us, hoping we’ll back off, buying themselves a few days to sche over the treasure inside.”
“The treasure is sothing they can’t take themselves, but they’ve definitely confird that no one else has taken it yet—otherwise, they wouldn’t be so eager to collaborate with you.”
“They say treasures find those destined for them. The mont you showed up, this one got exposed. Looks like you’re the chosen one, Lu-ge. I think we shouldn’t rush to respond to them just yet. We should check out the tomb first. If we find sothing, you take it—it’s like nothing ever happened.”
“If we don’t find anything, then we can talk cooperation. By that ti, Lu-ge, you’ll be holding all the cards. You get first pick of any good stuff—that’s the unspoken rule. Either way, we won’t lose. What do you think?”
Lu Ding’s smile surfaced.
Yan Feifan might not be much in a fight.
But damn, the guy had a sharp mind.
No wonder ancient strategists were so valued.
Having soone smart around really made things easier.
“You’re getting smarter.”
Yan Feifan scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed. “It’s just from spending ti around you, Lu-ge. Picked up a thing or two.”
Nice words, but not just empty flattery.
Yan Feifan was sharp enough to recognize that Lu Ding was smart, too.
The difference was—Lu Ding was also powerful.
If it really ca down to strategy, Lu Ding would likely think even further ahead than him.
Right now, though, this was his mont to shine—to plan, to patch up gaps in strategy, to make sure everything ran smoothly for Lu Ding.
But Lu Ding heard it differently.
They say tyrants love flatterers—he was starting to get why.
“Then we’ll go with your plan. No ti to waste—we leave now.”
“In broad daylight?”
“What, you think we’re grave robbers? We don’t have to sneak around at night. We’ve got all the proper paperwork—who’s going to stop us?”
The two imdiately headed out.
And ran straight into Gao Zhengliang.
“Lu Diao, just the person I was looking for.”
“Sothing urgent?”
“No, not really.”
“Then forget it. I’ve got urgent business. Whatever it is, we’ll talk when I get back.”
Lu Ding’s job was to handle special incidents in Bao Fan District.
If it wasn’t a special incident, nothing was going to get in the way of his treasure hunt.
“Hey, hey, Lu Diao, hold on—Bao Fan District’s local Cultivator of Qi factions want to invite you to dinner—Caojia Alley, Sihai Group, and Wuzang Shengshe.”
Lu Ding didn’t even hesitate. “Not interested. Director Gao, decline for —I don’t have ti for dinner.”
Gao Zhengliang looked anxious. “Lu Diao, these are the big players in Bao Fan District’s Cultivator of Qi scene. If you don’t show up, it’ll make your job harder in the future.”
Personally, he didn’t care.
No matter how powerful those groups were, they wouldn’t dare challenge the state.
But he was worried for Lu Ding.
Gao Zhengliang had only just t Lu Ding, but he had already seen that the guy was the real deal.
If Lu Ding did well, Bao Fan District’s security would improve.
If his work went smoothly, the district’s Public Security Bureau would run better, too.
It was all connected.
That’s why Gao Zhengliang was anxious.
Lu Ding could tell he was looking out for him.
“Tell them to pick another ti. I really don’t have the ti today. Oh, right—Director Gao, do a favor and send a list of Bao Fan District’s Cultivators of Qi. I’m heading out.”
Yan Feifan added from behind, “Director Gao, thanks for understanding. Lu-ge’s got sothing urgent—sorry about this.”
“Sigh, fine, fine. Here I am, a district director, running errands… My poor old back.”
Gao Zhengliang passed along Lu Ding’s ssage to the factions.
[Caojia Alley, Cao Yuan: Since Investigator Lu is busy, we’ll reschedule. Director Gao, please let him know he’s always welco in Caojia Alley.]
[Sihai Group, Xie Shunan: Thanks for passing on the ssage, Director Gao. Investigator Lu has many responsibilities—we were the ones being presumptuous. Whenever he’s free and thinks of us, we’ll be ready for that al.]
Gao Zhengliang flicked the ash off his cigarette.
“This Lu Ding really is different from the other investigators.”
He had seen this situation before.
Previous 749 Bureau investigators had refused dinner invitations, too.
And what happened?
Those factions would imdiately turn cold—ignoring orders, refusing to cooperate, offering nothing but half-hearted responses.
If the investigators pushed back, things would escalate.
It had happened before.
But in the end, nothing ca of it.
The 749 Bureau had strict protocols—they followed the rules and prided themselves on fairness.
But “fairness” also ant they couldn’t strong-arm people into cooperating.
Investigators often needed local cooperation to get things done.
Dinner was just an excuse—it was really about setting the tone.
No one expected any real promises, just a show of goodwill.
Yet this ti, things were different.
Lu Ding rejected them, and they still stayed polite.
That was rare.
Gao Zhengliang found it fascinating.
“A damn intern investigator is more effective than the full-ti ones. That’s weird as hell.”
Then another ssage ca in.
Gao Zhengliang smirked. “Now this is more like the usual response.”
He took a screenshot and sent it to Lu Ding and Yan Feifan.
The ssage read:
[Wuzang Shengshe, Tang Hu: Who the hell does Lu Ding think he is? We invite him to dinner, and he brushes us off? What, trying to act like so big shot? Playing the ‘new boss, new rules’ act? He better watch himself—Corpse-Shattering Taishui, my ass! Pffft. Tell him to be careful.]
Just as Gao Zhengliang sent the screenshot, the ssage got retracted.
A new one appeared:
[Director Gao, this is Tang Bao from Wuzang Shengshe. My second brother had too much to drink—please just ignore that ssage.]
Gao Zhengliang snuffed out his cigarette.
“Ignore it? Yeah, right.”
“I’m too old for people to be venting their frustrations at . If you dare to bad-mouth soone, then don’t be scared of getting exposed. I didn’t add anything extra—it’s your own words, not mine.”
Even as a re director, he had his pride.
Sure, Cultivators of Qi weren’t under his jurisdiction.
But with Lu Ding in town, he finally had so backing.
At his age, might as well enjoy the ride.
“Corpse-Shattering Taishui, huh? Sounds pretty ominous. I need another smoke.”
Click. The lighter flared.
A deep inhale.
A slow exhale.
User Comments
0 comments from readers