At one thirty in the morning, Zou Guoming, nicknamed Blockhead, walked into the Dark Star Bureau building drenched from head to toe. Inside, he was met with Sun Haoran, who was on duty.

Like Lightbulb, Sun Haoran was also a newcomer to the Public Security Team, but the two had totally different circumstances. Sun Haoran possessed exceptional talent and intelligence. He was held in high regard and considered the rising star of the Dark Star Bureau. Thus, his nickname was simply “Star.” He was several ranks above Lightbulb.

Seeing Blockhead in such a sorry state, Sun Haoran hurried forward. “Brother Ming, what happened?”

Blockhead wiped his face. “I found Hu Lishan.”

“Hu Lishan?” Sun Haoran murmured. He could not quite recall who that was.

Blockhead shot him a look.

There were certain things Sun Haoran would never forget, such as what kind of liquor Deputy Xiao preferred or what brand of cigarettes Old Chen smoked. Then there were other things he often forgot, like which cases he was currently assigned to.

Blockhead said, “The female university student who went missing at Flower Lake Park two days ago. I found her.”

“The university student from Flower Lake Park. Right. There’s been too much going on lately. I forgot about that case. Where is she now? How is she? Should we take a statement right away?” Sun Haoran asked, rubbing his forehead. The truth was that he still could not remember the case in the slightest, but for the sake of appearances, he still had to pretend he did.

Blockhead waved his hand. “There’s no need for a statement. I didn’t find her alive. I found a body. Get someone to retrieve it.”

“A body?” Sun Haoran froze. “Brother Ming, how did you find it?”

“I checked the surveillance footage and looked for traces of the victim’s last movements. It’s hard to explain here. I’ll tell you at the scene.”

Sun Haoran nodded. “I’ll notify the two captains immediately.”

Blockhead told him to arrange for the victim’s body to be retrieved, yet Sun Haoran’s first thought was to inform the captains.

It was no wonder that someone like him was destined to be a star.

***

Late at night, Li Banfeng slipped out from under the quilt and got dressed, feeling refreshed and clearheaded.

He had made a promise to Old Mister Yao, so he kept his word, of course. He had a meal with Yu Nan, had wine with her, and even slept with her.

Old Mister Yao had not been wrong. It was indeed warmer sharing a quilt with another person.

However, Yu Nan had not slept at all… because Li Banfeng had done nothing except sleep.

Watching Li Banfeng disappear into the night, Yu Nan covered her mouth and sobbed softly.

***

Li Banfeng placed the Intestinal Roller Silkworm in front of Chubby Qin. He laid out all the pros and cons and left the choice to Chubby Qin.

Chubby Qin did not hesitate for a second. He picked up the Intestinal Roller Silkworm and swallowed it down with Old Mister Yao’s medicinal liquor. “Big Bro Qi, since it’s something you’re giving me, it has to be good. I, Qin Tianjiu, will remember this kindness for the rest of my life. If I can’t handle such a good thing, that just means I don’t have much luck, and my life is fated to be short. If I end up suffering a calamity, it is something I deserve. I would never blame you, Big Bro Qi.”

Li Banfeng nodded. “With courage like that, you’re someone who will accomplish great things.”

After chatting for a while, Chubby Qin brought up news that the Three Heroes Sect had received.

“There’s no sign of Lu Dongjun’s movements anywhere. Many are saying he’s dead. Our Copper Seal told us that the Lu Family’s old patriarch, Lu Maoxian, said it publicly. That Monkey Qiu killed Lu Dongjun.”

Li Banfeng asked, “Did Monkey Qiu admit it?”

“Of course not. No matter how big the conflict was, Monkey Qiu shouldn’t have killed someone from the Lu Family. To divert the blame from him, he falsely accused Lu Maoxian instead. Looks like the two families are about to go to war. Even our two Golden Seals have gotten involved.”

“Where will they fight? Greenwater City or the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs?”

“I heard it’ll still be in Greenwater City, but there’s trouble at the Ridges too. That’s what Brother Liuze told me.

“After Lu Dongjun left, the businesses at the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs were taken over by the He Family and the Ling Family. The two sides didn’t split the gains evenly, and now it looks like they’re about to start fighting as well.”

The Ling family? Li Banfeng thought. When did the Ling Family get involved in what’s going on at the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs?

Chubby Qin continued, “At the Ridges, all the factions are preparing to make their move. The Azure Cloud Society is backing the He Family, and the Hundred Flowers Sect is siding with the Ling brothers.”

“What about the Jiangxiang Gang?”

Chubby Qin sneered. When he spoke, his voice was dripping with disdain. “The Jiangxiang Gang? Those guys are nothing. How could they possibly be a part of such a grand battlefield?”

“Which side is the Three Heroes Sect taking?”

“The sect leader has a closer relationship with the He Family, while the second and third branch masters get along better with the Ling Family. But our Silver Seal said it clearly. Business is business, friendship is friendship. When the battle truly begins, who knows what the situation will be like?

“There’s another grudge that’s about to be settled. A few days ago, Monkey Qiu sent a message to the Chu Family’s Second Young Lady, telling her to hand over the Paramount Club within a month. The Chu Family’s Second Young Lady replied that the Paramount Club is jointly run by her and the Ma Family’s Fifth Young Master. She said she would have to discuss it with him. The Ma Family’s Fifth Young Master… we’ve met him before, at the Peddler’s stall. That f-fifth y-young m-master…”

Halfway through his sentence, Chubby Qin broke out in a cold sweat and could not continue speaking.

“What about him?” Li Banfeng asked. He realised that the worst-case scenario he had feared had occurred. That madwoman, the Chu Family’s Second Young Lady, had dragged trouble straight to them.

“Big Bro Qi, l-let me eat something first…”

Chubby Qin wiped his sweat and grabbed a flatbread, chewing quickly.

Before long, a kilogram of flatbread had disappeared into his stomach. Chubby Qin regained some strength and said to Li Banfeng, “There’s leftover rice in the pot. I’ll heat it up, and we can eat together—”

Li Banfeng shook his head. “I’m not eating. Tell me about that fifth young master first. I find this rather interesting.”

“There’s been no sign of his movements. No one knows where he is. The Chu Family’s Second Young Lady has moved into Blue Poplar Village, and she refuses to leave! Monkey Qiu is furious. He said he’ll settle the score with Blue Poplar Village as well. That village is Lu Family territory. Ma Wu seized it without even informing the Lu Family…”

Seeing Chubby Qin constantly wiping sweat from his face, Li Banfeng figured his friend was still hungry. He left Chubby Qin one hundred silver dollars and reminded him not to starve himself.

After leaving the courtyard, Li Banfeng went to Feng’s General Store.

There was still no progress on the travel permit. Li Banfeng bought some canned food, biscuits, fuel, and engine oil.

Once he acquired everything, he returned to the Pocket Dwelling and put his purchases away. Just as he was about to head back out, he noticed that the door to the outer room stood open.

Li Banfeng stepped inside and found the Arcane Crimson Lotus’s petals had opened wide. There were two lotus seeds ready to be plucked.

He plucked one out and placed it on his palm. Then he watched as it slowly cracked open, releasing Ninety-eight Golden Essence Pills.

These pills were made from Pan Dehai’s heart tissue. Lu Dongliang’s full body yielded eighty-one Golden Essence Pills, yet just a chunk of Pan Dehai’s heart produced ninety-eight? Is the difference in the quality of their bodies really that vast?

The second lotus seed burst apart and released thirty-six Golden Essence Pills.

The body of the Dripper, whose cultivation had not even reached level five, had yielded those thirty-six Golden Essence Pills, only two fewer pills than Madam Bagworm Moth, who had been at level eight. This aberrant creature, who had been born and lived on Mount Bloodfang, was truly no simple being.

Combined with the sixty Golden Essence Pills remaining from the batch made using Lu Dongliang’s body, Li Banfeng’s new total number of Golden Essence Pills was one hundred and ninety-four.

These pills represented nineteen thousand four hundred days of cultivation time, which translated to fifty-one years and a little over one month.

A sudden impulse seized Li Banfeng. He wanted to swallow every single Golden Essence Pill in one go.

If he did, he would become a level-eight cultivator.

He still had Blue Poplar Pills. With one hundred and fifty-eight remaining in his inventory, he had fewer Blue Poplar Pills than Golden Essence Pills. However, the difference was negligible.

At first, he made the calculations purely out of curiosity. However, after running the numbers for a while, one thought consumed him.

A level-eight cultivator…

Having stayed in Puluo for quite a while now, Li Banfeng knew exactly what becoming a level-eight cultivator meant.

He held the pills in his hands, his eyes bright with excitement. Just as he was about to shove the pills into his mouth, a mini whirlwind burst from the Arcane Crimson Lotus and stopped him cold.

The Arcane Crimson Lotus thought, That reckless madman! No one can ever tell what he truly intends to do!

The mini whirlwind from the Arcane Crimson Lotus snapped Li Banfeng back to his senses.

The Arcane Crimson Lotus was right to stop him. He could not consume the pills. His Homebound Cultivation was at level three, and his Wanderlust Cultivation was also at level three.

If his Wanderlust Cultivation rose to level eight, while his Homebound path remained unchanged, he would die on the spot.

After calming himself, Li Banfeng took a Blue Poplar Pill and swallowed a single Golden Essence Pill. Once his body stabilized, he set off on the route through the New Land, hurrying toward Blue Poplar Village.

***

At Flower Lake Park, members of the Dark Star Bureau were extracting the body from the lake.

Xiao Zhenggong had no interest in such a minor case, so he was not present at the crime scene.

Sun Haoran was reporting the work to Old Chen. “Investigator Zou Guoming and I reviewed the surveillance footage at the scene and discovered several overlooked details. We found Hu Lishan’s discarded glove by the lake and followed that lead to locate her body…”

Lightbulb turned to the side and spat out a mouthful of saliva. “Shameless. Blockhead was the one who found the body. He’s just the messenger, and he’s claiming credit, yet his cheeks aren’t the slightest bit red with shame.”

Blockhead chuckled. “Forget it. What matters is that we close the case. Whose credit it is doesn’t matter.”

Sun Haoran continued reporting the details of the investigation. Old Chen listened with a smile, and Tangyuan carefully took notes.

When Sun Haoran was done with the report, Old Chen nodded. “As expected of our Bureau’s star. You handled this case very efficiently.”

Tangyuan nodded. “Star’s future is limitless.”

Sun Haoran smiled modestly. “Brother Ming guided me the whole way. It was all thanks to his experience that we found Hu Lishan’s body. I only helped from the side.

“The seniors in our team all take good care of me. Old Chen and Deputy Xiao go without saying, and Sister Xuehan and Brother Ming have been especially kind to me.”

Tangyuan, You Xuehan, said nothing.

Whether in private or in public, Sun Haoran often flirted with Tangyuan. She did admire this bright, handsome, and motivated junior colleague, but she felt his behavior today was somewhat improper. Blockhead was the team’s most senior member. Sun Haoran should not be taking his credit.

Old Chen did not state his opinion on it. He smoked quietly and looked at Blockhead with a meaningful gaze.

Blockhead was chatting with Lightbulb as if the matter of credit did not concern him at all. It was only a missing-person case. For the Dark Star Bureau, it hardly counted as a significant achievement. Yet, Old Chen felt something was slightly off. He just could not see where the problem lay.

After the body was retrieved, Zou Guoming said he was exhausted and requested a week of leave. Old Chen approved it and handed Hu Lishan’s case entirely over to Sun Haoran.

Sun Haoran was thrilled.

Lightbulb was furious. As he drove Blockhead home, he complained the whole way.

“Brother Blockhead, why are you going on leave now? Aren’t you just making things easy for that brat, handing over the credit like that? Aren’t you afraid he’ll climb above you one day?”

Blockhead shook his head with a smile. “He’s going to climb up sooner or later anyway. He knows how to deal with people. I only know how to get things done.”

“I just can’t stand how he schemes…”

While Lightbulb kept grumbling, Blockhead turned his gaze toward the Western-style house in the park.

Hu Lishan’s case was not important to him. What mattered was that he saw a New Land for the first time in his life. Blockhead had never been to Puluo. New Lands were supposed to only exist there, yet he had seen one in the Outer Provinces.

It was actually He Jiaqing who had found Hu Lishan’s body, and he had found it inside that New Land. He had fabricated all the traces of the victim by the lakeside.

For Blockhead, getting the credit for the case was unimportant. Letting Sun Haoran take it was the better choice. As long as Hu Lishan’s case was closed, the existence of the New Land would remain a secret.

Within the Dark Star Bureau, Blockhead was destined to remain an investigator for life. But the person who could change his fate had finally appeared.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep