He Yuzhu returns in Siheyuan

Chapter 752 Liu Qi

Li Chuan was well prepared. He pulled out a crudely made black business card from his pocket, the edges a little worn. He handed it over with steady fingertips, his tone so calm that not a trace of emotion could be heard: "I want to meet your boss. We have already made an appointment."

The gatekeeper took the business card, looked at it over and over for a long time, stroking the blurred gold-plated words on it with his fingertips, and then looked up at Li Chuan carefully - he saw that he was wearing a coarse cloth jacket that was washed white, and there was a little mud on his trouser legs. He looked like an ordinary country man, but the calmness in him was extraordinary. He didn't ask any more questions, nodded, and stepped aside to make way: "Follow me." As he said that, he turned around and walked towards the second floor of the restaurant, the heels of his leather shoes knocking on the stair boards, making a dull sound.

Li Chuan followed behind, his pace neither hurried nor slow, his mind clear as a mirror: when dealing with these underworld figures, one must be extremely cautious. For this meeting, he had deliberately adopted a complete disguise: his skin was smeared two or three shades darker than usual with a special cream, giving it a sun-kissed tan; his eyebrows were slightly modified with a dark brown eyebrow pencil, thickening the ends to give them a rougher and more aggressive look; the coarse cloth jacket he wore was a find at a thrift store, the cuffs frayed and carrying a faint musty smell, giving it a distinctly rustic air. Even an acquaintance would have been stunned for a moment before recognizing him from those eyes.

I was led to the door of the innermost room on the second floor. The door panel was made of heavy pear wood, with intricate carvings on it. The gatekeeper raised his hand and knocked on the door panel three times, neither loud nor soft. "Boss, the person is here."

The door creaked open, and a man with a buzz cut and a pinkie-thick gold chain around his neck poked his head out. His eyes were still a little red, and his face had a sleepy, almost sleepy air. When he saw Li Chuan, his brows furrowed slightly, a hint of obvious confusion flashed in his eyes, and he asked, "Who is this?"

Li Chuan stepped forward and took out the black business card again, handing it over. His fingertips bent slightly to cover the worn edge of the card, while introducing himself calmly: "Hello, Mr. Liu Qi. This is my business card. I'm from the north, and your friend introduced me here. I'd like to discuss business with you."

Liu Qi took the card, twisting it between his fingers. The pigeon-egg-sized gold ring on his knuckles shone brightly in the light. He looked Li Chuan up and down, from the muddy toes of his shoes to his sweat-soaked collar. A playful smile slowly spread across his face. "Oh? A friend introduced you? I wonder which friend is so influential that he'd allow a guest of mine, Liu, to bring a stranger in a coarse coat to see me?"

Li Chuan met his scrutinizing gaze without blinking, and calmly gave his name: "It's Zheng Qiang. He said that he and you have a life-long friendship and can be considered the best of brothers."

When Liu Qi heard the name "Zheng Qiang," the playful expression on his face instantly disappeared. The gold chain around his neck swayed as he moved. He stepped aside to open the door and said, "Come in and talk."

Li Chuan knew that Zheng Qiang and Liu Qi were sworn brothers in the underworld. Once he said this, it was equivalent to revealing his identity as "one of them". So he did not hesitate and walked straight in.

Liu Qi closed the door behind him, and the room suddenly became quiet. He walked over to the eight-immortal table, picked up the purple clay teapot on the table, and poured a cup of tea for Li Chuan. The tea soup was amber in color and had a refreshing fragrance. "I wonder what Boss Li wants to talk to me about? Zheng Qiang didn't tell me in advance."

Li Chuan took a sip from his teacup, the warm tea sliding down his throat as he mentally considered his words. When dealing with these people, telling the truth would make them vulnerable, but lying would be hard to convince. He had to mix in some truth. He put down his teacup and spoke slowly, "Look, a friend asked me to spy on someone. He's a bit eccentric, and I'm not sure if he has any special abilities—the kind... that allow him to do things out of thin air, you know."

Liu Qi raised his eyebrows and tapped his fingertips on the table. "Could what Boss Li was talking about be the 'witchcraft' that's been circulating around?"

Li Chuan's heart moved. He had never thought that this place would actually call supernatural powers "demon arts." But he didn't explain much, just nodded and said, "That's about it. I just want to ask you to help me see if that person named He Yuzhu has that kind of 'demon energy', so that we can facilitate the follow-up actions."

When Liu Qi heard the name "He Yuzhu," he suddenly stood up from his chair, his gold chain clanging against the corner of the table. The nonchalance on his face instantly vanished, and he stared at Li Chuan sharply: "Boss Li, I'm afraid you're not here to do business with me, but to cause trouble for me, right?"

Li Chuan's heart skipped a beat when he heard Liu Qi's cryptic words, as if something had gripped him hard, and a thin layer of sweat instantly broke out on his back. But he had seen enough, and he forced himself to remain calm, forcing a strained smile. "Boss Liu, what are you talking about? If I'm not here to do business, what else could I be doing? Am I supposed to be on the government payroll? That's not the kind of thing I'd do. I'm just an ordinary citizen, asking for a small favor."

Liu Qi also laughed, but the smile did not reach his eyes. There was a hint of inexplicable meaning in his tone: "I did talk too much and offended Boss Li. But what you said is not wrong - this matter has nothing to do with me in the first place. I just want to make a living." He paused, then changed the subject, his eyes sweeping over Li Chuan sharply, "Although you are a friend of Boss Zheng Qiang, I have to give you face, but in our business, we always pay money and receive goods, cash on delivery. I wonder if Boss Li can be more straightforward?"

Li Chuan was now certain that the other party had probably seen through his true identity long ago, and he secretly cursed Zheng Qiang for being unreliable and revealing his identity. But he remained calm and replied with a smile, "Don't worry, Boss Liu, money is not a problem. As long as the job is done well, you will definitely get some benefits. But the task I've entrusted you to do must be completed properly, without any mistakes."

Liu Qi nodded readily. "To be honest, Boss Li, I happen to have two men who know a bit about the situation. They're skilled at investigating things and probing the truth. I'll have them do some research and they'll definitely be able to tell if it's real or not. All you have to do is give me a photo of the person you want to investigate, how's that?"

Li Chuan finally breathed a sigh of relief, his heart half relieved, and quickly responded, "Okay, it's settled. I'll have someone send the money over shortly. Thank you for your help, Boss Liu."