The two spoke with irrefutable logic, leaving Li Chonglou no choice but to nod in agreement.
"Then let's head over. I'll take you to meet someone first."
Instantly energized, the two pulled Li Chonglou along and hurried towards Wushan Town.
Along the way, Su Qi provided Li Chonglou with more information about this man named Qiu Bai.
Twenty-one years old, addicted to alcohol. It was unclear if it was due to his mother's situation, but after observing him for two days, they never saw a liquor bottle leave his hand.
"We originally intended to approach him through his drinking, but Tian You was not in a good mood at the time, which left a bad impression on him. Ever since then, this fellow has been resistant whenever he sees us."
This was clearly a hint for Li Chonglou to try the same approach. As they spoke, they soon arrived at their destination.
Wushan Town was divided into six districts, named after five fingers, with the middle one being the Palm District. The names were a bit peculiar but easy to remember. The three of them were currently in the Index Finger District.
Qiu Bai's home was a single-story house, only about fifty to sixty square meters, but it was a separate dwelling situated on a slope.
When the three arrived, the door to the house was open. Inside, a man with a flushed face was seated.
He was quite young, and while not exceptionally handsome, he had a look that grew on you. He possessed a certain demeanor, though at the moment, all that was present was the alcoholic haze unique to drunkards.
The arrival of the three did not draw his attention. Su Qi, unfazed, remarked, "Let's let him sleep it off. This guy is always dead drunk whenever we see him. Doesn't he fear death?"
Li Chonglou stood outside the door, watching Su Qi skillfully enter, knock the man unconscious, and then toss him back onto the bed.
"Senior Tian You, aren't you afraid of being investigated afterward?"
Wouldn't knocking someone out be considered an assault on an ordinary person?
"Heh, do you think this fellow will know what happened?"
Tian You smiled and stepped inside. Seeing this, Li Chonglou could only follow.
Upon entering, the interior was almost as spacious as their temporary accommodation. Apart from a bed and a table, there was nothing else. Li Chonglou had hoped to find other clues inside.
It seemed there was no hope of that now.
"So, we'll wait here for him?"
"What else? Do you dare to wake him using your internal energy?"
Waking up naturally and being woken by internal energy were entirely different experiences. Doing so could lead to real trouble afterward.
However, sobering up wasn't something that happened in an instant. Seeing the two of them sit down at the table, Li Chonglou couldn't help but fall silent.
"Perhaps I should go out for a walk and see if there are any other clues?"
There were only two chairs inside. He couldn't possibly sit on the bed, so Li Chonglou proposed this with a hint of resignation.
The two exchanged glances. Su Qi suddenly said to Tian You, "Let him take you for a walk. We've been here for a while, and it'll save you from wandering aimlessly."
"Alright, that would be a great help. We can't leave things unsupervised here."
They were the ones who had knocked the person out. If anything happened in the interim, investigations would become troublesome. Li Chonglou understood this, so he wasn't surprised by their decision to stay.
However, Su Qi's words clearly had a hidden motive, which Li Chonglou didn't expose.
Although it felt like he was being supervised, under Tian You's guidance, Li Chonglou's understanding of Wushan Town indeed reached a new level.
"Before Du Tian arrived here, it was just a small village?"
Tian You's words greatly surprised Li Chonglou. According to him, Wushan Town's history spanned only a few decades. Before that, it was a small village named Zhang Village, located in the Palm District, which was the center of the entire Wushan Town.
But why hadn't he learned this information from other residents? Uncle Qiu Wan hadn't mentioned it either.
Tian You explained, "We learned about this secret from Qiu Bai. However, we found out about Du Tian's affairs by checking the bureau's records."
"Du Tian came here thirty years ago, and Wushan Town was established with government support twenty-eight years ago."
Tian You clearly had more to say, and Li Chonglou directly asked, "Are you implying that this small town was built with Du Tian's support?"
Tian You nodded. Anyone who discovered this would have the same thought, but why?
Tian You and Su Qi also couldn't figure out this question, while Li Chonglou fell into deep thought, connecting the previous pieces of information.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him. Li Chonglou suddenly thought of a possibility.
Could he be trying to use this place to break the seal of the curse's power?
The moment this idea surfaced, it was like a spring breeze sweeping across the grassland, creating layers of shade! The more Li Chonglou thought about it, the more excited he became. If this were true, he wouldn't have to rely on soul bottles to unseal himself anymore!
Although there were still many souls in the soul bottles, very few could be trusted. Using a new one each time was almost like gambling, betting that the other party had no ulterior motives.
As the saying goes, you can't walk by the river without getting your feet wet. Li Chonglou had long been considering how to solve this problem!
"But I can't rush now, lest I alert the enemy."
In just a few minutes, Li Chonglou had recalibrated his mindset. However, for the rest of their walk, most of his attention was focused on this issue.
It wasn't until three hours later that Tian You finally received a call from Su Qi.
"Let's go, he's awake."
It was already nine o'clock in the evening. The temperature in the mountains changed drastically. As the two of them walked out of the restaurant, they felt a cold wind blowing. The pedestrians on the street had become sparse.
"I guess he was woken up by the cold."
Li Chonglou tightened his collar. As it turned out, his guess was correct. When the two returned to Qiu Bai's residence, they saw him curled up in the corner of the bed, shivering.
"I'll leave this to you."
Su Qi patted Li Chonglou on the shoulder, and then left with Tian You. He had to stay here to guard. If he were present for what happened next, he would also be held accountable.
Li Chonglou looked at the young man, who was only in his early twenties, again.
Strangely, even though three strangers had barged into his home, Qiu Bai's attention was still fixed on the foot of his bed, as if there was some secret there.
Of course, it wasn't a secret, just a state of distraction.
Li Chonglou cleared his throat lightly and initiated the conversation, "Hello, my name is Lou Zhong. I'm from the General Bureau."
Qiu Bai acted as if he hadn't heard, his gaze still fixed on the foot of his bed.
Li Chonglou thought for a moment and changed his approach, "Well, the dead cannot be brought back to life. Please accept my condolences."
Qiu Bai finally reacted, and his face changed drastically!
"You, you know what!"
Although he had the face of a young man, Qiu Bai's voice was extremely hoarse, as if his throat had been torn by something, sounding very strange.