Lin Qianqian was perplexed by Tie Nan’s actions. On the surface, it seemed he didn’t want to be tied to her because of the Buddhist beads, but wasn’t giving them to her even more likely to cause misunderstanding?
However, Lin Qianqian ultimately accepted the Buddhist beads.
Firstly, her position in the General Bureau was too low. Although her master was the brother of the General Bureau’s boss, she was still an outsider and couldn’t help her much at crucial moments. m..oΓg
Just like earlier, if those seniors were truly wary, they wouldn’t have been able to refute her!
Therefore, she really needed Tie Nan as her backer.
Secondly, it was also because his hospitality was hard to refuse. After speaking, Tie Nan had directly slumped onto the table and fallen asleep, with the fine wine she had just given him placed beside him.
Old Master Tie’s tolerance for alcohol was legendary, so Lin Qianqian certainly wasn’t foolish enough to believe he was truly drunk.
“Sigh, I’d rather not come here if I can avoid it in the future.”
Lin Qianqian sighed in the end. Without status, she was indeed hindered everywhere; even an opinion required discussion among the majority. Only when she returned to the police station did she feel that sense of high-ranking strategic insight.
After returning to the police station, Lin Qianqian sent the final outcome of the meeting to Li Chonglou. The latter had already left Shangjing. Although Lin Qianqian’s message was brief, he could still discern her efforts to fight for him.
“It seems I owe someone another favor.”
Li Chonglou murmured, putting down his phone. Luo Feng, who was traveling ahead, suddenly turned back and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Li Chonglou shook his head. “How much longer until we reach our destination?”
“Soon. At our current speed, about a day and a half should be enough.”
To the north of China, at the border with the Bear Country, lay a primeval forest, and the canyon Luo Feng mentioned was in the westernmost part of this forest. Due to its special location, neither commercial nor private planes could reach it; one could only travel on foot.
For an ordinary person, even a special forces soldier with extensive jungle experience, it would take at least half a month to find the place. A day and a half was theoretically very fast.
However, Li Chonglou still felt it was slow.
But Luo Feng was the planner of this operation, and since he had agreed, he could only act together with him.
What he didn’t expect was that the journey would end up taking him over a week.
From the moment he entered the primeval forest, he lost contact with the outside world. It wasn't until he and Luo Feng had completely finalized the mission plan that he discovered his phone had dozens of missed calls and over ten text messages.
“Damn it, Brother Li, it’s a good thing I asked you to come along this time. If I were alone, I’m afraid I would have perished in there!”
Although they only found one spiritual pill on this operation, their spirits were high because they had discussed it beforehand. Especially after witnessing some of Li Chonglou’s strength, their relationship had already leveled up.
Li Chonglou merely glanced at his phone cursorily before discreetly putting it back in his pocket and smiling, “Brother Luo, flattery also requires payment.”
Luo Feng immediately rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry, I won’t shortchange you by a single cent of what we agreed. Do you really not trust me?”
“Not at all, I’m just giving you a reminder, considering the substantial amount, you know.”
Li Chonglou’s smile drew another roll of Luo Feng’s eyes, but the latter then suddenly exclaimed, “This time, I’ve truly broadened my horizons. I never thought such magical places existed in this world. This spiritual pill, it’s naturally formed.”
Li Chonglou was quite knowledgeable in this area and calmly replied, “If I’m not mistaken, it was originally a spiritual spring. Many ancient texts mention them. The environment for cultivators back then was quite good, at least the spiritual energy was more abundant than now.”
Luo Feng sighed, “Spiritual energy, spiritual energy. There’s so little of this stuff in modern times. Even a spiritual lake with a moderate amount of energy can at most make one feel comfortable; it’s no longer enough to sustain our cultivation practices.”
“The cultivation methods are different. Even if such an environment suddenly appeared now, you might not be able to utilize it.”
Every era has its own characteristics and living environment. Although their spiritual energy is insufficient, their cultivation methods have been improved, allowing them to achieve superhuman heights. Therefore, Li Chonglou had never envied the predecessors of the past.
Luo Feng also nodded upon hearing this, “Indeed, we humans are too adaptable. Unlike those animals, damn it, a little spiritual energy can cause mutations. If their temperament weren't so ferocious, I’d even want to capture one to keep as a pet.”
Luo Feng’s face was full of regret, but he failed to notice Li Chonglou’s expression suddenly freeze.
Uh, it seems I’ve really forgotten Xiao Bai.
Ever since he had Yue Hai and fused souls, he had overlooked Xiao Bai’s existence. Even the mutated creatures he encountered earlier with Luo Feng hadn’t reminded him until Luo Feng mentioned it now.
“It looks like I need to go to Wutaoshan first when I get back.”
It had been quite some time since Xiao Bai fell into hibernation. After returning to China, Li Chonglou parted ways with Luo Feng and headed to Wutaoshan, while meticulously reviewing information.
The calls and messages were from four people: Hei Dao, Lin Qianqian, Zhou Tong, and Hu Han.
The matters were divided into three categories: Firstly, the General Bureau had decided to meet him and instructed him to report to Lin Qianqian upon his return. Secondly, the matter in Feng Town had been resolved three days ago. With the efforts of Hei Dao and others, and the cooperation of Chen Peiyue, they had successfully helped the Sun Corporation establish a foothold in Feng Town.
They had also obtained the permits, but they hadn’t returned yet because Li Chonglou’s previous instructions had no time limit. Now, Hei Dao and the others, along with Yue Hai, were guarding the Sun Corporation, awaiting his reply.
The third matter was that something had happened with the Hu family.
However, after Li Chonglou finished reading the messages from the two, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t a major problem. Hu Han had finally drawn the attention of Hu Tian and other original family members in the Hu family, causing him to face numerous obstacles in business.
Zhou Tong’s situation was similar, except that his company was the one facing obstruction.
A clothing company called Lantian, an established veteran in Shangjing, had recently begun suppressing his Tong Gu Ming Jin. Not only did they poach his customers with low prices, but they had also deliberately produced a batch of clothing of the same quality but at a lower price to seize his market share.
Compared to the previous matters, this last one was what Li Chonglou prioritized the most.
After all, the preceding issues were merely temporary. As long as there was time to handle them properly, they could be resolved. However, company matters could not be delayed. The market changed with time, and once his company’s image became fixed in the public eye, it would be difficult to change!
However, he couldn't rush this matter. Li Chonglou first called Zhou Tong.
“What’s the situation now?”
“You’re finally reachable!”