"I hope so."
The old man sighed and sat down again.
"If that's the case, I'll agree to cooperate with you, as long as you promise to help me with one thing."
The old man lowered his head and took a puff of his water pipe. Li Chonglou didn't notice a flash of clarity in his eyes, which had already become clear.
However, even if he had seen it, Li Chonglou wouldn't have cared. After realizing the old man was no ordinary person, his plan had changed.
From the old man's previous words, it was clear that he knew more about Feng Town than they did. Since the Hu family could be his backyard, why couldn't Feng Town?
It was precisely because Li Chonglou thought of this that he didn't threaten the old man. What he wanted now wasn't to achieve his goal for the moment, but long-term stable cooperation!
So, facing the old man's request, Li Chonglou said directly.
"Please speak."
The old man took another puff of his water pipe with a gurgling sound. As the smoke wafted across his face, a trace of vicissitudes appeared on his aged face.
"You must have inquired about my grandson's situation."
Li Chonglou nodded.
"I want you to help me find my grandson and also to restore my daughter-in-law to her normal state."
Li Chonglou's brows furrowed immediately. "Old Bai, that's two things."
Li Chonglou reverted to his nickname for the old man. Calling him "esteemed sir" earlier was a sign of respect, but calling him back by his nickname now was to shorten the distance, making negotiations more convenient.
The old man, however, suddenly acted shamelessly, "This is just one matter. As long as you can find my grandson, my daughter-in-law's condition will naturally improve. I'm just mentioning it in passing."
I don't believe you.
Li Chonglou had seen this kind of rhetoric many times. Although he said it was just a passing remark now, if his daughter-in-law were completely mentally unstable in the future, even if he found her, he could claim the condition wasn't met.
Therefore, Li Chonglou didn't back down. "I can only agree to one of your requests. You choose one."
"Then find my grandson for me."
A trace of smugness flashed across the old man's face. Li Chonglou's expression froze for a moment, then he reacted.
He had been tricked again. The older the ginger, the spicier it is.
If his focus had been on the grandson just now, it would have undoubtedly meant agreeing to cure his daughter-in-law. And now, with the focus on his daughter-in-law, it also meant agreeing to help him find his grandson!
But the problem was that the person had been missing for so long, and even with his abilities, it was useless. Where could he go to find them now?
Li Chonglou said with a wry smile, "Old Bai, I hope you understand that when negotiating cooperation, the conditions cannot exceed the limits."
The old man chuckled, "Whether it's within limits or not depends on me. If I asked you to drink water, and you said you were allergic to water, wouldn't that mean we couldn't negotiate?"
Li Chonglou frowned slightly, but he didn't immediately agree to the old man's request. "Then tell me about your grandson's situation first. Are there any clues?"
The old man sighed immediately. "If there were clues, I wouldn't need you. I could find him myself."
Li Chonglou's eyes narrowed. Just as he was about to speak, he heard the old man say again.
"However, if you can investigate the files at the Capital General Bureau, you should be able to find clues. This matter involves a major case in the Capital, and our Feng Town police station does not have the authority."
Capital General Bureau?
Li Chonglou's eyes lit up, but he still shook his head and said, "Old Bai, this is a bit too much to ask. How many people like us in the martial world have any connection to the Capital General Bureau? It's already good that we aren't on the wanted list."
"Then I don't care. I only have this one request. Anyway, I've lived long enough. If you want to cause trouble in Feng Town, feel free to do so."
The old man completely adopted a defiant attitude and continued to puff on his water pipe.
Li Chonglou didn't respond immediately but stood there thinking.
Negotiating cooperation could also be seen as a negotiation. The initial conditions didn't represent the final agreed terms. Both were just testing each other's bottom line.
Li Chonglou now understood that the old man could still make concessions, otherwise, he would have known that no one could possibly meet such a condition.
To cooperate, it must be based on mutual understanding.
So, Li Chonglou organized his thoughts and then spoke again.
"How about this, I agree to inquire about your grandson's situation at the Capital General Bureau, but that's all. What I need is for you to step forward and speak a few fair words."
The old man's movements suddenly stopped. He never expected Li Chonglou to immediately hit his bottom line. Indeed, his initial intention was this.
A child who had been missing for over a year, with no clues whatsoever – no one could find him in such a short time. Therefore, the old man's initial bottom line was to exchange the clues about his grandson for it.
However, to be cut to the bottom line so quickly clearly put him at a disadvantage!
But just as the old man was about to haggle, Li Chonglou directly thwarted his plan.
"That's it. That's all I can do. If Old Bai still thinks it's not enough, then I will have to resort to my own methods."
Li Chonglou's tone was light, but the old man's body stiffened.
In fact, he had already been quite accommodating. One was in his prime, and the other was advanced in age. Anyone else might have resorted to force long ago, why would they waste so much time here?
If the old man was sensible, Li Chonglou was willing to abide by the rules of the martial world, but if not, he would only use the quickest means to achieve his goal!
As someone who had crawled out of a pile of corpses, he was naturally adept at being cold-blooded and ruthless, but he had always maintained his own bottom line. As long as no one violated it, he was willing to abide by it.
But this didn't mean he couldn't do it!
The old man naturally understood this and immediately let out a heavy sigh.
"Understood, then it's settled."
A smile reappeared on Li Chonglou's face, and then he began to discuss the specific details with the old man.
No one expected things to go so smoothly. The people outside the alley, seeing Li Chonglou not come out for so long, thought something had happened.
"Should we go in and take a look?"
Sen Bao suggested first.
Hei Dao hesitated, while Yue Hai was much calmer.
"What could happen to Brother Li?"
"That's not how you should put it. There's always someone better, what if it's an ambush?"
Sen Lang's attitude was the same as his brother's. This was mainly because they had followed Li Chonglou for a short time. Although Hei Dao had followed him longer than Yue Hai, he hadn't seen Li Chonglou in action as much as Yue Hai had, so he also felt hesitant.