Opening the celestial eye consumes a vast amount of spiritual energy.
Li Chonglou felt so exhausted after trying it twice that he slept for an entire afternoon.
He was only woken up by Jiang Yuxin returning from work.
“Wu Hao couldn't find you, and wondered if you were resting at home or not feeling well,” Jiang Yuxin asked with concern, seeing Li Chonglou still groggy.
Li Chonglou picked up his phone and saw three missed calls, all from Wu Hao.
He hadn't expected to sleep so soundly.
He hadn't felt this tired since he started cultivating the Heart Method from the sheepskin scroll.
It seemed the newly acquired heavenly eye was a double-edged sword; useful if wielded correctly, but capable of exhausting him to death if misused.
However, that was a matter for later.
Since Wu Hao was looking for him now, it must be urgent. He made an okay gesture to Jiang Yuxin and called Wu Hao back. "Haozi, did you find the killer?"
“The person has been found, but…” Wu Hao hesitated.
Li Chonglou urged him, "What is it, just say it."
“I checked the person's information. He’s an employee of a company under the Lu Group. After resigning, his wages were withheld by his superior, and he lost the lawsuit.” Wu Hao sighed. “I couldn’t reach you, so I’ve already called the police.”
Wu Hao’s words carried a palpable sense of powerlessness.
What they thought was a killer might just be someone seeking revenge for unpaid wages.
What else could one do when facing such a desperate individual, other than sigh?
Should they retaliate?
When you're dressed and they're barefoot, how can you even play?
“Got it. Leave this matter to Lu Chenggong. You don’t need to worry about it anymore,” Li Chonglou said, a cold glint in his eyes.
Wu Hao didn’t know the full story and assumed it was a simple act of revenge.
But how could he not know?
This was clearly a setup. Otherwise, why wouldn’t he have sought revenge against his superior for the withheld wages and instead targeted Lu Yunxu?
Furthermore, evading camera surveillance was not something ordinary people could do.
If it weren't for Wu Hao's excellent big data collection, they wouldn't have found this person so quickly.
Of course, there was another possibility.
The assailant might not have known the mastermind who made the call.
In that case, even if the police investigated thoroughly, they wouldn't be able to connect the clues.
For now, they could only wait for news from Fan Da.
Without Fan Da’s help, finding this person would be as difficult as ascending to heaven with his current abilities.
“Honey, I need your opinion on something,” Lu Yunxu said softly, holding Li Chonglou’s hand after waiting for him to finish his thoughts for nearly ten minutes.
Her voice was unusually gentle.
Even her address was completely different from before.
The words made Li Chonglou’s heart flutter, erasing all other thoughts from his mind.
Looking at Jiang Yuxin’s beautiful face, he nodded. “Go ahead.”
He didn’t say his unspoken thought: as long as it didn’t cross his bottom line, he would grant any request.
He couldn’t help it; he only had one wife in both his lives.
“My mother said she wants to… go back to her maiden home for the New Year,” Jiang Yuxin said hesitantly, watching Li Chonglou’s expression.
Li Chonglou smiled upon hearing this.
He thought it was something major, but it turned out to be such a trivial matter.
His mother-in-law, Liu Zhiru, came from a prominent family in Huizhou’s Shanquan City, much stronger than the Jiang family.
Therefore, after marrying into the Jiang family, she was very overbearing and always overshadowed Jiang Hongyi.
However, the Jiang family never managed to become powerful, and she gradually lost her influence within her own clan. Later, when Jiang Yuxin married him, a live-in son-in-law, it not only made the Jiang family a laughingstock but also completely prevented her from holding her head high within her clan.
As a result, she hadn't dared to return to her clan in the years since he "married" into the Jiang family.
Now that she had this idea, it was likely because she wanted to bring him along to show off.
Everyone had vanity.
His mother-in-law simply had more of it.
This was not a big deal at all.
“It’s possible, but I need to bring my mother along, otherwise she’ll be all alone here,” Li Chonglou said slowly, not agreeing immediately.
“Of course, no problem!” Jiang Yuxin replied without hesitation, her face filled with joy.
She had expected Li Chonglou to refuse outright, and had even prepared herself to spend the New Year with Li Chonglou and their family of three if he refused, letting her parents go back alone.
Since she had decided to prioritize Li Chonglou from now on, she would respect all his wishes.
Whether good or bad.
But she hadn't expected Li Chonglou to be so generous and agree to accompany her parents back to her maiden home.
She was immediately filled with gratitude, feeling that her choice was incredibly correct.
Love, in its beginning, exists in joy.
That night, the two were intimate several times.
The next morning, after Jiang Yuxin left for work, Li Chonglou went to the hospital to visit Lu Yunxu.
Her condition had not changed.
There was no use in rushing; Lu Yunxu wasn't Xu Lie. She had a foundation in martial arts, and coupled with the sheepskin scroll Heart Method, miracles could occur.
She was just a weak woman; even whispering Heart Methods into her ear would be useless.
If there were Qingyan Pills, perhaps it would work, but Su Yinchuan had exhausted all his resources and only found one. It was a pipe dream to find another.
Their only hope was that heaven would have mercy on her.
Su Chenggong, accompanied by bodyguards, had stayed awake all night guarding the door. The dignified richest man in Qin Prefecture had a stubbled face and a tired look, appearing ten years older.
His right hand was swollen like a bun, a mass of bruises.
“Chonglou… have I done too much wrong, and am I now receiving retribution?” Lu Chenggong grasped Li Chonglou’s hand, his voice filled with guilt and remorse. “My daughter’s mother passed away early, and I was always busy with business and didn’t have time to spend with her.”
“I know she resents me in her heart, but… I just wanted to earn more money to make her life better, so she wouldn’t have to struggle on the brink of starvation like ordinary people.”
“Over the years, I know I’ve done many things against my conscience, but that was all for the company…”
“If heaven is to mete out retribution, let it be upon me, not her!”
He had already gone to the police station, armed with a steel pipe.
His excuse was to see the killer and ask why he had harmed his daughter.
But upon seeing the person, he didn't say a word and immediately attacked.
He broke the man's left leg on the spot. Even when the steel pipe bent, he wasn't satisfied and continued to attack with his fists.
If the police hadn't intervened in time, he would have beaten the scoundrel to death.
Afterward, he naturally learned the surface information Wu Hao had mentioned: that his subordinate's company executive had withheld wages, leading to his daughter being targeted for revenge.
He immediately had that executive fired and, meanwhile, gathered evidence of his embezzlement over the years and sent him to jail.
In this matter, he displayed the efficiency of a top tycoon.
Anyone who caused Lu Yunxu injury would pay the price.
Listening to his sorrowful confession, Li Chonglou could only offer words of comfort: “What’s done is done, and dwelling on it is of no use.”
“Everything in this world is predetermined, and Yunxu is sensible; she won’t blame you.”
“The person has been caught, and I believe you've also hired the best doctors. She will surely be safe.”
These words were somewhat against his conscience but necessary.
After all, Lu Yunxu’s injury was inextricably linked to him. As a friend, he couldn't escape responsibility, but he couldn't tell Lu Chenggong about it.
Otherwise, given his protective nature, he might even become an enemy.
For now, they could only wait for news from Fan Da. Once the mastermind was found, he would personally bring them to justice!
Only then would he be able to give Lu Chenggong an explanation.
Time passed quickly.
After returning from the hospital, two days flashed by.
Fan Lei still had no news, and Lu Yunxu had not woken up. Li Chonglou practiced his celestial eye technique whenever he had free time.
Every time he finished practicing, he would feel incredibly drowsy, but he noticed that each time he overexerted himself, it became a little easier to use the next time. With more practice, he could control it at will.
Now he could even see through two walls at once, and this was only after two days.
Early on the third day, he received a call from Lu Weishen, informing him that the Antique Association office had been prepared and was waiting for him to move in.
He drove to the Antique Association alone.
Only Lin Ao, accompanied by several council members, was waiting for him. Lu Weishen was nowhere to be seen.
“My master has gone out to clear his head and is not in Qin Prefecture. Make yourself at home,” Lin Ao said with a cold snort, his expressionless face unable to hide a hint of schadenfreude.
Li Chonglou’s eyesight was astonishingly keen; even the slightest change couldn't escape his notice.
He knew well that Lu Weishen would not let him comfortably hold the position of President of the Antique Association and would undoubtedly devise a plan to make him retreat.
Unfortunately for Lu Weishen, Li Chonglou had come prepared.
It remained to be seen whose moves were superior.
As soon as he entered the office, a secretary handed him a document: “President Li, these are the association’s annual reports. Please review them.”
Li Chonglou took the accounts and, after a brief glance, a smile curved his lips.
He said without looking up, “President Lu left quite easily, leaving me with a big problem.”
“Are these raw stones intended for me to deal with?”
More than three months ago, Lu Weishen, in the name of the association, had imported a large batch of uncut jadeite raw stones from northern Myanmar.
These stones had almost depleted all of the association’s funds.
The original plan was to hold a private auction at the end of the year and make a substantial profit from this batch of stones.
Now, this burden had been handed over to Li Chonglou.
It was important to note that while Lu Weishen had questionable character, he was, after all, a great collector. Antiques that entered his possession were generally not resold on the market unless they were common goods.
He would not rely on antiques to make money.
However, antiques and collectibles shared common ground, so it was not problematic for him to acquire a batch of stones to make money.
Moreover, these were acquired more than three months ago, at a time when Li Chonglou was merely a useless son-in-law of the Jiang family.
There was no indication of deliberate targeting, at least not from any flaws he could find in this detailed ledger.
Yet, things had unfolded so coincidentally, and the association’s funds were in deficit. These stones had cost over 380 million, all of which belonged to the members.
If these funds could not be recovered in time, the association would not be able to sustain itself for long. If it were to dissolve, it wouldn't matter, but these people would undoubtedly target Li Chonglou.
And private auctions were not something one could organize with just keen eyesight; a strong network of contacts and clients was essential.
Li Chonglou was indeed skilled in antiques. If it were just antiques, it would be fine. But jade belonged to the category of precious stones, which was another circle from ancient jade.
This left him nowhere to apply his expertise. If the private auction couldn't be held and the funds couldn't be recovered, Li Chonglou would bear full responsibility and be berated by all the members.
This was the situation Lu Weishen had envisioned.
Li Chonglou would be unable to bear it and would retreat, allowing him to step in and resolve the crisis at the opportune moment.
At that time, not only would Li Chonglou be completely suppressed, but he would also provide an explanation to the Wu family.
A plan to kill two birds with one stone!
It was just a pity that he had chosen the wrong opponent.
A smile played on Li Chonglou’s lips. “Let’s go, take me to the warehouse to see those stones!”