"They didn't say. They just mentioned treasure, but..."
That "but" from Yan Feifan drew Lu Ding's gaze.
"When did you learn to keep me in suspense?"
"No, no, Brother Lu. Here's what I'm thinking. Baofan District isn't out in the mountains. How many places could there be to hide treasure? There are only a few possibilities. First, those two spotted something valuable that someone else failed to recognize as gold inlaid with jade, but that someone is beyond their ability to handle. So they want to work with you and use your abilities as their blade."
"That's unlikely. Why would someone they can't handle have a worse eye than them?"
"As for the second possibility, there's something in Baofan District's tombs that others overlooked and couldn't discover, or something they found but couldn't take away."
"Personally, I lean toward the latter."
"And judging by how those two acted today, they aren't complete idiots. So my guess is that they don't want to hand things over just like that. They wanted to put us in our place so we'd back off in the face of difficulty, buying themselves a few days to scheme for the treasure inside."
"As for that treasure, they found it but couldn't take it away. Others might have found it too, but they must have confirmed that nobody had taken it. That's why they want to work with you."
"They say treasure goes to the one fated to receive it. The moment you arrived, Brother Lu, this treasure showed its tail. Looks like you're the fated one. I think we can hold off on answering them and go look in the tomb first. If we find anything, just take it, Brother Lu, and act like none of this happened."
"If we can't find anything, then we can discuss working together. When the time comes, you've got the stronger arm, Brother Lu, so of course you get first pick of the good stuff. Those are the rules. Either way, we don't lose. What do you think?"
A smile appeared on Lu Ding's face.
Yan Feifan might not amount to much in a fight.
But his brain worked well.
No wonder strategists had been so sought after in ancient times.
Having someone quick-witted at your side really made things easier.
"You're getting smarter and smarter."
Yan Feifan scratched his head and said, a little embarrassed, "Well, I've been around you for a while now, Brother Lu. I've picked up a little."
It was beautifully put, but it wasn't entirely flattery.
Yan Feifan was smart, so he could tell that Lu Ding was smart too.
It was just that his strength was even greater.
If things really reached the point where brains were needed, Lu Ding would think of even more than he would.
At this stage, it was his time to shine, offering Lu Ding strategies and filling in the gaps.
But those words sounded different to Lu Ding.
People said that foolish rulers loved flattering ministers, and that wasn't wrong at all.
He had experienced it for himself now.
"Then we'll do as you said. No time to lose. Let's go now."
"In broad daylight?"
"What else? We're not tomb robbers. We don't need to wait until night. Our paperwork is legal and compliant. Who can stop us?"
The two immediately pushed open the door and set off.
Only to run straight into Gao Zhengliang as soon as they stepped out.
"Investigator Lu, just the person I needed. There's something I wanted to discuss with you."
"Has there been a special incident?"
"No."
"Then forget it. I have something urgent to do. Whatever it is, we'll talk when I get back."
Lu Ding's duty was to deal with special incidents in Baofan District.
As long as it wasn't a special incident, nothing could stop his march toward treasure.
"Wait, wait, Investigator Lu, don't go yet. Cao Family Alley, the Four Seas Group, the Five Viscera Life Society-these qi refiner factions in our Baofan District want to invite you to dinner."
Lu Ding refused without a second thought. "No need. Director Gao, please turn them down for me. I don't have time for dinner right now."
Gao Zhengliang grew a little anxious. "Investigator Lu, these are all local-snake qi refiner factions in Baofan District. If you don't go, it'll be hard for you to carry out your work later."
He himself didn't mind.
No matter how powerful these people were, they wouldn't dare challenge a state agency.
He was mainly worried for Lu Ding.
Although Gao Zhengliang had only just met Lu Ding, he had seen that Lu Ding had real ability.
Only when things went well for him could public security in Baofan District improve.
Only when his work went smoothly would the work of the Baofan District Public Security Administration go more smoothly.
The two complemented each other.
That was why Gao Zhengliang was anxious.
Lu Ding could also tell that the man meant well.
"Then tell them to pick another time. I really am busy today. Oh, right, Director Gao, thanks for sending me a list of the qi refiners in our Baofan District. I'll be off now."
Yan Feifan added from behind him, "Thank you for the trouble, Director Gao. Brother Lu really does have something urgent to do. Sorry about this."
"Fine, fine. A director of my standing, and I still have to run errands. Oh, this old back of mine."
Gao Zhengliang tactfully passed Lu Ding's meaning along to the factions.
[Cao Family Alley, Cao Yuan: Since Investigator Lu has something to do, we'll arrange another day. Sorry for the trouble, Director Gao, but please let him know that Cao Family Alley welcomes his esteemed presence at any time.]
[Four Seas Group, Xie Shunan: Thank you for passing the message along, Director Gao. Investigator Lu is busy with his duties. We at the Four Seas Group were the ones being presumptuous. Whenever Investigator Lu has time and thinks of our Four Seas Group, we can have that meal then.]
Looking at the replies from Cao Family Alley and the Four Seas Group,
Gao Zhengliang tapped the ash off the cigarette in his hand. "Lu Ding really is different from the other investigators."
Things like today had happened before when official investigators from Bureau 749 came on patrol.
If you wouldn't give others face,
then there was nothing more to say.
These qi refiner factions in Baofan District would simply comply on the surface while defying you underneath, refusing to cooperate with your work and offering nothing but perfunctory responses.
If you wanted trouble, they would meet it.
Things had blown up before, too, but in the end, they had all fizzled out. Bureau 749's administration had to be based on reason in all things, emphasizing fairness and impartiality.
But under fair, impartial conditions where neither side interfered with the other, you couldn't carry out patrol duties normally. There were many things for which you needed their help and cooperation.
Dinner was only a pretext. What mattered was both sides testing each other's attitudes.
You didn't need to offer anything tangible or make any promises. You only needed to show an attitude.
In the past, these people would never have had this attitude.
They would never have been as polite as they were now after Lu Ding turned them down.
Gao Zhengliang found it quite curious.
"A trainee investigator is more useful than an official one. Now that's strange."
Then another message arrived.
Gao Zhengliang smiled. "I knew it. Now that's what they used to be like."
Then Gao Zhengliang took a screenshot of the message and sent it to Lu Ding and Yan Feifan.
It read:
[Five Viscera Life Society, Tang Hu: What the hell is Lu Ding so full of himself for? We invite him to dinner, and he wants to reschedule? Who does he think he is? Who's he trying to impress with this new official's three fires? We give him face, and he throws it away. Corpse-Dissecting Taisui? Pah! Tell him he'd better watch himself.]
Gao Zhengliang had only just sent the screenshot when the other party withdrew the message and sent a new one.
[Director Gao, this is Tang Bao from the Five Viscera Life Society. My second brother had too much to drink. Please pretend you didn't see that.]
Gao Zhengliang stubbed out his cigarette. "Didn't see it? That won't do. At my age, I'm not here for you to vent your anger on. If you dare curse someone out, don't be afraid of them seeing it. I didn't add any oil or vinegar. Those were your own words, anyway, not mine."
He was a director, after all. Who didn't have a bit of a temper?
Qi refiners might not fall under his jurisdiction, but this time, he had a tough partner to work with.
Having lived all these years, Gao Zhengliang would play the fox borrowing the tiger's might today too.
"Corpse-Dissecting Taisui. That name has quite a murderous aura. I need another smoke."
Click. A flame flared, and he exhaled a mouthful of smoke.