Volume 1, Chapter 110: Gossiping to Their Face

Liuli didn't care about her image at all, devouring three bowls of rice during their meal.

Jiang Chen was secretly delighted with himself for having successfully played a trick on Li Changsheng. Li Changsheng, however, wasn't angry in the slightest, remaining cheerful whenever his eyes fell upon Liuli.

After dinner, the three of them strolled down the street, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings. Liuli asked, "You guys were staking out this place before. Did you find any clues?"

Li Changsheng scratched his head, while Jiang Chen replied, "We did, but because the two of you started fighting, the lead slipped away."

If their clash hadn't been so fierce, the lead might not have vanished. After all, whatever that creature was, it seemed to have been waiting there for a long time. Their commotion had startled it, scaring it away.

Liuli looked vexed. "I'm sorry. I didn't think it would turn out like this."

Li Changsheng quickly comforted her. "You don't need to apologize. It's not your fault."

"It's mine..."

Hearing Li Changsheng's words, Jiang Chen felt goosebumps break out all over his arms from the sheer cheesiness. How could a person be so utterly shameless?

"Are we still going to stake out the place tonight?" Liuli asked.

Li Changsheng looked to Jiang Chen for his opinion. Jiang Chen shook his head. "Let's wait until the day after tomorrow. After today's commotion, whatever killer entity is out there definitely won't dare to show itself. We should go back and rest, then resume the stakeout the day after."

Jiang Chen was already fully aware of the clues Institute 509 had gathered on Wu Gang. However, who on earth was that man who looked identical to Wu Gang—the one dressed in black?

Jiang Chen had no answer. Now, with the sudden appearance of a murderer as well, he couldn't help but feel there was something strange linking the two matters.

"Tomorrow, we'll go to Wu Gang's car wash and ask around. I feel like something isn't right," Jiang Chen said. Just as Liuli and Li Changsheng were about to agree, a cold, clear voice drifted over.

"Not right? I think the ones who aren't right are you guys."

A girl dressed in a white tracksuit stood before them, holding a longsword that emitted a faint, icy frost.

"Se... Senior Sister, what are you doing here?" Liuli hid fearfully behind Li Changsheng, peeking out to observe the newcomer.

Li Changsheng whispered, "Who is this? She looks so fierce and menacing, not cute like you at all."

Jiang Chen wanted to curse. *Impressive. You're whispering about her right in front of her, aren't you?*

The girl cradled her sword and said, "Are you the ones who abducted our sect's young mistress? Do you plead guilty?"

Li Changsheng retorted, "Guilty?"

Jiang Chen thought, *Great, another lunatic.*

Liuli stepped between them. "Senior Sister Huaizhu, it has nothing to do with them! I snuck out on my own!"

Shen Huaizhu snorted. "You? With that kind of courage? They must have instigated this. I'll teach them a lesson first, and then I'll deal with you!"

As Shen Huaizhu drew her sword halfway, Liuli lunged forward and hugged her. "Don't, Senior Sister! Everything I said is true, believe me! Besides, we're here to vanquish evil and uphold the righteous path. Once we deal with the killer, I'll go back with you."

Jiang Chen's gaze turned cold. If Shen Huaizhu dared to make a move against them, he wouldn't mind teaching her a lesson. Fortunately, she didn't harbor any killing intent; otherwise, it wouldn't have been a simple lesson.

Shen Huaizhu sized up the two men. Before arriving, she had heard about the murder case here and knew it wasn't the work of an ordinary human, which piqued her interest. But looking at these two, they seemed utterly unreliable.

"Those two? Do they even have any strength?" Shen Huaizhu said dismissively. Her eyes were filled with disdain, as if she didn't view Jiang Chen and Li Changsheng as anything at all.

Li Changsheng began, "You—"

Jiang Chen held out a hand to stop him. "Wait a moment."

Shen Huaizhu scoffed. "I can solve a murder case like this all by myself."

Liuli pleaded coaxingly, "Senior Sister, since you're alone and I'm alone... besides, would you even let me go off by myself? It's very dangerous for me to be alone."

Concerned for Liuli's safety, Shen Huaizhu finally relented. "Fine. I will temporarily tag along with you. But those two had better not drag us down. Otherwise, if I get angry, the consequences will be severe."

Li Changsheng suppressed his anger. As a member of Institute 509, his status was by no means low. Anyone in the cultivation world would treat him with respect upon learning his affiliation, regardless of whether they were from the Azure Cloud Sword Sect. However, since Jiang Chen had stopped him, there must be a reason. He knew Jiang Chen was not one to swallow his pride; he must have another plan.

Ultimately, the trio became a group of four. The journey, however, was highly awkward, with Liuli, the newcomer, acting as the mediator for their small team.

The next day, Jiang Chen rented an off-road SUV. Li Changsheng sat in the front passenger seat, while the two women sat in the back.

"We'll act according to the plan. Let's head in to gather information first and see if we can find anything," Jiang Chen briefed them in the car.

Shen Huaizhu said coldly, "What plan? Aren't we supposed to catch a murderer? Why are we going to wash a car, and a piece of junk like this at that?"

Before joining the sect, Shen Huaizhu had been a wealthy heiress in the secular world. She was used to riding in luxury commercial vehicles worth at least ten million. This off-road vehicle, worth only a few million, was beneath her notice. Had she not entered the Azure Cloud Sword Sect, these people would probably only ever see someone of her stature on television.

Li Changsheng kept a cold expression, and Jiang Chen remained silent. Liuli quickly smoothed things over, saying, "Oh, Senior Sister, we're just scoping out the situation. We can only catch the killer at night anyway, so there's no rush right now."

Jiang Chen started the engine and drove to Wu Gang's car wash. There were about five cars parked outside, which suited his plans perfectly. If there had been only one car, the wash might have finished before he could extract any information.

To keep up appearances, the other three tried their best to act like ordinary people, leaving Jiang Chen to take the lead.

Jiang Chen got out of the car and called out, "Boss, car wash!"

Inside the shop, Wu Gang, who was applying protective wax, merely gave Jiang Chen a faint nod.

*He doesn't seem to recognize me?!* Jiang Chen remembered his face clearly, but this Wu Gang acted as if they were strangers.

Jiang Chen figured he might be overthinking it. It was normal for Wu Gang not to recognize him; after all, they had only met once before. Forgetting him was perfectly natural. No one would deliberately remember a stranger unless that stranger had some bizarre, distinctive feature.

"Oh, child, you don't even know to brew tea for the guests when they arrive? You still haven't learned after all these years?" A spirited elderly woman leaning on a cane walked out of the back room.

The old lady was full of energy, a warm smile gracing her face.

"Young man, don't take it to heart. My boy is just like this. Ever since he came back from that expedition when he was twenty-five, he's been this way."