Chapter 82: The Lu Family’s Obituary

The moment Qiao Sangui spoke, my heart skipped a beat. For an instant, I felt like I saw a thousand things flash through his eyes. This man knew me. He knew my grandfather. He even knew I was coming to find him. He might even be fully aware that I had someone spread the word about the Jade Casket in Yunnan.

I stood frozen, unsure how to respond. When someone’s level is far beyond yours, your every move is already within their grasp. At that point, anything you do is meaningless. Continuing to lie might even provoke their displeasure.

He Yu rubbed his nose and chuckled awkwardly at Qiao Sangui. “Come on, old man, what are you talking about? We didn’t quite catch that.”

Qiao Sangui let out a raspy laugh. He walked over to a shelf, picked out a box of tea, and used a wooden scoop from a bamboo tube on the table to ladle some into a porcelain pot. Baldy quickly stepped forward to pour water and start boiling it.

He Yu still wanted to argue, but I grabbed his arm and shook my head, signaling him to stay quiet. I wanted to see what this old man was planning.

Qiao Sangui pointed to the two lantern-back chairs across from him, then looked at me and let out a cold snort. “You little brat, who gave you the guts to spread that news in Yunnan? Didn’t Chen Si teach you any rules?”

This guy was seriously unstable. Just moments ago, he’d been all smiles, and now he was slamming his palm against the glass table with a loud bang. He Yu and I were so startled we didn’t even dare sit down. We just wanted to keep a safe distance from him.

“And you, the kid from the He Family—didn’t anyone teach you the rules either? One little rumor from you, and my whole network’s been shaken up. Every wannabe and has-been is trying to get a piece of the action. Can you even handle the mess you’ve made?” Qiao Sangui demanded.

I thought to myself, damn it, I just came to ask a question. What does your network getting stirred up have to do with me? I’ve seen my share of storms, and this kind of scare tactic might work on kids, but it’s not going to rattle me.

So I took the lead and walked around the chair to sit down. Seeing me sit, He Yu followed suit.

I smiled and said, “Third Master Qiao, I’m young and new to the game. If I’ve done anything wrong, I hope you won’t hold it against me. You know far more than we do, so I’m sure you realize this issue came from within the Five Masters. I came here just to ask a few questions. Once I’ve got what I need, we’ll leave without troubling you further.”

What I meant was: Third Master Qiao, you’re a man of stature, don’t bother stooping to argue with a junior like me. Besides, I was forced into this situation. If we hadn’t done it this way, we wouldn’t have found you. A shrewd man like Qiao Sangui couldn’t possibly miss the subtext.

“Kid, you’re oversimplifying things. What do you have to offer that would make me help you find this information?” Qiao Sangui took a sip of tea.

My heart tightened. I knew this old fox wouldn’t give me anything for free. I quickly ran through the money I’d saved over the past few years. He was, after all, a known information broker. He shouldn’t ask for anything too outrageous.

So I said, “Name your price.”

To my surprise, Qiao Sangui burst out laughing. He was clearly enjoying himself, but He Yu and I didn’t find it funny at all. Honestly, I found this whole “senior lecturing the junior” act pretty irritating. What, just because he’s eaten a few more years’ worth of meals, he thinks he’s leagues ahead of us in cunning?

“You little brat, this isn’t buying rice or flour. In our line of work, money is the one thing we’re never short of. You’re asking about Chen Si’s whereabouts. Do you even know who Chen Si is? He’s your family’s head. If I send someone to track him, they might not live to report back!” Qiao Sangui chuckled. “A human life—how much do you think that’s worth?”

His words left me speechless. It wasn’t that I didn’t understand. I just didn’t know how to respond.

Seeing me stumped, He Yu lost his temper. “Alright then, Third Master, you’re the best at doing business. Let’s cut the crap, yeah? My brother here just wants to know where Chen Si went with the casket. Can you help or not? What’ll it take? Just give us a straight answer.”

Qiao Sangui looked at me with a grin. The skin on his face, where an eyeball should’ve been, wrinkled like old leather. He said, “Of course I can help. There’s no one I can’t track. But it’ll cost you 100,000 yuan, plus one thing I want.”

A hundred grand—I could probably scrape that together. But that “one thing” was too vague. What if he asked for the moon and stars? I couldn’t give him those.

“What thing?” Alarms blared in my mind.

Qiao Sangui pointed to the red string around my neck. “That stone you’re wearing is useless to a kid like you. Why not give it to me? If you’re willing to hand over that jade, I’ll give you a personal favor price—waive the 100,000 entirely. How about it?”

Only then did I realize that during the bumpy motorcycle ride earlier, the Luan Bi I wore under my clothes must have slipped out. My legs had been so stiff when I got off the bike that I hadn’t even noticed.

Now I understood. This old bastard had been playing me the whole time, just waiting for me to show my hand.

I immediately tucked the Luan Bi back into my shirt and said, “No deal. That piece is part of a pair. It only forms a whole when combined with the other half. One of them belongs to a friend of mine. He’s only letting me hold it for safekeeping. I can’t give it to you. Pick something else.”

Qiao Sangui shook his head and sighed. “Looks like you still don’t know. Your Fourth Brother didn’t tell you. It’s actually for your own good.”

I was confused. “Know what?” I asked.

“I know who you’re holding that thing for, but unfortunately, I have to tell you—there’s no need to keep it for him anymore. When you all came out of Shennongjia, you split into three vehicles. The information I received says Granny Yin wasn’t among the convoy. That means he most likely died in the jungle, or maybe at the bottom of that ruin,” Qiao Sangui said bluntly, without the slightest attempt to soften his words.

The moment he said that, not only was I stunned, even He Yu looked shaken. He stammered, “W-what do you mean? That’s impossible! Granny Yin is the head of the Lu family! Old man, you must be confused with age. This isn’t something to joke about. What could possibly trap someone like him down there?”

Suddenly, I remembered all those unanswered calls over the past few months since we got out. Fourth Brother never once mentioned Lu A’yao when he came back—only said Hou Jinshan was dead. But I never believed it, because I had no memory of that part at all.

But if what Qiao Sangui said was true, and the group came out in three batches, then I must have been in the first. That would mean something happened after I passed out, something I have no way of verifying—unless Lu A’yao picks up my call right now.

A gust of cold air from the AC slipped under my clothes, and I shivered involuntarily. My scalp tingled with unease.

Qiao Sangui let out a dry chuckle, his tone icy. “The ruin has already collapsed. There’s no way to go back and search for a body. But the obituary has already been sent out. The entire Nanjing Lu Family Branch is running around like headless chickens. Heh, I suppose you two are the only ones still thinking he’s alive.”

“If he’s dead, that stone in your hand is useless. I suggest you hand over the jade sooner rather than later. That way, I can start digging up intel for you a little earlier too.”