Chapter 164: The Unyielding Quality Inspector
Chapter 164: The Unyielding Quality Inspector
The Empress was this bold?
The situation was too sudden, completely unexpected.
Li Zian froze immediately and also felt a bit of regret for bringing the wedding ring to Yu Meilin at this moment.
Before, Yu Meilin had only hinted that she wanted to live a married life with him. But this time, he brought the ring late at night. It seemed like he dug a pit for himself and jumped right in.
You bring me a wedding ring at night. Isn’t that because you want me to have you?
You came to me yourself, why should I hold back?
It seemed that was exactly the case.
At first, the distance between them was zero. Two seconds later, it became negative.
The beast in the cage was caught.
Yu Meilin also lost a bit of control.
“Meilin, wait a minute,” Li Zian struggled to say the words. He could barely hear them himself.
Yu Meilin finally released Li Zian, her face flushed red. “What did you say? Were you saying… you want to take a bath first?”
She really didn’t hear clearly either, but she had her own guess.
Li Zian took a deep breath. “I need to go out to handle something.”
Yu Meilin was stunned on the spot. The joy in her heart vanished. Her whole person seemed like it was beaten by frost, instantly losing her spirit.
Li Zian said gently, “I’m not making an excuse to avoid you. I have to deal with that murderer tonight. I must catch him.”
“Ah?” Yu Meilin’s emotions were like riding a roller coaster. Just moments ago, she was on a steep slope about to enter a tunnel, but suddenly it flipped over, crashing.
Li Zian said, “He called me. He threatened me using you and Xiaomei. He wants something from me, tonight. I have to go early to set things up.”
Yu Meilin suddenly rushed forward and hugged Li Zian tightly. “No, I don’t want you to go. If there’s trouble, we call the police. Don’t you know that Officer Liu? Call him right now.”
Li Zian whispered in her ear, “Calling the police is useless. He’s like me. The police can’t deal with him.”
“Then I still don’t want you to go!” Yu Meilin held Li Zian’s waist tightly, refusing to let go.
Li Zian felt a headache coming. “Let me go. I really have to leave. He’s a threat. I must catch him.”
“No, I don’t want you to take the risk. If something happens to you… what would Xiaomei and I do?” Yu Meilin simply wouldn’t let go.
Li Zian was out of ideas. He thought he could persuade Yu Meilin, but it turned out he couldn’t at all.
Yet, he couldn’t get angry at all. In his heart, he felt a bit of a “melting ice” sensation. Wasn’t she stopping him for his own good?
“I won’t sleep tonight. I’ll just hold you like this.” Yu Meilin added another sentence, emphasizing her determination.
Li Zian pleaded earnestly, “Meilin, just let me go. Some things have to be faced. Hiding won’t solve it. If I don’t catch him tonight, he might attack you.”
“Then let him come. I’m not afraid of him.” Yu Meilin wasn’t scared at all.
Li Zian: “…”
Sometimes, reasoning with a woman was truly impossible.
He failed to persuade Yu Meilin, but a part of his body was nearly persuaded by her.
Like the bold Third Zhang, gripping the eight-span serpent spear, roaring at the head of Dangyang Bridge: “Hey, you come here!”
What should he do if this continued?
“You say you want to go, but have you thought about Xiaomei and me?” Yu Meilin’s voice carried a hint of melancholy. “You have a wife and child. Don’t go, okay?”
Li Zian sighed inwardly. He turned his right palm over and gently tapped the back of his hand against Yu Meilin’s generous lower back.
The five-millimeter barb only went in two millimeters.
After all, she was his wife. He couldn’t use too much force.
“I won’t go. Let me carry you to bed to rest, okay?” Li Zian said.
Yu Meilin lifted her head from Li Zian’s neck and looked at him. Two red clouds rose on her cheeks again. “Will you sleep with me?”
As soon as the words fell, her eyes closed. Her legs lost the strength to support her body, and she softly collapsed toward the floor.
“Meilin, if I don’t come back, take good care of Xiaomei. Let her grow up well, okay?” Li Zian said.
But Yu Meilin showed no reaction at all.
He originally wanted to say this right after giving the ring, but he never got the chance.
Li Zian caught her, carried her to the bed, tucked her in, and then left her room.
He went out, lowered his head, saw something standing firm, and smiled bitterly.
Back then, Lord Guan beheaded Hua Xiong while his wine was still warm. Tonight, the Master was taking down his own woman before going out to fight Huang Bo.
The situations were similar, but it just didn’t feel as heroic.
Returning to his room, Li Zian applied more Movement-Halting Ointment to the Alloy Barb. Then, carrying the alloy toolbox, he went out.
The Celestial Incense was inside the alloy toolbox. The size was just right.
Li Zian glanced at Taozi’s door, wondering if he should also say goodbye to Mu Chuntao, maybe say something like ‘if I don’t come back…’. But as soon as the thought arose, the events that had just happened uncontrollably surfaced in his mind. If Mu Chuntao also didn’t let him go, he’d have to tap her too. Tapping back and forth, always tapping his own women… better just forget it.
On the river embankment, Da Chui saw Li Zian approaching. He casually threw a half-drunk plastic water bottle on the ground and stood up from the stone bench, looking at Li Zian with a fierce stare.
Li Zian walked toward Da Chui.
Da Chui instinctively took a step back. The top of his right foot was still swollen. This bastard was cunning. He had to be careful not to get his foot stomped on again.
Li Zian walked up to Da Chui, bent down, picked up the water bottle, walked to a nearby trash can, and threw it in.
Da Chui looked at Li Zian with a strange expression.
Li Zian walked back to stand in front of him. “Even though you’re a killer, you should still have some public morality, right? The sanitation workers work hard. Don’t make trouble for them, okay?”
Da Chui: “…”
To him, the Master was truly a man like the wind.
Li Zian said, “Huang Bo set the time for 1 a.m. The meeting place is quite far. I want to go early so we don’t waste time. What do you think?”
Da Chui reacted, somewhat confused. “You… are you asking for my opinion?”
Li Zian looked left and right, then shrugged. “Do you think I’m talking to a ghost?”
Da Chui snorted coldly. “Did you bring the item?”
Li Zian patted the alloy toolbox in his hand. “It’s right here in this box.”
Da Chui said, “Open it. Let me see.”
Li Zian said lightly, “This item is for Huang Bo. Are you qualified to see it?”
Da Chui said, “This is Huang Bo’s instruction. If you don’t show me, I won’t call him. You won’t get to see him. Besides, if you don’t show me, how will he know if you’re tricking him?”
It seemed this hammer wasn’t just here to watch; he was also playing the role of “Quality Inspector.”
“Is this really necessary?”
“Nonsense!” Da Chui’s tone was fierce.
Li Zian put on a wronged expression. “Fine, I’ll show you. Don’t be so fierce. You scared me just now. I almost couldn’t stop myself from stomping your other foot.”
Da Chui instinctively took another step back, looking at Li Zian nervously.
What he feared most was actually Li Zian hitting his eggs again. That knee strike in the afternoon left one of his eggs still the size of a chicken egg, hurting badly. If he got hit again, he figured his bird probably wouldn’t fly anymore.
Li Zian didn’t attack. He opened the alloy toolbox.
The box contained many small, scattered items, and there was a rod-shaped object wrapped in velvet cloth.
The “Celestial Incense” was inside the velvet cloth.
Li Zian said, “See? This is what Huang Bo wants.”
“Open it. Let me see.” Da Chui stared intently at the velvet cloth inside the alloy toolbox.
Li Zian said, “This is what Huang Bo wants. Are you sure you want to see it?”
“This is exactly what Huang Bo wants. Stop dawdling. Hurry up and open it!” Da Chui urged.
Li Zian reached out, grabbed the velvet cloth, and slowly pulled it upward.
On the surface, he seemed calm, but in reality, he was very nervous inside. If Da Chui saw through the trick here, he wouldn’t get to see Huang Bo tonight, and Kang Haichuan and his daughter Kang Xin wouldn’t survive. He felt like he wasn’t just uncovering a piece of cloth; he was tightening the noose around Kang Haichuan and Kang Xin’s necks.
The tip of the incense appeared. On the black incense clay, a symbol was revealed. The moment the green symbol was exposed, it immediately emitted a mass of eerie green fluorescent light.
A sense of mystery instantly arose.
Da Chui’s eyes shone as he looked at the exposed section of the “Celestial Incense.” He was so excited his breathing became hurried.
Li Zian glanced at Da Chui from the corner of his eye. This reaction made him breathe a sigh of relief.
It really was that situation. Huang Bo had never seen the Celestial Incense, and this Da Chui was even less likely to have seen it. An uncultured bumpkin, suddenly seeing a high-end fake, couldn’t help but get excited.
Another symbol was revealed, also emitting a faint green fluorescent light, creating a uniquely mysterious and eerie feeling.
“See? This is the Celestial Incense,” Li Zian said.
“Give it to me,” Da Chui said excitedly.
Just then, a young couple walked hand in hand toward them.
Li Zian quickly pulled the velvet cloth back, covering the False Celestial Fragrance. Then he closed the alloy toolbox.
“What do you mean?” Da Chui said coldly.
Li Zian said lightly, “Do you think I’m an idiot, or are you the idiot? I haven’t received a single penny, and I haven’t seen the hostages. Why should I give it to you?”
The young couple walked past the two. The girl glanced at Li Zian, and after walking a few steps, she turned back to look at him again.
Her action was noticed by the young man beside her. He also looked back at Li Zian, his gaze rather unfriendly.
Being handsome was just so troublesome. It attracted looks, and it attracted hate.
Da Chui waited until the two young people were far away. He took out an old mobile phone, dialed a number, and walked to the side while talking. “Professor Huang, I’ve seen the item. It’s correct. It should be the Celestial Incense… Okay… I’ll bring him over now.”
After finishing the call, Da Chui walked back.
Li Zian faced him with a smile. “Where’s your car?”
Da Chui glared at Li Zian. “Who do you think you are? You think I’ll be your driver? What are you looking at? Hail a taxi!”
Li Zian: “…”
Maybe the criminal gang led by Huang Bo was having funding problems?