The Elixir is for You, The Poison is for Me

#630 - Small Gift

Qi Wenren was rendered speechless by Bu Bule's questioning.

Bu Bule continued, "You are constantly provoking our relationship between father-in-law and son-in-law here. Who is instructing you behind the scenes?"

"No, absolutely not," Qi Wenren shook his head, but after saying that, he nervously glanced at the maids again.

Compared to Bu Bule's uprightness, his actions made him seem guilty.

Thus, Bu Bule completed a triple kill.

Qi Wenren also knew that he wouldn't be able to get any information out of him, and it would only make him look more suspicious, even putting the three of them in danger.

So, he casually found a reason to hastily end the confrontation, and then slipped away from the main hall.

After leaving, Qi Wenren apologized to Lu Jing, "I'm sorry, I should have listened to you before. I shouldn't have been so reckless and ruined the good situation."

"Lord Qi, what are you saying? I think you did very well."

"What?" Qi Wenren was stunned. At first, he thought Lu Jing was mocking him, but looking at the serious expression on the other's face, it didn't seem like it.

So, Qi Wenren was a little confused.

Then, he heard Lu Jing say, "Lord Qi, hasn't your tactic of 'startling the snake' already worked? In the absence of evidence, this is already the best solution. Just now, inside, you subtly pointed out Bu Bule's actions against Tong Qianxi, which is already enough."

"If Bu Bule really has a guilty conscience, no matter how tough he acted before, he will definitely want to confirm afterward whether there are any flaws in the matter."

Qi Wenren thought about it, and it seemed that was indeed the case. In that sense, his response just now wasn't that bad, and was even quite clever?

However, Qi Wenren always felt that something was not quite right.

Lu Jing had been getting along with Qi Wenren for some time and quite liked this senior from the Department of Heavenly Observation. He wondered if people who were engrossed in research were relatively simple-minded.

Qi Wenren really didn't know much about things outside of mystical power. In some ways, he was like a blank sheet of paper. For example, Chen Chao basically already knew that Lu Jing was on the Heaven Pivot List.

Qi Wenren was actually hearing about it for the first time, as well as all the other tricks Lu Jing had pulled off; he didn't know about any of them.

According to Qi Wenren himself, he had spent most of the last two years studying the seasonal changes of mystical power near a secret realm in the Western Regions, and had only recently returned.

And this time, when the two of them came to Ganding County and learned that they might encounter strange creatures, Qi Wenren, despite not having any experience in investigating cases, still stepped forward at the first moment and took on the matter himself.

It was also because he felt that as a senior, he definitely couldn't let Lu Jing, a disciple of the academy, go first when there was danger.

Seeing that his mentality was about to collapse, Lu Jing quickly poured him a few spoonfuls of chicken soup for the soul.

Moreover, Lu Jing wasn't just trying to coax Qi Wenren. He really felt that he could try the path of 'startling the snake' when there wasn't much evidence at hand. Otherwise, Lu Jing would have had no reason not to stop Qi Wenren from confronting Bu Bule earlier.

After being forcibly whitewashed by Lu Jing, Qi Wenren finally calmed down. After getting rid of his shame, he began to think again.

After pondering for a moment, he said, "Strange creatures are not something that can be used immediately, especially when dealing with a big shot like Tong Qianxi. Before taking action, in order to ensure success, experiments must be carried out first. Perhaps we can first check if anyone in the city has experienced similar situations."

"Not bad," Lu Jing sincerely praised Qi Wenren this time.

He could see that after experiencing the initial panic and theoretical discussions, Qi Wenren was constantly growing. In the end, Qi Wenren wasn't stupid; he just lacked relevant experience.

Qi Wenren said, "Then let's split up. I'll keep an eye on Bu Bule, and you can wander around Ganding County and collect information on this matter. Let Luo Yingying follow you."

Lu Jing would rather have Luo Yingying stay and help Qi Wenren. As for himself, he could go out and hire another guide in the city. If that didn't work, he could also find Chief Clerk Luo and ask him to recommend someone else.

But he knew that if he didn't agree, Qi Wenren would definitely not feel at ease letting him run around alone.

So, he could only nod and say, "Okay, if anything happens, please be sure to have a messenger contact me as soon as possible, Lord Qi."

"You too, be careful in everything."

After Qi Wenren finished speaking, he took out a sachet from his body and tossed it to Lu Jing.

"This is a little trinket I made. Carry it with you; it should be able to help you a little."

"What is this sachet for?" Lu Jing asked curiously after taking the sachet.

"Oh, this is something I researched myself. It can speed up the rate at which you absorb mystical power from the outside world."

He put the sachet into his sleeve, but with two flying swords in between, ensuring that the thing wouldn't touch his skin.

After leaving Tong Tuqiu's palace, Lu Jing immediately ran to the market to buy a small wooden box to put the sachet in.

Then, he sold a large wooden box and put the small wooden box inside. After doing all this, Lu Jing felt a sense of peace this time.

He was also a little puzzled. Weren't pills and tools that could increase the speed of mystical power absorption very rare? Why did everyone he met have them, and insisted on stuffing these things into his hands without considering his feelings at all?

Lu Jing put away the wooden box and asked Luo Yingying, "Who has the most well-informed news in Ganding County?"

Luo Yingying thought for a while, "Wu Ritu. He's a horse trader, but as long as you pay enough, he's willing to take on other miscellaneous jobs. He has many friends in the city. It is said that he knows everyone from high-ranking officials and nobles to people from all walks of life."

"Okay, then we'll go find him," Lu Jing said, "Money is no problem; I'll definitely make him satisfied."

Luo Yingying took Lu Jing to the restaurant where Wu Ritu often went, but the two of them didn't see Wu Ritu's figure there.

After inquiring, they learned that Wu Ritu had just received a job not long ago and had hurriedly run off.

So, Luo Yingying and Lu Jing decided to wait for him, but Wu Ritu didn't reappear until the afternoon. Lu Jing didn't want to wait any longer, so he left a message for Wu Ritu at the restaurant and then had Luo Yingying take him directly to Wu Ritu's house.

But before they could go in, they saw a group of people surrounding Wu Ritu's door.

Luo Yingying asked one of the old men what had happened. The old man told her that Wu Ritu was dead. No one knew what he was thinking, but he had hanged himself in his own yard.