Chapter 1176: Chapter 1174: Advanced Animals (Part Three)
"So, shall we go to the police?"
Without voicing his thoughts, Fu Qian smoothly continued with Yuan Shan’s reasoning that police would be more appropriate than the Night Watchman.
"...And for what reason? Arrest someone because they’re too lucky? Or should we respond to some idle old fellow in the church complaining about the theft of his intangible assets?"
Taking a deep breath, Yuan Shan, while glaring at Fu Qian, had no qualms criticizing her own mentor.
"My visit this time is purely a personal matter. Are you sure you want me to deal with government agencies through official channels?"
"You have a point, so what’s your plan then?"
Fu Qian seemed convinced, naturally continuing the inquiry.
I had a premonition long ago that this matter would eventually fall on me.
Chief Yuan certainly couldn’t miss Fu Qian’s skill in handling people; however, some preexisting awareness in her heart made her sigh deeply instead of volleying the question back.
"I know a place that’s good for gathering information."
...
"Surely very familiar, isn’t your house nearby?"
Following Yuan Shan’s lead through streets and houses, seeing her sure-footedness without the need for directions, Fu Qian expressed his admiration.
And given that they were clearly in a shopping center, the question about a house seemed fitting, in line with Chief Yuan’s preferences.
"No, it’s not. I just walk this way often."
However, Yuan Shan shook her head.
"I don’t like living too close."
"To the church?"
Fu Qian wouldn’t mistake Chief Yuan’s words for a pursuit of beauty through distance from a marketplace; more likely, it was to separate her work and living spaces.
"Yes, from the church."
Yuan Shan’s response confirmed it.
"I see... So exactly what are your colleagues monitoring?"
Fu Qian took the opportunity to satisfy his curiosity.
"Aren’t you worried about your own situation at all?"
Yuan Shan slowed her pace, looking over with a slanted gaze.
"If I were worried, wouldn’t that mean it’s your turn to be worried?"
Fu Qian chuckled.
"After all, one demigod watching over me would be the perfect opportunity for me to escape."
"In fact, the way I see it, Old Master Henry must be quite optimistic about the situation to send you here."
"...It’s merely optimism."
Fu Qian’s response left Yuan Shan silent for a moment before she huffed.
Although she really wanted to say something harsh like "If you mess around, I alone can handle you," their previous collaborations made her wary of underestimating his strength.
Without a doubt, she felt uneasy about a real fight.
"Your guess is already quite close, but I can’t divulge more specific details."
Of course, Yuan Shan promptly dismissed such displeasing thoughts from her mind and continued responding to Fu Qian’s inquiry.
"What I can tell you is that the core part of our base indeed lies beneath that cluster of faith buildings, which is also why I prefer to live a bit further away."
"Can we continue? Time is precious."
"We can now."
Fu Qian nodded, ready to resume their journey, but the next moment he frowned and turned to look.
"What’s wrong?"
This behavior seemed puzzling to Yuan Shan, since the direction Fu Qian was looking was obviously devoid of any people.
Or rather, devoid of any real people.
Withdrawing his gaze from the fashion-clothed mannequin in the storefront window, Fu Qian looked at Yuan Shan with disdain.
"You stopped just now because of this, didn’t you? Kudos for making it look so natural."
Just saying, the way this guy looks at things is kind of weird—as if he’s slacking off.
"What’s wrong with taking a look? I haven’t been back here for over half a year!"
But as expected of Chief Yuan, even after being caught out for her true intentions, not only does she remain unfazed, she even asks righteously in return.
"Besides, this isn’t really my business, right? I was hoping to resolve this quickly and enjoy a nice vacation!"
"Makes sense, so for the sake of your vacation, we have to speed things up."
Unfortunately, when it comes to thick skin, Fu Qian is always unparalleled. He immediately attributed the purpose of their mission to Chief Yuan’s vacation.
...
"This is the place."
Considering the greater perspective, Yuan Shan didn’t quibble with Fu Qian, quickly leading him to a small alley and pushing open a door.
Indeed, a bar is always the classic place to gather information!
The dim lighting, ambiguous music, and murky air—Fu Qian was not at all surprised by the scene before him and entered, feeling rather contemplative.
I’ve always respected professionals. Right now, it’s best to focus on being Chief Yuan’s lackey.
"This area is more secluded; fewer tourists, easier to run into acquaintances."
Yuan Shan didn’t explain much, directly walking to the bar and greeting the person behind it.
"I almost thought I was seeing things, even felt sad for a few seconds."
The person behind the bar was a young woman with heavy makeup, black velvet gloves, a deep-colored corset dress that was exaggeratedly low-cut, and a striking emerald hat on her head that somehow matched the surrounding environment.
She had been staring at Yuan Shan since she entered; her outlandish tone now carried an unmistakable joy.
"When did you come back?"
It sounds like she and Chief Yuan, the Night Watchman, definitely have a history.
"A few hours ago."
Yuan Shan acted very familiarly, sitting down at the bar with a long sigh.
"It seems like it’s not for a vacation this time. There won’t be any disaster hitting the city, will there?"
While making an exaggerated facial expression with her mouth wide open, the bartender pushed a shiny glass in front of Yuan Shan.
"The usual?"
It sounds like she knows quite a bit about Yuan Shan’s identity.
Having such an attitude under these circumstances is indeed rare, especially since aside from the hat’s design, there was nothing about her that could be associated with a Transcendent.
"The usual."
Yuan Shan clearly didn’t think the other party was really concerned and didn’t bother explaining; she just gestured towards the two of them.
"Mo Xi, Fang Xun."
"Welcome, the same as Yuan Shan?"
The woman called Mo Xi greeted Fu Qian very naturally and also placed a glass for him.
"The same."
Without giving Fu Qian a choice, Yuan Shan promptly said.
The reason for this attitude, of course, was the awareness that she was treating.
On one hand, after all, she had made significant contributions for herself; on the other hand, this guy had even thought about using a pass to exchange for gambling chips at a casino, so expecting him to suddenly show gentlemanly grace was simply too naive.
As someone easy-going, Fu Qian naturally didn’t mind at all.
In fact, most of the time, he was appreciating the hat on Mo Xi’s head and not glancing even once at the unobstructed creamy swath of skin as she leaned over to pour the drinks.
"Not bad, huh? It’s my own design."
Privy to this, Mo Xi proudly flicked the brim of her hat.
"I even thought about giving one to Yuan Shan before, but she wouldn’t take it."
Really now?
Fu Qian glanced at Chief Yuan, who expressionlessly took a sip of her drink.
"You better keep it for yourself... Have there been any Mr. Midas with exploding luck around here recently?"
"Yes."