"Come in."

CREAK.

Upon hearing the permission to enter from inside the study, Wang Shan gently pushed the door open and led in Wang Xiaoliu, who was trembling slightly behind him.

A short while later, Wang Shan came out of the study. He reached out and closed the door, then stood beside it, leaning against the wall with his head down and eyes closed, resting.

Inside the study, an exquisitely crafted lamp emitting a faint Spiritual Energy Wave hung from the center of the ceiling.

Bright light poured from the lamp, illuminating the entire study.

Compared to Zhou Tianci’s study, his father Zhou Qiqiang’s was much more of a proper study.

Two bookshelves were filled with books, all of which clearly showed signs of having been read. When compared to the brand-new books in Zhou Tianci’s study, the difference in the father and son’s level of scholarly pursuit was immediately obvious.

"Master." After entering the study, a nervous Wang Xiaoliu kept his body bowed and his head down. Not daring to look at Zhou Qiqiang, he greeted him respectfully.

"Xiaoliu! You’ve been with our Zhou Family for a few years now, haven’t you?" Zhou Qiqiang, who had been reading, looked up at Wang Xiaoliu and spoke in a gentle tone.

"I’ve been with the Zhou Family for almost ten years, Master," Wang Xiaoliu said.

"Ten years! That’s a long time," Zhou Qiqiang remarked with a sigh. Then he said, "I remember you were assigned to serve Tianci in your second year with the family."

"Yes, Master."

"Are your parents back home in good health?"

"Thanks to you, Master, my parents are still quite healthy and strong."

Just like that, Zhou Qiqiang and Wang Xiaoliu chatted casually about trivial family matters.

Just as Wang Xiaoliu was thinking there was nothing else and began to relax, he suddenly heard Zhou Qiqiang ask him a question.

"Tianci was attacked and so severely injured. Do you know anything about what really happened?"

"Uh...?!" Hearing Zhou Qiqiang’s question, Wang Xiaoliu froze on the spot.

Wang Xiaoliu, who had been looking down, raised his head to look at Zhou Qiqiang. He saw Zhou Qiqiang staring at him with a torch-like gaze, a faint golden Spiritual Light flickering within his eyes.

Their eyes met, and Wang Xiaoliu immediately shuddered. His body and mind, which had just begun to relax, instantly tensed up again.

’No matter what Master asks you, you must answer truthfully. Remember, you can’t hide anything, or else...’ Wang Shan’s earlier warning surfaced in Wang Xiaoliu’s mind.

"Master, I... I don’t know who attacked the Young Master either, but... in the days since the Young Master was attacked by that masked assailant, I’ve been thinking long and hard, and I believe one person is highly suspicious."

"Tell me the details."

"Yes, Master... It all started half a month ago, when the Young Master and I went to the city gate to welcome Miss Zhu..."

Terrified of being expelled from the Zhou Family, cold sweat beaded on Wang Xiaoliu’s forehead. He didn’t dare raise a hand to wipe it away in front of Zhou Qiqiang. Extremely nervous, his only thought was to quickly and truthfully relay his suspicions to Zhou Qiqiang.

"You’re saying that the masked assailant who attacked Tianci might very well be that man named Lin Li—the one who saved Miss Zhu, whom Tianci had offended before?"

Zhou Qiqiang asked after listening to Wang Xiaoliu’s account of the events and his suspicions.

Wang Xiaoliu nodded earnestly. "Yes, Master. The Young Master hasn’t had any disputes with anyone in the last six months. The only major fight he got into was with that man named Lin Li."

"So, for this attack on the Young Master, that man, Lin Li, is the prime suspect."

"But this is just my speculation. There’s no proof that the masked assailant who attacked the Young Master was Lin Li."

"Because that man Lin Li’s power is about on par with the Young Master’s, but the masked assailant who attacked the Young Master a while ago had power that far exceeded his."

"Therefore, I suspect that the masked assailant might have been hired by Lin Li to get revenge for when the Young Master attacked him near the city gate."

Zhou Qiqiang put down his book. He placed his right hand on the desk and gently tapped his fingers on the solid wood surface.

THUMP, THUMP, THUMP...

The sound of tapping echoed in the quiet study. The extremely nervous Wang Xiaoliu felt his heart begin to race, syncing up with the thumping sound of Zhou Qiqiang’s fingers on the wooden desk.

"You may go." After a moment of silent contemplation, Zhou Qiqiang suddenly said to Wang Xiaoliu.

"Yes, Master." Hearing Zhou Qiqiang dismiss him, Wang Xiaoliu felt a surge of ecstatic relief, as if he’d been granted a great amnesty.

"Don’t let Tianci know about what you’ve told me today," Zhou Qiqiang said to the departing Wang Xiaoliu as he turned to leave.

"Ah?" Wang Xiaoliu stopped and looked at Zhou Qiqiang, then nodded repeatedly.

CREAK.

THUD.

After leaving the study, Wang Xiaoliu closed the door. He whispered a greeting to Wang Shan, who was still leaning against the wall by the door, and then quickly walked away.

’That scared me to death! I really thought Master was going to kick me out of the Zhou Mansion!

’Young Master, please don’t blame me! Master made me say it, I had no choice.’ Wang Xiaoliu muttered to himself as he walked down the dim hallway.

Back in the brightly lit study, Zhou Qiqiang fell into contemplation again after Wang Xiaoliu had left.

He recalled the moment when Zhou Tianci had said to let the matter drop, and based on Wang Xiaoliu’s testimony, he began to form his own conclusions about the whole affair.

’Tianci probably knows who the masked assailant was. For some reason, he felt it was unnecessary to escalate the situation, which is why he said to just drop it.’

Zhou Qiqiang muttered to himself, the corners of his mouth turning up in a slight smile.

His son used to be the type to seek revenge at all costs after suffering a loss, regardless of the consequences. It seemed he had matured quite a bit.

...

「The next morning.」

Bright sunlight rose from the horizon. The brilliant morning sun enveloped the entire city, as if draping a veil of golden gauze over the newly awakened metropolis.

Sanitation workers had already left for their shifts. Since it was the middle of a hot summer, starting early to sweep the streets allowed them to avoid working under the scorching sun.

After breakfast, Lin Li left his home, driving his van out of the residential complex.

Instead of driving straight to the wilderness outside the city to hunt Mutant Beasts, he first drove to the pharmacy where he had previously bought hemostatic ointment.

Yesterday, he had given his last half-tube of hemostatic ointment to a rookie Exotic Beast Hunter whose chest had been gruesomely mauled by a Mutant Beast.

So today, before heading to the wilderness to hunt Mutant Beasts, he had to make a trip to the pharmacy to restock his medical supplies.

Pharmacies are different from other stores. When you walk in, there isn’t an employee at the door greeting you with "Welcome."

A young female physician in a white coat sat behind the counter. She might not have rested well the previous day, as Lin Li saw her yawn.

"Hello, I’d like to buy some hemostatic ointment."

"Oh, it’s you! You’ve already used up the hemostatic ointment you bought last time?"

Lin Li was surprised that the physician remembered him. He smiled, nodded, and said, "Yes, I bought too little last time, it wasn’t enough. I need to buy a few more tubes this time."

Hearing that Lin Li wanted to buy several more tubes of hemostatic ointment, the physician immediately tried to persuade him otherwise.

"This hemostatic ointment has an expiration date. You should buy a moderate amount! If you buy too much at once and can’t use it all before it expires, it’ll be a waste."

After listening to the physician’s advice, Lin Li nodded. He thought for a moment and then said,

"Thank you for the reminder. I was originally planning on buying fifty tubes of hemostatic ointment this time. In that case, I’ll just take twenty for now."

...