Magic Words Bar.

Located behind Lin Tian’s former school on Student Street, a significant portion of the patrons here are students. Now, all the security personnel inside have been replaced by guards from the Black Gold Company.

Lin Tian stood at the entrance of the Magic Words Bar, looking at the neon-changing sign, and couldn’t help but feel a bit dazed.

He has vivid memories of this bar. Before Li Li cheated on him, she brought him here a few times. However, they could only afford beer—or more accurately, Lin Tian could only afford the price of beer.

Putting aside the unpleasant memories of the past, Lin Tian stepped into the bar.

The bar was still the same as before, with the poor-quality speakers playing unknown DJ tracks. Many young men and women sat by the tables, playing drinking games or dice. Others were frantically twisting their bodies on the dance floor, fully expressing the vitality of youth.

To be honest, Lin Tian didn’t like this kind of noisy music because it was too loud.

He stood there for a while, scanning the place, and soon spotted Li Li sitting in a corner, drinking alone.

Lin Tian walked over and sat opposite her. Looking at the messy three empty bottles on the table, he asked, "You called me here just to drink?"

"Nonsense. I don’t really have anyone to talk to. Thinking back on how nice you were to me, you’re the first person I thought of when feeling down, wanting to share a drink." With that, Li Li opened a bottle of beer with an opener, placed it in front of Lin Tian, and boldly said, "Come on, let’s down a bottle together!"

Lin Tian didn’t drink, not even touching the bottle.

He knew something about Li Li’s drinking capacity. Even if she drank three bottles of beer, she shouldn’t be acting so drunk. Besides, the smell of alcohol on her wasn’t strong at all.

And her drunken demeanor seemed too fake, overly performed.

Combined with the strange things she said on the phone earlier, everything seemed excessively odd.

Suddenly, Lin Tian noticed something unusual about Li Li’s gaze. She blinked twice, her eyes darting back and forth, as if trying to signal something.

With some hints, Lin Tian soon realized many people were watching their table subtly.

Lin Tian was even more puzzled. What were these people up to?

Suddenly, Li Li lunged at Lin Tian, clutching his arm and leaning on his chest, sobbing.

If it were a normal day, Lin Tian would have pushed her away immediately; she wouldn’t even have a chance to touch the hem of his clothing.

"Wah wah..." Li Li just cried loudly, saying nothing.

Suddenly, Lin Tian felt a pinch at his waist from Li Li’s hand.

"What are you doing?" Lin Tian asked instinctively.

"What am I doing? What else can I do?!" Li Li shouted hysterically, "I’m just too tired, can’t I lean on your shoulder for a while?"

Lin Tian opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing. Whatever the reason, he decided to accompany Li Li and continue the act for now.

...

The Magic Words Bar also had an attic from which one could overlook the dance floor below. It was a very popular spot.

At the moment, an old and a young man were sitting on the edge of the attic, looking down.

From their position, they could clearly see what Lin Tian and Li Li were doing. Of course, not everyone found this as entertaining as they did.

"The item was placed in Lin Tian’s pocket, right?" Liu Mang asked, pushing the glasses on his nose. His eyesight wasn’t very good.

"Yes, our people saw it being placed in Lin Tian’s pocket. By tomorrow, no matter what that kid does, that Jin Guard is done for!"

With that, Liu Chan downed a shot of brandy in one go, feeling invigorated by the alcohol burning down his throat. He felt like laughing out loud.

Liu Mang remained puzzled, asking, "Why didn’t we put a small GPS on it? It would have been more foolproof."

Liu Chan shook his head, saying, "Dad, you know they’ll probably frisk you when you enter the hotel. If there’s a GPS, it would definitely be detected and ruin everything. Don’t worry, I know that woman, Li Li, too well. She’s the kind of person who would do anything for money."

Hearing this, Liu Mang smiled broadly, "That’s for the best. It gives me a way to explain to that person."

"Hey, Dad. Who exactly is that person? Why do they want to kill the Jin Guard?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Mang’s seemingly honest face turned stern, and he said coldly, "It’s best if you don’t know, for your own safety."

"Is it that dangerous?"

Liu Mang’s small eyes shot open as he said sternly, "We’re planning to kill the Jin Family’s Guard. If this leaks, who would survive it? Listen to me, after this is over, go live in East Continent for a couple of years until things settle down before coming back."

Realizing the severity of the situation, Liu Chan asked no more questions. The more you know, the faster you die!

Liu Mang took another sip of his drink, seemingly reminded of something as he asked, "By the way, how much did you give that woman?"

Liu Chan held up a finger.

"A hundred thousand?"

"A million."

Bang!

Liu Mang slammed his glass on the table forcefully, saying, "Are you out of your mind, giving that woman so much? She’s just a woman, are you attached to her or something?"

Liu Chan wasn’t offended; instead, he smiled, saying, "Dad, you’ve misunderstood. Giving her money means she has to be able to spend it first."

"What do you mean?"

"After this, she’ll meet King Yama. How is she going to spend that money then?"

Liu Mang’s pupils contracted instantly as he asked with a trembling voice, "Are you planning to kill her?"

"Why keep her alive otherwise? Dad, you’ve been a doctor for so many years, are you afraid of seeing dead people?"

"I’m not afraid of that; I just want to know why." Liu Chan replied surely, "Don’t you know how much trouble comes with having blood on your hands?"

Liu Mang said, "She’s just an ordinary person no one would notice. Even if she disappears, who would care besides her parents? Even if someone reports it to the police, in such a big city, one missing person—how does that concern us? Even if she dies on the street, because she’s been chased by debt collectors recently, being killed by someone is quite plausible."

Liu Chan pondered over this in silence, finally saying, "Do as you please; I’ll not stop you because we will soon leave the Celestial Dragon Continent, but make sure things are done discreetly and no loose ends are left."

"I understand."