PDLP Chapter 58 The Zhao Family
Chapter 58 The Zhao Family
Li Qingyi's fingertips slowly turned the yellowed pages of the ledger, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.
The Moon Fiend organization operates only in the mundane world, and all its accounts are conducted in gold and silver, which was within his expectations.
To his surprise, the actual amount of silver in the warehouse was far less than the cash flow recorded in the books.
Leng Qiuyi noticed his unusual expression and asked softly, "Master, is there a problem with the accounts?"
Li Qingyi raised her eyes to look at Yue Chi, her gaze sharp as a knife: "Where did the money from Huanzhulou go?"
He pushed the ledger forward, "The treasury records show only a thousand taels of gold and ten thousand taels of silver."
"The profits from the casinos, brothels, and those shady businesses alone over the past two months have exceeded this amount. Vice-Lord Yue, I'd like to ask, where did the money go?"
Upon hearing this, Yue Chi was greatly alarmed: "Please wait a moment, Master! I'll go and fetch the accountant right away!"
Leng Qiuyi was somewhat surprised by Li Qingyi's attitude:
"I thought you wouldn't care about worldly money."
Li Qingyi chuckled softly and tapped her fingertips on the ledger:
"Gold and silver are indeed like fleeting clouds to me; it doesn't matter if the treasury is empty. But the accounts must be crystal clear; I don't like the feeling of things slipping out of my control."
Upon hearing this, Leng Qiuyi nodded thoughtfully.
Before long, Yue Chi returned, bringing with him an elderly man with half-gray hair and beard, and shoved him to the ground.
"OP, this is Zhang Fan, the accountant."
Li Qingyi looked at the trembling old man kneeling on the ground and slowly spoke:
"Tell me honestly, where did the missing money go?"
Zhang Fan stammered, "Chief, this..."
"You're the host now!" Yue Chi interrupted sharply.
"I understand, I understand," Zhang Fan hurriedly corrected himself.
"The former master... Every month, he would take a large amount of gold and silver from the treasury, and he wouldn't allow me to keep accounts. As for where he took it, I really have no idea!"
"Oh?" Li Qingyi raised an eyebrow slightly. "You know nothing?"
Zhang Fan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and stammered:
"I overheard the previous poster mention that this money was a gift to the Zhao family..."
Li Qingyi immediately looked at Leng Qiuyi and Yue Chi.
Yue Chi shouted, "The Zhao family? There's no Zhao family in Xuan Ce City! I think you won't shed a tear until you see the coffin!"
Leng Qiuyi also confirmed, "Indeed, I have never heard of the Zhao family in Xuan Ce City."
Zhang Fan was so frightened that he burst into tears, "I truly didn't know!"
Li Qingyi closed her eyes, leaned back in her chair, and waved to Yue Chi:
"Take him away, don't let him get hurt. We're counting on him to manage the accounts in the future."
"Your subordinate obeys."
As the sound of their footsteps faded into the distance, Li Qingyi slowly opened her eyes and looked at Leng Qiuyi:
"Are there any families of cultivators surnamed Zhao?"
Upon hearing this, Leng Qiuyi was taken aback. "What use would a family of cultivators have for all this gold and silver?"
"Go investigate," Li Qingyi sighed softly. "I have a feeling things aren't simple. We might even have to clean up Yue Sha's mess."
Leng Qiuyi immediately realized the seriousness of the problem:
"OP, October is in three days. You mean... the Zhao family Zhang Fan mentioned will come looking for you to demand money?"
Li Qingyi nodded.
"What if he's lying?"
"There's no need for that," Li Qingyi shook her head. "He's not even at the Body Tempering Realm; how could he dare to touch such money?"
"Then... what about Tingyu Pavilion?" Leng Qiuyi asked with a worried expression.
Li Qingyi, however, did not care: "As long as you don't do anything to betray Tingyu Pavilion, the leader won't care what you do."
"The host knows Tingyu Pavilion better than I, a veteran who has been a member for five years," Leng Qiuyi said meaningfully.
"I just heard it from a friend," Li Qingyi waved her hand. "Go check it out."
Leng Qiuyi bowed and took her leave.
"Could Ling'er know something?"
With a thought, Li Qingyi released the Green Puppet and controlled it to use the Concealing Breath Technique to rush towards the courtyard, while she herself stayed at Huanzhu Tower.
……
Qingkui returned to the courtyard silently, only to find Ling'er sitting alone on a stone bench, gazing up at the gradually brightening sky.
"It's already dawn, why aren't you resting? What are you doing here?" Li Qingyi was surprised to realize that she had been busy all night.
"Brother Feng," Ling'er turned her head, her eyes filled with stubbornness, "even now, you still refuse to tell me your true identity?"
This question startled Li Qingyi, who didn't understand why she suddenly asked it.
But thinking of how Ling'er had stayed by his side through both simulations, he no longer intended to hide it.
"A name is just a label; what does it matter whether you know it or not?"
"It's important." Ling'er nodded seriously.
"Then tell me first, why did you approach me?"
This question left Ling'er speechless.
She lowered her eyes, rested her chin on her hand, and after a long while, whispered:
"I am destined to face a death calamity. My master said that after I go down the mountain, I will meet someone who will help me overcome this calamity."
Upon hearing this, Li Qingyi's lips twitched: "No, how can you be so sure it's me? What if you're wrong? Won't you still be dead?"
The scene of being crushed to ashes by the Purple Mansion True Man in the simulation was still vivid in his mind. He truly did not know how to help Ling'er overcome her death.
"Because..." Ling'er playfully stuck out her tongue, "I can't figure out your origins."
Li Qingyi covered her face helplessly, "What kind of reason is that?"
Suddenly, he realized something. "You said...you can't figure out my origins?"
"Hmm." Ling'er nodded. "I received my master's true teachings and can help people predict the secrets of heaven and determine good and bad fortune. But I can't predict anything about you."
No matter how I calculate it, the result is still shrouded in mystery. Of course, I can only help those whose cultivation level is not much higher than mine; otherwise, I cannot bear the backlash.
Upon hearing this, Li Qingyi fell into deep thought: 'Could it be that my cheat system also has the power to conceal heavenly secrets?'
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
Otherwise, if some powerful being were to come along and figure out that you're a time traveler, what's the point of playing this game?
"You don't just assume it's me because of this, do you?" Li Qingyi asked.
He was certain that he was definitely not the one destined to help Ling'er overcome her death.
If that were true, how could he have failed to prevent Ling'er's inevitable death in two simulations?
"Otherwise what?" Ling'er blinked. "In the Qin family, there is no man more special than you."
"Wait... I didn't manage to snatch that destined guy away, did I?" Li Qingyi thought with a start.
"It might actually be true..."
"I've been so honest, are you still going to hide it from me?" Ling'er said reproachfully.
"Li Qingyi," he said calmly.
"Li Qingyi...that's a beautiful name..." Suddenly, Ling'er's pupils contracted sharply. "You just said, who are you?"
"Li Qingyi".
Ling'er: "???"
"Weren't you killed by Zhou Chuan with a single palm strike and then refined into a human pill by Qin Baisheng? How did you escape this predetermined fate?"
Li Qingyi's lips curled slightly. "A secret. Wait, you just mentioned a predetermined fate?"
"Before leaving the sect, Master told me about you." Ling'er's expression turned serious:
He said that unless a Golden Core True Lord intervenes, you are destined to become a pill in other people's mouths.
At this point, Ling'er's pupils suddenly dilated. "Brother Qingyi, you are a true disciple of the Golden Core stage!"