Chapter 2787 — The Jade Pendant's Substitute: "We Can Talk Over the Phone..." Qiu Lingshan Wanted to Keep It Brief

"We'd better talk in person." Tang Yuqi hung up before Qiu Lingshan could say anything more.

Left with no choice, Qiu Lingshan waited outside the police station.

"Team Leader Song, waiting for your boyfriend again?" Passing colleagues could not resist teasing her as she stood at the station entrance. Tang Yuqi had been coming to see Qiu Lingshan so often lately that everyone had noticed. They assumed he was either her boyfriend or a suitor with very promising prospects.

After all, if Qiu Lingshan had not been interested, she would hardly have gone out with Tang Yuqi so often.

This was not Songshan City, and hardly anyone here knew about Wei Zhao's affairs. Besides, Qiu Lingshan had no way to explain what Tang Yuqi had come for, so all she could do was smile wryly.

Tang Yuqi had run all the way there. As a cultivator, he had excellent stamina. Seeing that Qiu Lingshan had already come out, he said apologetically, "Lingshan, you're already out? Sorry. The hotel elevator was crowded, and I had to wait a while."

"It's nothing. Let's talk while we walk." Qiu Lingshan wanted to tell him about Tang Jucheng's family, and the entrance to the police station was hardly the place to discuss it.

"Sure. Let's take a walk and grab some late-night food up ahead!" Tang Yuqi nodded readily.

After they had walked some distance, until there was no one around, Qiu Lingshan finally said, "I've found out what happened to Tang Jucheng's family."

"What? Really?" Tang Yuqi was stunned. He had already given up on finding out anything. His recent invitations to Qiu Lingshan had simply been because he wanted to spend time with her. As for Tang Jucheng, judging from Qiu Lingshan's attitude, he had sensed that there was some hidden complication and assumed the family could not be located for the time being. He had never expected Qiu Lingshan to give him such an answer today.

"His family is currently elsewhere. Because of certain special circumstances, I don't know exactly where. Their whereabouts are confidential. But I contacted them through someone else. Your second uncle and aunt may return to Donghai City sometime soon. When they do, I can arrange for you to meet them," Qiu Lingshan said.

"What? Really? That's wonderful! When do you think they might be back?" For Tang Yuqi, finding Tang Jucheng's family was an unexpected stroke of good fortune.

"It may still take a little while," Qiu Lingshan said. She was not certain herself. Tang Mu could not possibly leave Snow Valley immediately after returning; she still had matters to arrange. Qiu Lingshan could not say exactly when she would depart. "But it will definitely be soon."

"I see... Then thank you." Tang Yuqi thought for a moment before continuing, "I've been in Donghai City for a long time now, doing absolutely nothing. That's not really my nature. Lingshan, could you help me get a job at the police station?"

"Uh... You want to work at the police station?" Qiu Lingshan stared at him, caught completely off guard by the sudden request.

"Yes. But don't worry, I won't demand an outrageous salary. I can work as a temporary employee. Whatever you normally pay temporary staff, that's fine by me," Tang Yuqi said.

"What? You're a famous detective. The pay for temporary workers..." Qiu Lingshan was nearly speechless. Still, this was something she could decide on her own. The criminal investigation team hired auxiliary officers, drivers, and other temporary personnel. If Tang Yuqi truly wanted nothing more than a temporary position, there would certainly be no problem.

"Ha-ha, I don't actually need the money. I made quite a bit while working as a detective overseas. I'm just bored and looking for something to do," Tang Yuqi said. "You have plenty of cases over there, don't you? I can help solve them. I wouldn't even need to be paid."

"All right, then. In that case, come to work tomorrow." After thinking it over, Qiu Lingshan agreed. Now that Tang Jucheng's matter had been settled, she no longer had to avoid Tang Yuqi. And as a famous detective from overseas, he could serve as a case-solving expert for the criminal investigation team. He would cost them very little and improve their efficiency. Why not?

"Heh-heh. From now on, I'll be your subordinate, so you'll have to look after me!" Tang Yuqi grinned. "Tonight, I'll treat my beautiful superior to some late-night food and build a better relationship!"

"Let's skip the late-night food. It's already very late." Qiu Lingshan glanced at the time on her watch.

"It isn't that late, and there's a night market food stall just up ahead. Let me thank you for helping me find my second uncle." Tang Yuqi pointed into the distance.

"All right." Qiu Lingshan considered it, then nodded. Since Tang Yuqi would no longer be probing her about Tang Jucheng as he had before, she no longer needed to guard against him. Having a meal with him felt considerably easier now...

These past few days, Wang Xinyan had been able to attend school as usual. On the surface, there seemed to be no problem at all. In truth, however, the matter of the jade pendant continued to trouble Wei Zhao. The Orchid Mustard Jade Spirit Grass could treat the symptoms but not the root cause; it only kept the pendant going for a short while. Given enough time, it would still fail.

As for the jade pendant, Wei Zhao simply could not think of any way to solve the problem. He had even considered circulating the Xuanyuan Dragon-Controlling Formula to replenish the pendant's energy. Unfortunately, the pendant was not a cultivator and could not practice internal energy, nor was it a spirit beast capable of absorbing energy on its own.

The situation left Wei Zhao helpless. He possessed abundant energy but had no way to transfer it to the jade pendant. The pendant's condition also reminded him of the energy stone in Sun Jingyan's possession. He wondered whether the energy stone might be useful to Wang Xinyan.

The last time Xiao Shiyi had come looking for Sun Jingyan, there had been very little energy left in the stone. Sun Jingyan had therefore stopped using it for cultivation and set it aside for the time being. Wei Zhao brought the energy stone over and began examining it carefully.

Sun Jingyan's energy stone had a slightly brighter luster than the one Yu Dake had brought the last time, but it was already extremely dull. In other words, the energy stone and the jade pendant were probably similar. The more energy they contained, the brighter their color became. Once the energy within had been used, the color grew increasingly dull until the stone could no longer be used.

Wei Zhao then tried to see whether he could transfer the energy within his own body into the energy stone. The result, however, was another failure. It seemed that the universal true qi in Wei Zhao's body was still different from the natural spiritual energy of heaven and earth, or pure energy. Although his universal true qi could transform into other kinds of true qi or energy, the prerequisite was that the recipient be a cultivator or a spirit beast. Only then could the recipient guide the Xuanyuan Dragon-Controlling Formula and convert Wei Zhao's universal true qi into the true qi or energy it needed. With inanimate objects such as the jade pendant and the energy stone, however, that was impossible.

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