Chapter Forty-Eight: Luo Qishan

Based on the reasoning that monsters are unlikely to urinate like humans, and even less likely to possess the pungent smell of urine, Li Can withdrew his hand from Xu Yang. Of course, there was another reason: Xu Yang’s urine was so yellow that it splattered, and unfortunately, some landed on Li Can’s own shoes. Absolutely disgusting! He could even feel the warmth seeping through the shoe’s surface with just a wiggle of his toes.

Li Can stepped back two paces and rummaged through his pockets for some tissue, but found nothing. At that moment, he had no will to interrogate further.

“Brother, sorry about that, I have some tissues,” Xu Yang quickly caught on to Li Can’s mood and hastily offered a packet, hoping to leave a good impression on this mysterious man.

Li Can clearly wanted to avoid touching Xu Yang’s hand, but the tissue packet was too tempting. He forced himself to suppress his unease, pinched the corner of the packet, muttered a thank you, and took it.

That damned gratitude...

Xu Yang cursed silently. This man had just been on the verge of killing him, and now was thanking him for a few scraps of tissue—if that wasn’t twisted, what was?

“Brother, let’s talk things through. No need for violence. If I owe you money, I’ll sell my house and car to pay you back.”

“Have you recently introduced anyone to a job?” It was already past four in the afternoon; Li Can didn’t want to waste any more time.

“Introduced someone to a job?” Xu Yang was briefly stunned. “Brother, what exactly do you do?”

“Answer what I ask, no nonsense.” Li Can’s gaze turned cold.

“Yes, I have.” Xu Yang jumped in fright and quickly confessed everything. “I introduced hotel staff work to the cousin of our front desk Xiaozhang, construction work to my second aunt’s son, a driver’s job to a primary school classmate, and, uh, a full-time teaching job to my cousin.”

Xu Yang racked his brains to find a connection between this man and those matters, but no matter how he thought, nothing made sense.

Li Can lowered his head and continued wiping his shoes, sneering quietly, “Heh, someone like you actually has connections in education?”

He didn’t truly mean to mock; rather, he wanted to steer the conversation toward schools so Xu Yang wouldn’t grasp his real intention.

“I don’t have any connections. It’s just that the guy who delivers water to our company also supplies a private school and sometimes shares inside information. One day, while chatting with him, we touched on the subject. I figured my cousin used to work in education, so I memorized the school’s address and had him apply.”

Terrified by Li Can, Xu Yang spilled everything he knew, leaving nothing unsaid.

Li Can looked deeply at Xu Yang. Judging by his behavior and current state, he likely wasn’t lying. If he pressed further, Xu Yang might grow suspicious.

So, Li Can feigned a stern warning to repay the money soon, then turned and left, leaving Xu Yang standing bewildered on the rooftop.

“Who am I supposed to pay back?” he murmured.

…

The sun was setting.

Time passed.

The city’s neon lights flickered on.

People hurried through the streets.

By eight o’clock in the evening, in Flowerfield District, beside Torch Avenue’s pedestrian bridge, at Drip Pure Water Company—

“Brother Zhou, is this the last barrel?” Li Hua placed the final water barrel into the van and glanced at the middle-aged man smoking nearby.

“Yes, let’s get moving.” Zhou Chang checked the count of barrels—everything was in order—then beckoned Li Hua into the van.

Vroom—

The engine roared. Zhou Chang drove, and the van quickly merged into traffic, leaving the storefront behind.

“Brother Zhou, why does this batch of water barrels look different?” With nothing else to do, Li Hua, sitting in the passenger seat, took a closer look at the barrels in the back.

Usually, information about the water is attached to the middle of the barrel so customers can easily see what’s inside and whether there’s sediment. But this batch was different—wrapped up tight, so the contents were completely hidden.

“Li Hua, this is your first day, right? You’re still unfamiliar with the company’s business?” Zhou Chang smiled.

“Definitely unfamiliar. I’ll need your guidance, Brother Zhou.” Li Hua quickly lit a cigarette and handed it over.

Zhou Chang took it and inhaled deeply. “Actually, our company offers a lot of products. Besides ordinary barrels, we can customize barrels to suit our clients’ needs.”

“The price must be different?” Li Hua lit one for himself.

“Of course, custom barrels cost much more than regular ones.” Zhou Chang nodded.

Li Hua rolled down the window and blew out a puff of smoke. “I wonder what goes through their minds, paying so much for the same water.”

“Too much money, that’s all.” Zhou Chang drove steadily, never losing his composure, always wearing a friendly smile. “In all my years delivering water, I’ve seen all kinds of clients. Some even printed their wives’ photos on the barrels, saying it’s for the ambiance. People like us could never understand.”

“Hah, maybe it’s just his wife making sure he doesn’t bring other women home!” Li Hua laughed, slapping his thigh.

“Not impossible.” Zhou Chang glanced at the barrels in the rearview mirror, his smile fading. “When we arrive, keep your mouth shut and stay close.”

“What’s going on?” Li Hua asked, puzzled.

“This batch is for a school, and that school is strange. I’ve been delivering water there for years, but apart from the guard at the back gate, I’ve never seen anyone else.”

“But you always deliver at this time. Isn’t it normal not to see people?”

“I get that, but…” Zhou Chang frowned, his eyes uneasy. “But every time I go inside, I feel like I’m being watched.”

“Brother Zhou, don’t make it sound so spooky. I’m a firm materialist,” Li Hua replied with a helpless smile, thinking Zhou Chang was just trying to scare him because he was young.

“You wouldn’t understand.” Zhou Chang’s expression turned grave. “At first, I thought it was just my imagination. But the more I went, the stronger the feeling became.”

“Maybe there are other people at the school; you just haven’t noticed.” Seeing Zhou Chang wasn’t joking, Li Hua tried to comfort him.

“I hope so.” Zhou Chang sighed, turned the wheel to the right, and the van left the main road, entering a deserted path through the woods.

The road wound upward, clearly a mountain route.

“What kind of school is built in Luoqi Mountain?” Li Hua exclaimed.

Luoqi Mountain was famous in Flowerfield District—not for its scenery, but because there were rumors it would become a tourist spot. Yet after twenty years, no construction had begun. Over time, it became a deserted mountain, ignored by all.

“I don’t know what kind of school it is. But to build a school in the mountains, they must have clout. Maybe it’s one of those prestigious schools for the children of the powerful.”

Zhou Chang nodded toward the right front. “Look, we’re almost there.”

(To be continued…)