Cao Ying pointed at his disheveled appearance. “For just this canopy, your grandson paid a huge price! My men suffered heavy casualties—I nearly died snatching this back! It’s not a small thing at all.”
To be honest, his original plan was to hand over the whole Zhima Beast to the old master.
But then—something changed.
He had spent a fortune buying the Wind-Fixing Pearl from Lu Ding. He had exhausted manpower, resources, and mental energy fighting Li the Cripple and the Tianli Cult on Dingfeng Mountain just to seize this Zhima Beast.
It was all for the sake of earning his grandfather’s favor, securing his support, and challenging Cao Yuan for the heir position—a formal, head-on competition.
But now?
After just a few days away, everything had changed.
He didn’t even need to fight for it anymore.
Cao Yuan was dead.
That was two obstacles eliminated in one stroke.
Now, the Zhima Beast had suddenly become much more valuable.
He had originally been thinking about how to win Lu Ding over to his side.
But now, there was no need to even think about it.
He’d just give the bulk of the Zhima Beast to Lu Ding and use it to build a relationship.
One item, two benefits—wasn’t that a massive win?
As for his grandfather…
Well, the old man was already so old. Eating a little less wouldn't hurt him. Plans just couldn’t keep up with sudden changes, after all.
That said—
“Lu Ding is really ruthless, huh…”
Cao Ying muttered to himself.
That guy had actually managed to kill his father, Cao Yutang.
Of course, even though they were father and son, Cao Ying didn’t feel the slightest sadness over it. In fact, he kind of wanted to laugh. Maybe even set off some firecrackers.
Dead is dead. It’s not like he wasn’t already as good as dead before. At least now, things are finally peaceful.
“Just the canopy?”
The old master of the Cao family eyed him skeptically.
Cao Ying nodded solemnly. “Really, really.”
Meanwhile, his hand, still hidden in his robe, was silently channeling Spiritual Energy, sealing the missing section of the Zhima Beast so that its aura and fragrance wouldn’t leak out.
He couldn’t risk his grandfather noticing.
This thing was for Lu Ding.
Once he secured the head position of Caojia Alley, he and Lu Ding—the 749 Bureau’s Patrol Investigator of Bao Fan District—would definitely have many opportunities to work together.
Cao Ying wasn’t about to make the same mistake as Cao Yuan.
He was smarter than that.
The old master nodded approvingly. “Alright then, prepare yourself. Pick a good day, and take over as the head of Caojia Alley. Do your best to lead our family to glory.”
“Me?”
“The head?”
“You mean me?”
Cao Ying pointed at himself, utterly caught off guard by this unexpected promotion.
His goal had only been to become the heir.
Now he was being told—no need to go through any process, no need to fight for it. He was just going to directly take over as head of the family?!
“Well, if not you, then who? I’m too old to run things anymore,” the old master chuckled. “But let me warn you—don’t provoke Lu Ding. That kid has something… unsettling about him.
“Your father—five seconds. Just five seconds. Whish! Gone. Whish! Back—except only half of him was left, stuck upright in the ground.”
Cao Ying’s mouth twitched.
But when he thought of Lu Ding, he almost couldn’t hold back his laughter.
Cao Yuan had made an enemy of Lu Ding because he was stupid.
Cao Ying, on the other hand, hadn’t offended Lu Ding at all. They might not be close, but at least they could talk.
Looking at the Zhima Beast canopy in his grandfather’s hands, Cao Ying suddenly felt a twinge of regret.
If he had known this would happen, he wouldn’t have given it to the old man.
What does an old man like him even know about this stuff?
Would’ve been better to just give it to Lu Ding and make a stronger impression.
Sigh!!!
What a waste.
No one could have predicted that in just a few days, the entire game would flip upside down.
Meanwhile, at the 749 Bureau Entrance
Lu Ding had successfully met up with Yan Feifan, who had brought along Bai Hemen, someone Lu Ding was meeting for the first time.
The two men sized each other up.
Bai Hemen glanced at Lu Ding, recalling the information he had just looked up in the 749 App during the car ride.
His gaze sharpened slightly.
Then, out of nowhere, he asked, "Lu Ding, do you think all monsters deserve to die?"
He had expected Lu Ding to pause and think before answering.
But Lu Ding didn’t hesitate for a second.
“Of course. If the monsters don’t die, what—am I supposed to die instead?”
No monster kills, no rewards. No rewards, no progress. No progress, no control over fate.
As for whether some monsters might be good?
Not his problem.
Bai Hemen listened to his response, cross-checking it with the records he had read about Lu Ding.
It fit perfectly.
"Have you ever felt lost?" Bai Hemen asked.
Lu Ding frowned slightly. “Lost?”
He really didn’t get what this guy meant.
But after thinking for a moment, he nodded.
“When I can’t find monsters to kill, I do feel a little lost.”
That was the truth.
For nineteen years, he had been lost to death.
Fortunately, his perseverance had paid off.
Bai Hemen smirked.
Well, it wasn’t really a smirk—his smile was so forced it looked fake.
But deep down, he actually found it amusing.
He reached out a hand. “I’m Bai Hemen. Bai, as in white. Hemen, as in sleeping.”
Lu Ding chuckled.
"The green pastures warm the resting ox, the lofty pines cradle the sleeping crane."
"Nice name. I’m Lu Ding."
Bai Hemen’s eyes flickered with surprise.
This… wasn’t quite the personality he had expected from the reports.
Where did this poetic elegance come from?
Feeling slightly awkward, Bai Hemen tried to think of a literary compliment for Lu Ding’s name but came up blank.
"...You’re surprisingly cultured. That off the top of your head?"
Lu Ding shrugged.
"Li Bai wrote it. I just borrowed it."
Bai Hemen nodded, mentally noting down the line of poetry.
“I need to go turn in my mission. We’ll talk next time.”
Lu Ding picked up Jia Yuanfang and walked away.
Bai Hemen watched his retreating figure, lost in thought.
He didn’t move until Lu Ding had completely disappeared from sight.
Then, he took out his phone and typed into a search engine:
"The green pastures warm the resting ox, the lofty pines cradle the sleeping crane."
He hit search.
Nothing.
Frowning slightly, he tried again—this time searching for "Poetry Immortal Li Bai."
Still nothing.
Staring at the completely unrelated search results on his screen, Bai Hemen suddenly felt like… maybe the 749 Bureau’s records weren’t entirely accurate.
According to the files, Lu Ding was supposed to be a ruthless enforcer of justice, arrogant and domineering to an extreme degree.
But from this first meeting…
Lu Ding seemed cultured.
Well-mannered.
Effortlessly poetic.
And now, the search engine wasn’t turning up this supposed Li Bai or his poetry.
Bai Hemen’s eyes narrowed.
Lu Ding… is actually pretty low-key, huh?
“So his arrogance and dominance… are just a front? Deep down, he’s actually refined, restrained, and incredibly powerful?”
Low-key and cultured.
That had always been Bai Hemen’s personal pursuit.
And Lu Ding’s stance on monsters? It aligned with his own in some ways.
His eyes suddenly lit up.
A friend!
Shared ideals.
Qualities worth learning from.
And no baggage to drag each other down.
Wasn’t that exactly what made a true friend?