Chapter 436: Inquiring about the Case
Su Qing wanted to facepalm. ’So the whole family knew where I was this whole time, and they’ve all been worried sick. If I had known, I would have told Qiao Wensong to be more discreet. Now look at this mess. I have to go around reassuring everyone now that I’m back.’
Su Qing felt like crying. This was exhausting!
"Qingqing, you didn’t run into any danger in the mountains, did you?" Mrs. Li was still anxious, worried that Su Qing was putting on a brave face.
"Don’t worry, Grandma. I didn’t run into any danger, really," Su Qing said quickly.
Mrs. Li still didn’t quite believe her. She’d had several nightmares recently, dreaming that Su Qing had been chased by wild beasts, or that she’d run into those tomb raiders and been captured. She would wake up drenched in a cold sweat every time. But since her precious granddaughter didn’t want her to worry, she decided to take her at her word for now.
"Grandma, I brought presents for everyone," Su Qing said, quickly changing the subject. "I’ll give them to you all tonight."
Mrs. Li smiled. "Alright."
Then, Mrs. Li added, "When you see your mother tonight, you need to make sure to comfort her. She hasn’t said much these past few days, but I can tell she’s been worried sick."
"Mhm, mhm," Su Qing nodded quickly.
Sure enough, when evening came, everyone who knew Su Qing was back rushed home. The only exceptions were the Li Huan siblings, who were still at school. Even the workaholic Li Fengshan came back, bringing Song Qingwen with him.
"Qingqing." Seeing her daughter back safe and sound, the weight Li Wan had been carrying was finally lifted. She pulled Su Qing into a tight hug. "It’s good you’re back. It’s good you’re back."
Li Wan’s voice was choked with emotion. Nestled in her mother’s embrace, Su Qing heard the tremor in her voice, and her own heart couldn’t help but ache. "Mom, I’m okay, I’m really okay. I’m back safe and sound. I’m sorry I made you worry."
Li Wan quickly shook her head. Holding Su Qing by the shoulders, she felt that her daughter must have suffered during her two months away, not eating or dressing well. "You’ve gotten thin again. I’ll make you some delicious food to help you build your strength back up."
Su Qing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She had a pile of delicious food in her dimensional space, her superpower had advanced to the Sixth Rank, and she had been nourished by the Spiritual Energy in the mountains. How could she possibly have lost weight? ’Sure enough,’ she thought. ’There’s a type of thin called "your mom thinks you’re thin."’
A warm feeling washed over Su Qing’s heart again. "Okay."
After a round of warm greetings and concerned questions, Su Qing distributed the gifts and local specialties she had brought back. Only then did Li Fenghuo bring up the matter of the tomb raiders. "The group of tomb raiders that the villager you rescued on Xiqing Mountain encountered—you didn’t run into them in the mountains, did you?"
"No," Su Qing said, shaking her head quickly.
"That’s good." Li Fenghuo continued, "According to the information that villager provided, that group of tomb raiders are seasoned veterans. They not only rob tombs everywhere, but they also traffic artifacts and even have blood on their hands. They’re a gang of desperados. A warrant is out for their arrest now. I’m sure they’ll be caught as soon as they show their faces. You’ve performed another great service this time. Director Zhou said he’s going to apply for a reward for you."
Su Qing smiled. "It was nothing."
’As for catching those tomb raiders, that’s impossible. Those guys have already become fertilizer. The problem is, I still haven’t figured out how to reveal that they were hired by the Qiutian Clan. Thinking about it, it’s quite a tricky problem. If my predecessor’s father’s death on Baihua Mountain seven years ago really is connected to the Qiutian people, then the Qiutian Clan has been plotting this in Hua Country for at least seven or eight years.’
’In seven or eight years, how many precious cultural relics must have fallen into their dirty hands?’ The thought made Su Qing anxious.
’But without concrete evidence, I can’t say anything. If I’m not careful, I might expose myself. Ugh... what a headache.’
Su Qing couldn’t help but rub her temples.
"Qingqing, what’s wrong? Does your head hurt? Have you been too exhausted from your time away? You should go back to your room and rest soon," Li Wan said with concern. She had been watching her daughter closely and saw her rubbing her temples.
"I’m fine. I’m probably just tired from the trip," Su Qing quickly replied.
Mrs. Li chimed in, "Exactly. It’s a several-day train ride back from Lan City, and you can’t rest well on it. Go get some rest. Tomorrow is Friday. Don’t go to school; just rest at home. You can go back to class next Monday."
"That’s right," Mr. Li nodded. "Rest for a couple of days and go back to class next week."
"Okay." Su Qing was just thinking that she wanted to make a trip to the municipal bureau tomorrow to ask Zou Ming about the progress on Du Daguai’s case.
Suddenly, Su Qing thought of Li Wan and Gu Xinsheng’s wedding and asked casually, "Mom, Uncle Gu, have you set a date for the wedding yet? When is it?"
Li Wan’s face immediately reddened slightly. "Not yet. We’ll tell you when we’ve decided."
With Su Qing not back yet, how could Li Wan have been in the mood to prepare for her own wedding?
Su Qing knew the wedding had been delayed because she hadn’t returned. She said with a wide smile, "Alright then! When you set the date, I’ll give you a wedding gift. I guarantee you’ll love it."
With that, Su Qing happily ran upstairs.
"This child," Li Wan muttered, her face bright red. The rest of the Li family just smiled, pressing their lips together without a word.
The next day, Su Qing went to the municipal bureau. Zou Ming happened to be there, and he was happy to see her. "Su Qing, you’re back!"
Then, he added with admiration, "You’re really something else. To think you could rescue someone from the deep, remote forests of Da Hu Mountain. Incredible."
As he spoke, Zou Ming gave Su Qing a thumbs-up.
Su Qing couldn’t help but smile. "Captain Zou, it was nothing, I’m not that amazing. I just happened to be there."
"You have no idea," Zou Ming said. "Director Zhou has been telling us to take you as our role model these days. Man, he’s one step away from just throwing us into the deep forests ourselves."
Su Qing laughed out loud at his words, then said, "Captain Zou, I came today to ask if there’s been any progress on the Du Daguai case."
When it came to official business, Zou Ming became serious. "Based on the current investigation, the person who killed Du Daguai is most likely Du Xiangbao. Also, judging from the injuries on Du Daguai’s body, Du Xiangbao probably wasn’t the only killer. We just haven’t been able to identify the other individuals yet. As for why Du Xiangbao would kill Du Daguai, we haven’t found a motive."
This case was giving Zou Ming quite a headache.
That Du Daguai had always been rather reclusive and didn’t interact much with his neighbors, so the investigation hadn’t turned up much about his personal situation. They only had witnesses who saw Du Xiangbao entering and leaving Du Daguai’s home, and someone who saw Du Xiangbao and Du Daguai entering Wenyun Valley together.
Based on the time they entered Wenyun Valley and some other details the investigation uncovered, they could tentatively determine that Du Xiangbao was the one who killed Du Daguai.