From his mother, Li Chang'an learned that his father was currently staying at the Li Family Hotel in Heaven Dou City, and that he had been overseeing the reconstruction of the family's three hotels in the city.
He had to admire his father's stubbornness—despite their hotels being smashed up, he refused to relocate. Instead, he took up residence in one of the wrecked buildings and boldly launched a full-scale rebuilding effort.
In truth, this was a sign of Father Li's shrewdness. By putting everything out in the open, he was effectively forcing the hidden hand behind the attacks to back off. If those pulling the strings had even a shred of intelligence, they wouldn't dare to make another move at such a sensitive time.
When Li Chang'an arrived at the hotel, he happened to see his father laying bricks. This hotel was the largest one the Li family owned in Heaven Dou City—ten stories tall—but now it looked dilapidated, with broken windows and crumbling walls.
Thankfully, the Li family hadn't taken the beating lying down. Over the past few days, they'd mobilized several construction teams, and with the covert support of the Hong Chamber of Commerce, repairs were already about 70-80% complete.
"Dad, what are you doing with that?" Li Chang'an ran up with a cheeky grin, immediately grabbing the brick out of his father's hands.
Out in the world, Li Chang'an might be a notorious flirt, but in front of his parents, he was always just their kid.
"Sigh… Chang'an, your father's a failure. I couldn't protect the family business. Now all I can do is lay bricks to atone."
Father Li never liked to pass the blame. The truth was, Li Chang'an had been doing his best, and his father was proud of him. He only felt guilty that he couldn't shield his son from harm.
"Come on, Dad, don't say that. This isn't your fault—it's those bastards who trashed our place."
When he saw that his father still wanted to work, Li Chang'an quickly stepped in front of him again, not giving him a chance to lift a finger.
"Dad, how's the investigation going?" he asked, dusting off his hands after putting down a stack of bricks.
He'd previously told his mother to write and warn his father not to act rashly—to investigate first and wait until he returned.
"Oh right! I almost forgot the important part. Come, let's talk in the office," Father Li said, tapping his forehead.
As they went upstairs, two figures in red appeared in Li Chang'an's field of vision—two Red-robed Archbishops who were responsible for his father's security.
"Greetings, Holy Son!"
The two bowed respectfully. They wouldn't dare treat Li Chang'an lightly.
"You've both worked hard. Thank you for protecting my father these past few days. You can return now," Li Chang'an said calmly.
Now that he was back, there was no need for others to guard his father.
"Yes, Holy Son. We take our leave."
The two nodded, gave Father Li a courteous bow, and left.
"Speaking of which, I owe a lot of the investigation's progress to them. They provided a wealth of official intelligence and spirit master information," Father Li explained as they headed up.
"Well, of course. With something this big, Salas would be crazy not to get involved," Li Chang'an replied matter-of-factly.
"You can't always count on others to do the work for you, you know?" Father Li scolded mildly.
"And this whole incident has made me realize—we've still got some holes in our security. I'm planning to bring in a new batch of guest elders, preferably Spirit Emperors and above. It'll cost a bit, sure, but it's worth it. Also, Chang'an, that batch of level-two soul cannons from your side—shouldn't they be ready for mass production? Let's order some for home defense…"
When it came to matters like this, Father Li was in his element—he even started planning out Li Chang'an's tasks for him.
"No problem, Dad. That's all small stuff." Li Chang'an nodded in agreement, even wondering if it was time to roll out level-three soul cannons.
Still, the discussion reminded him that he could no longer delay assembling his own team. Once his mother finished selecting suitable candidates, he'd begin training them immediately.
The office was one of the best-preserved rooms in the building. Li Chang'an even noticed a bed and bedding in one corner—clearly, his father had been sleeping here.
"These are the investigation results from the past few days. Take a look." Father Li opened a hidden compartment and pulled out a confidential file, handing it to his son.
While flipping it open, Li Chang'an also took out a teapot from his Nullspace and poured two cups—one for himself, one for his dad.
Sipping the good tea, he began reading.
The hotel that had attacked them turned out to be another hotel—called Joy Spring Hotel—a nondescript establishment in Heaven Dou City. The owner had no apparent background.
But this seemingly ordinary hotel had somehow hired a Spirit Emperor-Rank expert—someone willing to provoke the powerful Li Family for their sake. That, right there, reeked of something deeper.
Even now, both the Spirit Hall and the Li family had dispatched people to track down that Spirit Emperor, but so far, there was no sign of him. Still, with Spirit Hall's reach across the Spirit Master world, it was only a matter of time.
Not stopping there, Father Li had even questioned the Spirit King guest elder who'd been on night watch. Though he was severely injured by the Spirit Emperor, he had survived.
According to his account, the Spirit Emperor's soul rings weren't optimally matched, but his soul power was close to Spirit Sage level, and he had a wolf-type spirit beast—fast and agile.
This, in Li Chang'an's eyes, showed the mastermind's cunning. By choosing a Spirit Emperor without optimal soul ring combinations, they avoided suspicion from major factions—whose elites always had the best setups.
And wolf-type spirits were common enough not to raise any red flags. Plus, many powerful Spirit masters weren't registered with Spirit Hall, which made tracing them even harder.
As for the Joy Spring Hotel, it vanished the night of the attack and hadn't reappeared since.
Things had reached a standstill. Spirit Hall and the Li family were stuck in investigative mode. Until the Joy Spring Hotel or that Spirit Emperor showed up again, there wasn't much they could do.
Father Li, being meticulous, had even questioned nearby merchants. But it turned out Joy Spring Hotel had always been shady and unpopular—surrounded by false rumors and little real information.
By the time he finished reading, Li Chang'an had a full picture. His father had done a thorough job—about as much as could be expected. But the mastermind had covered their tracks flawlessly, leaving no clues behind.
Li Chang'an tapped his fingers rhythmically on the desk, mentally replaying hundreds of episodes of Detective Conan he'd watched in his previous life.
He wasn't a real detective, sure—but with all that crime drama under his belt, surely he could figure something out, right?
Joy Spring Hotel… Spirit Emperor… city fire… city guard arriving late… vanished…
He felt like he was on the verge of something, yet just out of reach.
"Dad, did you investigate the city guard commander from that night?" he asked, his eyes flashing with a sharp gleam—as if Conan himself had taken over his body.
"We did," Father Li replied, immediately pouring cold water on his theory. "That guy was from the military. That night was his last shift—he's already gone back to his hometown."
"…You've got to be kidding me." Li Chang'an almost collapsed to the floor.
Just when he thought he'd found a breakthrough, it was snatched away again.
Whoever was behind this… had frighteningly precise control.
And just like that, the investigation hit another dead end.
____
T/N:
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