As soon as the Human Emperor Banner came out, I became the Lord of the Old Ones

Chapter 66 The water is too deep

"Sister Long, have we found Zhou Jianqing's body?"

On the return trip, Li Xinglan drove the car, but she looked confused.

"No, Zhou Jianqing disappeared less than 24 hours ago, so he can't even be considered missing. Anyway, this Xu Yan is quite interesting."

Long Jianhuan buried his head in his notebook, writing quickly.

First, write the two words "Xu Yan" in the center of the latest blank page.

Then came the lines radiating out from the name, the clues and guesses surrounding Xu Yan, the densely packed tiny handwriting soon filled up two whole pages.

"Yeah, I think he's interesting too. He has great skills and an even better personality. And he's so pitiful. We have to help him!"

"you like him."

Long Jianhuan didn't even raise his head as he wrote and spoke.

Not a question, but an affirmation.

"Is it so obvious?"

Li Xinglan blushed. "Oh, you know I just can't resist this kind of gentle boy, but don't worry, I won't fall for it."

"I'm definitely relieved. You've been in at least thirty relationships in the past two years, and you've never fallen in love."

Long Jianhuan sorted out the clues and put a question mark after the name "Xu Yan".

Then, flip the notebook to the back and turn it upside down.

"Xu Yan".

She straightened her face and rewrote the name.

"What is this for?"

Li Xinglan was curious, "Why do we have to start over from the last page?"

"A game."

Long Jianhuan said, "The last incident taught me a lesson: any plan has flaws, and any action will have variables. Even if I feel like I have everything under control, I can never know what will happen in the next second.

"So, I'm developing a new habit. Even if all the clues point to something clear, I will re-evaluate the whole thing from the most extreme, worst, and most outrageous angle before drawing any conclusions."

"……don't know."

Li Xinglan shook his head like a rattle.

"For example, I met Xu Yan on my first day at Rolling Stone Castle. It seemed to have nothing to do with the incident we are investigating, right?"

"of course."

"But what if it's related?"

Long Jianhuan said, "What if Xu Yan is lying, or even the mastermind behind this? I will use this as a starting point, reorganize all the clues, and make a new deduction."

"how is this possible?"

Li Xinglan's eyes widened. "How could he possibly have that ability? Besides, what's he trying to achieve?"

"This is just a thinking game. Let me develop a habit. Today I doubt Xu Yan, tomorrow I doubt you, and the day after tomorrow I doubt myself. It's just a brainstorming game!"

Long Jianhuan said casually, "Just think that he is after Miss Li's beauty."

"Interesting, just like a detective novel, the seemingly most innocent passerby is the murderer. I want to play too!"

Li Xinglan tilted her head and tried to deduce for a long time, her face falling. "I can't deduce anything. It's obvious that I was attracted to his beauty. He has no motive at all!"

Long Jianhuan smiled and shook his head.

Ignore this clown no longer.

Concentrate and calm your mind, and enter the maze of thought that you have designed for yourself.

Xu Yan, Wilderness Area, Shadow of the Rose, Rolling Stone Club, Black Dream Organization.

The mysterious card maker, Zhou Jianqing, "Silver Tongue" Riley, the big boss.

Points and lines, lines and surfaces, planes and solids.

Countless intricate clues emerged, branched off, and entangled around the name "Xu Yan".

They are reconnected in a way that defies intuition, common sense, and logic, and reorganized into the most absurd, horrifying, and bizarre possibilities.

"Clap!"

The tip of the pen broke and the ink spurted out.

"Boom!"

The boiler behind the steam car exploded.

The engine made a sharp roar and slammed on the brakes, causing Li Xinglan to almost hit the steering wheel.

She looked at the passenger seat in surprise.

It's rare to see Long Jianhuan's face showing such an...excited expression.

It seems like it has received a great stimulation, and also like it has locked onto a cunning prey and is about to embark on a wonderful hunt.

"Sister Long, is something wrong? You scared our machine spirit."

"fine."

Long Jianhuan looked at the broken pen in his hand.

There was an unbearable hungry light in his eyes.

"Xiao Lan, don't have any contact with Xu Yan anymore."

Long Jianhuan pulled out a piece of paper and wiped the ink off his fingertips. "The water is very deep here, you can't control it."

"What do you mean?"

Li Xinglan didn't understand. "I'm in charge of the team's chores. I always have to go to the Xingxing Store to purchase and maintain civilian cards. How could I not come into contact with him?"

"It's okay. I'll go."

Long Jianhuan smiled and said, "Starting tomorrow, I will go to the Star Shop in your place."

"Hey, eh, ohhhh, ohhhhhhh!"

Li Xinglan suddenly understood.

"What's that look in your eyes, and what's that 'oh oh oh' thing?"

"No, nothing. By the way, Captain Long, I want to report to you that Xu Yan and I are just ordinary friends. Apart from bandaging his wound just now, I haven't even touched his hand. Also, I have a lot of well-mannered boys like him here, so you don't have to worry at all!"

Long Jianhuan: “???”

……

Xu Yan continued his apprenticeship at the Xingxing Store.

What happened in the "Shadow of the Rose" over the past few nights was like a huge rock thrown into a lake, which caused ripples but eventually returned to calm.

Maintenance, repair, renovation.

Using talismans as a language, you can communicate with various souls from different past times and listen to the voices from the depths of history.

He likes this kind of life.

"Grandma Wang, you can no longer use this [Death Vision] to see things.

"I don't know which wicked fellow disguised a scrapped combat card and sold it to you as a medical card. If you continue to use it to read things, others will get sick, and your brain blood vessels will burst, causing a stroke.

"I have a [Lost Three-Headed Dog] here. You can take it home and use it as a guide dog for a few days. Then I'll carefully select a visual medical card for you and send it to your home, okay?
"Aunt Lais, I've adjusted the Fire Lizard for you and also engraved a temperature-control array. This way, the children in the orphanage won't freeze to death or get scalded to death when they take a bath in the winter.

"Master Jin, I told you a long time ago that even if the restaurant business is booming and we make a lot of money, we shouldn't waste it like this!

"You're a cook, and you're only adding a spirit to your kitchen knife. Why would you choose a Second Era divine weapon that 'contains the 6636 moves of the Five Tiger Soul-Severing Sword Techniques'? Whose soul do you want to sever, vegetables and radishes, or steak and mutton offal?
"No wonder everyone says your dishes are so aggressive lately. The sweet and sour fish looks like it's about to die. How can business be good?"

Second-hand civilian cards are nothing more than trivial family matters.

Xu Yan worked hard for the whole morning, with sweat oozing from his forehead, but a smile was always on his lips.

After finally dealing with the customers, he took out a copy of the "Golden Card Yearbook" published by the Spirit Card Association and hummed a light tune.

"Jingle Bell."

The wind chimes hanging above the gate swayed gently.

(End of this chapter)