I consulted a feng shui master in Hong Kong.

Chen Qinghe handed the wooden ruler in his hand to Deng the carpenter, gave him a few more instructions on the dimensions, and then slowly walked out of the yard.

When he reached the door, he didn't speak first, but only glanced at Lu Qibang.

He was in his early forties, tall and thin, with a few strands of white hair at his temples.

With good eyesight and accurate aim, he glanced at the newly hung wooden sign for "Sanxuan Temple" before entering, then swept his gaze across the front yard, and even took a look at the well in the backyard.

That look in their eyes doesn't suggest they're seeking feng shui advice.

They weren't there to ask for favors.

Huang Shou-chou whispered a reminder from the side: "This is Sergeant Lu, the police chief of the station."

Chen Qinghe hummed in response, his expression remaining unchanged.

Whether it's a sheriff or not, it doesn't affect me.

"Please come in, Officer Lu."

Lu Qibang smiled, first gesturing for Ah Fei to place the two gift boxes and the foreign liquor on the old table by the door, then followed Chen Qinghe inside.

"I've long heard that Master Chen of the Sanxuan Temple is very capable. There have been a lot of strange things happening in the Yau Ma Tei area recently, and the neighbors all say it was you who saw through them. I'm here today not for any other reason than to come and get to know you because of your reputation."

He spoke politely, without mentioning the proposal, Gu Chengyue, or any credit, but the words "strange thing" and "it can be seen" already laid bare his meaning.

Chen Qinghe didn't respond to that, but simply gestured for him to sit down at an old table that had just been cleared out in the side courtyard.

Construction was still underway inside the old dyehouse, and it was quite noisy outside, but the side courtyard was relatively quiet. Huang Shouzhou brought over two cups of coarse tea and then stepped back outside to wait.

Lu Qibang picked up his teacup, but didn't drink it immediately. He first looked around, and his expression gradually became more serious.

"Master Chen, is this Xinliguan?"

"It used to be in Fu'anli," Chen Qinghe said calmly. "It was a small place, and the old place was old too, so we recently moved here."

Lu Qibang nodded, then casually asked, "I heard that the small temple over there in Fu'an Lane was left behind by your sect?"

Chen Qinghe glanced at him.

This may sound like casual conversation, but if you were to actually ask it, it must have been asked beforehand.

Having worked at the police station for many years, Lu Qibang found it easy to investigate the background of a young Taoist priest who had opened a temple.

"Yes," Chen Qinghe replied simply.

Lu Qibang didn't dwell on that point, and instead slowly took a sip of his tea.

"Speaking of which, Inspector Gu has been making waves at the station lately." He mentioned it casually, "The higher-ups even had a special talk with him yesterday. There have been quite a few people in the station who have solved cases in recent years, but there are really not many who have taken down a whole gang as cleanly and efficiently as he did this time."

Upon hearing this, a chord in Chen Qinghe's heart stirred slightly.

coming.

Lu Qibang didn't say much, but this one sentence revealed half of his purpose.

Mentioning Gu Chengyue, mentioning his "prominence," and mentioning "talks from above"—he wasn't there to acknowledge anyone, but to weigh things up.

Chen Qinghe didn't respond, but simply picked up his teacup and took a sip.

Seeing that he didn't take it, Lu Qibang remained expressionless and said again:

"Of course, I admire Inspector Gu's abilities. But... the methods for solving cases in the police station have been the same few over the years. The fact that he was able to arrest someone overnight and even include the case from the old building shows that his insight is extraordinary."

"On behalf of the police, I'd like to ask: how did Master Chen figure out this trick?"

This sentence is already an attempt to curry favor with Chen Qinghe.

Huang Shouzhou stood at the door eavesdropping, and upon hearing this, his brows furrowed tightly.

He may be careless, but after so many years on the streets, he can still pick up on things.

This Officer Lu is not here to cause trouble.

I'm here to make friends.

Chen Qinghe put down his teacup, but his expression remained calm.

"Officer Lu, solving cases is Officer Gu's job. I just took a look at the house for the Ho family."

Lu Qibang smiled.

"Master Chen is too modest."

"You were the one who spotted the people Gu Sir took down first, weren't you? And you orchestrated the operation to shut down the warehouse, weren't you?"

Chen Qinghe neither denied nor nodded, only saying calmly, "I didn't Bush. The Huo family wants to watch the granary, and the He family wants to demolish the house; things just happen to come together."

Lu Qibang stared at him for a couple of moments, then suddenly smiled, a smile that was even deeper than before.

"Master Chen is indeed very steady in his speech."

"However, I'm not here today to compete with Inspector Gu for this credit. There are many rules in the police station, and whoever is in charge of a case is in charge. I'm just thinking that if I encounter something like this again in the future, could I learn a thing or two? If everyone in the police station could grasp the key points with just a glance like Master Chen, there would be at least half fewer wrongful convictions in Hong Kong."

That's a well-said statement.

But Chen Qinghe heard it clearly—these five words, "when we meet again in the future," were the real hook.

Lu Qibang did not seek this credit.

What he wants is "the next one".

As long as Chen Qinghe agrees to this relationship, Lu Qibang will have a reason to steer people toward his side in the next major case.

Chen Qinghe did not answer immediately.

He glanced outside the door and saw Huang Shouzhou hunching his neck and pretending to wipe the table.

Further out, in the front yard, workers were carrying the second main pillar, with Deng the carpenter's shouts coming one after another.

The entire old dyehouse was growing upwards.

He knew very well that police stations were never monolithic entities.

Gu Chengyue's promotion naturally attracted envious glances from some.

Lu Qibang may come to my door today, but tomorrow it could be a third person.

This is not a bad thing.

It's always a good thing to be able to meet more people and access more resources.

He remained silent for a moment, and when he spoke, his tone was still very flat.

"I understand what Inspector Lu means."

Lu Qibang's eyes flickered.

"There are a few things I need to say upfront," Chen Qinghe said, looking at him. "The Sanxuan Temple stands here to continue the lineage of our sect, not to act as spies for the police. If I discover anything, I will naturally speak up. But asking me to spy on people, set up traps, or orchestrate schemes is not the temple's business."

"It was just a coincidence that I was involved in the case of Gu Sir. The He family invited me to inspect the He family's operation, and the Huo family wanted to inspect the warehouse on the other side, so I just pointed it out. In the future, if I encounter something like this again, I either do or I don't go looking for it just to solve a case."

"That's what I told Inspector Gu, and that's what I told Inspector Lu."

These few words are not heavy, but they are very true.

Lu Qibang paused for a moment, holding the teacup.

He originally thought Chen Qinghe would either decline, be polite, or express his opinion indirectly.

Unexpectedly, the young man's first words established his stance—he neither relied on Gu Chengyue nor on him, and he would act the same way no matter who came.

Neither humble nor arrogant, with impeccable composure.

Lu Qibang stared at him for a while, then suddenly laughed.

"Master Chen, it's quite impressive that you can say these words at your age."

Chen Qinghe did not answer.

Lu Qibang then changed the subject.

"But you're right. We handle things at the police station ourselves. Whether you intervene or not is how it should be. I'm here today mainly to get to know people. If I ever need to ask for advice in the future, I can just come and ask you for a word, that will be enough."

"As for Inspector Gu—" he smiled, "we were colleagues and old friends. There are some things he can do, and so can I. If Master Chen ever encounters something he can't handle, don't forget there's a guy named Lu in the police station."

This one sentence has already made the meaning perfectly clear.

Don't claim credit or make demands, but extend the favor first.

Chen Qinghe's expression remained unchanged.

"I've taken your words to heart, Sir Lu."

"Okay." Lu Qibang nodded, then put down his teacup and got up to leave.

Before leaving, he took one last look at the front yard of the old dyehouse.

"Master Chen's viewpoint is beautifully set up."

"Now that we have the land, we should naturally establish ourselves there," Chen Qinghe replied.

"This area will be very lively from now on." Lu Qibang smiled, said nothing more, and walked out.

Ah Fei quickly followed, and before leaving, he carefully pushed the two gift boxes and the bottle of foreign liquor further inside.

Chen Qinghe neither declined nor looked at it for long.

As soon as the car drove away, Huang Shouzhou immediately came over, speaking in a low voice.

"What does he mean?"

Chen Qinghe didn't answer immediately, but only glanced in the direction Lu Qibang's car had left.

"I want to curry favor with someone powerful."

"Like Inspector Gu?"

"It's different," Chen Qinghe said calmly. "Gu Sir came to me naturally because the case had reached this point. Lu Sir came to me before the case even came to him."

Huang Shouzhou understood and pursed his lips.

"Those people are only interested in getting promoted."

"Getting promoted is also a good thing." Chen Qinghe turned and walked towards the front yard. "Being able to keep the people in the police station thinking about the Sanxuan Temple is more effective than any amount of neighbors talking about how capable we are."

Huang Shouzhou followed behind, and the more he thought about it, the more he realized that this made sense.

With Gu Sir in the police station and Lu Sir added to the mix, coupled with the reputations of the Huo and He families on the street, the newly erected sign of Sanxuan Temple was essentially stepping into several lines of trouble.

When I got to the front yard, the second main pillar had already been erected.

Sunlight streamed down from the eaves, illuminating the new log, its grain clear and its color vibrant.

Chen Qinghe looked up and then said nothing more.

But he knew in his heart that today's visit, which seemed to be just a police chief coming to do a favor, was actually just him doing a favor for her.

In fact, this means that the sign of the Sanxuan Temple has truly been passed down to the police station.

The next time someone comes knocking, it might not just be to "recognize someone".