In the hotel lobby, Shen Qiang silently watched Bianyi's retreating figure.

"Blackmailing a member of the Dragon Group, this Bianyi really has some guts. I think we can arrest him now," Xiu Ju said with a cold look in her eyes.

Shen Qiang frowned and said, "And then? We lock him up, everything comes to light within twenty-four hours, and because he was locked up, he has the perfect alibi. Once we release him, he will continue to enjoy his freedom while my life is ruined."

Xiu Ju frowned slightly and said, "You shouldn't be so weak. Are you really planning on giving him the money?"

Shen Qiang frowned. Just then, his phone rang. It was Lv Shuyao.

"Alright, I know you're busy, but you forgot Xin Xiaoting's birthday."

Upon hearing Lv Shuyao's words, Shen Qiang chuckled and said, "Thanks for the reminder."

"Hmm... it's not just a reminder, I've already ordered flowers and a cake for her on your behalf."

Shen Qiang laughed and said, "It's been quite some time since I last contacted her. Is she doing well?"

"Why ask me? If you want to know, you should ask her yourself. Oh, by the way, I heard from Su Xiaonuan that you've been getting quite close with a pretty girl from Medical University recently."

Shen Qiang laughed, "You should focus on your studies instead of being so nosy."

Lv Shuyao laughed, "I'm just concerned about you. Alright, let's not talk about that. Nothing else to say, next week Xin Xiaoting will be going to Provincial City, so you better talk to her. She's a bit introverted and keeps things bottled up inside. If you don't talk to her, she won't tell you anything."

Shen Qiang laughed, "Don't worry, I'll talk to her."

He hung up the phone.

Xiu Ju said coldly, "Scumbag."

Shen Qiang's brows were tightly knit as he said, "If you really want to help, then use every connection you have to investigate Bianyi for me. If you don't want to, then forget it."

Xiu Ju was silent. Watching Shen Qiang rise and leave, she hesitated for a moment before finally pulling out her phone.

Back in the small room.

Shen Qiang received a call from Miss Chu Qing, who mentioned that she was busy preparing to be a judge for tomorrow's round-of-eight contest, so she wouldn't be able to have lunch with Shen Qiang, and she wasn't sure about dinner either.

Shen Qiang, who was preoccupied with his troubles, didn't really care.

After exchanging a few polite words, he hung up directly.

Sitting on the balcony of the small room, gazing onto the street outside the hotel, Shen Qiang's brows were tightly knitted.

Creak.

The room door opened.

With her phone in hand, Xiu Ju walked into the room and said, "I've already gathered some information on Bianyi and sent it to your phone, you can have a look."

Shen Qiang nodded and took out his phone.

Bianyi, male, Han ethnicity, 41 years old, university degree holder.

Occupation: Antique and jewelry merchant.

Sect: None.

Cultivation: Golden Core Stage.

Background: Frequently seen at Cheng Xinyi, Wanxin Hesheng Auction House, and most of the antique markets in the country. Complicated background. His ex-wife was a sword cultivator from the Emei Sect. They divorced a month after marriage, no children. Parents deceased. Known to be greedy for money, not lustful.

Criminal record: None.

Fixed assets under the name: None.

Having reviewed these materials, Shen Qiang's brows were tightly furrowed. "That's it? Even less than what I already knew; utterly useless."

Dark Department's Xiu Ju voiced her surprise, "How can there be no use in them at all?"

"His extortion methods are skilled, clearly not his first time, yet there's no criminal record. This indicates that not only did his previous extortions succeed, but he was also careful enough to leave no trace. From this point, we can deduce he is a cautious person."

Looking at Shen Qiang earnestly, Dark Department's Xiu Ju continued, "Next, the most peculiar point is, while he is covetous, he has no fixed assets in his name, which suggests two possibilities."

"1, The property isn't in his name but likely in the names of relatives or associated with a company."

"2, He carries the assets with him, or they are hidden in some secret place."

Shen Qiang frowned. "Is there any significance to such an analysis?"

"Of course, there is!" declared Dark Department's Xiu Ju. "His parents passed away early, he's divorced without children, a loner without commitments. He's not lustful, so why accumulate so much money?"

"To buy cultivation supplies, or as a collector," Shen Qiang raised his eyebrows.

Dark Department's Xiu Ju said, "Then where would be the safest place to keep these things?"

Shen Qiang's frown deepened. "A Storage Ring carried on the person, that's what I would do."

Xiu Ju's eyes lit up, and with a flick of her hand, she pulled out a laptop, logged onto a webpage, and Shen Qiang saw that Xiu Ju was checking the rental list for bank safety deposit boxes.

"You think he'd put his things in a bank?" Shen Qiang asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

Xiu Ju replied indifferently, "The safest and most inconspicuous place would definitely be a bank's safety deposit box, because he is a very careful person. He wouldn't be like you, an egotist, carrying all his valuable items with him, as he's well aware that at the Golden Core Stage of cultivation, against a stronger opponent, there's no chance of resistance."

Shen Qiang grimaced.

Then the bank's list of rented safety deposit boxes popped up with feedback.

Shen Qiang froze instantly.

Bianyi, who had no assets to his name, had rented seventeen safety deposit boxes in different cities across Huaxia.

"Do you think he would keep his secrets in these safety deposit boxes?" Shen Qiang furrowed his brows.

Xiu Ju was silent for a moment before saying, "Impossible, assuming the device that supposedly sends a message automatically if he doesn't make contact for twenty-four hours really exists, it definitely wouldn't be in those safety deposit boxes. Because he's cunning, he wouldn't disclose his passwords to anyone."

Shen Qiang nodded, hesitated for a moment, then said, "If contact is required once within twenty-four hours and assuming he uses a phone, we should be able to find it by checking his mobile's call list."

Xiu Ju immediately got to work.

After checking Bianyi's phone and the call list, they discovered that he had only a dozen calls over the entire month, each from a different person.

This meant that Bianyi did not maintain contact with others through phone calls.

"Could it be QQ, WeChat, or email?" Shen Qiang raised his eyebrow.

Xiu Ju was silent for a moment before responding, "Highly possible, as these are the most convenient methods of communication nowadays. I can have someone check his phone, but if he's truly cautious, even if we get his phone, we might not find anything."

"Because that's his lifeline. If found, he has no leverage for negotiation."

Turning to Shen Qiang, Xiu Ju continued, "So under these circumstances, we can only do our best to investigate, hypothesize, and verify. It will take time, and to avoid arousing his suspicions, you'd better focus on the culinary competition, as he's definitely watching you right now."

"I understand," Shen Qiang said. "Whatever I do, he'll be watching, and if I focus on the competition, then he won't notice you."

Xiu Ju nodded, then with furrowed brows said, "But he's now extorting sixty million from you, about that money..."

"Give it to him," Shen Qiang said coldly. "Once I find that lifesaving ledger of his, I'll take back every single penny!"

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