A living person simply vanished in the tomb.
Anyone hearing this would surely dismiss it as a tall tale.
But Li Chonglou knew his master wouldn't lie to him with such an absurd story.
If he wanted to keep it from him, he simply wouldn't have said anything.
Likely, he wouldn't have known about the connection between his father and master for his entire life, no, for two lifetimes.
Having lived two lives, Li Chonglou's control over his consciousness far surpassed that of ordinary people, and he quickly calmed down.
That's right.
Since he himself could be reborn from the future, why couldn't other supernatural events happen?
Thinking of this, a divine light surged in Li Chonglou's eyes, "Master, is there any possibility my dad is still alive?"
Mysterious disappearance, no news.
It doesn't mean he's dead.
Just like his past life, everyone thought he was dead, but who could have known he was reborn in the present.
Impermanence is the main theme of this world; as long as things aren't settled, there is always hope.
"Child, although I know Bagua calculations and the Plum Blossom Divination, I am ultimately not an immortal." Lin Zhendong's face showed a trace of guilt, "In prison, I thought day and night, and still couldn't figure it out."
"But I believe that since fate guided us to meet, it must not be an insurmountable obstacle."
"As long as there's a shred of possibility that your father survived, I won't give up."
"Find him!"
These words held no solemn promises, but they possessed a convincing power.
In the past, he sought Shi Boqiong to revive his beloved.
Now, his obsession went beyond just that.
During his years in prison, he wasn't entirely hiding from Li Hanlong; he was mostly reflecting on his past actions.
Otherwise, how could a mere prison hold him?
"Master, what is his name?" Hearing this, Li Chonglou's heart stirred, and he asked through gritted teeth.
"His name is Li Fu," Lin Zhendong replied, "You look a lot like him, especially your eyes, which is why I recognized you the moment I saw you."
"After your father disappeared, I anonymously sent money to your mother every year until I was imprisoned."
"Li Hanlong has been my enemy for many years, and he knows my affairs very clearly."
"That's why he was able to use your father's disappearance as bait to lure you to Yong'an."
"I didn't anticipate this."
"Thank goodness you have a strong life force and great fortune."
He wasn't omniscient or omnipotent; after all, being in prison meant his information was relatively more limited than outside.
Furthermore, he hadn't expected Li Hanlong to be so underhanded, planning to use Li Chonglou to threaten him, which almost led to a disaster.
Upon learning this, he immediately sent Lin Ying to Yong'an, asking her to guarantee Li Chonglou's safety no matter what.
Fortunately, things hadn't taken the worst possible turn.
Learning that Li Chonglou had made such a name for himself in just over a month, he couldn't help but sigh that fate was protecting him.
Hearing all this, Li Chonglou finally understood.
So, the money from those years was sent by his master, and it was all spent on his university fees and his mother's first heart attack.
Then his master got into trouble, which led to him marrying into the Jiang family.
Everything happened as fate dictated.
He wouldn't dwell on the past.
With a sharp glint in his eyes, he said solemnly, "Master, I understand the situation. We'll meet again when you're released from prison!"
He hadn't expected his trip back to Qin Zhou to be so fruitful.
He had learned about his father's disappearance, instantly clarifying his goal.
He would find every way possible, at any cost, to locate his father.
He always had a feeling that his father was not dead.
He was waiting for him somewhere, always waiting.
The time for their talk was up.
A bewildered prison guard led Lin Zhendong back to his cell.
Li Chonglou, however, remained lost in thought for a long time until Lin Ying, holding his hand, pulled him out.
She asked with concern, "Looking at your state, are you still going back to Yong'an?"
"How about I take you home first."
"No!" Li Chonglou refused decisively, his gaze firm, "I'm going back to Yong'an tonight. There are many things waiting for me."
After saying that, he opened the car door, dropped Lin Ying off at her home, and then headed straight for Yong'an.
More than two hours later, he arrived at the Ning residence.
Ning Lang was still awake and was about to make tea when Li Chonglou stopped him.
Getting straight to the point, he said, "Brother Ning, I need your help with something. I need you to find someone. His name is Li Fu, as in the character for 'fu' in 'copy.'"
"He's my father, and he's been missing for twenty-one years!"
His master had said that he met his father twenty-four years ago, and together they had traveled all over the country searching for Shi Boqiong for five years.
Then his father disappeared.
He was only four years old that year, with almost no memories.
His mother, however, just thought he was working in the city and had even speculated if he had run off with another woman.
Out of guilt, she had sent money anonymously every year.
Unfortunately, that money was sent by his master.
"Okay, I'll get on it right away." Ning Lang said seriously, taking out his phone and calling Zheng Rui.
He asked him to spread the name Li Fu throughout Yong'an's underground network.
Regardless of whether it was the same person, anyone found should be reported immediately.
Then Li Chonglou would screen them one by one.
After doing this, Li Chonglou was still uneasy.
Asking Ning Lang for help was a temporary measure; if his father were easy to find, his master, with his abilities, should have found him long ago.
Or he would have returned home to find his son.
Why would there be no news for so many years?
Besides this, there was another method: Wu Hao's website.
His return to Qin Zhou was rushed, so he had only discussed binding websites with physical stores for promotion with Wu Hao and Lü Yunxu.
Now that he had news of his father, the strategy needed to change.
He immediately called Wu Hao and asked him to put up a notice about finding Li Fu on the app and website homepage, and to use AR technology to create a photo of himself with a high bounty.
Once the project was launched and publicized, the search scope and efficiency would be greatly increased.
Although there were countless people named Li Fu across the country, even if they were all just coincidental names, it was better than having no hope at all.
After finishing these things, Li Chonglou leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes in thought.
He didn't return to his room that night.
Ning Lang, understandingly, didn't disturb him.
It wasn't until the sky began to whiten at dawn that Li Chonglou slowly opened his eyes.
His gaze was as firm as iron.
Since returning from Qin Zhou, the surname Huang was no longer his main target, at most becoming an obstacle.
To find his father as soon as possible, relying on just these two methods wasn't enough.
He himself had to make a name for himself, one that would resound throughout the land, in every corner, even the most remote places, people had to know the name Li Chonglou.
Only then could his father, stranded in a remote place, see him and appear voluntarily.
To achieve all this, he had to quickly infiltrate Yong'an's antique circle.
"Brother Ning, are there any antique circle gatherings in Yong'an recently?" Li Chonglou asked after Ning Lang woke up, "If so, please arrange for me to attend."
"You still have the heart for such gatherings?" Ning Lang was very surprised.
He thought Li Chonglou would be overwhelmed just dealing with the retaliation from the surname Huang.
He hadn't expected him to proactively ask to attend antique circle gatherings.
"Of course, antiques are my primary profession," Li Chonglou smiled.
Some things didn't need to be explained too clearly.
What he was doing wouldn't harm Ning Lang in any way, and as long as that was ensured, it was enough.
"Alright, it's good to relax a bit." Ning Lang frowned slightly, thinking of something, "Then why not seize the day? There's a small gathering at Hanyun Xuan today, all people from the circle."
"I was invited, but considering the previous farce with Old Zeng, I didn't tell you."
It was truly a case of needing a pillow when sleepy.
Li Chonglou rejoiced inwardly.
He raised an eyebrow, "Let's go now?"
"Let's go!" Ning Lang grinned, "But I have to pick someone up first."
Soon, Li Chonglou knew who the person Ning Lang was talking about was.
It was Jin Jing.
Had this guy finally opened up?
In just a few days, he was openly bringing Jin Jing along.
And mysteriously not telling him.
It wasn't until they met that Jin Jing showed a hint of embarrassment on her face.
She said softly, "Brother Li, please don't misunderstand. I just wanted to ask Brother Ning to take me to broaden my horizons."
"You're the one who shouldn't overthink, Chonglou has a wife, and it was he who asked me to interact more with you," Ning Lang replied with a smile before Li Chonglou could speak.
Jin Jing's face instantly flushed red.
Li Chonglou simply remained silent, saying nothing.
This woman was not simple; she used her weakness as a weapon to climb up, which was blameless as it was for self-preservation.
It was much better than those women who were overtly pragmatic.
Ning Lang's personality was refined amidst roughness, but he was truly weak when it came to matters of men and women.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought Jin Jing out so carelessly.
Nor would he have considered the awkwardness between them.
An hour later, the three of them in one car arrived at a high-end private manor located next to Xinyuan Temple in Yong'an.
It was actually a high-end guesthouse named Hanyun Xuan.
But it only catered to VIPs, and outsiders were strictly forbidden.
Jin Jing looked at the luxurious scenes she had never seen before through the car window, as well as the line of luxury cars parked at the entrance, her eyes showing unconcealed envy.
For her, money was too important.
If it weren't for money, how could she have married an impotent man, and if it weren't for money, how could she have been domestically abused by him every day?
Although she had escaped suffering now, reality was reality; without money, she still couldn't live the life she desired.
The reason she was close to Ning Lang was to break through her current social class through him.
"Let's go, we're a bit early, most people haven't arrived yet." Ning Lang showed his invitation, parked the car, and led the two into one of the villas.
The villa was decorated in an antique style, and five or six people were already inside.
They were whispering and discussing amongst themselves.
These people were either adorned with gold and silver, or with prayer beads or jade thumb rings.
Despite their ostentatious display of wealth, they lacked an air of classical elegance, instead exuding a commercial sulliedness.
Seeing Ning Lang and the others enter, several people stopped their conversations and stood up in unison.
"Oh, Boss Ning, a rare visitor. You look well after six months," said the middle-aged man wearing the jade thumb ring, with a face full of fake smiles and an insincere greeting.
As he spoke, he glanced at Li Chonglou and Jin Jing, chuckling, "Why have we brought two newcomers to our small circle gathering?"
"Are they perhaps your new secretary and little brother?"
His words carried disdain and flippancy.