In the video, the Mercedes-Benz van he was tracking was parked right outside the small shop.
A man wearing a trench coat and sunglasses got out of the car and entered the shop.
"What did he go into your shop for?" Li Chonglou asked, holding his phone up to the woman.
"To buy water. I remember this person. He gave me a hundred yuan for five bottles of Red Bull and left without even waiting for the change," the woman replied without hesitation.
She ran her shop in this remote area, and only a few customers came a day.
So she remembered what happened a few days ago quite clearly.
"Could you tell where he was from by his accent?" Li Chonglou continued to ask.
"He spoke Mandarin. Anyway, it didn't sound like he was from Yong'an. I felt like he was from the surrounding mountainous areas," the proprietress pondered before answering, "Why don't you call the police if you're looking for someone?"
Li Chonglou did not answer this question.
After watching several videos in succession, he returned the phone to the woman.
He did not leave immediately but walked to the west wall.
He looked at a crescent-shaped human portrait sculpture hanging on the wall.
The object was golden yellow, with a thick patina, and covered in fine cracks. It depicted Han Zhongli from the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea.
"What is this thing? It's quite nice," Li Chonglou asked, pretending not to recognize it.
"I don't know either. My deceased husband brought it back. A few days after he gave it to me, he fell ill and died." The woman, grateful for Li Chonglou's help, hid nothing.
Upon hearing this, Li Chonglou's pupils contracted.
This crescent sculpture was an ivory artifact.
The reason it was said to be not worth much was that ivory could not be circulated.
However, judging by its craftsmanship, patina, and the age suggested by the "kaikou xiao" (cracks formed by moisture evaporation and shrinkage over time), it had a strong Ming Dynasty court style.
"Kaikou xiao" referred to the fine cracks that formed in ivory artifacts after being weathered and exposed to the elements.
Almost all ivory artifacts developed them over time.
But this ivory artifact was different. A Ming Dynasty imperial treasure preserved so completely could only have come from a tomb.
Could this woman's husband have been a tomb raider?
"Do you have anything similar at home?" Li Chonglou asked.
"No, just this one. It's not very useful, and it's all cracked and ugly," the woman shook her head. "If you like it, I'll give it to you as a thank you for your help."
Saying this, she walked to the wall, took down the hanging cord, and handed it to Li Chonglou.
Li Chonglou did not hesitate and accepted the statue of Han Zhongli.
He said, "This thing is carved from ivory, and it's not new."
"Ten years ago, it could have sold for over a hundred thousand yuan. But now, ivory is not allowed to be circulated or traded."
"Since you're gifting it to me, I can accept it."
"However, I'll fix this glass door for you."
Saying that, he took out his phone and scanned the QR code on the counter.
Ding dong...
You have received 100,000 yuan.
The shop's notification sounded, and the woman was shocked.
She never imagined that an old item left by her husband could be so valuable.
Even more so, she did not expect Li Chonglou to be so noble, not only telling her the truth but also giving her such a large sum of money.
This...
She was immediately moved to tears.
Zhang Dongxu, who was standing nearby, watched in stunned silence.
Wasn't this future master too foolish? He accepted the gift and why did he have to reveal the truth himself and then give away another hundred thousand yuan.
He grumbled inwardly.
But out of respect for Li Chonglou's power, he dared not say more.
Li Chonglou said no more, put away the ivory carving, and left the convenience store with Zhang Dongxu.
With the whereabouts of the man in sunglasses who kidnapped his mother and wife, it would be easier to track him.
Following the trail, he would eventually get results.
This time, he not only got a clue but also an unexpected gain.
This ivory carving was unusual.
Its appearance in a convenience store was even more surprising.
With his eyesight, it was not difficult to tell that it came from an imperial tomb.
In recent years, the Ming imperial tombs have been heavily guarded, even by soldiers.
It was truly remarkable that someone could still steal burial objects from a tomb.
This reminded him of Ayuo Qubi whom he met in Yucheng.
He had a feeling that he would meet that handsome Yi young man again.
However, he did not have much energy to divert to this matter right now.
Finding his mother and wife was the top priority.
"Master... where are we going next?" Zhang Dongxu couldn't help but ask in the car.
Li Chonglou glanced at him but said nothing.
This guy was indeed a scoundrel, but since he wanted to become his disciple, he had behaved quite well.
At least the punch he delivered in the shop just now was quite satisfying.
Of course, he had no intention of taking him as a disciple at all.
The two of them drove down the road, stopping wherever they saw a camera, either by talking or by paying money.
They traced the route through surveillance.
During this time, Li Chonglou received a call from Lin Ying.
He informed Lin Ying about what he was doing, and Lin Ying sighed.
In this world, even the most meticulous plans had flaws.
Cao Chunhua and his group couldn't investigate everything. At least, they hadn't thought of checking the surveillance in ordinary people's homes.
But Li Chonglou was different.
With his mother and wife's safety at heart, he would boldly try any clue or method.
Perhaps, he could really find their whereabouts.
"Junior disciple, go ahead. I'll make corresponding arrangements on my end," Lin Ying reassured Li Chonglou.
She told him that she had already contacted the people from the water gun club.
Liu Ping'er had gathered people from the orphanage and intended to find Li Hanlong to avenge Yan Bin, and they were planning.
Once Li Chonglou confirmed the location of his mother and wife, they would attack from both sides, catching Li Hanlong off guard.
After hanging up the phone, Li Chonglou was about to start the car to continue the pursuit.
Suddenly, two Toyota Prados rushed over from behind.
They performed a drift and blocked the front of Li Chonglou's car.
The other car stopped behind him, cutting off his retreat.
"Master, someone's causing trouble..." Zhang Dongxu looked at the thugs getting out of the cars with knives and clubs, his expression becoming tense.
Li Chonglou's expression remained unchanged. He unbuckled his seatbelt, opened the car door, and got out.
Looking at the license plates of the two cars, they were both local.
If his guess was correct, these must be the thugs called by the thugs from the convenience store earlier.
If it's fate, it can't be avoided; if it's trouble, it can't be escaped.
"Kid, you're the one who beat up our Sixth Brother?" The leader, with eyes full of hostility, his hands reaching his knees, pointed a steel pipe at Li Chonglou and shouted, "Brother Lang wants to invite you back for tea."
"I'm warning you, don't be foolish."
"Brother Lang only said to take you back, not whether you'd be intact or crippled."
His words carried a chilling malice.
"Why should we go with you? We're not pushovers either. Tell your Brother Lang to inquire, we follow Old Ghost!" Zhang Dongxu got out of the car and shouted defiantly.
"West City Old Ghost?" The man squinted and sneered, "No wonder you dared to lay hands on him when you heard Brother Lang's name."
"So you're relying on Old Ghost's protection, but you've come to the wrong place."
"This is the South District."
"Tie them up!"
At his command, several people swarmed towards Zhang Dongxu and Li Chonglou.