My Fairy Growth System

Yu Qingtan also joined the conversation, "Captain Ouyang, right before Liang Liang died, he yelled ’You actually deceived me!’"

"Indeed, Miss Qingtan, it seems someone wants you dead. Do you have any clue who might be behind this?"

"Not at all, I implore you, Captain Ouyang, please help me!" Yu Qingtan put on an appearance of being suddenly enlightened and fearful as she spoke.

"How about this, Miss Qingtan, I will first take you back to the Law Enforcement Hall. On one hand, to protect you, and on the other, to investigate this matter further to see if we can uncover some clues," Ouyang Wulong considered for a moment, then said.

"That would be very kind of you, Captain Ouyang," Yu Qingtan replied.

Then, Ouyang Wulong quietly gave a few orders to several of his subordinates and took the rest, along with Yu Qingtan and the attendant of Liang Liang, back to the Law Enforcement Hall.

The two Protecting Disciples who followed Qingtan were told to return to Tianxiang Pavilion to report the incident.

The Law Enforcement Hall was situated not far from the City Lord’s Mansion.

Upon arrival, Ouyang Wulong arranged for Yu Qingtan to rest in a side chamber.

Yu Qingtan had no objections.

About an hour later, Ouyang Wulong came back to find Yu Qingtan and said, "According to our investigation, those two, Liang Liang, arrived in Suichuan Immortal City half a year ago, with unknown origins. However, they were generous with their money, bought a property to settle down in the city, and additionally, he often visited Tianxiang Pavilion. Although today’s informer hid his identity, my men still managed to find him, eventually discovering that he entered the Xue family’s residence."

"The Xue family!" Yu Qingtan thought to herself that it was just as expected.

"What is it, Miss Qingtan? Do you have a lead?"

Yu Qingtan hesitated for a moment; she also heard about the relationship between the Xue family and the Ouyang family from Manager Su.

"It’s like this, a month ago, there was a guest named Xue Gui... however, I heard that the Ouyang family has a deep relationship with the Xue family."

"Haha, Miss Qingtan, you needn’t worry. It’s true that the Xue family has some connection to my Ouyang family, but if someone from the Xue family commits evil deeds, my Ouyang family won’t tolerate it and let them tarnish the reputation of the Ouyang family," Ouyang Wulong said with a laugh after hearing those words.

In fact, the blood relation between Ouyang Wulong and Ouyang Wenjian had drifted beyond the fifth degree of kinship, but because of his remarkable talent, he was held in high regard within the great Ouyang clan.

"However, we haven’t found any more useful clues. It seems Liang Liang didn’t have any particularly special relations with the ladies at Tianxiang Pavilion, nor any dealings with the Xue family. What do you think, Miss Qingtan?"

"Thank you for your diligence, Captain Ouyang. I won’t trouble you further. Nevertheless, I have heard that the City Lord’s Mansion is currently soliciting effective plans for defending against the beast tide and resolving the issues of Loose Cultivators in the slum areas," said Qingtan.

"Indeed, that’s the case. Recently, my Enforcement Team has been run ragged by matters related to these Loose Cultivators. Does Miss Qingtan perhaps have some effective strategies?" Ouyang Wulong said with a mix of surprise, skepticism, and anticipation.

"Whether it’s an effective strategy or not, I’m not sure, but I do have some thoughts. Since I have come to the Law Enforcement Hall today, I would like to share my ideas with you, Captain Ouyang. The core conflict concerning the Loose Cultivators in the slum area lies in the potential threat of the beast tide, which endangers their lives, yet they don’t possess enough Spirit Stones to buy or rent houses within the city to survive this perilous period."

"At this time, we can introduce mortgage loans, that is, lending Spirit Stones to them so that they may rent or even buy houses within the city, and then make monthly repayments. In this way, we not only earn substantial interest, but also mobilize these Loose Cultivators to fight against the Demonic Beasts."

"After all, unable to venture to Yunhua Mountain Range to seek resources due to the monthly mortgage payments, these Loose Cultivators would have no choice but to desperately hunt Demonic Beasts to procure their materials," said Qingtan.

"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!" Ouyang Wulong clapped his hands with delight.

"However, there is one issue. What if a Loose Cultivator who takes out a mortgage loan perishes?"

"That would certainly mean one person takes the loan, the whole family pays it back. Should the whole family unfortunately perish, the bought property will be reclaimed, and in the case of rented property, we’d implement short-term leases. Even if the tenant suffers a misfortune, the loss wouldn’t be significant."

"Outstanding, truly outstanding. I didn’t expect Miss Qingtan to come up with such a brilliant idea."

"You flatter me, Captain Ouyang. However, I have one more request."

Yu Qingtan stood up, deeply bowed to Ouyang Wulong, and said.

"Miss Qingtan, there is no need for such formalities, please speak,"

With a raise of his hand, Ouyang Wulong made Yu Qingtan feel as though a force had steadied her back to an upright position.

"If the mortgage proposal can be implemented, Qingtan does not wish for the reward for proposing the strategy. Instead, she sincerely requests that the City Lord’s Mansion set a rule that the mortgage interest rate shall not exceed one,"

Ouyang Wulong was startled, then responded, "Miss Qingtan is indeed benevolent and righteous. I will present this strategy to the City Lord now, and I believe the City Lord will agree to Miss Qingtan’s request. Please wait here in the meantime,"

"Thank you, Captain Ouyang."

Ouyang Wulong didn’t dawdle and swiftly left to find the City Lord, Ouyang Wenjian.

It was not until nightfall that Ouyang Wulong returned.

During this time, members of the Enforcement Team had brought Yu Qingtan her evening meal, which she ate directly.

"Miss Qingtan, the City Lord indeed highly appreciates your mortgage strategy and has also agreed to your request. The City Lord’s Mansion needs to make some preparations, but it will be officially implemented in three days. Before that, Miss Qingtan must not divulge anything,"

Ouyang Wulong said, beaming with joy.

"Thank you, Lord City Lord, thank you, Captain Ouyang. Qingtan understands the importance and will not speak carelessly,"

"You are too courteous, Miss Qingtan. Oh, and the City Lord also said that since Miss Qingtan offered such a good strategy and the request was for the good of the entire Immortal City, you must be rewarded. These two items are the City Lord’s reward to you,"

As he spoke, Ouyang Wulong took two items out of his Storage Bag and placed them on the coffee table.

A delicate little jade bottle and an exquisite jade hairpin.

Seeing the little jade bottle, Yu Qingtan’s heart skipped a beat.

"This is a bottle of Spirit Dew. You probably know its value, so I won’t elaborate much. This jade hairpin is called the Magpie Branch Hairpin. It is a Second Stage low-grade Spiritual Artifact. Although you cannot use it now, the City Lord has sealed within it three protective charms. By infusing a trace of Spiritual Power, you can activate one, capable of withstanding a full-force strike from a mid-Foundation Establishment Cultivator,"

"A Spiritual Artifact!" Already pleasantly surprised by the Spirit Dew and having guessed it correctly, Yu Qingtan was even more shocked at the mention of a Spiritual Artifact, her mouth gone dry.

It was not that Yu Qingtan lacked composure; it was simply because a Spiritual Artifact was too precious for her at this moment.

"Thank you for the City Lord’s generous gift, and thank you, Captain Ouyang."

Yu Qingtan stood up and once again expressed her gratitude with a bow.

"Miss Qingtan, you are too polite. This is what you deserve. Please take them,"

Actually, Ouyang Wulong was quite envious. He had only used Spirit Dew once, and he did not possess a Spiritual Artifact himself.

However, he would not dare reach for a reward bestowed by Ouyang Wenjian, nor was he the kind of person to do so.

Yu Qingtan put the Spirit Dew and the Magpie Branch Hairpin into her sleeve.

Afterward, she bid farewell to Ouyang Wulong and, escorted by two Enforcement Team members, returned to her residence.

After locking the door behind her, Yu Qingtan walked toward the bed.

The bed curtains were drawn down, and there was a figure on the bed, faintly visible.