Chapter 64

"…I’m not afraid of the two of you making fun of me."

Qi Xiang spoke calmly, "In our line of work, having multiple hideouts isn’t just for temporary shelter; more importantly, it’s a place to run to when trouble arises."

Hai Gongzi and Tian Shiyi nodded in agreement.

However, their thoughts were clearly not in this direction. After exchanging a few pleasantries with Qi Xiang, Hai Gongzi spoke up, asking softly, "Mr. Qi, you said you’ve been living here for a few years, so you should be quite familiar with the area, right?"

"It depends on what you’re asking about," Qi Xiang smiled. "I’m not a detective, nor am I omniscient. I can’t know everything clearly."

"Of course," Hai Gongzi nodded in understanding and then asked, "Mr. Qi, we’re actually looking for someone. Perhaps you know where they are?"

"Who?" Qi Xiang was somewhat curious.

Hai Gongzi glanced at Tian Shiyi, hesitated slightly, but ultimately spoke the truth, "Tao Zhugong!"

"What?" Qi Xiang was taken aback.

At first, when Hai Gongzi said they were looking for someone, Qi Xiang didn’t find it strange. After all, the two had been wandering around the streets, which naturally suggested they were looking for someone or something.

The problem was, the answer that Hai Gongzi was looking for Tao Zhugong was far beyond Qi Xiang’s expectations.

"Are you joking?" Qi Xiang frowned, expressing his doubt.

Who was Tao Zhugong? Some people might not know, but Qi Xiang certainly did.

Tao Zhugong, also known as Fan Li, was a famous politician, military strategist, Taoist, and economist from the late Spring and Autumn period. He came from a humble background and, dissatisfied with the corrupt politics of Chu and the fact that only nobles could hold office, he turned to Yue.

Later, he helped King Goujian of Yue defeat Wu and avenge the humiliation of Kuaiji.

After achieving fame and success, and seeing through Goujian’s nature that he could only share hardships but not prosperity, Fan Li promptly retired, left Suzhou, and sailed a small boat on the Five Lakes, wandering among the seventy-two peaks.

During this time, he became a wealthy businessman three times and distributed his wealth three times, calling himself Tao Zhugong.

People praised him for his loyalty to the state, wisdom in self-preservation, and wealth through business, and directly revered him as the Sage of Commerce, even worshiping his statue as the God of Wealth.

In short, Tao Zhugong was a historical figure. Now, Hai Gongzi and Tian Shiyi were specifically looking for him. Had they traveled through time, or had he misunderstood them?

For a moment, Qi Xiang’s eyes were filled with a strange expression, wondering if the two were playing a trick on him.

"Mr. Qi, we’re not joking," Hai Gongzi said, his expression somewhat helpless, but he was used to it.

After all, in the past few days, they had been wandering around the area and asking people. But once they mentioned they were looking for Tao Zhugong, those who didn’t know simply shook their heads, while those who did rolled their eyes, thinking they were crazy.

"We are really looking for Tao Zhugong, but this Tao Zhugong is not the historical Tao Zhugong," Hai Gongzi quickly explained. "The Tao Zhugong we’re talking about is not the Fan Li who retired with Xi Shi, but someone who uses the name Tao Zhugong… um, you can think of it as a codename or a username."

"Codename or username?" Qi Xiang was relieved. "I see."

"We met online and consider him a friend," Hai Gongzi continued. "But recently, he hasn’t been online much, and he changed his phone number, so we gradually lost contact."

"We… are worried that something might have happened to him, so we came to check on him."

Hai Gongzi said with concern, "We’re not quite sure where he lives, but we heard him mention this street in Huzhou City, so we came to try our luck."

"Oh…" Qi Xiang seemed to be thinking, sensing that Hai Gongzi was holding back some information.

"Mr. Qi, have you heard of this person?" Hai Gongzi asked, still holding out a sliver of hope.

"No!" Qi Xiang shook his head decisively.

"Ah…"

Although it was an expected answer, Hai Gongzi couldn’t help but sigh.

"However…" Qi Xiang suddenly added.

Hai Gongzi’s eyes lit up, and he asked eagerly, "However, what?"

Qi Xiang took a sip of tea and smiled lightly, "However, I know that there used to be a Temple of the God of Wealth nearby. It was said that the incense offerings were very prosperous, and the God of Wealth worshipped there was Tao Zhugong, Fan Li."

"Ah!"

Hai Gongzi was pleasantly surprised, "Where is the temple?"

"Ai Hai, don’t be in a hurry, let him finish," Tian Shiyi said calmly. "Notice, he said ‘used to be’… and we’ve walked the streets many times in the past few days and haven’t seen any Temple of the God of Wealth."

Qi Xiang smiled approvingly and nodded, "That Temple of the God of Wealth was demolished over a decade ago. It’s now a community hospital, right next to the street office…"

"What, demolished?" Hai Gongzi’s brows furrowed, and his surprise quickly turned to disappointment.

Qi Xiang was about to speak when Hai Gongzi suddenly reacted, "Wait… demolished… relocated?"

"Where was it relocated to?" Hai Gongzi asked hurriedly. "Is the Temple of the God of Wealth still there?"

"Yes…" Qi Xiang smiled. "And you’ve come to the right person. There are very few people who know where the temple was relocated. I only heard about it by chance."

Hai Gongzi’s face lit up with joy, and he immediately said, "Mr. Qi, can you take us to see the Temple of the God of Wealth?"

"No problem…" Qi Xiang agreed readily. "We can go anytime, but I can’t guarantee that the Tao Zhugong you’re looking for is there."

"That’s fine," Hai Gongzi waved his hand. Getting this potential lead from Qi Xiang was already a pleasant surprise. If they couldn’t find him, they couldn’t force it, and they certainly couldn’t blame Qi Xiang.

Qi Xiang was also very considerate. Seeing that the two were restless, he immediately stood up and said, "Since that’s the case, let’s go. The relocated temple is quite far away…"

It turned out that Qi Xiang wasn’t lying. The place they were going was indeed quite far. After a half-hour drive, they finally arrived at their destination. The place was in the outskirts of the city, surrounded by vast stretches of wilderness, with no villages or people in sight.

"Why was the Temple of the God of Wealth moved so far away?" Hai Gongzi felt a bit puzzled.

Tian Shiyi’s eyes sparkled, "That’s not right… You said the temple was very prosperous, which means it was quite effective. Wouldn’t the neighbors and residents have objections if the temple was moved?"

Don’t underestimate the “superstition” of the people. When the authorities forcibly demolished ordinary people’s houses, others might complain and express indignation, but they wouldn’t take any real action.

But demolishing a temple was a different story. Especially a large, prosperous temple. If anyone dared to touch it, a group of elderly people would surely come out to defend every brick and tile of the temple with their lives.

If it turned into a mass incident, even the authorities wouldn’t dare to act.

However, from Qi Xiang’s words, it seemed that the Temple of the God of Wealth was moved quite peacefully, which was suspicious and worth pondering.

"There were no objections, and people were even overjoyed, as if they were sending away a plague," Qi Xiang smiled slightly, with a touch of sigh. "Moving the temple was already a compromise. It’s said that at the time, some people even wanted to burn it down."

"What happened?" Hai Gongzi and Tian Shiyi were shocked.

"I heard this from an old man, and I can’t be 100% sure if it’s true," Qi Xiang said softly. "It’s said that over a decade ago, a shocking bloodbath occurred at the Temple of the God of Wealth, and the scene was extremely gruesome."

"A shocking bloodbath?"

Hai Gongzi and Tian Shiyi looked at each other, feeling very surprised.

"Yes, a bloodbath," Qi Xiang nodded and continued, "The old man told me he was one of the witnesses. One morning over a decade ago, he and others got up early and, as usual, went to the temple to offer incense and pray for a prosperous business day, hoping to earn a few more dollars…"

"But when they arrived at the Temple of the God of Wealth, they found the doors tightly closed, as if they were locked."

Qi Xiang explained, "You see, the temple usually opened very early. The caretaker would usually get up at four or five in the morning to water the ground and sweep, very diligently, rain or shine."

"But that day, the caretaker didn’t get up to open the door. At first, they didn’t think anything was wrong and waited patiently. But by six or seven in the morning, there was still no movement inside the temple…"

Qi Xiang continued, "More and more people came to offer incense, and dozens of people gathered at the temple entrance. Many had to rush to open their businesses, so they naturally became impatient."

"Some of the more impatient ones started calling out to the caretaker at the door, but got no response."

Qi Xiang’s tone became more serious, "At that moment, some people felt that something was wrong and suspected that the caretaker might have fallen ill suddenly."

"Then a group of people discussed for a moment and decided to break down the door…"

At this point, Qi Xiang paused before continuing, "Once the door was broken down, everyone was horrified to find the temple floor covered in blood, with a shallow pool of dark red blood."

"Seeing that scene, the more timid people fainted immediately," Qi Xiang shook his head and sighed. "Even the bravest, upon smelling the strong, pungent blood, couldn’t bear to look and quickly called the police."

"The police arrived quickly and sealed off the scene. After an investigation, they confirmed that the caretaker had been murdered. The specific details were not disclosed, and no one dared to inquire further…"

Qi Xiang spoke slowly, "It just so happened that the city decided to add a community hospital on the street and needed to requisition land for renovation. Later, someone suggested relocating the temple to make room for the hospital."