Chapter 56: Causes and Effects and 60,000 Yuan

After devouring it, Lu Luo picked up the Li Ming Sacred Tome, which had already dimmed. The book’s appearance had changed. A foul smell, decay, and a viscous red substance completely enveloped the sacred tome. It was blood—unmistakably human blood. [Li Ming Sacred Tome - Death] Grade: Fine Effect 1 - Sacrifice: Sacrifice the power of life. Effect 2 - Wraith: Seal the spirit of resentment. Description: This is a genuine Li Ming Sacred Tome, but its purpose has been artificially twisted and altered. The person who possesses it will gradually be eroded by malevolent thoughts. [The sacred tome is filled with an aura of resentment. Even though the wraiths here have passed on, the blood on it still hasn’t coagulated.] [The contamination level is quite high. The Host currently lacks the ability to seal or remove the curse. Please dispose of it as soon as possible.] [There are two types of bloodstains on the book: one belonging to a young woman, probably Qian Ming’s fiancée, Li Manting. The other, likely an unborn baby.] Furthermore, on the last page of the book, there was a depiction similar to a pair of hands cradling fruit, different from the previous image of hands cradling a flower, and it was annotated with the words, "Fruit of Life." "Fruit of Life!" As Lu Luo saw this, Qian Ming also happened to wake up. Qian Ming looked around in a daze, noticing that his home was wrecked beyond recognition. Still, he didn’t question anything, likely having guessed what had occurred. He raised his head and saw Lu Luo standing before him, face covered in blood, holding a gun in one hand and a knife in the other. His gaze was no longer as gentle and friendly as before; rather, it seemed somewhat fierce. "Mr. Lu Luo, I heard you call me and then I passed out. What happened? Where is my mother?" Lu Luo did not immediately reply to Qian Ming but instead said to Zhou Kai, who was nearby, "Brother Kane, go wait for me outside. I’ll be right out." Zhou Kai looked at Lu Luo, then at Qian Ming, and nodded understandingly. "Okay, Brother Luo. I’ll wait for you outside." Lu Luo turned back to Qian Ming. As for this supposedly filial son, Lu Luo really wanted to chop off his despicable head. He was quite certain that Qian Ming knew a lot, and if not for his deceit, things wouldn’t have escalated this far. "Mr. Qian Ming, before we look for your mother, I want to talk to you about her, and also about your fiancée. Regarding your fiancée’s disappearance, as well as your mother’s actions, do you really know nothing? I hope you won’t hide anything at this time, Mr. Qian Ming. It would be better for all of us." Qian Ming looked at Lu Luo with lifeless eyes, remaining silent for a long while before he finally squeezed out a sentence. "My mother... she should have passed away a long time ago, yet she is still alive!" [The great Observer Sequence believes his words should be taken at face value and contain no malice.] "Hold on. Can I interpret that to mean your mother should have died naturally long ago, but didn’t, and has instead remained alive?" "Yes, that’s what I mean." While Zhou Kai waited outside, he lit a cigarette. Sometimes, smoking was a choice born of helplessness. There was no helping it; he wasn’t strong enough. For his duties, for the things he had to do, for his brothers—whether to smoke or not was no longer his decision to make. SSS—HAH! The chaos within the walls is escalating. How many Exotic Species incidents has it been? Thirty? Fifty? Or perhaps over a hundred? Humanity has occupied the Fourth Ring for over 140 years now. Could something big be about to happen? Forget it. Although Brother Luo’s character is somewhat questionable, he’s still reliable. There shouldn’t be much of a problem following him. While Zhou Kai smoked outside, inside the house, Lu Luo listened as Qian Ming spoke about his mother, the Church, and his fiancée, Li Manting. "My mom’s health wasn’t good. She suffered from some memory loss and dementia. She would always wander off for no reason. She also liked to hit the servants. We hired several, but none stayed, as she always insisted that a mother-in-law should be cared for by her daughter-in-law." Listening to this, Lu Luo couldn’t help but interject, "So the seeds of malevolence were sown right from the start, huh." Qian Ming looked at Lu Luo, who hurriedly waved his hands. "It’s fine, it’s fine. Keep talking." "You’re right. The conflict between Man Ting and my mom existed from the very beginning, and I couldn’t do anything to resolve it. But by then, my mom’s health was already failing; she was growing weaker and weaker. Sometimes, when she was asleep, I even thought she might have passed away. I kept waiting for that day to come." The conflict between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is an issue unresolved for millennia, and the core of the problem usually lies with the husband. But this man not only failed to protect his wife, he even wished for his mother’s death while doing nothing himself. What a great husband, such a dutiful son! This Qian Ming was a scumbag hiding beneath a veneer of respectability. He might be successful in his career, but he was a completely negative influence on his family. "What happened after that?" "Later, one time, my mom accidentally stumbled into the Church, and all the changes started from there. As I mentioned, my mom was in poor health and had dementia. The doctors said she could die at any moment. But after she stumbled into the Church that one time, my mom changed." Lu Luo’s eyes narrowed slightly; the Church was a matter of great concern to him. "What kind of changes did your mom undergo?" "My mom got younger and healthier. She even began to exercise vigorously and would pray on the third floor daily. Originally, this was a very good thing. However, as my mom’s health improved, the conflict between her and Man Ting intensified." "And you just continued to do nothing? Just watched the drama unfold?" Lu Luo couldn’t help interrupting again. Qian Ming looked at Lu Luo with an innocent expression, and Lu Luo nearly lost his self-control. He really wanted to punch Qian Ming, but Lu Luo maintained his professional composure and continued to listen. "I also advised both my mom and Man Ting, but it was no use. Originally, our family relationship was barely holding together, but when Man Ting became pregnant, things changed again. Because of the pregnancy, Man Ting stopped taking care of my mom, which caused my mom’s dissatisfaction, and the conflict between them escalated further. After that, my mom became even younger and healthier, but she also grew increasingly erratic, constantly mumbling about heretics, disasters, and doomsday. Eventually, Man Ting disappeared. You probably know the rest." After finishing his story, Qian Ming lowered his head, his expression of avoidance practiced and familiar. Lu Luo listened, then stood up and casually wiped his bloodied face with a torn curtain. "You knew there was something wrong with your mother. You knew there was a conflict between your mother and your fiancée. You knew that the Church said your child was a heretic. You clearly could have stopped all this, but you did nothing, and now you’re here playing innocent! Heh, interesting man!" Lu Luo’s eyebrows twitched, his voice laced with mockery and disdain—a stark contrast to his previous professional demeanor with clients. The scent of blood clinging to him, combined with the murderous aura from having just killed an Exotic Species, made Qian Ming, who was sitting on the ground, feel terrified. How can you stand this? I can’t watch anymore. Hit him, damn it! "His mom is dead. He has no mom now. He’s an orphan!" Looking at Qian Ming, Lu Luo suddenly closed his eyes and chuckled. Only he knew that this chuckle was self-deprecating; he was actually getting angry over someone like this. Lu Luo rubbed his slightly aching fingers. Even briefly holding the [Li Ming Sacred Tome - Death] had started to corrode his palm. He tossed the [Li Ming Sacred Tome - Death], sticky with decaying blood, into Qian Ming’s hands and plastered on his professional smile again. "Mr. Qian Ming, your mother, wife, and child—they are all in here. Take the book and have a good family reunion. Furthermore, this commission involved a sacrifice, Holy Radiance, and a Second Tier Exotic Species, far exceeding the difficulty of a simple missing person case. I’ll be charging double the original fee, plus an additional 20,000 yuan, for a total of 60,000 yuan. Please make the payment." Sixty thousand yuan? Yang Huateng would cry if he saw this! I didn’t expect you to be such a ruthless bastard! I, Observer, hereby declare you the biggest shark in the industry. It was no wonder Lu Luo was charging so much; he was counting on this income to help him ascend to the Transcendent rank. Seeing Lu Luo’s professional smile, Qian Ming felt an inexplicable fear. He obediently counted out 60,000 yuan from the safe and handed it over. After receiving the money, Lu Luo finally put away his weapons. He touched his bloodstained fingers to his brow in a mock salute, then nodded at Qian Ming. Lu Luo nodded with a smile. "Right, thank you, Boss. You’re very generous. Goodbye, Boss." After saying that, Lu Luo walked away without looking back.