The change in Zhan Ling's expression made my heart tighten. It looked like the situation was real.
I put down my chopsticks and perked up my ears.
Zhan Ling's serious face suddenly shifted, and she smiled as she said, "The first piece of information requires payment. I can't share anything about the situation in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains."
Huang Jiu interjected, "What? You mean there's something we can't talk about between us?"
Zhan Ling thought for a moment and then said, "I can tell you, but it will cost more."
I couldn't help but feel my emotions fluctuate as I watched her expression. Hearing that there was an extra cost relieved me a bit. My second uncle left me five million, so it should be enough. Besides, it was only a few words, and it shouldn't be too expensive. So I generously asked, "How much? Just name your price."
"The news about the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, two million!" Zhan Ling raised her hand in a victory gesture.
I frowned, asking, "Do you think money grows on trees?"
Zhan Ling replied, "That's the price. If we were to sell this, there'd be plenty of people in the supernatural world fighting to buy it."
"After all, it's about the Ten Thousand Great Mountains."
I almost choked on my food. For so long, I'd been the one helplessly handing out money, but now the tables had turned.
Seeing that I was angry, Zhan Ling seriously explained, "You're not from the supernatural world, so I'll put in a request. The headquarters should be willing to make the deal, but if someone from the supernatural world were to try, they wouldn't be able to buy this information, no matter how much they spent. Besides, I don't personally benefit from this."
Huang Jiu added, "Well, can't you just dig up some rumors and tell us? We'll give you a few thousand as a reward. Wouldn't that be better?"
Zhan Ling responded, "If you want rumors, sure, I can give them to you for free. But I know you're not looking for rumors. Core information costs money to obtain, even for me. When we're on a mission, the intelligence we rely on costs money—like the Ghost Tower incident or the Earth Pearl case. I regretted not spending money on the right intel and almost got us all killed."
I knew Zhan Ling wasn't bluffing, but I was still incredulous. "So, you guys just take a cut, and in the end, the money just ends up back in the hands of the hunters' managers?"
Zhan Ling replied, "That's about the gist of it. We make a small profit or gamble. And it's not just us—this is how the whole supernatural world works. In today's age, information is the most valuable thing."
I fell silent after hearing that.
Information…
I thought of Huang Jiu's little brother, Big Black. He was a real rat—literally. While it was true that he couldn't spy on cultivators due to the demonic energy he'd absorbed, Big Black could understand rat language and use ordinary rats to eavesdrop.
If we could get them to overhear conversations from important people, wouldn't that give us free intel?
Seeing me hesitate, Zhan Ling reassured me, "Honestly, you don't need to worry. Even if there is an internal conflict in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, if your wife dares to show up in the city, she must have someone secretly protecting her."
"And even if the supernatural world targets your wife, it would be a direct slap in the face to the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. The consequences would be too much for the supernatural world to bear."
That was what she said, but I still felt uneasy.
Yet, paying two million for a single piece of intel felt like a waste.
After thinking it over, I decided that when I got back tonight, I'd have Huang Jiu gather his little minions and test whether my idea could work. If it did, how many rats could I feed with two million?
After dinner, Mr. Jiang arrived.
Because I had punctured the Immortal Heart, Mr. Jiang's attitude toward me was not very good. He didn't even acknowledge my greeting, which made me feel a little awkward.
Zhan Ling whispered, "If that Immortal Heart had been brought back in one piece, the reward would have been at least this much!" She held up one finger.
I asked, "Ten million?"
Zhan Ling rolled her eyes and muttered, "One hundred million."
I was shocked.
To put things in perspective, I'd earned twenty million, but that came at the cost of offending the Three Yin Sect, risking retaliation against my entire family.
I hadn't expected an Immortal Heart to be worth so much.
Zhan Ling added, "To us, money is everything. But to them, money is the cheapest thing in the world."
Because Mr. Jiang and Director Qian were still talking, I decided to wait in the living area, not wanting to face Shen Weiguo and feel uncomfortable.
After all, no matter what decision he made, it wasn't going to be the best outcome.
Zhan Ling stayed behind as well, and I asked her, "If a hundred million is casually given away, how wealthy must those big investors be?"
"They're beyond counting," Zhan Ling sighed. "Having money isn't scary; what's scary is that their wealth never runs out."
I could see that point clearly from President Zhang, who could easily make back more than the one million he gave me just by making a quick deal.
In comparison, President Zhang, Wang Shukun, and the backers of the hunters were like ants compared to the elephants of the big-money investors.
After that conversation, my mood soured.
About half an hour later, Director Qian came out with a gloomy expression.
Huang Jiu went over to ask, and Director Qian sighed deeply, "That boy, Weiguo, is so confused!"
As soon as I heard that, I knew Shen Weiguo had chosen to protect the qipao-wearing female ghost. However, since Mr. Jiang hadn't come out, it seemed that Director Qian had made some private arrangements with Mr. Jiang to handle things in another way.
I patted Director Qian on the shoulder, saying, "You've worked hard."
Once it was all over, Shen Weiguo would surely resent Director Qian. Their relationship would never be the same again.
Director Qian sighed, unwilling to say more.
I left him alone for a moment of quiet. Shortly after, Mr. Jiang came out and said calmly, "The matter's been resolved. The female ghost has disappeared."
With those simple words, he caused a lifetime of pain for a man who had been deeply in love.
"Thank you, Mr. Jiang. I will transfer the money to you within seven days."
In an instant, Director Qian seemed to age quite a bit.
I worried that Shen Weiguo might refuse to pay, so I wanted to ask him, but Director Qian forced a smile and said, "Li Yang, thank you as well. I won't say anything more. I'd like to rest for a bit, so I won't see you out."
His demeanor made me feel uneasy.
Should I have sent Xiao Cui to check things out from the start?
Seeing Director Qian head back to Shen Weiguo's room, I turned and caught up with Zhan Ling and Mr. Jiang, saying, "Mr. Jiang, if Director Qian can't gather the money right away, please don't make things difficult for him. Have Zhan Ling come to me, and I'll pay you."
"You?" Mr. Jiang stopped and said coldly, "If you pay, it will be two million."
Without waiting for my response, he shot a glare at Zhan Ling and quickly left.
Zhan Ling shot me an apologetic look before running after Mr. Jiang.
I stood there, unsure of what to say.
But at this point, nothing I said would matter. If Shen Weiguo didn't pay, I would make up the difference. At least I could settle the debt I had created.
Back at the shop, Hu Wenhui was gone. I called Huang Jiu over, telling him my idea of establishing an intelligence network.
Huang Jiu sat there like a Buddha, squinting his eyes, clearly enjoying the moment.
After a long pause, he finally said, "Hmm... I think it's doable. And I don't just have Big Black as a little brother."
When Liu Changxuan attacked us, a lot of small animals had come to help. If we could use them all as our eyes and ears, there would be nothing in the city we wouldn't know about.