System Only Gives Me Useless Gifts

Li Yun observed the quiet artist who was shaking his legs from the passenger’s seat. He was fascinated by the strange fluctuation in Zhang Shuyi’s shen. In contrast, the jing and qi were underdeveloped like a child. Was the imbalance the cause of Zhang Shuyi’s behavior? Or was his behavior the cause of the unusual energy imbalance within the dantian?

At the station, Bu Tao escorted them into the interview room. “This is the missing person? Where did you find him?”

“I didn’t, he came to see me about my calligraphy,” Li Yun explained. Bu Tao was unaware of Zhang Shuyi’s connection to the dead monk. There were certain things that were best kept from a police captain like Bu Tao. “He’s a bit obsessed with calligraphy.”

“Okay, that explains why your girlfriend dropped off this box for you,” said Bu Tao pointing at a box.

Zhang Shuyi took out a tube out before Li Yun could reach for it. The young artist unrolled the scroll impatiently but with great care onto the large table. The tiny inked characters from the first chapter of the Tao Te Jing. His eyes devoured the content with utmost fascination.

“How were you able to create the fluid motion of the word path and still maintain its structural integrity?” Zhang Shuyi asked. It was the most he had said throughout the entire time with Li Yun.

“I don’t remember,” Li Yun replied. When he wrote the Tao Te Ching, he was in elementary school and couldn’t remember the exact feeling back then. “You can hold onto it until you figure it out.”

The scroll snuggled by Zhang Shuyi’s chest. Even if Li Yun wanted it back, he doubted that Zhang Shuyi was willing to let go. Li Yun explained to Bu Tao about Zhang Shuyi’s master, Chi Ling, and the attempted murder. They only had Zhang Shuyi’s witness testimony and assumptions, making it difficult to charge Chi Ling.

“Zhang Shuyi redrew the ledger for me, but some of the names will be difficult to investigate,” Li Yun turned over to Bu Tao a folder with 28 pages of names and dates.

“Are you concerned about anyone particularly on that list?” asked Bu Tao.

“Why are you asking me?”

“Don’t pretend like you don’t know squat. Bufu probably looked into this before you came to see me.”

Li Yun grinned while holding back a smile. “Most of the names are likely handlers and middlemen. However, there is one person on the list that caught my radar, the Tang’s family driver, Tang Muhan.”

“A driver? He’s commissioning works on behalf of his employer?”

“It’s likely.”

“The Tang isn’t going to be easy to deal with,” said Bu Tao. “Can you gather the evidence?”

“Uh? You want me to be involved?”

“Yeah, I don’t want to turn over this case yet.” Unfortunately for Bu Tao, there were high-profile clients on Chi Ling’s list. If Bu Tao followed through, he had to turn the investigation over to the central office. His last resort was to gather evidence with Li Yun. “They are going to give them a slap on the wrist, and it’s going to annoy the hell out of me. Aren’t you going to Imperial City again to introduce the relatives?”

Li Yun took a long breath. He didn’t want to travel again, but his parents wanted to make it a formal event. The plan was to introduce all the relatives from both sides. He will need to make a side visit to Chi Ling after the meet-up dinner.

“Look after this guy after I’m away. He’s staying at the Yide apartment complex. Just give him plenty of paper, ink, and a brush.”

“I’ll have two of the officers watch over him.”

Li Yun returned home after turning Zhang Shuyi over to Bu Tao. The best source of information regarding the Tang family was Rouxi. Even as an outsider, she had access to gossip that wasn’t public knowledge. She did not know the Tang family particularly well, but she knew enough to give Li Yun a general idea of the family dynamic.

Rouxi was introduced to the Tang family a month after Song Gaode officially adopted her. Song Taiji had set up a small gathering to introduce her to the rest of her peers. She met Tang Jiang, Tang Hutian, and the other young scions from other clans. Given she was sixteen at the time, she had little interest in the affair. Instead, she struck a friendship with a young woman named Xuxu who was forced to attend by her father.

Rouxi scrolled through her photobook and showed Li Yun a picture of the Tang family with their two sons. Tang Hutian’s picture triggered Li Yun’s distant memory of Macao.

“You met this brat before?” Rouxi asked. “He’s the family dark horse. A fool and a complete idiot. I am not surprised he embarrassed himself in Macao.”

“Between the Tang family members, would he be foolish enough to commission a forgery?” Li Yun asked.

“I am not sure, there are other Tang family members I have not met before. But it has to be someone who is either foolish or courageous enough to pit against Song Taiji. Tang Hutian could be reckless enough to pull this stunt.”

“How is his relationship with his brother?”

“Like any other family with billions worth of assets. Tang Jiang runs one of the three major companies under the Tang clan, but Tang Hutian is only the VP in the electronics division under his uncle. Most people assume that Tang Jiang would end up inheriting two of the three divisions once their father retires. Tang Hutian should be aware of his brother’s interest in the arts. If they slip through a reproduction in one of the museums, Tang Jiang's reputation would be damaged. But I don’t think that is enough to remove Tang Jiang from inheriting the clan.”

This was enough to put Tang Hutian on top of Li Yun’s suspect list. If this was Tang Hutian's attempt to damage his brother’s reputation, then it was understandable why he would commission the artwork. However, the plan was poorly thought out. If anything, it was an attempt to pit Song Taiji against Tang Jiang.

“What do you think of Tang Jiang?” asked Li Yun.

“He has a similar aura to Song Taiji, believe it or not,” said Rouxi. “Ambitious, but not without limit. Because of his wealth, many people watch his every move and he doesn’t trust anyone. He’s always wearing a mask, but not particularly masking vicious intentions. Like Song Taiji, his ultimate goal is to maintain balance.

“You have a higher evaluation of him than I thought.”

“Jealous?” Rouxi asked jokingly. “When I decided to move to Yide for college, he sent me a congratulatory private message. He also sent me one every birthday. Once in a while, he would invite me to gatherings. When I tried sabotaging my reputation, he was still cordial. But despite this, I think he’s a complete snob. If I wasn’t a Song, he wouldn’t even bother talking to me. When you met with Tang Jiang at the museum, what was your impression? If he knew Song Taiji had the original, then he should have known that the one in the museum was either a forgery or stolen artwork.”

“When I first met him, I didn’t know he had seen the original,” said Li Yun. “He appeared secretive, but it’s common amongst the elites I have seen. It’s hard to say how much he knows about this.”

“You already found the mastermind behind the monk’s murder, so why look into Chi Ling’s laundering business?” Rouxi asked curiously.

“Just trying to piece together the event that led to the monk’s murder,” Li Yun responded.

Li Yun stored the information in the back of his mind. He needed to focus on locating the original ledger from Chi Ling.