Li Jianshan has been very happy lately.

As he slowly absorbed the energy of the inner core, he felt that he was much stronger than before, and he loved to show off in front of Guan Qingchen.

Guan Qingchen ignored him, so he set his sights on She Zhang and would occasionally suggest they have a friendly competition.

Although he lost more than he won, people can improve, and Li Jianshan was still very happy.

What does it mean to have a grandson? What does it mean to get married?

Li Jianshan aims to emulate his master, transcending worldly desires and rising alone to the pinnacle of life—a truly thrilling prospect.

Li Qinghuai struck Li Jianshan on the head with his cane: "You still have the nerve to laugh?"

"You're not young anymore, and you're still not married and have children. How will I face your parents after I pass away?"

Li Jianshan rubbed his head, which didn't hurt at all; his skin was much thicker now.

“Grandpa, you’re being narrow-minded. A man should prioritize his career. Look at my master, Master Jiang. He’s always on the path of pursuing the Great Way! That’s the right attitude towards life!”

He spoke with great passion and fervor, and even he himself was moved. Then his grandfather chased after him.

Unable to catch up with Li Jianshan, Li Qinghuai turned to Jiang Si and paid her a formal visit, showing her all the proper etiquette.

“Master Jiang, I am here today to ask you for a favor. This is just a small token of my sincerity, and I hope you will accept it.”

Jiang Si: "..."

Li Jianshan, acting as the disciple's representative, spoke with great authority: "Esteemed benefactor, what brings you here?"

I hope nothing bad has happened to their family. The company is doing very well with the deputy they're training. He just had a check-up with his grandfather yesterday, and he's in excellent health—he could kill a bull.

Jiang Si rolled her eyes inwardly: You should say less.

Sure enough, the veins on Li Qinghuai's forehead were about to burst.

"I have come here to ask about the marriage prospects of my unfilial grandson."

Li Jianshan: "..."

Their whole family still needed to eat, so Jiang Si accepted the payment without hesitation. She sold her apprentice and carefully examined Li Jianshan's face, which was solemn and somewhat doubtful.

Li Jianshan felt inexplicably nervous.

“Your grandson has had two relationships in his life, one of which was a tragic one and is now in the past.” Speaking of the tragic one, Li Jianshan’s face turned pale again. He would get angry with anyone who mentioned this dark history to him, but he didn’t dare to do so in front of Jiang Si.

“He will meet his destined one in the future, but it seems that this destined one has not yet been born.” As she said this, Jiang Si’s doubts grew even stronger.

She kept calculating with her fingers, her expression growing more and more serious with each calculation.

"What do you mean?" they both asked simultaneously, their hearts pounding.

What does it mean to not be born yet?

Li Jianshan is almost thirty years old. If his destined partner has not yet been born, wouldn't that be a twilight romance? Will he even live to see Li Jianshan get married?

The thought of Li Jianshan in his fifties with a woman in her twenties was too beautiful for the old man to imagine.

Jiang Si looked at Li Jianshan intently for a few more moments, utterly puzzled: "What kind of incredible luck did you have?"

Another possibility is that Li Jianshan's destined person is not yet in this mortal world.

Could Li Jianshan, like her, transcend time and space to go to an unknown place?

Li Jianshan: "???"

Jiang Si naturally couldn't reveal her guess, so she vaguely replied, "Your grandson has his own marriage destiny, and it will happen when the time is right."

"He will be an outstanding person."

Grandpa Li trusted Jiang Si quite a bit, and was relieved to hear this.

But Li Jianshan was still worried. After everyone left, he asked, "Master, what did you mean just now? Is it true that a woman will come out and take care of me in the future?"

Li Jianshan inexplicably wanted to refuse.

"Isn't it good?" Jiang Si asked.

Once bitten, twice shy. Li Jianshan muttered, "What if another Xiang Zhiyi comes along? Master doesn't have a boyfriend either."

Jiang Si: "..."

She thought about her past and present lives, and it seemed that there were no men in them.

“I am destined to be a lone star, and I will never have a romantic relationship in this life,” Jiang Si said.

The road ahead is long and arduous, and it is best to be free from all burdens.

Before Li Jianshan could say anything more, Qi Yan rushed in, saying, "Someone's looking for you outside."

"Who?" Li Jianshan asked.

"Director Guo from the Pinghu Branch."

Li Jianshan: "???"

"What does a police chief want with my master?"

"Let's go out and take a look." Jiang Si had a bad feeling. If there was nothing wrong, then Director Guo wouldn't have come looking for him.

Director Guo paced back and forth in the living room, reaching for his mouth as if to smoke, but finding no cigarettes, he had to give up. His usually fair and plump face was now covered in stubble, and he looked rather dejected.

Upon seeing Jiang Si, he immediately went over, his tone somewhat anxious: "Master Jiang, this is truly a request I cannot make."

"Please sit down," Jiang Si said. Before she could give any instructions, Li Jianshan said, "I'll go get you a cup of tea."

Director Guo couldn't hide his surprise when he saw Li Jianshan, a once domineering CEO, turn into this state.

He took a sip of tea, his expression grave: "This matter dates back to a week ago..."

They launched the manhunt a week ago.

Upon receiving intelligence that the suspect was hiding in a remote mountain village below Sanqing City, they assembled a team and headed there.

This mountain village is full of the elderly, women, children, and left-behind children. Many houses are empty, making it very easy for suspects to hide.

They arrived in the evening.

They planned to launch a surprise attack at night to minimize the impact on the villagers.

The five-person team, lightly equipped, entered the mountain village under the moonlight, while he and a few others remained outside the village as commanders.

Before long, fog rolled in around the town.

This place is mountainous, so fog is normal. However, the fog is getting thicker and thicker, giving people an ominous feeling.

The team had maintained contact throughout, but soon after, all members lost contact.

Someone impulsively tried to rush in, but Director Guo stopped them.

This is really not right.

Remembering what Jiang Si had once said about the existence of non-human beings in this world, Director Guo couldn't help but feel uneasy.

He ordered his men to remain in place and wait for orders.

The fog was so thick that you couldn't see a person five meters away. Even a powerful flashlight was useless. Director Guo said sternly, "Everyone, gather here."

But the only one who came to gather was Xiao Zhang, who was closest to him.

The others disappeared without a sound.

Director Guo and Xiao Zhang huddled together, not daring to make a move. As dawn broke and the fog dissipated, the unremarkable village came into view.

Some villagers went to water their vegetable fields outside the village early in the morning and were shocked to see the police car. In their remote and impoverished area, apart from the local police station coming to conduct publicity and education, hardly anyone else comes around all year round.

When has there ever been such a large-scale operation?

Eight out of ten people disappeared, shocking the higher-ups, who ordered a thorough investigation.

However, they secretly dug up the entire village, but found absolutely no clues. The only clues they could find were a few footprints.

The eight people seemed to have vanished into thin air.