On the second floor of Wangjiang Tower, which was actually the eighth floor, sitting in a restaurant that overlooked the panoramic view of the Bund, Shen Qiang felt increasingly amused because, among the five people present, aside from Shen Qiang and Xiu Ju from the Dark Department who were practitioners of Cultivation, the other three were all demons.

The beautiful Chu Qing smiled sweetly, gorgeously, and enchantingly, but it was a pity. Shen Qiang knew she was a Three-tailed Demon Fox, so the brighter she smiled, the more guarded Shen Qiang felt in his heart.

Not only that.

When Chu Qing was introducing everyone, she kept emphasizing that Mr. Xiong and Mr. Bao admired Shen Qiang greatly.

But after they sat down at the table,

Shen Qiang could clearly feel that their attention was not on him.

But on Xiu Ju.

This was different from walking on the street.

Dressed modestly, with a face full of freckles and wearing glasses, Xiu Ju was not as dazzling on the street as those girls with voluptuous figures and long legs.

However, now sitting in the restaurant, when Xiu Ju revealed her smile, Chu Qing seemed to behave as usual, but Mr. Xiong and Mr. Bao appeared visibly nervous and uneasy.

After all, Xiu Ju was a Mixed Element Realm Cultivator, and in the Cultivation World, she was seen as a strong force capable of standing on her own!

"The taste is not bad," Shen Qiang, who had merely sampled the food, looked at the stunning Chu Qing and said, "The environment here is also very nice, plus having a beauty like Miss Chu Qing for company, it's simply like Heaven."

Hearing this, Chu Qing smiled, her charming gaze fixed on Shen Qiang, she said, "I didn't expect that friends of Mr. Shen would be so outstanding."

Glancing at Xiu Ju, Shen Qiang laughed and said, "Don't compliment her too much, she'll get arrogant."

Hearing this, Chu Qing smiled and said, "Outstanding people are always worthy of praise, but it's also true that Mr. Shen is highly skilled, so it's not hard to understand why you have such outstanding friends."

Shen Qiang smiled, changing the subject, he asked, "Are these two gentlemen also judges for this year's Gourmet Food Competition?"

Chu Qing laughed, "Of course not, they're just part of the public jury."

Hearing this, Shen Qiang responded with an "Oh."

Seemingly worried that Shen Qiang would neglect the other two Great Demons due to this, Chu Qing said with a smile, "Moreover, the two of them are well-known gourmets in Shanghai, with a wide circle of friends. If Mr. Shen plans to open Datong River business in Shanghai in the future, I believe they could be of great help to you."

Shen Qiang smiled, looking at Chu Qing who consistently avoided getting to the point, he remained silent for a moment and then said, "Well then, please forgive my bluntness, but I don't understand why Miss Chu Qing invited me here to meet this Black Bear Spirit and Octopus Demon, what exactly is your purpose?"

Hearing this, the two people at Chu Qing's side sprang up instantly.

Xiu Ju from the Dark Department also had a sharp look in her eyes.

And almost at the same time, Chu Qing smiled, "You really are a curious fellow, I just can't figure out how you saw through their identities." Looking at Xiu Ju, Chu Qing smiled sweetly and said, "I guess, if it weren't for Shen Qiang mentioning it, Miss Wang Meili here probably wouldn't have seen through our identities at all."

Xiu Ju's eyes were cold as she said, "Yes, you're very impressive. I could only be sure that you were not ordinary people, and I couldn't even determine the level of your cultivation. But now, I know."

Upon hearing this, Miss Chu Qing smiled and instructed the two people beside her, "Sit down. They are not our enemies." After saying this, she seemed to feel that these words were somewhat inappropriate and added, "At least not now."

These words made Xiu Ju and the other two demons tense up.

Shen Qiang chuckled and said, "Miss Chu Qing, stop joking. Honestly, I can't think of any way we could become enemies. It seems to me we don't have any conflicts of interest, and I've always loved small animals, never killing them without reason."

At these words, Miss Chu Qing laughed. After a moment of hesitation, she said, "I have a friend who has been severely poisoned for quite some time. I have sought several renowned masters in the Cultivation World, but they either refused to treat him or were helpless. I've heard that Mister Shen is extremely skilled with poisons."

Shen Qiang furrowed his brow: "Who told you my poison skills were formidable?"

"No secret can be hidden forever, and no wall in the world is completely airtight. So, I would like to ask Mister Shen for help to cure my friend," Miss Chu Qing said with a beaming smile.

Shen Qiang stopped smiling, leaned back in his chair, and moved his facial muscles, which had gotten a bit stiff from the forced smile, saying, "I have three 'no saves,' do you know them?"

"You don't save the utterly wicked, those who doubt you, or those who annoy you," Miss Chu Qing said brightly. "I'm quite clear on that."

After a moment of silence, Shen Qiang said, "Since you understand, that's good. Tell me the patient's condition, and I'll investigate. If he's not utterly wicked, for Miss Chu Qing's sake, I can give it a try."

Miss Chu Qing's eyes crinkled with her smile: "Good, it's a deal then."

After dinner, having declined Miss Chu Qing's invitation to take a walk, Shen Qiang returned to his hotel room with Dark Department Xiu Ju.

He closed the door.

And started his weighted deep squat training once more, his brows deeply furrowed.

"That Chu Qing is deceiving me."

As Dark Department Xiu Ju was washing up in the bathroom, she spun around abruptly: "Are you sure she's deceiving you? She even knew your 'three no saves' standards."

Shen Qiang continued his weighted squats as he said sternly, "You're not a doctor, so you don't understand. To a patient, as long as there is a sliver of hope, they will try it. If what Miss Chu Qing said is true, that she's seeking me out to save someone, she would not have waited until now."

"She would have brought her friend to seek medical help directly, and in Provincial City at that."

Hearing this, Dark Department Xiu Ju became vigilant and said, "Indeed, those not of our kind have different hearts. Perhaps I should notify the higher-ups to have them monitored immediately."

Shen Qiang laughed while he continued his Body Refinement and said, "Do you have a good excuse or reason? Miss Chu Qing is quite famous in the mortal world, and she must have some strength among those demons. Having them monitored without good cause could complicate matters."

Dark Department Xiu Ju said, "Then what would you suggest?"

Shen Qiang, still training his body, laughed: "I have no suggestions, but now it's clear that Chu Qing cares a lot about whether I came here; she must have an ulterior motive. Since she's concocting lies to deceive me, let's just wait and see how events unfold and go with the flow."

"Just like she said, secrets cannot be kept forever, and lies can never become truth. By tomorrow, the 69 competing teams will be narrowed down to the top eight, so the contest will end quickly. If she doesn't want to miss the opportunity, we'll soon find out her real motives."

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