Wang Ma carried a small, exquisite clay pot to the table.
Steam rose from the bowl as Mrs. Lin placed it in front of herself, smiling at the group.
“This is my secret to youth.”
Auntie Xu leaned in for a look, then frowned in disappointment.
“I thought it’d be something special. Isn’t this just crucian carp soup?”
The milky-white broth, dotted with green scallions, looked ordinary.
The moment the ladies heard it was just fish soup, their interest vanished.
Mrs. Lin invited them to try it, but the socialites politely declined—some even rolled their eyes.
She’s obviously hiding the real secret and feeding us lies. How stingy!
“Qiaoqiao, would you like a taste? It’s delicious,” Mrs. Lin offered sweetly, lifting a spoon.
“No, thank you. I don’t like fish,” Li Qiao replied.
“Ah, of course. At your age, you don’t need to chase youth.” Mrs. Lin then turned to Liu Yusi, urging her to try instead.
Under the table, Li Qiao pinched her mother’s thigh.
Catching the hint, Liu Yusi declined gracefully.
Mrs. Lin’s smile stiffened. Fine. More for me.
She took a slow sip, her face melting into ecstasy—as if savoring the rarest delicacy. The others exchanged uneasy glances.
…
As the gathering ended, Mrs. Lin warmly invited them to meet again soon.
On the ride home, Li Qiao stayed silent while Li Shanchuan chatted excitedly.
“Old Li is around my age, but he looks decades younger! I’m jealous. Though, that ‘magic fish soup’ excuse was ridiculous.”
“If he didn’t want to share his secret, he could’ve just said so.”
“Don’t accept any more invitations from them,” Li Qiao suddenly said.
Liu Yusi tensed. “Qiaoqiao… did you notice something?”
“Mr. and Mrs. Li have multiple lives on their conscience. The sins they’ve committed… are unforgivable.”
“Was… the food they ate… unnatural?” Liu Yusi whispered.
Li Qiao’s voice turned icy.
“To preserve their youth, they’ve been consuming—”
“—the flesh of infants.”
The car swerved violently as Old Sun gasped.
Li Shanchuan and Liu Yusi turned ghostly pale, their skin prickling with horror.
“That soup… It wasn’t fish, was it? It was…?” Liu Yusi clutched her mouth.
At Li Qiao’s nod, she gagged.
Li Shanchuan wasn’t faring any better—the thought of Mr. Li devouring such a meal made his stomach churn.
By the time they reached home, both parents stumbled out of the car and retched into the bushes.
Neighbors watching from their balconies raised eyebrows.
Was Liu Yusi… pregnant again?
Li Qiao patted their backs gently. She’d actually softened the truth.
“Dad, Mom… At least you didn’t eat any.”
“Waaah—Qiaoqiao finally called me ‘Dad’! I’m so— BLEGH!” Li Shanchuan wept joyfully between dry heaves.
Liu Yusi shuddered. “Thank goodness you stopped me.”
The Li couple’s depravity knew no bounds. “We must report them,” she insisted.
“We will. But there’s a dark sorcerer behind this.” Li Qiao frowned. No vengeful spirits clung to the couple—meaning someone else was pulling the strings.
Just then, Li Shanchuan jolted upright. “Wait—Old Xue drank some of that soup!”
“Will he be alright?” Liu Yusi asked urgently.
“He’ll live.”
“Thank heavens. If anything happened to him, how would Auntie Meng cope?”
Ah, so it’s Auntie Meng’s husband. Since Auntie Meng had always been kind to her, Li Qiao hurried to her room and returned with a talisman.
“Stick this on Uncle Xue’s forehead. It’ll purge the toxins.”
“Our daughter’s amazing! But that old fool Xue called me ‘delusional’—ugh, he’s impossible!” Li Shanchuan groaned, slumping onto the couch.
“If Qiaoqiao says he’ll be fine, maybe ignorance is better. Let his body handle it naturally,” Liu Yusi reasoned.
Nodding in agreement, Li Shanchuan relaxed slightly.
Meanwhile, Li Qiao stepped onto the second-floor balcony, gazing toward the neighboring teahouse.
“He Jingnian isn’t here?”
“He Yi!” she called out.
The sweeping servant looked up. “Miss Li!”
“Where’s He Jingnian?”
“The Ninth Master had family business. He’ll return in a couple of days.”
Li Qiao nodded. No matter—she’d collect her owed merits later.
Downstairs, Li Shanchuan and Liu Yusi continued ranting about the monstrous couple. “Absolute beasts! You never truly know people.”
…
The Li couple arrived at a high-rise on the city outskirts. Unbeknownst to them, Li Qiao had already alerted the police.
Dongcheng Police Station
“Captain Shao! We got a tip—a restaurant in the suburbs is serving… infant flesh.”
Shao Rong’s face darkened. “Move out, now.”
Was this real or a hoax? Either way, they had to investigate.
“Trace the caller,” he ordered before jumping into the car.
City Outskirts
The Li couple fawned over a middle-aged woman in a white dress, who was calmly preparing a meal.
“Is the ‘premium stock’ here yet? Money is no issue,” Mrs. Lin begged, eyeing the sizzling meat greedily.
“Sister Hua, we’ll pay anything,” Mr. Li added, lust and hunger warring in his gaze.
The woman—Sister Hua—smirked as she sliced into the meat. “Of course.”
The couple nearly wept with relief.
“But Sister Hua, yesterday’s batch didn’t work! My wrinkles came back,” Mrs. Lin whined, touching her face.
“Did you look into that girl?” Sister Hua asked coldly.
“She’s no master—just sells a few talismans. No threat to you,” Mr. Li assured her.
Earlier, they’d hosted the party to test Li Qiao. Seeing nothing unusual, they’d relaxed.
Sister Hua smiled. “Good. You’ll get the freshest stock first.”
“Thank you! Thank you!”
Suddenly, Sister Hua’s knife slammed into the cutting board.
“Idiots!” she snarled. “You led them straight to us.”
