The deer head was gone, the door had been completely knocked off, and the chaos on the floor was worse than before, with the dust raised by the furniture attack yet to settle.
Everything didn’t restart.
Yet the person before them had returned.
Blond hair, a cloak, chiseled features of deep depth, and an elegance tinged with a slightly infuriating air—genuine and the very same person who had been pierced by the deer antlers.
This eerie reunion made the five companions’ hair stand on end.
“Do you… not remember us?” Xu Wang cautiously began to probe.
The blond man tilted his head, looking confused. “Do we know each other?”
The companions fell silent.
With silence came wariness—when things are amiss, it bodes ill.
After a brief pause, Xu Wang adopted the demeanor of meeting for the first time and continued questioning the blond man. “What are you doing here?”
The blond man relaxed, clearly finding this question within his comfort zone. “Exploring. Aren’t you as well?”
Xu Wang blinked, feigning ignorance.
“You don’t even know this is a haunted house?” The blond man immediately took it upon himself to educate them. “A family of three used to live here—a couple with a son in middle school…”
The backstory, already familiar to them, was repeated as if rewound and played back.
The companions stood silently, wishing for a skip button to fast-forward through such NPC dialogue.
“…and the house has been abandoned ever since.” The blond man finished his tale, feeling a sense of duty fulfilled.
The companions exchanged looks, their eyes silently communicating.
Chi Yingxue—suspicious.
Wu Sheng—very suspicious.
Kuang Jinxin—extremely suspicious.
Xu Wang—absolutely suspicious.
Qian Ai—then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!
Just as the companions aligned their strategic target, the blond man suddenly was flung into the air, crashing into the wall in the same manner as his previous death, only this time the outcome was vastly different—the deer was gone, and the broken wall merely caused him back pain.
Wu Sheng’s mind flickered with doubt, but before he could ponder further, the man agilely got up, his figure flashing and his cloak billowing in a mysterious wind as he moved swiftly towards the door!
Wu Sheng’s heart tightened. “Lao Qian!”
Qian Ai, closest to the door, already understood, stepping forward with his imposing figure to block the doorless entrance with the [(Offense) Shovel of the Brave] in hand. “I’ll block the door. Don’t worry, if he dares come over, I’ll shovel him to death!”
Under the small colored lights, the shovel gleamed with a demonic force of power.
The blond man didn’t stop moving, but his speed momentarily slowed, allowing his cloak to billow again in that moment.
“Whoosh—”
As the sound of the cloak slicing through the air filled the room, Qian Ai was uncontrollably lifted into the air. With a “thud”, his head hit the ceiling.
Qian Ai’s head buzzed, barely recovering from the confusion, only to fall rapidly again. With a “bang” he slammed into the floor, nearly numbing his legs.
The companions were startled, and Qian Ai himself was baffled.
The belated notification finally sounded in his ear—
[Owl: Someone used [(Offense) Up and Down] on you~~]
Qian Ai was stunned. Up… and down?
“Thud!”
“Bang!”
“Thud!”
“Bang!”
“……”
“Fuck! He can use stationery—” Qian Ai finally regained his senses amidst the bouncing, warning his teammates.
In the 4/23 Moonlight Maze, NPCs also used stationery, but such situations became less common in later levels, leading them to unconsciously let their guard down.
As Qian Ai was propelled up again, the doorway became completely open.
The blond man narrowed his eyes and rushed towards the doorway with such speed that by the time he reached, Qian Ai was still in the air.
But just then, he halted, unable to move forward, turning back to find his cloak firmly grasped.
Chi Yingxue, having wrapped the cloak around his hand for a tighter grip, looked at the blond man with a faint confidence and challenge.
Meanwhile, Qian Ai, counting his “thud” and “bang” moments, was on his seventh cycle of bouncing, soon to be freed from the spell as the stationery effect wore off, ready to coordinate an attack with Chi Yingxue…
[Owl: Someone used [(Illusory) Endless Loop] on you~~]
“Thud!”
“Bang!”
“……”
Qian Ai, trapped in a new cycle of bouncing, longed for the [Happy Trampoline].
Though both involved jumping, the trampoline lacked a ceiling and floor tiles, making every bounce painless and even fun!
“Xiao Xue, duck—”
Xu Wang suddenly shouted.
Instinctively, Chi Yingxue complied, but his grip on the cloak remained firm.
As he lowered his stance, a silver bullet was fired.
The blond man dodged to the side swiftly, the bullet grazing his shoulder and tearing through both suit and skin, leaving a burn mark.
The blond man’s gaze darkened as he looked toward Xu Wang.
Suddenly, a bizarre vibration came from outside.
The next moment, a swarm of black bats broke through the window, attacking Xu Wang!
Wu Sheng and Kuang Jinxin immediately went to assist.
The blond man withdrew his gaze, now facing Chi Yingxue standing up again. He said in an icy tone, “I hate it when people grab my cloak.”
Chi Yingxue’s smile widened. There was genuine joy in his eyes. “I love doing what others hate.”
As he spoke, a glint of cold light flashed, and his cross was already thrust forward!
The sound of the weapon piercing flesh was muffled and brief.
Chi Yingxue pushed the cross in deeply, leaving no chance for the opponent.
But before he could savor victory, the figure beneath the cross turned into a wooden dummy. Still blond, still cloaked, but its facial features were carved, and its limbs and torso connected by some kind of metal swivel.
The real blond man had already slipped away.
[Owl: Someone used [(Illusory) Decoy] on you~~]
The notification in Chi Yingxue’s ear clarified the situation.
There was no time for frustration. He pulled hard on the cross, but it was lodged deeply into the dummy’s chest like a wedge firmly nailed into wood, impossible to extract.
As he attempted a second pull, he heard a stiff “click, click” sound.
The dummy raised its arm.
The arm’s movement was stiff, but its strike was incredibly fast. Chi Yingxue dodged, and the swing missed his face, landing heavily on his arm while still holding the cross.
The sharp pain made Chi Yingxue’s eyebrows and nose scrunch together.
While Chi Yingxue was entangled with the wooden decoy, the blond man, with a flourish of his cloak, took to the air and gracefully headed for the window just cleared by the bats.
He flew elegantly, with a confidence that spoke of assured victory.
As he approached the window, ready to feel the night breeze on his face…
“Splat!”
A net made of pink silk threads, forming a latticework “window”, caught the elegant blond man just as it had the bats he summoned. Splat, he was stuck to the web.
[Owl: Someone used [(Offense) Spider Web of Love] on you~~]
The blond man was spread-eagled against the web like a “大”, struggling to look back, only to see the two who had gone to fend off the bats still entangled in the fight, but the real target of the bats was crawling out of the melee, heading towards him.
“Do you like it?” Xu Wang gestured towards the struggling blond man as he walked towards the window. “It’s all little hearts, you know.”
Perhaps enlightened, the blond man immediately looked down at the pink web sticking to him and quickly recognized that every mesh was shaped like a “heart”.
“Your taste is atrocious…” the blond man said with disdain, his unattached cloak fluttering with a swish.
“Whoosh—”
Wu Sheng, amidst the bat swarm, caught the sound and immediately realized. “He’s going to use stationery!”
By the time Xu Wang received the warning, the notification was already in his ear—
[Owl: Someone used [(Defense) Super Sticky Mouse Trap] on you~~]
Just as Xu Wang reached for the cross, a giant sticky mouse trap appeared under his feet, immobilizing him.
He was only a step away from the window and tried to take off his shoes in frustration, but they wouldn’t budge as if the mouse trap had glued his socks and soles together!
“Caw—”
Suddenly, a black crow flew in from outside, targeting the web, and in a few pecks, several strands were broken.
Seeing the situation turn dire, Xu Wang tried to use stationery again, but as he raised his arm, a shadow flashed by him too quickly to see, leaving only a gust of wind.
When his gaze finally settled, the companion who had rushed over was firmly holding onto the blond man’s cloak.
It wasn’t Chi Yingxue but Kuang Jinxin, yet the posture and momentum were exactly like Chi Yingxue’s from earlier.
“I’ve said I hate it when people—grab my cloak.” The blond man was gritting his teeth, having already lost his fake vampire teeth in the fray, but now, Xu Wang could see real fangs slowly emerging.
Kuang Jinxin held tight to the cloak, his fighting spirit no less than Chi Yingxue’s, but when he spoke, it was in the genuine, calm manner typical of himself, without a hint of teasing or challenge, just sincere advice. “If you really dislike it so much, maybe wear a tighter cloak next time.”
The blond man: “……”
Xu Wang: “……”
This creative suggestion left both the human and vampire speechless, caught in “imagination difficulty syndrome”.
“Flap flap—”
Wu Sheng had dispersed the bat swarm with some unknown stationery, causing them to scatter in all directions, throwing the living room into momentary chaos.
Taking advantage of the confusion, Wu Sheng shouted, “Xiao Kuang, Xu Wang—”
This shout, distracting the blond man further, made his thoughts even more chaotic, instinctively turning towards the source of the sound.
Kuang Jinxin seized the moment to pull, yanking the man from the window down to the floor.
Xu Wang then handed over the cross to Wu Sheng, who was rushing over—the advisor’s cross was still embedded in the heart of the ghost doll.
Wu Sheng, without slowing down, took the cross and aimed it at the blond man’s heart on the ground!
With Kuang Jinxin’s restraint and Wu Sheng’s strike, the blond man had no escape, not even a chance to use his cloak and stationery. His eyes suddenly reddened as he urgently shouted out, “Save! I’ll save for you—”
The tip of Wu Sheng’s cross was already touching the fabric of the suit, just an inch away from piercing through.
Fortunately, one party called out in time, and the other stopped just in time.
“What did you say?” Wu Sheng, pressing his elbow against the man’s chest, asked again for confirmation.
“I said save. I’ll let you save…” the blond man pouted, his fangs now looking almost pitiful. “I just came here for an adventure. Why do you have to kill me? Can’t a vampire explore a haunted house…?”
As the blond man spoke more, he seemed sadder, eventually shedding a tear of blood.
Wu Sheng, holding the cross: “……”
Kuang Jinxin, holding the cloak: “……”
Xu Wang, stuck to the sticky mouse trap: “……”
Chi Yingxue, wrestling with the wooden dummy: “……”
Qian Ai, caught in a loop: “……”
……
“Preserve this moment, continue the ties that were bound, through thorns and dangers, may the path ahead be smooth.”
“Ding—”
Xu Wang [Stationery Box]: Received [(Illusory) Time Reversal]
Wu Sheng [Stationery Box]: Received [(Illusory) Nowhere to Hide]
Qian Ai [Stationery Box]: Received [(Offense) Stingy*]
*Be as tight as a drum (一毛不拔) Idiom originally referring to extreme selfishness, now used to describe a very stingy, selfish person.
Kuang Jinxin [Stationery Box]: Received [(Defense) Pumpkin Carriage]
Chi Yingxue [Stationery Box]: Received [(Illusory) Who Am I]
“Ding—”
[Cheat Sheet]: Save successful.
The blond man disappeared amidst a shower of pale golden light, leaving only the sound of his cloak in the night wind long after.
The five companions stood in the living room, looking at the chaos, their feelings mixed.
“So, he was just a save NPC?” Qian Ai blew on his red-swollen hand. If not for these hands protecting him, his head would’ve been cracked open by now.
Xu Wang put away the cross. “Seems like it.”
“He appeared repeatedly just to remind us to save?” Kuang Jinxin somewhat understood, but not completely. “But he died quickly the first time, right?”
Wu Sheng: “If Chi Yingxue hadn’t dealt with the deer head, he would’ve died quickly the second time too.”
Chi Yingxue remained quietly indifferent, merely nodding when his name was mentioned, as if to say, “Yes, it was my doing.”
Xu Wang figured out the logic. “Although the save NPC appeared repeatedly, each time he only gave the challengers a short window to act. If no action was taken within the first few minutes, the NPC would be killed by that unseen force.”
Wu Sheng nodded.
“But we were also attacked by that force. What exactly is it…?” Xu Wang frowned, looking around the room with a chill in his heart.
Wu Sheng knew, their captain already had the answer.
“It’s the ghost in this room.”
……
Five minutes later.
Wu Sheng stood in the center of the living room, asking his companions, “Ready?”
They nodded. “Yes.”
Wu Sheng took a deep breath and activated the recently acquired save reward—[(Illusion) Nowhere to Hide].
What kind of ghost lived in this house was about to be revealed…
The flash of golden light from the illusory stationery was brief, and just as quickly, it took away the original hazy lights.
The living room went completely dark, like a cinema suddenly losing power.
The companions held their breath, waiting for the evil spirit to appear.
Suddenly, a small light shone in the darkness.
The light was tiny, weak, and easy to miss if one wasn’t paying attention.
But soon, two, three, four…
In just a few seconds, countless light particles appeared in the darkness, everywhere, filling the entire house, like dust reflecting light in the universe.
The companions stood among these lights, chilled to the bone.
This was the ghost they were trying to catch.
They thought it was elusive, but it was everywhere.
The author has something to say:
A vampire that doesn’t pretend to be a vampire is not a good save point NPC~(～￣▽￣)～
In a small bedroom on the second floor, the five companions stood in front of the bed in silence.
This was a playful children’s room, painted in a light blue like the clear sky, with a soft, long-haired carpet on the floor and a small pink wooden horse standing quietly on it.
The companions’ collective focus was on the children’s bed in the corner of the room, sized for a five- or six-year-old child to sleep in. However, there was no one on the bed, only a doll propped up at the head of the bed.
It was a beautiful doll, with slightly wavy blonde hair, lake-blue eyes, and a well-fitted doll dress that tried to showcase her innocence and cheerfulness.
Unfortunately, the attempt wasn’t quite successful.
Because her expression was too faint—faint enough to give the illusion that those amber-like eyes were coldly staring at you.
Xu Wang bravely broke the silence. “Are you sure it’s this one?”
For some reason, dolls always manage to evoke a deep-seated fear in horror settings, chilling to the bone.
Wu Sheng took out the cross from his arm, his eyes sparkling with the light of academic experimentation. “Let’s try and see.”
Qian Ai admired their strategist for this quality, daring to take samples from hell and conduct experiments at the graveside.
Chi Yingxue subtly moved closer to Kuang Jinxin, gripping the blood-stained cross tighter, ready for any unexpected events that might occur next.
Kuang Jinxin, preoccupied with both Wu Sheng’s actions and his own [Stationery Box], thought about using his stationery immediately if something went wrong.
Wu Sheng’s cross was inserted slowly and steadily into the doll’s heart.
Only when a quarter of the sharp end was completely submerged, resting against the doll’s body without going any deeper, did Wu Sheng release his hold.
The doll remained quietly seated, unaware.
Wu Sheng straightened up, silent.
Qian Ai started to doubt. “Could we be wrong? Maybe… Oh fuck!”
As he screamed, Qian Ai jumped backward more than a meter, his eyes filled with terror as he looked at the bed.
The companions didn’t move, but their calmness was just as forced.
The doll on the bed stood up.
With the cross still embedded in its heart, the doll walked to the edge of the bed, fell to the floor with a missed step, stiffly got up, and continued walking until it stopped next to Wu Sheng.
It was just taller than Wu Sheng’s knees, standing beside his leg like a child.
Wu Sheng moved forward, and so did the doll; Wu Sheng stepped back, and so did it. It mirrored his movements without any inclination to attack.
Xu Wang watched with mixed feelings. “She likes you…”
Realizing the reason, Wu Sheng explained, “Because the cross is mine.”
When the priest gave them the crosses, he didn’t explain much. Their intel from Mr. Fan only mentioned using the cross to capture ghosts by inserting it into their hearts, without mentioning what to do afterward. Now, seeing the state of the first doll ghost, they understood—the cross could neutralize a ghost’s combat ability and make it follow the person who subdued it with the cross.
That meant once they captured all the ghosts, they could naturally take them to the church, as the ghosts would follow them there.
Leaving the Bloody-Faced Man’s house, the five companions walked east along the street and soon arrived at the second haunted house marked on the map.
This was a minimalist three-story house, almost entirely covered by climbing ivy, with only glimpses of its original light gray color visible through the gaps. The color hinted at a Nordic coolness, but now the ivy made the whole house feel dense and swamp-like.
The front door was in disrepair, hanging askew in its frame.
Standing at the entrance, they could see a faint, colorful light inside.
Upon entering the living room, the doll automatically walked to a corner and stayed still, as if it knew the five were about to start part 2 of their ghost hunting and was obediently waiting.
The living room was covered in thick dust, and beneath the dust lay toppled, broken furniture. The only intact items were the fireplace and the deer head mounted above it on the wall, which seemed neglected and lonely after possibly being vandalized.
Yet, this room was decorated with a string of twinkling lights. The colors were varied and uniformly mystical and dim, casting an eerie glow over the entire living room.
The faint, colorful light seen from the doorway originated from here.
“Whoosh—”
Without warning, a sound echoed behind them, like fabric being suddenly unfurled.
The five immediately turned around, only to see a vampire cloaked in a cape right behind Qian Ai. He had golden short hair, deep and handsome features, eyes gentle enough to drown in, and the occasional glimpse of fangs beneath an elegant smile.
Such a handsome gentleman naturally needed emphasis on his entrance; hence, the cape fluttered as if a wind machine was built into it.
Qian Ai couldn’t appreciate his beauty, as, in a moment of shock, he didn’t even bother to use any stationery but delivered a roundhouse kick right to the vampire’s chest.
The elegant vampire was solidly kicked away, drawing a less-than-beautiful arc through the air before landing with a pained “Ow”.
Qian Ai had always had an instinctive fear of ghosts, but that kick seemed to crack his fear, especially after hearing the ghost’s scream, boosting his confidence. Thus, he stepped forward without hesitation and delivered a second kick to the vampire now on the ground.
This time, the vampire didn’t give him a chance but desperately grabbed his kicking leg, wailing, “Help—murderer—”
Xu Wang, Wu Sheng, Chi Yingxue, and Kuang Jinxin, who came ready to assist: “……”
With one leg in the air, Qian Ai was baffled. “What the hell? I’m the murderer?”
The handsome vampire clutching his leg declared resolutely, “It’s you! One more kick, and my heart would break!”
Qian Ai got goosebumps from this peculiar accusation. “Aren’t you a monster? Have some professional ethics? Just do your thing without adding so much dialogue. Are you crazy?”
The handsome man retorted, “I’m human. I came here looking for ghosts!”
Suddenly, the air went quiet.
Their eyes met, and Qian Ai gently lowered his leg, displaying an awkward yet polite smile.
The handsome man was helped up by Xu Wang. Though the misunderstanding was cleared up, the pain remained. He gasped and rubbed his chest, devoid of any vampire elegance from moments ago.
“Why aren’t you guys dressed up?” He finally managed to speak, his first question lacking substance.
Xu Wang ignored the question, getting straight to the point. “What are you doing here?”
“Exploring.” The man removed his fake vampire teeth to speak more clearly. “This place is known as a haunted house in town, perfect for an adventure during Halloween.”
“A haunted house?” Xu Wang feigned shock and surprise, his expression as genuine as could be.
The four companions silently glanced at the demon doll in the corner, once again impressed by their captain’s quick adaptation.
The blond man, oblivious, naively explained to Captain Xu, “A family of three used to live here—a couple with a son in middle school. One day, the boy suddenly disappeared from home. The police suspected he was killed by his parents, but no body or evidence was found, and the case went cold. Later, unable to bear the rumors, the couple moved away, and the house has been abandoned ever since.”
“That’s abandonment, not a haunted house.” Wu Sheng joined the conversation, sticking to his strict definition of a “haunted house”.
“I wasn’t finished.” The blond man continued, “With the house abandoned and the ivy covering it, it started to get that atmosphere. Then people looking to explore started coming…”
Kuang Jinxin curiously asked, “Did they find anything?”
The blond man shook his head. “No, they disappeared.”
“People disappeared?” Xu Wang frowned.
“Yeah, everyone who came here to explore vanished.”
“And you still came?” Qian Ai couldn’t understand such a death-wishing mentality.
“I’m curious,” the blond man stated proudly, momentarily exuding a fearless aura dedicated to exploration.
However, his charm was fleeting. The next second, he looked around nervously, whispering, “I always feel like that missing boy is still in this house and has never left…”
His hushed tone chilled the living room.
The small colored lights continued to blink, like the eyes of phantoms.
Xu Wang was about to probe further when the blond man suddenly gaped in horror, as if seeing something frightfully shocking, rendering him speechless.
The companions were startled, immediately looking in the direction he stared at, but there was nothing there. It was just a wall, unclear if it was gray or white.
In that eerie moment, the blond man was abruptly lifted into the air, as if flung by a giant hand, and hurled towards the fireplace!
This time there was no arc; the sheer force sent him crashing into the deer head above the fireplace.
The deer’s antlers pierced through his chest, causing his blood to stain his cloak and clothes underneath.
He was motionless, like a piece of clothing hanging on the wall, eyes still open.
One second alive, the next dead before their eyes. Despite their experience in navigating levels, the companions needed a moment to recover.
But the ghost lurking in the shadows didn’t give them a moment to breathe.
The five companions were collectively lifted into the air, following the same deadly trajectory as the blond man towards the blood-stained antlers. This time, they felt the overwhelming force they couldn’t resist!
“Xiao Kuang, delay—” In the moment they were lifted, Wu Sheng shouted.
Kuang Jinxin’s [Stationery Box], always ready for action, was finally put to use as Wu Sheng shouted “delay”. He activated it immediately!
[Owl: Someone used [(Defense) Delaying Tactics] on you~~]
Just as Xu Wang, the first to be lifted, was inches away from the antler tips, the defense stationery finally took effect. The speed of the five companions’ collision suddenly slowed, giving the sensation of floating in a spacecraft.
Xu Wang grabbed onto the antlers, sighed in relief, then pushed upwards, avoiding the antlers and gently colliding with the wall.
The other four followed suit.
Chi Yingxue was the last to land.
Then, the deer head responded to the call of the stationery—
[Owl: Someone used [(Illusory) Easter Egg*] on you~~]
*(复活彩蛋) When the text is broken down, it’s translated as Resurrection Easter Egg, signifying how Easter is the holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus.
The eyes of the deer head immediately came to life, and then the deer head began to move. The wall started making cracking sounds. Eventually, with a loud roar, the deer burst through the wall, transformed into a full deer, carrying the blond man on its antlers, and galloped away, leaving only the sound of hooves in the night wind.
Only one classmate had the stationery capable of reviving the dead.
The four companions looked towards Chi Yingxue.
Chi shrugged. “Just in case.”
As if to validate his action, the ghost in the shadows lifted the five into the air for the second time. This time, with no sharp objects on the walls, the haphazardly positioned furniture floated up, turning into projectiles shooting towards them from all directions.
The companions weren’t afraid of such physical attacks; they had enough stationery for defense. But the task was to catch ghosts, and how could they do that without even seeing a shadow of one, only passively getting hit?
Finally, the living room calmed down.
“We have to search, quickly,” Wu Sheng said, not minding his unstable breath.
The companions immediately sprang into action, swiftly checking every room on the ground floor, finding nothing unusual but a basement.
“Should we leave someone outside to keep watch?” Qian Ai asked as they were about to enter the basement.
Wu Sheng decisively shook his head. “We can’t split up in this level.”
Xu Wang added, “The tragedy of countless horror movie protagonists begins with splitting up.”
“…..” Qian Ai, a horror movie enthusiast, acknowledged this golden rule upon reflection.
Entering the basement, they were first hit by the nauseating smell of decay.
Wu Sheng found a switch on the wall, pressed it, and the light came on.
This wasn’t surprising; the small lights in the living room already suggested the house had electricity. However, why an abandoned house still had power was a point of interest for Wu Sheng.
But he had no time to ponder.
The basement was full of bodies.
But this time, there were no dismembered limbs or blurred flesh—just bodies sitting or lying quietly, clothes intact but flesh rotted over time.
“Killed by the ghost…?” Qian Ai’s voice trembled.
Kuang Jinxin, taking a brief look around, eventually shook his head. “Doesn’t seem like it…”
Xu Wang and Wu Sheng moved forward to inspect without daring to touch, merely squatting in front of the bodies for a closer look.
“It looks more like they died trapped here…” Wu Sheng concluded.
Kuang Jinxin remembered what the blond man said, tentatively asking, “Sheng Ge, could these be the explorers who disappeared after coming here?”
Wu Sheng, noting the diverse styles of clothing on the bodies, nodded. “Possible.”
“Then no need to ask.” Qian Ai walked to the basement door, pulling it with force, to find it immovable. “We can’t leave either.”
He had become quite resigned to such dire situations.
[Owl: Someone used [(Defense) Cicada Shed Its Shell] on you~~]
With the stationery taking effect, the companions felt light-headed as they returned to the street outside the house. The ghost doll, somehow, was already back at Wu Sheng’s side.
Escaping wasn’t difficult, but catching the ghost was.
Qian Ai looked at the ivy-covered, haunted house at a loss. “We’ve used so much stationery but haven’t even seen the shadow of the ghost.”
Xu Wang pursed his lips. “If it’s really the kind of ghost that comes and goes without a trace, it’ll be troublesome.”
“But such a setup is basically unsolvable,” Kuang Jinxin said, frustrated. “Without locking onto the ghost, how can we use the cross?”
Wu Sheng, previously frowning in thought, lit up at Kuang Jinxin’s words. “It can’t be unsolvable, or the logic of overcoming the level wouldn’t hold. There must be a way to force it to show itself. We just haven’t found it yet.”
“How do we find it?” Chi Yingxue disliked the passive situation and rarely joined in the conversation to ask.
Wu Sheng looked up at the building now covered in dark green, stating calmly and confidently. “We go back in.”
If one entrance didn’t work, they would try two, and if two didn’t work, they would try three. Data would eventually be collected completely, and then, the answer would emerge.
Re-entering the living room, before the ghost doll could automatically go to the corner, they stopped short.
In the center of the living room, the blond man in the cape, eyebrow raised, looked at them.
He wasn’t smiling, so his vampire teeth weren’t visible, but the cape still fluttered behind him, stirred by an unseen wind.
He had no wounds on his chest and was as handsome and elegant as ever, but his gaze towards the five was unfamiliar and surprised. “Are you here to explore too?”
This time, the coordinates were set in a bar street, where at midnight, the street was at its liveliest.
Xu Wang and his group arrived at 11:30 p.m. and found a music bar to sit for a while. They listened to the midnight guitar tunes and watched the stars and the moon, feeling somewhat like returning to a good life.
Previously, when Xu Wang was working, he wasn’t keen on nightlife. But since entering the Owl, the night had been “kidnapped”, and he realized that being able to drink until dawn was also a blessing.
He was very close to that blessing—only two levels left.
Taking a deep breath, Xu Wang heard the hooting of the Owl from somewhere unknown.
“Hoot—hoot—”
The singing in the bar continued. No one heard the strange hooting, nor did anyone realize that five guests had vanished without a trace.
As the dizziness faded, the five friends reopened their eyes, finding themselves on the streets of a small town.
It was the eve of Halloween, and the entire town was immersed in the festive atmosphere. Every household had pumpkin lanterns at their doors, and the streets were bustling.
Residents of the town passed by them in succession, some in family groups, some in groups of friends, all dressed as “ghouls and monsters”, like witches, mummies, masked killers, biochemical monsters, along with magicians, vampires, tin men, and the like, forming a bizarre and colorful array of costumes filled with laughter and chatting.
The children were even happier, carrying little baskets, going door to door for candy, and threatening tricks if they received no treats.
The five stood still.
After two or three minutes, a priest approached them.
Just like the intel bought from Mr. Fan. The priest handed them a map of the town and five sharply pointed crosses, instructing them to subdue the ghosts marked on the map with the crosses and then bring them to the church on the south side of the town for an exorcism ceremony.
“I’ll be waiting for you in the church,” the priest said before hurrying off.
The friends were no longer surprised—many NPCs in the Owl made their exits as if rushed to clock out.
Xu Wang distributed the crosses, one per person, then opened the town map to review it with the others.
The map was detailed, showing the layout of the entire town. The east-west street where they were located was the town’s main thoroughfare, with most of the houses built along this street. A few were scattered farther away, each house clearly visible on the map.
However, the map had yet to show the markings—according to the priest, they would appear after five minutes.
Waiting with the map for five minutes felt long. Bored, Qian Ai glanced at his badge handbook, then frowned and complained to his teammates. “Are we really going to check the ceilings of each house?”
The ceiling was a hint for the badge of 12/23.
“If we can’t think of anything better, we have to.” Xu Wang was already prepared for a thorough search.
While they were talking, a hoarse “caw—” came from above.
Looking up, they saw a pitch-black crow perched on a treetop, staring at them.
“Caw—”
It cawed again, letting out a rough and long monosyllable sound that was swirling with an ominous aura of death.
Suddenly, it spread its wings and swooped down, using its sharp beak to snatch the map!
The incident happened so fast that by the time the friends reacted, the crow had already taken the map from Xu Wang’s hands, ready to flee.
Kuang Jinxin wasn’t the first to react but was the first to select a piece of stationery because he happened to have a suitable one—[(Offense) No Escape*].
*Literal translated would be escape is impossible even with wings (插翅难逃). Idiom referring to being in trouble and unable to escape.
But by the time he activated it and looked up, the crow was nowhere to be seen. He could still hear the flapping of wings but couldn’t catch the shadow; the malevolent bird had blended into the night with its pitch-black feathers.
“West! It flew west—” Qian Ai suddenly shouted as if he had discovered something.
Kuang Jinxin was surprised. “You can see clearly?”
As Qian Ai ran after it, he shouted back, “If you had as many ups and downs in life as I have, you’d also develop the ability to observe in all directions—”
What makes a person grow quickly? The will to survive!
Kuang Jinxin laughed. He had always thought Qian Ai was quite impressive. Many of the stationery Qian Ai used might not be easy for others to wield, and not every slightly less fortunate person could improve their combat effectiveness so rapidly through continuous trials like Qian Ai.
But he didn’t share this thought with Qian Ai because it was obvious that the “deep-seated bitterness” atmosphere was more conducive to his performance.
Soon, all five friends started running, with Chi Yingxue trailing behind. Noticing the trust and recognition in Kuang Jinxin’s eyes for Qian Ai, his beautiful, thin lips pursed into a depressed straight line.
It’s just a bird sighting.
The group chased westward all the way to the outskirts of town, finally locking down the guilty shadow in a grove. Kuang Jinxin immediately activated “[No Escape], and the friends managed to retrieve the map.
Having recovered the map, they realized they were standing in a cemetery with scattered tombstones throughout the grove, beneath which the deceased lay in eternal rest.
The night breeze whispered through the trees as if carrying voices.
By then, the map had shown the markings, five in total, with the closest one being the last house they passed before running out of town.
No one liked lingering in a cemetery, so the five exchanged glances and immediately headed back to town along the grove path.
Fortunately, they hadn’t run too far. After about fifteen minutes, they returned to the west entrance of the town and saw the two-story house.
Compared to the hustle and bustle of the town center, this area was somewhat quiet.
The entire house was painted a bright red, the kind that was too vivid, appearing like a gaping maw ready to devour under the moonlight.
“Prepare defense 1 and 2. Get ready,” Wu Sheng said solemnly.
Kuang Jinxin and Chi Yingxue immediately went to activate their stationery.
[Owl: Someone used [(Defense) Spirits Be Gone] on you~~]
[Owl: Someone used [(Defense) Touch Me If You Dare] on you~~]
With double defense in place, Wu Sheng nodded to Xu Wang, who then knocked on the door.
Unexpectedly, the door was ajar, and it swung open upon knocking.
The smell of something being cooked wafted out, but they couldn’t tell what it was. It smelled like meat, but it also had a strange odor.
The five quietly entered the house, passed the foyer, and came into the brightly lit living room. It was a cozy setup, with a soft carpet under the sofa and family photos on the coffee table.
But there was no one in the living room.
The smell came from the kitchen further inside.
The friends slowly moved towards the kitchen, their steps becoming more cautious the closer they got.
The kitchen door was wide open, and a man wearing a chef’s hat stood at the stove. He was nearly two meters tall and very large, with the chef’s hat almost touching the ceiling and his broad body completely blocking the view of what he was cooking. From the friends’ perspective, they could only see him lifting a hand, constantly stirring, as if simmering something.
The smell grew stronger.
Suddenly, the man’s stirring hand stopped as if he sensed the uninvited guests.
The five friends stood still, involuntarily holding their breath.
The man released the spoon and slowly turned around.
The five widened their eyes and gasped in shock.
It was a bloodied face with no features. The face was torn off, piece by piece, with patches of skin hanging tightly, revealing only the blood muscle tissues underneath. The only thing left was teeth, but without lips to cover them, the rows of teeth looked demonic.
No, this was indeed a demon.
As he turned, the friends could clearly see what was on the fire—a pot full of human hands.
Qian Ai felt his stomach churn and vomited against the wall.
Amidst the numbing horror, Wu Sheng activated a stationery—[(Defense) Righteous Silk of Heaven]!
Specifically designed to counter evil spirits, silk threads descended from above, swiftly binding the demon.
The Bloody-Faced Man struggled a few times but couldn’t break free. He seemed to want to speak, but with his mouth open, only the clattering of teeth could be heard.
In the eerie sound of clattering teeth, the five friends entered the kitchen, spreading out in a semi-circular formation, slowly encircling the Bloody-Faced Man.
As they gradually closed the circle, the Bloody-Faced Man suddenly broke free from the silk, lifting the pot of human hands and smashing it down!
The pot was aimed at Kuang Jinxin, who was by the kitchen doorway.
The boiling pot of hands, along with the rolling hot water, was hurled at Kuang Jinxin.
Of the two stationeries activated, one was resistant to attacks by evil spirits and the other for counter attacking, but neither was designed to defend against a pot of boiling water being thrown.
Kuang Jinxin instinctively wanted to dodge, but doing so would mean opening the door for the enemy to escape. By hesitating, it was already too late.
He almost felt the scalding moisture.
But the next second, someone leaped from the side, tackling him down, and the pot landed on that person’s back instead!
Kuang Jinxin was shielded from head to toe, and his head was firmly pressed against a chest. He was unable to see or speak, only aware that none of the contents of the pot touched him.
As the pot hit the ground with a clang, the person protecting him leaped up, seemingly confident in their protection, without even looking at him, and immediately turned back to attack the Bloody-Faced Man.
Kuang Jinxin quickly got up, catching only a glimpse of Chi Yingxue’s back as he lunged at the Bloody-Faced Man, then heard a loud bang.
The power went out.
Everything was suddenly enveloped in darkness. Even the pumpkin lights in the garden outside went out.
“Xiao Xue!” Kuang Jinxin called out worriedly while groping towards Chi Yingxue’s direction, only to bump into something unknown with a loud thud, which sounded painful.
Kuang Jinxin endured the pain without crying out.
Chi Yingxue cried out, “Don’t move.”
Then, a small flame lit up from Chi Yingxue’s hand, barely illuminating half the kitchen.
[(Defense) Evil-Repelling Lighter].
The Bloody-Faced Man was gone.
Following the light, the four friends finally reached Chi Yingxue’s side, seeing his back soaked through, clinging to his body, still emitting faint heat. His exposed neck was red, which would have appeared even redder under white light, indicating how severe the burn was.
Kuang Jinxin immediately ran to the faucet, filling two large bowls with cold water.
Wu Sheng was about to suggest using cold water to cool the burns and reduce the damage, but Kuang Jinxin was already ahead of him.
Pouring the cold water over the burns significantly reduced the burning sensation, and Chi Yingxue sighed lightly, standing up with the help of the table.
Although the pain returned quickly, seeing Kuang Jinxin unharmed made Chi Yingxue feel it was worth it.
“It hurts, right…?” Kuang Jinxin looked at Chi Yingxue’s soaked back, dreading the blisters that would form soon, knowing how much Chi Yingxue hated pain.
“……” Chi Yingxue wanted to say he wasn’t as afraid of pain anymore, understanding a bit of the ruthlessness it takes to risk everything, but seeing the concern in Kuang Jinxin’s eyes, and realizing all his attention was finally on him, he simplified his words to a soft, “Yeah, it hurts.”
The guilt in Kuang Jinxin’s eyes deepened, but he was at a loss for words, feeling that both “thank you” and “sorry” were too superficial and inadequate.
Xu Wang asked solemnly, “Xiao Xue, can you continue?”
Chi Yingxue tested his shoulder movement; it hurt but didn’t impede his actions. “No problem.”
“Alright,” Xu Wang said, “let’s hold on. There are sure to be tough battles ahead, and injuries are likely. We’ll save our healing stationery for later use.”
They had only obtained two healing stationeries during their week in the Endless Sea, so they had to use them sparingly.
Chi Yingxue glanced at Kuang Jinxin, who looked worried, and firmly refused. “No need. I want to heal naturally.”
Xu Wang and Wu Sheng were speechless.
Qian Ai was dumbfounded, wondering what kind of masochistic health regimen this was!
……
Using the [Evil-Repelling Lighter], the five searched the entire house but found no trace of the Bloody-Faced Man, leaving only the attic unexplored.
Having learned from the lesson with the pot of hands, this time Wu Sheng insisted Xu Wang not take the lead, going up the stairs himself first.
Xu Wang and Kuang Jinxin followed in second and third, with Chi Yingxue and Qian Ai at the rear.
Entering the attic, they were greeted with a strong smell of blood.
Wu Sheng frowned silently. He held Chi Yingxue’s [Evil-Repelling Lighter] and gently stretched his arm forward. The firelight revealed dozens of hanging bodies, some missing hands or feet, others missing heads of limbs. None of them were intact and just like that they filled the entire attic.
Blood still dripped from the severed parts of the bodies, as if they had been freshly cut by someone alive.
The others, arriving after Wu Sheng, nearly choked on the blood stench, and seeing the densely hung bodies, their breathing stiffened.
In the suffocating silence, a rustling noise came from behind the “forest of corpses”. It was a shadow crouched by the wall, hidden behind the hanging bodies with its back facing away from them, engaged in some unknown activity.
The friends knew they should move forward, push aside the hanging bodies, and investigate.
But as much as they wanted to, no one could move forward in such a scene.
Qian Ai was glad he had already emptied his stomach earlier, or he would have had to vomit again.
Moonlight suddenly shone into the attic, illuminating the shadow’s back and outlining the chef’s hat.
The shadow slowly turned around, sluggish and bulky as he had been in the kitchen.
As he fully faced them, they saw he was gnawing on a human leg.
The Bloody-Faced Man, with only rows of teeth left, chewed contentedly. His blood mixed with the leg’s, making them indistinguishable from one another.
[Owl: Someone used [(Offense) Silver Bullets] on you~~]
As the Bloody-Faced Man holding the leg slowly stood up, Xu Wang, following the pre-battle plan, used his stationery. The next second, cold, exorcism bullets were fired at the Bloody-Faced Man.
“Bang—”
The Bloody-Faced Man, who had just stood up, was shot and staggered.
As Xu Wang was about to shoot again, the Bloody-Faced Man suddenly disappeared.
At the same time, a wind from nowhere blew out the lighter in Wu Sheng’s hand.
As soon as he finished speaking, Chi Yingxue calmly added, “Mine too, and the lighter.”
The team was protected by only two pieces of stationeries, [Spirits Be Gone] and [Touch Me If You Dare]. The other stationery in use was the [Evil-Repelling Lighter], but a gust of wind rendered them all ineffective.
Wu Sheng felt something was wrong, but Qian Ai already felt a chilling breeze on the back of his neck.
He suddenly bent down, using his shoulder to push back hard!
Indeed, he hit someone, or rather, a ghost, reeking of blood.
The pitch-black darkness oddly comforted Qian Ai, sparing him from seeing the demon’s face, boosting his courage.
But the Bloody-Faced Man wasn’t easy to deal with. Qian Ai’s forceful push didn’t knock him down but made him stagger and quickly lunge again, knocking Qian Ai down.
Qian Ai had never felt outmatched in brute strength before, but now he realized there was always a higher mountain. The back of his head banged against the floor, causing his head to buzz, yet he could clearly hear the Bloody-Faced Man’s teeth clicking closer to his face.
Qian Ai’s scalp was about to explode, not from fear, but from anger—without a face himself, he seemed intent on denying others theirs too!
With a desperate effort, Qian Ai pushed at the approaching head.
Unsure of where he pushed, but his hand became sticky.
Struggling, he tried to reach for the cross but couldn’t with the demon pressing down on him.
In the standoff, a shadow suddenly pounced on the demon’s back.
Qian Ai couldn’t see which friend came to his aid. He only knew that the weight on his body doubled, and he was about to be crushed. “I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe—”
Just after shouting, Qian Ai felt a flash of cold light in the darkness, followed by a piercing scream from the demon as it suddenly rose from on top of him.
Qian Ai took a deep breath. The feeling of being suffocated by the pressure on his chest instantly eased.
The attic suddenly lit up. The light’s range and intensity were greater than the previous lighter—Wu Sheng, unable to relight Chi Yingxue’s lighter, decisively gave up and took out a flashlight from his backpack.
With the light, everyone could see their own positions and also saw Chi Yingxue on the demon’s back.
He was pulling out a cross—the demon had screamed because, when Chi Yingxue pounced on its back, he had plunged the cross into it.
However, stabbing the back wasn’t effective; it had to be stabbed in the front, directly into the heart.
His face was half covered in blood, but he showed no intense emotion, like a silent warrior.
The cross was swiftly pulled out, and the Bloody-Faced Man seized the opportunity to grab Chi Yingxue’s legs with such force that it seemed not just to pull him down but to tear him in half.
But Chi Yingxue cleverly bent his legs to dodge the attack and, leaning forward, firmly drove the cross into the Bloody-Faced Man’s chest.
The Bloody-Faced Man shuddered and then was still.
The cross acted like an instant anesthetic.
Chi Yingxue waited a few seconds to make sure the demon was indeed motionless before jumping down from it, wiping his face, and raising an eyebrow in a smile towards his teammates.
Not wiping his face would have been better; after wiping, his whole face was smeared in blood, looking like another demon who had knocked out the Bloody-Faced Man.
But that smile was familiar to his friends, a mix of pride and smugness.
A childlike Yan Wang—that was what Xu Wang thought at the moment.
“Did you take secret lessons behind our backs…” Qian Ai knew Chi Yingxue was capable, but the skills just displayed were eight steps above what they had seen before. Not only was it agile, but it also had a reckless vigor that was almost godlike. What need was there for [Touch Me If You Dare]? Chi Yingxue was the embodiment of that stationery!
“Well done.” Wu Sheng patted his shoulder, not sparing his praises.
Chi Yingxue nodded twice in acknowledgment to his teammates, then continued to watch Kuang Jinxin without blinking.
The flashlight illuminated Kuang Jinxin’s bright smile. “Impressive.”
Chi Yingxue’s tightly held smile finally relaxed.
“Sizzle—”
The Bloody-Faced Man’s body suddenly started smoking.
All five jerked back collectively.
The Bloody-Faced Man disintegrated into a puddle of blood amidst the corroding smoke.
“Clang.”
The cross that had been in his chest fell to the ground.
Chi Yingxue stepped forward to pick up his cross, looking at the blood on the ground, puzzledly asking Wu Sheng, “How do we take this to the church?”
Wu Sheng furrowed his brows, thinking for a moment, then suddenly looked up. “No, that’s not right.”
With that, he turned and headed downstairs.
The four teammates immediately followed, quickly returning to the living room.
Wu Sheng picked up a photo frame from the coffee table, his face and voice both darkening. “We’re supposed to catch another one.”
The photo frame showed a father holding his daughter in his arms. The father with a tender expression was wearing a chef’s hat, and the daughter looked cute and soft in a doll dress.
The author has something to say:
Protecting the person he likes is Beauty Chi’s form of love; showing off in front of the person he likes is Beauty Chi’s instinct. In any case, congratulations to Beauty Chi for once again winning Xiao Sijin’s radiant smile~~
“The boss told me there’s a local saying here, ‘Three days without sour food, and you’ll find yourself hopping around while walking.’ So, my iron buddies, if you come to Guizhou, you must order the sour soup fish!”
“What? There’s a location now? You must have just started following me… Ah, thanks to ‘Chop Off My Hands If I Order Takeout Again’ for answering for me. Yes, I, Lao Qian, have already broken through Beijing and ventured across all of China…”
“Back to the point. I ordered two kinds of fish today. The one on my left hand is a carp, and the one on my right hand is a catfish…”
At a large round table for ten, Qian Ge occupied the southern hemisphere alone, while Xu Wang, Wu Sheng, Kuang Jinxin, and Chi Yingxue all stuck to the northern hemisphere.
Having been through levels together up until now, everyone had become accustomed to automatically entering “live broadcast mode” whenever they ate.
Xu Wang and Wu Sheng discussed the next level among themselves, completely undisturbed; Kuang Jinxin, on the other hand, ate while watching Qian Ai’s live broadcast, clearly a loyal viewer.
Kuang Jinxin used to like sitting under the TV in the school cafeteria because he found it made meals more enjoyable. If there was no TV, he’d watch his phone. But since starting the levels, watching Qian Ai during mealtime sufficed; Qian Ai alone was more entertaining than a TV drama. Watching Qian Ai eat while interacting with his buddies, Kuang Jinxin found it particularly joyful, sometimes even sneaking into the live broadcast as an anonymous little fan.
Chi Yingxue was indifferent to the “background music” of eating. As long as he didn’t want to participate, everything around him might as well not exist, unable to disturb him at all.
But today, for the first time, he became curious.
Because Kuang Jinxin was watching Qian Ai. Whenever Qian Ai cracked a joke with his buddies, he laughed along, looking very amused. From Chi Yingxue’s perspective, he could only see his side profile but still found it very attractive.
So, Chi Yingxue became curious to see what this “live broadcast” was all about, even seriously considering starting his own “Chi Yingxue Eats Across China” if it could make Kuang Jinxin smile at him every day.
Once Chi Yingxue sets his mind to something, he does it.
In the blink of an eye, he had gotten up and moved closer to Lao Qian to take a serious look at the phone.
For the fans of “Lao Qian Eats Across China”, a stranger suddenly dropped from the sky and entered the frame in a second.
Then, the live broadcast went wild.
[Ahhh, what kind of celestial beauty is this!]
[Three minutes. I want all the information on this man!!]
[Lao Qian, if it weren’t for you for comparison, I would have thought a perfect filter was turned on!!!]
[……]
That night, Qian Ai first learned that he had so many female fans lurking for years.
That night, Chi Yingxue unexpectedly became the substitute host. He didn’t even need to speak; just eating fish was enough, thus bringing the highest traffic and donations to “Lao Qian Eats Across China” since its creation.
Back at the hotel, Chi Yingxue was still dazed. He didn’t remember the taste of the sour soup fish or whether Xiao Sijin had looked at him or smiled. He only remembered the dizzying array of gifts and the frenzy of comments, feeling more than ever that live broadcasting is an unfathomable field.
It was then that Chi Zhuolin’s call came.
“Where to next?” Chi Zhuolin got straight to the point as soon as he spoke.
Chi Yingxue quickly recalled the information their team had bought from Mr. Fan. “Jiangxi.”
12/23, in Jiangxi.
Chi Zhuolin had already adapted to this hopscotch style of travel. “When are you leaving?”
Chi Yingxue: “Not decided yet.”
Chi Zhuolin: “Okay, send me the details once you’ve decided. I’ll arrange the hotel and the pickup.”
Chi Yingxue: “Oh.”
Never pushing away things that could make him comfortable was a virtue of Classmate Chi.
Normally, this would be the end of the call, and Chi Zhuolin, as always, waited for his younger brother to hang up first. But after waiting for a long time, the other side was still there.
Chi Zhuolin keenly raised an eyebrow. “Hmm?”
“Chi Zhuolin…” Sure enough, the other side began speaking in a low voice.
Chi Zhuolin, who had already gone to bed, unconsciously sat up straight, then heard the question from the phone asking, “Am I lonely?”
“……” The formidable President Chi was stumped by the question.
If Chi Yingxue had asked, “Are you lonely?”, he could perhaps introspect a bit, but his younger brother was asking, “Am I lonely?” which was a question too profound for an immediate answer.
“Did something happen to you?” Unable to answer such a mystical question, President Chi instantly saw through to the essence.
Lying in bed, Chi Yingxue raised an arm to his forehead, blocking the glaring light from above. “I want to date someone, but he doesn’t want to date me.”
President Chi’s hand shook, causing him to drop his phone onto the bed. Luckily, due to the soft landing, it made no sounds.
Taking a deep breath, he picked up the phone again, asking calmly as if nothing had happened, “Why doesn’t he want to date you?”
“He says I don’t like him, that I’m just lonely.” A hint of indiscernible grievance colored the voice on the other end.
“Is that true?” President Chi was already finding it hard to remain seated, asking while beginning to pace back and forth in the bedroom.
After a pause, Chi Yingxue admitted, “I don’t know.”
Pacing helped President Chi regain some composure. The sharp thinking he was known for in business slowly returned. “Okay, then let me ask differently. Why do you want to date him?”
Chi Yingxue: “If we were dating, he would always be by my side.”
President Chi: “Why do you want him always by your side?”
Chi Yingxue: “It’s comfortable.”
President Chi: “Is it comfortable for you or for him?”
Chi Yingxue: “……”
President Chi: “If you make him feel comfortable too, then he will be yours.”
After a long silence, Chi Yingxue asked, “How do I do that?”
President Chi was stunned, hearing such a vulnerable tone from Chi Yingxue for the first time since their father’s death.
As much as it pained him, President Chi still didn’t give in. “You have to figure it out yourself.”
As a brother, he could give his sibling the best of everything, but more than that, he wished for his brother to become a man who knows how to fight for what he wants.
Chi Yingxue had been trapped in his childhood for too long. It was time to grow up.
At the end of the call, President Chi asked, “What’s his name?”
“Xiao Sijin.” Chi Yingxue’s tone seemed to brighten with these words.
President Chi immediately thought of the young man he had met a few times, who wasn’t very talkative but had a warm smile… For a moment, he was stunned. He didn’t know whether to worry about how his brother’s orientation had gone astray or to be relieved that it wasn’t someone strange.
As Chi Yingxue hung up, Chi Zhuolin was still in turmoil. The last thought that crossed his mind was that Chi Yingxue’s habit of giving nicknames for things he likes, a habit he’s had since childhood, might never change.
……
While Chi Yingxue was trying hard to think of “how exactly to make Xiao Sijin comfortable”, separated by a wall, Captain Xu was taking inventory of the team’s remaining stationery supplies with Advisor Wu.
“Let’s go to the Endless Sea for a few more days,” Wu Sheng suggested, looking at the list of stationery on the paper.
The stationery was running low, and they were about to face 12/23. They preferred to wait a few more days rather than retreat and start over.
Xu Wang had the same thought. “Let’s communicate with them. If everyone agrees, we can leave tomorrow.”
With more than two hours left until midnight, Xu Wang washed up and went to bed to catch up on some sleep. However, after lying down, he felt something was off. Turning his head, he found Wu Sheng on the next bed, propping up his arm and looking at him with a face full of deep thought.
Feeling uneasy under the gaze, Xu Wang hurriedly asked, “What are you thinking about?”
Wu Sheng said, “I’m wondering if I’ve caught up with you?”
Xu Wang was puzzled. “Huh?”
Wu Sheng seriously asked, “I said I would pursue you, so have I caught up? Are we dating now?”
Xu Wang: “……”
They had kissed eight hundred times, and now he’s asking if they’re dating?!
“I think we should be. You felt it when I kissed you,” Wu Sheng said, looking at his face and smiling reminiscently. “You would hug me, respond to me…”
“We’re dating! Consider it dating!” Xu Wang decided on the spot to prevent this bastard from saying anything more embarrassing!
“Really?” Wu Sheng’s eyes lit up, almost as if a magpie was dancing on his eyebrows.
Curious, amused, and feeling a bit of happiness and sweetness, Xu Wang said, “Really.”
Wu Sheng immediately got out of his bed and, with the speed of someone using acceleration gear, squeezed onto Xu Wang’s single bed.
Xu Wang only felt a whoosh of wind, and then he was being hugged tightly. Any movement from him, and the other person hugged even tighter, as if afraid he would run away.
“I won’t do anything. I just want to hold you and sleep for a while,” Wu Sheng whispered in his ear, his lips lightly brushing against his earlobe.
Xu Wang shivered.
Although Wu Sheng wasn’t a dawdler, being so assertively proactive was rare for him. Xu Wang always felt he was inspired by something or someone, but the atmosphere was too good, and he didn’t want to ask.
After quietly holding each other for a while, Wu Sheng felt his breathing become heavier, but it was almost time to enter the Owl, and he also didn’t want to scare Xu Wang, not intending to take any further action for the time being.
He somewhat regretted overestimating his willpower, but since he had already squeezed onto the bed and hugged him, there was no reason to give up now. So, he tried to divert his attention, raising his hand to touch Xu Wang’s head. “If you can’t sleep, let’s talk.”
He knew Xu Wang wasn’t asleep.
Xu Wang’s head gently rested on his chest, murmuring, “Talk about what? How bad your personality was in high school, how annoying…”
Wu Sheng smiled. “Yet you still like me. You must have poor taste.”
Xu Wang scoffed. “I’m sacrificing myself, so you won’t trouble others…”
Wu Sheng: “What do you like about me?”
Xu Wang: “……”
Wu Sheng: “Hm?”
Xu Wang gritted his teeth. “Classmate, it seems like you were the one pursuing me…”
Wu Sheng wisely shut up, not challenging the captain’s authority further. After a while, he slowly said, “About that choice, what do you think?”
Upon hearing this, Xu Wang knew what he was asking.
Since buying the intel from Mr. Fan, no one had talked about it again. It seemed everyone tacitly agreed, “It’s possible to leave early”, but it also seemed like everyone couldn’t help but think more about it.
Facing Wu Sheng, Xu Wang didn’t want to hide. “I haven’t decided yet.”
Wu Sheng understood. Hesitating meant consideration. “Do you want to close the pathways to the first thirteen levels?”
Xu Wang said softly, “Mm. I hope no one else will be drawn in, but I don’t know… what the cost of making this choice would be…”
What if it meant they had to stay in the Owl forever? What if there was an even more terrible cost?
Not knowing is why it’s frightening and why there’s hesitation.
“Then stop thinking about it. When we get to 13/23 and have everything figured out, it won’t be too late to consider.” Wu Sheng decisively made the decision for him.
Pausing, he added softly and seriously, “No matter what you choose, I’ll be with you.”
…..
A week later, the five friends, having gathered some stationery, left the Endless Sea and arrived at 12/23.
According to Mr. Fan’s intel, they would enter a small town celebrating Halloween. Amidst a “trick or treat” festive atmosphere, they were to capture five fierce ghosts with different backgrounds, forms, and skills and then take them to the town church for a collective exorcism ceremony.
The types of fierce ghosts are frequently updated. Mr. Fan encountered the “plasma type” in his year. In recent years, through exchanges with those coming for intel, there have been “ghost type”, “monster type”, “werewolf type”, “vampire type”, “urban legend type”, “high-tech type”, and the like. It was truly a wide variety and endless emergence.
Captain Lu took action on three fronts: sending someone to perform an autopsy on Old Master Cheng—the poisoning case of Old Master Cheng; sending others to search the entire Cheng family mansion for clues on Du Jinnian’s disappearance; and he himself continued to oversee the front courtyard, maintaining control. As for Cheng Xiaonan being poisoned and the “kidnapping suspect” from the Fushou Gang that Hai Yunlong had just brought over, Captain Lu didn’t seem to be in a hurry to interrogate.
Taking advantage of the police’s widespread search and the resulting panic, the five friends quietly gathered.
Without time for pleasantries, Kuang Jinxin immediately shared his side story experience.
He had been following a master thief surnamed Chen, who was rumored to have stealthily entered the heavily guarded Marshal’s mansion one night. Instead of stealing any gold or jewelry, but not wanting to leave empty-handed, he managed to steal a bag of rice, earning him the nickname Chen Yidou*.
*Depending on context, in this case, his nickname can be thought of as “One Bag (of rice) Chen”.
Last night was their first reconnaissance of the Cheng family, where Chen Yidou skillfully stole a box of antique paintings and calligraphy. Today was their second, but Chen Yidou only had Kuang Jinxin keep watch outside, not disclosing what else he intended to steal.
“He just said it was for the same client, owing that person a favor, and he had to help whether he wanted to or not.” Kuang Jinxin managed to gather only this much information.
“The same client…” Wu Sheng mused. “So Chen Yidou was reluctant to come back?”
Kuang Jinxin nodded. “Yeah, he said it’s risky to act during the day and that something big was bound to happen at the Cheng family today. If he got caught, it would mean death.”
“And he still had you keep watch.” Chi Yingxue, who had been casually listening, suddenly turned serious. There was a flash of displeasure in his eyes.
“I can’t scale walls or roofs, so I could only do this…” Kuang Jinxin scratched his head awkwardly. His words were directed at Chi Yingxue, but his eyes were still on Wu Sheng, as if intently waiting for the advisor to decipher the connections.
Chi Yingxue lowered his gaze and said no more.
Xu Wang looked back and forth between them, unsure if he was overthinking or if there really was a subtle tension in the air.
What exactly did Chen Yidou still want to steal? And why didn’t he steal it all last night?—Wu Sheng was completely immersed in his deductions, oblivious to the subtle dynamics around him.
From the memorial hall—the autopsy site—a young police officer ran out to whisper something to Captain Lu.
Captain Lu’s face darkened, and his gaze swept around before announcing, “Old Master Cheng was indeed poisoned to death.”
The entire front courtyard fell deathly silent.
Captain Lu whispered to another officer. “Bring him up.”
The officer quickly left and returned, pushing a person into the center of the courtyard—it was Dr. Gong.
“I did visit the Cheng family last night…” Dr. Gong, obviously unaccustomed to such rough treatment, looked distressed and disheveled.
“What kind of visit?” Captain Lu asked sharply, as if interrogating a criminal.
Doctor Gong honestly replied, “A poisoning induced by aconite in alcohol.”
Captain Lu: “Did you see the medicated alcohol?”
Doctor Gong hesitated. “No, I didn’t.”
Captain Lu nodded, his gaze returning to Cheng Xiaonan. When he spoke again, his tone was devoid of politeness. “Cheng Xiaonan, your father’s death is suspicious, and you didn’t report it. You were poisoned, and you still didn’t report it. This seems hard to explain.”
A wind suddenly rose in the courtyard, as if heralding an approaching storm.
“Captain—Captain—” The police searching the Cheng mansion returned. “We found a body in the well in the backyard! Judging by the body’s build, it looks like Du Jinnian!”
The crowd was shocked, immediately buzzing with speculation.
Wu Sheng narrowed his eyes, skeptical of the too-convenient developments.
Captain Lu stood with a fierce glare, his face tightened with anger, yet if one looked closely into his eyes, the dark clouds had dispersed, shining brightly, and his voice carried an uncontrollable excitement. “Summon the men. Surround the Cheng family’s residence, lock the main gate, and let no one out!”
His excitement was too apparent, and his orders were too urgent. Not just Captain Xu, who was good at observing people, but even Advisor Wu could see—he had been waiting for this moment.
Cheng Xiaonan could no longer stand, falling to the ground with a crash, even with support.
“It’s over. The Cheng family is finished…” This sentence floated over amidst the noisy whispers.
Before Wu Sheng could look for the speaker, Xu Wang had already given Qian Ai a look, who, understanding, moved precisely next to an old maid who had spoken. With a dark and honest face, he seemingly struck up a casual conversation. “There’s no evidence saying it was the Master who did it. Spend some more money, and in a few days, they’ll be released…”
“That money is of no use,” the old maid whispered back, her voice filled with regret and sorrow. “The Cheng family has been targeted by the police department, just like the Du family back in the day. They’re after all your family’s assets…”
Qian Ai was startled. “The Du family? Du Jinnian’s family?”
“Yes, exactly. Haa, in these times, whether you’re a big family or not, those with guns make the rules. They can just find any excuse, arrest you, seal your house, take what they can take, occupy what they can occupy, and no matter how big the family business, it will fall into ruin… It’s better to leave early…”
Perhaps it was the old maid’s tone, so full of sorrow, or maybe because the chaos of war felt too close, Qian Ai felt a bit distressed. “Where can we run to? There will be wars everywhere in the country…”
The old maid didn’t hear the rest, responding only to the first few words. “To Hong Kong. The Du family has relatives in Hong Kong. I heard they’ve been wanting them to move there too. Alas, they were still a step too late…”
As Qian Ai was uncovering new information, the police had already moved the corpse to the front yard.
The body was swollen, and the face was so decayed it was unrecognizable, but the police said it resembled Du Jinnian, and no one dared to question it.
But Wu Sheng knew it wasn’t.
If it were, he would have given up his submission.
Captain Lu deliberately placed the body in front of Cheng Xiaonan, leisurely watching him.
Cheng Xiaonan’s face was bloodless. “Impossible, this is impossible… He came to me that day to ask about Lao Er. I didn’t know anything. We barely spoke before he left—he really left!” He almost pleaded with Captain Lu. “I didn’t kill anyone. I didn’t kill him…”
Obviously, Cheng Xiaonan had determined the body to be Du Jinnian’s, but the body’s condition made it unrecognizable. The only identifiable feature left was…
Wu Sheng’s eyes flashed behind his glasses—the clothes.
“It seems Mr. Cheng has recognized the body, saving us some trouble.” Captain Lu smiled, causing his face to pile together. “Then, Mr. Cheng, please tell us what happened, to save you some trouble when we get to the station.”
“I didn’t kill anyone. I didn’t kill anyone…” Cheng Xiaonan repeated, over and over.
Captain Lu’s face fell as he called to his men. “Take Cheng Xiaonan back—”
Going back to the police station would mean the police would lose all their politeness. Cheng Xiaonan knew it better than anyone. This whole affair was meant to doom him.
As he was being lifted, his lips suddenly trembled, as if he wanted to shout something, but before he could open his mouth, someone else spoke first—
“Captain Lu, have you forgotten something?” Hai Yunlong had been patient up to now, not wanting to break ties with the police station, but the situation no longer allowed him to stand by. His form of address* showed he could no longer afford politeness.
*He started using (你) instead of (您) which is the polite form of you.
Captain Lu glanced at the still prostrated, utterly shocked brother of the Fushou Gang. The impatience on his face was evident by his frown, his whole demeanor screaming “I don’t want to deal with this”, while his gaze drifted towards Ying Jiu.
Ying Jiu stepped forward. “This matter, the Fushou Gang should give an explanation.”
“Second Master Cheng’s kidnapping was done by a few shortsighted boys without the Fushou Gang’s knowledge. Someone paid a large sum of money to hire them for the kidnapping, with the ransom split fifty-fifty. After the deed, it was this kid who sent the ransom note…” Ying Jiu’s tone was calm and systematic, not like a suspect defending himself but more like a teacher lecturing. “When I found out, I immediately had them release Second Master Cheng and made sure he reached his doorstep before withdrawing…”
“I regret Second Master Cheng’s ordeal. But the Fushou Gang neither took the ransom nor killed the man. We admit to the kidnapping, and I will personally deliver those kids to the police station.”
His last statement was directed at Captain Lu, who immediately responded, quite courteously, “Thank you, Mr. Jiu.”
Anyone with a discerning eye could see what that attitude implied.
Hai Yunlong understood even better, but the Hai Gang wasn’t to be trifled with. Accustomed to being domineering, he certainly wouldn’t allow anyone to flaunt their power in front of him. “Captain Lu! If Cheng Xiaonan is a suspect, you take him in, yet Master Ying Jiu has already admitted that the Fushou Gang kidnapped someone, but you’re being polite. What kind of reasoning is this?!”
Captain Lu indeed had no ground to stand on, so he rested his hand on the gun at his waist, ready to intimidate, but Ying Jiu gently patted his shoulder.
“Young Master, don’t rush. I haven’t finished talking.” Master Ying Jiu smiled slightly, as if he was having a chat over tea. “The murderer of Second Master Cheng, we’ve already caught them. Please take a look.”
With that, a young man, bound tightly, was brought forward, and upon seeing Hai Yunlong, he burst into tears. “Young master—”
Hai Yunlong was both shocked and angry. “Ying Jiu, what’s the meaning of this?!”
Master Ying Jiu remained silent while a brother from the Fushou Gang who was beside him raised his leg and kicked the bound man.
The young man shuddered violently, clearly having been tortured. His eyes were filled with fear, and he began to spill everything.
It turns out, after Cheng Jiming reached his doorstep and the Fushou Gang brothers had withdrawn, some members of the Hai Gang who had been watching took him for the second time. They were the ones who collected the ransom, killed, and disposed of the body. The Fushou Gang, who had released the victim, was wrongly accused.
As for the mastermind behind the scenes, the young man explicitly identified Hai Yunlong.
The young man was a familiar face of the Hai Gang and especially close to Hai Yunlong, which left Hai Yunlong unable to deny his identity. He could only insist that Ying Jiu had bribed him to frame him. “Ying Jiu, you have no proof. Don’t try to throw dirty water on me!”
“No proof?” Master Ying Jiu looked leisurely at the young man.
The young man shuddered again and suddenly shouted, “I have evidence. I have evidence—”
In a short while, police who had gone to dig for evidence on the back mountain returned, bringing back a bag of silver dollars wrapped in a ragged piece of clothing.
The silver dollars, taken by the young man in a moment of greed, were part of the ransom. Though the words “ransom” weren’t written on the silver dollars, the ragged clothing wrapping them was what Second Master Cheng was wearing when he was kidnapped.
Several maids from the Cheng family could testify that the pattern on it was stitched by them, needle by needle.
With both testimonial and physical evidence available, Captain Lu’s face nearly split with a smile, and even his voice became gentler and patient. “Young Master, we’re not saying you definitely ordered this, but looking at the current situation… you might have to come back to the station with us.”
“I won’t go—” Hai Yunlong stepped back abruptly, looking at Ying Jiu and then at Captain Lu. As if realizing something, his eyes filled with rage. “This is a setup. You’re trying to frame me, frame the Hai Gang—”
He understood.
So did Wu Sheng.
But Wu Sheng saw something more—Cheng Xiaonan began to yawn, one after another, unnaturally frequently, looking around as if searching for something, yet his gaze was unfocused.
He was having a bout of opium withdrawal.
Captain Lu saw it too and immediately seized the opportunity, stepping forward to Cheng Xiaonan, asking with feigned concern, “What’s wrong, Master?”
Cheng Xiaonan grabbed him like a drowning man clutching at a lifeline. “Let me have a few puffs… Just a few…”
Captain Lu shook his head. “I’m afraid that’s not possible. The case is still unclear, Master. You’ll have to come back to the station with us.”
“It’s clear. It’s clear!” Cheng Xiaonan’s fingernails were almost digging into Captain Lu’s flesh. At this moment, he didn’t seem human but more like a ghost. “It was Hai Huiping who poisoned my father. It was Hai Huiping who had someone kill my brother. It was all that bitch’s doing. She even wanted to poison me! Quick… give me some opium…”
“You’re talking nonsense!” Hai Huiping, who had been hiding among the Cheng family members in mourning attire, became hysterical, screaming shrilly.
Immediately, two junior officers rushed to her side, but they didn’t arrest her and just stood guard.
Cheng Xiaonan had completely lost his mind, turning back to yell at Hai Huiping. “It was you! You seduced me, saying my brother never touched you and that he wasn’t a real man! I just wanted to make some money. I never wanted my brother to die—”
“Cheng Xiaonan, you’re slandering me!” Hai Huiping was trembling all over, whether from anger or fear.
Cheng Xiaonan couldn’t hear her anymore, continuing to sob and wail to Captain Lu, no longer resembling the Master of the Cheng family. “I really didn’t kill anyone. I just wanted to make some money… My father wouldn’t give me any… I’m the eldest son. Why should all the inheritance go to my brother…”
Captain Lu, disgusted, was about to push him away when Master Ying Jiu handed him an opium pipe from the side.
Captain Lu paused, then, understanding, took the opium pipe and waved it in front of Cheng Xiaonan.
Cheng Xiaonan, like a dying man seeing a panacea, reached out eagerly.
Captain Lu raised the opium pipe high, teasing him like teasing a monkey, while provocatively asking, “She instigated the murder of your brother. Did she also instigate the murder of your father? The Old Master was close to uncovering the truth. You then poured water in front of his door to make ice, failed in one attempt, and then poisoned him. Are you even human?”
Cheng Xiaonan’s eyes darkened, clearly more stimulated by the mention of “father” than “brother”, but at this moment, it was unclear whether he was truly coming back to his senses or descending into a deeper frenzy. “I didn’t expect the old man to be so tough… It’s all because he was partial… Because he was partial…”
Towards the end, he actually laughed. Despite his face being covered in tears and snot, his smile was twisted and bizarre.
With that, the situation became clear.
Cheng Xiaonan and Hai Huiping hired the Fushou Gang to kidnap someone—of course, they definitely didn’t reveal their identities. Cheng Xiaonan, as he said, likely just wanted to make some money, hence the ransom split fifty-fifty; but Hai Huiping might have wanted Cheng Jiming dead from the start, so when she found out the Fushou Gang had released him, she directly hired people from the Hai Gang for a second kidnapping, and after receiving the ransom, they killed him.
Whether Cheng Xiaonan was willing or not, and whether there was any affair between him and Hai Huiping, became irrelevant. A life had tied him, Hai Huiping, Hai Yunlong, and even the entire Hai Gang together on the same boat.
When Old Master Cheng commissioned Mr. Bai to investigate Cheng Jiming’s death and was close to the truth, Mr. Bai received a warning note from the Hai Gang, Old Master Cheng slipped on ice, and from then on was bedridden, likely poisoned little by little from that time.
Hai Huiping wanted power, Cheng Xiaonan wanted money, and Hai Yunlong likely wanted to swallow the entire Cheng family. The three, each with their own schemes, orchestrated a series of tragic events.
All these were within Wu Sheng’s deductions. The only thing he hadn’t expected was—Master Ying Jiu and Captain Lu seemed to know the case better than him, the “detective”.
From the moment the police stormed into the Cheng family mansion, first claiming to investigate, then step by step, link by link, they brought out Cheng Xiaonan, Hai Huiping, and Hai Yunlong.
Although far from “irrefutable evidence”, just inviting the three to the police station for “tea” would likely lead them to confess everything, whether they were guilty or not.
This wasn’t a situation formed by fluke.
If Xu Wang hadn’t been “possessed” to scare that Fushou Gang brother, Ying Jiu could have directly thrown out the bound young man from the Hai Gang, claiming the kidnapping was entirely the Hai Gang’s doing, completely skipping over the Fushou Gang’s framed charge, making the situation even more perfect.
Or to say, closer to some original plan.
This was a grand play of cooperation, both overt and covert, with Ying Jiu and Captain Lu in the open and another hand in the dark.
Wu Sheng pulled over Chi Yingxue, whispering a few words.
Chi Yingxue raised an eyebrow, not understanding his purpose, but still turned to leave.
“Arrest them all. Seal the Cheng family mansion. During the investigation, no outsiders are allowed in or out—” With the case clear, Captain Lu’s order was resolute.
Before the policemen in the yard could act, those guarding outside rushed in. “Captain, the Hai Gang and Fushou Gang are fighting outside!”
Captain Lu glanced at Ying Jiu without doubt but with a bit of worry.
Master Ying Jiu gave him a reassuring smile.
Captain Lu was relieved and yelled at the stationary junior officers, “What are you standing around for? Arrest them!”
“Yes!” The junior officers, now with orders, had no hesitations. Regardless of whether they were a master or a young gang leader, they were arrested without discrimination.
The Hai Gang’s young leader wasn’t so easily caught. Outside the Cheng family mansion, a fierce battle ensued.
But the Fushou Gang wasn’t to be underestimated. If the Hai Gang brought people to rescue, they brought people to block. It became a standoff over who could outfight whom—after all, it was clear which side the police station was on.
The Fushou Gang alone against the Hai Gang had no chance, but Fushou Gang + police station…
Wu Sheng, watching Master Ying Jiu’s calm demeanor, thought that if this were a segment of history that could continue, from then on, Tianjin might no longer have the Hai Gang.
Chi Yingxue hurried back with the news. “Didn’t find Cheng Yixin.”
Wu Sheng nodded, the last bit of doubt in his mind settling.
The fight outside eventually spilled inside, turning into a grand melee. The five friends used Xu Wang’s offense stationery + Qian Ai’s defense stationery to escape the chaos.
Once in a safe area, Qian Ai scratched his head. “The case is all clear now, but what about Du Jinnian?”
Wu Sheng said, “I know.”
……
In front of Cheng Jiming’s grave.
A young man in a plain, long robe was speaking softly to the grave’s occupant. He didn’t burn paper money but just spoke quietly, as if he was saying goodbye rather than paying tribute.
“I’m leaving now, and I don’t know when I’ll be able to return. But rest assured, I will treat Xin’er as my own daughter…”
He spoke for a long time, so long that he checked his pocket watch repeatedly, and upon the third check, he finally stood up, took one last reluctant look at the tombstone, and turned to leave.
But he had barely taken a step when he froze.
Five people were approaching.
One in a suit, handsome and refined; one in monk’s robes, bald and shining; one in a long robe and jacket, with a serene yet somehow menacing air; one young and naively charming; another dark-skinned, with a powerful build.
The five walked side by side in brisk steps with varying heights, dressed in different styles, making it difficult to discern what kind of organization they might belong to.
As they came within a few steps of each other, four of them suddenly stopped. Only the handsome, refined young man in a suit took a half step forward, naturally drawing the focus to him.
“The body of Old Master Cheng, it was you who intentionally carried it away and gave it to Ying Jiu and Hai Yunlong…”
The young man adjusted his glasses, speaking clearly and logically.
“Your move gave Ying Jiu an excuse to enter the Cheng household and also implicated Hai Yunlong. Even if he didn’t go, with Ying Jiu refusing to leave the Cheng residence, Hai Huiping would have called her brother to stand guard…”
“Cheng Xiaonan thought it was Hai Huiping who poisoned him, but it wasn’t. It was you. You needed the Cheng family’s case to be as complicated as possible—the more cases there are, the more reason the police have to search the place…”
“Targeting Hai Huiping and Hai Yunlong is equivalent to targeting the Hai Gang. The Fushou Gang couldn’t do it, nor could the police department, but together, they could. Once the Hai Gang was scattered, the Fushou Gang would take the territory, and the police department would benefit. You, who used their hands, killed three birds with just one stone—Hai Yunlong, Hai Huiping, Cheng Xiaonan—all to avenge Cheng Jiming.”
Taking a deep breath, Wu Sheng pulled out a seal from his chest.
The young man in plain clothes showed a flicker of surprise. “How did it end up with you?”
“Sorry, I searched the Cheng family mansion earlier than the police.” Wu Sheng smiled, but his eyes were cold. “If this seal ended up in the hands of the police, the matter of Du Jinnian dying at the Cheng residence would be confirmed, right?”
The young man in plain clothes remained silent.
Wu Sheng sighed. “For revenge, you didn’t hesitate to harm another life?”
The young man was startled, then shook his head. “I didn’t. He was a poor soul from the mass graves. When I found him, he was already dead. I merely borrowed his body.” Lowering his eyes, the young man’s voice carried apology and shame. “If I meet him in the underworld, I’ll apologize to him…”
Wu Sheng was taken aback by his response, pausing before saying, “Xue Qingshan commissioned me, saying his best friend had disappeared and asked for my help to find him. Money was no object; he was just afraid something had happened to his friend.”
The doubt that had lingered in the young man’s eyes now dissolved into understanding, and his look towards Wu Sheng became less guarded, tinged with a wry smile. “I did say I was going far away… Ah, please apologize to him for me.”
Wu Sheng sighed. “In just a short while, you’ve wronged two people.”
The young man, not expecting to be teased, seemed to want to laugh but couldn’t, his eyes filled with sorrow. “Jiming died too horribly. I couldn’t let him go without clarity. I originally wanted to seek revenge through the Fushou Gang, but later discovered the real culprit was someone else. I’m not afraid of Cheng Xiaonan, but I couldn’t take on the Hai Gang alone…”
Wu Sheng: “So you used Ying Jiu? The Hai Gang thug who embezzled the ransom, you gave him to Ying Jiu, right?”
“It’s not about using.” The young man said, “My little tricks couldn’t deceive Master Jiu. He was just happy to go along with it.”
Wu Sheng: “Where is Cheng Yixin?”
The young man, caught off guard, looked at Wu Sheng incredulously.
Wu Sheng shrugged. “The items Chen Yidou stole were for leaving a way out for Cheng Yixin. You knew that once this matter came to light, the Cheng family would fall, just as your family did, so you had to leave enough money for her—enough for you and her to live in Hong Kong…”
“Actually, you didn’t want Chen Yidou to probe into the Cheng mansion, but there was no choice. This time, you were stealing a living person. If Cheng Yixin disappeared the night before, the Cheng family would surely be in chaos, which would affect the subsequent steps, so Cheng Yixin could only disappear the next day, quietly amidst the chaos in the front courtyard…”
The young man fell silent, having nothing to add.
“These stars are not those of last night, for whom do the wind and dew stand deep into the night?” Wu Sheng pulled out the note found in Cheng Jiming’s study, reciting it softly.
A complex emotion welled up in the young man’s eyes.
“This is from Huang Jingren’s ‘Qi Huai’ poem number fifteen*. I’m not good at literature, but I’m good at love poems.” Wu Sheng spoke naturally, his confidence seamlessly integrated into his demeanor. “I’ve always wondered what the red crescent mark at the end of the note meant. Until just now…”
*It is work fifteen in “Qi Huai”, which is a collection of sixteen poems by Huang Jingren. I’ll provide my analysis of this and how it applies to this instance in my Kinky Thoughts.
He unfolded the note towards the young man, the other hand holding Du Jinnian’s seal with “Yu Sheng” engraved on it, gently pressing the bottom of the seal onto the red crescent. The edge of the seal fit perfectly with the crescent’s edge; even the tiny chip on the seal was clearly imprinted on the crescent’s edge.
“This isn’t just any crescent moon, but a seal. The person stamping it regretted it the moment it touched the paper.”
So, only half of the red edge was stamped, not the letters.
The young man’s eyes reddened, whether from the emotions he’d invested or the memories of those gone.
Wu Sheng had only one last question—not crucial but still curious if the other party was willing to answer. “Is it because of you that Cheng Jiming doesn’t touch Hai Huiping?”
“No.” The young man didn’t hesitate before shaking his head. “We were just friends. The letters I wrote…” He smiled bitterly. “I never received a response.”
Taking a deep breath, he calmed his gaze, devoid of any bitterness, only resignation and remembrance. “His heart had room only for Lanxin, and no one else could enter after her.”
Zhou Lanxin, Cheng Jiming’s official wife.
Cheng Yixin, Yi, Xin*.
*Clarity: His daughter is named Yi Xin (忆欣) which translated would mean to recall/remember Xin (his wife).
“Aren’t you leaving?” Wu Sheng suddenly urged. “The ship to Hong Kong is about to depart, isn’t it? Any later, and Chen Yidou might worry about not being able to deliver the hard-stolen young lady.”
“You’re not arresting me?” The young man in plain clothes was astonished.
Wu Sheng adjusted his glasses, smiling. “We’re not police. Why would we arrest you?”
After saying this, he looked back.
A young monk behind him stepped forward confidently, pointing at the young man in plain clothes, putting a conclusive stamp on this tumultuous saga—
“Du Jinnian, we finally found you!”
[Owl: Congratulations on passing the 11/23 test and handing in your papers! See you tomorrow~~]
……
Back at the hotel, just as he was about to fall asleep, Xu Wang remembered to ask, “What exactly is Master Yan Yi carrying on his shoulders?”
Wu Sheng, even more sleepy, muttered with his eyes closed. “Not sure…”
Xu Wang, persistent, pressed, “Then share your guess.”
Wu Sheng, struggling to keep his eyelids up, asked, “What’s the reward for telling?”
Xu Wang raised an eyebrow. “None. But there’s a punishment for not telling.”
Wu Sheng: “……”
Negotiations are all about who can hold out longer, and clearly, Advisor Wu was outmaneuvered.
“I guess he might have seen Cheng Jiming’s body being dumped; maybe he even recognized someone from the Hai Gang, but he didn’t want to cause trouble, so he kept quiet…”
“It seems like he feels guilty…” Xu Wang, recalling his observations of Master Yan Yi throughout the night, somewhat agreed but added, “Could it be something else? Are you sure it’s about witnessing Cheng Jiming’s body being dumped?”
Wu Sheng: “I’ve asked around. When Cheng Jiming was kidnapped last year, Master Yan Yi was meditating in the mountains. Later, the mass grave where Cheng Jiming’s body was dumped was on that mountain.”
Xu Wang: “……”
You’ve asked about that too? What else hasn’t his advisor considered?
Wu Sheng: “……”
Since his sleep was already disturbed, why not… pull him closer, tackle him, and get down to business?
“Why are you still looking at me? I’ve asked everything I wanted to. Let’s go to sleep. When we wake up, let’s go have Changwang noodles and sour soup fish!”
“…Mm.”
Kinky Thoughts:
Oh, what a bittersweet instance. Wu Sheng, you need to be more assertive!
The full poem is:
Many a time, beneath the flowers I sit and play the flute, the Milky Way and red walls enter my distant gaze. These stars are not those of last night, for whom do the wind and dew stand deep into the night. Entwined thoughts exhaust as I draw the remaining cocoon, my heart aches as I peel the banana from the back. Three to five years, three to five months, pitifully, the cup of wine has never faded.
The poem represents the poet who is sober, knowing that the past won’t reappear, and it is precisely this soberness that he falls into despair. All his illusory comfort has disappeared, leaving only a lonely person to maintain the posture of looking at the moon (one of longing).
The poet continues to stare into the sky while the cold dew of night wets his clothes. He knows that this kind of waiting has no fruition and tries to “peel” away from his longing and disillusionment, yet he can’t help but still longs.
As the years pass, from three to five, the fine wine has now become bitter, illustrating how he can’t break out of the gap between the past and reality.
This basically represents Du Jinnian’s one-sided love for Cheng Jiming. He knows the reality, yet he can never escape his feelings for him. Even as he tries to move on, the bitterness of his unrequited love lingers.
When Kuang Jinxin was caught, Chi Yingxue was drinking mineral water.
Today was the day of the Old Master’s encoffinment, yet Ying Jiu had the brothers from the Fushou Gang wandering around the Cheng family mansion. Ostensibly, they appeared to be helping the bereaved family by guarding the house, but secretly, they were ordered not to let anyone from the mansion escape.
Chi Yingxue had a premonition that something was about to happen, so he delegated the task of analysis and deduction to the advisor in the front courtyard and then leisurely strolled around the Cheng family mansion, even managing to get a bottle of mineral water.
It was essentially soda with a hint of mint. It wasn’t very delicious, but it was sweet and refreshing.
The person was caught under the wall in the back garden. Chi Yingxue happened to be strolling nearby, heard the commotion, and came over, seeing a boy about fifteen or sixteen years old surrounded by three brothers from the Fushou Club.
“Young Master Wu—” Seeing him approach, the three brothers respectfully greeted him.
“Mm,” Chi Yingxue responded indifferently.
This classmate was naturally talented at being a young master; without any pretense, just by being his true self, he embodied the persona of a young master.
The boy surrounded by the three was of average appearance, the kind that would blend into a crowd unnoticed, except for his large, round eyes that were bright and clear. His clothes, however, were extremely ugly, seemingly scavenged from somewhere, and matched the color of the wall so well that he almost became invisible against it.
The fact that he was discovered despite this camouflage, the brothers from the Fushou Gang indeed had sharp eyes.
As Chi Yingxue thought about these random things, he casually asked the three brothers from the Fushou Gang, “Trying to run?”
Ying Jiu had ordered them “not to let a single one escape”, so Chi Yingxue naturally assumed that the boy was from the Cheng family and was trying to escape over the wall for some ulterior reason.
Unexpectedly, one of the Fushou Gang brothers said, “He’s been lurking around the wall for a while now. He doesn’t seem like one of the Cheng’s. We asked a few maids and servants, and they all said they didn’t recognize him.”
Another brother interjected irritably, “I said earlier, there’s no need to ask. This one’s clearly a little thief, sneaking in to take advantage during the chaos…”
Chi Yingxue hadn’t been paying much attention, planning to hand the boy over to Ying Jiu and tell Wu Sheng about this incident. As for how to deal with the boy and whether this side story was useful, that was for those two to worry about.
But the word “thief” struck a nerve.
[Qian Ai said he saw a thief that might be him, but he ran away without catching him.]
Chi Yingxue looked at the boy again, this time seriously observing him.
Ignoring everything else, he just looked into the boy’s eyes.
Those eyes were looking back at him.
A bit panicked, but not afraid. Instead, there was a bit of calculation hidden behind that panic, orderly and progressive.
Chi Yingxue’s eyebrows relaxed, and he smiled lightly.
That’s it.
Everyone thought Xiao Sijin was naive and without schemes, but that wasn’t the case; he was cunning in a very quiet, harmless way that wasn’t easily aggressive. Thus, he could successfully remain invisible among Xu Wang’s eccentricity and Wu Sheng’s flamboyance, just like the clothes he was wearing now.
“I’ll take him to see Master Jiu. You guys look around some more and see if there are any accomplices.” Chi Yingxue smiled faintly, his smile quietly receding.
Kuang Jinxin followed the Young Master Wu who had caught him, walking a distance, and seeing that they were heading towards a secluded area with no one around, he suddenly used his shoulder to bump into the side of the person next to him!
The side of the waist is tender and least resistant to bumps; if hit directly, it could easily cause a strain.
Kuang Jinxin, afraid of seriously injuring the person, didn’t use full force, just aiming to buy some time to escape. If this bump wasn’t enough, he was ready to use his stationery—his escape plan was well thought out.
His master had asked him to scout, and he had complied, but now that he had failed, he needed to ensure his own safety—his safety was one of the conditions for the advisor to successfully complete the mission.
Kuang Jinxin believed the surprise attack would catch the other off guard, but the other party, as if anticipating it, dodged.
Kuang Jinxin missed and stumbled forward, about to fall, but was pulled back just in time, and before he could steady himself, he was handed a bottle of mineral water.
No, half a bottle.
Holding the mineral water amidst the faint mint scent, Kuang Jinxin looked bewilderedly at the person in front of him.
From the moment he was caught, he had only thought about escaping, never really looking at this person.
But as soon as his gaze fell on him, the person across said, “Ugly.”
Kuang Jinxin was stunned. “Huh?”
The person frowned. “Your clothes—they’re too ugly.”
Kuang Jinxin was momentarily dazed, then a tentative, careful joy appeared in his eyes. “Xiao Xue?”
Chi Yingxue was a bit unhappy about being recognized so late, until he saw the joy in Kuang Jinxin’s eyes and felt quite important. Thus, “I’m very important” outweighed “I’m hard to recognize”, and Chi Yingxue’s mood also lightened.
“Are the captain and the others here too?” Kuang Jinxin looked around. Both he and Chi Yingxue appearing at the Cheng residence didn’t seem like a coincidence.
“They’re in the front courtyard.” Chi Yingxue gave a definitive answer, then succinctly introduced everyone’s roles. “The captain is chanting sutras, the advisor is investigating the case, and Lao Qian is keeping vigil.”
“……” Kuang Jinxin wanted to see Qian Ai first. Even if he couldn’t offer warmth, lending a hand would be good.
“Mineral water.” Chi Yingxue’s voice came from above, like a child eager to please.
They were standing face-to-face, already close enough for whispering, but Chi Yingxue, for some reason, had moved even closer. Kuang Jinxin, much shorter than Young Master Wu, had to tilt his head up to look at Chi Yingxue’s face.
But he didn’t tilt his head.
Instead, he cooperatively took a big gulp of the mineral soda and then exhaled a breath of cool air. “Mint flavored.”
Chi Yingxue, expecting a smile in return, felt a bit disappointed, as if the joy seen in the other’s eyes when they recognized each other was just an illusion.
Kuang Jinxin hadn’t smiled at him for several days—not since that night.
The rejection was his; the one who couldn’t distinguish between liking and loneliness was him, yet he was the one being avoided.
Moreover, Kuang Jinxin didn’t blatantly avoid him; he would still talk to him and discuss tactics with no apparent difference on the surface. But if it was just the two of them, every conversation would end with a grand excuse for him to run off, faster than a loach!
Chi Yingxue had never been fixated on anything; he only took what was easily within reach, what could be touched with a mere extension of his hand, effortless and carefree. He would hold on if he wanted to and let go if he didn’t, and in fact, he had never really wanted to hold on to anything.
Kuang Jinxin was initially in front of him.
He didn’t even need to reach out; by simply lifting his eyes, he could see that person smiling at him.
But that person smiled at everyone, and he wanted to keep him by his side, to look at only himself.
……
Chi Yingxue wanted to talk more with Kuang Jinxin, even if just about the side story of why he came to the Cheng residence, but Kuang Jinxin suggested they go to the front courtyard together to find Wu Sheng and talk to the team.
Chi Yingxue couldn’t find a reason to object, so he tied up a servant, took his jacket, put it on Kuang Jinxin to cover the original color of his clothes, and then hurried to the front courtyard together.
But upon entering the courtyard, they stumbled upon a spectacle—a little monk performing the ritual had been possessed by Old Master Cheng’s spirit.
The courtyard was packed, three layers inside and out. Despite the horrifying situation, the presence of “many people generating strong yang energy” didn’t deter the servants’ enthusiasm for watching the excitement.
As Chi Yingxue and Kuang Jinxin squeezed forward through the crowd, the little monk in the memorial hall was pointing at Cheng Xiaonan’s nose, cursing.
“How did I give birth to such a beast—”
“Poisoning your own father… cough cough… worse than a beast—”
“Lao Er*, where are you! Your father has come to find you—”
*Second brother (老二). In this case, he’s referring to the second born son.
The curses were full of vehemence and tears. His voice was lowered to a rough and aged tone, complemented by intense coughing, making it impressively vivid. Not only the listening crowd outside who couldn’t see, but even those who could see the little monk’s face were convinced they were hearing Old Master Cheng himself.
Moreover, Old Master Cheng’s body was still nearby, adding to the impression with his appearance and smile—the ritual had just begun, and Old Master Cheng’s soul had returned, but his body hadn’t yet been placed into the coffin and still lay on the funeral bed.
Cheng Xiaonan’s face was already pale. He had forced himself to come to the ceremony—since the deceased was to be encoffined, it was the duty of the filial son to carry the coffin—arriving with unsteady steps. Now, after being scolded fiercely, he was both angry and afraid, his mouth quivering for a long time, barely able to utter a sentence.
No one dared to speak up or come forward to stop it—who would dare to intervene when a ghost was possessing someone?
Even Ying Jiu and Hai Yunlong were just watching from the side, one with deeply furrowed brows, the other with a panicked look.
Master Yan Yi was also there with an expression that remained unchanged throughout the entire process, focusing solely on chanting sutras.
After the little monk had finished his tirade, he suddenly turned his head, giving Master Yan Yi a deep look.
There was a momentary pause in Master Yan Yi’s chanting.
The little monk fell to the ground with a thud, as if his soul had been pulled out, completely unconscious.
Qian Ai, mingling in the front lines of the servant crowd, was astonished.
Using possession? Their captain was truly an acting genius.
The entire memorial hall fell silent, everyone looking at each other, no one daring to move. About two or three minutes later, Cheng Xiaonan seemed to regain his breath. With a deathly pale complexion, he shouted to the people below, “Come, someone… take him away!”
A few braver servants, looking at each other, cautiously approached.
Just two steps forward, the little monk who had been lying unconscious suddenly sprang up like a carp flipping over, lively and bright-eyed, rushing to Old Master Cheng’s funeral bed and wailing loudly, “Dad, I’m back! Lao Er is back—”
The servants approaching fell to the ground, one after another.
The crowd around the memorial hall gasped in shock.
Old Master Cheng’s ghost had really called his second son back from the underworld!
Possession 2.0 was even more dramatic than 1.0 because, after crying over his father, “Second Master Cheng” suddenly rushed towards the entrance of the memorial hall!
The crowd, originally packed tight, screamed and scattered at the sight of someone charging at them.
“Second Master Cheng” burst out of the memorial hall, and in the ensuing chaos, no one noticed a servant quietly raising his hand.
And “Second Master Cheng” ran straight towards that servant, ultimately tackling a brother from the Fushou Gang right beside him!
“Why did you harm me! Give me back my life—” “Second Master Cheng” cried out miserably, his eyes bloodshot!
Qian Ai, who had been tracking this person while enjoying the spectacle, quietly blended into the crowd. The task assigned by the advisor was completed, and now he could focus on the show.
“Ahhhh—” The man struggled to shake off the “ghost” on top of him. He screamed, “Don’t find me! Don’t find me! I did tie you up, but I didn’t harm you—”
Ying Jiu, making his way over, paused at these words, his face turning completely somber.
The objective was achieved.
Xu Wang hid his delight, ready to start the third part against Master Yan Yi, when suddenly a gunshot rang out above the Cheng family mansion.
Xu Wang instinctively dropped to the ground, covering the Fushou Gang brother beneath him, playing dead—scene over, work done.
Wu Sheng, blending into the crowd, watched as a large group of police officers rushed in from outside, quickly surrounding the entire front courtyard.
The leader was a man with a rugged face in his thirties, the one who had fired the gun. Though he was wearing a police uniform, he looked more like a bandit at a glance.
Seeing the situation under control, he scanned the crowd, quickly nodding subtly in a certain direction, then turned towards Cheng Xiaonan and said to the Cheng family members, “Someone reported that Old Master Cheng died of poisoning, and the Master was also deliberately poisoned last night. Du Jinnian also disappeared in the Cheng family—”
Wu Sheng clearly saw that the man was nodding at Ying Jiu.
Here, Cheng Xiaonan, supported by the maid, came forward to greet them with an apologetic face, but his underlying panic and irritation resurfaced. “Captain Lu, could there be a mistake? We didn’t report anything…”
Captain Lu smiled. “Master Cheng, someone did report, and matters of life and death are paramount. It looks like your funeral might have to be postponed…”
“Captain Lu.” Hai Yunlong stepped forward.
Captain Lu feigned surprise. “The Young Gang Leader is also here.”
Hai Yunlong didn’t bother with pleasantries. Today’s situation was clearly targeting the Cheng family, which meant disrespecting the Hai Gang. He cut to the chase. “Since you’re investigating, why not look into my brother-in-law’s case as well.”
Captain Lu didn’t expect him to bring this up; Cheng Jiming’s kidnapping and murder case from last year still had no resolution, and they couldn’t really assert themselves on this matter but still kept it separate. “We’re still investigating Second Master Cheng’s case. Actually, we’ve got some leads. It’s just not convenient to reveal yet…”
Hai Yunlong waited for him to finish his act, then signaled someone nearby.
Soon, the “unconscious” Xu Wang was dragged aside, and the brother from the Fushou Gang underneath him was brought before Captain Lu.
“It just so happens, I’ve got some leads here,” Hai Yunlong said with an icy gaze. “This brother from the Fushou Gang just admitted in front of everyone present that he was the one who tied up Second Master Cheng. Captain Lu, would you like to let this little brother continue speaking, or—” he raised his eyes, looking past the crowd to Ying Jiu. “Does Master Jiu have something to say?”
This turn of events wasn’t in Wu Sheng’s plan, but he was more than happy to see it.
In a deadlock, chaos creates opportunity. He had Xu Wang perform the possession act for this reason. More importantly, the police explicitly mentioned the “disappearance of Du Jinnian”.
All the connected clues finally aligned with the main mission.
……
Wu Sheng and Qian Ai, taking advantage of the moment when everyone’s attention was on Hai Yunlong and Captain Lu, pretended to be concerned bystanders and gently helped Xu Wang up.
Captain Xu then “woke up”, looking around bewildered. “Huh? What happened to me?”
Kuang Jinxin, having watched a horror movie turn into a mystery and then a cop drama, was a bit lost.
Chi Yingxue, making use of the crowd pushing against each other, naturally put his arm around Kuang Jinxin’s shoulder. His mind wasn’t following the plot at all. Whether it was possession or gunshots in front of him, he was undisturbed, eventually even taking back the mineral water he had given to Kuang Jinxin and taking a serious sip.
“This is the current situation.” Wu Sheng transmitted all the known clues to Chi Yingxue at the fastest speed, listing them one after another like a massive database.
After listening, Chi Yingxue blinked and said, “Oh.”
Wu Sheng said, “I know it’s a lot of information, but you don’t actually have to remember all this. Just keep an eye on Ying Jiu. He deliberately sent the body back and insisted on not leaving. There must be a reason.”
“No need to remember, yet you tell me…” Chi Yingxue complained.
Wu Sheng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Then pretend I didn’t say anything.”
“It’s too late.” Chi Yingxue took out the remaining four and a half oranges from the fruit plate, mumbling to himself—
The first orange: “Old Master Cheng survives a fall but dies from poison.”
The second orange: “Cheng Jiming gets kidnapped and dies, but the Fushou Gang refuses responsibility.”
The third orange: “Du Jinnian comes for tea and vanishes from the face of the earth.”
The fourth orange: “Cheng Xiaonan gets poisoned by alcohol and can’t get out of bed.”
The last half-orange was split into three segments: “Now both the Hai Gang and the Fushou Gang are refusing to leave. You should hurry up and look for the badge while searching the Cheng residence.”
Four oranges and three segments, neatly lined up by size, meticulously arranged by Chi Yingxue.
“All remembered, can’t be erased,” he said with a serious and distressed face, like a user unfortunate enough to have redundant information taking up memory that couldn’t be deleted.
Wu Sheng didn’t know whether to be astonished or delighted. “When did you awaken this skill?”
Chi Yingxue skeptically raised an eyebrow. “This counts as a skill?”
“Of course,” Wu Sheng said. “Although I am well-rounded in intelligence, martial skills, agility, and defense, most of the time, it’s ‘intelligence’ that decides the outcome.”
Chi Yingxue thought for a moment. “What about looks?”
“……” For a long time after sending off his teammate, Wu Sheng couldn’t figure out whether the question “What about looks?” was simply asking “Don’t looks matter?” or had a deeper meaning of “Can’t you have some shame?”
……
The Cheng family arranged four rooms in the guest house for the Fushou Gang. Ying Jiu and Xiao Wu each had their own room, with the remaining two rooms allocated to other brothers.
As soon as Chi Yingxue entered the room, he felt something was off. Someone was inside.
In the unlit room, only a faint, barely visible frost was illuminated by the moonlight filtering through the window, with Ying Jiu sitting behind it, his face obscured.
“I didn’t know you knew Mr. Bai.”
“He’s my… friend.” Chi Yingxue didn’t think it was a big deal, but when he said the last word, he couldn’t help but curl his lips, feeling proud and haughty.
“What kind of friend?” Ying Jiu’s voice was calm and steady yet unfathomable, like a deep river with a smooth surface but turbulent currents underneath.
Unfortunately, Chi Yingxue didn’t catch any of this, as he was fiddling with an oil lamp with interest. “One I clear levels with.”
“What levels?” Ying Jiu frowned in the darkness.
“You wouldn’t understand if I told you.” Chi Yingxue unilaterally ended the conversation and then shook the exquisite oil lamp at Ying Jiu. “Do you know how to light this?”
Ying Jiu lit the oil lamp for his subordinate, and when the room was illuminated, his face was completely dark, unwilling to admit what he had just done.
Chi Yingxue was still engrossed in planning for the Cheng family. “We should pull the electric wires over to the small building. Using electricity is so much more convenient…”
Master Ying Jiu didn’t want to stay a second longer, smoothing out the wrinkles on his long robe and walking towards the door.
Seeing Ying Jiu about to leave, Chi Yingxue quickly put down the oil lamp and asked, “Was the ransom provided by the Cheng family not enough? Why kill Cheng Jiming?”
Ying Jiu stopped in his tracks. He was silent for a moment, then turned around. His eyes, for the first time, revealed undisguised defiance and murderous intent. “Kid, no one has dared to talk to me like that.”
Chi Yingxue looked at him worriedly, not quite satisfied with the response—was Cheng Jiming killed or not?
Seeing this little brother drifting off again, Ying Jiu felt exhausted both in body and mind.
Killing someone with a gunshot meant nothing to Ying Jiu, but he could foresee that even if he did kill the other party, it wouldn’t resolve the frustration in his heart.
Moreover, he didn’t really want to make the move.
“Do you know why I let you follow me?” Ying Jiu rarely shared his feelings, but tonight was an exception.
Chi Yingxue: “Because I’m skilled?”
Ying Jiu glanced at him disdainfully. “You think too highly of yourself.”
Chi Yingxue frowned. “Then why?”
Ying Jiu quietly looked at him, as if seeing through him to the past. “Because you remind me of myself when I was young.”
“Impossible,” Chi Yingxue said without hesitation. “You’re not as good-looking as I am.”
“……”
When Ying Jiu left Young Master Wu’s room, he felt that not going on a rampage tonight must have been the work of a ghost—the kind that endures, made of steel.
……
Wu Sheng used stationery to make him invisible to search the entire Cheng mansion thoroughly, not sparing even the Western-style small building.
In the end, he found the [Chaos Badge] underneath the “stove” as indicated by the badge handbook and discovered the following clues in three other locations—
Cheng Jiming’s study was left as it was. In a book on the lowest shelf, there was a note with different handwriting than his own. The note featured the verse, “These stars are not those of last night, for whom do the wind and dew stand deep into the night?” It had no name, only a crescent moon-shaped red mark.
In Old Master Cheng’s residence, a letter was found with the signature of Mr. Bai, whom Wu Sheng had transmigrated into. The letter stated that the matter Old Master Cheng asked him to investigate had made progress and needed a face-to-face discussion.
In the study of Cheng Xiaonan in the Western-style building, Wu Sheng found a cylindrical seal under the carpet beneath the bookshelf, likely rolled there accidentally. The seal, adorned with a finely carved little lion with a hint of black resembling blood, was inscribed with “Yu Sheng”—Du Jinnian’s courtesy name.
The badge wasn’t difficult to find, but the clues were terrifying upon closer inspection.
Wu Sheng tucked the note, badge, and letter into his arms and slipped out of Cheng Xiaonan’s room, which was the last spot that he searched. He planned to return to the Bai Mansion under the cover of night—Old Master Cheng’s commission for Mr. Bai to investigate was likely related to Cheng Jiming’s kidnapping, and there might be more information and clues in Bai Mansion.
As soon as he stepped out of the study, he smelled a strange odor coming from Cheng Xiaonan’s bedroom.
In front of the bedroom, brothers from the Fushou Gang and the Hai Gang stared with eagle-like vigilance that not even a fly could enter. However, two of them seemed unsettled by the smell, cursing quietly. “Damn, it’s making my cravings kick in.”
Wu Sheng quietly returned to the study, leaping from balcony to balcony towards the bedroom, moving like a chess piece, eventually landing on the bedroom balcony.
The curtains weren’t fully closed, leaving a narrow gap that let out light.
Peering through the gap, he could see everything in the brightly lit room—a maid sat by the bed, skillfully delivering an opium pipe to Cheng Xiaonan’s lips. Her movements were practiced; clearly, this wasn’t her first time serving. Amid the swirling smoke, with an IV drip hanging, the bedridden master of the Cheng family struggled to turn his head, lazily and contentedly inhaling.
Even though he was poisoned, it didn’t deter him from smoking opium. Wu Sheng suddenly felt that the act of poisoning was superfluous—someone like Cheng Xiaonan could bring about his own downfall. If there was a grudge, one only needed to wait.
Upon returning to Bai Mansion, Wu Sheng glanced at the clock and was shocked to find that five hours had passed since his transmigration!
He had spent the entire night dealing with various people and searching for clues in the Cheng family residence without realizing how much time had elapsed! He had planned to search the Bai Mansion next and then think about the save point issue.
However, it seemed that time here didn’t flow at a 1:1 ratio with reality, a situation that had occurred both in the ancient castle in 7/23 and in the inner hell in 9/23. Often, more than five hours had passed in-game, but not in real time.
When it slowed, he could be at ease.
Wu Sheng stopped pondering these things and dove into Mr. Bai’s study, filled with documents, starting his massive search.
He searched until dawn, to no avail.
In the entire sea of documents—murders, robberies, adulteries, stolen cows, lost dogs—all kinds of cases were documented, except for anything related to the Cheng family; not even a single word.
This was very strange.
Even if Old Master Cheng’s commission wasn’t related to Cheng Jiming’s kidnapping but to something else, there should have been a record. The only explanation for such a void was that the records had been taken or destroyed.
It could have been done by Mr. Bai himself or by someone who didn’t want him to continue the investigation…
Because Wu Sheng found a note sandwiched in an inconspicuous poetry notebook that was probably Mr. Bai’s original work.
Luckily, the characters were large and few, so he could barely make them out—Meddlers, die.
The note was signed—Half-fallen plum blossoms in the pond have faded away.
Half-fallen plum blossoms…
Wu Sheng stared at the signature, slowly deciphering a word. “…Hai.”
……
All the clues connected because of this word that surfaced.
The mysteries shrouding the two deaths were gradually clearing, revealing a coherent trail, but—
Wu Sheng pulled out the seal found in Cheng Xiaonan’s study, suspected of being stained with blood, and frowned deeply.
Where exactly was Du Jinnian?
After rushing back to the Cheng family residence, day had broken. The courtyard was already set up for funeral rites, with monks taking their places and servants bustling about.
The news of Old Master Cheng’s resurrection had spread throughout the Cheng family residence overnight; on the way back, Wu Sheng even heard the nearby neighbors discussing it. For outsiders, it was merely a spectacle, but for those within the Cheng mansion, it was a real fear—whether servants or guards, strong or weak—everyone looked frightened, trying to stay as far from the memorial hall as possible. The elder was still lying in there, soon to be buried in his coffin.
Watching the atmosphere, Wu Sheng quietly formed a plan.
He didn’t know where Du Jinnian was, but after investigating this far, he at least needed to shake out the truth—for the unjustly deceased Cheng Jiming—to provide an explanation.
“Mr. Bai, I’ve finally found you—” Accompanied by a loud voice, his teammate walked over openly.
Wu Sheng stood still, watching Qian Ai, dressed in a simple short jacket, approach. “What, your lord is looking for me?”
Qian Ai came up and whispered, “I’m looking for you.”
The courtyard’s noise drowned out their conversation. To bystanders, it looked like a servant speaking with Mr. Bai, but in reality, Lao Qian was passing on the gossip gathered overnight about Cheng Jiming’s second marriage history.
Cheng Jiming’s first wife, Zhou Lanxin, died in childbirth. The daughter survived, but the mother didn’t. Afterwards, Cheng Jiming swore never to remarry, rejecting all matchmakers, until one day, after becoming intoxicated at a social event, he woke up to find Hai Huiping beside him.
Cheng Jiming, a gentle and mannered man, would have taken responsibility for Hai Huiping even without the pressure from the Hai Gang. Thus, Hai Huiping entered the Cheng family. Officially, it was a drunken mistake by Cheng Jiming, but rumors suggested it was a trap set by Hai Huiping. After all, the Hai Gang had attempted to make marriage arrangements several times—clearly Hai Huiping had set her sights on Cheng Jiming first.
Wu Sheng had already pieced together the main story, and Qian Ai’s information added more details.
As Qian Ai blended back into the crowd, Wu Sheng scanned the many monks in the courtyard, locking onto the most agreeable one.
With a look, the young monk approached; with the ongoing chaos, no one paid attention to their movements.
“What do you need me to do?” Xu Wang asked upon arrival.
Wu Sheng smiled. “Aren’t you going to ask about the progress of the mission first?”
Xu Wang lifted his shaved head. “As long as you can eventually submit the paper, the process is illusory.”
[If you like him, then just tackle him and get down to business.]
The inappropriate mantra from a teammate last night flashed through his mind.
Wu Sheng quickly focused, saying, “Indeed, I have a plan and need you to play a key role.”
Xu Wang nodded. “What do I need to do?”
Wu Sheng said, “Become possessed by the spirit of acting.”
Under the faint moonlight shrouded in thin mist, everything appeared hazy and desolate.
Qian Ai remained silent for a long while before asking, “Is your mission to find Du Jinnian?”
Wu Sheng nodded.
Qian Ai looked at him, struggling a bit to say, “Did they specify whether they wanted him alive or dead…?”
Wu Sheng sighed and didn’t answer, as if he also couldn’t clarify.
Qian Ai felt a chill run down his spine. The old man false corpse, the disappeared Du Jinnian, and Second Master Cheng who died last year… These pieces of information just obtained wove into a dark net, casting over the entire Cheng family estate. He couldn’t make heads or tails of it; such information processing definitely required a brain like Wu Sheng’s.
Watching Qian Ai hurry back to the memorial hall, Wu Sheng stood alone in the night for a while longer.
In just this short time, the complex clues formed a network—
Three disappearances: Cheng Jiming’s death; Old Master Cheng’s death; Du Jinnian’s disappearance.
Three remaining members of the Cheng family: Cheng Xiaoxan; Cheng Jiming’s second wife, Hai Huiping; Cheng Jiming and his first wife’s daughter, Cheng Yixin.
Social relations: Du Jinnian was close to Cheng Jiming; Hai Huiping is the younger sister of the young gang leader of the Hai Gang, Hai Yunlong.
Doubts:
Old master Cheng fell last year and died this year. Is there anything suspicious about this?
Cheng Jiming was kidnapped, and the ransom note was denied by the Fushou Gang. Did they really not do it, or are they just denying it?
Why did Du Jinnian suddenly visit the Cheng family, and what exactly did he discuss with Cheng Xiaonan in the living room of the small building?
The information gathered was like pearls scattered on the ground, and Wu Sheng needed to find the thread that strung them together.
Returning to the western-style building, unexpectedly, Hai Yunlong came with people.
Wu Sheng didn’t recognize Hai Yunlong, but from the way he brought a group of people with him, the slight resemblance to Hai Huiping in their eyes and brows, and the conversation with Master Jiu, he understood—Fushou Gang was imposing on the Cheng family, and Hai Huiping had called her brother to take charge.
However, what puzzled Wu Sheng was that Hai Yunlong seemed to harbor a greater hatred towards the young man by Master Jiu’s side. His eyes were fixed on the young man’s fair face with a gaze like the fires of hell.
The fair-skinned young man, on the other hand, appeared indifferent, not even looking at Hai Yunlong. He had a calm and self-satisfied demeanor, occasionally yawning.
Amidst the undercurrents, Ying Jiu spotted Wu Sheng standing at the door, hesitating to enter, and immediately became amiable. “Mr. Bai, you went to enjoy the moon, didn’t you?”
If one didn’t look into the depths of Ying Jiu’s eyes, he would seem like a very refined person. Even his teasing was done with a benevolent appearance.
Knowing he had been away for a while, Wu Sheng smiled and accepted the tease without explanation, to avoid making things worse.
Meanwhile, his gaze fell on Hai Yunlong, as if he had just noticed him, raising his eyebrows slightly with a mild surprise.
Hai Yunlong narrowed his eyes, snorting coldly with a sneer. “Mr. Bai.”
“……” Great, another “acquaintance”.
Wu Sheng suspected that this Mr. Bai he had transmigrated in was a social butterfly of Jinmen. Otherwise, why would all these big shots recognize him?
The more one talks, the more mistakes one makes, so facing the two big shots, Wu Sheng remained silent, just politely smiling.
Cheng Xiao Nan took the opportunity to join in the conversation, inviting everyone to sit. Fortunately, the living room sofa was large enough to accommodate the four of them while maintaining a polite distance.
Hai Yunlong left four people standing behind him, and the rest were sent outside, giving his brother-in-law’s family some face.
The long night was dragging on, signifying a sleepless night. The four engaged in an awkward conversation that looked like they were sitting in silent judgment rather than talking.
Ying Jiu and Hai Yunlong, being familiar with the underworld, could sit still, but Cheng Xiaonan, merely a wealthy son, wasn’t so adept at handling pressure. He had his servants bring a whole bottle of foreign wine, and in less than a quarter of an hour, he had refilled his glass several times.
Initially, Hai Yunlong was drinking tea but was tempted by the other’s actions. When Cheng Xiaonan poured another drink, Hai Yunlong shouted to a servant for an empty cup, saying he’d join the young master for a drink.
The servant hurried to comply, but just as he turned to fetch it, Cheng Xiaonan’s glass suddenly dropped to the floor. The thick glass didn’t break but made a dull thud upon landing on the carpet.
Looking at Cheng Xiaonan, his mouth was agape, and he was breathing rapidly with one hand clutching his throat and the other pointing at the half-empty bottle of foreign wine on the table. His eyes were filled with disbelief and terror. “The wine… the wine… is poisoned…”
Hai Yunlong, who had been leaning forward to examine the label on the wine bottle, trying to guess its country of origin, saw Cheng Xiaonan poisoned and instantly retreated, slamming back into the sofa to get as far away as possible!
Wu Sheng instinctively looked at Ying Jiu, who was also looking at him. Their eyes met, each lost in thought.
Cheng Xiaonan suddenly bent over, furiously gagging himself. Within seconds, he vomited out all the wine he drank in the evening until only bile was life. Struggling, he raised his head and hoarsely shouted, “Quick… go find… Dr. Gong… Tell him… it’s… aconite poison…”
As the servants rushed off, Cheng Xiaonan grabbed the teapot on the table, gulping down its contents directly into his throat, truly flushing it out.
After drinking, he put down the teapot, gagged himself again, and continued to induce vomiting.
This cycle of drinking and vomiting resembled a stomach wash. Wu Sheng watched this “proficient self-rescue procedure”, his gaze flickering slightly behind his glasses.
Aconite, a kind of traditional Chinese medicine, can cure diseases if used correctly but is highly poisonous if misused.
Soon, Dr. Gong arrived, equipped as a Western doctor, and from the conversation, it was clear he was an old acquaintance of the Cheng family.
Cheng Xiaonan was coughing and wheezing, barely able to speak. But upon seeing the mess on the floor, Dr. Gong knew he had vomited and immediately had Cheng Xiaonan moved to a room to lie down, then started treatment with injections and IV fluids.
The living room was left with the three parties, and all of their positions were awkward by default—they were imposing on the host, and now the host had been poisoned.
“Was your master drinking medicinal liquor?” Master Ying Jiu suddenly turned and asked the servant beside him, who was already scared stiff.
The servant took a long while to respond, then shook his head vigorously. “No, it was just foreign wine, not soaked with any herbs!”
Master Ying Jiu nodded, tapping his finger lightly on the armrest of the sofa, his gaze shifting to Wu Sheng. “Mr. Bai, don’t you find it strange? How was Master Cheng so sure that he had been poisoned with aconite?”
Wu Sheng indeed found it strange, but since he was unclear about Ying Jiu’s intentions, he cautiously said, “It’s common for people to be poisoned by aconite-infused liquor. It’s not surprising for Master Cheng to have seen it and recognized it.”
“What do you mean by that?” Hai Yunlong, naturally speaking up for his sister’s family, said, “Could Cheng Xiaonan have poisoned himself? Is he tired of living?”
Suddenly, a shadow flashed at the stairway.
Wu Sheng instinctively looked over. At the corner of the stairs leading to the second floor, a little girl was hiding in the shadows.
Wu Sheng couldn’t make out her face. He could only see her medium-length hair and, in the darkness, a pair of cold, piercing eyes.
Noticing Wu Sheng’s gaze, the child turned and ran upstairs, her footsteps almost inaudible.
Cheng Jiming’s daughter, ten years old this year—Wu Sheng recalled the information collected by Qian Ai.
About half an hour later, Dr. Gong came out of the bedroom and told them that the amount of aconitum poison Cheng Xiaonan ingested was likely small, and with the correct method of inducing vomiting, he was out of danger but needed to rest in bed and continue with IV fluids to cleanse the toxins as soon as possible.
After saying this, he also kindly advised, “Medicines are poisons in their own right; not everything should be infused in liquor.”
There was no aconite-infused liquor to begin with; it was just ordinary foreign liquor that had been poisoned.
This fact was already clear, but Ying Jiu and Hai Yunlong remained silent. Wu Sheng then changed what he was about to say to, “Dr. Gong, let me walk you out.”
Dr. Gong insisted it wasn’t necessary, but Wu Sheng still escorted him out of the building, all the way to the front yard.
However, just before reaching the gate, Wu Sheng took a turn, effectively dragging him to the memorial hall under the guise of using reason (intimidation) and emotion (enticement), half-forcing him to examine the corpse of the Old Master Cheng.
Wu Sheng initially suspected he might know some inside information, but after observing, he felt it was unlikely, thinking this person was probably just a doctor who had dealings with the Cheng family, so he decided to take a risk.
In the quiet of the night, the vast memorial hall was empty—no one dared approach the recently “resurrected” old master—except for only a few white candles, a table full of offerings, and the lonely figure of Old Master Cheng.
Doctor Gong couldn’t perform a real autopsy; he only examined the eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and limbs, but the more he looked, the graver his expression became. Finally, he said, “Mr. Bai, you might be right. Old Master Cheng likely died from poisoning.”
“Possibly?” Wu Sheng wanted “certainty”.
Doctor Gong shook his head. “Unless we analyze the gastric contents, no doctor can make a definitive diagnosis with just the naked eye.”
After sending Dr. Gong off, Wu Sheng pondered as he slowly walked back to the building. Just as he approached the entrance, he was pulled into the bushes by someone. Before he saw the face, he noticed the bald head.
Wu Sheng unconsciously curved his lips. His heart, which had been tense since Cheng Xiaonan’s poisoning, finally felt a breeze of relief. “You’re not sleeping properly. What are you wandering around for?”
Xu Wang said righteously, “How could I leave you alone to follow the mission thread?”
Wu Sheng laughed, deliberately asking, “Then let me hear; how can you help?”
“……” After a moment of silence, Xu Wang tiptoed and pecked his cheek. “Good luck?”
Wu Sheng felt this encouragement was good, and it was worth continuing.
“Do you suspect Cheng Xiaonan poisoned Old Master Cheng and that the poison was the same as what he was just poisoned with?” After hearing Wu Sheng’s summary, Xu Wang understood his meaning.
“Yes,” Wu Sheng said. “Otherwise, he couldn’t have reacted so swiftly and accurately after being poisoned.”
“But why would he harm his own father? And who poisoned him? What does all this have to do with Du Jinnian’s disappearance?” Xu Wang was still confused.
“We don’t know yet,” Wu Sheng honestly admitted. “But I always feel that the key lies with Cheng Xiaonan. The last person Du Jinnian saw was also him.”
Xu Wang asked, “What’s he doing now?”
Wu Sheng replied, “Lying in the bedroom with an IV drip.”
Xu Wang: “……”
Wu Sheng reassured, “Don’t worry. The Fushou Gang and the Hai Gang both have people guarding. If anything happens to Cheng Xiaonan, those who insisted on staying here tonight can’t escape responsibility, so they are more concerned than anyone.”
Xu Wang was surprised. “How do you know I was worried?”
Wu Sheng smiled. “Because according to typical detective movies, the prime suspect, by this time, should have been killed by the murderer.”
Xu Wang: “……”
There was no movement from Master Yan Yi; he had already gone to sleep. Xu Wang mainly came to ask about Wu Sheng’s situation and to offer some help, but since Wu Sheng himself had no clues, he told Xu Wang to go back to rest and then returned to the building himself.
Just as he reached the entrance of the building, he saw a servant sneaking around behind a column, peeping out at a Fushou Gang brother smoking not far away. He was so focused that he didn’t notice Wu Sheng walking straight towards him.
Only when Wu Sheng approached the column did he let out a startled “ah”, as if caught in the act of wrongdoing.
The Fushou Gang brother, hearing the noise, looked over, puzzled.
Wu Sheng saw no one in the living room and directly asked, “Where are Master Jiu and the young gang leader?”
The servant, taken aback by his question, stuttered for a moment before finding his voice. “Resting, resting.”
“They didn’t leave?”
“No, they’re resting in the guest room.” The servant finally spoke a bit more fluently.
With the host poisoned and unable to rise, the guests indeed had no reason to continue chatting over tea. However, it seemed they were determined to root themselves in the Cheng family.
After a moment’s thought, Wu Sheng said, “I’m also tired. Could you arrange a guest room for me?”
“Of course, sir. This way, please.” The servant immediately led the way.
Wu Sheng followed him to a guesthouse near the small building. Until they were alone, Wu Sheng suddenly asked, “Why were you looking at him?”
The servant stopped in his tracks, his expression a mix of fear and confusion. “Ah?”
Wu Sheng looked at him steadily, this time affirmatively. “You know that Fushou Gang brother.”
The servant shook his head vigorously. “I don’t know. I don’t know!”
“Okay.” Wu Sheng shrugged. “I’ll ask Young Master Hai to inquire. You’ll probably recognize him then.”
Wu Sheng could tell; the entire Cheng family estate was quite wary of Hai Yunlong. If Master Ying Jiu was an unwelcome guest, Hai Yunlong was more like a domineering presence from the mother’s family.
“Don’t, sir. I really don’t know anything. I just, just… caught a glimpse of it…”
Wu Sheng’s heart tightened, his tone becoming unconsciously stern. “Caught a glimpse of what?”
The servant was on the verge of tears. “Last year, after the second master was kidnapped, the kidnappers sent a child to deliver the ransom note… I was the one who opened the door… When I received the note, I saw him peeking from the alley. Our eyes met, and he ran away… Sir, you must not say it was me who told you… The Fushou Gang kills without blinking an eye…”
After repeatedly reassuring and comforting the servant, Wu Sheng sat in the dim and cold guest room, deep in thought, for a long time.
Could it really be the Fushou Gang that kidnapped Cheng Jiming, demanded a ransom, and then killed him?
He had always thought not, but that “testimony” just now made him waver.
“Did the Owl give you the task to investigate the case?” In the quiet night breeze, a voice slipped through the door crack, and then the person pushed the door and entered, as naturally as if entering their own home.
Wu Sheng stared blankly at the young man by Master Ying Jiu’s side, who sauntered in and casually sat opposite him, realizing, “Xiao Xue?”
“You’re wearing glasses now.” Chi Yingxue picked up an orange from the fruit plate on the table and started peeling it for himself.
“When did you recognize me?” Wu Sheng was curious.
Chi Ying Xue popped a segment of orange into his mouth. “When you entered the courtyard with a group of monks.”
“And then?” Wu Sheng didn’t believe he recognized him at that time, as he hadn’t spoken at all while the Fushou Gang was confronting the Cheng family from the perimeter.
Chi Yingxue frowned and tilted his head to look at him, as if to say, “It’s so obvious. Why do I even need to explain?”
“You and one of the young monks were exchanging glances, using the same set of eyes you use when you flirt with the captain.”
Wu Sheng: “……”
Which set is that?!
“Do you like the captain?” Out of nowhere, he threw out this question.
Without hesitation, Wu Sheng replied, “Of course.”
“If you like him, then just tackle him and get down to business.” Chi Yingxue stared at him, asking very sincerely, “Isn’t it frustrating to just satisfy yourself with looks?”
Wu Sheng: “……”
There wasn’t a hint of indecency in his eyes. It was just a straightforward, almost innocent question.
But it was precisely this kind that it was harder to answer!
“Hm?” Not getting an answer right away, Chi Yingxue urged.
Wu Sheng surrendered, throwing out the truth. “I didn’t before, but now that you ask like this…”
It all went unsaid.
Chi Yingxue was very satisfied with this answer that matched his expectations.
“By the way, Qian Ai is also here.” Wu Sheng remembered he had forgotten about a comrade. “He’s a Cheng family servant, now guarding the memorial hall.”
Chi Yingxue nodded and continued to look at him, as if waiting for something.
Wu Sheng adjusted his glasses; behind the lenses, it was all confusion.
Chi Yingxue couldn’t wait any longer and directly asked, “What about Xiao Sijin?”
Wu Sheng then realized. “Still don’t know. Qian Ai said he saw a thief who might be him but didn’t catch him as the person ran away.”
Chi Yingxue threw the orange back into the fruit plate, not eating anymore. His delicate eyebrows wrinkled out of shape. “We’re all here, and he’s not. Did the Owl glitch out again?”
“……” Wu Sheng lamented that he was inferior to this domineering logic of attributing everything that doesn’t go as planned to a bug.
Wu Sheng and Qian Ai were also heading back to the Cheng family’s residence, so they joined the procession of monks along the way.
Leading the monks was the abbot of the Guajia Temple, Master Yan Yi.
Not just any family could request the presence of the abbot from the Guajia Temple, but the Cheng family was a prominent household in Tianjin, and naturally, their funeral arrangements had to be conducted with dignity and propriety.
“This is the situation. I wonder what Master thinks?” After introducing himself and successfully joining the monks, Wu Sheng shared with Master Yan Yi the story of Old Master Cheng’s supposed “false corpse”.
Master Yan Yi, with his long white hair and eyebrows, looked wise and spirited. His gaze was insightful yet serene. “Death ends all entanglements.”
He spoke only these words and then remained silent.
Death ends all entanglements?
So, does it mean that anything happening afterward has nothing to do with Old Master Cheng?
Is this implying that the “false corpse” was the work of the living?
Or is there no implication, and it’s merely a statement from a Buddhist perspective?
Wu Sheng’s mind was filled with various “interpretations”, but he couldn’t come to a conclusion about which was correct. Master Yan Yi, looking straight ahead and focusing on the journey, obviously had no intention of elaborating further.
For some reason, Wu Sheng always felt that there was something more hidden in Master Yan Yi’s eyes besides wisdom and serenity. But being inexperienced himself, he found it impossible to see through an old monk who had lived twice as long as he had.
Qian Ai walked beside Wu Sheng, occasionally turning his head to look at Wu Sheng, then at Master Yan Yi, and back again, finding the conversation between the experts too difficult to understand.
Following them was a young monk who had been with the group for some time.
Xu Wang had noticed the two men at the front of the procession from the start. Appearing out of nowhere, getting cozy with the abbot, and then mysteriously joining the procession seemed key to some quest.
Deciding quickly, he sneaked to the front of the procession, hoping to overhear their conversation for clues to a mission or to meet up with teammates.
But as soon as he got close, he heard a thrilling story about an old man’s corpse rising in the fog and dashing through the streets.
He didn’t understand the sentence later spoken by Master Yan Yi, but the thoughtful silhouette of Mr. Glasses always felt both strange and familiar to him.
Sneaking to the side to get a better look at Mr. Glasses’ thoughtful profile, his feeling of familiarity grew stronger.
Perhaps his staring was too obvious, as Mr. Glasses sharply turned his head toward him.
Their gazes met in the air, sparking a connection.
Wu Sheng adjusted his glasses, scanning the nosy young monk from head to toe with an X-ray-like gaze.
Swallowing nervously, Xu Wang instinctively touched his head, unsure if it was out of nervousness or something else.
Wu Sheng observed the young monk’s rosy cheeks and white teeth for a while but ultimately focused on his bald head.
Resisting the urge to cover his entire head, Xu Wang felt warmth under Wu Sheng’s touch, not resisting it.
Wu Sheng tilted his head slightly and smiled at him, with a little joy, a little pride, and a little… interest.
The next second, Wu Sheng suddenly pulled Qian Ai out of the group and led him into a small alley.
Master Yan Yi, focused solely on moving forward, didn’t notice that the two accompanying laymen had left the group.
“What are you pulling me here for? Aren’t we going back to the Cheng family?” As soon as they entered the alley, Qian Ai finally got a chance to speak and immediately asked.
Wu Sheng gestured for him to be quiet with a “shh” and indicated to wait.
Qian Ai could hardly calm down but still waited.
Less than thirty seconds later, a figure nimbly entered the alley.
Wu Sheng saw the young monk peeking in, smiled slightly, opened his arms, and waited for an embrace.
Qian Ai was baffled, and even more so when the young monk, instead of running into Wu Sheng’s arms, stood firm and asked proudly, “Be diligent and cautious?”
Wu Sheng responded smoothly, “Study diligently and innovate.”
The young monk then laughed, looking like he wanted to jump in, but hesitated upon noticing someone else standing nearby.
Unable to resist any longer, Wu Sheng, who had his arms already open, moved them to pat the young monk’s head.
Xu Wang, having his head frozen all the way, found Wu Sheng’s touch quite warm and didn’t resist.
After patting a few times and feeling somewhat satisfied, Wu Sheng introduced, with a smile, “This is Lao Qian.”
Hearing this, Xu Wang was taken aback, then looked at the man beside him, who indeed seemed like a teammate, and immediately became curious. “Who have you transmigrated into?”
Hearing this tone, Qian Ai finally realized. “Captain?”
The suspects were only three: Xiao Xue, Xiao Kuang, Xu Wang. Combining this with the advisor’s affectionate gaze, the answer was clear.
“Wait.” Qian Ai remembered something. “Did you two just exchange a code? That diligence and innovation thing?”
“Yes,” Xu Wang said matter-of-factly. “How else could I be sure of his identity?”
Qian Ai: “But when did you guys come up with this code?”
Xu Wang: “No need to come up with it. You should know it too.”
Qian Ai: “Where would I know it from?!”
Wu Sheng: “It’s our high school motto.”
Xu Wang: “You forgot?”
Qian Ai: “……”
He had never remembered it to begin with!
So, that’s why some could be class representatives, and he was just an ordinary member; there were reasons for everything…
The three quickly exchanged information, with Xu Wang having little to share, so it was mostly Wu Sheng talking, with Qian Ai adding details.
While talking, Wu Sheng pulled Xu Wang into his arms, occasionally patting his head as if he was a mascot.
After finishing, Wu Sheng looked down at the captain in his arms and gave his transmigration a fair assessment. “You’ve gotten smaller.”
Xu Wang: “……”
The young monk was indeed shorter and slimmer than Xu Wang, so in terms of both age and physique, he had “gotten smaller”, but… it felt awkward to hear!
Xu Wang, never one to be outdone, immediately retorted, “You’ve become…”
And then there was no follow-up.
The person Wu Sheng had transmigrated into, Mr. Bai, was handsome, broad-shouldered, and tall, with an aura of a returned student, even having a scholarly and abstinent filter. No matter how one looked, he was attractive, leaving Xu Wang at a loss for words!
Qian Ai couldn’t stand it anymore and quietly left the alley.
Whether it was Mr. Bai holding the young monk or the advisor hugging the captain, it caused him immense distress on this chilly night, even more so than Old Master Cheng’s false corpse.
……
When the three rejoined the procession of monks, they had arrived at the Cheng family’s front gate.
The Cheng family’s courtyard was brightly lit and noisy—it was in chaos.
Old Master Cheng’s false corpse and disappearance over the wall had caused a commotion, and Wu Sheng thought this as he entered, only to find the situation even more complicated—Old Master Cheng’s body had been returned by a group of rather unfriendly-looking people and was lying on the ground inside the courtyard. Instead of moving Old Master Cheng back to the memorial hall, the Cheng family was confronting the group that had returned the body.
Perhaps they were too frightened to touch it, fearing the corpse might come back to life again.
“Master Jiu, does your Fushou Gang intend to ruin our Cheng family?” The man standing as the head of the Cheng family was naturally Cheng Xiaonan. He was dressed in Western pajamas with a Chinese-style cloak thrown over, which was rather a unique look. He was probably woken up by the servants and hastily put on the cloak before coming out to investigate.
Compared to Cheng Xiaonan, the man known as Master Jiu appeared much more composed. “Mr. Cheng, we were just walking down the street when your family’s Old Master fell from the sky. We recognized him and immediately brought him back respectfully. Your words might cool the hearts of the Fushou Gang brothers.”
“Ying Jiu! Stop your crocodile tears!” From the Cheng side, a woman in her late twenties, surrounded by servants and dressed more neatly, spoke up sharply. “For what happened to Second Master, the Cheng family and the Hai Gang have a bone to pick with you!”
Master Jiu’s smile faded, but he remained calm, exerting a sense of pressure without anger. “I have told Old Master Cheng before, and I will say it again today.” He looked around the courtyard as if addressing everyone. “The matter of Second Master Cheng has nothing to do with the Fushou Gang. We also want to find out who harmed him…”
“And,” his last words were directed solely at the woman, “don’t make me say it a third time.”
The woman still looked resentful but hesitated and ultimately didn’t speak again.
“Sir…” The gatekeeper leading the monks into the courtyard finally found a gap to speak.
This broke the deadlock.
Cheng Xiaonan immediately ordered some braver servants to carry Old Master Cheng back to the memorial hall, then warmly greeted Master Yan Yi, calling for the tea server to come over. Eventually, the tea server led the monks to rest in the side courtyard, discussing the next day’s rituals with Master Yan Yi along the way.
Taking advantage of the chaos as the monk procession moved again, Wu Sheng quietly instructed Xu Wang to keep an eye on Master Yan Yi—he had a feeling Master Yan Yi knew something.
Thus, Xu Wang, with a mission, followed the monks and disappeared in the direction of the side courtyard.
Qian Ai also took the opportunity to return to the memorial hall, carrying out the task assigned by his advisor—to inquire about the Cheng family’s situation from the servants; the more detailed and gossipy, the better.
Soon, only the Cheng family, the Fushou Gang members, and Mr. Bai were left in the courtyard.
Both groups were large, leaving Wu Sheng, a lone figure, immediately standing out and attracting all eyes.
Wu Sheng had no choice but to offer an awkward smile and explain to the Cheng side. “I went to chase the Old Master but didn’t catch up. Instead, I ran into Master Yan Yi and followed him back.” He then turned to Master Jiu, feeling he should say something, but couldn’t find the words.
Master Jiu watched him for almost a minute, finally realizing that Wu Sheng might not start the conversation and gracefully stepped forward. “Mr. Bai.”
Wu Sheng was taken aback. His first instinct was to ask, “Master Jiu knows me?” but immediately realized that would give him away and quickly went along. “Master Jiu.”
The two “acquaintances” nodded at each other, and the situation seemed to shift from a three-way standoff to a two-party alliance. Cheng Xiaonan, in his unique mix of Western and Chinese attire, couldn’t stand it any longer and cleared his throat. “Mr. Bai, everything you wished to know has been fully explained by the Cheng family.”
The implication was clear: You can leave now.
Wu Sheng, however, looked innocently puzzled and rooted to the spot.
“Mr. Cheng,” Master Jiu said with a light smile, taking control of the conversation. “It’s late and chilly. Let’s not talk here in the courtyard.”
Cheng Xiaonan’s face turned as dark as the night, matching the surrounding darkness.
But Master Jiu remained leisurely, adding insult to injury. “The great Cheng family can’t even spare a cup of hot tea?”
……
Wu Sheng, riding on Master Jiu’s coattails, entered the Cheng family’s living room for the second time.
Why did Old Master Cheng’s body end up in front of Master Jiu? And what was Master Jiu’s purpose in staying? With so many mysteries, Wu Sheng could only wait and see how things unfolded.
The Cheng family mansion was a blend of Chinese and Western styles. The front courtyard retained the old house’s appearance, but as one walked further in, a Western-style building emerged, rivaling the grand mansions of 5th Avenue.
The women had returned to the inner quarters, leaving only Cheng Xiaonan to entertain them in the small building’s living room.
Wu Sheng found that Master Jiu indeed had the demeanor of a major figure in the underworld—he had only brought one person into the living room, leaving the rest of the Fushou Gang members outside. He was domineering when necessary yet showed perfect manners when appropriate—truly a formidable character.
The person Master Jiu brought in was a young man in his early twenties. He looked handsome, with fair skin and a facial injury, but dressed very decently… almost exactly like Master Jiu.
He didn’t sit down but stood next to Master Jiu, silent yet impossible to ignore.
As soon as they were seated, tea and some whiskey were served.
Cheng Xiaonan lifted his glass and casually asked the guests, “You don’t mind, do you?”
As the host preferred whiskey and didn’t force anyone to join him, the guests naturally had no objections.
So, two drank tea and one drank whiskey, with occasional awkward attempts at conversation, creating a momentarily harmonious scene.
That was until Wu Sheng saw a half-face appearing and disappearing outside the window.
Finding an excuse, Wu Sheng left the small building for a hidden spot where visibility was poor to meet up with his teammate.
Wu Sheng: “Did you find anything out?”
Qian Ai: “I did. The woman who shouted at Master Jiu earlier is Second Master Cheng’s wife, Hai Huiping, the daughter of the Hai Gang leader. She has an older brother, Hai Yunlong, the young leader of the Hai Gang.”
Wu Sheng: “Hai Gang?”
Qian Ai: “Yeah, an organization similar to the Fushou Gang, you know.”
Wu Sheng: “……”
Qian Ai: “Cheng Xiaonan’s wife died years ago, leaving no children; Cheng Jiming, that is, Second Master Cheng, died last year, leaving behind a ten-year-old daughter and Hai Huiping, the stepmother.”
Wu Sheng: “Stepmother?”
Qian Ai: “Yeah, his daughter was with his first wife, who died of illness before he remarried Hai Huiping.”
Wu Sheng, having a rough understanding of the Cheng family’s current situation from Xue Qingshan, knew the Cheng family now consisted of a master, a widow of the second master, and a daughter of the second master.
But since Xue Qingshan and the Cheng family hardly interacted and Du Jinnian didn’t talk much about the Cheng family, further information was scarce.
“How did Cheng Jiming die?” The confrontation in the courtyard earlier was what Wu Sheng was most concerned about. Both Cheng Xiaonan and Hai Huiping mentioned Cheng Jiming’s death was related to the Fushou Gang, but Master Jiu insisted it wasn’t. The key phrase here was “caused his death.”
There must be more to Cheng Jiming’s death.
“Ah?” Qian Ai opened his mouth. “How did he die…?”
A second later, the servant “Zhuzi” disappeared.
A little more than ten minutes later, he returned.
Qian Ai: “I managed to find out through indirect questioning. He was kidnapped, and a ransom was demanded!”
Wu Sheng: “By the Fushou Gang?”
Qian Ai: “That’s what the Cheng family says, but it seems the Fushou Gang denies it. Anyway, the Cheng family paid the ransom, but Cheng Jiming still died. His body had been discarded on a common grave for who knows how long… Quite tragic.”
Wu Sheng fell silent.
“From what they say, the Hai Gang made noise for half a year, but in the end, they didn’t really act against the Fushou Gang.” Qian Ai sighed. “You’d think Cheng Jiming, being the Hai Gang’s son-in-law and dying so miserably, the Hai Gang would react, right?”
Wu Sheng shook his head. “It’s not about enduring; it’s about having to. Didn’t you see the exchange between Hai Huiping and Master Jiu? If they really clashed, the Hai Gang couldn’t handle the Fushou Gang, and they might even suffer more losses.”
Qian Ai, looking at the occasional reflective glasses in the darkness, genuinely admired, “Advisor, you’re too into your role.”
From his demeanor to his lines, everything perfectly matched the era of the Republic of China. How did he manage that?
“By the way.” Wu Sheng, too focused on the mission, unusually ignored the praise. “What about Old Master Cheng? How did he die?”
Qian Ai: “……”
A second later, the servant “Zhuzi” disappeared.
Fifteen minutes later, he returned.
Qian Ai: “Illness… He died of illness…”
Wu Sheng: “Take your time, catch your breath.”
Qian Ai: “After Cheng Jiming died last year, he fell ill and had been bedridden until now. He probably couldn’t hold on anymore.”
Wu Sheng: “What illness?”
Qian Ai: “There wasn’t any specific illness; it was just a big blow from his son’s death, and then he just declined day by day. But…”
Wu Sheng: “But what?”
Qian Ai: “A servant said it was due to evil spirits.”
Wu Sheng: “What does that mean?”
Qian Ai: “He just mentioned it in passing; I didn’t get to ask in detail.”
Wu Sheng: “……”
Qian Ai: “……”
Wu Sheng: “……”
Qian Ai: “Okay, I’ve noted this question. Advisor, do you have any other questions? Can you write them down for me, so I can ask them all at once?”
Wu Sheng felt a bit guilty, but many questions arose based on newly acquired information, and he really couldn’t help it.
Fortunately, that was about it.
“Just three questions: one, why do they say Old Master Cheng was haunted by evil spirits; two, who in the Cheng family was closest to Du Jinnian; three, how long did Du Jinnian stay at the Cheng family two days ago, and when did he leave?”
This time, it took less than ten minutes for Qian Ai to return, either because his indirect questioning skills had improved dramatically or because the servants were inspired to unleash their gossiping spirits, offering information without needing to be prodded.
Qian Ai: “Last winter, not long after Cheng Jiming was buried, Old Master Cheng slipped in front of his own door, possibly due to his age and fragile bones, and never got up from bed again. The reason for the fall was water spilled by a servant in front of his door, which turned to ice. In the end, they couldn’t find who was responsible. Coupled with Cheng Jiming’s tragic death, rumors began that the Cheng family was cursed by evil spirits, leading to continuous misfortune. Now with Old Master Cheng’s death, the rumors seem even more believable…”
Wu Sheng: “The second question…”
Qian Ai: “I was just getting to that. Du Jinnian was closest to Cheng Jiming. When Cheng Jiming was alive, he often visited, but after his death, Du Jinnian almost stopped coming.”
Wu Sheng: “But he came two days ago.”
Qian Ai: “Yes, he did come, and he spoke with Cheng Xiaonan in the living room where you were sitting. At that time, Old Master Cheng had just passed away, and the Cheng family was in disarray. Cheng Xiaonan didn’t entertain him for long before continuing with the funeral arrangements.”
Wu Sheng: “And then? Did Du Jinnian leave?”
Qian Ai: “I don’t know.”
Wu Sheng: “You don’t know?”
Qian Ai: “Externally, they said Du Jinnian left after having tea, but according to the servants, no one saw him leave the Cheng family.”
Wu Sheng: “What does that mean? Did the man just vanish into thin air? Vanish inside the Cheng family mansion?”
When Kuang Jinxin emerged from the secret path in the rockery with his master, fog had descended on the Cheng family’s large courtyard.
The fog made the old house eerily cold, and the sight of white mourning fabrics everywhere made it feel even more chilling.
Carrying a square, large box on his back, Kuang Jinxin followed his master through the rockery towards the courtyard wall, resembling a saint wearing holy robes, intending to slip away unnoticed.
They had already succeeded.
The box was filled with antiques and calligraphy paintings. Although Kuang Jinxin wasn’t deeply versed in these items, the fact that his master chose this box over rooms full of silver and jewelry made it clear to him which was more valuable.
However, there was something strange.
His master was as familiar with the Cheng residence as if it were his own home. Not a step was wasted; they went straight into the secret passage and into the “wealth center” of the house. Moreover, upon entering, his master didn’t search around but locked onto this box immediately, instructing him to carry it and leave without a second thought.
The goal was too specific, the route too clear.
“Who’s there?” Suddenly, a voice questioned from the bushes nearby.
Startled, Kuang Jinxin instinctively paused, only to see his master had already scaled the wall in a flash.
Kuang Jinxin had no time to sweat; he dashed to the base of the wall, hoping to use his momentum to kick off it and climb up…
As Qian Ai rushed out, he saw a young man with a large box on his back clumsily climbing the wall, moving so slowly and with such difficulty that he almost wanted to help lift him.
He had been driven here by the smell of the latrines, seeking a breath of fresh air in this idyllic spot, only to stumble upon unusual footsteps as he entered the bushes.
The sight before him made it clear. “Stop, thief—”
Shouting out a phrase in old-style slang, Qian Ai immediately felt as if he were transported back to the Kaifeng Mansion, as if the spirits of dynastic warriors and the legendary figures Zhang Long and Zhao Hu* were by his side. With a tiger’s stride, he charged forward and, without a second word, grabbed the leg of the little thief!
*They are bodyguards and investigators of Justice Bao, responsible for carrying the guillotine once Justice Bao sentences the criminal to death.
Kuang Jinxin had almost reached the top of the wall, about to succeed, when he felt a sharp pain in his ankle.
Looking down, he saw a dark face with bright eyes, fierce like a little tiger.
My apologies.
Kuang Jinxin silently apologized in his mind before kicking out at the face to avoid eye contact.
Qian Ai had anticipated the thief to pull his leg back, not expecting a kick. Caught off guard, he took a direct hit. Pain aside, hitting the face was a no-go, fueling his anger. He blurted out without thinking, “Fuck, you really kicked—”
At this exclamation, Kuang Jinxin froze.
Looking down again, the face seemed familiar.
“Qian Ge?” Kuang Jinxin murmured softly, unsure, and just as he voiced this, his master, already over the wall, pulled him down.
These words, mixed with the noise of his landing, puzzled Qian Ai, swirling in the foggy confusion.
Criminal record?
Lots of money?
Qian Ge*?
*Clarity: Hearing Kuang Jinxin say “Qian Ge”, Qian Ai is going through his brain thinking about what he had just heard (as if he had misheard it): criminal record [qian ke] (前科), lots of money [qian duo] (钱多).
In this world, except for Xiao Kuang, no one else would call him Qian Ge. But… could it be such a coincidence? And even if it was indeed Xiao Kuang, how could he recognize Qian Ai at a glance? The word “fuck” wasn’t his alone to use; the captain, the advisor, Xiao Xue—anyone could have said it.
Qian Ai looked up at the wall, tempted to jump over and ask for clarity.
But the fading footsteps beyond the wall told him the thief wasn’t alone, and they had already escaped far.
“What are you doing here?!” A middle-aged man came over, cursing. “One less person by the memorial hall makes an odd number. Breaking the rules and causing trouble, can you afford that?”
Qian Ai looked away, smiling apologetically, not because he was easygoing but because he had grown immune to the man’s nagging after waking up and having to listen to it 80% of the time.
This man was a tea server hired by the Cheng family, skilled in managing both joyous and sorrowful events, knowledgeable in all rituals and customs, from preparing the body to funeral procedures, orchestrating each step.
On the way back to the memorial hall, the tea server’s constant chatter, mainly complaints, became clear to Qian Ai—they had visitors for mourning.
“I’ve never seen such disregard for rules. Who mourns before the body is prepared? And at this hour, the sons in mourning need rest too. Who’s to ‘accompany the wake’? Who’s to ‘thank for mourning’…”
Qian Ai, half-understanding, nodded along, knowing agreement was usually safe.
Returning to the spirit shed, they found a young man in a Western suit and gold-rimmed glasses paying his respects to the portrait of Old Master Cheng.
The tea server’s demeanor softened, despite the breach of etiquette, welcoming the visitor and guiding him through the mourning process.
After the ceremony, before the tea server could escort the visitor out, the young man asked, “Can I have a moment to speak with you?”
The tea server was stunned for a moment and didn’t understand what he meant, but he still followed him to the side.
Qian Ai stood still, unable to hear the conversation between the two, but his eyes never left the young man.
For some reason, he felt that the young man’s gesture of pushing up his glasses was particularly elegant, wise, composed, and, well, pretentiously cool. But it wasn’t just any pretentious coolness; it was a kind that exuded an irritating air, a vibe that was both annoyingly familiar and itching.
“Zhuzi…” Suddenly, a servant beside him tugged at his sleeve.
Qian Ai’s rare moment of inspiration was interrupted, and he looked over irritably. “What?”
The servant was pale with fear, looking in the direction behind them. “Do you see that… Is that… the old master… floating?!”
The last words were uttered in such a fright that they didn’t even sound human anymore.
A chill ran down Qian Ai’s neck, and he immediately turned around to follow the servant’s pointing direction.
Then, he felt a chill from his hair down to the soles of his feet.
In the depths of the mist, a figure was floating, occasionally moving into less dense fog, revealing a dead face under the moonlight.
Qian Ai glanced at the “person” floating in the distance, then back at the portrait in the memorial hall, going back and forth, back and forth… Wasn’t this Old Master Cheng, who was supposed to be lying on the leisure bed in the memorial hall?
“It’s a false corpse*! Ahhhhh!” Another servant at the memorial hall screamed out, not sure who made such a noise, echoing through the silent Cheng family courtyard like a mix of firecrackers, skyrockets, flashbangs, and magic bullets.
*Ancient superstition, where it is said that when a person dies, there’s still a breath of air left in them, which can possess an animal that disturbs their corpse. The corpse will temporarily resurrect but can’t sustain itself and will then officially die (thus calling it a false (resurrected) corpse).
The first to react was that young man. He ignored the tea server and dashed towards the “dead person” floating in the depths of the mist!
Qian Ai, unsure of what came over him, felt a rush to his head and followed suit!
The young man ran ahead, he followed behind, and Old Master Cheng, as if aware of the pursuit, floated faster and faster, eventually even passing over the courtyard wall!
Without saying a word, the young man climbed towards the top of the wall!
Qian Ai was too familiar with this place, having been kicked here not long ago. At that time, he hadn’t had the chance to confirm the look in the eyes and was only left with the imprint of a shoe sole on half of his face. This time, he couldn’t miss the opportunity again—
“Someone used [Team Reunion] on you. If you don’t understand, just ignore me and keep climbing…”
Amidst a string of mumblings, the person already sitting on top of the wall froze.
Wu Sheng was just focusing on questioning the tea server and completely ignored the servants around him. His teammate, who had seemingly transmigrated, blended too well into the darkness of the night, just like the men in black from Detective Conan, with his features entirely merging into the shadows.
But now, he understood completely, his voice was filled with genuine joy. “Lao Qian!”
“Wu Sheng?” Compared to his advisor’s certainty, Qian Ai was still a bit hesitant.
“Who else would chase after the old master’s fake corpse but me?” Wu Sheng sighed. The current development caught him off guard, but time was of the essence. “Hurry up and come over. He’s headed east. Let’s chase together!”
Qian Ai didn’t hesitate at all, immediately joining Wu Sheng to leap over the courtyard wall and chase into the depths of the alley.
During the chase, Qian Ai finally understood Wu Sheng’s mission—to find the missing Du Jinnian.
As for why they ended up at the Cheng residence, it was because the client, Xue Qingshan, mentioned that the last place Du Jinnian was seen before his disappearance was at the Cheng family’s home.
The Du and Cheng families had been friends for generations, with Du Jinnian frequently visiting the Cheng residence. Xue Qingshan didn’t have much interaction with the Cheng family, but he had a good impression of his friend’s friend. Unfortunately, it was at the Cheng residence where Du Jinnian disappeared. Of course, Xue Qingshan had approached the Cheng family, but by then, the old master was already gravely ill. He was received by the eldest son of the Cheng family, Cheng Xiaonan, who confirmed that Du Jinnian did visit that day but left after having a cup of tea, knowing nothing else.
Wu Sheng had then hurried to the Cheng residence to investigate.
By the time all this was explained, Qian Ai was already out of breath, but there was one question he had to ask, “How could you recognize me as the servant at a glance? It could have been the captain, Xiao Kuang, or Xiao Xue, right?”
Wu Sheng glanced quickly at his teammate’s coarse clothes, worn shoes, and the face that read “life is hard”…
“Cough, it was just intuition. It’s very subtle, hard to describe…”
……
In a secluded back alley.
On a dark, murderous night with high winds, the thin fog couldn’t cover the smell of blood.
Hai Yunlong kicked a person towards Ying Jiu, who was tightly bound and had been tortured so badly that there wasn’t a good spot left on him. He was barely breathing, rolling on the ground like a blood gourd.
“Master Jiu, here’s the person back to you. I might have gone a bit too far, but he’s still alive,” Hai Yunlong said with a smile, wiping the blood off his shoe on the ground as if kicking that person had dirtied his shoe.
The brothers of the Fushou Gang standing behind Ying Jiu immediately stepped forward, veins bulging, barely restraining themselves from starting a fight.
Hai Yunlong’s followers immediately mimicked their stance, not giving an inch.
The atmosphere between the two sides became tense.
Until Ying Jiu said calmly, “Thank you, young gang leader.”
Following his words, the person on the ground was quickly put on a stretcher brought by the brothers of the Fushou Gang and carried away for treatment, leaving the remaining brothers on site.
Hai Yunlong tilted his head to look at Ying Jiu for a while, then smirked without a smile. “His life is still there, but my brother’s life—” he suddenly spread his hands, jokingly, “is gone.”
Ying Jiu gave a signal with his eyes.
Chi Yingxue, with his hands tied behind his back, was pushed out.
Ying Jiu touched his sleeve and said calmly, “A life for a life. Our Fushou Gang always abides by the rules.”
Hai Yunlong glanced at Chi Yingxue, then back at Ying Jiu, confused for a half-second.
His followers were collectively confused for several seconds.
These two were dressed almost identically; what was the meaning of this?
Both in long robes, one wouldn’t tell them apart if not for the bound hands of one, as if there were two Ying Jius standing there.
Had Tianjin introduced new rules? Before going on the road, one must dress according to the gang leader’s standard?
While Hai Yunlong’s followers were pondering in confusion, Hai Yunlong had already snapped back to reality, feigning politeness. “I knew Master Jiu was a man of principle.”
With a wave of his hand, two men immediately came up to drag Chi Yingxue towards Hai Yunlong’s side.
Just as he was being lifted, Chi Yingxue somehow broke free from the ropes, slipped out of the control of the two Hai gang brothers like a snake, and lunged at Hai Yunlong!
Hai Yunlong, completely unprepared for this turn of events, didn’t even have time to reach for his gun at his waist before Chi Yingxue had him in a chokehold!
Instead, Chi Yingxue helped him draw the gun, pressing its muzzle to his temple. Chi Yingxue’s eyes swept across the crowd coldly. “If anyone from the Hai Gang or the Fushou Gang dares to step forward, I’ll blow his head off.”
His gaze was cold, and his voice even colder, like a thin blade in the dark night, ready to cut throats.
“Back off!” Hai Yunlong shouted to his brothers, his voice breaking. Gone was his previously imposing demeanor.
The Hai Gang brothers naturally didn’t dare gamble with their young leader’s life.
But the stance of the Fushou Gang brothers was more delicate.
Hai Yunlong glanced nervously towards Ying Jiu.
The Fushou Gang and Hai Gang had never gotten along, but there had never been a major conflict openly. In theory, he thought the Fushou Gang wouldn’t dare act rashly, considering his father’s position above him. If they really did something to him, when his father came with the entire Hai Gang for revenge, things wouldn’t end well for the Fushou Gang.
But what if Ying Jiu acted impulsively? This was the cunning Master Ying Jiu—who knows what he was thinking.
“Let him go,” Ying Jiu finally said, making Hai Yunlong want to cry.
Chi Yingxue tightened his grip. “You let me go, I let him go.”
Ying Jiu nodded without hesitation. “Okay.”
Chi Yingxue smiled—a faint, disdainful smile—as if to say, my escape isn’t because you allowed it, but because I earned it.
Ying Jiu remained expressionless, just quietly watching him.
Chi Yingxue, while holding Hai Yunlong, retreated towards the direction of the Hai Gang brothers, who immediately cleared a path for them.
Hai Yunlong stumbled, finding it increasingly difficult to breathe, pleading continuously, “Brother, don’t strangle me to death. If I die, you won’t be able to get out…”
Before he could finish his sentence, a sudden noise came from the wall, and the next second, a body “plopped” into the alley, landing between the Hai Gang and the Fushou Gang, right in front of Chi Yingxue and Hai Yunlong, with the person’s hand landing on Hai Yunlong’s foot.
Upon closer inspection, this wasn’t a living person at all, but clearly someone wearing funeral clothes!
If not for Chi Yingxue holding him with the gun pressed against him, Hai Yunlong would have jumped up.
The air suddenly froze, and every brother in the alley, regardless of affiliation, stared dumbfounded at the corpse of the old man in funeral clothes on the ground, somewhat bewildered.
They had seen corpses before, in all states of gore, but the sudden appearance of an old man from the sky, especially on such a dark, windy, and foggy night, was a different kind of horror.
Chi Yingxue was the first to snap out of it. Taking advantage of everyone’s shock, he pushed Hai Yunlong and jumped over the wall to escape!
Hai Yunlong, pushed onto the old man, took a while to get up. His legs were weak. Furious, he ordered all the brothers, “Chase!”
A group of people immediately scaled the wall, no longer caring about the unrelated corpse.
……
After jumping over the wall, Chi Yingxue didn’t leave but hid on the roof of a nearby shop, leisurely watching Hai Yunlong and his gang run off. He blew a whistle only he could hear and jumped down from the roof.
To his surprise, a group from the Fushou Gang was waiting behind the house.
As soon as Chi Yingxue landed, he knew trouble was imminent. Turning around, sure enough, Ying Jiu was standing there with his hands behind his back, relaxed, with the Fushou Gang brothers carrying the old man’s corpse behind him.
“I don’t know him,” Chi Yingxue declared first.
“……” Ying Jiu sighed lightly, for the first time feeling his patience wearing thin. “He is Old Master Cheng from the Cheng family, who passed away two days ago.”
Chi Yingxue: “Oh.”
Ying Jiu: “……”
Perhaps unable to watch their leader being tormented any longer, the Fushou Gang brothers burst into action—
“Why waste words with him, Master Jiu? He denies involvement after drawing lots; our Fushou Gang doesn’t harbor such cowards!”
“Exactly, Master Jiu. Just say the word, and we’ll dump him in the Hai River!”
“Before dumping him, strip off those clothes. They look so uncomfortable!”
Ying Jiu raised his hand.
The brothers immediately fell silent.
Chi Yingxue tilted his head, curiously looking at Ying Jiu’s hand. Having witnessed its effect twice now, he had every reason to suspect it had a “mute button”.
“Why did you hold Hai Yunlong hostage?” Ying Jiu suddenly asked.
Chi Yingxue was slow to respond, only realizing Ying Jiu was speaking to him.
“I can’t die.”
“Can’t?” Ying Jiu raised his eyebrows slightly. People usually say, “Don’t want to.”
“If I die, I can’t submit my paper.”
“Paper?”
Chi Yingxue, losing patience with this repetitive conversation style, unilaterally decided they were not suited for dialogue.
Ying Jiu also realized that following the other’s lead in conversation was a dead end and directly brought back the original question. “Why did you, being closer to me, go out of your way to take Hai Yunlong hostage?”
Chi Yingxue shrugged. “I don’t want to pay with my life. You’re at fault. I take him hostage, it’s his loss of face. If he doesn’t hold it against you and you don’t spread it around, this matter will slide. If I took you hostage, it would be both your fault and loss of face, and he could broadcast it everywhere…”
He paused mid-sentence, suddenly zoning out as if just realizing what he had said.
Ying Jiu didn’t catch his lapse, instead showing rare approval. “Kid, from now on, follow me.”
Chi Yingxue didn’t hear Ying Jiu’s words, deaf to everything except his own heartbeat. Was it really him who answered so smoothly? That clarity of thought, that sharpness of vision, that decisiveness in action—it all felt more like… Yan Wang.
He despised thinking because clarity brought back unwanted memories. So, he preferred to be lazy and muddled.
Slowly raising his hand to his chest, Chi Yingxue, feeling the steady heartbeat, suddenly realized something.
The joke he and Chi Zhuolin made might be true—Yan Wang hadn’t left; he just stayed with him in another way.
“Hey, Master Jiu is giving you face. Don’t throw it away!” Someone nearby pushed him.
Chi Yingxue snapped back to reality. “Hm?”
Ying Jiu looked up at the foggy night sky, exhaling softly before looking back at Chi Yingxue. “I said, from now on, stay by my side. Stop being Cat Five.”
The career shift came too fast for Chi Yingxue to follow. “Then what am I?”
Master Ying Jiu: “Master Wu*.”
*Five.
Chi Yingxue: “You’re Master Jiu*, and I’m Master Wu. Wouldn’t I be running ahead of you?”
*Nine.
Master Ying Jiu: “Young—Master Wu.”
Chi Yingxue: “That’s good, sounds younger.”
Master Ying Jiu: “……”
Fushou Gang brothers: “……”
—Cat Five, a low-level thug in the Fushou Gang, was promoted on a starless night.
“Master Jiu.” The brother carrying the corpse asked, “What do we do now?”
Master Ying Jiu, having recognized the corpse as Old Master Cheng, pondered for a moment before saying, “Go to the Cheng family.”
……
On the main road, two alleys away, Wu Sheng and Qian Ai, having lost track of “Old Master Cheng”, ran into a procession of monks headed to the Cheng family for a ritual the next day.
Kinky Translations 