SES Chapter 177 Part 2

Yi Wan San shot Yan Hongsand a sidelong glance and took a slow sip of his homemade drink. “You know what that monkey did that night?”

Yan Hongsand’s heart pounded. “Grabbed a knife and killed the guy who beat it?”

Yi Wan San spat out his drink.

“Second Fire, can you not fill your head with such horrific, bloody stuff?”

She snapped back, “Then what did it do?”

“In the middle of the night, when we were all fast asleep, that monkey snuck into the guy’s house, climbed onto the roof, and tore off every single roof tile. The guy sobered up in the middle of the night, opened his eyes, and through the beams saw the moon hanging in the sky. He was baffled, wondering why his roof was gone.”

He clicked his tongue. “So don’t think animals don’t understand anything. From what I can tell, cats and dogs—even if they can’t talk—know exactly what’s going on inside. You’re the one who doesn’t understand them.”

Really? Monkeys and chickens were still different, weren’t they? After all, monkeys were primates.

Still, when no one was paying attention, Yan Hongsand crept over to the chicken cage and squatted down, scattering a handful of millet into the trough.

“Jiefang, let me ask you something.”

“Last night, when I cornered you in the alley, didn’t someone grab you? Who was it?”

Cao Jiefang wore an expression that clearly said How would I know, stuck his butt out, and kept pecking at the grain.

“When I asked who he was, he ignored me, muttered something. It sounded like Japanese. Jiefang, could it have been a Japanese guy?”

To Cao Jiefang, even an alien probably mattered less than the millet in front of him.

Yan Hongsand sighed. “Figures you wouldn’t know.”

She stood up in frustration and had just taken two steps toward the door—

Huh. Cao Yanhua was back.

Seeing him after several days was unexpectedly pleasant. Luo Ren followed behind him, but… where was Mu Dai?

Yan Hongsand craned her neck to look past Luo Ren, her eyes suddenly widening.

The person walking in beside Luo Ren was the same… Japanese man from last night?

Luo Ren stepped out of the Gather-and-Scatter-as-Fate-Wills Bar. It was late, and the street was mostly empty. He lit a cigarette, but only grew more agitated and crushed it out almost immediately.

He had kept Huo Zihong in the dark, saying only that Plum Blossom Ninth Lady was gravely ill and that Mu Dai needed to stay behind with her master for a while.

He hadn’t hidden anything from Hongsand or Yi Wan San. He didn’t even bother explaining himself, letting Cao Yanhua recount everything for them. Space had been cleared downstairs—over the next few days, Qingmu would be staying at the bar.

He himself returned home for two reasons. First, the murder note was stored there, and an empty house made him uneasy. Second, as the saying went, the most dangerous place was often the safest. The location Qingmu had moved Pingtian and Uncle Zheng to was, unbelievably, right next door to his own house.

So the two of them, without drawing attention, each guarded their own defensive line.

On the way back, he received a call from Zheng Mingshan, informing him that he was already heading to Lijiang.

His tone wasn’t great, but Luo Ren didn’t mind. Instead, he felt a measure of relief. Zheng Mingshan was a fresh reinforcement—having him around increased their odds against Leopard.

Zheng Mingshan had more to say.

“I have friends in the local police system. I arranged things today—we officially filed a report. Also, my master’s body was sent for an autopsy. I just received the cause of death.”

Something in his tone felt off. Luo Ren picked up on it. “What did they say?”

“My master, Plum Blossom Ninth Lady, died of natural causes. In other words, she died from exhaustion after her strength completely failed.”

Luo Ren understood immediately. “So all the wounds were inflicted after death?”

Zheng Mingshan was silent for a moment. “Yes. Based on the blood loss, someone stabbed her shortly after she died. There was some bleeding, but not much.”

What did that mean?

Luo Ren couldn’t figure it out. Over the past few days, his mind felt like sludge—thick, sticky, unable to function. He felt hatred and anger, but none of it helped.

That night, he slept restlessly. He dreamed of the Big Dipper hanging halfway across the sky—seven great stars blazing bright. Slowly, five faded away. The remaining two suddenly began to shift positions wildly, crashing about like something cornered with nowhere to go.

He also dreamed of Lu Ban, in flowing robes, riding a wooden bird that flapped loudly as it soared up into the nine heavens.

When the phone rang, he was in the deepest part of the dream, the darkest part of the night. It took enormous effort for Luo Ren to wake up.

He grabbed the phone. An unfamiliar number. Wan Fenghuo? Or Leopard again? He didn’t care—his mind was still drifting in the dream, as though following that wooden bird into the sky.

He lifted the phone to his ear.

“Luo Xiaodao?”

This was…

A chill shot through Luo Ren’s entire body. He bolted upright in bed, his hand shaking uncontrollably, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst his eardrums.

“Mu Dai—did Leopard hurt you?”

“Leopard? Leopard came?” She sounded confused. “Luo Xiaodao, where are you all? There’s no one at home.”

A wave of icy fear wrapped tightly around his chest. Luo Ren suddenly felt afraid. “Mu Dai, where are you?”

“At home. But there’s no one here. Senior Brother, Master, Cao Chubby—even you—you’re all gone. I found Master’s phone and called you. Luo Xiaodao, did you leave? Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

Luo Ren’s throat went dry.

Something was wrong—very wrong. Mu Dai was still in Youwu Town. She was there alone, in that residence.

She suddenly seemed to realize something. “Luo Ren, Master asked me to do something. I went to look into it and found that what she instructed me to do might be connected to the murder note. I—”

She stopped abruptly.

Luo Ren’s heart nearly stopped. “Mu Dai?”

She said seven words.

“Luo Xiaodao, someone’s knocking at the door.”