Chapter 19: Testing the Waters
1340 Words
“...Officer Han Meng.”
The moment Han Meng called out to him, Chen Ling’s eyes flashed with a hint of guilt, but he quickly composed himself. “What do you need from me?”
“A fusioner daring to infiltrate the ranks of law enforcers... You’ve got quite the nerve.” Han Meng spoke slowly. “Tell me, what is your objective?”
His words struck Chen Ling like a thunderclap!
He found out?!
No… Impossible… Last night, the one who fought him was the Red Paper Monster. He never even saw my face! How could he recognize me at a glance?
“Huh?” Chen Ling’s eyes were filled with confusion. “Officer Han Meng… What are you talking about?”
“My meaning isn’t clear enough?”
“...I don’t understand.”
“Where were you last night?”
“At home, sleeping.”
“And before that?”
“Practicing opera in the wild with my younger brother.”
“Your brother was practicing opera—what were you doing?”
“He’s timid. I was there to accompany him.”
“What was he practicing?”
“Farewell My Concubine.”
“What’s the last line of dialogue?”
“...Ah!”
“What about the second-to-last line?”
“...‘Let me see!’”
Han Meng’s questioning was rapid-fire, giving Chen Ling no time to react.
As he answered, cold sweat ran down his back. By the last three questions, he nearly bolted on the spot.
Chen Ling had no knowledge of this world’s opera repertoire. He could only bet on the one he knew best from his past life… He had to gamble that Han Meng knew nothing about opera!
As for the lines? That was no problem. The theater in his past life often staged Peking Opera performances. He’d heard Farewell My Concubine at least twenty times. He vividly remembered the scene where Xiang Yu turned to find Yu Ji had taken her own life.
And as it turned out, Chen Ling had gambled right.
After the last question, Han Meng stared at Chen Ling, his gaze as if piercing through his very soul.
A few silent seconds passed before Han Meng finally spoke.
“Oh, then I must have been mistaken.”
So he really was trying to bait me!
Seems like I went too easy with that sneak attack last night!
Chen Ling took a deep breath. “Officer Han Meng, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now.”
“Wait.” Han Meng stopped him. “Which street were you assigned to?”
“…District Two, Ice Spring Street.”
“Don’t go home. Head straight there.”
“Huh? But I thought we had three hours to prepare—”
“That’s an order.”
With just four words, Han Meng cut off all of Chen Ling’s arguments.
The two stood in the cold wind, eyes locked. Chen Ling’s cotton robe and Han Meng’s trench coat billowed in the breeze, as if the world itself had fallen into a dead silence…
After a long moment, Chen Ling finally spoke. “I understand…”
“It takes at most two hours to reach Ice Spring Street from here. Two hours later, I will confirm your arrival… Understood?”
Chen Ling gritted his teeth. “If I walk the whole way, it’ll take longer.”
“I’ll get you a rickshaw.”
“…”
Han Meng was the very embodiment of decisiveness. He flagged down a rickshaw puller—the same one who had spoken to Chen Ling earlier—and directly instructed him to deliver Chen Ling to Ice Spring Street on time, with the fare reimbursed.
With no other choice, under Han Meng’s watchful gaze, Chen Ling climbed into the rickshaw and headed toward District Two.
Watching him leave, Han Meng ground out his cigarette underfoot and let out a cold snort.
“Brother Meng, why are you targeting him?” Jiang Qin approached, puzzled.
“Don’t you find it strange?” Han Meng answered calmly.
“The night the Grey Realm converged, Li Xiu Chun and Chen Tan braved the storm to visit the mass grave, saying they were there to pay respects to their deceased child… The next day, a disaster just so happened to break into their home, killing the two law enforcers who had been watching them—yet leaving the couple untouched… Meanwhile, the Chen brothers were conveniently not home, with no alibi.”
“But they already explained—their child died young many years ago—”
“You’re missing the point.”
“Huh?”
“The key isn’t that they were paying respects. It’s that they went out before dawn, in a storm the likes of which the Aurora Realm hasn’t seen in a decade, just to do it… Do you really think a child they had little attachment to was worth that?”
“Well…” Jiang Qin was speechless.
“The ‘deceased child’ and ‘opera practice’—both are just Chen Ling’s words, with no actual proof.” Han Meng patted Jiang Qin’s shoulder. “As enforcers, we must see with our own eyes, not just listen with our ears.”
“...I understand, Brother Meng.”
“Good. Then come with me to No. 128, Frost Street.”
“What for?”
“I’ve sent Chen Ling away… Now it’s time to interrogate Chen Yan.” Han Meng’s eyes narrowed.
Thud—thud—thud…
A hammer rhythmically drove nails into the wall.
As wooden planks were secured into place, the once-gaping hole was gradually patched up. Chen Yan wiped the sweat from his forehead, fastened the last plank, then slumped into a chair, exhausted.
He turned to glance at the living room, where a silver-rimmed glasses-wearing man curiously examined the freshly installed planks, lost in thought.
“You could’ve helped, you know…”
Chen Yan muttered under his breath.
He hadn’t really wanted to let this man into his home, but the letter in his hand—written by his brother—meant he was a legitimate guest.
Still, why had his brother never mentioned having a friend in Aurora City?
Just as Chen Yan finished his work, the man slowly walked over, stopping in front of the tightly nailed planks, his voice filled with intrigue.
“How did you do this…?”
“Fixing a house isn’t hard. My brother and I built a wooden hut when we were kids—granted, it was for birds.” Chen Yan lifted his chin proudly. “I hear people in Aurora City are all delicate and pampered. I doubt you’d be good at carpentry.”
The man was about to respond when—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A loud, urgent knock on the door.
“Law enforcement! Open up, immediately!!”
At those words, Chen Yan’s face went pale.
He didn’t know why enforcers were suddenly here, but his gut told him nothing good would come of it.
Thinking fast, he turned to the man. “You open the door. Say no one’s home.”
The moment he finished speaking, he slipped into the bedroom, concealing himself.
“Law enforcers, huh…” The man furrowed his brow, hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and opened the door.
Standing outside were Han Meng and Jiang Qin.
Seeing an unfamiliar man open the door, Jiang Qin paused, glanced at the house number, then frowned in confusion. “That’s odd… We didn’t get the wrong address…”
Han Meng’s eyes narrowed the moment he saw the man.
“What are you doing here?”
“Oh? So it’s you.” The man smirked, adjusting his silver-rimmed glasses. His voice was unhurried.
“I should’ve known—District Three is your turf.”
Seeing the two converse as if they knew each other, Jiang Qin leaned in and whispered, “Brother Meng, who is he?”
“Aurora City’s Divine Doctor—Chu Muyun.”
- Writer
