Chapter 145: Funeral and Ice Sculpture

"Outside the long pavilion, beside the ancient road, the fragrant grass stretches green to the sky. The evening breeze caresses the weeping willows, the flute's notes fade away, and the setting sun lies beyond the mountains..."

Inside a church in the suburbs of Lvteng City, beneath a towering white cross, a dozen children of various heights stood before two black coffins covered with white chrysanthemums. With their hands clasped over their chests and their feet planted in a V-shape, they raised their necks and sang in clear, resonant voices.

Zhang Xiaoman, dressed entirely in plain black with a white chrysanthemum pinned to his chest, walked slowly beneath the cross. With a look of profound grief, he sniffed, gave a light cough, and began reading the eulogy from the small podium before him:

"Called by the loving Heavenly Father, our brother, as well as our other brother, have finally reached the end of their earthly journeys, arriving at the moment of their pouring out. Let us gently lay them into the dust, returning them to the dust. The crown of righteousness is reserved for this brother of ours, and for our other brother as well, bestowed by the eternal, loving Heavenly Father, who also gives this crown of righteousness to all who love his appearing... Amen!"

Nie Yi, sitting on a bench, asked Zhang Yunxi with a strange expression, "This eulogy has some flavor to it, but why did Master's accent suddenly turn so bizarre?"

"Ignorant," Zhang Yunxi pouted. "The godfathers in the Beautiful Country all talk like this..." Glancing around, she lowered her voice and said, "This Old Man Chen isn't very popular, is he? There are only twenty or thirty people here, and half of them are his servants..."

"During his lifetime, he was actually quite popular. Many people had to pull strings just to get a glimpse of him. But now, people leave and the tea goes cold," Nie Yi smacked his lips. "If these servants hadn't collected their final wages yet, they wouldn't even have bothered to drop by."

Watching Zhang Xiaoman walk over to the coffin to receive condolences from the passing guests, Zhang Yunxi blinked and asked, "What game is my dad playing?"

"The cat crying over the mouse..." Nie Yi swept his gaze across the faces of the people gathered around his master, lowering his voice deliberately. "Master said that since others prematurely played out his third step—discarding the bow when the birds are gone—his second step of burial feels a bit awkward. He still has to walk this path, but he needs to make a slight adjustment and cozy up to that thick thigh Old Man Chen has always been hugging."

Zhang Yunxi frowned, her face full of doubt. "What thick thigh?"

Nie Yi nudged his chin toward the church entrance. "Look, the thigh has arrived..."

An elderly man wearing a white shirt appeared at the entrance of the church. He walked slowly toward the two coffins at the front, accepted two white chrysanthemums from a child nearby, and quickly laid one before the coffin inscribed with the name "Sima Bei." He then turned to the coffin inscribed with "Chen Chai," laid the other flower down slowly, closed his eyes in silent tribute for a moment, and walked up to Zhang Xiaoman. Extending his right hand, he sighed softly, "Condolences!"

"Ah..." Zhang Xiaoman feigned wiping a tear from the corner of his eye, assuming the posture of a bereaved host. He extended his right hand to gently shake the man's, choking out, "Condolences to you too, we're all friends after all!"

The old man in the white shirt sighed. "Old Chen's departure was so sudden. It really caught everyone off guard."

"Who is to say otherwise? My little brother lying in the other coffin went the exact same way..." Zhang Xiaoman sighed along with him. "Too sudden. The day before he came to Lvteng City, we were still in City A drinking, singing, and eating hotpot together. And just like that, snap, he was gone. Now, in my old age, I've lost my brother..."

"Old Chen was my little brother too," the old man in the white shirt said with a sorrowful look in his eyes. "Neither of us has our brothers anymore; we share the same grief... May I ask your honored surname?"

"Just a lowly person, where would I have an honored surname... Zhang as in the bow that discards the arrow when the birds are gone. My name was given casually—I was born on the day of Xiaoman, so they called me Zhang Xiaoman," Zhang Xiaoman said with utmost humility. "And you are...?"

"A fine name. Flowers not yet fully bloomed, the moon not yet full; minor fullness is the best of life... Indeed, one should never take things too far, or it will only bring disaster upon oneself, just like Old Chen. It is because he was far too kind and benevolent that this unprovoked disaster befell him," the old man in the white shirt said indifferently. "My surname is Wang, Wang as in the rule of law, Fa as in the law."

"Such an imposing name!" Zhang Xiaoman tightly gripped Wang Fa's hand, even placing his left hand over Wang Fa's right, and said with absolute sincerity, "I don't know why, but the moment I laid eyes on you... I felt as though we were destined to meet too late. Since we've both lost our brothers, why don't we swear brotherhood?"

"Splendid idea!" Wang Fa placed his left hand over Zhang Xiaoman's right, his expression deeply sincere. "From this day forth, you are my blood-brother by heart!"

With tears welling in his eyes, Zhang Xiaoman cried out, "Brother!"

With trembling lips, Wang Fa answered, "Brother!"

"Brother, your little brother recently ran into a bit of trouble. Might I trouble you to lend a hand?"

"My brother, my capacity is limited; I'm afraid I might be powerless to help."

"A minor matter, a minor matter," Zhang Xiaoman rubbed his nose. "I heard that before Old Man Chen passed away, he had a safe containing some items I need, but I don't know where he kept it. Since he was your little brother, did you ever hear him mention it?"

"Not at all, not at all," Wang Fa waved his hand. "Such private matters are never spoken of to outsiders... What kind of safe was it?"

Zhang Xiaoman gestured across his chest. "About this big, a safe with a fingerprint lock."

"It even has a fingerprint lock? Then I certainly have never seen it!" Wang Fa let out a long breath of stale air and said with righteous indignation, "This just goes to show you can know a person's face but not their heart. Usually, I shared everything with Old Chen, holding nothing back, yet I never imagined he would keep such an important matter from me... But don't you worry, his belongings are my belongings. Many things are kept at my place; I'll help you look for it later, and if I can't find it, I'll let you know."

Zhang Xiaoman withdrew his left hand and patted the back of Wang Fa's left hand. "How righteous! Then I'll have to trouble you, Big Brother!"

"Speaking of trouble, your elder brother has also run into a bit of trouble recently. Would you, my younger brother, see if you can help me brainstorm a solution?"

"Oh? What kind of trouble?"

"Not long ago, I helped Old Chen with a small favor. But who would have thought, the more I helped, the more complicated it got, leaving me utterly overwhelmed... Old Man Chen, you see, took a fancy to the vegetable basket business recently. He tinkered with it for a while, saying he wanted to go public. I told him, 'Well then, go public.' He told me the core mission of the vegetable basket business was to help impoverished farmers lift themselves out of poverty and achieve prosperity, so inevitably it stepped on a few people's purse strings, making this going public rather difficult. When I heard that, I thought, 'That simply won't do. How can such a wonderful business be halted here? People living in the North Pole should be able to buy vegetables using their phones; how convenient would that be? Am I right?'"

"Yes, yes, yes... those people are all too foolish, short-sighted. This is a grand enterprise! And then?"

"Then, with my assistance, the road for the vegetable basket to go public was finally paved smoothly. I also took out some of my private savings and handed them over to Old Chen, thinking every little bit helps... But just these past few days, a tiny accident occurred."

Zhang Xiaoman tilted his head and asked in surprise, "What kind of accident?"

"Old Man Chen was great at everything, except he loved to brag to people. Which is fine, after all, what man doesn't like to flap his gums a bit..." Wang Fa coughed a few times and continued, "He was having dinner with some old woman surnamed Duo at the South China Hotel. Having had a few too many drinks, he started bragging to her about big hammers and little hammers. As a result, that old woman surnamed Duo turned around and leaked those recordings onto the internet. Now, going public is out of the question, and his reputation is completely ruined. So you see why it's so desolate here today."

"Look at that, I always say drinking ruins affairs!" Zhang Xiaoman said with a look of dismay. "Still, this doesn't have much to do with you, does it? At worst, it's just fetching water with a bamboo basket—all in vain. How did helping out make things worse?"

"Originally it wouldn't have mattered," Wang Fa said dejectedly. "There are plenty of things that end up in vain; one more doesn't hurt. But my private savings were in there!"

Zhang Xiaoman raised an eyebrow. "Then go ask him for it! Business may fail, but morality remains; Old Man Chen wouldn't swallow your money, would he? You two are sworn brothers!"

"He wouldn't dare swallow my money, but other people will! Old Man Chen must have lost his mind; he transferred all the money in one go to that old woman surnamed Duo. Tell me, how am I supposed to ask for it back? Asking a woman for money—how can I bring myself to do that? So, I wanted to ask you to help me figure out a way: how can I get my money back from that old woman?"

"Even a hero struggles to pass the trial of a beauty, and he even specifically chose the South China Hotel. Isn't that asking for trouble? How much is there? If it's just a little pocket change, let it go. Don't bicker with a woman."

"Not too big to be big, not too small to be small: one hundred and eighty billion."

Zhang Xiaoman drew in a sharp breath. "Hiss... That is indeed not small."

Wang Fa added in a flat tone, "US dollars."

"Then that is truly rather large!" Zhang Xiaoman gritted his teeth. "It must be retrieved, and that woman surnamed Duo must apologize to you! There is no justice left if she dares to bully my Brother Wang. I won't stand for it! Where is she? I'll go find her right now. To be frank with you, brother, I'm carrying a gun on me. What sea of fire or den of tigers can't I charge into?"

Wang Fa waved his hand. "No rush, no rush. And let's not talk about guns; we're civilized people, it's not worth risking one's life over a bit of money... Besides, if I knew where she was, I wouldn't have to trouble you for a solution. I just figured there's strength in numbers; perhaps you'd have an idea to help me find that woman surnamed Duo."

"If even you have no way, what methods could I possibly have?" Zhang Xiaoman shook his head. "However, I do have some connections in City A. When I return, I'll help you ask around."

"With just those words from you, it's enough. I'll have to trouble you to put in some effort..." Wang Fa pulled an invitation card from his pocket, handed it to Zhang Xiaoman, and chuckled, "Speaking of which, I'm about to host a ball in a little while, right out on the high seas near City A. Many friends from City A and Lvteng City will be attending. Do me the honor of gracing it with your presence and joining in the fun."

"I will definitely be there, absolutely," Zhang Xiaoman smiled as he accepted the invitation, opening it to give it a quick scan. "A cruise ship? And masks? Big Brother certainly knows how to have fun!"

"Small scene, just some old friends," Wang Fa glanced at Old Man Chen's coffin and said coldly, "The New Year is approaching, after all, so we're all gathering together. Originally, Old Man Chen could have participated, but alas, he failed to cross over into this new year..." Letting out a long sigh, he turned and walked toward the exit of the church. "I have matters to attend to, so I'll head back first. We can drink and make merry properly at the cruise ship ball..."

Zhang Xiaoman gazed coldly at Wang Fa's retreating figure, the corners of his mouth curving slightly upwards as he whispered, "See you there!"

Nie Yi and Zhang Yunxi glanced at the departed old man in the white shirt and hurried over to Zhang Xiaoman. Nie Yi asked in a low voice, "Master, how is that thigh?"

"Rotten to the core; it needs to be cut off at the root..." Zhang Xiaoman waved the invitation in his hand. "Let him take his final bow after this ball!"

Just then, several men wearing white work uniforms suddenly rushed through the church doors. Across the chest of each was painted in red the phrase: "Return our hard-earned money!" Rushing furiously toward Old Man Chen's coffin, they shouted, "Accursed unscrupulous profiteers, you've ruined us and left us with nothing! I will make sure you find no peace even in death!"

Zhang Yunxi frowned, looked at the expressionless Zhang Xiaoman, and then at the nonchalant Nie Yi. Puzzled, she asked, "Shouldn't we stop them?"

With a playful look in his eyes, Zhang Xiaoman watched the men charge toward the coffin at the front of the church. Unhurriedly, he said, "It's rare to get a free show; no need to stop them. Let's just sit back and watch how things unfold..."

"Huh? They're leaving again, they're leaving!" Zhang Yunxi watched as the men pushed open the lid of Old Man Chen's coffin, only to stop midway and freeze by the edge. Remembering that the coffin had been prepared by Nie Yi, she turned to him and asked in confusion, "Why did they stop? What did you put inside that coffin?"

"What else can you put in a coffin? A dead body, of course..." Nie Yi curled his lip. "Though not the dead body they were expecting..."

Seeing the men leave the church crestfallen, Zhang Yunxi walked up to the coffin in two or three strides. Peering inside at the young man with white lips and rouge-red cheeks, she said in shock, "Why is it him?"

"They both share the surname Chen; family doesn't distinguish between each other. It's only reasonable for him to lie in the patriarch's coffin," Zhang Xiaoman said leisurely. "Actually, the fingerprint-lock safe I mentioned to that thigh earlier was completely made up, but anyone with a guilty conscience would assume it's true without a second thought..."

"Speaking of ghosts..." Zhang Yunxi fished an envelope from her pocket, handed it to Zhang Xiaoman, and bit her lip. "That day, when I chased Shen Yixia to that abandoned factory, he stepped on my shoulder as he left and slipped this letter into the hood of my clothes. I only discovered it when I got back to the hotel and glanced through it briefly..."

Zhang Xiaoman stared at the envelope for two seconds, casually passed it to Nie Yi, and pouted, "This letter is useful to you, so you should take it and give it to Zhou Bing at the Procuratorate. At least that will clear up whose thread that courier package was... Actually, if he had just stood before me and honestly told me he wanted the Order of Vindication and wanted to be the president, I could have given it to him. There was no need to go through all this trouble, even going as far as having Wang Chao mail a human head to frame you."

Zhang Yunxi was startled. "Whose head? What courier slip?"

"The head belongs to the woman who was dismembered and stuffed into bags. The courier slip wasn't accidentally damaged; Shen Yixia deliberately tore off both ends containing his own name," Nie Yi explained. "That way, anyone seeing the courier slip would immediately think of me, the one caught by the police in the villa. Combined with Jing Yue's testimony, the human and physical evidence are complete."

"What a deep-laid scheme. As long as you remain under a cloud of suspicion, he can smoothly inherit the banner of Yiming Society..." Zhang Yunxi widened her eyes. "But how did he get to know Wang Chao?"

"That's a very long story," Zhang Xiaoman sighed heavily. "Many years ago, Shen Yixia killed a doctor, which ultimately led to the destruction of his family. The intellectually disabled child whom that doctor had killed back then happened to be a very good friend of Wang Chao's—a friend who shared half the rice in his bowl with Wang Chao when Wang Chao was on the verge of starving to death. Shen Yixia avenged Wang Chao, so he could be considered to have a favor to repay. Therefore, there is more than one chess player in this grand game, and Shen Yixia is one of them."

Pausing for a moment, Zhang Xiaoman pressed his lips together and said, "I initially thought Han Yuan was also a chess player, but later I realized he was merely a chess piece. Old Man Chen standing behind him was the true chess player. That night, Yin Heng's daughter paid a late-night visit, attempting to poison me, though her efforts ultimately fell short at the last hurdle. At the time, I wondered: what kind of person could possibly track down Yin Heng's daughter?"

"Luo Ci gave me an answer: the enemy of my enemy is a friend."

"Old Man Chen knew Yin Heng, and naturally knew Yin Heng's daughter. So he used a rather roundabout method to tell Yin Heng's story to Han Yuan, who was in prison—perhaps through a book. Once Han Yuan obtained Yin Heng daughter's name, coupled with the fact that his own sister might be facing some danger, he passed that name on to Wang Jiujiang's son. Han Yuan and Wang Jiujiang shared a deep friendship; back when Wang Jiujiang worked at the restaurant, Han Yuan could brazenly pick the chicken drumstick right out of Wang Jiujiang's bowl. I suspect that ever since those days, Wang Jiujiang had entrusted Han Yuan to look after Wang Chao in the future."

"Wang Chao probably didn't know he was Wang Jiujiang's son back then. He agreed to Han Yuan's instigation to have Yin Heng's daughter come after me for two reasons: on one hand, to repay Han Yuan's favor; on the other hand, Wang Chao was entangled with Jing Yue, and if I returned to City A to join the special investigation team, it would be disadvantageous to Jing Yue... Chess players never show their faces; the ones fighting and dying on the front lines are always the pieces. So I intentionally dispatched Han Yuan to Lvteng City just to see whether he was a chess player or merely a piece."

Having heard Zhang Xiaoman out, Zhang Yunxi swallowed hard, her expression unsightly. "So there were all these twists and turns hidden within. I actually thought the schemes between He Wei and me were already exceedingly complex. Now it seems I was just showing off my meager skills before an expert, making a fool of myself."

Nie Yi tilted his head and smiled brightly at Zhang Yunxi. "Yunxi, you weren't bad either; you acted extremely well. You and Tiantian were old acquaintances, playing Li Jun and me like fools... However, seeing as you deliberately left the wild hunter in the detective agency as a form of voluntary confession, we'll forgive you..."

"It was wrong of me to scheme against you alongside He Wei back then, and I didn't feel good about it either..." Zhang Yunxi blushed crimson, lowering her head as she said, "Especially deceiving you..."

Nie Yi's cheeks instantly flushed red as well. He wanted to say something, yet no words would come, for every time he tried to meet Zhang Yunxi's gaze, that smoke-filled night would inevitably flash unbidden through his mind.

Zhang Xiaoman looked at the downcast Zhang Yunxi, then at Nie Yi, who was deliberately looking away. Rubbing his nose, just as he was about to speak, the phone in his pocket rang. He promptly pulled it out, glanced at the name on the screen, immediately answered the call, and raised his volume on purpose. "Your call comes at such a truly opportune time; any later and some people would be crawling into cracks in the ground... Well? Have you arrived in Lvteng City? My funeral is practically over, and you still haven't finished processing your paperwork?"

He Wei's hesitant voice came through the phone: "I can't make it to Lvteng City..."

"No matter, the matters here are nearly concluded anyway, just waiting for the final moment when the mystery is unraveled. There's no need for you to come over," Zhang Xiaoman said nonchalantly. "Did you run into some trouble with the approvals?"

"Approvals didn't give me any trouble; I'm the one in trouble," He Wei let out a bitter laugh. "Another corpse has been found in City A..."

Zhang Xiaoman narrowed his eyes slightly and asked seriously, "What kind of corpse?"

"An ice sculpture."

"Who died?"

"Pao Fanshan! You'd better get back here as soon as possible; I can barely cover for Nie Yi anymore苦. Besides, Chang Ping has already deployed the bitter-flesh trick and the honeypot trick, and he's waiting for you to direct our next move. I'm far too busy over here—that idiot Bai Chi actually went and arrested a few fellow countrymen impostors at the hospital, turning the police station into a complete mess... And Sun Tiantian, that grand-aunt of mine, has gone on strike again. I simply can't keep a lid on her..."

Zhang Xiaoman's facial muscles twitched a few times. "All right, I understand..." He hung up the phone swiftly and muttered, "Getting more and more long-winded by the day. Old He wasn't this nagging when he was young; could he have been swapped at birth in the hospital...?"

Nie Yi suddenly chimed in, "Master, did something happen?"

"Another one died... It's your employer, Pao Fanshan," Zhang Xiaoman rubbed his nose. "Someone turned him into an ice sculpture."

Nie Yi's teeth chattered slightly. "Eep... That sounds awfully cold."

"Let's go," Zhang Xiaoman tucked his phone back into his pocket, clapped his hands, and slowly walked out of the church. "It's time for us to head back and wrap up this game of chess..."

"Time to wrap it up!"

He Wei tucked his phone into his inner pocket, blew white puffs of breath onto his purple-blue, freezing hands, stamped his feet, and glanced down the snow-white Guandong Avenue. Urging several young police officers once more to load an ice sculpture covered by a black curtain into the delivery truck, he shouted, "In a moment, the shops on Guandong Avenue will open and even more people will be passing through! Because of that suicide note on the internet, many people already view us as good-for-nothings. Do you lot want to give them even more fuel for gossip?!"

A young policeman lifting the right side of the ice sculpture muttered, "We aren't immortals, we can't foresee the future. You can't just blame us every time something happens..."

Just then, a gust of biting wind swept past. The young policeman shrank his neck, his foot slipped, and with a *thud*, he fell flat on his rear to the ground. Under the violent jolt, the black curtain was whipped away by the cold wind, instantly revealing the true appearance of the ice sculpture.

A bloated man stood bare and stark naked, striking a menacing pose with claws outstretched. A thick layer of crystal-clear ice encased his skin, beneath which snowflake-like patterns shimmered. Illuminated by the early morning sunlight, he looked crystalline and translucent, smooth and warm as jade—truly resembling a lifelike piece of art meticulously polished by a sculptor...