Chapter Ninety-One: A Duck Forced onto the Perch (First Update)

It is better never to meet than to meet and part; and when we part, there is no need to remember. Many people are destined to be only passing figures in one another’s lives. You think someone has come for you, but often that person has merely passed through your brief bloom, a blossom that lasts but an instant.

When Zhang Xiaoman looked toward Hou San and Zhu Dachang, Hou San also saw He Wei standing beside Zhang Xiaoman.

Fame is a burden, and so is fattening a pig. Hou San had thought his own name was now famous enough to draw the legendary head of criminal investigation from City A. Some people, you only need to see once to remember for a lifetime. Hou San had seen He Wei only once, in some legal affairs television program, yet he had firmly committed to memory that square-faced man, with square words and a square manner, the criminal investigator who was square in every possible way.

Before, Hou San would have called that knowing oneself and knowing the enemy. Only now did he realize that some things are ordained by fate. In some hidden way, he had remembered this man, and in some hidden way he had offended him, which was why he now encountered him again in a foreign place, as a guest in another land.

A person spends eighteen months learning to walk, but a lifetime learning to stay. Earlier, Hou San had very much wanted to stay, so he lifted his right foot from the accelerator and deliberately drove over rough, broken roads. When a person meets obstacles, constant friction slows their pace; a car is the same.

Carefully avoiding any chance of colliding with others, Hou San finally managed to bring the car’s speed down. Before he knew it, they had entered the downtown district of Green Vine City. The bright and flashy sights on the street made his eyes blur. He was about to find a spacious place to separate car from people when, amid the tide of thousands, he spotted He Wei. He was instantly startled, slammed his foot hard onto the accelerator, and the engine roared in fury as the car shot forward.

Watching the green blur vanish into the distance, Zhang Xiaoman was caught off guard. He rubbed his nose and said with a strange look, “Running that fast, he must have done something pretty shameful.”

He Wei glanced left and right, scratched his forehead, and asked in confusion, “Who did something shameful? You mean that beekeeper?”

“No,” Zhang Xiaoman shook his head. “I just saw two familiar faces I’m not really close with. I was going to greet them, but in the blink of an eye they were gone.”

He Wei gave a soft “oh,” hesitated for a moment, and still voiced the question he had been holding in his chest for a long time. “Uncle Xiaoman, there’s something I still don’t understand. What exactly was the point of us making this trip? Just because of that photo and what Jin Yue said? What on earth do the beekeeper and the little bees have to do with the case we’re investigating, that they’d be willing to take such a huge risk?”

Zhang Xiaoman looked at He Wei for a long moment. The trembling fingers that had been twitching all this while finally stilled. With a cold laugh, he said, “No need to test me like this. I know everything I should know. That act of pretending ignorance is not suited to you.”

He Wei’s expression froze. Lowering his eyes, he said, “That’s a bit harsh, isn’t it? People with good memories do tend to hold grudges. I was only standing by and watching when the bureau concluded that Nie Yi and Li Jun were the murderers in the villa case. I did indeed have the thought of getting you involved to help me, but exactly how deep this water was, I really never waded into it.”

“Never waded into it?” Zhang Xiaoman looked at him with grave seriousness. “The horse moves in an L, the elephant crosses the river, the rook goes straight, and the cannon leaps the hill. Funny how things turn out. The person who hired Nie Yi and Li Jun to investigate the missing woman case here in Green Vine City is called Pao Fanshan, and so is the second-rate detective who is familiar with your police academy teacher, Ma Fatty.”

“Is that so?” He Wei coughed lightly, looking awkward. “Why never heard Ma teacher mention it...”

“See? I told you you’re not suited to pretending ignorance,” Zhang Xiaoman sighed. “Li Jun is the real expert at that. If he were in your place right now, he’d never make that face. He’d be all jokes and nonsense, saying, ‘Pao Fanshan? Someone’s really called that? Is the “pao” the cannon from artillery, or the “pao” in bubblegum?’ Learn from that. You’re still far off.”

At that moment, the van’s door swung open with a clatter. Shen Yixia leaped down, chest out and head high, and grinned at Zhang Xiaoman. “Uncle Xiaoman, we’re done talking. Do you have any other orders? If not, I need to hurry over and protect Yunxi and the others. A master’s command must not be disobeyed.”

Zhang Xiaoman coughed heavily several times and put on a sickly look. “The word ‘orders’ is too formal. We’re all family here; my business is your business... There’s nothing else I need to trouble you with. Actually, you don’t have to keep following Yunxi and the others either. With Han Yuan there, nothing will go wrong. You’ve just come down from the mountain, so have some fun in Green Vine City. Opportunities like this don’t come often. Who knows, maybe someday your master will send you back up the mountain to gather bird eggs again.”

“Brother Yuan is indeed capable, but in the end he’s still an outsider. How could I be at ease...” Shen Yixia stretched, waved goodbye to Zhang Xiaoman and He Wei, and walked slowly toward the park. “Since you don’t need me here, I’ll take my leave first. Duty is calling me.”

Zhang Xiaoman watched Shen Yixia’s retreating back, patted He Wei on the shoulder, and said, “You see? He’s an expert at pretending to be foolish too...” Then he stepped into the van, sat across from Nie Yi, and asked absentmindedly, “How did it go?”

Nie Yi gently kneaded his right hand with his left and answered fluently, “Great strength, very small mind.”

He Wei let Li Jun climb into the back seat, squeezed into the driver’s cabin himself, and turned back to ask, “What did you two talk about for all that time?”

Li Jun cut in, “Talk about what? They just stared at each other for dozens of seconds with mutual admiration, eyes all sticky and syrupy, almost kissing. Then they started playing chess. That kid even pretended to chant some secret formula. The whole thing was disgusting beyond belief...”

Seeing the look on Li Jun’s face, as if he had swallowed a dead fly, He Wei could not help laughing in spite of himself. Curiously, he asked, “What formula?”

Li Jun cleared his throat, closed his eyes, and swayed his head as he chanted, “The horse moves in an L, the elephant crosses the river; the rook goes straight, the cannon leaps the hill; the advisor moves diagonally to guard the king; the pawn once gone never returns.”

He Wei was struck dumb. After a moment he said, “Not simple at all...”

Li Jun puckered his lips. “What’s not simple about it? It’s just a chess mnemonic. I could recite it when I was three. My uncle can vouch for that.”

“Stop calling him uncle all day long. When it’s time to call him master, call him master. Don’t make people think you were raised without manners...” Zhang Xiaoman rolled his eyes at Li Jun, then looked at Nie Yi with amusement. “So? Who won, who lost?”

Nie Yi shook his head and pointed at the chessboard full of scattered pieces. “Neither won nor lost.”

Zhang Xiaoman glanced at the board. Unable to make sense of the pattern, he frowned. “What kind of chess is this? Old Wang still dares to wander the world?”

“He said that even the king and the general are just pieces, and a player can move them however he likes...” Nie Yi spread his hands. “So I had no choice but to play by my own rules. I gave him an opening shock and used his cannon to take his horse. After all, that cannon was my mole planted on his side...”

Zhang Xiaoman clapped a few times and praised, “Excellent! By that logic, you shouldn’t have had any reason to lose.”

“Later I really did control the board,” Nie Yi said helplessly, pouting a little, “but he controlled the chessboard itself and pulled the table over on me. So in the end it could only be a draw.”

“Oh, so that’s how it is. No wonder he got out of the car just now looking refreshed as spring breeze, then walked off like a tiger with wind in its paws...” Zhang Xiaoman glanced at the pieces on the board and let out a breath. “At least no piece is missing. Otherwise the one who lost on this trip would have been me.”

Li Jun snorted. “What kind of logic is that? Chess manners are a reflection of character. Flipping the table? Underhanded behavior!”

Zhang Xiaoman gave a cold laugh. “That’s why you’ll never be anyone’s opponent in this life. At best, you’ll be someone’s assistant.” He clapped his hands and said listlessly, “Forget it. This trip was a complete waste. Let’s head back to City A.”

He Wei looked at Zhang Xiaoman through the rearview mirror and asked in surprise, “We’re going back already? Don’t we still need to wait for news from White Wolf and Shadow Tail? What if they uncover something major on their end?”

“No need to wait. More than half an hour has passed. If they had found anything, they’d have sent word already. Once half an hour goes by, there’s usually no more surprise to be had. They know the roads there well. Maybe by now they’ve already gone home to play mahjong.” Zhang Xiaoman slowly put away the chessboard. “Those two fools must have followed someone around in circles. Now they’ve gotten themselves lost and are too embarrassed to tell us. They’re probably crouched in some corner sulking right now.”

Sure enough, before he had even finished speaking, broken fragments of a voice came through the Bluetooth earpiece. “Chairman... White Wolf and I... under a bridge... lost that group of little bees... reception here is bad... just letting you know... hello, hello... why is the battery dying so fast... hello, hello...”

Zhang Xiaoman rolled his eyes and simply removed the earpiece, putting it in his pocket. Folding his arms, he leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes. “When there is no hope, there can be no disappointment. So it is.”

Nie Yi and Li Jun exchanged a glance and lowered their voices. “Master, what do we do next? Do we stay in Green Vine City and keep investigating that line, or go back with you to City A?”

“Of course we all go back together,” Zhang Xiaoman said, still with his eyes closed. “And since this trip ended in nothing, City A is going to be swarming with trouble. Whether you want to go back or not, you’ll have to.”

Nie Yi narrowed his eyes slightly. “You mean Li Jun and I have to go back too?”

“The easiest place for them to make trouble is the two of you,” Zhang Xiaoman said with a nod, unhurried. “Since you had no progress on that line tonight, it’s time for the other side to make a move. That’s give and take.”

Li Jun puffed out his cheeks and shouted, “No way! I’m not going back. I’m staying here to watch over Yunxi and the others. I won’t let some scoundrel take advantage of them.”

“Was I asking for your opinion?” Zhang Xiaoman suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Li Jun coldly.

Li Jun immediately felt a chill crawl up his spine. Swallowing, he gave an awkward laugh. “I’m just worried those bad guys might bully Yunxi and the others...”

“No need for your blind worry. They’re not after Yunxi.” Zhang Xiaoman turned to look at He Wei. After a pause, he added with a slight pout, “Later, tell your people not to search all over City A for those two idiots anymore. They’ve come to Green Vine City for a stroll. The not-so-familiar acquaintances I mentioned earlier were them.”

He Wei tilted his head, full of doubt. “So they’re running away?”

“Doesn’t look like it,” Zhang Xiaoman said, his brows drawing together into a character for eight. “If they really wanted to flee, they wouldn’t still be driving that taxi. That’s basically the same as shouting to the whole world where they’re going. My guess is those two fools are trying to pull off a sudden counterattack. Looking at it that way, their brains aren’t entirely empty after all. They could even read military strategy out of a comic strip... Classics are classics. Zhao Zilong’s lone charge seven times in and seven times out at Changban Slope really does deserve to be called profound.”

“Then should I notify the Green Vine City police to help us hunt down those two idiots?” He Wei asked uneasily. “What if they really are trying to run...”

Zhang Xiaoman cut him off, gazing faintly out the window. “The reason I’m telling you this is precisely so you can ask the Green Vine City police for assistance. No need to spend too much effort on it. Just drive them back to City A. I want to force those two thieves onto the gallows of their own making.”