Chapter 48: The One Caught in the Gam

　　“Young man, hey, young man?”

　　“Huh… what?” I snapped back to attention, quickly shifting my rook.

　　“I’m telling you, you’d better be careful. Zhang Ming’s a powerful guy—you’re no match for him.”

　　“True enough. We’re just regular folks, no way we can go up against someone like that,” I replied with a chuckle, figuring there was no point in arguing.

　　After that game, I didn’t stick around for a rematch. I made up some excuse and headed back to the guesthouse.

　　This new lead was too important to ignore. Zhou Yong’s death wasn’t the only mystery—Li Hongmin’s death was also connected. Who knows how many skeletons Zhang Ming has hidden in his closet? I was even beginning to suspect that his wife, Liu Qing, might have met a similar fate.

　　Now that I was tangled up in all this, there was no backing out. From the moment I discovered Zhang Ming’s trail, I had a gut feeling that Li Yongxia was already watching my every move.

　　But dealing with Li Yongxia was my problem. I wasn’t about to drag anyone else into this mess—it was just too risky. As for Zhang Ming, I had to track down Liu Dazhuang to get some answers. I needed the whole story.

　　The night slipped by quietly. At the crack of dawn, I was up, heading out to the courtyard for a quick boxing routine to loosen up my muscles before grabbing some breakfast.

　　“Brother Feng!” Zhou Shen greeted me, sitting down with his breakfast in hand.

　　“How’s Quanzi holding up?” I asked.

　　“Relax, Quanzi may not say much, but he’s no fool. He’s got a good head on his shoulders and wouldn’t do anything rash,” Zhou Shen reassured me with a grin.

　　“Glad to hear it,” I said, feeling a bit more at ease.

　　We chatted for a bit longer before I wrapped up my meal and headed back to my room. As I glanced at the calendar on the wall, a small chuckle escaped me. I’d initially planned to visit my senior sister, but who’d have thought I’d end up tied down here in Mountain City for so long, barely having set foot off the mountain?

　　And with the way things were unfolding, it seemed I’d be sticking around a little while longer. I still needed to make a trip out to He Village and take care of those restless spirits in Dead Man’s Ravine.

　　When it comes to promises made to spirits, you can’t afford to break them. We may call it our trade’s code of conduct, but deep down, we understand it’s about more than just rules—it’s about karma and settling spiritual debts. There’s no such thing as coincidence. Every person you meet, every situation you face, is meant to happen.

　　After resting a bit, I got up and set off to find Liu Dazhuang and Wang Mengyun. Right on cue, I knocked on their door at exactly 10 a.m.

　　"Right on the dot, Xiao Feng!" Liu Dazhuang said, opening the door and glancing at his watch.

　　"What's this, Brother Dazhuang? Not happy to see me?" I teased.

　　"Now, don’t even joke about that!" he laughed.

　　I stepped inside, where Wang Mengyun was still on the couch. She looked up with a smile when she saw me walk in.

　　"How's everything going, Sister Mengyun?" I asked.

　　"It's one of those injuries that just needs some rest. I’m getting better pretty quickly," she said, smiling.

　　I returned her smile and took a quick look around the room. The fish tank was gone, replaced by a lush potted plant in the same spot.

　　I walked over to the bathroom door. The mirror that used to hang on the wall across from the bedroom was now missing, replaced by a smaller one mounted on a different wall. Though it was much smaller, it still did the job.

　　I crouched down to check the Five Emperor Coins that were buried beneath the door frame. They had put an extra wooden board above the frame, making sure the coins were hidden well.

　　"So, Xiao Feng, does everything look alright now?" Wang Mengyun asked.

　　"Yep, this setup will do the trick," I replied with a reassuring smile.

　　Wang Mengyun let out a long breath, visibly relieved, like a burden had finally been lifted from her shoulders.

　　I sat down beside her on the couch and said, "Don't worry, Sister Mengyun. Your home should be fine now."

　　"Thank you, Xiao Feng. If it weren't for you, Dazhuang and I would've been completely lost," she said, clearly grateful.

　　"No need for thanks, Sister Mengyun." I then turned to Liu Dazhuang. "Brother Dazhuang, I actually need a favor from you."

　　"Anything, little brother. Just say the word, and if I can help, I will!" Liu Dazhuang replied with a warm smile."I want to ask you about the murder case at Huayuan Community!"

　　"Huayuan Community..." Liu Dazhuang glanced at Wang Mengyun, both of them looking puzzled, unsure why I would bring it up.

　　"Xiao Feng, let me be honest with you. Your Brother Dazhuang here got disciplined because of that Huayuan case," Wang Mengyun said.

　　"Really? What happened?" I asked.

　　Liu Dazhuang sat down across from me, his face darkening as he shook his head. "The Huayuan case is still an unsolved mystery. One person died, another went insane, and there weren't any clues at the scene. The worst part is, someone had died in that very same room before!"

　　He lit a cigarette and continued, "The higher-ups were all over it, pushing hard for answers, but they didn’t want to make a big deal out of it publicly—didn’t want to cause panic. So, they just closed the case hastily."

　　"Wasn't there anything suspicious at all?" I pressed.

　　He flicked some ash from his cigarette and said, "You hit the nail on the head. There really wasn’t much to go on. The forensic team went to the scene three times, but came up with nothing. And as for Zhou Yong, there’s no doubt about it—he was hanged. Plenty of people saw it with their own eyes!"

　　Now I understood the situation better. On the surface, Zhou Yong’s death did appear to be a suicide, and there were no obvious doubts. Given how much pressure the higher-ups were putting on the case, it didn’t seem entirely unreasonable to close it quickly, at least not outwardly.

　　"So, why exactly did you get disciplined, Brother Dazhuang?" I asked.

　　"Well, it’s because your Brother Dazhuang is too straightforward and hot-tempered," Wang Mengyun interjected suddenly. "He was dead set on believing that Zhou Yong didn't commit suicide but was actually murdered. He kept arguing with the superiors about it until they got fed up and slapped him with a disciplinary action."

　　"Exactly! There were still suspicious points about the case. For instance, why did Xu Xiaoli go mad? She was the only eyewitness, yet we couldn’t get anything useful from her before the case was hastily closed!" Liu Dazhuang said, growing more animated. He continued, "And then there’s Zhou Yong’s clothing factory, Shanyong. It hadn’t been open long, but business was booming, and he was about to marry Xu Xiaoli. He had a lot to look forward to, so what reason would he have to commit suicide?" His voice was loud and indignant, filled with righteous anger.

　　I chuckled and said, "Brother Dazhuang, you do have a bit of a short fuse. Sister Mengyun is just looking out for you—you should work on it, or else it might cause you trouble in the future."

　　"You hear that? Even Xiao Feng thinks so! When are you going to realize this?" Wang Mengyun chimed in quickly. But I could tell, despite her scolding tone, that her words were laced with genuine affection for Liu Dazhuang."Brother Dazhuang, what do you think about Zhou Yong's case?" I asked.

　　He pondered for a moment before replying, "I just feel like something’s off, but I can't quite put my finger on it." He crushed his cigarette, looking serious.

　　I thought for a bit and then added, "What about the death of Li Hongmin? How does that fit into all this?"

　　"Li Hongmin?" Liu Dazhuang seemed taken aback, pausing to gather his thoughts. "How do you know about him?"

　　"I have my ways!" I responded with a hint of a smile.

　　"Who’s Li Hongmin?" Wang Mengyun asked, curious.

　　Liu Dazhuang let out a long sigh and said, "He was the first person to die in that house."