Chapter 40: Iron Lotus

  I and Meng's aunt arrived at a safe place outside, I couldn't help but sigh: "Aunt Meng, you're amazing!"

  "Anyway, it's all just small tricks and petty cleverness, but you should learn from them."

  I wondered: "What did I learn for?"

  "You can't really open a shop in that godforsaken place for the rest of your life, can you?"

  I know what she's thinking in her heart, and smile: "Then my dad definitely doesn't want me to appear in this kind of occasion again next time."

  "What about you? What do you think yourself?"

  I spread out my hands and said: "I don't know either."

  "Alas, you father and son are both unfathomable to me. Especially your dad - he's not young anymore, and in a few years I'll become an old woman too. With such a large family business, who will take charge if you don't?"

  I smiled and said: "Aunt Meng is still very young, looking like she's under 30." Aunt Meng was married to my dad at the age of 29 and is now approaching 50.

  "Hey, you little brat, stop playing dumb with me. Your dad is coming out and I need to have a good talk with him." Meng said with relief, "You didn't do too badly today either, consider it a small debut, let me introduce someone to you." Meng waved her hand at a distance, and a lean young man in his early 20s jumped down from a dump truck, ran over and smiled at me, saying "Long Shao!"

  "Here is your second brother," said Meng's aunt. "From now on, you two brothers should be close to each other and communicate with each other more often."

  It seems that Erzi is Meng's top horse, and she introduced him to me with an unspoken meaning. Erzi has a pair of small, narrow eyes that are always smiling, but he looks lean and mean. He lit a cigarette for me and said, "Dragon Young Master, if you have anything in the future, just give me orders."

  "I said: 'Don't be stingy, it sounds like a professional bird breeder.'"

  The two sons also laughed: "Then call him Brother Long from now on."

  I think it's all right now, so I said to Aunt Meng: "Then I'll be off."

  "Go ahead, be careful on the road." I had just taken a few steps out when Meng Yi suddenly said, "Hey, what about that chick you brought last time?"

  "Which one?"

  "Old Lady Meng blinked her eyes and said: 'What do you want a car for?'"

  It wasn't until then that I realized she was talking about Su Jing, and explained: "That's not my daughter."

  "Someone else's?"

  "...nor is it someone else's."

  "That's yours." Meng aunt said: "You kid finally took a fancy to which one, I heard Xiaowei say that you still have another one called Xiaoxian..."

  I hastily waved my hand and got on the bus to escape - it seems that no matter how strong a woman is, she has a fiercely burning gossip soul!

  When I returned to the hotel, it was already dark. Jin Chengwu and Xiao Qian were sitting on the steps at the entrance. Xiao Qian wore a top with many pockets. As I got out of the car, I laughed and said: "Xiao Qian, want to be a director?"

  Xiao Qian also looked down at her own strange clothes and when I asked her, she pointed to Jin Chengwu and said: "Big Brother Jin bought it for me."

  Jin Chengwu explained to me: "This way, by evening, those symbols on Xiao Qian's body won't have to hang there all the time."

  I stood at the door and looked inside, Tie Ji Li was sitting by the window staring outside in a daze, apart from him there was no one else. I asked Jin Cheng Wu: "Has Old Wu not come back yet?"

  "Jin Cheng Wudao: 'He went up the mountain during the day and never came back.'"

  "Oh, Liu Laoliu hasn't come back either?"

  No sooner had I finished speaking than someone in the darkness exclaimed repeatedly: "Back again, back again! I knew you'd miss me if I didn't come back!"

  I said irritably, "You're not hiding there waiting for me to say that, are you? What did you come back for?"

  Liu Lao Liu said discontentedly: "You can't just get rid of me like a worn-out donkey, if it wasn't for me, last night..."

  "Hush—" I glanced at Tie Zhi and stopped Liu Laoliu from continuing.

  Liu Laosix lowered his voice and said: "Today I held the book left to me by my father and read it for a whole day, and found that Li Huai is not a simple person!"

  Jin Cheng Wudao: "Does the book say anything else about him?"

  Liu Laosixi said mysteriously, "It turns out that Li Huai is not one of us either. He's only slightly older than Xiaoxian and also a Qing dynasty person. My father gave me the book 'Mao Shan Zhi' which says that this person is the 63rd generation successor of Mao Shan, but was expelled due to his poor character. However, he had a natural talent and managed to cultivate his own skills. Later, he killed his way back into Mao Shan, slaughtering his peers and superiors, and then proclaimed himself the master of Mao Shan Guan. Those who opposed him were killed, and those who submitted to him could only live in hiding." Liu Laosixi sighed heavily and said, "Mao Shan was originally a prestigious sect, but later on it produced nothing but thieves and scoundrels. This has something to do with Li Huai's actions back then."

  "You mean someone like you?"

  Liu Laoliu said: "What's wrong with me? I am a legitimate descendant of the Cao Shan sect, and I am different from those who deceive the world and steal fame."

  "That Li is a traitor of your Maoshan Sect, you should clean up your own house."

  "Clearing the gate?" Liu Laosix's eyes rolled around and said, "Say something useful---what did you eat for dinner tonight?"

  ……

  Liu Laoliu went in and Jin Cheng asked, "Just now you asked everyone, why didn't you ask Su Jing?"

  I said: "What's wrong with Su Jing? Has she come back?"

  "No."

  "What's she afraid of? A great swordswoman like her can still be kidnapped by a human trafficker?"

  "Besides, the Sword God is after all just a young girl. Coming to this unfamiliar place, who knows what unexpected things might happen? I know you don't want to go back with her, but as a man, shouldn't you at least take care of her?"

  Xiao Qian also whispered: "That's right."

  "I exclaimed in surprise: 'What's wrong with men? She is from the Country of Women!'"

  Jin Chengwu stood up, patted me on the shoulder and said "Think carefully about it." Then he went into the house.

  I inexplicably said: "When did you become like Zhu Jun?"

  Xiao Qian glanced at me, just about to say something, I said loudly: "Do you want to be Ni Ping?"

  Xiao Qian went in with a resentful look. I was left standing there, looking around blankly, muttering to myself: "Male chauvinism is going to be the death of me!" Then I couldn't help but wonder what Su Jing had been up to all day - she had left early in the morning and now it was late at night, she should have returned long ago. The hotel surroundings were pitch black, and as I stood there lost in thought, I felt a vague sense of tension that I couldn't quite explain.

  Someone coughed behind me, I turned around and it was Tie Jili. He said in a casual tone, "You still have a friend who hasn't returned from entering the mountain?"

  I absent-mindedly murmured in agreement.

  "Is it that pretty girl or that guy?"

  Male.

  "Well, this is slightly better."

  It wasn't until now that I reacted, it seems that we all deliberately observed each other, who didn't come back and he was surprisingly clear about it. I stared at him and said, "Why are you asking this?"

  Tie Ji Li looked around and lowered his voice: "To be honest with you, I didn't come here specifically to stay in the hotel."

  "So you..."

  Before I could finish asking, Tie Ji Li pulled out a badge and held it up in front of me, saying: "I'm from the Special Police Unit. I've come here to capture a criminal suspect named Shi Zhong Huo." He unfolded the sketch of the person he had shown me before, "It's this man."

  I subconsciously looked around and said, "He ran here to me?"

  "Don't worry, according to reliable information, he has hidden in the Jiazishan Mountain, and the armed police force has cooperated with us to set up defenses on the other three sides of the mountain."

  "What about this side?"

  "Isn't this side the one with me?" Tie Ji Li smiled and said, "The other three sides of Jiaozi Mountain are provincial roads, national highways, and railways. If he escapes again, it will be difficult to catch him. Only this side faces the city, and we deliberately didn't set up defenses, in order to lure him out. I took a look, your small shop is doing well, absolutely won't arouse suspicion. If Shi Zhong Huo wants to enter the city, this place is a must-pass route, he will definitely come here to replenish food and other things."

  "Then who guarantees our safety?"

  Tie Jili pointed to himself and said, "Me!" He said, "Don't worry, last night I made a trip into the mountains, imagining myself as a fire in the stone, and made an escape. This is the only way that seems possible for success. As long as I guard here, I'll be fine."

  I have a strong urge to give this bowl of instant noodles 50 yuan, which is the only way it's acceptable - what kind of police officer puts the safety of the people at risk? And besides, this kid was on the mountain all last night, no wonder he didn't hear us making a racket outside.

  But I don't have too much worry either, who in this store besides me is a thrifty lamp?

  "What crime did Shi Zhonghu commit?"

  "He's still just a suspect, but it's basically confirmed - he committed a series of crimes in this city, raping and then killing four women, with extremely cruel methods, so I'm worried about your friend who went up the mountain."

  "Don't worry about him - I can take care of things for you guys."

  "You don't have to do anything, just keep running your store as usual. To be honest, I'm already feeling guilty and should arrange for you to be relocated to a completely safe place where our people can take over your store. However, Shi Zhonghuo is extremely cunning, if we make any mistakes, all our previous efforts will be wasted. So, for the remaining time, I'll keep watch outside 24 hours a day to ensure your safety."

  I was finally moved a little, holding his hand and saying: "You've worked hard."

  "It's none of your business." Tie Jili asked: "Do you know what that pretty girl who lives here does? I'm worried she might be in danger."

  "Hmm, you don't have to worry about her either, if she really encounters Shi Zhong Huo, you'll be relieved."

  Tie Jili said: "The fire in the stone is not simple, this kid has practiced sanda for many years, and can do 400 push-ups with one breath. He also has a handmade pistol in his hand."

  I clapped and said: "That's really impressive."

  "The women he harassed were generally around 30 years old, with independent careers and those who had been married were particularly favored by him."

  "Wow, you're a familiar face! So how about you, do you think you can beat him?"

  Tie Jili smiled calmly: "There should be, when I meet the enemy my hand will not be soft either. The criminals have given me a nickname called Tie Ji Liang - bite me and shatter your teeth, hit me and pierce your hands."

  I smiled and said: "That's good, that's good."

  Tie Jili looked at me with a hint of curiosity and said, "You seem very calm. Most people would be scared out of their wits in this situation, even if they didn't wet their pants."

  I said to him very seriously: "As long as you protect me, everything will be fine."

  "Aren't you worried about your friends?" Tie Jili asked in puzzlement.

  "Uh..." I didn't know what to say anymore. Actually, I really wanted to tell him: any one of the people he wants to protect is more dangerous than the person he wants to catch!

  Division line

  Wish you all a happy Valentine's Day, ah...