Chapter Seventy-Two: Hard to Believe

Ying Xi sped around to the front and glanced back at Lu Hehuan. "Give me a push!"

Lu Hehuan quickened his pace and shoved him hard. Ying Xi shot forward, only to trip on a broken branch lying on the ground and fly headlong out, skidding across the grass on his stomach.

Ying Xi seized the shadow's leg. "Where do you think you're going?"

The shadow toppled to the ground. Lu Hehuan rushed up at once and ripped away the veil covering its face.

He and Ying Xi both froze. The shadow was none other than Liu Rushuang.

Lu Hehuan looked at her in confusion. "Miss Liu? What are you doing here?"

Liu Rushuang got to her feet and, a little guilty, glanced at Ying Xi. "Brother Xi..."

Before she could finish, Ying Xi cut her off rudely. "Liu Rushuang, what is this nonsense? It's not as though you're ashamed to be seen. Why are you wearing a veil?"

"I'm afraid someone will recognize me," Liu Rushuang said with a bitter face.

The more Ying Xi heard, the more confused he became. He studied her closely. "What sort of guilty thing have you done that you're afraid of being recognized?"

Liu Rushuang pouted in grievance. "Ever since my sister eloped with someone, my father has become much stricter with me. And two of the people who witnessed my mother being bitten to death by a venomous snake back then have died, so my father has grown even more determined to keep me away from these cases. He even shut down my detective agency. I only sneaked out today."

Ying Xi waved her off impatiently. "These cases were never yours to meddle in anyway. Stop causing trouble and go home."

"I just wanted to come and see you," Liu Rushuang said, lingering in place.

"What's there to see? And if you wanted to see me, did you have to be so sneaky about it?"

Liu Rushuang lowered her head and fidgeted with her fingers, looking wronged.

Lu Hehuan looked at her. "Miss Liu, were Ling Yan, Mary, and Song Xiaowan all involved in the case of your mother's death?"

Liu Rushuang nodded. "When my sister was in middle school, she and her close friends Mary, Song Xiaowan, and Wen Hui formed some so-called 'Four Beauties Gang.' They were inseparable all day long. They were all there the day my mother had her accident."

Lu Hehuan's eyes lit up. "Do you know what really happened that day?"

Liu Rushuang shook her head. "I don't know either. My father was especially heartbroken and furious at the time, and he even hit my sister. It was the only time he ever struck her. Afterward, he forbade us from mentioning the matter."

"If Ling Yan really killed your mother, why would your father have hit your sister?" Lu Hehuan asked, suspicion rising in him.

Liu Rushuang shook her head. "I don't know. He said nothing when he hit her."

After hearing this, Lu Hehuan fell into thought.

Then Liu Rushuang remembered something. "Oh, right. Teacher Yuan, who taught my sister's class at Bright Virtue Middle School back then, has returned to Old Gate. She ought to know about this."

A spark of light returned to Lu Hehuan's eyes. "Didn't Teacher Yuan go to the United States to retire?"

"Someone she knew very well seems to have passed away, so she came back to pay a visit."

Lu Hehuan nodded, deep in thought.

At noon that day, Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi went to Teacher Yuan's home and sat on the sofa. Teacher Yuan, with silver at her temples and a pair of reading glasses on her nose, came over carrying two cups of water.

Lu Hehuan hurried to take the cups. "Teacher Yuan, please don't trouble yourself."

Teacher Yuan sat down across from them and smiled at Lu Hehuan. "Hehuan, I never expected you to follow in your father's footsteps and become a policeman."

Lu Hehuan smiled. "After I returned from Great Britain, my father had me join the Old Gate police station. I rather like the work."

Teacher Yuan nodded. "You're quick-witted, thoughtful, and resilient. Whatever you do, you won't go wrong."

Lu Hehuan gave a modest smile.

Teacher Yuan then looked at Ying Xi. "This Inspector Ying looks somewhat familiar. Did you also graduate from Bright Virtue Middle School?"

Ying Xi shook his head. "I only came to Old Gate two years ago."

Teacher Yuan nodded.

Lu Hehuan took out a photograph of Liu Ruixue, Mary, Song Xiaowan, and Wen Hui together. "Teacher Yuan, please look at these four. Do you remember them?"

Teacher Yuan accepted the photo and squinted at it through her old eyes. Then she spoke at length. "Liu Ruixue, Mary, Song Xiaowan, Wen Hui—I remember them... The four of them were all daughters from prominent families and were the closest of friends. They were called some sort of 'Four Beauties Gang.'"

After a slight pause, Lu Hehuan asked, "Teacher Yuan, do you remember Ling Yan?"

Teacher Yuan nodded. "Of course. Ling Yan was my favorite student."

Lu Hehuan asked carefully, "Then did you know about Ling Yan killing Liu Ruixue's mother? What exactly happened?"

Teacher Yuan let out a deep sigh. "At that time, this so-called 'Four Beauties Gang' often bullied Ling Yan, whose family was poor." She looked at Lu Hehuan. "After you went abroad, they became even more excessive in tormenting her. Once, the four of them played a trick on Ling Yan. Mary, Song Xiaowan, and Wen Hui somehow got hold of a snake and urged Liu Ruixue to put it in Ling Yan's schoolbag..."

Lu Hehuan took a sip of water, his hands trembling slightly.

Teacher Yuan sighed. "The snake crawled onto Ling Yan. In her panic, she threw it away, and Liu Ruixue's mother happened to be passing by. That's when she was bitten..."

Ying Xi, unable to help himself, interjected, "Liu Ruixue's mother was unlucky enough."

Teacher Yuan adjusted her glasses. "Alas, Ling Yan was even more unfortunate. Later, Liu Ruixue, Mary, Song Xiaowan, and Wen Hui all escaped punishment thanks to their family connections, but the four of them all swore in unison that Ling Yan had harbored hatred toward them and deliberately caught a venomous snake to kill Liu Ruixue's mother."

Lu Hehuan clenched his teeth. "No one stood up for Ling Yan?"

"There were not many eyewitnesses at the time, and the families of Liu Ruixue, Mary, Song Xiaowan, and Wen Hui were all powerful. No one wanted trouble, and no one dared testify, so in the end Ling Yan was judged to be the murderer." As Teacher Yuan finished speaking, her expression grew a little dim.

Lu Hehuan pressed on. "And after that?"

Teacher Yuan could not help sighing again. "Afterward, Ling Yan disappeared. Her mother had never been in good health to begin with, and when she learned that Ling Yan had killed someone and was being hunted by the police, the strain broke her down. She died not long after."

Lu Hehuan gritted his teeth in hatred. "Those people are truly vile!"

Ying Xi looked at Teacher Yuan with curiosity. "Teacher Yuan, since you knew the truth, why didn't you testify? Was it also because of the backgrounds of those four families?"

Teacher Yuan nodded guiltily. "At the time, my husband worked at the Old Gate Bank, and the bank president was Song Xiaowan's father. My husband was at a crucial point in his promotion, so..." She sighed. "A single wrong thought ruined a life. I have felt guilty about that matter ever since, which is why I left Old Gate."

Lu Hehuan held back his anger. "Teacher Yuan, do you know where Ling Yan went afterward?"

Teacher Yuan shook her head. "I've always wanted to find her and apologize to her face to face, but unfortunately I never heard another word about her."

"I never imagined Ling Yan suffered so much pain and injustice." Lu Hehuan felt his heart ache.

Ying Xi stroked his beard with a sigh. "Everything is fate."

Under the night sky, the room was lit with a soft, dim glow, and everywhere there lingered an air of intimacy.

Bao Kang, in his nightclothes, lay on the bed. Suddenly, the door opened, and a young woman in a lace dress walked in, her sultry, alluring eyes fixed on Bao Kang. Excited, Bao Kang sat up and swallowed hard.

The woman leaned seductively against the wall, licked her lips, and then crooked a finger at him.

Bao Kang tried to move toward her, but suddenly his fear of women seized him. He shook like a sieve, his lips trembling, his face deathly pale.

The woman cried out in fright and fled out the door. Bao Kang slapped himself in frustration.

The slap jolted Bao Kang awake, and he realized he was half-reclining in his office chair. Everything that had just happened was only a daytime lustful dream.

"Damn this fear of women. It even ruins my wet dreams," Bao Kang sighed, pulling his feet down from the desk.

Then he thought again and muttered unwillingly, "No, I need to go to the pleasure district and work up some nerve. I refuse to believe this phobia can make me a bachelor for life. Tonight I must take the plunge, cure this fear, and become a real man!"

Under cover of night, Bao Kang hurried through the alley with his briefcase in hand.

Luo Si suddenly caught up from behind and stuffed something into Bao Kang's briefcase.

Bao Kang looked at him in confusion. "Luo Si? What did you put in my bag?"

Luo Si smiled awkwardly. "Director Bao, it's nothing. Just a little gift from me as thanks. A small token of appreciation."

Bao Kang waved him off impatiently. "Fine, I know. I have things to do, so I'll be leaving."

Luo Si nodded and ran off in the opposite direction.

Bao Kang glanced after him, somewhat puzzled, but thought no more of it and turned away quickly.

It was late, and there were few people on the streets. Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi walked side by side, discussing the case as they went.

Lu Hehuan rested his chin on his hand. "Ling Yan, Mary, and Song Xiaowan were all involved in the incident involving Liu Ruixue's mother. Could this string of murders be related to the murder case from back then?"

Ying Xi thought for a moment. "Liu Ruixue suddenly disappeared, and then Ling Yan, Mary, and Song Xiaowan were killed in succession. Could the killer be Liu Ruixue?"

Lu Hehuan froze and sank into thought.

Suddenly, Ying Xi nudged Lu Hehuan with his elbow. Lu Hehuan looked in the direction Ying Xi indicated and saw Bao Kang sneaking along the side of the street.

"At this hour, where is Director Bao going?"

Ying Xi gave a wicked smile. "Follow him and we'll know."

Lu Hehuan nodded, and together they trailed after Bao Kang.

Under the night sky, Bao Kang turned into a narrow alley, with Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi sneaking after him.

Suddenly, a strip of white cloth peeked out from Bao Kang's briefcase. Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi exchanged a look and moved in closer.

Ying Xi stepped forward and gently pulled out the strip of white cloth. On closer inspection, he found it was a qipao identical to the one worn by several of the victims when they died.

Lu Hehuan was startled. "A white qipao?"

Bao Kang sensed something and whirled around. Seeing the white qipao Ying Xi had pulled from his briefcase, he too froze.

Ying Xi exchanged a glance with Lu Hehuan. Understanding immediately, the two of them pounced and seized Bao Kang.

Struggling all the while, Bao Kang shouted, "What the hell do you two bastards think you're doing?"

Ying Xi opened Bao Kang's briefcase and rummaged through it, then pulled out a dagger.

At the sight of the dagger, all three of them froze.

Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi looked at each other, then at Bao Kang, whose face was full of shock.

Bao Kang recovered himself and shot them an inquiring look. "Where did the white qipao and dagger come from?"

Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi remained silent. They both looked down at the white qipao and dagger on the ground, exchanged another glance, and then looked at Bao Kang again.

Bao Kang grew uneasy under their stare. "What are you two bastards trying to do?"

As soon as the words fell, Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi lunged forward together and restrained him.

Lu Hehuan stared him down. "Director Bao, what were you sneaking around with a white qipao and a dagger for?"

"I..." Bao Kang was momentarily at a loss for words. After a moment, he drew himself up and hardened his tone. "What I do has nothing to do with you!"

"Director Bao, what you do is indeed none of our business. But carrying a white qipao and a dagger is another matter." Ying Xi hesitated, looking troubled. "You know that in the recent string of murders, the victims all wore white qipaos and had talismans carved all over their faces."

Bao Kang fell silent for a moment. Then something occurred to him. "I ran into Luo Si on the road just now. He secretly stuffed something into my bag. When I found out, he said it was a thank-you gift to show his gratitude. I was in a hurry and didn't even look. These things must have been put in there by him. Let go of me!"

Hearing this, Lu Hehuan grew suspicious and pressed, "Where were you rushing off to?"

"I..." Bao Kang waved a hand perfunctorily. "What does that have to do with the case?"

Seeing that Bao Kang seemed to be deliberately hiding something, Ying Xi fixed him with a stare. "Director Bao, if you won't cooperate with us, it'll be hard to clear your name."

"Ying Xi, I think this inspector of yours no longer wants his job, daring to suspect me!" Bao Kang erupted in fury.

Ying Xi waved both hands. "Director Bao, it's not that I suspect you. It's the evidence speaking..."

The more Bao Kang heard, the angrier he became. He struggled and made as if to strike Ying Xi, but Lu Hehuan held him down.

Lu Hehuan continued to press him. "Director Bao, where exactly were you going?"

"Why should I tell you?" Bao Kang's attitude was overbearing.

Lu Hehuan frowned. "If you refuse to cooperate, I can only proceed by the book."

As he spoke, he produced a pair of handcuffs.

Bao Kang was stunned and glared furiously at Lu Hehuan. "How dare you!"

Lu Hehuan efficiently cuffed him and said solemnly, "Bao Kang, you are now a suspect in the string of murders. Please come back to the police station with us to assist in the investigation."

"Let go of me, let go of me..." Bao Kang struggled repeatedly, but to no avail.

The night was dense, and Old Gate Police Station lay in utter darkness, save for the lit window of the interrogation room.

Inside, Bao Kang was tied to a chair. Across from him, Ying Xi and Lu Hehuan sat expressionless, staring straight at him.

After a moment, Lu Hehuan's mouth moved and he gestured to Bao Kang. "Speak."

Bao Kang's temper had not yet cooled. He roared, "Speak about what?"

Ying Xi folded his arms, pretending calm. "The details of the crimes."

Bao Kang struggled violently, losing all control as he shouted, "What details of the crimes? You two cursed fools—have your brains grown into your buttocks? Let me go! Someone framed me, framed me!"

Lu Hehuan thought for a moment. "Then where did you go earlier? How did a white qipao and a dagger end up in your briefcase?"

"I..." Bao Kang shifted uneasily on his seat. "Do I have to report everywhere I go to you two? I already said it was Luo Si who framed me!"

Lu Hehuan fixed him with a sharp gaze. "First, you said you met Luo Si on the street. If it was a chance encounter, how would Luo Si have prepared a white qipao and a dagger? I don't think Luo Si would carry qipaos and daggers around all day, waiting for the chance to run into you and frame you, would he?"

"How would I know what that bastard Luo Si was thinking!" Bao Kang snapped.

Lu Hehuan went on, "Second, when you said Luo Si put something in your bag, you said it was a gift of thanks for you. If it was a thank-you gift, why would it turn into an attempt to frame you?"

"He's crazy!" Bao Kang gritted out.

"Third, if Luo Si was stuffing something into your briefcase, why didn't you check it at the time?"

"I told you, I was in a hurry!" Bao Kang's eyes bulged wider and wider.

Lu Hehuan continued pressing him. "Where were you hurrying to? What were you going to do?"

"I..." In his panic, Bao Kang almost let the truth slip. He swallowed and glared at Lu Hehuan in resentment. "None of your business!"

Lu Hehuan was certain Bao Kang was hiding something and gently warned him, "Director Bao, if you won't make it clear, it will only deepen our suspicion of you."

A cunning, frosty smile crept onto Ying Xi's lips. "Looks like unless we use one of your usual methods, you won't tell the truth..."

Bao Kang knew Ying Xi meant to force a confession through interrogation. He shouted sharply to cut him off, "Bastard! If you dare lay a hand on me, I'll have you shot!"

Ying Xi looked at Lu Hehuan, then at Bao Kang. "Director Bao, the law knows no mercy!"

As he spoke, he took a handful of red chilies from a bamboo basket nearby, tore them apart, and stuffed them forcefully into Bao Kang's mouth.