Chapter 28 (1/2)

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Terror Within Cypress Jade House

After Chengfeng had buried 'Liu Zhixi', Xiaobao cautiously advised him to return home. But Chengfeng pretended not to hear him and kept going back to Cypress Jade House. Clearly Xiaobao's advice fell on deaf ears, all he could do was pout and trail Chengfeng. He regretted giving Chengfeng the note.

The Cypress Jade House was located west of Cailian Alley, and situated at the heart of the city. Every afternoon or late evening, the entrance to the House would be crowded with visitors and customers.

It was exactly noon and the sun was at its peak. The gentle sun of winter warmed the bodies of the people. Chengfeng quickened his steps and entered the House. He gave the busboy a delighted greeting, who was at the entrance of the House.

The busboy was stunned upon seeing Chengfeng. He was about to quietly slip away, but Chengfeng placed a hand on his shoulder. He managed a forced smile for Chengfeng, “Oh, it's you Master Li! Come in, come in! We haven't seen you in so long,”

Chengfeng wasn't quite sure to smile or not. He replied, “What's the matter with you? You look like you've just seen a ghost! Is it because you think I'm bad luck, so you're trying to avoid me?”

“That's not true! Look at you, your face is filled with fortune and prosperity, your forehead is wide and your cheeks are full, you're a literal indicator of wealth! There's no way you're bad luck!”

Chengfeng laughed in response and patted the busboy's shoulder forcefully, “The words said to one's face are often the sweetest. Alright! I won't trouble you today. Is my room available?”

Little Two gritted his teeth and shrank away from Chengfeng, “Of course it's available. No one would dare to take your room,”

Chengfeng laughed in response, “You know the rules! You screw it up and my fist will be right up your nose.”

The busboy dashed away while yelling out, “Hey, prepare the first room upstairs and bring some of the finest wines we have!” After saying this, he took one look at Chengfeng and rolled his eyes. 'Let's see how long can you keep up the bravado!' he muttered to himself.

Chengfeng and Xiaobao ascended the steps to the second floor and walked along the corridor. They noticed that the floorboards were freshly oiled, the large gla.s.s grilles were polished clean. Everything was spick and span. At the corner of the room, a desk for writing was positioned against the wall. There were brushes, paper, and ink on the desk. It was made for people like Chengfeng, who wanted to write poems and drink wine at the same time. A few minutes later, the busboy entered the room with a forced smile. He set the table up and brought the snacks and wine.

Xiaobao stood meekly behind the both of them and held his breath. One wrong word and he might just p.i.s.s his already cranky master off.

Chengfeng dined on his snacks and wine for a while. Suddenly, rushed footsteps could be heard from the outside, and someone pushed the door open. The person was stout, he donned a fur coat and hood. Upon entering the room, he turned to close the door and pulled his hood back, revealing his dark, tanned face. It was Qiu Liangsheng.

Liangsheng looked at Chengfeng with a worried, complicated look. He sat down and sighed, “Why are you like this, brother?”

Chengfeng poured a gla.s.s for Liangsheng and replied, “Some things are meant to be done.”

Liangsheng raised his gla.s.s, “But some matters are meant to be ignored.”

“The pains of being human,” Chengfeng laughed, somewhat wistfully.

While the two went back and forth, Xiaobao eavesdropped. He could more or less guess what they were talking about. They were talking about the Liu Zhixi matter.

Liangsheng glared at Chengfeng, but quickly changed his demeanor and laughed. He took a sip and said, “I knew you'd say that.”

“That's why you willingly wrote that in your note,” Chengfeng laughed.

“Misfortunes are inevitable. You had to face it sooner or later, or there would've been consequences,” Liangsheng lamented.

“Regardless, this one's for you.” Chengfeng poured another gla.s.s for him.

Chengfeng and Liangsheng continued to drink and banter back and forth. Eventually the alcohol made them tipsy and cheery. “To have a brother like you in Cheng'an City, it is somewhat peculiar.”

Chengfeng poured another gla.s.s for him and asked, “Why would you say that?”

Liangsheng raised his gla.s.s and pondered, “The city isn't very big, it's like a clear pond. You can see everything that's going on. When you look at certain people and things, you'll know how they're gonna turn out eventually. You've been here in Cheng'an for ten years, but I've been here for more than thirty years. Have you ever wondered? The people on the street, the ones whom you grew up with… they grow up to act like their parents, and their children grow up to act like them. It's like being stuck in a time loop… it's interesting.”

Liangsheng looked at Chengfeng and laughed, “But you're different. I can't see through you, I don't know what's going to happen to you. You're not like the others here in the city.”

As Xiaobao silently observed, he felt that he had misjudged Liangsheng. There was some truth to his words. He may look uncouth and impulsive on the surface, but when he chopped Su Zhixian up, it seemed like the most sensible reaction given the situation.

It's like the saying, 'never judge a book by its cover'.

Chengfeng asked as he filled Liangsheng's gla.s.s, “What did the prefecture chief say?”

“Brother, they really hate your guts.” Liangsheng shook his head.

Chengfeng chuckled bitterly, “Didn't you tell them? I was tricked into getting in there! What about Silver Hairpin? If we can find her then they'll know the truth!”

“Already found her,” Liangsheng chuckled.

“Where is she? I'll sort her out,” Chengfeng was ecstatic.

Liangsheng chuckled, “Sure, but you're gonna have to slit your throat first.”

Chengfeng's eyes grew wide, “She's dead?! When?”

“About a night ago. They found her body about ten metres from the Cheng'an river.”

Chengfeng slowly sunk back into his chair. It was sobering news. Her death could spell big trouble for him.

The case now had zero witnesses to back him up!