Chapter Thirty-six: Fate-entwining, Soul-shattering

"Heh, so what exactly are you trying to say?" I kept my gaze fixed on her.

"As for Yue Leiting's involvement in assault and gang fighting, those cases are still piled high in my office. The police have kept an eye on him for a long time, waiting for the right moment to wipe out his criminal organization in one fell swoop." Fang Yanan spoke with righteous conviction.

"No one's stopping you. If you've got the guts, you can go right now," Xiao Lianshan replied with a careless smile.

"Behave yourself. You're in the station now, so you'd better be honest," Blackface said menacingly.

"I've been watching you two for a while as well. You haven't been with Yue Leiting’s gang for long, and neither of you participated in any criminal acts. However, the fact that you can come and go freely from Yue Leiting’s villa in the suburbs, and that he treats you both with such respect, suggests he needs something from you." Fang Yanan exchanged a glance with me.

"My brother saved Lei’s life, and Lei’s just repaying the favor by letting us stay at his place. Is that a crime?" Xiao Lianshan lifted his chin in defiance.

"This is your opportunity. If you cooperate with the police and help us take down Yue Leiting’s gang, your actions will be taken into account and you can earn merit to offset your crimes."

"So after all that, you just want us to betray Lei, right?" Xiao Lianshan sneered contemptuously. "Why don't you just arrest him openly, instead of sneaking around like this? Aren't you ashamed to call yourself police?"

"Watch your mouth. Has no one taught you ‘leniency for confession, severity for resistance’? If you continue to collude with Yue Leiting, you'll end up trapped by your own actions. To be honest, the police have been monitoring him for a while now. When the net closes, you’ll regret it," Blackface declared with righteous authority.

"No one's stopping you. Arrest him whenever you want. Why all this talk? You call it cooperation, but it's really betrayal. Betraying your own brothers is disloyal; Lei saved my life, and to betray him would be dishonorable. I'm a grown man, asking me to be disloyal and dishonorable? Don’t even think about it."

"Still resisting, even now? Just looking at you, I can tell you’re no good," Blackface snarled at Xiao Lianshan.

"Heh, interesting. So you can read faces? Just by looking at me, you know I’m no good? That’s impressive." Xiao Lianshan gestured at me. "My brother can read faces too, and he’s spot on every time. How about you two compare?"

"Shifty eyes and a sneaky look. I wonder what use someone like you has in this world—it’s just a waste of food," Blackface scoffed coldly.

"Screw you! You haven’t even grown all your hair and you dare lecture me!" Xiao Lianshan, furious, yanked open his shirt, exposing his scars. "I fought on the front lines to protect my country, risking my life. What were you doing, bastard? The wounds on my body were made by enemy bullets and shrapnel. You say I'm a waste of food? You bastards don’t even deserve to live. Come on, if you’re not convinced, step up. Even with handcuffs, I’ll take you down."

Blackface was completely overwhelmed by Xiao Lianshan’s presence; his hand shook and his pen dropped onto the table. Fang Yanan was also shocked by the alarming scars on Xiao Lianshan’s body. She had always respected soldiers, but never expected that the man fraternizing with Yue Leiting was once a soldier who fought on the battlefield.

"How old are you?" Xiao Lianshan paused, looked at me beside him, and I suddenly leaned forward, gazing intently at Fang Yanan.

"What?" Fang Yanan didn’t react immediately.

"How old are you?" I repeated, emphasizing my tone.

She didn’t answer. My expression showed no provocation or jest.

"Have you made any enemies recently?" I continued to ask seriously.

Fang Yanan smiled calmly and replied with indifference, "In this line of work, dealing with people like you every day, being resented is normal. Evil never prevails over righteousness, and I’ve never been afraid."

"Did you tie that red thread on your head deliberately?" I pointed to her head.

"Red thread?" Fang Yanan was momentarily confused, touched her hair, and found a red thread in her hand. "How is there another red thread?"

"Again? Do you remember when this started happening?"

"Are you interrogating me, or am I interrogating you?" She tossed the thread aside, speaking righteously.

"You might not believe me, but your left ear shows a deficiency in Tiancheng, which foretells disaster. The darkness in your Si Kong is persistent, and calamity draws near. Most unusual is the red—"

"So you’re just a charlatan pretending to be mystical. No wonder Yue Leiting keeps you around; I’ve heard he’s superstitious, and his advisor Huo Qian is another fraud with a silver tongue. Birds of a feather, indeed," Fang Yanan interrupted with disdain.

"I don’t like what you’re saying. My brother’s predictions are always accurate. Lei’s fate was determined by him, and the entrance to the ancient tomb was found through his calculations," Xiao Lianshan blurted out, realizing halfway that he’d slipped.

Fang Yanan suddenly raised her head and stared at me, realizing she’d been focusing on the wrong person all along. Of the two, it was clear I was the one who mattered.

"So you were involved in destroying the ancient tomb. The Archaeological Institute investigated the site—what was once a well-preserved relic has been ruined, impossible to restore. Divers confirmed it was deliberate sabotage, and many artifacts of immense historical value are now shattered. The experts couldn’t figure out how to enter, but Yue Leiting got in. I was blind, it seems. With someone like you helping him, do you realize that just this one crime is enough to put you both in prison for the rest of your lives?"

"Hold on, when did the red thread on your head start appearing? Didn’t you notice?"

"Qin Yanhui, you’d better adjust your attitude. If you keep resisting, your charges will only multiply—"

"Listen to me!" I abruptly stood, slapping the table hard, my expression grave. "You’d better do as I say, or within three days you’ll die an unnatural death."

Blackface, enraged by my arrogance, raised his electric baton to strike, but Xiao Lianshan, even in handcuffs, deftly twisted it away and seized the baton. Blackface was startled, hastily reaching for his gun.

Xiao Lianshan didn’t even flinch, stepped in front of me, shielding me from the gun, and pointed at his chest. "I’ve stopped enemy bullets; never tasted one from a compatriot. Go ahead, shoot right here."

I anxiously pushed Xiao Lianshan aside, still staring unwaveringly at Fang Yanan.

"This is a rare Daoist spell, a soul-breaking curse. Unless someone hates you deeply, they wouldn’t use such a vicious technique. Someone is out to kill you. Think carefully; I can still save you."

To Fang Yanan, Xiao Lianshan and I were nothing but stubborn fools, and she took my words as mere threats. She didn’t care at all, simply sighed in disappointment, packed up her files, and left the interrogation room without looking back.

We spent the night in the detention cell. Early the next morning, a police officer opened the door and, unwillingly, told us to leave.

Xiao Lianshan got up from the floor, glanced at the hex I’d drawn on the wall last night. I had him pick a number to divine our fortune; he counted seven iron bars on the gate and said seven. Using plum blossom divination, I cast for luck with seven, and the result was: The hidden dragon has emerged, its horns are formed, clouds gather and rain falls, benefiting all.

Xiao Lianshan didn’t understand, so I explained: This omen is extremely auspicious. The matter in question will soon break through its deadlock, and the path ahead will be smooth.

"Brother, how come your predictions are always so accurate? Judging by that policewoman yesterday, things looked serious, yet today we’re released."

I smiled faintly, still worried, not showing much excitement.

At the station entrance, I saw Yue Leiting had arrived as well. I smiled apologetically.

"Lei, sorry to trouble you. I was too impulsive and didn’t expect things to get so out of hand."

"Can’t you be more mature? That was an ancient painting, possibly centuries old, and you just tore it up. What if it was genuine?" Yue Qianling looked relieved when she saw me, clearly happy, but still scolding.