CH 22.3

The three criminals had been very content during these days of being guarded, they had not made any moves that could make people suspect them, as if they had already given up.

That Old Liao also seemed to be waiting for Li Ai Guo to come to him after not being able to find the people, to speak of the terms and conditions and to lower his head in admittance.

“Wang Peng, Old Second Bai, the cultural relics have been found.” Li Ai Guo was flushed with success[1], the corners of his mouth were smiling.

Old Second Bai lifted his head in shock, but soon he shrugged his shoulders dejectedly.

The bad feeling became true in the end.

Our things, even though they were hidden and concealed, but so long as they found that cave…

“Let me tell you about how the cultural relics were found.” Li Ai Guo excitedly dragged a chair, then told them about this matter’s whole sequence of events[2].

The first part about the monkeys taking the cultural relics away, it was something that Old Second Bai knew nothing about. After all, if the cultural relics still had not been found, Li Ai Guo would not have told him, as he would have been ridiculed in vain.

After the team stayed for only one night, on the second day, the monkeys hurried early in the morning to throw the cultural relics to them.

The degree of fantasy of this story, it could compete with that of the cat saving people.

A miracle appeared once, could it have appeared for a second time?

That was right! It appeared! A second time!

Old Second Bai remained indifferent: “Li Ai Guo, if you told this story more fantastically, maybe I would believe it.”

Pfft! Finding it is finding it, what are you being cocky about? Recounting it so unreliably, are you trying to scare me? Are you taking me, Old Second Bai, as someone who grew up from being scared?!

“It’s up to you to believe it or not.” Li Ai Guo held a cigarette in his mouth, “Humans do things, and the heavens watch. Kindness will be rewarded with kindness; evil will be rewarded with evil. Before, I didn’t believe in this, now, laozi does f*cking believe.”

“Look at your three, you were so unlucky that even after you had successfully escaped, you were still beaten into this unsightly appearance by a tiger’s slap. Captain Qin was in the brink of a crises, but he was brought to the hospital right on time…” When Li Ai Guo did not talk about it, he was still ok, but once he talked about it, he was a bit emotional, and smacked his mouth: “This extraordinary occurrence, it’s not possible to not believe ah.”

“Eh, thankfully I’m a police officer.” Li Ai Guo rejoiced in other people’s misfortunes: “I won’t inexplicably encounter weird situations, or have things go wrong when they’re sure to succeed.”

Invisible guy Old Liao sat up, his gaze was profound and glowing: “Are you telling the truth?”

His words faintly carried a bit of gloominess that was difficult to ascertain by other people; with smoke that could choke people entering his lungs, Li Ai Guo smiled, “Old Liao, I’ve lived so many years, and have been working as a police officer for these many years, yet it’s the first time I’ve stumbled on this type of thing happening. Say, could it be that the bad things you guys have done are so many, that even the heavens can’t watch it anymore?”

“Hehe.” Li Ai Guo laughed, then flicked some cigarette ash: “You aren’t telling me the trails of the hostages, but who knows, the clues may fly to me by themselves, or fly into my hands?”

“Then keep waiting, trust your chances instead of taking the initiative[3], and stumble on sh*tty luck!” The corners of Old Liao’s mouth sneered, Cuilian Mountain… Cuilian Mountain… damn it, I knew that this Cuilian Mountain was wicked, it definitely clashes with me violently[4]!

A cat and a tiger were already something. Now, a troop of monkeys has even come out of nowhere, are all the animals in this Cuilian Mountain about to turn into spirits?

Damn it, monkeys that meddle in other people’s business!

Old Liao lay back down again, he flipped his body, leaving his back facing the outer side, and his pair of eyes intently stared at the snow-white wall.

Old Second Bai said that he did not believe it, but he was a bit clear about Li Ai Guo’s personality. Old-fashioned and serious, he would never joke like this!

Also, the cultural relics have already been found, Li Ai Guo has already filled himself with backing, would he make up a miraculous story to scare us?

We’ve already lost our worth, there’s no need to deceive us.

Old Second Bai never believed in any supernatural beings, he did not believe in kindness being rewarded with kindness, and evil being rewarded with evil! He only believed in himself, now… he once again remembered that weird Persian cat.

Li Ai Guo had already left, only the three criminals and the young soldiers that guarded them remained in the room.

With his peripheral vision brushing over Old Liao who was sticking to the side of the wall like a dead person, Old Second Bai looked at his back figure, and his gaze flashed ambiguously.

“Send more people to keep an eye on them in secret.” Immediately after coming out of the ward, Li Ai Guo’s complexion turned ugly and cold at a pace visible to the naked eye: “On Captain Qin’s side, leave some people guarding in secret too.”

“Boss, we don’t have enough people at our disposal. There’s no need to do that on Captain Qin’s side, right, on his side there’re people from the military to take care of him.”

“Do whatever I tell you to do! Don’t speak superfluous words with me!” Li Ai Guo’s tone was undisputed, so gloomy that it was scary. The little police officer nodded with a pale face; he did not dare to say one more word.

What’s the matter with the menacing air around the boss’ whole body? Weren’t the cultural relics found back? And it was unexpectedly fast too.

At least a big case has been solved, the boss should’ve been happy.

I really don’t know how the boss thinks like.

Li Ai Guo hastily left the hospital, after two to three days without sleeping, all their faces were a bit blue, and they looked very ugly.

Exhausted and worn out were written throughout their faces.

As he was hurriedly passing through the street, uncles and aunties on the side of the road were once again sitting around in a circle, in this moment, they were playing Chinese chess. Faintly, there were voices transmitted to Li Ai Guo’s ears: “Some days ago, that little comrade drove away all the stray cats, recently, the stray cats in our area has become less than a half.”

“I wouldn’t have noticed if you hadn’t said it. It’s true! No wonder these days it’s been weird. Fatty Tangerine hasn’t begged for food for two consecutive days, the food tray has been full, if it doesn’t come soon, I’ll throw it.”

“…where did they all go?” Someone puzzled over it.

“Isn’t it all your faults, the little comrade liked cats, and he wanted to feed them, but you all just had to ask for trouble, and you also taught him a lesson. Now, all the cats have disappeared, who will I feed my leftover food to?”

“…it’s good that they’ve disappeared too. So many of them, what if they scratch the children by chance, how bad would that be ah.”

The uncles and aunties chattered, occasionally they would insert a sentence or two about the gossip of neighbors. Li Ai Guo paid no mind to it, he heard it on passing, then got out of the street with a hurried expression.

Translator’s comments:

Why did Li Ai Guo act like that? Hmmm…

Translator’s notes:

[1] Idiomatic expression ‘春风得意 (chūn fēng dé yì)’: lit. translation: ‘the spring breeze is proud’. It means ‘proud of one’s success’.

[2] Idiomatic expression ‘来龙去脉 (lái lóng qù mài)’: lit. translation: ‘rise and fall of the terrain’. It means ‘sequence of events’ or ‘the causes and effects’.

[3] Idiomatic expression ‘守株待兔 (shǒu zhū dài tù)’: lit. translation: ‘guard a tree-stump to wait for a rabbit’. It means ‘waiting idly for opportunities’.

[4] The author uses a Feng Shui term here. The core idea of Feng Shui is the harmony between man and nature. The term 犯冲 is used to say that Old Liao and Cuilian Mountain, which are man and nature, are not suitable and clash when they’re together.