An hour later, Tang Quan and I stood on the riverside corridor by the River Lu.
The old stone "railing" had a stone beast standing every few meters, their disrepair etched by the passage of time.
There was an incline of about five meters between the riverside promenade and the road, with dense and lush Eulalia variegata along the steps. Among the towering trees, there were aged willows with patchy bark and thick shade.
The branches reflected in the water, with leaves curling and falling, spinning and drifting away with the wind on the surface.
There was a four-story building on the side of the street, its exterior walls completely white, with golden characters that shone: Fenghanxuan.
We arrived too early; Fenghanxuan had not yet opened for business, and the tightly closed large door stood only a solitary glass welcoming stand.
Tang Quan's hand, supporting his cane, was trembling as he stared fixedly at Fenghanxuan, his eyes bloodshot.
I stared at the sign for a long time before turning my head to look at the river.
The sky of this world is bright.
But many places still have blackness where light cannot reach.
The river surface was already chilly, but the bottom of the river must be both cold and dark, right?
Suddenly, Tang Quan seemed to have lost all his strength, and he said listlessly, "Master, let's go."
"Huh? What's wrong, Tang uncle?" I wondered.
"You've certainly had a tough time over the past decade, Luo family needs to regain its dignity. I was an idiot last night, and you shouldn't get in trouble because of me and Qianqian."
"The world is going back to a more corrupt era, where common people fear official robes, but some people become accomplices to tigers," Tang Quan said with a very bitter tone.
I realized then that Tang Quan was saying that these people had quite a background.
"Tang uncle, are you afraid that I might offend them?"
Tang Quan did not say anything, but the meaning was self-evident.
"It's so cold, and Qianqian's resentment is hard to settle."
"Home, she doesn't want to stay there. In the next life, she's not willing to go. We can endure this moment without harm, but can we be at peace with our hearts?" I shook my head in response.
Tang Quan's eyes became even more painful.
"Righteousness or evil, one day will be reckoned. To deal with these 'normal people', it's not enough to get me into trouble." I whispered softly, comforting Tang Quan.
He stared at me listlessly, his thoughts drifting to who knows where.
Soon, it was noon.
The blinding sunlight pierced through the willow shadows, adding a slight warmth to our bodies. Pushcart vendors were selling various foods such as fried potatoes and cold noodles.
I bought three portions and each of us had one. The remaining one, I handed to him, telling him to hold it and insert our chopsticks in the middle.
Around two or three o'clock, Fenghanxuan opened its doors. A man in a suit stood straight behind the glass welcoming stand.
Not long after, he noticed Tang Quan and me, and made a call with a wary expression.
A few minutes later, several "welcoming staff" appeared at the entrance of Fenghanxuan, all in black suits and with their temples bulging. They were all skilled martial artists.
The road seemed to serve as a boundary, with them on one side and us on the other. They watched us with a mix of intention and intimidation.
It was around six or seven o'clock. The setting sun was shining on the river, emitting blinding red light. The twilight was constantly engulfing the sunset.
Fenghanxuan began to gradually attract customers.
Only then did I walk towards the gate.
Tang Quan hobbled behind me.
I walked straight to the front of the welcoming stand and stopped in place.
The man in the suit, with a slender face, had eyes full of disgust and impatience.
"Lame man, you've been trying to extort us all along, haven't you?"
"Haha, and you brought a helper? This time, it won't be the police to take you away."
"Drag them to the side alley, don't make too much noise, and let them rest in the hospital for a few months." The man in the suit glanced at the other "welcoming staff."
The few of them either twisted their necks or clenched their fists, with a slight cracking sound. They surrounded us, encircling Tang Quan and me.
Tang Quan was sweating profusely, one hand holding the cold noodles with sticks, and the other supporting his cane.
Suddenly!
I moved, my hand reaching out to grab the neck of the man in the suit.
He immediately dodged backwards, as if he had not expected me to dare to strike first, exclaiming angrily, "Take him away!"
I pushed my hand further forward, flicking my palm, precisely hitting his Adam's apple.
He let out a cry of pain, covering his throat, and sat down hard on the ground.
Those five men were fierce and terrifying, with fists as big as sandbags or powerful kicks. Their fists and feet were all aimed at me!
I grabbed Tang Quan's right arm and raised his cane with it.
I jabbed, pierced, sliced, and swept in a smooth sequence of simple movements.
The five men fell to the ground with a thud, some holding their stomachs, others clutching their legs, screaming like pigs being slaughtered!
My hand fell, and the cane hit the ground with a clack.
Tang Quan swayed slightly, momentarily stunned, but his eyes were filled with indescribable excitement!
On the opposite side of the street, at the entrance on both sides, passing pedestrians and customers preparing to enter Fenghanxuan were dumbfounded, as if they had seen a spectacle.
I took out the portrait from my chest and glanced at the six of them.
"Have you met her?" I asked.
The six men's eyes were filled with terror.
"You are just doing a job for money, you don't need to risk your life. Tell me, who harmed her?"
Still no one spoke up.
"Don't know?"
I furrowed my brow and pulled out the three folded paper effigies from my pocket.
I threw the paper effigies into Fenghanxuan's gate casually.
The three paper figures stood upright on the ground after landing.
The vibrant lights on the first floor reflected on the paper figures, and their three blood-red eyes suddenly came to life!
In the meantime, the six men had gotten up one after another. They hadn't paid any attention to my actions, and they ran into the KTV in a panic.
The man with the thin cheeks, who happened to step on one of the paper figures, looked fierce and stomped his foot before turning around and swearing, "If you have guts, go upstairs!"
With that, they all crowded into the elevator.
Only two of the paper figures stood up, and their blood-red eyes looked even more lifelike.
The paper figure that was stepped on was now crumpled and stained with dirt. However, it still lingered with a hint of black mist.
I stepped around the paper figures and walked towards the elevator.
Tang Quan followed me, and the fear in his eyes had completely vanished, replaced only by excitement and enthusiasm.
"Ding," the elevator arrived on the second floor.
The entrance was crowded with over ten men, all of whom had cold faces and bulging waistbands, clearly carrying weapons.
I exited the elevator.
Among the dozen men, there were none of the earlier six, and no one moved to attack first.
Suddenly, a man in the crowd pushed forward to the front, with a kind expression and a full smile.
"I am the manager here. Fenghanxuan opens its doors for business, emphasizing harmony brings wealth. There has been a misunderstanding here, brother, please step aside? Our boss is here today by coincidence, and he can resolve this conflict. What do you think?"
The manager made a gesture to please step forward.
......
A few minutes later, inside a luxurious and grand VIP room......
The six people who I had knocked down earlier were all crammed into a corner, staring at me with their eyes wide open.
The marble table was filled with high-end wine bottles, and there was also a teapot in the middle.
A middle-aged man of about fifty sat behind the tea tray, slightly overweight with a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, exuding an air of scholarly gentility.
He poured two cups of tea and indicated for me and Tang Quan to go fetch them.
Tang Quan didn't move, and his eyes were redder.
I shook my head and said, "Sorry, I don't drink tea."
The middle-aged man's gaze casually swept over the portrait I was holding, and he said with a smile, "Young man, not fond of tea. There's wine here, and many things you wouldn't expect."
"This girl is Tang Qianqian? I remember her, a very hardworking young lady."
"A few months ago, we hired her here. My worthless son and some dubious characters in the market had deals going on. However, after the old brother reported it to the police, we were fined, and I also gave that rebellious son a good scolding."
"Indeed, Fenghanxuan was unaware of her death."
"This is a matter of life and death, and we dare not do such things."
"However, I can offer a large sum of money as compensation for the previous incident. If the young man can work for us, I, Yu Yong, can guarantee that we will use all our connections to help find the killer as soon as possible. How does that sound?"
Yu Yong raised his teacup, lightly clinked it with mine, and his face was full of confidence and ease.
"The person who sought revenge on Qianqian is your son, right?"
I said calmly.
