Chapter 155: Meeting Sister Red Again

Day was breaking once again, and the morning sun streamed into the director's office of the Food Street Police Station. Zhu Zhicheng let out a long sigh. He would do his utmost to protect Liu Yunfei; even if it cost him his training program or his promotion to police chief, he had to try his hardest to prevent Liu from being convicted of intentional homicide.

Pondering this, Zhu Zhicheng stood up, only to stumble over something on the floor. He shook his head, wondering how he could have tripped over the leg of his swivel chair—something that would never have happened in the past. Having sat up all night, his legs and feet felt somewhat numb.

Zhu Zhicheng got up, walked downstairs, and straightened his police uniform and cap in the mirror by the entrance. He brushed the dust off the national emblem on his crown and strode toward his designated police car to attend the Municipal Committee's standing committee meeting at the municipal party headquarters. Someone of his rank could only attend such meetings as a non-voting observer and had no right to speak, yet he had to be ready to speak when necessary.

As Zhu Zhicheng walked into the municipal conference room, his heart tightened again. The Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission and his son would surely make Liu Yunfei's case the primary agenda item today. They would undoubtedly press Liu Yunfei and him underwater, denying them any chance to breathe.

With the commencement of the meeting, after a few polite pleasantries, certain individuals naturally brought up the homicide that had occurred yesterday afternoon at Huangjiang No. 2 High School. To Zhu Zhicheng's astonishment, however, Secretary Jin and his son actually exonerated Liu Yunfei, claiming that the incident was merely a brawl provoked by hoodlings who had accidentally crashed into a wall and died of their own accord, and that Liu Yunfei had never resorted to violence from beginning to end. They even played mobile phone video footage at the meeting to prove Liu Yunfei's innocence.

Not until he returned to the police station did Zhu Zhicheng figure out what game the Jin father and son were playing. Could Liu Yunfei have sworn allegiance to them? Impossible. Could the father and son have abandoned evil to do good and instantly attained Buddhahood? That was even more absurd.

Neither Zhu Zhicheng nor Liu Yunfei understood the situation. After finishing a complimentary lunch at the detention center, Liu was handed back his mobile phone and other belongings and informed that he was free to go home. Of course, by that time, Yang Hairu had long since departed. After the sexual encounter with Liu Yunfei, she had lain there limply, her eyes wide open as she wept silently, unsure of what she was even feeling. Was it the euphoria that follows passion? Or the hatred that settles in afterward? She herself could not tell. Wiping away her tears, she put on her clothes and left.

Liu Yunfei also felt a trace of regret, having no idea how to comfort this woman. In truth, the moment he killed that burly ruffian, regret had already set in. Why was his very first instinct in that critical moment to kill? There were so many other ways to resolve and explain the situation. As for Yang Hairu, though he disliked her journalistic reports, he harbored no hatred toward her; why, then, did his mind instantly jump to raping her? Could it really be because she had cursed his parents a few times?

However, none of that mattered anymore. The crucial thing was that he had regained his freedom. Freedom could be interpreted in many ways; Liu Yunfei could have escaped, changing his name and living in hiding—that would have been easy for him, and that too was freedom. But he did not like that path; he preferred to live under his true identity, sharing a life with his own family and friends under the name of Liu Yunfei.

Stepping out of the detention center into the brilliant sunshine, his parents, girlfriend, and friends were all lined up neatly, holding fresh flowers as if welcoming a victorious warrior returning from battle. Liu Yunfei smiled; this was the kind of freedom he truly needed.

Tian Xiuji's car had already been repaired, and he insisted that Liu Yunfei ride back with him. Settling into the back seat, Liu smiled and said, "What is this? I gave you a ride yesterday, and today you're returning the favor? Your urge for payback is a bit too strong, isn't it?"

"Yunfei, I really need to thank you. This trouble with the law you got into was entirely on my account. If anything had happened to you, I would have felt guilty for the rest of my life," Yu Xiaowei said sincerely.

"Alright, cut the false politeness. The three of us are good friends, good brothers. No need for courteous words, or you'll be struck by lightning," Liu Yunfei patted Yu Xiaowei on the shoulder.

Tian Xiuji, driving the car, chimed in, "Why don't we go to the Guan Yu Temple today and swear brotherhood? Our relationship now can truly be called a bond forged in life and death."

***

Liu Yunfei nodded, recalling how Tian Xiuji had jumped without hesitation from the third floor the other day—a truly loyal and righteous act—while Yu Xiaowei was a trusted friend of many years. "Alright, let's go right now."

Making a turn, the vehicle arrived at the Guan Yu Temple located in the suburbs of Huangjiang City. This was said to be the place where Guan Yu had once fought in battle, though some legends could not be taken literally. Despite the bustling incense offerings, Liu Yunfei could not for the life of him figure out how Guan Yu could have fought a battle deep in the heartland of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period. What puzzled him even more was how Tian Xiuji had become so familiar with Huangjiang City.

Unable to hold back his curiosity, he asked, "Hey, Little Tian, have you ever been to the Guan Yu Temple before?"

"Never," Tian Xiuji replied, keeping his eyes on the road, then added, "I've been studying the Huangjiang tourist map for a long time. I've always wanted to visit Xiaoyang Mountain and the Guan Yu Temple, but I never had the time."

The Jiangnan region was characterized by rolling hills—not very tall, mostly consisting of loess hills. The Guan Yu Temple sat atop a small hill. Parking the car in the plaza at the foot of the mountain, they bought a bundle of incense and climbed the stone steps. The tall deciduous trees of autumn had already withered and turned yellow, but the large pine trees planted all around the steps remained a deep, vibrant green, pleasing to the eye and refreshing the spirit.

Walking into the temple, the slow echoes of morning bells and evening drums reverberated through the air, surrounded by swirling wisps of incense smoke. In front of a huge clay statue of the red-faced Guan Yu, a row of kneeling mats was laid out. The three men stepped forward, lit the incense they held in their hands, knelt down simultaneously, and swore: "We, Liu Yunfei, Tian Xiuji, and Yu Xiaowei, vow today to become sworn brothers. Though we were not born on the same month and day, we pray to die on the same month and day. We shall share each other's hardships and blessings, and whoever betrays this oath shall die a wretched death without a burial site."

Based on age, Tian Xiuji was the oldest, Liu Yunfei was the second, and Yu Xiaowei was the youngest. After the oath-taking, the three of them embraced tightly.

Liu Yunfei was still thinking about quickly visiting the Food Street Police Station once the oath ceremony concluded, and was preparing to descend the mountain when Tian Xiuji suddenly said, "Second brother, I heard there is a large temple on the back mountain. When you encounter bad luck, if you go and burn a stick of incense, the misfortune will stay away. Why don't we all go burn one, especially you, to make those evil ghosts and malevolent spirits stay far away?"

Liu Yunfei laughed in amusement, "A fake foreign devil like you actually believes in this stuff? Let's go, why not burn one just in case."

Passing around the main hall of the Guan Yu Temple, they reached the small temple on the back mountain. The incense here was even more vigorous than at the front, with people crowding shoulder-to-shoulder, queuing up to enter.

Just as it was almost Liu Yunfei's turn in line, he faintly caught the sound of someone calling for help in the distance. His hearing was exceptionally sharp; although the surroundings were noisy and chaotic, he was able to filter out the noise and listen closely. Sure enough, a woman was crying for help. Putting aside any explanations, he said to the others, "You guys go on in, I need to run to the restroom."

He sprinted out of the small temple, following the direction of the voice deep into the woods. The farther he ran, the louder the cries became, accompanied by the laughter of men. Liu Yunfei hid behind a tree and saw a young woman in her early twenties sitting on the ground with her hands tied tightly behind her back, screaming continuously for help. The woman was quite attractive with a full figure, while three men stood nearby, leering and making obscene, vulgar remarks without actually touching her.

One of the men, who had a tattoo on his shoulder and arm, cursed, "Stop fucking yelling, it's damn annoying! Nobody can hear you. We're just playing with you. Hurry up and tell us your bank card password, and we won't bother you anymore. We only want money; tell us and we'll let you go."

To Liu Yunfei's bewilderment, the woman tearfully replied, "Three big brothers, let me service you instead. Please don't take my money; that money is to save my mother's life, I'm begging you! That's money I earned with my body."

So this woman was a sex worker. Taking a closer look, Liu Yunfei felt she looked somewhat familiar. It turned out to be the hostess from the Prestige Nightclub he had visited during the summer vacation—the one who had taken his hundred-dollar bill, the one they called Sister Hong. Last time she had been dressed very scantily, whereas today she wore so many clothes he hadn't recognized her.

"Little sister, my brothers are really in a tight spot. Tell us the password, leave us your phone number, and when the big brothers get some money later, we'll pay you back. Your body is still yours, you can still sell yourself—just tell us the password first, brother," the ringleader began coaxing Sister Hong.

Sister Hong was an experienced streetwalker; how could she fall for his trick? She stubbornly refused to give up the password no matter what. Growing impatient, the ringleader pulled a shiny knife from his pocket and threatened, "If you fucking don't tell me, I'm going to carve a few slashes across your tits so you won't even be able to sell yourself anymore."

"I'll tell you the password."

The men were startled as a student-like young man stepped out in front of them. "Oh? Who the hell are you? Do you know this chick?"

"I know her. Aren't you looking for the password?" Liu Yunfei said.

The ringleader grinned lewdly, "Didn't expect students these days to know chicks too. Hehe, fine, then you tell me the password and I'll send one of my brothers to withdraw the money. Once we get the cash, we'll let both of you go."

"The password is: fuck your mother, fuck your mother."

"Motherfucker!" Cursing, the ringleader lunged forward with the knife. Liu Yunfei had learned his lesson from previous encounters and had no wish to kill again, but teaching them a lesson was necessary; he prepared to cripple one of the man's hands.

Before the fellow could reach him with the knife, however, someone shouted from behind, "The cops are coming!" The ringleader immediately stopped in his tracks, warning, "Kid, don't let me catch you next time," before turning tail and running off with the others.

Liu Yunfei was somewhat baffled. Where on earth did cops come from? His hearing was so sharp, yet he hadn't heard anyone approaching. Perhaps these bad criminals were simply plagued by a guilty conscience, as evildoers always are.