The Lie

Zheng Shiyong's voice rang out behind Chen Ping'an. His footsteps did not falter for a moment as he walked straight toward the head runner's office. Under ordinary circumstances, Chen Ping'an would have humored Zheng Shiyong with some courtesy and turned back for a polite greeting. But right now, urgent matters took precedence! As for Zheng Shiyong claiming the head runner was not in? He took that with a grain of salt. Normally, at least one head runner was stationed at the Suppression Office. The likelihood of none being present was exceedingly slim. Even taking a step back, supposing the head runner truly was absent, he needed to verify it with his own eyes. The head runner's office was noticeably larger than the duty office. The duty office was shared by several runners on duty together, whereas the head runner's office belonged to a single man alone. The contrast between the two was more than enough to illustrate the head runner's authority and prestige. *He's really not here?* Chen Ping'an frowned slightly as he looked at the pitch-black office before him. If the head runner truly was not here, tonight would be troublesome! Trash Fish's death had to be reported as soon as possible; it could not wait. Trash Fish's corpse was still lying in that courtyard. If he waited until tomorrow, who knew whether someone else might stumble upon it and pluck the fruit of his labor? Therefore, the report had to be settled tonight. Originally, the safest method was finding a head runner to report directly, but now... the head runner was not around. Chen Ping'an stood in place, sinking into thought. "I told you the head runner isn't here, yet you still came over! Why don't you listen to reason at all?" A voice behind Chen Ping'an interrupted his contemplation. Chen Ping'an turned back to look. It was Zheng Shiyong, eyeing him with an unreadable expression. "As the watch duty for the night, whatever business you have, telling it to me is just the same." Paying no heed to the faint trace of mockery in Zheng Shiyong's words, Chen Ping'an offered him a slight smile. "My apologies, Runner Zheng. I was just too hasty a moment ago." With that, Chen Ping'an started walking toward the duty office. The matter of Trash Fish could not be delayed! It had to be resolved tonight! Since the head runner was not here, he would seek out the runner on duty for the night. "Where are you going? Didn't I say telling me is the same?" Seeing Chen Ping'an turn to leave, Zheng Shiyong stepped forward quickly, his expression darkening as he tried to cut him off. *Where does this guy get so much curiosity?!* Chen Ping'an grumbled inwardly. As the night watch of the Suppression Office, when special matters arose, Zheng Shiyong naturally had the authority to receive and report them. However, to be safe, Chen Ping'an did not want to reveal Trash Fish's matter to Zheng Shiyong. Just now, he had deliberately avoided taking the bait. "Runner Zheng, this is my private matter. Whomever I seek out hardly interferes with you, does it?" He had originally intended to maintain a facade of harmony, but Zheng Shiyong had not given him the chance. Bypassing Zheng Shiyong, Chen Ping'an strode forward. "You brat!" Zheng Shiyong stared after Chen Ping'an's retreating figure, his face gloomy. *** Chen Ping'an made his way to the duty office. Seeing an oil lamp lit inside one of the rooms, he knocked on the door. "Enter!" A steady voice came from within. Chen Ping'an pushed the door open, put on a slight smile, and walked inside. Sitting inside the duty office was a middle-aged man of burly build, radiating an impression of formidable strength. Tan Huacong, a registered runner of the Nanquan Lane Suppression Office. Tan Huacong glanced at the doorway and saw Chen Ping'an entering. Sweat-drenched hair hung limply against his scalp, and his clothes were stained with patches of perspiration, stirring a touch of curiosity in Tan Huacong's mind. "Head Tan." Chen Ping'an walked forward. "I have an important matter to report." "What is it?" Tan Huacong asked in a measured, formal tone, carrying an air of upright dignity. "Just a short while ago, I ran into Trash Fish." "Trash Fish!" Tan Huacong's face froze in surprise. "Trash Fish, the remnant of the Black Carp Gang?" "Indeed." Chen Ping'an nodded. "Where is he now? Did he get away?" Tan Huacong grew excited. For the Nanquan Lane Suppression Office right now, the remnants of the Black Carp Gang were the top priority. "He was killed by me," Chen Ping'an stated calmly. "What?!" A look of shock washed over Tan Huacong's face, and he shot up from his seat. *** Inside a courtyard in Nanquan Lane. Tan Huacong stared at the corpse on the ground, then could not help looking over at Chen Ping'an beside him. "So you're saying you really killed him?" According to intelligence, Trash Fish of the Black Carp Gang was an expert of the qi and blood second layer! Even if Tan Huacong faced him, victory would not be guaranteed. For Chen Ping'an, a mere temporary runner who had not even stepped onto the martial path, to kill Trash Fish was simply unbelievable. "Yes, Head Tan. To tell the truth, it was pure luck on my part. I had no idea this Trash Fish from the Black Carp Gang was wounded to such an extent!" As he spoke, a flash of relief and lingering dread passed across Chen Ping'an's face. "Tonight, I was originally asleep at home. In a daze, I heard some noise coming from the adjacent kitchen. Just as I was about to get up, I saw a dark figure emerging from the kitchen. At that moment, I was startled out of my wits. Fortunately, having served as a Suppression Office runner for so long, my courage has been tempered somewhat. I forced myself not to make a sound and quietly observed the figure. He wanted to vault over the courtyard wall, but only managed to clear it after trying several times in a row." "He needed several tries just to vault over a courtyard wall? How tall is your wall?" Tan Huacong asked. For someone at the qi and blood second layer, jumping over a courtyard wall should have been trivially simple; there was no way he would need multiple attempts to succeed. "About the same height as this courtyard's wall. From what I observed at the time, he seemed to be carrying some kind of injury, as if every single movement took immense effort. That was why it took him several tries to clear it." "Mm, go on." Tan Huacong nodded. "After he cleared the wall, I originally thought about letting it go. But then I thought, as a runner of the Suppression Office, was I supposed to just watch helplessly while my own home was burglarized? The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. Considering how much effort it took him just to climb over my wall, I figured he couldn't be anyone formidable. So I quietly trailed him, following him all the way to this courtyard." "Wait!" Tan Huacong interrupted. "You mean to say you followed him the entire way, and he never noticed you?!" "At the time, I thought he hadn't noticed. But thinking back on it later, he probably noticed me halfway through." "Why do you say that?" "When he entered this courtyard, I assumed he wanted to steal something else, so I jumped right over the wall after him." Speaking up to this point, Chen Ping'an seemed worried Tan Huacong might doubt him, so he held out his somewhat slender arm for comparison. "Head Tan, don't let my thin frame fool you. In truth, I exercise regularly. Scaling a wall of this height isn't much of a problem for me." "Mm." Tan Huacong nodded. The wall of this courtyard was indeed not high, only slightly taller than an average person. With a bit of technique—or even none at all—climbing over it was not particularly difficult. "Who would have known that the moment I jumped inside, that dark figure pounced straight out from right here! It scared the living daylights out of me." Chen Ping'an pointed toward the nearby woodpile, speaking with lingering fear.