Half-Truths

"You're saying he pounced straight out from this woodpile?" Tan Huacong looked at where the woodpile stood, then eyed the distance between it and the courtyard wall. Appearing deep in thought, he turned back to Chen Ping'an and asked, "Where did you vault in from?" "Huh? At the time, I was nervous and panicked, so I don't recall clearly." Chen Ping'an paused as if thinking it through. "Let me think..." In truth, Chen Ping'an had already planned out which part of the wall he supposedly climbed over. Deliberating like this now was merely to make his story appear more genuine and believable. "It should be right here!" Chen Ping'an paced two steps along the courtyard wall and finally pointed at a spot with certainty. "Here?" "Yes," Chen Ping'an nodded. Tan Huacong walked over to the section of wall Chen Ping'an indicated and checked the woodpile's position again. After gauging the distance between the two and finding no issues, he nodded, signaling for Chen Ping'an to continue. "When he lunged out from here, he scared the life out of me; my mind went completely blank. To tell you the truth, Boss Tan, even though I've been a runner for a while, I've never encountered anything like this. He was huge and ruthless, and that sheer momentum terrified me. My head was empty, and seeing him charge with such fury, my first reaction was simply to drop into a crouch." "Crouch down?" Tan Huacong looked at Chen Ping'an with a strange expression. A formidable enemy bore down on him, clearly intending to take his life, and his very first reaction was to crouch? However... For an uninitiated youth who hadn't even stepped into martial arts, such a reaction in the face of mortal danger seemed far more true to life. "Yes, crouch down." Chen Ping'an showed an embarrassed look. "I didn't know what else to do back then. I just followed my instincts and dropped down. Guess I was born under a lucky star. Looking back now, that reaction practically saved my life. When I crouched, he seemingly crashed straight into the wall. Then, for reasons I can't explain, he collapsed to the ground as well. With him down, my head cleared up a bit. I scrambled to my feet, wanting only to bolt for the courtyard gate. "But he got up faster than I expected. Before I even reached the gate, he sent a flying kick my way. I had no way out and took the blow square on the chest. The force knocked me flat on the ground." Chen Ping'an pulled up his clothes, baring his chest for Tan Huacong to see. By the torchlight, Tan Huacong peered closely and saw a large bruise on Chen Ping'an's chest, undeniably left by a kick. "You're saying that you, an ordinary person, took a direct kick from Trash Fish?" Tan Huacong looked at Chen Ping'an in disbelief. "Yes," Chen Ping'an nodded. "You took a kick from him and only suffered this much? And you're still able to stand?" "I don't know either." Chen Ping'an shook his head in apparent confusion. "All I knew was that my chest hurt like hell. But somehow a burst of strength welled up out of nowhere, and I managed to climb back to my feet. Just as I stood up, his fist was already flying at me. It was aimed at my head, but because I suddenly rose, it struck my chest instead." Tan Huacong glanced at the smaller bruise beside the larger one on Chen Ping'an's chest and nodded. "Taking that punch scared me half to death. Without thinking, I sprinted backward. As I ran, he gave chase. But I don't know what happened—after just a few paces, he tripped and fell flat on his face. I don't know where I found the courage, but there happened to be a stone by my feet. Seeing him fall, I grabbed it, rushed forward, and smashed it right against his neck. "After the first strike, he still tried to fight back, swinging a leg to kick me. Without thinking, I bashed him with the stone—first the kicking leg, then his neck again. His struggles grew weaker and weaker after that, but I didn't dare stop. I was terrified that if I stopped, I'd be the one who died." A look of dread flickered across Chen Ping'an's face. "By the time I came to my senses, things were already as you see them now." "Mm." Tan Huacong nodded steadily. He mulled over Chen Ping'an's words. From what he had heard, the story held up in broad strokes. Yet two doubtful points remained. First, considering Trash Fish's martial arts cultivation, Chen Ping'an taking a kick and a punch seemed to have left suspiciously light injuries. Second, Trash Fish had fallen twice during the struggle. Chen Ping'an looked at Tan Huacong with lingering terror plastered across his face. Beneath that facade, however, a quiet tension gripped his heart. What he had just told Tan Huacong was half true and half false, a mixture of fact and fabrication. Even the layout of the courtyard had been staged and covered up to match his version of the fight. Unless subjected to the most professional, meticulous forensic examination, no flaws would be found. Even so, until he gained Tan Huacong's approval, Chen Ping'an could not entirely shake off his unease. He concealed the emotion well, however. At times, he truly seemed to have the makings of an actor. "I have to say, your luck is truly remarkable!" After long deliberation, Tan Huacong could not help sighing. "If anything had gone wrong at any step, the one lying here might be you." "Yeah," Chen Ping'an agreed with a face full of relief. "Maybe the old man's spirit in heaven is watching over me." Hearing Chen Ping'an say this, Tan Huacong recalled Chen Tian'an as well. "All right, I understand. Who would have thought that Trash Fish of the Black Carp Gang, an adept martial artist of the qi and blood second layer, would end up dying at your hands through such bizarre twists of fate?" Tan Huacong temporarily set aside his two doubts. Perhaps the injuries Trash Fish sustained during his breakout were far worse than they had imagined—so severe that ordinary movement was a struggle. That would explain why his strikes packed so little power, and why he collapsed after only a few steps. It made sense upon reflection. Wanted by the Suppression Office, he had money but nowhere to buy medicine or food. Without proper sustenance and herbs, his wounds would only worsen by the day. It was entirely natural for Trash Fish to sneak into Chen Ping'an's home tonight in search of food. Of course, these were merely Tan Huacong's reasonable deductions, not necessarily the objective truth. Still, for Tan Huacong, verifying that the corpse in the courtyard was Trash Fish himself was all that mattered. As for how it happened, it was of little consequence. "Boss Tan, what about the bounty..." "Right. I'll record it and report it upward. Don't worry," Tan Huacong nodded. "However, it's very late now. Even if we write it up now, it can't be submitted right away. How about you head back first and we deal with it tomorrow?" "Boss Tan, why don't I return to the Suppression Office with you to get it all written down? That way, while you're recording it, you can ask me to fill in any details right on the spot." Chen Ping'an felt uneasy leaving anything to chance when his status as a registered runner was at stake, so he made the suggestion immediately. Tan Huacong gave Chen Ping'an a look, understanding what was going through his head. After all, when a medium merit was on the line, anyone would be anxious. "In that case, let's head back together," Tan Huacong agreed. "Great. Thank you, Boss Tan." A smile spread across Chen Ping'an's face.