If You've Got the Balls, Come and Get It

Inside the Garrison Office, Liao Zihui looked over the report and confirmed a few details with Liu Guocai, the Principal Garrison Commissioner of Wuqin Township. "At the time, none of you felt anything out of the ordinary, but your geographic position truly shifted?" Liu Guocai nodded. "The changes are mainly concentrated in our position relative to Moxiangdian and the exit leading to the newland." Wuqin Township had originally sat directly adjacent to Moxiangdian. Now, a plot of land had suddenly appeared between them. According to word from Moxiangdian, they hadn't noticed anything unusual at that moment either. "Are you certain this territory belongs to Li the Seventh?" Liu Guocai replied, "We already dispatched men to scout the edge of the territory. They didn't spot Li the Seventh, but they saw three anomalies that escaped from Sinners' City, as well as He Yuxiu, Ma the Fifth, and others. The general topography of the land matches Li the Seventh's cultivated newland down to every detail." "A parcel deep in the newland successfully cleared, and it suddenly thrust itself right into the middle of proper land without the slightest disturbance around it—it just wedged itself right in." Liao Zihui offered his own summary, but halfway through, he gave a sudden laugh. "Puluo Province is truly a bizarre place. I've spent all these years here, and I still can't fathom it. Sujun, how is the research going?" His secretary, Ling Sujun, reported, "Chief Commissioner, according to the materials we currently have, a similar incident occurred once before in Puluo Province's history." "Which one?" "Zongfa City suffered a population collapse and devolved from proper land into oldland." Liao Zihui had only vague recollections of that; it must have happened before he arrived in Puluo Province. "Does Zongfa City's case have anything to do with what we're facing now?" Ling Sujun handed the documents to Liao Zihui. "Zongfa City's geographic position also changed, only in the exact opposite direction. It left proper land and sank into the depths of the newland. The surrounding territories physically closed in to fill the void left behind, and the entrances to the newland shifted as well. Aside from that, no obvious anomalies occurred." Liao Zihui examined the records on Zongfa City carefully and said to Ling Sujun, "Are there no other similar accounts in Puluo Province's history?" Ling Sujun said, "The relevant records are very scattered. Based on what we have found so far..." Liao Zihui shook his head. "Keep looking. If our archives aren't complete, ask the Outer States for them. This is a matter of great importance; every quarter must cooperate." Ling Sujun left the conference room. Liao Zihui flipped through the documents a bit longer before turning back to Liu Guocai. "The railway on your end is severed?" "Yes. When that nameless land appeared, the line connecting Wuqin Township and Moxiangdian was cut. Fortunately, no trains were running at the time, so there was no severe loss. The break in the rails is remarkably clean, with no twisting or warping, as if sliced through in an instant by an exceptionally sharp tool." Deputy Chief Commissioner Tang Huanjie spoke up from the side. "Chief Commissioner, I have already assembled the personnel and equipment. As soon as Li the Seventh agrees, we can inspect the site immediately and strive to start repairs as early as possible." Liao Zihui frowned. "Going to do what?" Tang Huanjie froze. "Repair the railway." Liao Zihui said, "We have to beg Li the Seventh to repair a railway? What are you thinking?" "Well... er..." Tang Huanjie was caught flat-footed. "Chief Commissioner, with the line between Wuqin Township and Moxiangdian broken, the entire route is affected. If we don't fix it promptly..." Liao Zihui cut him off. "What's the rush? If it's affected, let it be affected. Aren't there other lines nearby? Reroute the traffic!" "The transport costs will..." "Doesn't matter," Liao Zihui waved his hand dismissively. "Li the Seventh has messed with us so many times; now it's our turn to skin him alive. He's trapped out there on that land and can't get out. If he wants a railway, he'll have to come begging to me! He'll pay for the railway repairs, and he'll pay for the repairs to the Garrison Office. He'll give me every coin I ask for. And if he doesn't like it, he can rot on that wasteland for the rest of his life!" Tang Huanjie pursed his lips. "Li the Seventh isn't the only one trapped out there. The heads of several major families are stranded on that wasteland too. I worry they might cause trouble." "Make trouble for whom?" Liao Zihui sneered. "Whoever trapped them is who they should go after. Li the Seventh caused this mess. If they want to make trouble, let them go make trouble for him! What does it have to do with us? By the way, how is the investigation into Li the Seventh's identity coming along?" That was the perk of being Chief Commissioner: whatever came to mind, he could just ask, and his subordinates were required to produce an answer. Fortunately, Tang Huanjie had prepared in advance. "We've pretty much gotten to the bottom of it. Li the Seventh's real name is Song Zhuowen, thirty-two years old, born in Haichiling. Coming from an impoverished family, his parents hoped he would become a dark energy user. Unable to afford the foundation materials, they took him toward Santoucha. En route, they ran into mountain bandits, and both parents were killed. Song Zhuowen survived and became a wanderer. He entered the path twenty-three years ago, lived in the Outer States for a time, and has now reached the fifth layer." Liao Zihui did some rough calculations. "Twenty-three years on the path... An ordinary person would only reach the third layer. With some elixirs piled on top, reaching the fifth layer isn't out of the question. Where did you hear about the bandit encounter?" "From Haichiling. Someone was traveling with their family at the time and was lucky enough to escape the bandits. He witnessed Song Zhuowen's parents dying at the hands of the bandits with his own eyes. He also saw Li the Seventh return to Haichiling a short while ago to tidy up the old family house. We also verified with locals around Santoucha. Over twenty years ago, bandits were indeed rampant around Haichiling, and travelers were murdered almost daily." Liao Zihui pondered for a moment. "Does this Song Zhuowen have any other relatives in Haichiling?" "That's impossible to verify for now," Tang Huanjie replied, shaking his head. "Their family originally moved to Toudaoling from the countryside. None of their acquaintances ever heard of them having relatives." Liao Zihui sighed softly. "Everything fits together seamlessly, yet the details are impossible to verify. There is still something fishy here. Huanjie, you need to keep digging. Set the Haichiling lead aside for now and investigate from a different angle." Set Haichiling aside? Tang Huanjie found himself in a bind. Li the Seventh was from Haichiling. If they abandoned Haichiling, where else could they look? After musing for a long while, Liao Zihui said, "I recall Li the Seventh had a run-in with Ling Family Pictures." Tang Huanjie nodded. "Back when *Bloodblade Detective* and *Bloodgun Detective* were fighting for the market, the two sides had plenty of friction." "Start the investigation through Ling Family Pictures. Since there was bad blood, the Ling family must have investigated Li the Seventh. See what leads they have over there." *** In his apartment, He Jiaqing had set up the camera and microphone, arranged the exercise mat and dumbbells, and plugged the wireless network card straight into his head. Lately, he had been doing fitness livestreams under the channel name "Xiao Qing Takes You Flying." His popularity was through the roof, and the moment he went live today, tips came pouring in. "Thank you to Tranquil Years for the big rocket! In a moment, Xiao Qing will explain the key form tips for high-frequency push-ups." The stream's atmosphere instantly reached a fever pitch. The viewers loved watching Xiao Qing do push-ups—specifically, watching his core and waist strength. Popularity energy continuously poured into the top of He Jiaqing's head. Just as he got into the zone, the button on his desk began to vibrate. Recognizing Shen Rongqing's voice, He Jiaqing temporarily paused the livestream. A private message popped up from "Tranquil Years," asking for a private chat. He Jiaqing brushed her off with a couple of brief replies, switched off the camera and microphone, and listened intently to Shen Rongqing's message. "Jiaqing, the Garrison Commissioner is looking into Li the Seventh's background." "I heard they investigated it before. Didn't they already figure it out?" Shen Rongqing said, "According to their findings, Li the Seventh's real name is Song Zhuowen, hailing from Haichiling." "Song Zhuowen?" He Jiaqing blinked in surprise. "Where did that information come from?" Shen Rongqing didn't know. Naturally, she wouldn't know—that piece of intelligence had been fabricated by Ma the Fifth at great expense. Ma the Fifth had informants inside the Garrison Office and knew the Garrison Commissioner was digging into Li the Seventh's identity. He had spent a fortune to fabricate a persona for Li the Seventh. Song Zhuowen was a real person, and his background and experiences were genuine. But the man had absolutely nothing to do with Li the Seventh; every shred of connection had been manufactured by Ma the Fifth. Ma the Fifth had first laid down the paper trail, then secretly bought up Song Zhuowen's old family home. Li the Seventh had then gone there to tidy up the place, combined with subtle hints dropped in newspapers, neatly stringing the whole narrative together. He Jiaqing toyed with the button in his hand for a moment, then said to Shen Rongqing, "Have our people subtly leak some information too, to cement the claim that Li the Seventh is Song Zhuowen." Shen Rongqing couldn't understand. "Jiaqing, are you covering for Li the Seventh? Are we going to tangle with the Garrison Commissioner on his behalf?" He Jiaqing said, "Li the Seventh carries many secrets. Some of them I know, but the Garrison Commissioner must never find out." Shen Rongqing grew curious. "Jiaqing, shouldn't we sort through what secrets Li the Seventh actually has?" Just as He Jiaqing was trying to think of a way to brush Shen Rongqing off, another private message popped up in the stream's chat. It was from the lady "Tranquil Years." She wanted to meet He Jiaqing in person. Before He Jiaqing could decide how to answer, another message followed immediately. "Tranquil Years" sent over her home address, accompanied by a note: *Big sister's place is missing a steel wool scrubber. If it's convenient, bring one along.* *** In Lüshui City, south of the Paramount, outside a western-style villa, a beggar carrying a begging bowl stepped into the courtyard. The gatekeeper barked, "What do you think you're doing?" The Lüshui Beggar smiled at him. "Just asking for a bite to eat." The gatekeeper cursed, "Filthy beggar, you've got some nerve barging in wherever you please! Get lost, get—" Before he could finish, his throat tightened, and he choked on his own breath. The Lüshui Beggar kept walking forward. Several guards moved to intercept him. But after taking only two steps toward him, their bodies swelled abruptly, their swollen flesh engulfing their limbs. Their clothes tore open, their skin and flesh sloughing into putrid masses, transforming them into grotesque, bloated abscesses standing in the courtyard. The Lüshui Beggar glanced at these guards-turned-boils. As if receiving an unspoken command, they took up positions surrounding the villa. The tops of their heads split open, spewing foul pus. The liquid hit the ground, writhing and crawling rapidly, soon encircling the entire building. Dragging his bowl, the Lüshui Beggar entered the villa and saw Chu Shaoqiang stepping out of the bedroom. Chu Shaoqiang stood by the banister, looking down at the beggar. "Lü Huazi, you've got some nerve, coming to find me out in the open like this." The Lüshui Beggar chuckled. "I wanted to come under cover of darkness, but I couldn't dodge the magical artifacts around you." "And coming out in the open lets you dodge them?" The Lüshui Beggar shook his head. "Can't dodge them, so I decided not to bother trying. Doing it in plain sight frees me from quite a few restraints. Today, let's settle this clean and proper!" Chu Shaoqiang frowned. "What's the rush? There'll be plenty of chances down the line." The Lüshui Beggar stroked his bowl. "Wait? How many years have you been waiting already? Didn't you want Lüshuiwan back then? Well, I'm here now, and Lüshuiwan is right in my hands. If you've got the balls, come and get it!"