Bai Zhiming had once been Liao Zihui's capable subordinate. Relying on Liao Zihui's steady promotions and recommendations, he had risen all the way to the position of Deputy Chief Commissioner.
He was utterly loyal to Liao Zihui and very effective at his job. After arriving in Wuqin Township, it took him only two days to uncover some leads, and through a Watcher, he sent word back to Liao Zihui: Lady Wuqin, the local spirit of Wuqin Township, was nowhere to be found, and it was feared she had met an untimely end.
Liao Zihui confirmed the details carefully with Bai Zhiming. "Is there any chance Lady Wuqin went somewhere else to handle business and is only temporarily away from Wuqin Township?"
Bai Zhiming replied, "We cannot rule out that possibility, but it is extremely unlikely. Lady Wuqin rarely has dealings with others, and she never leaves her own territory lightly."
Liao Zihui picked up a map and pondered for a long time. "Could it be that Qiu Luoye killed Lady Wuqin and merged the two territories into one, which caused the Boundary between them to disappear?"
Bai Zhiming nodded. "Chief Commissioner, I think so too. It's just that Qiu Luoye is difficult to communicate with, so I haven't been able to verify this yet."
After a moment's thought, Liao Zihui asked again, "Where are the people who crossed over from Qiu Luoye's territory right now?"
"Most of them are gathered at the train station. The railway line from Wuqin Township to Moxiang Shop is cut off, but the other lines are still running. He Yuxiu, Lu Chunying, Ma Junyang, and the others are helping them process travel permits."
At the train station.
They couldn't cross the Boundaries of other territories.
A mix-up!
A serious misunderstanding!
Li the Seventh had no means of manipulating the Boundary. The Boundary had vanished simply because both pieces of land now shared the same master.
Liao Zihui let out a long breath. This was merely an internal war between local spirits within Puluo Province. The problem was far smaller than previously envisioned, and the Garrison Office bore virtually no responsibility for it.
Of course, some verification was still needed moving forward. He would have Liu Guocai, the Garrison Commissioner of Wuqin Township, take the initiative to contact Li the Seventh and discuss rebuilding the railway, just to see what Li the Seventh's attitude was.
All of that could wait. With the immediate problem resolved and a weight lifted from his chest, Liao Zihui felt completely at ease. Looking at the setting sun outside the window, he cleared his throat and could not help humming a tune:
"Across the ends of the earth and the corners of the sea, searching, ever searching, searching for a kindred spirit, little sister..."
"Chief Commissioner!" Ling Sujun suddenly burst into the room. Catching sight of Liao Zihui swaying his hips, singing and dancing along, the scene turned somewhat awkward.
Liao Zihui quickly composed himself and furrowed his brows. "Don't you know how to knock before entering? Where are your manners?"
"My apologies, Chief Commissioner. An urgent call came from above. They said you must take it immediately."
In Puluo Province, communication equipment suffered from severe interference, requiring special forbidden objects—in other words, sacred artifacts—to establish contact.
Liao Zihui went to the communications room. In his hands, he took up two palm-sized bronze bells, holding one to his ear and the other to his mouth. Putting on a smile, he said:
"Director Du, how long has it been since we last spoke? Last time I went back to report on my work, I left in such a hurry that we didn't even get a chance to catch up..."
After the pleasantries, they turned to business. Only two sentences in, Liao Zihui realized something was amiss and hurriedly explained, "Director Du, matters aren't what you think..."
After explaining for a bit, Liao Zihui stopped talking.
Certain matters had already been decided; further explanation was too late. Director Du had called simply to give Liao Zihui a heads-up: the Outer States had already dispatched someone.
With a darkened expression, Liao Zihui walked out of the communications room. Returning to his office, he told Ling Sujun, "Summon Tang Huanjie and Liu Guocai to my office."
At the Garrison Office, Liao Zihui generally addressed subordinates by their titles and occasionally called them affectionately by their given names. Calling someone by their full name, surname and all, was exceedingly rare.
Before long, Tang Huanjie and Liu Guocai entered the office. Liao Zihui dismissed Ling Sujun and locked the door.
Tang Huanjie and Liu Guocai felt rather uneasy. After sitting in the office for quite a while, they heard Liao Zihui ask a single question: "Which of you reported above my head?"
Bypassing superiors to report directly was a cardinal taboo in the Garrison Office, as well as in the Outer States. The two glanced at each other and shook their heads at Liao Zihui in unison.
"Refusing to admit it?" Liao Zihui smiled, his gaze sweeping over their faces as he lowered his voice. "This isn't the Outer States. This is Puluo Province. Do you really think I wouldn't dare touch you?"
Liao Zihui's face seemed to suddenly darken.
It was no illusion. His face truly had turned black, layers of dark clouds coiling around his body.
A wave of suffocating pressure bore down, making both men tremble all over, sweat pouring off them like rain.
Tang Huanjie shook his head repeatedly. "Chief Commissioner, I would never do such a thing!"
Liu Guocai remained silent for a good while, then lifted his head. "Chief Commissioner, with something this huge happening, I was terrified that chaos would break out... I was afraid I couldn't shoulder the blame."
It was him.
It was Liu Guocai who had reported the matter to higher authorities.
Liao Zihui stared at Liu Guocai for a long time.
Liu Guocai nearly wet his pants.
After a moment of silence, Liao Zihui spoke. "Guocai, why did you have to do that? If you couldn't shoulder it, we could have carried it together. By rushing in a panic to blab to the top, you've put us in an extremely awkward position."
The familiar Liao Zihui had returned. Liu Guocai secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "I... I was truly terrified..."
"What was there to be afraid of?" Liao Zihui smiled. "The matter has been thoroughly investigated. It was just two local spirits fighting a war. The two places merged into one, so the Boundary between them vanished, while all the other Boundaries remain intact. This had nothing to do with Li the Seventh in the first place."
Liu Guocai hurriedly stood up. "Chief Commissioner, it's all my fault. I will explain to higher-ups immediately. I am willing to accept punishment."
Liao Zihui sighed. "The higher-ups attach immense importance to this matter now. They're sending an investigation task force over, and supposedly a Balancer is coming as well. Carrying out our work from here on out won't be easy."
Liu Guocai said, "I'll contact the higher-ups right away and explain everything clearly to them."
"No need," Liao Zihui said, shaking his head. "There are indeed many shortcomings in our work. Having the higher-ups give us some guidance is also a good thing. Once they arrive in Wuqin Township, the reception duties will fall to you. You must not be sloppy in the slightest."
Liu Guocai declared right then and there, "Rest assured, Chief Commissioner! There won't be a single slip-up!"
Tang Huanjie and Liu Guocai left the office. Watching Liu Guocai's retreating figure, a glint of chilling coldness flashed in Liao Zihui's eyes.
Still shaken, Liu Guocai reached the stairwell and lowered his voice. "Commissioner Tang, do you think I should have another private talk with Chief Commissioner Liao?"
"What did you just say?" Tang Huanjie checked his watch. "I have a banquet to attend. We'll talk later."
***
At Flower Lake Park, He Jiaqing had dyed his hair entirely white, disguised as an elderly man in his sixties, and was exercising by the outdoor fitness equipment.
Big Head sat beside an air walker machine and whispered, "I'm heading to Puluo Province in a couple of days."
"What are you going to Puluo Province for?"
"Xiao Zhenggong is going on a mission to Wuqin Township in Puluo Province in his capacity as a Balancer. He needs an assistant with him, and the bureau assigned me."
He Jiaqing stepped onto a waist-twister platform and asked, "What happened in Wuqin Township?"
"A new piece of land appeared near Wuqin Township, and a section of the Boundary vanished inexplicably again. Word has it that this is related to a man named Li the Seventh..."
Big Head shared the information he knew with He Jiaqing. He Jiaqing cautioned him, "Puluo Province is different from the Outer States. Be extremely careful."
After Big Head left, He Jiaqing immediately sought out He Haisheng. "Third Uncle, I need to make a trip to Puluo Province. I'll leave matters in the Outer States to you for now."
He Haisheng was somewhat worried. "The one on Sage Peak is still keeping an eye on you. Going back to Puluo Province now might be dangerous. If you're unlucky, you might run into their people the moment you show your face."
"I must go back. This matter is of utmost importance!"
He Haisheng looked at the sweat on He Jiaqing's forehead. "Jiaqing, you look a bit frail. Why not wait a few days before heading back?"
"I can't wait. I have to leave today."
He Haisheng helped He Jiaqing arrange his train ticket and travel permit. Disguising his identity and appearance, He Jiaqing boarded the train that very night.
Upon arriving in Wuqin Township, He Jiaqing immediately headed to the deserted village where Qiao Shaofen had lived.
This was the forbidden grounds of Wuqin Township; ordinarily, few dared enter. He Jiaqing walked around the village entrance and picked up a piece of dried, hardened mud from amidst the overgrown weeds.
He sniffed the mud and knew where it had come from.
This was Qiao Shaofen's remains.
Things were drawing closer and closer to what he had anticipated.
He Jiaqing entered Qiao Shaofen's bedroom, crawled beneath the bed, and looked around for a moment.
Although Li Banfeng had restored the scene perfectly, He Jiaqing still spotted the flaws.
He had already guessed everything that had happened, yet he could not help confirming it for himself.
He opened the hidden compartment and looked inside. It was empty—the local seal was gone.
Beneath the compartment was a hole. Needless to ask, the covenant deed had already been dug out.
He Jiaqing slowly crawled out from beneath the bed. With a blank expression, he stood beside the bed for a long time.
A wave of dizziness washed over him, and He Jiaqing slumped onto the edge of the bed. First, he clenched his fists tight. Then, his eyes reddened, and tears began to flow.
He could endure anything—he could even endure losing an ear.
Only this could not be endured. This was the foundation of his entire scheme.
"Bandits! Shameless banditry!" He Jiaqing wiped away his tears and could not help shouting curses. "If you want to kill people, then kill them, but why steal other people's things?! I never steal other people's things! I loathe such shameless banditry more than anything!"
In his burning resentment, He Jiaqing gritted his teeth. "Li Banfeng, if you don't return the covenant deed to me today, I'll take your life!"
***
*Achoo!*
Li Banfeng was eating noodles in the noodle shop when he suddenly sneezed.
*Who could be missing me?*
After the sneeze, Li Banfeng shivered again. This time, an epiphany struck him.
*It's my wife missing me. She's waiting for me to go home and grease her up with engine oil.*
Every time after finishing lubricating her, he would give a little shiver. He felt refreshed, and Madam felt pleased.
At that thought, Li Banfeng felt a sudden surge of urgency.
He walked up to the counter and asked the noodle shop keeper, "How much?"
The shopkeeper was still that same old lady. She took out two hundred yuan from behind the counter and handed it to Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng checked the banknotes and nodded. "Keep the change."
The old lady respectfully saw Li Banfeng out the door.
Finding a secluded spot, Li Banfeng hid his key and entered his Portable Abode. First he held down the gramophone, and then he raised the oil can.
The gramophone cried out, "Madman! Slower! I'm... I'm not ready..."
***
He Jiaqing arrived at the noodle shop. Glancing around, he saw the old lady shopkeeper step forward. "Would you like noodles, sir?"
"I'm looking for someone." He Jiaqing smiled. Seeing no sign of Li Banfeng, he was just about to turn and leave when a man walked through the entrance of the noodle shop.
The man wore an off-white overcoat and an off-white fedora.
He Jiaqing found him familiar, yet could not immediately place him.
Chu Shaoqiang took off his fedora. "Jiaqing, what a coincidence. I was just looking for you. Sit down, let's have a bowl of noodles together."
Chapter 431