Chapter Forty-Three: The Breakthrough

The next morning, as the sun rose, I told Old Ma about what had happened. He was not the least bit surprised. Yet, when he heard that I’d been together with the young man surnamed Wei, he looked at me with a meaning in his eyes that I couldn’t quite decipher.

He offered no opinion about the man who’d been cursed to die, but instead said, “Last night I drank too much and forgot to ask you—how did things go with that errand I sent you on yesterday?”

I gave him a full account of Huang Yunlei, and mentioned my own conclusions based on the reactions of the people involved.

Old Ma watched me with considerable approval, as though my performance had exceeded his expectations. “Not bad, not bad. You’re sharper than I thought, and your observations are keen.”

I neither affirmed nor denied, replying, “There are many tangled threads in this matter. To get to the bottom of it, I’ll need to put in some real effort.”

“To get them to open up won’t be easy. You need to find a breakthrough point. If you can’t find one, you can always create one,” Old Ma said, for once showing his broad knowledge and experience.

Create a breakthrough? I looked at Old Ma in puzzlement, but he spoke with such authority—even though the wrinkles on his face were still as shifty as ever, his eyes glinting with cunning. I cursed inwardly, but suddenly my mind cleared!

Damn! So that’s how it is! This way, the chances of success are much higher. The old fox truly lives up to his reputation—he’s seen more than I have, and his experience runs deep. And now, an excellent opportunity lies right before me.

Old Ma squinted at me. “Good disciple, do you understand what your master means?”

“I’ve learned the lesson,” I replied. If I’d been any slower, I might not have caught on.

“Very good, clever lad. Go on, then!”

I asked, “Are we really not going to do anything about the curse?”

That morning, Zhuang Xingrui had taken Huang Wenyang as his guide, searching everywhere for the person possessed by the forbidden spirit. He couldn’t divine the culprit directly, so he had no choice but to use the most straightforward method—search, slowly and carefully.

“Zhuang likes to stir things up. Let him handle it. We’ll do our own work. If we don’t get to the root of things, this won’t end,” Old Ma said.

Leaving Old Ma’s house, I went to find Xiao Qingwan and invited her to join me, briefly explaining the situation.

Just as we reached the door, the young man surnamed Wei and his group walked out.

Remembering his attitude last night, I greeted him politely. “Second Master, good morning.”

By now, it was hardly morning—almost half past ten.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

I was surprised. This was the first time in days I’d heard him speak during daylight! To be precise, other than last night and the incident on the yacht, I’d never heard him say a word at any other time. At most, he’d give his bodyguards or Su Feiyong a meaningful look.

Xiao Qingwan was even more astonished. It seemed as if this was the first time she’d heard him speak. Odd—hadn’t she explained my “fall into the sea” to me in the hospital room? Was all that fabricated nonsense relayed by Su Feiyong and the others?

“My master, Old Ma, found something odd about the man who died from the curse last night. He asked me to go take a look, so I was just about to ask where his house is,” I replied.

“I’ll go too,” the young man surnamed Wei said.

I was shocked again, wondering if I’d misheard. Though he’d gathered Old Ma and the others here, he always seemed indifferent—now he was volunteering to go with us! Was he going to help us find the address, or to visit the family himself?

Xiao Qingwan nearly dropped her jaw in surprise. Then a faint blush crept across her cheeks.

“Second Master, I have to say, with your left Azure Dragon and right White Tiger, you’re rather intimidating…” I wasn’t really going to investigate any mysteries—if he came along with this menacing air, it would ruin all my plans!

The young man surnamed Wei gave instructions to his companions: “You stay here.”

“Yes,” they replied, without hesitation, obeying him completely.

I never imagined he would be so decisive! What on earth had suddenly piqued his interest? Did he somehow know my true purpose for going?

There was nothing more I could say. I simply stood by the door, gesturing for him to go first.

He stepped outside, and his group really did stay behind. Xiao Qingwan was quietly delighted—she was clearly pleased.

We arrived at the house next to Huang Wenyang’s. Before leaving that morning, Huang Wenyang had told his neighbor to look after us, and to help if we needed anything. This neighbor was one of the two who had accompanied Huang Wenyang the previous night—his name was Huang Gaoyuan.

The main gate was open, so we walked right in. Huang Gaoyuan was sitting in the living room, smoking. Seeing us, he hurriedly stubbed out his cigarette, rushing forward with nervous bows. “What brings you here? If you need anything, just call and I’ll come over.”

“The man who died from the curse last night—do you know where his house is? We’ve thought of some doubts and want to check it out,” I said.

As soon as he heard we wanted to visit the dead man’s house, Huang Gaoyuan’s expression changed. He stammered, “W-what doubts? Y-you want to go now?”

“You don’t need to come with us—just tell us where it is,” I replied.

He breathed a sigh of relief and described the address in painstaking detail, even mentioning how far from the gate a banana tree stood, just to make sure we wouldn’t drag him along as a guide.

After giving us the information, he pretended to be busy. “You see, I have things to do. Maybe I should find someone to show you the way?”

“No need—you’ve explained it so thoroughly, we can’t possibly get lost,” I said.

Leaving Huang Gaoyuan’s house, Xiao Qingwan said, “That place is pretty far. How are we going to get there?”

“Second Master, why not ask someone to bring a car over?” I suggested.

The young man surnamed Wei acted as if he hadn’t heard, giving no response, and simply walked off toward the village exit.

We had no choice but to follow him.

At the parking lot by the village entrance, the young man surnamed Wei opened the car door and took the driver’s seat.

I was stunned—he was going to drive himself! With this living Buddha behind the wheel, I almost didn’t dare to get in!

Xiao Qingwan was equally astonished, and we both stood by the car, unsure what to do. When he had fastened his seatbelt and made all preparations, he turned and looked at us. Only then did I awkwardly open the door and beckon to the dazed Xiao Qingwan. She came to, and bashfully got into the car.

I closed the door, walked over to the other side, and got in.

The young man surnamed Wei started the engine and drove off.

Sitting in the car, I felt all kinds of discomfort. Nothing about this felt right. I glanced at the young man surnamed Wei, wondering what was going through his mind. Was he really here just to be our chauffeur?