Cangmang Asks the Way 1: Guardian of the Lamp

Two feet, one and a half feet, one foot...

Cang Lifeng was unable to provide timely assistance, and his eyes turned bloodshot.

In that instant, time seemed to be torn open.

Tianci's world suddenly became eerily quiet—his mother's screams, his elder brother's roars, and the clashing of sticks all receded into the distance, as if separated by a thick layer of water. He could only hear his own heartbeat, thump, thump, thump, slow and heavy.

Then, he "saw" the stick.

Not with his eyes. His eyes wouldn't have enough time. It was something else—a sudden tingling sensation on the back of his head, like being gently pricked by countless fine needles; a chill ran down his spine, and the hairs on his back stood on end. He knew that feeling. As a child, walking alone at night, passing that pond, it was just like that—he couldn't see anything, yet he knew something in the water was watching him. Later he understood; it was the scent of impending danger, an invisible thread handed to him by fate when his life hung by a thread.

This time, the line was stretched tighter than ever before.

He didn't think. His body acted faster than his mind—the instant the stick touched his hair, he lurched to the side, as if pulled by some force, and staggered to the side.

"call--"

The short iron rod whistled past his ear, striking the air and sending a stinging gust of wind across his cheek.

Tianci crashed heavily onto the stage wooden planks, his knees and elbows throbbing painfully, but he didn't care. He lay there, panting heavily, his body trembling like a withered leaf in the wind. His ears were ringing, and it took him a while to hear again—

"Beep—beep—beep—"

A sharp, urgent whistle suddenly pierced the clamor of the temple fair. Immediately afterward, a stern command blared through the loudspeakers: "Everyone, stop immediately! Put down what you're holding!"

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

The thug who had been holding the iron bar aloft missed his target, his ferocious expression frozen in place. He looked down at the empty space beneath his bar, then at Tianci lying on the ground, a look of disbelief and confusion flashing in his eyes—he was about to hit him, how could he have missed?

But everyone was stunned by this sudden change, and they all stopped what they were doing and looked in surprise and uncertainty toward the source of the sound.

At the entrance to the temple fair square, several police cars sped up and screeched to a halt. The doors opened, and uniformed police officers quickly disembarked and began their operation with practiced efficiency, controlling the scene. The leader, a tall, stern-faced man with sharp eyes, was none other than Chen Guodong, the head of the county public security bureau.

"Take control of the scene immediately! Rescue the injured!" Chen Guodong's voice boomed. His gaze swept over Liu Tietou, who looked astonished; Cang Lifeng, who stood upright despite his injuries; and the thugs who stood there dumbfounded with sticks in their hands. He had already made a preliminary assessment of the situation.

It turned out that the county public security bureau had made meticulous arrangements before the temple fair, deploying police forces to stand by around the venue. When Liu Tietou's gang openly attacked Cang Lifeng and the martial arts team teenagers, and the situation quickly deteriorated, Chen Guodong, who was in charge of on-site command, made a decisive decision and ordered action, thus bringing the situation under control in time.

The thugs, who had been so arrogant just moments before, were now wilted like frostbitten eggplants, their arrogance completely gone. Under the intimidation of law enforcement, the batons in their hands clattered to the ground, and they all squatted down, covering their heads. Liu Tietou's expression shifted, his eyes flashing with surprise and resentment, but in the end, he slowly raised his hands.

Despite the excruciating pain coursing through his body, Cang Lifeng rushed to his younger brother's side and tightly embraced Tianci, who was lying on the ground trembling. "Tianci! Tianci! It's alright!"

Tianci's tense body trembled violently in his arms, a suppressed sob escaping his throat. He still clutched the blood-stained wooden stick in his hand, his knuckles white from gripping it. Cang Lifeng pried his fingers open, threw the stick away, and hugged him even tighter.

Su Yumei also rushed over, crying, and the three of them embraced each other.

Chen Guodong strode to the front of the stage, his gaze lingering briefly on the battered yet still upright Cang Lifeng, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes. He then turned to Liu Tietou, his tone stern: "Liu Tietou, in broad daylight, you instigated a brawl, disrupted social order, and interfered with the normal conduct of the temple fair. Do you know your crime?"

Liu Tietou forced a smile and said, "Director Chen, this is all a misunderstanding. We were just sparring with the Cang family kid, just playing around! He was the one who attacked first and injured my brother." He pointed to his subordinate on the ground, who was groaning while clutching his leg.

"Director Chen, we can testify that it was Liu Tietou and his gang who attacked Cang Lifeng and the children first. We all saw it," Cang Yuanzhi said, leaning on his cane and supported by Cang Zhenye as he squeezed to the front.

Upon hearing an elderly man with a cane point the finger at Liu Tietou, the surrounding crowd began to whisper among themselves, asking each other who this disabled but imposing old man was.

Chen Guodong raised his hand to quell the noise at the scene and said loudly, "We will find out the truth of the matter ourselves. All those involved are to be brought back to the station for investigation." With a wave of his hand, the officers immediately stepped forward and took Liu Tietou and his main henchmen away. Cang Lifeng, Xiang Yang, and other injured individuals were also taken to the hospital for examination and to cooperate with the investigation. The scene was a mess, leaving only the shaken onlookers and the grim-faced Wang Youfu in the distance.

Su Yumei held Tianci in her arms, her hands still trembling. She watched her eldest and second sons being led into the police car, wanting to scream but unable to utter a sound. Tianci buried his head in her chest, his small body still shaking, but he didn't cry. No one knew what he had experienced in that brief moment. Even he himself couldn't explain it. He simply gripped that invisible thread even tighter.

Inside the county public security bureau, the lights were blazing. Chen Guodong was personally overseeing the operation, his expression solemn. From the initial information gathered, the case seemed clear: Liu Tietou had provoked trouble and engaged in a gang fight; Cang Lifeng's side had acted in self-defense. Reviewing the detailed records and evidence in his hands, Chen Guodong felt heavy-hearted yet resolute. He knew that properly handling this case according to the law was crucial for maintaining local public order.

Just as he was about to sign the relevant legal documents, the internal phone on the table suddenly rang.

Chen Guodong frowned slightly and answered the phone.

"I am Chen Guodong."

The familiar and polite voice of the county magistrate's secretary came through the receiver: "Director Chen, County Magistrate Zheng is very concerned about the sudden incident at the Futian Township temple fair. This matter has a significant impact."

"The county head instructed that in handling incidents involving mass gatherings like these, the law must be strictly followed, while also considering the overall situation of maintaining social stability and economic development. After all, Liu Tietou's company has created many jobs and contributed to tax revenue... Of course, if there are indeed illegal or criminal acts, they must not be tolerated. County Head Zheng means that the bureau must handle this matter in accordance with the law and regulations, ensuring that the procedures are standardized, the evidence is conclusive, and that unnecessary negative impacts are avoided. The county head would like to hear your preliminary report and handling opinions tomorrow morning."

Chen Guodong's fingers tightened slightly around the microphone. He didn't respond immediately, but instead glanced towards the interrogation room—where one of Liu Tietou's men was taking a statement, the pen scratching on the paper.

"Please tell County Chief Zheng that we will definitely handle the case according to the law." He said calmly as he hung up the phone.

He sat for a moment, then picked up his pen and wrote his instructions on the report. The pen paused briefly over the three characters "Liu Tietou," leaving a small ink smudge. He glanced at the smudge and continued writing: "Given the complexity of the case and its significant social impact, a prudent investigative strategy should be adopted to thoroughly investigate all the facts. Necessary measures should be taken against the main suspects in accordance with the law to ensure their cooperation in the investigation. At the same time, other suspects should be dealt with according to their respective circumstances and in accordance with the law."

Shortly after, Liu Tietou left the police station after completing the necessary legal procedures. He walked quickly to his car parked at the entrance without looking back. But before opening the car door, he paused instinctively and glanced at the national emblem above the police station's entrance. In the darkness, the emblem gleamed faintly. He only glanced at it before getting into the car.

The sound of the car door closing carried far into the night.

This scene was witnessed by Cang Lifeng, who was seated in the opposite room. Liu Tietou's brief pause was like a thorn piercing his heart. He looked down at his hands, the hands that had taken down several people today, yet could not grasp anything. He clenched his fist, then relaxed it.

As night deepened, the streetlights outside the police station began to illuminate the streets. Cang Lifeng leaned against the wall, gazing out the window at the city he once thought he could carve out his own destiny with his bare hands. In the distance, Liu Tietou's taillights disappeared around the street corner.

Cang Lifeng and his disciples were released and allowed to return home. The real storm had only just begun.

First, there were the medical expenses for the injured students. Seven or eight teenagers from the martial arts team were injured, the most serious being a broken arm. After Liu Tietou was "acquitted," Wang Zhenkun cleverly shifted this debt onto the Cang family. The parents dared not confront Liu Tietou, and were even more afraid of Wang Zhenkun's insinuations, so they could only vent their fear and anger on the Cang family. The medical bill arrived at the Cang family's gate like a death knell.

Cang Lifeng pulled out all the savings he had accumulated from leading the team in performances over the past year. But it was far from enough.

Even more alarming was the shift in public opinion. News of Liu Tietou's release spread like wildfire, and rumors of "Cang Lifeng leading a brawl with his children" and "causing trouble for the village" were amplified and embellished by Wang Zhenkun and Wang Youfu. Wang Youfu even secretly visited the most seriously injured parent, subtly implying that Liu Tietou was vindictive while feigning "kindness" by saying that if the blame was shifted to Cang Lifeng, he might be able to "speak on his behalf" and even "compensate" for some medical expenses from the village's collective funds.

Rumors spread like a plague. Friends who used to call him brothers now sighed through the crack in the door, "Lifeng, it's not that we don't want to help you, it's just that we can't afford to offend you!" Even the owner of the small shop at the village entrance quickly closed his shop door when he saw him coming.

Cang Lifeng stood on the empty village road. He passed a house and heard people talking inside. The voices weren't loud, but he could hear them clearly—

"Lifeng is here, don't open the door."

He paused, didn't knock, and continued walking. The next door was closed. The next one was closed too. He walked from one end of the village to the other, but no door opened for him. Only one person slipped him a crumpled roll of change under the cover of darkness. The hand reached out, then quickly withdrew, and the eyes peeking through the crack in the door were filled with guilt and fear.

He stood under the old locust tree at the village entrance, clutching the rolled-up money. A night breeze blew by, and he suddenly remembered the look in the eyes of those teenagers who rushed onto the stage earlier that day—eyes that held a light. But now, that light had faded, replaced by a tightly shut door.

He recalled Tianci's trembling legs when he practiced horse stance; his legs were shaking so badly, yet he didn't fall.

He remembered his mother's swollen face and her words, "Mother believes in you."

He recalled Master Zhou's words: "Lifeng, remember, strength is the lowest, momentum is the middle, and root is the highest. What fists cannot break, you must rely on the root."

Where are the roots? He didn't know.

He looked down at his hand clutching the money. His hand was still trembling slightly, whether from injury or cold, he couldn't tell. He slowly loosened his grip, then clenched again, loosened it, then clenched it again, as if measuring something. Measuring the distance between his fist and the door, measuring how long he could hold out, measuring how much further this road was.

In the distance, a person stood in deeper shadows, watching him.

It was a gift from heaven.

Tianci had no idea what his older brother was thinking. He only saw his brother standing under the locust tree, his back to him, his shoulder twitching slightly. He didn't know it was him clenching his fist. But he remembered that back view, remembered that motionless figure in the night wind.

He wanted to call out "Big Brother," but the words stuck in his throat and wouldn't come out. That damned stutterer had returned when he needed to speak the most.

He just stood there, without shouting.

Cang Lifeng stood there for a long time. So long that the moon peeked out from behind the clouds and then disappeared back in. Then he turned and walked towards home. As he passed Tianci, he paused and reached out to ruffle Tianci's hair.

"Go back to sleep," he said.

Tianci nodded and followed him back. After a few steps, Cang Lifeng suddenly stopped, turned his back to Tianci, and said something in a very soft voice, as if he were talking to himself:

"...Some roads you have to walk yourself."

Tianci didn't understand. He just clenched his fists tightly, looking at his older brother's back, and felt that there seemed to be something different about that back compared to during the day. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he kept it in his heart.

Many years later, he will understand.

A night breeze blew by, and the sparse lights in the distance seemed to sway in the wind.