From a tuberculosis patient to a martial arts master

After leaving the alchemy workshop, Lin Ji, fearing that Zhu Hong might not understand the intricacies of the matter, leaned close to him and whispered, "This is the procedure set by the higher-ups. This is how it's been done in investigations lately. Just ask one question."

"I've got it."

Zhu Hong casually agreed.

He already knew this trick, but he was afraid that if he pursued it too deeply, he would completely offend the Jiang family and cause trouble for himself.

"You...don't care?"

Lin Jizhi was somewhat surprised to see his indifferent attitude.

"What's there to care about?"

Zhu Hong spread his hands and said, "We'll do whatever the higher-ups tell us to do." With that, he saddled his horse, spurred it on, and the yellow horse galloped off after Zhou Dao.

"He's even better at pretending than me."

Lin Jizhi muttered something to himself and immediately pulled on the reins.

……

Have you seen it before?

"No."

Have you ever seen it?

"Lord Zhou, how could I speak so presumptuously?"

For two consecutive days, Zhou Dao led his men to search every nook and cranny of the western part of the city. The gatekeepers of those wealthy and powerful families, when confronted by the constables, either claimed to know nothing or said...

"Never seen him before", "have no prior dealings with him".

They all shook their heads vigorously, afraid of being tainted by Liu's bad luck.

Only a few small, ordinary households, seeing Zhou Dao's earnest words and repeated assurances that he would not be implicated and would be rewarded for his service, dared to utter a few words.

"Old man."

Zhou Dao first asked, "Did you see Young Master Liu a few days ago?"

"I saw Young Master Liu passing by Jinbu Bridge that day," the old man replied after thinking for a long time.

When did he cross the Jinbu Bridge?

Zhou Dao pressed for an answer.

After pondering it over, the old man replied:

"It seems to be around 7 PM."

Jinbu Bridge?

Upon hearing this, Zhu Hong's brows furrowed instantly.

Jinbu Bridge connects the two streets and alleys in the west and east of the city. Crossing the bridge from the west street leads to the old course of the Huai River. Not long after, he stood at the highest point of the bridge arch, leaning on the railing and gazing into the distance at the White Dragon Painted Boat.

And that hour of Xu (7-9 PM)...

It was precisely the time when the painted boats were brightly lit, the music and singing were just beginning, and the atmosphere was at its most lively.

A thought flashed through Zhu Hong's mind: "Could the two be related?" But the absurd thought was quickly suppressed.

The charity hall only weighs a few pounds.

Let alone silently wiping out the entire Liu family, it's questionable whether they would even dare to act recklessly in public.

immediately:

Zhou Dao met up with Gu Shu's team.

After checking the information and finding it to be almost correct, he made a quick decision and waved his hand: "Let's go, cross the bridge, and head to Huaikou Street."

……

Early in the morning.

The wind came from the river and blew on my face, chilling me to the bone.

The tofu pudding stall at the alley entrance, set up under a dilapidated shed, emitted steaming hot air, mingling with the aroma of scallion pancakes, which wafted far and wide.

"Quick, quick, the first spoonful is the most fragrant!"

Zhu Hong and Lin Jizhi each held a large, chipped bowl, in which tender white tofu was soaked in a dark brown braising sauce, sprinkled with chopped pickled vegetables and scallions.

"Ji Zhi, you're such a good-for-nothing."

A dark-faced constable sat down at the table, moved his bowl over, and said sarcastically, "You're always the last one on the streets, but when it comes to eating, you're always the first one to arrive."

Lin Jizhi almost spat out her mouthful of tofu pudding:

"Sun Heizi, what nonsense are you spouting?"

He stiffened his neck and said defiantly, "My shoes are worn out from running so much these past few days."

"Yes, yes, yes."

Sun Heizi sneered:

"Even Dao's shoes aren't worn out, only yours are."

Upon hearing this, the constables suppressed their laughter and looked at Lin Jizhi, who was choking. If Zhou Dao hadn't been there, they would have definitely mocked him mercilessly.

Are you all full?

Zhou Dao had finished his bowl of tofu pudding. He put the empty bowl on the table and said, "If you're full, wait outside."

Upon hearing this, everyone sped up their work.

"Burp~"

A short while later, Lin Jizhi swallowed the last bite of the sesame seed cake, feeling satisfied with his meal. He picked up a small splinter from the bench, put it in his mouth, and muttered to Zhu Hong:

"This job is fucking awful."

Even mice would get lost in these alleys. Isn't that just a joke?" He then looked around and lowered his voice:

"Besides..."

That young master Liu's body has probably already been mutilated.

Before he could finish complaining, Zhou Dao glanced at him sideways and said, "Have you eaten enough? If you have, go stand over there."

"That's enough, that's enough."

Lin Jizhi chuckled, quickly spat out the splinter, and hurriedly got up to stand outside the shed.

Zhu Hong only took a few bites of the sesame seed cake in his hand before losing his appetite. His mind was filled with questions that had accumulated over the past few days.

He always felt that something was wrong.

The yamen's attitude was lukewarm, as if they didn't care about Young Master Liu at all. What puzzled him even more was the waist token the constable handed him—what was its purpose?

If this continues...

That waist tag seems to be of no use.

"Snapped!"

While he was pondering, Zhou Dao slapped a few coins on the table, paid the bill, and stood up: "Let's get going. Today we must search every corner of Huaikou Street from beginning to end."

"yes--"

The hoofbeats clattered as they headed towards Huaikou Street.

After traveling only a few dozen feet, Zhu Hong suddenly pulled on the reins, and his yellow horse neighed loudly and reared up. He called out:

"Brother Dao, wait a moment!"

Hearing the sound, Zhou Dao reined in his horse, which spun around and came to a steady stop. He turned around and saw that Zhu Hong seemed hesitant, his eyes flickering, so he asked:

"But what's wrong?"

Zhu Hong pondered for a moment and said:

"Brother Dao, could you spare a squad of brothers for me?"

Zhou Dao's thick eyebrows furrowed slightly, then after a moment's thought, he nodded: "Okay." He then pointed.

"Gu Shu, you lead a team and follow Zhu Hong's orders."

Listen to him in all things, and do not slacken your efforts!

Gu Shu's team consisted of seven or eight constables, all of whom were highly capable. Gu Shu himself was a skilled officer, and his subordinates were even more so.

"Thank you, Brother Dao."

Zhu Hong immediately bowed in salute from his horse.

Zhou Dao waved his hand and said, "Be careful in everything, and don't cause any unnecessary trouble." After saying that, he didn't delay any longer. He spurred his horse and galloped off towards Huaikou Street like lightning, with the rest of the riders following closely behind.

The sound of hooves, like rain, gradually faded into the distance.

Zhu Hong pulled the horse's reins and turned it around to face Gu Shu and his group.

"Gentlemen."

He straightened up, clasped his hands together, and bowed deeply: "I am deeply grateful for the kindness shown to me today."

Upon seeing this, everyone quickly waved their hands to stop the greeting.

"Zhu Hong, you're being too polite!"

Gu Shu spoke first, grinning broadly, "Officer Wang believes you, Deputy Chief Zhou believes you, why shouldn't we?" He patted the short sword at his waist, the sound like a bronze bell:

"We all eat from the same pot and do the same job."

Just tell me what you want to do!

Seeing this, the others chimed in, "That's right, even if we send envoys..." The atmosphere instantly became lively and enthusiastic.

"it is good."

Zhu Hong stopped being coy.

He straightened up, his gaze passing over the crowd and landing on the Huai River.

Even in the morning mist, the gilded and painted hull of the white dragon boat moored on the river was faintly visible.

"Let's go to the White Dragon Boat."

Zhu Hong said slowly.

This wasn't because he was narrow-minded and wanted to use his official power to settle past grievances. He wasn't so bored as to seek revenge over a minor disagreement.

just.

His intuition told him that there might be clues rotting in the boat in that secluded place. If he went there today, he should be able to extract something from it.

……