From a tuberculosis patient to a martial arts master

That clear, crisp voice made all the patrons in the hall look up.

Zhu Hong was halfway through his drinking session when he suddenly stopped. Looking up, he saw a little girl in a pale yellow dress standing by the second-floor railing, smiling radiantly and waving to him.

"Yingning?"

He smiled slightly and nodded at her.

Seeing that he paid attention, Yingning became interested and, disregarding etiquette, used her hands to brace herself on the railing and lightly leaped down, landing in front of the table. She blinked her beautiful eyes, stood familiarly in front of him, and asked immediately:

"What are you doing here?"

Zhu Hong put down his wine bowl and leaned back in his chair: "Let's drink, eat meat, and say thank you while we're at it."

"thank?"

Yingning paused, looked around, then plopped down on a nearby chair. "Who should I thank?"

Zhu Hong didn't respond, his gaze lightly sweeping across her face before subtly glancing towards the second floor, and said, "That blind, handsome young man you mentioned didn't keep an eye on you?"

"A handsome young man?"

Upon hearing his question, Yingning chuckled, "You mean Afei?" She covered her mouth with her hand, laughing uncontrollably.

"Is he handsome?"

He's just a simpleton who doesn't even dare to express his feelings.

Hearing her say that, Zhu Hong's lips twitched slightly. "What kind of talk is that?" He shook his head, suppressing the urge to laugh, and casually said:

"Want to grab something to eat together?"

"Okay!" Yingning readily agreed, propping her hands on the table and saying casually, "Alright then, I'll have a bite with you." With that, she picked up her chopsticks, grabbed a piece of beef, and began to chew.

After taking a couple of bites, she suddenly tilted her head and looked at him, becoming restless:

"Officer, are you named Zhu Hong?"

"Yes."

How amazing are you?

Zhu Hong honestly replied, "It's so-so, just passable."

"You're a martial arts practitioner, aren't you?"

"Um."

"Has the bone replacement been completed?"

Zhu Hong was taken aback, turning his head towards her, unsure how to respond. "This girl speaks of a Bone Refining Realm martial artist so casually, she's truly naive. Who knows if there's even one hidden in the entire Jinyang?" He paused for a moment, then said irritably:

"I am a martial arts performer."

"So weak?" Yingning was slightly surprised.

She tilted her head and thought for a moment, then suddenly slammed her hand on the table and said excitedly, "Zhu Hong, why don't you resign as head constable and come work for me?"

Seeing her serious expression, Zhu Hong asked:

"What ethnicity are you, young lady?"

Yingning put her hands on her hips and said rather arrogantly, "This young lady..." Before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by a soft call from behind:

"Yingning".

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Zhu Hong felt a chill run down his spine.

He immediately put down his wine bowl, stood up, turned around and bowed to the newcomer, saying, "Greetings, Manager Jin."

The person who came was none other than Jin Xin Niang.

She wore a purple dress and walked with light steps. Her beautiful eyes first swept over Zhu Hong's face before landing on Ying Ning's head.

"Sister Jinxin."

Yingning called out lazily.

"Oh, you silly girl, what kind of woman is like you?"

Jin Xinniang lightly tapped her forehead with her fingertip and said reproachfully, "After meeting people a few times, you're already going to entrust your whole life to them?"

"Broken Gold Sun is so boring!"

Yingning stuck out her tongue, spread her hands, and acted completely unconcerned.

Jin Xinniang knew her temperament and knew that talking was useless, so she simply shook her head, then turned to Zhu Hong, a half-smile on her face, and said, "Lord Zhu, you still remember me?" Her beautiful eyes flickered, and a mocking smile appeared on her lips:

"In my opinion,"

"Once you enter public service, you forget your old acquaintances."

Zhu Hong looked embarrassed, a hint of awkwardness flashing across his brow. "Please forgive me, Steward Jin. It's true that since the promotion, things have been incredibly busy, one thing after another, leaving me no time to rest." He bowed slightly and said solemnly:

"This is not..."

I had some free time today, so I came to express my gratitude.

Jin Xinniang simply looked at him quietly, a glimmer of light in her eyes. After a long while, she said, "I think you didn't come here on purpose. You were just confused and didn't realize it."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Hong's heart skipped a beat:

"I……"

Before he could say anything more, Jin Xinniang lightly flicked her sleeves, turned around and walked towards the pavilion, her voice coming softly: "It's too noisy here, not a place to talk in peace."

Zhu Hong hesitated for a moment, then immediately composed himself and followed.

"Something's fishy."

Yingning remained seated, her dark eyes darting between the two of them. "Sister Jinxin is hiding something from me." She quietly got up and tiptoed behind them.

……

A private room.

Zhu Hong sat down at the lower end, facing Jin Xinniang from a distance.

Yingning was turned away at the door. The little girl blushed instantly after being refused entry, and stamped her foot, clearly unhappy.

At this time:

Jin Xinniang picked up her teacup, lightly brushed the rim with her fingertips, and spoke first.

"Where do you intend to go next?"

Zhu Hong's pupils contracted, and he remained silent, speechless.

He recalled the double entendre of "heart in turmoil" from before and couldn't help but pause in surprise: "Was Manager Jin's question just a casual, ordinary question, or...?"

"What?"

Jin Xinniang took a small sip, and only after putting it down did she look up at him: "Don't you know what to say?"

Zhu Hong raised his eyes and met her gaze.

His expression was indifferent, revealing neither joy nor anger, and his true nature was unfathomable. Yet, the more indifferent he was, the more unpredictable he seemed.

"As Manager Jin said."

He paused, then said, word by word, "It's utterly baffling."

Jin Xinniang raised her eyelids and said softly, "How many people can one person care about in a casual glance?" Her gaze fell on his face, and she said in a light tone, "That actress was just a fleeting encounter, why can't you let her go?"

"...!"

Zhu Hong suddenly felt a prickling sensation on his back, and a chill rose up his spine.

He never spoke of these things to anyone, keeping them all to himself. How could she know so clearly? It was as if his every move was being watched.

He suddenly reached out and touched the black knife at his waist.

"I am not your enemy."

Jin Xinniang wasn't in a hurry. In the blink of an eye, Zhu Hong suddenly felt an overwhelming, invisible pressure pressing down on him, making him lose control of his body. His back went limp, and he fell back to his seat with a "plop."

"Who are you?"

He looked up, his eyes filled with confusion.

Is suppressing oneself really that simple?

That sense of oppression far surpassed that of Wang Zhenshan, no... even the head constable Liu Kui and the clerk Gu, whom he had met, could not compare.

"It doesn't matter who it is."

Jin Xinniang did not answer the question, but only replied, "You still haven't answered me."

Zhu Hong hesitated for a long time, and seeing that she seemed to have no ill intentions, he slowly raised his head, his voice dry: "It's for myself, not for her."

"For myself?"

A hint of doubt flashed across Jin Xinniang's eyes.

She had expected to hear things like "seeking justice," and thought he was just an innocent boy who hadn't yet learned the ways of the world.

"I'm not a bad person."

He is certainly not a hypocritical, righteous gentleman.

Zhu Hong sat there, not looking at anyone as he spoke, but staring out the window, and slowly said, "The whole world is stinking shit, everyone is junk, and the sun is just a damn little lantern."

These words were crude, but upon hearing them, something in Jinxinniang's eyes was touched.

Zhu Hong turned his head and looked at her.

"But if you ask me..."

"Screw it." He didn't shout, but calmly stated, "Even if this world is a complete cesspool, that's not a reason for me to eat shit."

"I insist on doing whatever I want."

They disregard the world and live by their own desires, seeking only personal vendettas.

The boy's words were like a pebble thrown into Ying Jin's heart. She suddenly remembered the prophecy uttered by the multi-armed Taoist priest years ago:

"If you ask me where I am in the future, I will be half in the setting sun and half in the gold."

Ying Jinxin suddenly smiled. With a wave of her hand, a small celadon bottle flew out of her sleeve.

Zhu Hong quickly reached out and caught it.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a porcelain vase, which aroused suspicion.

"These contain three Breakthrough Pills," Ying Jinxin said slowly. "If a martial artist takes one, he can break through his shackles within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn." She stood up, looked down at Zhu Hong, and a faint smile played on her lips.

"This time, you owe me."

Zhu Hong held the porcelain bottle, several thoughts racing through his mind. This Manager Jin was neither related to him nor anyone else, so what was she after? But then he thought, whatever she might be after, this Breakthrough Pill was exactly what he needed.

He wasn't the type to be coy or pretentious; he immediately tucked the bottle into his coat, stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said:

"Thank you, Manager Jin."

Zhu Hong will forever remember this kindness shown to him.

Upon hearing this, Jin Xinniang simply smiled faintly and said, "I hope you come back alive."

Zhu Hong was taken aback and said nothing more.

He glanced out the window; dusk had long been replaced by night, and along the long street, the lights of thousands of homes were dim, indicating that it was already late at night.

Zhu Hong withdrew his gaze and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Jin Xinniang:

"Manager Jin, it's late, so I won't disturb you any longer." With that, he turned and opened the window, his figure flashing as he disappeared into the night.

……