Chapter 147 — The Long-Awaited...

Lan Ling's grandmother nodded. "She is quietly cultivating a secret gu—a secret not passed down outside the Lan family. Few are able to master it successfully, but Lingling is exceptionally gifted, and being of pure yin constitution, she has a better chance of succeeding. She is at a critical stage now, and must not be disturbed."

"So that's how it is," Yang Xutang said. "Then this fellow here is useless to us anyway—I'll just hand him over to the police. Oh, by the way, Grandmother, aren't you going to wake him up and ask him anything else?"

"Haven't you already asked him everything?" Lan Ling's grandmother shook her head with a smile. "I told you already—the Right Priest is suspicious by nature and always cautious. A petty underling like this couldn't possibly know too many of his secrets."

Yang Yu nodded. Indeed, if the Right Elder had really revealed his secrets to Chen Afu so easily, he would not be the Right Elder—and he could never have gotten the better of Lan Hai.

"Since you intend to hand him over to the police," Lan Ling's grandmother said, "then all the more reason not to wake him here, lest he learn more than he should."

"All right," Yang Yanzhou said. "I'll get him out of here in a moment."

"Zhang Zhishen, stay a while. I have something to tell you," Lan Ling's grandmother said to him.

Taking Chen Afu with him, Yang Ce left the Seaside Plaza. He had assumed that the Right Elder was just an ordinary man—he never expected him to be so formidable, so much so that even Lan Ling's grandmother feared him.

Still, Yang Shuoxuan had no way of involving himself in this secret war within the Miao village. These people were unlike ordinary folk. That Right Elder was clearly practicing some evil art—probably like Dongfang Bubai in the stories—and ordinary men would find no match for him.

Mighty as Yang Ce was, he might not be a match for such a man either. So since Lan Ling's grandmother already had a well-thought-out plan, he abandoned any notion of acting on his own.

With Chen Afu in the car, Yang Ce phoned Xia Yan. This sort of matter was best discussed first with that fellow Xia Yan—it was all rather strange anyway, and if they could borrow the hand of the Mystery Investigation Bureau to finish off the Right Elder, so much the better.

"Yang Ce." Xia Yan picked up the phone, somewhat surprised—he had not expected Yang Ce to call him of his own accord. That day, when he had brought Yang Ce into the Mysterious Investigation Bureau, he had used a rather coercive approach, so it was only natural that Yang Ce might harbor a poor impression of him.

"It's me. Where are you?" Yang Ce asked directly.

"I'm at the State Guest Hotel," Xia Yan said. "You need something from me?"

"Yes, a little something. But you'll have to come down and meet me," Yang Yanzhou said.

"All right, no problem. Give me a call once you arrive." Though Xia Yan had no idea what Yang Moyi wanted, he agreed readily enough.

The State Guest Hotel was the municipal government's own guesthouse, generally not open to the public, but it was no surprise that someone of Xia Yan's standing could stay there. Yang Ce drove into the hotel parking lot and gave Xia Yan a call.

Before long, Xia Yan was standing at the hotel's main entrance. Yang Ce hauled Chen Afu out of the car and walked toward him.

"No way—Yang Ce, did you kill someone?" Seeing Yang Ce dragging the motionless Chen Afu along, Xia Yan asked in astonishment, "You didn't really kill him, did you? That would be a bit of a problem. True, we have the authority to act first and report later, but we still need a solid justification!"

"Damn." Seeing the gloating look on Xia Yan's face, Yang Ce knew perfectly well the fellow meant to use this to hitch him firmly to his wagon—but how could Yang Ce let him have his way? He said only, coolly, "This is the culprit behind the haunted-traffic case."

"What? You've even got the excuse all made up? No way!" Xia Yan was taken aback. "But that's not good. The haunted-traffic case is a major one—how can you be so careless about it? And besides, you can't just beat a man to death at random!"

Yang Ce was caught between laughter and tears. He waved a hand. "Who said I beat him to death? I only knocked him out. But this man really is the culprit behind the haunted-traffic case."

"Really?" Xia Yan's eyes went wide with disbelief. He crouched down and examined Chen Afu carefully; only after confirming the man was merely unconscious did he relax. "Yang Ce, you're saying he's the culprit behind the haunted-traffic case—and you just caught him, just like that?"

"Oh, come on. As a member of the Mysterious Investigation Bureau, I can't very well do nothing at all, can I? So I've gone to the trouble of handling a little errand for you," Yang Puqi said with a face full of righteous indignation. "But one case a year is quite enough. If anything comes up this year, don't come looking for me again."

Hearing the first half of Yang Ce's speech, Xia Yan had almost believed him—this Yang Minlan really was conscientious and responsible in his work. But at the second half, Xia Yan nearly lost his footing and fell. This fellow was serious one moment and flippant the next; there was no telling which of his words were true.

Still, he knew Yang Moyi's real abilities—otherwise he could never have pressed so hard to invite Yang Ce into the Mysterious Investigation Bureau.

Xia Yan nodded and helped Yang Puqi drag Chen Afu inside.

Although the staff saw Xia Yan and Yan dragging a man into the hotel, none of them were so bold as to ask questions. The municipal bureau leadership had already made it clear: Xia Yan was from the investigation team sent down from above, here to look into a major case.

Besides, the State Guest Hotel often hosted the municipal bureau, the discipline inspection commission, and other departments conducting ad hoc investigations, so bringing a suspect back was nothing unusual. They had long since grown used to it.

"Yang Ce, tell me—is he really the culprit behind the haunted-traffic case?" Once they were in the room, Xia Yan asked impatiently.

"Whether he is or not, just wake him up and ask him yourself—won't that settle it?" Yang Xu said casually. "Got anything to drink? I'm a bit thirsty."

"There's plenty on the rack over there. Help yourself to whatever you like," Xia Yan said, pointing to a snack rack by the door.

To be continued

1009. Entrusting Jiajia to You

Yang Ce grabbed a bottle of green tea at random, opened it, and took a few sips. Over on the other side, Xia Yan had already impatiently shaken Chen Afu awake, and Chen Afu asked in bewilderment, "Who are you?"

Xia Yan flashed his credentials before Chen Afu's eyes—the military ones, of course; the other set was not something an ordinary person would recognize.

Yang Moyi found it rather amusing: Xia Yan was scrupulous to the letter when it came to procedure. He walked over and barked at Chen Afu, "Chen Afu, tell us again, in detail, everything you've done!"

The moment Chen Afu heard Yang Juehuan's voice, he gave a violent start, his face turning the color of earth. Not daring to conceal anything, he recounted everything he had done from beginning to end, including the earlier business of dressing up as a ghost in the hospital to frighten people.

But Xia Yan's expression grew grave as he listened. "The one who put the gu on you and gave you your orders from behind the scenes—can you lure him out?"

Seeing that Xia Yan was intent on digging deeper, Yang Ce was delighted. If Xia Yan could deal with the Right Elder outright, so much the better.

"I say, Old Xia, if there's nothing else you need from me, I'll be going," Yang Yanzhou said. "But if this fellow won't cooperate, just give me a call. I guarantee I can make him cooperate till he can't cooperate any more."