Chapter 984: Chapter 693: Here It Comes
"But I have never offended anyone from the Yi Sect." Yang Xiao quickly ran through the list of his enemies in his mind and realized that apart from Jiang Qingluan, there was indeed no one else connected to the Yi Sect. This left him utterly baffled.
If it were true that Jiang Qingluan harbored a grudge against him, there would have been no reason for her to save him at the last moment, kicking him out of the Nightmare World.
Having spent so much time with Yang Xiao, Nalan Shuo knew him well enough to offer reassurance, "I believe you. But what’s done is done. You need to be cautious moving forward. For the time being, try not to go out too much and don’t leave Rongcheng."
Some things cannot be avoided, and Yang Xiao felt there must have been some misunderstanding. "Director, can you get in touch with someone from the Yi Sect? I want to meet them face-to-face. There must be some sort of mistake."
"I’ll handle this matter. You don’t need to step in. I’ve already entrusted the Provincial Office with investigating it."
Nalan Shuo raised a hand and patted Yang Xiao on the shoulder, his grip firm. "You are part of my Patrol Defense Office. Regardless of whether this turns out to be a misunderstanding, the people of the Yi Sect owe us an explanation and must pay for what they’ve done."
Yang Xiao was keenly aware of the gravity of the word "pay" as used by Nalan Shuo. No matter how you looked at it, the Yi Sect had killed three of Captain Fang’s men and set off a large-scale supernatural event in Jingping Town, turning it into a ghost town. More than half of the Luming Bureau suffered casualties, and both the Director and the key investigation team members perished. Such consequences could not simply be brushed aside as a misunderstanding. If verified, the Yi Sect was in deep trouble. Nalan Shuo’s insistence on sidelining Yang Xiao was for his protection.
After leaving the Director’s office, Yang Xiao’s thoughts remained unsettled for a long time. Too many things had happened lately, leaving him overwhelmed. By evening, after finishing his work, a frustrated Yang Xiao called Fu Qingzhu, and the two arranged to meet for drinks that night.
Now that both of them worked in the Action Bureau, it was much easier for them to meet. They also invited Qu Muzhi, who surprisingly agreed without hesitation, despite usually disliking social gatherings.
After some thought, before leaving the office, Yang Xiao also gave Wu Zhe a call. Wu Zhe had been close friends with Wu Zhengwu. Back then, they, along with a few others, had shared life-and-death experiences. With Wu Zhengwu now gone, Wu Zhe was surely taking it hard.
Before long, the four of them gathered at a small restaurant not far from the Lin’an Patrol Office. Wu Zhe got thoroughly drunk and vowed to bring Wu Zhengwu’s killer to justice.
Yang Xiao and Qu Muzhi withheld the truth from Wu Zhe. At Wu Zhe’s rank, he was not privy to the full details of the Jingping Town mission. Yang Xiao also refrained from telling him that, in the end, it had been the three of them silently watching as Wu Zhengwu closed the door, only to become a lifeless corpse.
In the face of that murderous woman, someone like Wu Zhe, a regular captain, wouldn’t stand a chance—nor would Yang Xiao and Qu Muzhi, even if they worked together.
Harboring a desire for revenge was a way to honor a friend, but if possible, Yang Xiao hoped that Wu Zhe would never cross paths with that killer for the rest of his life.
As the night wore on, Fu Qingzhu volunteered to take the drunken Wu Zhe home, while Qu Muzhi walked back to the nearby Lin’an Patrol Office alongside Yang Xiao.
Over the course of recent interactions, Yang Xiao had grown much closer to Qu Muzhi. Though not much of a talker, Qu Muzhi had a warm heart behind his aloof exterior and was a good friend.
"If it hadn’t been for Captain Wu stepping in back then, you and I probably wouldn’t be working together now," Qu Muzhi said as they walked side by side along the street.
"You had me cornered back then—I had no choice but to fight with everything I had." Memories from that time flashed through Yang Xiao’s mind like snapshots, giving him a sensation as if it had all just happened yesterday. "They don’t call you the Demon Rakshasa for nothing."
"You’re not bad yourself. Among our peers in Rongcheng, you’re the only one I’ve ever faced who was truly evenly matched with me," Qu Muzhi said, his gaze fixed ahead as if lost in thought.
"I’ve always had a question for you," Yang Xiao said suddenly. "Before, we’d hardly even met a few times. What made you suspect me and think I was the Ming Emperor’s Night Owl?"
After a long silence, Qu Muzhi finally responded, "You remind me of someone I once knew."
Yang Xiao’s heart stirred. He probed, "Who?"
"My father," Qu Muzhi said calmly. "He disappeared. Though, to be honest, I know he’s already dead. The last time I went to the Ru Lin Academy, it was to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death. Like us, he worked for the Patrol Defense Office, but his role was more... special."
"Throughout my years in the Patrol Defense Office, I’ve had a relatively smooth ride, largely due to my father’s status. He died on a classified mission organized by the Patrol Defense Office. As a martyr’s family, I’ve been given certain privileges and have been well taken care of by Chief Huang and the Provincial Office."
"And yet, to this day, I still have no idea what my father went through in his final moments. The information about him is classified at the highest level—there aren’t even any records of him at the Provincial Office. Chief Huang told me my father likely belonged to one of the elite secret units directly under headquarters’ control."
"My rank is too low right now. Maybe once I make it to headquarters, I’ll finally uncover the truth. Perhaps I’ll even have the chance to follow in my father’s footsteps and join one of those elite teams. But Chief Huang doesn’t want me to go down that path."
Throughout all the time he had known Qu Muzhi, this was the first time Yang Xiao had heard him say so much in one go. It was likely because of the alcohol. To Yang Xiao’s knowledge, Qu Muzhi almost never drank, but tonight, he’d had more than one glass, and his cheeks were faintly flushed.
In Yang Xiao’s mind, the image of that silver-haired captain came into focus, the steadfast determination in his expression an uncanny mirror of Qu Muzhi’s. After a brief moment of contemplation, Yang Xiao tentatively asked, "What do you know about your father?"
