Der dritte Gelehrte der Song-Dynastie

Kapitel 11

Suddenly, a series of chaotic noises came from inside the house, then quickly disappeared. Still shaken, Ah Cai saw an enormous monster dart across the floor. He looked closer and saw it resembled a rat, but Ah Cai thought he was mistaken, for he had never seen such a large rat before—bigger than a cat. This time, Ah Cai wasn't so afraid anymore, thinking it was probably just a rat spirit. But the thought of rat spirits still filled him with dread, because he had heard that rat spirits were often transformed ghosts.

Seeing that there seemed to be no response inside, Ah Cai crawled forward on his stomach and quietly looked around.

Since childhood, Ah Cai seemed to be climbing this pavilion for the first time. The pavilion was narrow and long, like an endless field. The pale moonlight was like silver plating, covering the pavilion floor with a cold gray layer, giving people a desolate and gloomy feeling.

Seeing that there was nothing unusual around him, Ah Cai began to raise his head and stretch his neck like a turtle to look up.

In the corner of the attic stood a bed with a mosquito net, and by the window sat an old table with a broken chair. Besides these, there seemed to be nothing else. Strangely, the floor looked clean, without any accumulated dirt or dust. Climbing to the old bed, Ah Cai craned his neck to look, and found the scene even stranger. The mosquito net, though old, seemed freshly washed and smelled of rice water. Moreover, there were even quilts and pillows on the bed. Could someone be living here? But where was the person?

Just as Ah Cai was wondering what was going on, he suddenly heard a strange noise coming from the roof outside the back window. He quickly rolled to the side and hid under the bed. Ah Cai bumped into a box, but he was too nervous and focused on the noise outside to notice the box. Oh no! Suddenly, he heard a soft rustling sound and saw an agile figure jump into the attic through the back window. The figure was wearing soft-soled black cloth shoes and had bandages tied around the ankles. Hidden weapons were concealed in the bandages.

The pair of black feet moved silently on the attic floor, cautiously and methodically. After probing for a while, the black feet gradually approached the direction where Ah Cai was hiding.

Ah Cai curled up into a ball, like a frightened pangolin. At that moment, he felt an indescribable fear, as if his entire soul could be taken away in an instant.

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Old Eagle decided to take a risk and gamble, climbing the building to steal the "Snow Moon Drunk" painting. However, he was not a reckless man; before acting, he had already scouted the thirteenth residence again. That evening, the noise Ah Cai heard from the wall next door while urinating in the backyard was the sound of Old Eagle.

When he met Huang Feihu that night, the first order he heard was that he had to get his hands on the Snow Moon Drunken Painting before dawn! At that time, the old eagle felt very troubled and was at a loss, as if a hundred claws were tearing out his heart.

Chapter Twelve: A Pair of Black Feet (2)

Huang Feihu's second sentence was: "If you take down the arms plans and complete the operation, I'll marry my youngest daughter to you! Otherwise..."

Old Eagle looked old, mainly due to disguise; his real age was only in his early forties. He had remained single for many years. Old Eagle had long heard that Huang Feihu had an illegitimate daughter, extremely beautiful, just over twenty this year, in the prime of her youth. Old Eagle never dreamed that Huang Feihu would use such a bounty to test his resolve. Remembering how Huang Feihu always rewarded him for his achievements, Old Eagle thought Huang Feihu might not be joking (even if he was, he'd take it seriously). Old Eagle had seen Huang Feihu's other two daughters, both stunningly beautiful, and he figured this illegitimate daughter was likely just as beautiful. However, if he failed the mission, he might lose his head. It wasn't Huang Feihu who wanted his head; Huang Feihu meant, "Old Eagle, even if you lose your head, you'd better get the 'General's Fire Map' back!"

Now that things had come to this, how could the old eagle dare to disobey? In the middle of the night, after making all the preparations, the old eagle set off.

Instead of going through the main entrance of the inn, Old Eagle climbed over the west wall. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he heard a strange noise from above. He saw Huang Feihu throw something down, and he quickly caught it. Upon closer inspection, he knew it was the fake painting of Snow Moon and Drunkenness. Old Eagle understood Huang Feihu's intention.

Old Eagle scaled the wall and roof of Ah Cai's house from the backyard, climbed through the window, and entered the room. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he prepared to kill, but to his surprise, the room was empty. That was fine, saving him the trouble of killing anyone. He thought to himself, but his eyes were fixed on a bundle of paintings on the bedside table. Could this be it? Old Eagle reached out and took the paintings, approached the window, and spread them out on the table. Upon closer inspection, it was indeed it!

Old Eagle quickly covered the painting of Snow Moon and Drunkenness, tucked it into his robes, and then pulled the fake painting from his back and placed it on the bed where he had just put the painting. After doing this, Old Eagle went straight to the back window, quietly stepped off the roof, scaled the wall, and disappeared without a sound.

In a room some distance from the attic window, Long Fei observed the old eagle's every move through binoculars. Standing beside Long Fei was a man named Han Qing. That night, Long Fei arranged for Han Qing to leave the attic and stay there temporarily.

Inside the outhouse below the back window of the attic, scout Liu Yong also noticed the whereabouts of the old eagle.

As soon as the old eagle disappeared, Liu Yong came to report to Long Fei what he had just seen. Upon hearing this, Long Fei clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Good!"

Han Qing was confused. He didn't understand why Long Fei had someone steal the "Snow Moon and Drunkenness" painting.

Seeing that the old eagle had fallen into the trap, Long Fei made an exception and asked Xiao Zhang for a cigarette to treat himself. But he had only taken two puffs when the phone in the room rang urgently. At this hour, a phone call was most likely not a good thing.

Sure enough, something else happened at the hospital.

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Around 3 a.m., the hospital suddenly lost power. Lu Ming, who was pretending to be a doctor and monitoring Liao Yanjing in the intensive care unit, hurried out to the end of the corridor to check the power switch.

There was also a critically ill comatose patient in the special care ward, who was still receiving intravenous fluids. Lu Ming was worried that a prolonged power outage would lead to other adverse effects, so he took the initiative to go out and check the circuit breaker.

Lu Ming asked the nurse to help him with the lighting and repairs using a flashlight.

"That can't be right, the whole hospital is dark," the nurse said.

Lu Ming then noticed that it was also pitch black outside; the power was out.

Lu Ming suddenly sensed something was wrong and rushed back to the ward. He shone his flashlight on the bed and was shocked to find that Liao's glasses were gone and the bed was empty.

Lu Ming quickly notified the hospital's security department. A short while later, security officers arrived with several heavily armed guards. They searched the area thoroughly but found nothing. The gate guard said he hadn't seen anyone enter or leave, and the other side gates were already locked. This was strange.

Soon after, Dean Wu, who was on duty, arrived upon hearing the news.

Everyone felt the seriousness of the situation.

Realizing he bore an inescapable responsibility, Lu Ming quickly used the internal phone to dial the hospital's main switchboard and connect to the monitoring point where Long Fei was located.

No sooner had Long Fei arrived than Lao Yue, the provincial department's dog trainer, arrived with Buck, the department's top police dog. This was arranged by Long Fei.

Old Yue asked the police dog Buck to sniff the scent of Liao Yanjing's clothes first, and then let it track the trail. Unexpectedly, Buck lost its way after only a few steps out of the ward.

Old Yue, experienced as he was, knew Buck was in trouble. He suspected someone had secretly sprinkled an irritant on the ground, disrupting Buck's sense of smell. Old Yue, a doting father, quickly pulled Buck aside, comforted him, and wiped the ground with his hand. He sniffed the ground but found no odor. Old Yue wondered, who had such skill to shake off Buck's pursuit?

Long Fei realized that he might have encountered a very difficult opponent.

After briefly explaining the situation, Lu Ming fell silent. He looked like a child who had done something wrong, his face flushed red. Lu Ming thought to himself that punishment was probably unavoidable this time, or at least a serious reprimand.

Seeing that Lu Ming was in low spirits, Long Fei knew that there was no point in blaming him at this time. Although Lu Ming was responsible, the opponent was more cunning and difficult to deal with.

Seeing that Long Fei remained silent, Lu Ming assumed that Long Fei was ignoring him because he was angry, so he mustered up his courage and said, "Old Long, it's all my fault. I request to be punished."

Long Fei waved his hand, remaining silent.

Lu Ming became even more anxious, thinking that Long Fei was going to dismiss him and put him in seclusion to reflect on his mistakes, so he said, "Let me atone for my sins by doing good deeds."

Long Fei seemed to suddenly understand Lu Ming's meaning. He quickly patted Lu Ming's shoulder, saying, "Don't have any mental burdens." After saying that, he stared into Lu Ming's eyes for almost a minute, paused for a moment, and then said something that deeply moved Lu Ming: "If we're talking about responsibility, I'd have to take the lion's share. Let's not think about that for now, let's keep working together!" With that, he squeezed Lu Ming's shoulder firmly. With a formidable enemy at hand, personal mistakes aside, he would take responsibility first. In this respect, Long Fei was quite similar to his former superior, Vice Minister Li, possessing the demeanor of a great general.

Lu Ming was deeply moved. Suddenly, he said angrily, "Even if I have to dig three feet into the ground, I will find that guy! And I won't let any of those kidnappers get away with it!"

As Lu Ming was speaking, Dean Wu was nearby. He glanced at Lu Ming and came over to comfort him, "Don't worry, don't worry." Suddenly, a gunshot rang out in the distance. Long Fei quickly led Lu Ming and his comrades from the provincial department, along with the hospital security personnel, to search for the source of the gunshot.

The gunshot came from the north gate of the hospital, which is the back gate. Outside the north gate is a highway, and not far from the highway is a fork in the road leading in different directions.

According to a sentry in an important area near the North Gate, a person carrying something on their back broke through the gate. He heard the noise and gave chase, but when he couldn't catch up, he fired a warning shot. Just then, several trucks sped by, blocking his view. By the time the truck convoy had gone far away, the person in front of him had disappeared.

Upon hearing this, Lu Ming wanted to give chase.

Long Fei quietly pulled Lu Ming aside, signaling him not to act rashly.

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Liao Yanjing was not taken far by the kidnappers; he was hidden in an unused autopsy room in the hospital.

Liao Yanjing's original injuries were not very serious; after being treated, he was just very weak.

Wu Dengke had already seen through the truth. When he received Bai Jingzhai's protection order, he secretly used a special drug to keep Liao Yanjing in a coma. Wu Dengke's method deceived everyone around him.

Wu Dengke was not responsible for the kidnapping of Liao's glasses; the entire planning and execution was arranged by Bai Jingzhai himself.

Another member of the Plum Blossom Gang was hidden inside the hospital: the gardener Xu Da. Xu Da had no connection with Wu Dengke. Xu Da was tall and strong, and usually went unnoticed, working quietly all day.

Bai Jingzhai didn't allow Wu Dengke to get involved directly because he considered the importance of Wu's position. If the operation failed, only minor figures would suffer the consequences, and the cost would be relatively small.

Following Bai Jingzhai's instructions, Xu Da, familiar with the hospital environment, took advantage of the power outage to quickly move the unconscious Liao Yanjing out of the ward and transport him to the autopsy room. After the arrangements were made, he followed Bai Jingzhai's orders and slipped out through the north gate to create the illusion of abducting a patient and escaping.

Xu Dagang escaped the danger zone, but before he could even catch his breath, he was struck by a hidden gun and died instantly.

In the darkness, Bai Jingzhai sneered, put away his silenced pistol, and then raised his hand to give a whistle. Several figures emerged from the woods by the roadside and carried Xu Da's body into the depths of the forest, where a pit had already been dug beforehand.

This member of the Plum Blossom Gang, who was hiding in the military hospital, was used and thus perished in the chaos.

Bai Jingzhai instructed his men to cover up the scene, then bowed to the unjustly deceased on the ground as a gesture of respect. Frankly, he had initially hesitated to kill. Although he had killed countless people in the past, he was getting old and his heart had softened. However, if he didn't silence them, he feared that if he were discovered, it would jeopardize the nation's affairs. A few deaths were not a big deal; there were replacements and new people to fill the gaps. But success often depends on opportunity. Faced with such a crucial matter, he should act decisively and not let momentary weakness delay the nation's cause.

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Liao Yanjing was robbed in the middle of the night, and Xueyue Zuiji was robbed in the dead of night. Long Fei couldn't help but connect the two cases, thinking that there must be some connection between them. Could it be that Liao Yanjing possessed the secrets of Xueyue Zuiji? If so, he wouldn't need to worry, just as he didn't care about the secrets of Xueyue Zuiji being leaked now.

It turned out that a few days ago, after he intercepted the secrets on the back of the Snow Moon Drunk Picture, he had already searched for the locations marked on the picture one by one according to the photos of the arms picture he had taken, and secretly organized reliable personnel to monitor the above locations.

Long Fei originally wanted to seize both the general and the weapon at the same time, but he was afraid that making too big a move would easily leak the news and alert the enemy, thus affecting his action plan. So he had to give up the idea for the time being.

Long Fei insisted on luring the snake out of its hole, and his plan received further affirmation from Vice Minister Li.

This was a bold plan that required meticulous planning. No mistakes were allowed in any part of it. After the robbery of Liao the Glasses, Long Fei became even more cautious.

Long Fei withdrew his staff from the hospital. The investigation into Liao Yanjing's robbery was carried out secretly by Lu Ming and provincial officials, while Long Fei himself focused on finding the Plum Blossom Gang by following the stolen Snow Moon Drunken Painting.

Long Fei returned to his secret residence, lay on his bed, and began smoking one cigarette after another, his mind repeatedly processing every detail of his action plan.

A bright moon hung in the sky, and a refreshing autumn breeze blew. Long Fei leaned against the windowsill, letting the moonlight soothe his thoughts. He counted on his fingers; it had been almost a week since he left Beijing. Gazing at the bright moon, he couldn't help but recall Li Bai's famous poem: "Before my bed, the moonlight shines so bright, I wonder if it's frost on the ground; I raise my head to gaze at the bright moon, then lower my head and think of my hometown." This timeless poem about homesickness was heartbreaking. Long Fei thought of his wife back home in Beijing, and his heart was filled with melancholy. He was a strong-willed man and rarely showed his emotions to outsiders, especially sadness.

Since their marriage, Long Fei and his wife Nan Yun have spent more time apart than together. A few days ago, Nan Yun was on leave, and Long Fei had promised her he would accompany her on a vacation to Beidaihe. He had promised her countless times that he would take her to the Beidaihe beach resort, but each time it had fallen through for some reason. This time, the vice minister had specifically granted him a week's leave. Ironically, it was already early autumn, and the seawater had already cooled down, finally allowing them to finally go to Beidaihe together for the first time. Long Fei and Nan Yun had just arrived at the Ministry of Public Security's guesthouse when they received instructions from the ministry: another situation! Well, the vacation was canceled again. His wife was understanding, and Long Fei was deeply moved. But beyond his gratitude, he also felt guilty. However, public security work concerns the safety of the nation, and he couldn't let personal feelings interfere. Choosing this profession meant making sacrifices—sacrificing many things that ordinary people could easily obtain, such as family reunions and being together as a couple… Privately, Long Fei always felt he had failed his family and his wife.

His wife was newly pregnant, and this separation was the most heartbreaking for Long Fei. The bright moon stirred up endless longing in him; Long Fei had never missed his wife so intensely, perhaps because of her pregnancy. Long Fei thought to himself, human emotions are truly strange; love and family affection are so magical, capable of making a quasi-vagrant like him, accustomed to being away from home for years, suddenly yearn for home! Long Fei couldn't help but feel how warm and important home was.

The thought of home made Long Fei feel the weight of his burden even more. His peaceful motherland was also a warm home, with countless happy families on this land. So, he was leaving his own home for the sake of those families.

That night, Long Fei couldn't sleep at all; he felt an unprecedented pressure.

Chapter Thirteen: Who's Behind It All? (1)

Ah Cai's mother hastily tidied up the bedroom bedding and was changing her underwear when suddenly someone hugged her from behind... 78

Seeing the pair of black feet leave the floor and disappear through the window, Ah Cai quickly crawled out from under the bed and hurriedly left the attic. He thought, "The attic is definitely not a place to stay for long. How could so many frightening things have happened here? First, there's the strange furnishings. Who would live in my house? Why hasn't my mother said a word? And then there are those black feet, sneaking around like thieves." Before fleeing the attic, Ah Cai glanced at the things on the bed and found nothing changed. Strange, why hadn't the black feet left any trace? This really puzzled Ah Cai.

When Ah Cai came downstairs, he knew the danger had passed, but this time he was wary of the two women downstairs, one was his mother and the other was Aunt Ling. He didn't want to expose his intentions to them. If he woke them up, it would be like forgetting to wipe his mouth after eating.

As Ah-Cai tiptoed into the master bedroom, he glanced back warily and saw that Aunt Ling's bedroom door was ajar. He thought to himself, "Oh no, what if Aunt Ling discovered me? What if she tells Mom?"

Ah Cai returned to the bedside and found his mother still sleeping soundly, which reassured him somewhat. However, as soon as he lay down, his mother woke up. Mei Fang's nose twitched, and she suddenly became alert: "Child, where did you go just now?" She smelled an unusual odor on Ah Cai.

Ah Cai was caught off guard, unsure how to answer. Could he possibly lie?

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The most dangerous place on the surface is sometimes the safest. No one expected that Liao Glasses was hidden in an unused dissection room in the hospital.

This unused autopsy room is located on the hillside behind the hospital, adjacent to the morgue. It is usually deserted and desolate.

The dissection room is a single-story brick building, like a bungalow for the military. It was originally used for teaching students at the military medical school. Now, there is still a formalin pool in the dissection room, in which several unidentified corpses are still immersed.

Wu Dengke, who was also the head of surgery, had long had the key to the abandoned anatomy room. Afterwards, he couldn't understand how Bai Jingzhai had the key. This incident showed how ruthless his superior was.

The person who passed the note to Wu Dengke at night was Bai Jingzhai himself. Before Liao Yanjing was kidnapped, Wu Dengke, following instructions, secretly found an excuse to send the doctor from the special care ward to other places on business. Wu Dengke knew that Bai Jingzhai wanted to get rid of Liao Yanjing, but he didn't understand why Bai Jingzhai wouldn't let him get involved. Was it distrust or other considerations? Wu Dengke couldn't be sure until someone threw a letter next to his pillow in the middle of the night, and Wu Dengke learned the secret of the dissection room.

Bai Jingzhai's work style is characterized by both efficiency and urgency. He had just arranged Liao Yanjing's hiding place when he was already thinking about urging Wu Dengke to find a way to wake Liao Yanjing up as soon as possible.

The hospital's security department had been investigating overnight after a patient was kidnapped, creating a tense atmosphere. Wu Dengke hesitated to make any rash moves.

The next day at noon, after the college meeting, Wu Dengke finished lunch and prepared to return to his single dormitory to rest. As soon as he entered the room, he saw a person standing in the corner with his back to him.

Wu Dengke knew who the visitor was and quickly closed the door.

The man turned around and chuckled, "Sorry to bother you." He was Bai Jingzhai.

Seeing Bai Jingzhai's cold smile, Wu Dengke knew his purpose and quickly said, "Please enlighten me. I am ready to serve the Party and the country at any time." Bai Jingzhai shushed him, signaling him to speak softly, then waved his hand, gesturing for Wu Dengke to sit down. He acted as if he were the master of the place.

Wu Dengke sat upright, appearing extremely apprehensive.

Bai Jingzhai lowered his voice and began to speak: "Dean Wu, it's not that I want to force you, but this matter is extremely important. If we don't obtain the intelligence from Liao Yanjing as soon as possible, I'm afraid we'll miss our opportunity and ruin the Party and the State's long-prepared plan. You see, I haven't bothered you in the past few years, all because the organization cares for you and nurtures you, not wanting trivial matters to wear you down. Right now, I'm risking my life to sneak back to the mainland, but I'm truly forced into it. You should be able to see how important this matter is. So, let's get started!" Bai Jingzhai's last sentence was almost an order, carrying an unyielding tone that brooked no argument!

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