Xiao Hanjun didn't say anything, but got up and walked out with a sullen face. His entourage quickly got up and followed him out. Before leaving, they turned around and glared at Xu Zhengyang with a strong warning.
After they all left, Xu Zhengyang sighed softly, then shook his head with a helpless bitter smile. He really had been meddling. Whether they made contributions or not, whether they performed well or not, what did it have to do with him? Good intentions were never rewarded; what was the point?
Indeed, yesterday, after Xiao Hanjun came to this room and gave his name, Xu Zhengyang was thinking of letting Xiao Hanjun shine again and make a contribution. This could be considered as gratitude for Xiao Hanjun's efforts in pushing forward the cases of Cao Gangchuan and Zhang Hao, as well as securing the overturning of the ironclad cases of Chen Chaojiang and Liu Bin.
Given the current situation, everyone believes Zhao Qing and Zhong Shan are doomed. Whoever stands up for Zhao Qing and Zhong Shan at this crucial moment and investigates the other side will be the ultimate victor. At that time, fame, prestige, and merit will all be theirs.
Unfortunately, his good intentions were met with a cold shoulder. But it's understandable; after all, no one would easily believe Xu Zhengyang's words. Xu Zhengyang himself is now quite regretful; why did he even say all that?
Over the past few days, Xu Zhengyang had made thorough preparations. He was absolutely certain that things would unfold in a way that would completely surprise everyone at the last moment. This would expose all the secrets behind the entire affair, and everyone currently gloating and preparing to celebrate their victory would be dragged out, becoming a laughingstock, a sinner, and someone who, instead of succeeding, ended up losing out, helping Zhao Qing and Zhong Shan benefit.
As for why Zhong Shan and Zhao Qing would benefit, and what advantages they would gain...
Xu Zhengyang certainly didn't expect this, but he would definitely benefit from it. The reason was simple: the county public security bureau chief and the criminal investigation team leader, who had just made outstanding contributions in cracking a drug trafficking case that shocked the whole country, were suddenly pulled down from their high positions and placed under investigation. In the end, it turned out that the two of them were framed, wronged, and persecuted... Didn't the higher-ups want to give them something in return?
It's only human nature, Xu Zhengyang thought. If he were the leader, he would also promote the two of them and give them a raise...
Next... Xu Zhengyang was completely convinced.
Why is everything progressing so slowly? Aren't the relevant departments in a hurry to investigate and clarify the whole situation? Well, even though I'm eating, drinking, and living here for free, and the conditions are good, I don't want to just stay cooped up in my room every day dealing with the county records—no, I should call them case files now, right?
Although Xu Zhengyang was now completely confident and had no worries about the outcome, the others were not.
Although Xu Zhengyang was under house arrest in Fuhe City and confined to a room, unable to leave, he had a very clear understanding of the situation in his village, his home, and the county public security bureau. Not to mention that he was now a judge in the downstream area under the Fuhe City God, even before his promotion, he would still have been very familiar with the situation in any part of Cixian County.
While I remained calm and collected, a raging storm was brewing outside.
The county public security bureau chief has been temporarily replaced by the deputy chief, Shan Yaopeng, who is destined to be in big trouble. The bureau is in a state of panic, unsure what personnel changes will follow. Xu Zhengyang doesn't care much about these things; who cares, it's none of our business. The main concern is the village; the news has spread far and wide, and everyone in the village knows.
The Zhong family has lost its former glory, and many villagers no longer treat them with the same politeness and respect. Back home, his parents live in constant fear, wanting to visit him in the city but unable to, unaware of the situation, left only with helpless anxiety. Some neighbors who had previously envied their wealth have begun to mock them again, saying things like they earned money dishonestly, deserved it, and would get their comeuppance sooner or later.
These things aren't important. I'll get out of here sooner or later anyway, and then those gossiping people will be proven wrong and feel ashamed for what they said.
Xu Zhengyang was most worried about Chen Chaojiang, who was like a lurking wolf, waiting for an opportunity to take revenge on Shen Haobing.
Moreover, he seems to be getting increasingly impatient these past two days, since Xu Zhengyang has been taken away for more than twenty days.
Xu Zhengyang even considered using his supernatural ability to transmit his voice over a thousand miles to remind Chen Chaojiang not to act impulsively and not to worry about him, as he was fine. However, after careful consideration, Xu Zhengyang decided against it because... firstly, he didn't want Chen Chaojiang to know about his divine status; secondly, given Chen Chaojiang's personality, he wouldn't believe him even if you spoke to him face-to-face, let alone through a dream—it would be completely useless.
That's why Xu Zhengyang was anxious to end this matter quickly and get out of there, in case Chen Chaojiang did something irreversible.
Xu Zhengyang became restless, thinking that he might as well stop thinking about letting things take their course and directly force things to develop faster.
So he began to look forward to the night.
Time passed very slowly. Looking at the clock on the wall, the hour hand pointed to five in the afternoon, and the sun in the west was still shining brightly outside the window.
Suddenly, the case file prompted Xu Zhengyang to quickly recall it and see what was going on.
He had already discussed with the previous county recorder and the current case file that they would immediately remind him if any special circumstances arose with his parents.
He discovered that his mother had brought a basket of braised pork, fruit, pastries, incense, paper money, and candles to the local earth god temple in the west of the village. She was burning incense and making offerings, then kowtowing and weeping as she begged the earth god to save her son. Zhengyang was a friend of the earth god...
Xu Zhengyang was terrified. Good heavens, this is going to shorten my lifespan! How could I let my mother kneel before me?
So he disregarded everything else and quickly said to his mother in his mind, "Xu Zhengyang will be fine. He'll be home safely in a few days, so don't worry! Also, Xu Zhengyang and I are friends, so you're not allowed to kneel before me. It will shorten my lifespan... Aren't you getting up? Get up quickly! I, I'm kneeling before you, please get up quickly..."
The voice of the Earth God echoed in Yuan Suqin's mind, making her increasingly fearful and uneasy. She kept kowtowing, but when she heard the Earth God pleading with her again, she quickly got up, full of surprise and terror, afraid of displeasing the Earth God.
"Go home quickly, don't worry, everything will be fine! I swear by God!" Xu Zhengyang knelt on the ground, kowtowing as he made the promise with a pained expression.
This was the first time Yuan Suqin had encountered such a bizarre and unpredictable situation. She stood there blankly in the earth god temple for a long time before she came to her senses. She wanted to kneel down and thank him again, but then she remembered that the earth god did not allow her to kneel down. So she could only bow a few times and walk out of the earth god temple in high spirits.
Dozens of kilometers away in Fuhe City, Xu Zhengyang sat on the ground with a bitter and helpless expression. Why did he never expect this to happen?
Volume 3, Judge 090: That Smile of Ice and Fire
An autumn rain washed away the dust and grime from the air, leaving it clear and bright.
On both sides of the newly built North Ring Road, which is not yet completed and open to traffic, there are not many high-rise residential buildings or shops. Most of them are construction sites and houses being demolished. Occasionally, there are a few simple houses that have been built, with signs for restaurants or small shops hanging in front of them.
These small restaurants and shops naturally target construction workers and drivers and pedestrians who occasionally pass by and need their services.
Shilipu Village, located on the eastern section of the new North Ring Road, is situated precisely on the north side of the road. The road surface next to their village on the eastern section of the new North Ring Road has been completed, but it is not yet open to traffic. The North Ring Road only occupies some farmland outside Shilipu Village; it has not encroached on the village or affected the villagers' homes. Some villagers are disappointed because they will not receive substantial compensation. However, the twenty or so households living at the southernmost part of the village are fortunate that the North Ring Road has not encroached on their homes. Being adjacent to the ring road, they can easily modify their houses to build shops, which will generate substantial long-term profits, whether they open shops themselves or rent them out.
However, their joy and anticipation did not last long before they received bad news:
The farmhouses south of Shilipu Village are negatively impacting the appearance of the new ring road. They require unified planning and construction, with the town government allocating funds to provide appropriate compensation to each household. Additionally, each household will be allocated new residential land in the village as compensation for their land exchange, based on the size of their house.
While it may seem reasonable, these twenty-odd farmers actually suffered a great loss.
Regardless of the amount of compensation, no family would willingly exchange money that could have generated long-term profits for a one-time compensation payment, especially since this compensation is clearly not worthwhile. What angers these villagers even more is that they know very well that this so-called unified planning and construction was not actually the county government's plan, but rather a joint effort by town and village officials, along with several notorious local bullies.
To put it simply, Shen Haobing and a few other local bullies, known as the "Ten Tigers of Cizhou," bribed officials in the town and village to submit reports to the county government for the unified renovation of some villagers' houses under the pretext of planning and constructing buildings along the ring road. After obtaining approval, they would then discuss compensation with the villagers.
It's called a discussion, but in reality, you have to agree whether you want to or not.
At first, the villagers were naturally dissatisfied and mobilized their relatives and friends to resolutely resist the so-called compensation and land-for-land exchange plan. However... immediately, family members of two villagers were beaten by village officials and their families, as well as some strangers who looked like members of organized crime. Several other villagers' homes were also pelted with bricks, sticks, and even burning gasoline bottles at night.
The practice of making an example of someone to warn others.
The villagers reported the case, but it had little effect. The police station did arrest a few people for their actions, detaining and fining them.
Everything remained the same. The village secretary's son even shouted in the street, "Anyone who dares to disagree, just wait and see, you'll be sorry..."
By this afternoon, almost all of the more than twenty households had compromised.
Around 5 p.m., Shen Haobing and three other members of the "Ten Tigers of Cizhou," along with the village secretary, village head, the village secretary's son, the village head's two nephews, and more than ten others, gathered at the newly opened roadside restaurant owned by the village head's nephews to hold a celebration banquet. While celebrating, they were also showing off their power to the villagers.
The restaurant owned by the village chief's nephew was a newly renovated house, so his house was not included in the overall demolition plan.
The large signboard of "Deqiang Restaurant" is particularly eye-catching. The walls are covered with white tiles, and the door is decorated with couplets wishing the restaurant a grand opening. The windows and doors are bright and clean. Firecracker debris is scattered on the damp cement ground in front of the door. In short, everything exudes a festive atmosphere.
The restaurant was filled with the sounds of shouting and playing drinking games, a lively and boisterous atmosphere that could be clearly heard even from the south side of the ring road.
The autumn rain has just stopped, and there is a slight chill in the air. Occasionally, a gentle breeze blows by, carrying a damp feeling, and people wearing thin clothes will feel a little cold.
Some villagers emerged from their homes, which they would not be staying in for long. They walked along the roadside, their faces showing worry or anger as they chatted and complained, looking at the "Deqiang Restaurant" over there and listening to the boisterous shouts and laughter coming from inside.
The dark clouds dispersed, and the crimson sunset hung on the western horizon like a red-hot iron disc. The weak red sunlight shone down, casting a dark red glow on the damp road.
A few villagers who had just finished grumbling in hushed tones glanced westward.
But in the distance, along the still unpaved ring road, a thin young man was walking casually toward them. What was striking was his pale face, devoid of any color; his thin eyebrows were like swords, beneath which were a pair of long, narrow eyes, but... even from a distance, one could sense the icy, utterly devoid of any warmth emanating from those long, narrow eyes.
The young man was wearing a slightly yellowed white shirt, his right arm was slightly bent above his abdomen, and a black jacket was draped over his arm, with his right hand also hidden inside the jacket; the hem of his shirt was tucked into black trousers, and there were some mud spots on the trouser legs and black leather shoes.
He paid no heed to the slightly puzzled looks from the villagers along the roadside, as if there were no people or things around him. He simply walked calmly and unhurriedly, as if taking a leisurely stroll. Head held high, chest out, his thin body remained perfectly straight, eyes fixed straight ahead, as he walked slowly…
His eyes were icy cold, coupled with his pale, bloodless face, short hair, thin face, and thin body. In short, he exuded an aura of effeminate coldness.
Such a person will attract attention wherever they go.
The villagers along the roadside stopped their grumbling and turned their attention to the young people who seemed to be scattered along the roadside.
He continued walking at a leisurely pace, but stopped when he reached the entrance of "Deqiang Restaurant." He tilted his head slightly, looked at the restaurant's sign, as if confirming something, or perhaps he was hungry and wanted to have a meal inside. He turned and left Huancheng Road, walking onto the black slab road leading to the open area in front of the restaurant. He stopped in front of a concrete slab more than two meters high, looked at the four large characters "Deqiang Restaurant" painted in red, and then squatted down facing west.
Chen Chaojiang lit a cigarette, tilted his head slightly, and gazed at the fiery red sun in the western sky with his slender eyes. His expression was indifferent, and the fiery sunlight reflected in his eyes evoked a scene of ice and fire coexisting.
Now, a flicker of affection, a hint of hesitation, has stirred within his heart, which was as hard and cold as thick ice.
He never considered himself particularly clever, and often felt foolish when making certain decisions, yet he couldn't convince himself not to do them. For example, from childhood, his parents always doted on his younger brother but didn't particularly like him, even disliking him somewhat, simply because he was always seen as stubborn and inflexible. When his parents scolded or beat him, he never argued, never cried, never dodged, and never ran away.
He knew in his heart what he should do to make his parents happy.
But I just can't make it.
It was a very strange feeling, even he found it strange. Occasionally, he would mock himself in his heart, thinking how stupid he was.
Was the decision I made today right? Chen Chaojiang hesitated, but his expression remained unchanged. He didn't even shake his head slightly to express his doubts, despite knowing in his heart that his actions were somewhat foolish. He was thinking about some things, some reasons:
Xu Zhengyang was his best friend. When they were kids, he almost drowned while swimming in the Fu River, and Xu Zhengyang saved him, nearly losing his own life in the process. From elementary to middle school, when he wasn't doing well in school, Xu Zhengyang would help him with his homework every day, explaining problems to him, but he would never let him copy his homework or pass him answers during exams. When they were kids, nobody wanted to play with him, but Xu Zhengyang, being the leader of the group, would pull him aside and tell the other kids, "He's our friend too, you can't ignore him..."
Hmm, I remember after graduating from junior high school, the first time I got into a group fight with kids from another village, Xu Zhengyang took two bricks for me.
On Chen Chaojiang's pale, cold face, a fleeting hint of a smile flashed across his long, narrow eyes, devoid of any warmth, before his expression returned to its icy indifference.
Xu Zhengyang had told him that Zhong Zhijun's father and the county public security bureau chief Zhao Qing had helped him and Liu Bin get out of prison early. Last time at the Nancheng Township Police Station, Zhong Shan also made a phone call to ask for help, and Director Zhao Qing arrived immediately... Otherwise, what would have happened to him if Shen Haobing had beaten him up?
I don't want to think about these things anymore...
Chen Chaojiang took a deep drag on his cigarette, glancing towards Shili Pu Village. He figured Shen Haobing would come out, stab him a few times unexpectedly, and then run into the village. Once inside, they wouldn't be able to catch him. Then… he could get through the village to the cornfield and be safe.
Just then, Xu Zhengyang's voice suddenly rang in his mind: "Chaojiang, go back, don't be impulsive, I'm fine!"
Chen Chaojiang shook his head slightly, inwardly mocking himself: How could I be hallucinating?
Dozens of kilometers away in Fuhe City, on Fuhe Middle Road, in a room on the fourth floor of the Tianhong Hotel, Xu Zhengyang frowned deeply, holding the jade case file, looking at Chen Chaojiang squatting under the cement slab in the image, anxiously calling out: "Chaojiang, go back, don't be impulsive, I'm fine!"
Then he discovered that forcibly using supernatural powers to transmit sound through thought was extremely exhausting; even a few words were enough to leave him feeling utterly weary. What frustrated him most was that Chen Chaojiang simply didn't care about or believe the voice echoing in his mind.
No, no, this can't go on, it's useless! It's a futile waste of divine power.
Xu Zhengyang hurriedly summoned all the ghosts in Cixian County, trying to get them to help Chen Chaojiang. Once Shen Haobing and his group came out of the restaurant, Chen Chaojiang, who was recklessly and foolishly charging at them, would be the only one who could defeat so many people. He would only suffer the consequences!
Then Xu Zhengyang sadly discovered that he couldn't summon ghosts at all during the day.
He could only watch the scene with despair and worry, feeling anxious for Chen Chaojiang, while in his heart he kept summoning the ghosts in Cixian County, hoping that even just one ghost could help in some way!
Just then, the curtain of "Deqiang Restaurant" was lifted, and Shen Haobing and Hou Deqiang, the son of the village party secretary, walked out of the restaurant with flushed faces and laughing and swaying as they strolled toward the roadside.
After reaching the roadside, the two men, as if no one else was around, unzipped their pants, took out their genitals, and urinated.
The erected cement slab was positioned directly between Chen Chaojiang, Shen Haobing, and Hou Deqiang, blocking their view.
As the two walked out of the restaurant chatting and laughing, Chen Chaojiang was still wondering why he had heard Xu Zhengyang's voice earlier. When he came to his senses, he heard Shen Haobing's voice, so he slowly got up and turned his head to look in the direction of the sound.
Shen Haobing and Hou Deqiang had already walked back to the restaurant entrance. Hou Deqiang turned his head and saw the young man who had just started looking in their direction next to the cement slab. The young man's pale face and narrow, icy eyes made Hou Deqiang very uncomfortable, so he immediately cursed, "Hey, what the hell are you doing standing there?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Haobing turned around and saw that pale face that he remembered so vividly!
Stared at by those icy eyes, Shen Haobing's alcohol-induced haze instantly jolted him awake. He took a step back and stepped into the restaurant, then strode out again, roaring furiously, "Damn it, I'll kill you today!" As soon as he finished speaking, he charged towards Chen Chaojiang.
At this moment, Chen Chaojiang had already started walking briskly towards Shen Haobing.
As he walked, Chen Chaojiang flung off the jacket draped over his right arm. The jacket flew more than two meters away, landing on the damp, black slag pavement. A flash of cold light, and Chen Chaojiang's right hand, which was slung straight down as he strode forward, now held a gleaming machete.
The machete was neither long nor wide, with a blade about a foot long and three fingers wide.
When Shen Haobing saw that Chen Chaojiang had suddenly produced a gleaming machete, he was immediately chilled to the bone. By the time he tried to stop, he was already more than ten meters away from the restaurant entrance, while Chen Chaojiang had already accelerated and rushed to within two meters of him, the machete already raised, its blade reflecting the sunlight, flashing with a cold red light.
In his panic, Shen Haobing instinctively turned and ran away, but forgot that he should run back into the restaurant. Or rather, he didn't have time to turn around and run away. He only managed to turn his body halfway before he took off running eastward.
The machete cleaved through the air from above, but Chen Chaojiang didn't utter a single angry curse. He coldly and silently gripped the hilt and chased after them.
"Damn it, someone's trying to kill Brother Bing! Come out and help!" Hou Deqiang shouted angrily into the restaurant.
The restaurant immediately erupted in chaos, and in an instant, seven or eight people carrying bottles of liquor or chairs poured out.