The two of them met face to face.
Captain Zhang laughed somewhat unnaturally. “All of you are going to Nanmu?”
The corners of Bai Muchuan’s lips quirked slowly upward. “We’ve already gone the same way for quite a while.” He passed a cigarette to Captain Zhang. “You haven’t noticed?”
His response to Captain Zhang’s question was superb.
Captain Zhang’s face seemed a little awkward, but he quickly regained his composure.
“So that vehicle earlier was you guys?”
Bai Muchuan had a half-smile. “Who else?”
Hurhur! Captain Zhang scratched his head. “I thought the Dark Clan was tailing me, that’s why I deliberately shook you off at that intersection—”
Such a reply was splendid as well.
Bai Muchuan just smiled casually and he helped Captain Zhang lit the cigarette.
As the two men looked at each other, they did not continue that topic.
“How far are we from Nanmu currently?”
“We have covered one third of the journey, I believe.”
“Oh, that’s considered quite fast already.”
“No, that’s only because this part of the journey is on the expressway. Once we leave the expressway, the journey is just starting to get rough.”
Bai Muchuan looked up at the sky upon hearing Captain Zhang’s words. “I wonder if we can arrive there before nightfall?”
Captain Zhang followed his line of sight to look at the sky. “We need to depend on luck.”
Depend on luck? Currently, Bai Muchuan was not able to fully understand what Captain Zhang meant.
This was because it was his first trip to Nanmu, whereas Captain Zhang was very familiar with it.
After they got off the expressway, they drove on the national highway and then onto the provincial highway. After which, they entered a main road… Only then did he feel the remoteness and desolation of the mountainous area and rough roads…
He had seen places where people lived in poverty.
But what he had seen could not be compared to the region of Nanmu. In a society that progressed so rapidly, such areas were a rare sight.
When they entered a place called Pingxing County, they received a shocking piece of news.
“The road from Pingxing to Nanmu has collapsed.”
It was a landslide.
It was their first trip. Was this bad luck?
The weather was starting to turn cold and they were already in a region of high altitude.
What should they do now? They couldn’t proceed due to the landslide, but they didn’t want to return as they were already near Nanmu.
Bai Muchuan asked Salimu, “Is this place far away from your hometown?”
Salimu: “Not really. I think it’s slightly more than a hundred kilometers away?”
Bai Muchuan: “…”
“Heheh.” Salimu was holding the map in search of the route. “Captain Bai, about ten kilometers away from here, there’s a town called Jiang Zhong. I’ve heard of it since young that this town is quite prosperous… Shall we head over there first for some food?”
They had actually been rushing to their destination all this while.
Everyone just ate a little at the Rest Area earlier.
Bai Muchuan was silent for a moment. “Is there another route to Nanmu?”
Salimu scratched his head. “Well, there is. It’s a longer route that requires a few more hours of journey. And, that route might be a rougher one…”
Bai Muchuan: “We will take that route.”
The repair works of the collapsed road due to the landslide would not just be a few hours.
He would rather find another way out instead of plain waiting.
Salimu: “… Okay. Captain Bai, even if we want to change our route, we will still need to pass by the town of Jiang Zhong. All vehicles used to pass by Jiang Zhong in order to go to Nanmu. It was only after the authorities built this road that the number of people passing through Jiang Zhong decreased.”
Bai Muchuan frowned as he took a glance at him.
“We’ll go there for our dinner then.”
“Okay.”
By then, the one who was driving was Tu Liang.
He was not only an experienced veteran detective, his driving skills when he drove along the mountainous path was also very steady. Tang Yuanchu could not stop complimenting Tu Liang’s cool driving skills.
“I’ve only known till now what it means to be called the old driver!”
Tu Liang’s eyes were on the road. “Young fellow, you’re not too bad yourself.”
“Heheh!” Tang Yuanchu gave a chuckle and suddenly turned around to Bai Muchuan. “Boss, do you think the Xi City detectives are ahead or behind us?”
When they came out from the Rest Area, the Xi City detectives were nowhere to be seen.
Bai Muchuan was unable to answer this question.
“I feel that,” continued Tang Yuanchu, “they seem to be overly sensitive with regards to this case. Well, isn’t it better to get more people to work on the case? We are joining hands to solve this case, when the case gets solved, they will definitely get their due credit. Why are they so careful around us?”
Bai Muchuan remained silent.
For Tang Yuanchu, this was a problem that was complicated.
Nonetheless, he knew there must be something that made them behave this way.
Bai Muchuan and team had found out that the Dark Clan had been active in Nanmu for a long period of time. Even if there were no dealings between the police in Xi City and the Dark Clan, there might inevitably be some matters that the Xi City police did not want any outsider to intervene with…
Serious Crime Division One was from the Capital and it directly reports to the main Central Bureau. In their eyes, this was a Division that was mysterious and had a lot of authority. It wouldn’t be hard for them to think that Captain Bai and team were not there to investigate the Dark Clan but instead to investigate the Xi City police?
“Well, this is how the world works.”
“Alright, I understand now.”
“You understand? What did you understand?”
“That I’m still a child as I don’t know how the world works.”
“…”
Everyone was speechless with Tang Yuanchu’s remark.
…
Their vehicle was like a tiny ant as it moved along the twirly-whirly road in the mountainous region.
This path was indeed quite a bumpy ride.
There were also hardly any other vehicles on the road.
Every time there was a turn, Tu Liang would be very careful and slow down the car.
When they arrived at the town of Jiang Zhong, it was already dark.
The weather was very unpredictable as well. While they were at Pingxing, it was still blue skies with white clouds. When they arrived at Jiang Zhong, it was raining and the skies were grey.
Prior to reaching Jiang Zhong, Salimu said it was the biggest town around this area.
He had even used word “prosperous” to describe the town.
Originally, Xiang Wan was filled with hopes that she could see a scenic town with rustic and elegant buildings, delicious local food that had its own special flavor, as well as some unique and interesting things…
In the end, when they drove into the town, she did not feel that it was a big town. They hardly saw any decent looking hotels or restaurants as well. She had to re-examine what Salimu meant by “biggest and prosperous”.
The town was too dilapidated. Xiang Wan could not make out which era the houses were built in the town.
At that time, as it was raining; there were very few pedestrians and they hardly saw any car passing by.
There would occasionally be a few people standing under the eaves or walking along the streets, looking nervous as they peeked at the SUV that drove into the town.
Xiang Wan saw the looks on the faces of the residents. “They don’t like outsiders?” Xiang Wan said curiously, “I feel that… the looks they are giving us are not quite right?”
“You’re right.” Bai Muchuan said, “The people in the Nanmu region doesn’t like outsiders.”
Xiang Wan puffed a sigh.
She thought of the write-up she read on the internet about Nanmu.
Low educational levels, underdeveloped area.
Furthermore, the people there dabbled in drugs, be it drug users or drug sellers. The Nanmu region was also an area where a high incidence of AIDS patients were being recorded.
In recent years, the government had made great efforts to educate, reform, build schools, and provide assistance to these people to help them enjoy a more advanced civilization. Their lives were indeed improved, but the traditional habits that they had inherited from previous generations could not be completely reversed in such a short time.
“Boss!”
It was Tang Yuanchu.
As though he had found a treasure, he pointed at the bright lights up ahead in the misty rain.
“There’s an inn ahead!”
Jiang Zhong Inn! The lightbox were flashing these words.
It was indeed an inn!
In a small place like Jiang Zhong Town, the lights of many houses were like the will-o’-the-wisp—ghostly and greyish under the misty rain. In contrast, this Jiang Zhong Inn was a five-storey building that adopted the ancient style of architecture, making it extremely eye catching.
“Wow! The lights are so bright!”
Salimu exclaimed in excitement.
From his tone, he seemed to be very glad.
“Our Nanmu also has such a big inn in a town already.”
He used the word “big”!
The outer appearance of this Jiang Zhong Inn indeed look modern enough. But the word “big” was really not suitable!
Xiang Wan took a glance at him and could not help giving a chuckle.
Salimu was still exclaiming cheerfully, “See that? There’s a row of bright crimson red lanterns that brightens up the atmosphere. It’s so beautiful!”
Who wouldn’t praise their own hometown?
Hearing his joyous tone, everyone did not have the heart to correct him. They just smiled or laughed with him.
“Let’s rest here for the night.”
“Yeah, it’s not safe to drive in the dark.”
“I agree! We should have a warm bath, get a good sleep and continue the journey tomorrow!”
Everyone voiced out their opinions.
Bai Muchuan nodded his head. “Sure, we’ll rest here.”
Their trip to Nanmu was not something they could settle in a day or two.
There was no need to brave through the rain and continue their journey at night. As they were not familiar with the roads there, it was very easy for them to get into an accident.
The moment they stopped the car, the lady owner of the inn came out with an umbrella.
Tu Liang poked his head out of the SUV. “Lady boss, are there rooms available?”
“Aiyo! Of course, of course. Please wait a while. I’ll get umbrellas for all of you!”
In this town, there were not many who could afford to stay at the inn. Visitors who want to go to Nanmu would directly take the earlier route after it was built by the authorities. In view of that, very few visitors would actually come to Jiang Zhong. The lady owner was so thrilled to see customers that she couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear.
Quan Shaoteng poked Bai Muchuan and smiled leisurely. “Little Bai, this lady boss is so warm, friendly, and flirty… No, she’s hospitable!”
Bai Muchuan gave him a cold look.
“You’re right. Since you’re so good-looking, why don’t you go earn some room money?”
“You shouldn’t say this! Didn’t all of them say you’re better-looking than me?”
While the two of them were talking, the lady owner came out with several umbrellas on hand.
As Xiang Wan had an umbrella inside her bag, she used her own instead. Nevertheless, she still said thanks to the lady owner and walked past her with Bai Muchuan.
The lady owner looked at her and then Bai Muchuan with a slightly confused look. Then she smiled again with her eyes curved and followed them into the inn.
“This rain might not stop anytime soon. It’s right that all of you chose to rest in Jiang Zhong for the night.”
“Yeah!” Tu Liang stood under the eaves as he shook the excess water off the umbrella and took a look at the now dark sky.
The lady owner gave him a glance and entered the inn. “Attend to the guests nicely!” She told the young female receptionist.
She turned to ask Tu Liang again, “Are you here in Jiang Zhong to visit relatives or?”
Tu Liang showed an unfriendly expression. “You’ve asked too much?”
The lady owner had an awkward smile, while Tu Liang revealed a meaningful smile.
“We are here for some business dealings.”
“Oh I see. It’s good to come here for business!” The lady owner laughed. “Out of 10 people who come here, eight of them are here for business dealings.”
“Hurhur!”
Tu Liang laughed and went inside the inn.
…
The lobby of the inn was not very big.
Bai Muchuan, Xiang Wan, Quan Shaoteng, and the others sat on the sofa.
It was raining cats and dogs outside, but it was quiet inside the inn.
Tu Liang asked for seven rooms and asked the young female receptionist a question.
“Do you serve meals here?”
“We do! It’s just that we need more time for preparation.” The young receptionist had a friendly attitude. “Here’s our menu. Sir, you can take a look at it.”
“Mm.”
Tu Liang took the menu and walked toward Bai Muchuan.
As he lowered his head and pointed at the menu, he spoke softly, “There’s a problem with this inn!”
The two of them met face to face.
Captain Zhang laughed somewhat unnaturally. “All of you are going to Nanmu?”
The corners of Bai Muchuan’s lips quirked slowly upward. “We’ve already gone the same way for quite a while.” He passed a cigarette to Captain Zhang. “You haven’t noticed?”
His response to Captain Zhang’s question was superb.
Captain Zhang’s face seemed a little awkward, but he quickly regained his composure.
“So that vehicle earlier was you guys?”
Bai Muchuan had a half-smile. “Who else?”
Hurhur! Captain Zhang scratched his head. “I thought the Dark Clan was tailing me, that’s why I deliberately shook you off at that intersection—”
Such a reply was splendid as well.
Bai Muchuan just smiled casually and he helped Captain Zhang lit the cigarette.
As the two men looked at each other, they did not continue that topic.
“How far are we from Nanmu currently?”
“We have covered one third of the journey, I believe.”
“Oh, that’s considered quite fast already.”
“No, that’s only because this part of the journey is on the expressway. Once we leave the expressway, the journey is just starting to get rough.”
Bai Muchuan looked up at the sky upon hearing Captain Zhang’s words. “I wonder if we can arrive there before nightfall?”
Captain Zhang followed his line of sight to look at the sky. “We need to depend on luck.”
Depend on luck? Currently, Bai Muchuan was not able to fully understand what Captain Zhang meant.
This was because it was his first trip to Nanmu, whereas Captain Zhang was very familiar with it.
After they got off the expressway, they drove on the national highway and then onto the provincial highway. After which, they entered a main road… Only then did he feel the remoteness and desolation of the mountainous area and rough roads…
He had seen places where people lived in poverty.
But what he had seen could not be compared to the region of Nanmu. In a society that progressed so rapidly, such areas were a rare sight.
When they entered a place called Pingxing County, they received a shocking piece of news.
“The road from Pingxing to Nanmu has collapsed.”
It was a landslide.
It was their first trip. Was this bad luck?
The weather was starting to turn cold and they were already in a region of high altitude.
What should they do now? They couldn’t proceed due to the landslide, but they didn’t want to return as they were already near Nanmu.
Bai Muchuan asked Salimu, “Is this place far away from your hometown?”
Salimu: “Not really. I think it’s slightly more than a hundred kilometers away?”
Bai Muchuan: “…”
“Heheh.” Salimu was holding the map in search of the route. “Captain Bai, about ten kilometers away from here, there’s a town called Jiang Zhong. I’ve heard of it since young that this town is quite prosperous… Shall we head over there first for some food?”
They had actually been rushing to their destination all this while.
Everyone just ate a little at the Rest Area earlier.
Bai Muchuan was silent for a moment. “Is there another route to Nanmu?”
Salimu scratched his head. “Well, there is. It’s a longer route that requires a few more hours of journey. And, that route might be a rougher one…”
Bai Muchuan: “We will take that route.”
The repair works of the collapsed road due to the landslide would not just be a few hours.
He would rather find another way out instead of plain waiting.
Salimu: “… Okay. Captain Bai, even if we want to change our route, we will still need to pass by the town of Jiang Zhong. All vehicles used to pass by Jiang Zhong in order to go to Nanmu. It was only after the authorities built this road that the number of people passing through Jiang Zhong decreased.”
Bai Muchuan frowned as he took a glance at him.
“We’ll go there for our dinner then.”
“Okay.”
By then, the one who was driving was Tu Liang.
He was not only an experienced veteran detective, his driving skills when he drove along the mountainous path was also very steady. Tang Yuanchu could not stop complimenting Tu Liang’s cool driving skills.
“I’ve only known till now what it means to be called the old driver!”
Tu Liang’s eyes were on the road. “Young fellow, you’re not too bad yourself.”
“Heheh!” Tang Yuanchu gave a chuckle and suddenly turned around to Bai Muchuan. “Boss, do you think the Xi City detectives are ahead or behind us?”
When they came out from the Rest Area, the Xi City detectives were nowhere to be seen.
Bai Muchuan was unable to answer this question.
“I feel that,” continued Tang Yuanchu, “they seem to be overly sensitive with regards to this case. Well, isn’t it better to get more people to work on the case? We are joining hands to solve this case, when the case gets solved, they will definitely get their due credit. Why are they so careful around us?”
Bai Muchuan remained silent.
For Tang Yuanchu, this was a problem that was complicated.
Nonetheless, he knew there must be something that made them behave this way.
Bai Muchuan and team had found out that the Dark Clan had been active in Nanmu for a long period of time. Even if there were no dealings between the police in Xi City and the Dark Clan, there might inevitably be some matters that the Xi City police did not want any outsider to intervene with…
Serious Crime Division One was from the Capital and it directly reports to the main Central Bureau. In their eyes, this was a Division that was mysterious and had a lot of authority. It wouldn’t be hard for them to think that Captain Bai and team were not there to investigate the Dark Clan but instead to investigate the Xi City police?
“Well, this is how the world works.”
“Alright, I understand now.”
“You understand? What did you understand?”
“That I’m still a child as I don’t know how the world works.”
“…”
Everyone was speechless with Tang Yuanchu’s remark.
…
Their vehicle was like a tiny ant as it moved along the twirly-whirly road in the mountainous region.
This path was indeed quite a bumpy ride.
There were also hardly any other vehicles on the road.
Every time there was a turn, Tu Liang would be very careful and slow down the car.
When they arrived at the town of Jiang Zhong, it was already dark.
The weather was very unpredictable as well. While they were at Pingxing, it was still blue skies with white clouds. When they arrived at Jiang Zhong, it was raining and the skies were grey.
Prior to reaching Jiang Zhong, Salimu said it was the biggest town around this area.
He had even used word “prosperous” to describe the town.
Originally, Xiang Wan was filled with hopes that she could see a scenic town with rustic and elegant buildings, delicious local food that had its own special flavor, as well as some unique and interesting things…
In the end, when they drove into the town, she did not feel that it was a big town. They hardly saw any decent looking hotels or restaurants as well. She had to re-examine what Salimu meant by “biggest and prosperous”.
The town was too dilapidated. Xiang Wan could not make out which era the houses were built in the town.
At that time, as it was raining; there were very few pedestrians and they hardly saw any car passing by.
There would occasionally be a few people standing under the eaves or walking along the streets, looking nervous as they peeked at the SUV that drove into the town.
Xiang Wan saw the looks on the faces of the residents. “They don’t like outsiders?” Xiang Wan said curiously, “I feel that… the looks they are giving us are not quite right?”
“You’re right.” Bai Muchuan said, “The people in the Nanmu region doesn’t like outsiders.”
Xiang Wan puffed a sigh.
She thought of the write-up she read on the internet about Nanmu.
Low educational levels, underdeveloped area.
Furthermore, the people there dabbled in drugs, be it drug users or drug sellers. The Nanmu region was also an area where a high incidence of AIDS patients were being recorded.
In recent years, the government had made great efforts to educate, reform, build schools, and provide assistance to these people to help them enjoy a more advanced civilization. Their lives were indeed improved, but the traditional habits that they had inherited from previous generations could not be completely reversed in such a short time.
“Boss!”
It was Tang Yuanchu.
As though he had found a treasure, he pointed at the bright lights up ahead in the misty rain.
“There’s an inn ahead!”
Jiang Zhong Inn! The lightbox were flashing these words.
It was indeed an inn!
In a small place like Jiang Zhong Town, the lights of many houses were like the will-o’-the-wisp—ghostly and greyish under the misty rain. In contrast, this Jiang Zhong Inn was a five-storey building that adopted the ancient style of architecture, making it extremely eye catching.
“Wow! The lights are so bright!”
Salimu exclaimed in excitement.
From his tone, he seemed to be very glad.
“Our Nanmu also has such a big inn in a town already.”
He used the word “big”!
The outer appearance of this Jiang Zhong Inn indeed look modern enough. But the word “big” was really not suitable!
Xiang Wan took a glance at him and could not help giving a chuckle.
Salimu was still exclaiming cheerfully, “See that? There’s a row of bright crimson red lanterns that brightens up the atmosphere. It’s so beautiful!”
Who wouldn’t praise their own hometown?
Hearing his joyous tone, everyone did not have the heart to correct him. They just smiled or laughed with him.
“Let’s rest here for the night.”
“Yeah, it’s not safe to drive in the dark.”
“I agree! We should have a warm bath, get a good sleep and continue the journey tomorrow!”
Everyone voiced out their opinions.
Bai Muchuan nodded his head. “Sure, we’ll rest here.”
Their trip to Nanmu was not something they could settle in a day or two.
There was no need to brave through the rain and continue their journey at night. As they were not familiar with the roads there, it was very easy for them to get into an accident.
The moment they stopped the car, the lady owner of the inn came out with an umbrella.
Tu Liang poked his head out of the SUV. “Lady boss, are there rooms available?”
“Aiyo! Of course, of course. Please wait a while. I’ll get umbrellas for all of you!”
In this town, there were not many who could afford to stay at the inn. Visitors who want to go to Nanmu would directly take the earlier route after it was built by the authorities. In view of that, very few visitors would actually come to Jiang Zhong. The lady owner was so thrilled to see customers that she couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear.
Quan Shaoteng poked Bai Muchuan and smiled leisurely. “Little Bai, this lady boss is so warm, friendly, and flirty… No, she’s hospitable!”
Bai Muchuan gave him a cold look.
“You’re right. Since you’re so good-looking, why don’t you go earn some room money?”
“You shouldn’t say this! Didn’t all of them say you’re better-looking than me?”
While the two of them were talking, the lady owner came out with several umbrellas on hand.
As Xiang Wan had an umbrella inside her bag, she used her own instead. Nevertheless, she still said thanks to the lady owner and walked past her with Bai Muchuan.
The lady owner looked at her and then Bai Muchuan with a slightly confused look. Then she smiled again with her eyes curved and followed them into the inn.
“This rain might not stop anytime soon. It’s right that all of you chose to rest in Jiang Zhong for the night.”
“Yeah!” Tu Liang stood under the eaves as he shook the excess water off the umbrella and took a look at the now dark sky.
The lady owner gave him a glance and entered the inn. “Attend to the guests nicely!” She told the young female receptionist.
She turned to ask Tu Liang again, “Are you here in Jiang Zhong to visit relatives or?”
Tu Liang showed an unfriendly expression. “You’ve asked too much?”
The lady owner had an awkward smile, while Tu Liang revealed a meaningful smile.
“We are here for some business dealings.”
“Oh I see. It’s good to come here for business!” The lady owner laughed. “Out of 10 people who come here, eight of them are here for business dealings.”
“Hurhur!”
Tu Liang laughed and went inside the inn.
…
The lobby of the inn was not very big.
Bai Muchuan, Xiang Wan, Quan Shaoteng, and the others sat on the sofa.
It was raining cats and dogs outside, but it was quiet inside the inn.
Tu Liang asked for seven rooms and asked the young female receptionist a question.
“Do you serve meals here?”
“We do! It’s just that we need more time for preparation.” The young receptionist had a friendly attitude. “Here’s our menu. Sir, you can take a look at it.”
“Mm.”
Tu Liang took the menu and walked toward Bai Muchuan.
As he lowered his head and pointed at the menu, he spoke softly, “There’s a problem with this inn!”
