The blade men had been sweeping through Brazil for many days. Qiao Huali had initially expected Hu Jia to be anxious, but after observing for a long time, he found that nothing he imagined was happening.
This made Qiao Huali even more convinced that Zhongxian held nothing he desired.
...
"Do you two know about Shuǐliǎo Lěngyān?"
"Yes. It's a beautiful place."
Hu Jia showed off his charm to Lv Qingqing, "If we have the chance, I'll take you there sometime."
Ouyang Wen smiled, "That's where we grew up. There's a bamboo forest, and every year starting from late autumn, a layer of mist rises in the early mornings. Because the terrain is complex, and there are some pools and mud pits, the adults never allowed us to play there unsupervised."
"We call that mist 'cold smoke' because as soon as it appears, it signifies the start of colder temperatures. Shuǐliǎo is a plant that grows in that area. It's not unique. If an outsider were to ask where to find Shuǐliǎo, locals generally wouldn't point to that specific area. But for us, as soon as we hear the words 'Shuǐliǎo,' that's what we immediately think of," Hu Jia said.
"Xiao Jia was unwell once and needed Shuǐliǎo. Uncle Hu took us to that place to dig it up."
Hearing this, Lv Qingqing finally understood why Hu Shilong had left those few sentences.
He subconsciously wanted to protect his two children, so he didn't give those four sentences to Hu Jia and Ouyang Wen. After all, possessing a treasure brings about sin.
He believed that as long as Hu Jia and Ouyang Wen weren't brought into the spotlight, they wouldn't be in danger.
At the same time, he left a crucial element to this matter: no matter who it was, they couldn't find his hidden secret with just one sentence.
Even if someone accidentally gathered all four sentences, they still wouldn't be able to find that mysterious place, because he trusted Hu Jia and Ouyang Wen the most.
Only these two knew what Lěngyān and Shuǐliǎo referred to.
"Now all the puzzles are solved. The only thing we're unclear about is what secret Uncle Hu left behind?"
All along, Hu Jia and the others knew that these four sentences were related to a secret, and this secret was precisely what Sixth Master had been searching for for eleven years.
But what exactly was it? No one knew.
And Hu Jia was the only one who knew the truth, unfortunately, his memory was lost.
"But, where do we even begin to find out?" Ouyang Wen fretted.
"Tang Yingge!" Hu Jia said.
Huh?
Tang Yingge?
"Yes, only him," Hu Jia said. Tang Yingge was their only identified high-ranking blade man at the moment. After all, for such major matters, ordinary personnel wouldn't be privy to the inside story.
Tang Yingge should know.
"But how can we get information out of him? We can't exactly tie them up and beat them, can we?" Lv Qingqing felt that finding Tang Yingge was definitely the right move, but the difficulty lay in making him talk.
"After all these years, I don't believe he's operated without leaving any loose ends. If you shit for too long, you'll inevitably leave a mess."
Ugh, vulgar!
Lv Qingqing rolled her eyes, but the vulgarity was so logical.
...
During this period, every time a special investigation meeting for the shooting case was held, Hu Jia would present some evidence.
He first investigated Mu Jixuan, which led to Mu Chunya.
Then he had Mu Chunya utter the two sentences, "Pearl Prefecture Chief can also be foolish, ten years of fruit hangs in the courtyard," thus inferring that these two sentences referred to Zhongxian.
Combined with the analysis of lychees, this sentence primarily pointed to Hu Shilong's hometown.
Therefore, he reached a conclusion: to solve this case, they needed to find the secret Hu Shilong had hidden behind these two sentences.
"So, you mean we need to go to Zhongxian, your hometown?" Li Han asked.
"I think so. Because this case involves my deceased father, it's inconvenient for me to be involved. I hope someone else can go to Zhongxian to investigate the case," Hu Jia replied to Li Han.
"My boss and I have a life-and-death friendship. He isn't going because he's worried about being accused of favoritism, and I have the same idea. I've also decided not to go to Zhongxian and will provide assistance here in the city," Li Yang and Luo Wenwu also stated their intentions.
"Yes, everyone knows about my relationship with Hu Jiajia; we're engaged. It's also inconvenient for me to get involved," Lv Qingqing also refused to join the investigation team in Zhongxian.
In an instant, everyone who was close to Hu and Lv refused to go to Zhongxian.
The only ones left were Ouyang Wen's former subordinates.
"We trust Captain Hu and Group Leader Lv's character. Besides, if you two leaders aren't going, we junior officers might not be able to handle the job properly," Li Han objected first.
"That's right. After all, it's an unfamiliar place. With a local like Captain Hu to guide us, our investigation would be twice as effective," others chimed in.
"No, I believe in everyone's abilities. Moreover, if everyone goes to Zhongxian, what about the affairs in the city? What's more, I'm planning to visit the areas around Zhongxian. After all, inferring solely from those two poems might not be entirely accurate," Hu Jia continued to prevaricate.
"Uh, Captain Ouyang, what do you think?" Everyone's gaze turned to Ouyang Wen.
Ouyang Wen looked slightly troubled, "Captain Hu's concerns are not without reason. Of course, I also trust Captain Hu and Group Leader Lv's integrity, but what if some information is leaked during the process? The responsibility would be difficult to bear. Therefore, I think we should respect Captain Hu and their wishes."
Clearly, Ouyang Wen also didn't want Hu Jia to go to Zhongxian.
Upon hearing this, the crowd started murmuring. Finally, everyone sent Li Han to express their thoughts. "We still hope Captain Hu can go to Zhongxian. We know Captain Hu has his own concerns, but we are comrades in arms, and we should maintain mutual trust."
He then glanced at Qiao Huali, "Director Qiao, Captain Hu has rich investigative experience and shrewd methods. We truly want to learn from him."
"Yes, such an opportunity is rare."
"Captain Hu, please go. We support you."
Everyone united, and Hu Jia sat amongst them, his expression very grim.
"Alright," Qiao Huali said, "Hu Jia will go to Zhongxian. This matter is settled."
Seeing that Hu Jia was becoming increasingly unable to control his temper, Qiao Huali immediately made a decision.
"Director Qiao!" Hu Jia exclaimed in shock, looking at Qiao Huali incredulously.
Qiao Huali cast an apologetic glance at Hu Jia, as if conveying his helplessness.
Hu Jia was speechless and could only turn away to sulk.
After the meeting, everyone still wanted to plead their case, but Qiao Huali gave them no opportunity and turned to leave. Before leaving, he patted Ouyang Wen on the shoulder.
Ouyang Wen understood instantly; he was being asked to act as a persuader.
"Director Qiao, Director Qiao," Hu Jia tried to pursue further, but Ouyang Wen stopped him, "What are you making a fuss about? You're a police officer, and police officers must accept orders unconditionally. Come to my office."
Hu Jia was furious and stomped towards Ouyang Wen's office, the door slamming shut loudly. Lv Qingqing, worried, immediately followed.
Ouyang Wen shook his head helplessly and, under everyone's watchful eyes, returned to his office with a look of anger.
Everyone thought Hu Jia was unhappy about being forced into the assignment, but they didn't expect that as soon as Ouyang Wen closed the door, the three people inside would quickly switch to smiling faces.
They looked very pleased with themselves.