Just moments ago, Hu Jia felt his memories becoming jumbled. No, it could also be described as a resurfacing.
He looked at the bonfire, and his mind was flooded with images of Mu Ji Xuan. Them investigating cases together, him and him drinking and chatting, him and him dueling, and then, him kneeling before him, bound tightly, doused in kerosene.
He watched as a match was struck, and all he heard was Mu Ji Xuan’s pained screams, and his cry, “Run! Run! Run!”
He couldn’t see the killer’s face, only remembering a pair of cloth shoes, dimly visible in the firelight.
Who was that person? Could it have been Sixth Master? Hu Jia felt a surge of anger. Why couldn’t he see his face clearly?
Aside from Lü Qing Qing, this was the third time Hu Jia had experienced a memory flashback. The other time was a flashback of Mu Chun Ya.
Of course, the current Hu Jia was unaware that he had previously recalled Sister Chun Ya; he thought this was the first time he had experienced a memory flashback.
He was excited, but more so, he was shocked.
He was shocked by everything that had happened before, and shocked by Mu Ji Xuan, who had died for this matter.
Within that memory, he felt the helplessness, the heartache, and the anger of that time.
He had a vague feeling that he and Mu Ji Xuan were very, very close brothers.
Hu Jia’s commotion naturally didn’t escape Lü Qing Qing’s ears. Now, she was truly certain that Hu Jia had something on his mind.
He turned his head, and in the darkness, her eyes seemed exceptionally bright.
Hu Jia and she met each other’s gaze.
“You have something on your mind?” Lü Qing Qing walked towards Hu Jia.
“I just recalled some scenes.” Hu Jia didn’t know if he would be able to recall these scenes again, so he wanted Lü Qing Qing to help him preserve them.
“What? You remembered past events?” Lü Qing Qing was overjoyed. Helping Hu Jia regain his memory had always been their goal.
“No,” Hu Jia shook his head. “Fragments just appeared in my mind.”
Hearing this, Lü Qing Qing was slightly disappointed but quickly became happy again.
At least Hu Jia’s mind was starting to produce memory fragments, which was good news. Perhaps one day all his memories would return.
Of course, Hu Jia thought the same. However, for now, he needed to tell Lü Qing Qing what he remembered, as no one could guarantee if he would be able to recall everything he had seen in his mind later.
After listening to Hu Jia’s memory fragments, Lü Qing Qing frowned, then looked at the bonfire beside them.
She didn’t know if the fire had triggered the pain hidden deep in his memory, but she had at least confirmed one thing: Mu Ji Xuan had indeed died at the hands of Dao Ren.
“Cloth shoes, grayish-blue cloth shoes?”
Lü Qing Qing was a little troubled. This was a clue, but it was a clue with a very wide scope. So many people in the world wore cloth shoes, and these shoes had no distinguishing features.
“It’s really not much, but I saw the other person’s socks. They were white socks, embroidered with two leaves at the ankle.”
“Leaves?”
“Yes. I don’t know what kind of leaves. But I’m sure they were leaves.”
A man wearing white socks embroidered with leaves.
Uh…
So vague.
Lü Qing Qing remained troubled.
Hu Jia also knew that this clue might be useless. A pair of socks from ten years ago, after ten years, might have long since turned into rags.
Seeing that Lü Qing Qing remained silent, Hu Jia couldn’t help but feel a little disheartened.
The excitement from the memory flashback had dissipated.
“Regardless, this is still a good start. Today you could recall a pair of shoes and socks, and tomorrow you might be able to see his face clearly,” Lü Qing Qing said with a smile, not wanting this to bring Hu Jia down.
“Mm,” Hu Jia returned her smile. He wasn’t gaining confidence, he was just going along with Lü Qing Qing’s encouragement.
The next day, everyone continued deeper into the forest. About three to four hours later, they arrived at a bamboo grove.
“Is this it?” Zhan Ruo Xuan asked.
“Go another kilometer in, and you’ll see a pool of water. There are many Polygonum hydropiper plants growing there. In the early morning, you’ll see misty clouds rising and filling the entire valley,” Hu Jia said.
Lü Qing Qing looked at the lush greenery before them, their vibrant green like hope.
…
Meanwhile, in the city, after Ye Feng Yi and Cai Xiao Juan’s investigation, they discovered a case from a few years ago that seemed related to Tang Yin Ge.
It was a murder case, and Tang Yin Ge was one of the involved parties. At the time, all evidence pointed to Tang Yin Ge, but just as the police were about to arrest him, a young man stepped forward and surrendered himself.
The case was handled by the Tong Yuan Men branch bureau, and the officer in charge was now the bureau chief, Yao Jie Yan.
Ou Yang Wen carefully examined the case file and then slapped the table. “This case had such gaping holes, how could it have been closed? All doubts pointed to Tang Yin Ge, and the person who surrendered himself didn’t confess anything. And Yao Jie Yan dared to close the case?”
Ou Yang Wen was furious. “Investigate. Quietly investigate.”
…
Meanwhile, Li Yang and Luo Wen Wu were on their way back to Chongqing.
“Be careful yourself. They are numerous and ruthless. If you can’t defeat them, don’t force it,” Li Yang reiterated his warning to Luo Wen Wu at the fork in the road to Chongqing and Yongchuan.
“Alright, I understand. Besides, I won’t show myself. I’ll only strike from the shadows,” Luo Wen Wu said.
Li Yang pouted. “Forget it, let’s switch. I’ll go to Yongchuan, and you go back to the bureau to find Director Xie.”
Li Yang was truly worried about Luo Wen Wu.
Luo Wen Wu was strong, that was true. But he only had muscles, not intelligence. By saying he lacked intelligence, it wasn’t that he was stupid, but that he wasn’t tactful enough.
When Luo Wen Wu encountered something, he would just charge forward. He wouldn’t think about ensuring his own safety first.
Li Yang was concerned that this person, in order to complete the mission, would be stubbornly persistent and end up returning injured.
“Forget it, what’s the point of switching? With your skills, if you really encounter two or three Dao Ren, you probably won’t be able to fight them,” Luo Wen Wu naturally disagreed with Li Yang going to Yongchuan. This person was slippery, but his combat skills were poor. He could handle one or two Dao Ren, but more, and he might be like a shrimp.
Therefore, he felt it was safer for him to go personally.
Li Yang persuaded him a few more times, but couldn’t change Luo Wen Wu’s mind, so he finally gave up.
The sun was setting, and the residual sunlight cast a golden glow on the river, shimmering with the rippling water.
Beautiful, yet fleeting.
After the two parted ways, Li Yang hurried towards the municipal bureau. But before he had walked a few steps, an old woman stopped him. “Officer Li, are you Officer Li Yang?”
“Who are you?” Li Yang felt that the person in front of him looked familiar and exclaimed, “You are Liang Ying Zhang’s wife?”