The train arrived at the station, and Cao Yanhua excitedly exited with his backpack.

Last night, a small incident occurred in the train carriage. A habitual railway pickpocket was at work—quite bold, probably making his way from the front of the train. His bag, used as a disguise, contained more than ten stolen wallets.

Partly unlucky and partly lacking discernment, he ran headlong into Master Cao from the Liberation Monument.

This was like displaying carpentry skills before Lu Ban himself.

Who was Cao Yanhua? A master among masters! From more than ten paces away, he had already sniffed out the thief’s scent. Observing the man’s expressions, body movements, the way his eyes scanned around, and his vigilant patterns—damn! It was as if he’d been trained using Cao’s standard pickpocketing tutorial.

Let me show you what a true industry god is like, the North Star atop Mount Tai!

Cao Yanhua remained expressionless. When the man’s hand slipped diagonally into his inner pocket, he firmly trapped it with one arm.

The man tried to pull back but couldn’t. His face immediately turned pale.

Cao Yanhua glared: What do you mean, feeling around in my coat? Are you sexually harassing me?

This was the right move. If he had said he was catching a thief, bystanders might not have dared to approach. But mention harassment, and half the carriage excitedly gathered around, layer upon layer, packed so tightly that even if the thief had wings, escape would be impossible.

With the audience in place, it was time to add fuel to the fire. Cao Yanhua pretended to tussle with the man, and during the “scuffle,” he “accidentally” turned the man’s bag upside down. More than a dozen wallets tumbled out, clattering to the floor.

After one or two seconds of silence, someone in the crowd suddenly screamed: “That’s my wallet! Thief!”

…

The train police arrived, and the thief was taken away. For the first time in his life, Cao Yanhua proudly accompanied the police to assist with the situation. The train broadcast a lost and found announcement, and gradually the victims came to claim their wallets, repeatedly thanking Cao Yanhua. An elderly couple even insisted on giving him a sleeper berth upgrade.

Cao Yanhua felt sweet inside. After pretending to politely decline a few times, he happily accepted.

Sleeping in the berth, he had a sweet dream.

—The train had been renamed specifically after him, called the “Yanhua Express.” His photo was posted throughout the carriages, with a large honorary red flower pinned to his chest in the image.

—At a packed awards ceremony, host Bai Yansong emotionally raised the microphone: “Next, let us welcome the most voted person among China’s Top Ten Inspiring Figures—Cao Yanhua!”

He walked onto the stage amid lights and applause.

The host: “Many viewers have written in wanting to know what profession such a hero has in real life. How did you have the courage to stand up against the vicious thief?”

Cao Yanhua: “I am an actor, specifically, a kung fu actor.”

A wave of surprise spread through the audience.

The host: “Strangely, viewers don’t seem to have seen any of your work…”

Cao Yanhua: “I’ve just completed my apprenticeship. My master, Mu Dai, is a highly respected elder…”

The camera cut to Mu Dai in the audience, with silver hair, joyful wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, and proud tears shimmering.

“My master said that without mastering ten parts of skill, one has no right to tell others they know kung fu—I’ve always kept these words in my heart.”

The host: “So it seems you’ve completed your training now. Will we have the opportunity to appreciate your work in the future?”

Cao Yanhua: “Of course, I’ve just finished collaborating with Brother Jackie Chan on ‘Police Story: I’m From Liberation Monument,’ which will meet everyone soon…”

…

What a pity that the train had already arrived at the station.

Cao Yanhua stretched his neck, standing on tiptoes to search through the crowded reception area, finally spotting Mu Dai waving to him.

Cao Yanhua followed Mu Dai outside with high spirits: “Little Master, where’s my Brother Luo?”

Mu Dai stopped: “Fatty Cao, I came to pick you up specifically to tell you something in advance.”

Say what? Why so serious suddenly?

“Luo Ren hasn’t been in good spirits these past two days. You should be considerate of his mood. Don’t talk if you don’t need to, and if you must talk, keep it pleasant.”

Cao Yanhua was puzzled: “What’s wrong with my Brother Luo?”

“Nothing’s wrong.”

Cao Yanhua felt suspicious and only then noticed that Mu Dai’s mood wasn’t great either, somewhat gloomy.

After getting in the car, he felt the air pressure inside was several degrees lower than outside. Luo Ren wasn’t speaking, nor was Mu Dai. The car got onto the provincial road and sped along. This area was largely Yi minority territory, with landscapes and cultural features different from Lijiang. He saw steeply cutting rivers, endless mountain ranges, and layer upon layer of terraced fields.

Cao Yanhua couldn’t bear not talking. Brother Luo and Little Master must have quarreled, and he ought to try lightening the atmosphere—moreover, he wanted to show off last night’s incident.

“Little Master, I just messaged Brother Wansan. The long-distance bus is slower than the train, but he said he should arrive later today.”

“Mm.”

“Brother Wansan said my pheasant is behaving okay, just a bit noisy—Little Master, what name do you think I should give it?”

“It needs a name?”

“Of course! It’s a pet.”

“Spicy Stir-fried Chicken.”

Cao Yanhua didn’t react immediately, but Luo Ren, who was driving, couldn’t help but curve his lips slightly.

Cao Yanhua got angry: “Little Master, how can you call it Spicy Stir-fried Chicken? If you call it that all day, won’t the chicken get psychological trauma?”

Mu Dai snorted: “Aren’t chickens meant to be eaten? Having escaped such a fate, it might become restless and proud. Giving it such a name will constantly remind it of a chicken’s proper place.”

“I don’t think that’s good.”

Mu Dai glanced at Cao Yanhua through the rearview mirror: Of course, you don’t think it’s good. As soon as you opened your mouth, I knew what you wanted to say. You’re asking for others’ opinions, but you’ve already decided on a name, haven’t you?

Sure enough, Cao Yanhua changed his tone.

“Little Master, didn’t you say that when meeting my Great Master Plum Flower Nine Lady, we can’t tell lies? At that time, Great Master will surely know I was once a thief—I need to show her that I’ve long since repented…”

“To constantly remember that wrong path I took at Liberation Monument, and to remind myself that past lessons guide future actions, I’ve decided to name it Cao Liberation.”

Sitting in the passenger seat, Mu Dai couldn’t help rolling her eyes, about to say something sarcastic when her phone rang.

Not hers—coincidentally, both Cao Yanhua and Luo Ren’s phones were ringing, their ringtones rising and falling alternately.

Luo Ren answered his call with concise words and a calm expression: “Mm, okay, fine.”

Cao Yanhua was different, chattering irritably with a sharp tone and great anger: “What insurance? Don’t want it! Don’t want it! Don’t want it!”

After hanging up, his anger hadn’t subsided: “I don’t know which membership registration leaked my information. Is there any consumer privacy protection anymore?”

He tapped and poked at his phone: “Let me search on Baidu what pheasants eat, and whether I should buy a nest for our Liberation…”

Insurance?

Why did those two words sound so familiar and intimate?

Mu Dai suddenly remembered something, jerking upright and turning around.

“Insurance?”

“Yep.”

Cao Yanhua responded carelessly, his short, thick fingers sliding across his phone screen.

“Was it a woman who called?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Was it from Atlantic Life Insurance Company?”

“Didn’t hear clearly which ‘Atlantic’ it was, anyway, they’re all scammers…”

Mu Dai was furious, jabbing Cao Yanhua’s forehead with her finger, pushing him back against the seat: “You can just live with your Cao Liberation then!”

Cao Yanhua was bewildered: “What’s wrong?”

Mu Dai was seething, about to say something when the car slowed down and then gradually pulled over to the roadside.

Luo Ren lowered his head, looking at his phone with furrowed brows.

Mu Dai asked curiously: “What’s wrong?”

Blue Wood sent a photo. Someone spotted Leopard’s subordinate appearing in an ancient town in Zhejiang.”

He handed the phone to Mu Dai.

On the screen was an ordinary-looking man wearing a white undershirt and khaki shorts, sitting cross-legged on a stone bridge, grinning and making a gesture with his hand.

He didn’t look fierce or vicious. Blending into the crowd, he resembled a nondescript tourist, completely inconspicuous—but often the most frightening are precisely such people, those you don’t anticipate needing to guard against.

Cao Yanhua didn’t know about Blue Wood or Leopard, but he never wanted to miss any excitement. He quickly pushed his head forward: “What what? Let me see, let me see.”

Mu Dai pressed her palm against his forehead, pushing him back: “Get lost.”

“No, no, I see something’s not right. I can see something’s wrong!”

Taking advantage of Mu Dai’s momentary surprise, his hand darted out and snatched the phone.

Then he leaned back against the seat, smugly crossing his legs, slowly zooming in on the picture: “What’s so special about this? This guy looks like he sells potatoes. How could he be someone’s subordinate? Huh…”

Mu Dai said irritably: “Give it back.”

Cao Yanhua tried to dodge, but Mu Dai extended her arm, using a small grappling technique. Before Cao Yanhua understood what was happening, his hand was empty.

He was a bit dazed. After a while, he suddenly realized something: “Wait, Little Master, Brother Luo, let me look again, I think I’ve seen this somewhere…”

His tone didn’t seem to be feigning or pretending. Luo Ren and Mu Dai exchanged a glance, signaling to let him see it.

Cao Yanhua lowered his head, enlarging the photo, enlarging it further until the pixels blurred.

Then he looked up.

“Brother Luo, do you remember once when you came to Uncle Zheng’s restaurant to find me, you mentioned the giant underwater painting in Five Pearl Village, and said Shen Gun had seen the same painting somewhere else?”

Was there? Luo Ren’s heart suddenly tensed.

He remembered now. Yes, there was, in Zhejiang, an ancient town with a blue stone bridge. Three stepping stone slabs with paintings, even more complete than the underwater one in Five Pearl Village.

He recalled telling Cao Yanhua at the time that it was a local custom to carve crimes onto bridge slabs for people to step on, believing this would prevent such evil deeds from happening again. Some even depicted men and women in illicit affairs, which people particularly liked to step on.

“Brother Luo, if you enlarge that photo, you can see that man is sitting on a blue stone slab. The lines on the slab next to him seem the same as in the photo you showed me back then…”

Zhejiang, ancient town, crime slabs, Leopard’s subordinate…

Luo Ren felt somewhat dazed, feeling that something was hidden in the dense fog before his eyes. Though he couldn’t see it yet, it was gradually revealing itself… a terrifying outline.