Yanhe Government Office, in the holding cell of the patrol office.
Liou Yuan sat face to face with a man whose face was covered in a thick beard, his build stocky and formidable, exuding physical strength at a glance.
He laid out everything he'd prepared in his mind, holding nothing back.
Liou Yuan didn't directly say the neighbor was suspicious, only that he'd remembered: two months ago, at the very last moment before losing consciousness, he had been in the house of the old granny next door.
"Liou, you didn't say it like this before." Chief Constable Luo Jie stroked the black beard on his chin, shooting Liou Yuan a suspicious glance.
He was the chief constable in charge of the case when Liou Yuan had that incident.
The two had already had prior dealings; hearing Liou Yuan's story now contradict his earlier statements, suspicion was inevitable.
Facing Luo Jie's skeptical gaze, Liou Yuan remained collected, his face sincere: "I'd just survived a disaster then, my head was a mess. I never meant to lie to you, Chief Constable Luo. The more I recover, the clearer the memories of two months ago become."
"That's why I specially came by, to tell you the truth."
Chief Constable Luo paused, pondering; as a seasoned constable, he of course understood the significance of Liou Yuan's words.
The details already made his sharp senses catch a whiff of abnormality, though he kept probing with his words.
"Are you suspecting that Ms. Qiao attacked you? That frail old lady who couldn't even truss a chicken?"
"I didn't say that, only recounted the facts. As for what they mean, that's for you to judge, Chief Constable Luo." Liou Yuan flashed a slight smile, then stood up from the black wooden chair that was harder than stone.
"I've said what I came to say, and my heart feels lighter."
"I won't delay you from your work any longer."
He'd already achieved his purpose—Luo Jie was now paying attention, and that was enough; anything more would be inappropriate to say.
After all, he was the victim, and with his mother's connection, Luo Jie couldn't possibly ignore the matter, even if it was just a suspicion.
As expected, just as Liou Yuan rose, Luo Jie stood as well, personally escorting Liou Yuan to the door.
His mother, Bai Xin, was a frequent guest at Yanhe Government Office—Luo Jie had been treated several times by her own hand after being injured.
Liou Yuan was her son; Luo Jie couldn't treat him like an ordinary city resident.
With a smile on his bearded face, Luo Jie saw Liou Yuan to the entrance and, before parting, didn't forget to reassure him: "Rest assured, nephew. Uncle Luo will take your words seriously."
Luo Jie deliberately diverted the topic, mentioning Liou Yuan's mother.
"Doctor Bai Xin is in the office right now, treating the wife of the registrar. Do you want to see her?"
"Mother doesn't like to be disturbed while treating patients, I'll pass." Liou Yuan showed no surprise at Bai Xin being in the office, shook his head at Luo Jie's offer, and took his leave.
Luo Jie watched Liou Yuan leave the office, his gaze staying until Liou Yuan's figure disappeared beyond the main gate before withdrawing.
The smile on the burly middle-aged man's face disappeared in an instant, replaced by a pensive look in his eyes.
He stood silent for a while until his eyes cleared. Raising his head, he waved the two constables standing guard at the entrance over to him.
"Tonight, you two watch Bai Xin's house—focus on that boy's safety. Also keep an eye out for any actions by his neighbor, Ms. Qiao. If anything unusual happens, report at once."
Luo Jie, who had just seemed so warm and friendly, suddenly turned sharp and businesslike, giving his orders in a low, firm voice.
After the two had left on their task, Luo Jie didn't delay either and walked straight into the depths of the government office.
The patrol office usually just maintained local order, overseeing the ordinary townsfolk.
When it came to events beyond the mundane, the chief constable had neither the authority nor the ability to intervene.
But such cases needed to be reported up, for those with the means to deal with them.
Liou Yuan's experience had set Luo Jie's seasoned instincts tingling with unease—he dared not put it off for a second longer.
"In three days, it'll be the cycle of fortune and misfortune—I have to sort this fast."
"Liou Zhen of the Liou Family is no easy character. If Bai Xin and her son end up in another 'accident' like last time, I'll be stripped to the bone."
Luo Jie muttered softly, mentioning Liou Zhen with clear dread in his tone.
By the time Liou Yuan returned home from the Yanhe City Government Office, it was already deep into the night.
Only the commercial district at the city center, with its towering restaurants and thriving shops, was still brilliant with lights.
The western corner where his family lived was nearly deserted, not a soul in sight, just the dim glow of lanterns hung outside residents' doors flickering weakly in the darkness.
Before Liou Yuan stepped through his own gate, he happened to see little Ping'an, his neighbor's child, peeking out from behind their door.
The kid, all round-cheeked and bright-eyed, saw Liou Yuan and waved happily.
"Brother Liou Yuan!"
Liou Yuan couldn't help but pause, returning a smile and replying casually, "Ping'an, haven't seen your grandma these days. Where has she been?"
"Grandma says she's not feeling well, hasn't been outside in a long time." Ping'an replied as honestly as only a child can.
Children have no filter, and their minds jump around. He quickly added, his eyes hopeful, "Are you going to Virgo Peak again tonight, Brother Liou Yuan? Can you take Ping'an with you? I want to go, too."
At that offhand question, Liou Yuan's body jolted.
When he went out at night, he always waited for a dead-silent hour—so late, not even a dog in the city was awake, let alone a person.
Even his mother, Bai Xin, hadn't realized he was sneaking out.
But Ping'an knew—that realization sent a cold shiver crawling up Liou Yuan's back.
He kept his face perfectly blank, forced a cheerful tone: "Don't be silly, Ping'an."
An implicit denial in his words.
"You're just not admitting it, Brother Liou Yuan. I hear Grandma talking to herself every night, saying you went out again!" Ping'an protested, puffing out his cheeks in indignation. "Brother, you just don't want to take me with you."
His grandma… that was Ms. Qiao.
But after Ping'an finished speaking, Liou Yuan's sharp eyes caught something—through the narrow gap of their door, a hunched figure stood in the dark beyond.
He couldn't see the face clearly, but it was obvious who it was.
Liou Yuan's smile froze on his lips, and for a moment he felt as if a thousand ants were crawling under his skin.
He dared not exchange another word with Ping'an, only muttered, "Go play somewhere else, you little brat."
With that, he slipped inside his own gate and shut the door firmly.
Bang!
Liou Yuan leaned his back against the door, breath coming ragged, cold sweat soaking him through to the bone.
"Too dangerous. Damn it, she even knows every night where I sneak off to." His heart was thundering. He'd suspected his malicious neighbor had been secretly spying, but hearing it out of Ping'an's young mouth was terrifying.
Liou Yuan even started to suspect the old hag was eavesdropping on every one of his daily movements.
Which meant, for the past two months, he'd been hovering at the very gates of Yama Hall, over and over again.
If she'd struck, there'd be no chance of survival.
"Thank god." Liou Yuan quickly forced himself calm, looking up at the vast, star-studded sky.
The heavens glittered, resplendent with stars.
Right now, Auspicious Star held sway—the Star Evil dared not show itself.
That was why, even though Ms. Qiao knew he went out at night and where he went, she hadn't followed him.
And thank god he'd gone to Yanhe Government Office today.
At this thought, Liou Yuan took a few deep breaths, then slowly turned and cracked open his door for a peek outside.
Through the crack, at the corner of the street, two shadowy figures could be seen lurking in the dark—their uniforms those of the patrol office constables.
"Luo Jie really did send someone."
That sight brought a measure of relief to Liou Yuan's heart.
His face hardened, ruthless resolve spreading across his features.
Some people, when faced with mortal danger, are paralyzed by terror, their minds freezing up entirely.
But some—when threatened with death—awaken a ferocious will to fight back, even kill.
Liou Yuan was one of the latter.
"So, you've got your eye on me? Fine, fine!"
"Let's see who makes the first move—who kills whom!"