Chapter 95: The Jade Pendant and the Tortoise Shell, a Cat-like Woman

Song Kai stepped into the room.

Inside, Liu Ying and Liu Qiang sat on the sofa, both in tears as they looked at the unconscious Liu Qian. Song Kai felt a deep sense of guilt toward them. He approached, checked on Liu Qian’s condition, and said, “She’s calmed down for the most part. I’ll wake her now.” With that, he pressed his fingers to the philtrum beneath her nose.

Liu Qian drew a deep breath and slowly came to. Indeed, upon waking, she was no longer hysterical. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she wept bitterly.

“Qian,” Song Kai said, “I’m sorry. I truly am.”

Liu Ying, sitting to the side, asked, “What exactly happened? Sis, who was that person who died?”

Liu Qian shook her head. She looked up at Song Kai and said, “You… sit.”

Song Kai sat down.

Liu Qian fixed her gaze on him. “I ask only one thing of you. I want Li Qingyu’s body.”

“All right.” Song Kai understood that Li Qingyu was the one known as Guo Jianglong. He agreed at once. “I’ll have the police deliver it.”

Liu Qian nodded. “I know you’re not at fault. Qingyu killed too many people, committed too many sins. But eighteen years ago, at the border, my parents were fairly well-known drug traffickers. After a violent clash, my father decided he wanted out—he had us three children and didn’t want that life anymore. But those people wouldn’t allow it. So my father informed the anti-narcotics police. That battle yielded many seizures and several minor leaders were captured. But my father’s betrayal was discovered, and our whole family was hunted by every trafficker. Those days are unimaginable to Liu Ying and Liu Qiang.”

Song Kai sat silently on the sofa opposite, listening intently.

Liu Ying and Liu Qiang, only a year or two old at the time, had never heard any of this before. They stared wide-eyed at Liu Qian.

She continued, “Qingyu was twenty years my senior. He was our father’s close friend. After our parents died, he risked his life to protect the three of us, taking us into hiding. Eventually, Qingyu realized we couldn’t go on like that, so he became a drug lord himself. Qingyu had never been ruthless before, but after taking us in, he changed completely. He was merciless to his subordinates, to strangers. Within a year, he’d built his own empire.”

Liu Qian broke down in tears again. “You think it was our parents who gave you life, but it was Qingyu who allowed you to grow up. Later, he sent us here and stayed at the border, making himself the kingpin so no one else would come seeking revenge. That man was both my father and my lover. But, alas, we never had the chance to be together. He could never break free. When he came to Tengyun City, we could only glimpse each other from afar. We… wu wu…”

Liu Qian was unable to continue. She leaned against the sofa, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Qian, don’t cry. I’m sorry. When Brother Qingyu died, he gave me some things. I want to give them to you, I…” Song Kai was moved, his own heart heavy with sorrow at such love and sacrifice.

Liu Qian waved her hand dismissively. “Just go. Don’t come to this house again, and don’t see Liu Qiang or Liu Ying anymore. They’re innocent children, nothing like you. As for what Qingyu left with you, keep it. If he gave it to you, he must have had his reasons.”

Song Kai felt a dull ache in his chest. He nodded to Liu Qian. “Take care, all of you. I’m leaving. I’m sorry, Liu Qiang, Liu Ying. I… I was an undercover officer. I’m sorry.”

With that, Song Kai turned to leave.

“Song Kai!” Liu Ying stood up.

Song Kai turned, gave her a brief smile, then waved and walked out.

Sitting in the taxi, he still felt stifled, frustrated. Damn it, there was nothing wrong with catching Guo Jianglong. Liu Qian had every right to resent him. In the end, it seemed he was left to play the villain while Wu Hongying reaped all the rewards.

Damn it all!

Song Kai sighed and picked up his phone. “Sister Ying, I’ve been kicked out.”

“Haha! Sorry,” Wu Hongying’s voice came through, gloating. “Now you can’t chase after pretty girls anymore. I almost feel sorry for you. Hahaha!”

“Do you even sound sorry?” Song Kai grumbled. “At least pretend to comfort me. Don’t laugh so blatantly! Damn it! By the way, Guo Jianglong was really Li Qingyu. Once you’re done, give his body to Liu Qian. Also, keep it quiet. Now that Guo Jianglong is dead, other traffickers might come looking for revenge against Liu Qian’s family.”

“Understood.”

“And, Sister Ying, where did Guo Jianglong live? I need to go and clear out his belongings.”

“Number 23, Wuxiang Street, not far from Linshui Bay Community. The police have already searched the place—didn’t find much,” Wu Hongying replied.

“All right, just remember to return the body.”

Song Kai hung up. After a moment’s thought, he decided to go home first. Whatever Guo Jianglong had buried ten meters deep would need a professional Luoyang shovel to dig up.

And at ten meters down, surely there’d be water by then.

Song Kai frowned but still headed home, took his own car, and prepared his tools. By evening, he made his way to Guo Jianglong’s hideout—strictly speaking, it was Zhu Wansha’s house. The real Zhu Wansha must have been killed by Guo Jianglong.

Thinking back, Guo Jianglong’s killing spree in Tengyun City was actually an attempt to interrogate mercenaries for Ding Zhe’s whereabouts, to hunt them down.

Arriving at Zhu Wansha’s place, he was greeted by a musty odor.

How Guo Jianglong managed to stay here for half a year, Song Kai couldn’t imagine.

The area had once been slated for demolition, but the policy changed, so it was abandoned. The place was filthy, chaotic, the sewers no longer worked, and most people had moved away.

Song Kai admired Guo Jianglong’s endurance, and even more the sacrifices he made for a woman.

He found a corner and began to dig.

With no one around, it was easy for Song Kai to work. The Luoyang shovel easily scooped away the earth. Aside from the hardened topsoil, the layers below half a meter were loose and crumbly.

Song Kai dug quickly. Past one in the morning, he struck a metal box.

Climbing down, he hauled the box up.

He refilled the pit, then opened the box.

It was well sealed.

Inside were plastic bags. Within the bags was a turtle shell, covered with intricate carved patterns. There was also a jade pendant, about the size of half a palm, along with notebooks and other documents.

Song Kai was puzzled. He flipped through the notebook, and suddenly understood why Guo Jianglong had called this his life’s work.

Ten years ago, Guo Jianglong had killed several foreign treasure-hunters at the border. From them, he’d obtained a treasure map.

The map had been copied from a ritual cauldron dating to the Shang and Zhou dynasties. The cauldron had been stolen by the British and ended up in the collection of a wealthy man.

With the map, Guo Jianglong began digging, eventually discovering the turtle shell in a strange cemetery at the border.

This piqued his interest. To decipher the markings, he spent years. At last, in Hebei, he unearthed the jade.

But the jade was likely not the final prize; its patterns pointed toward the region of Yanjing.

So Guo Jianglong infiltrated Yanjing City, seeking the treasure. Wu Hongying and the others had feared he’d cause some great scandal there, never suspecting he was on a treasure hunt.

But this so-called treasure was probably nothing good. According to the notes, the map was carved from a Shang dynasty vessel, which meant the treasure predated even the Shang. In those days, who knows what counted as treasure? Gold and silver were unknown. Perhaps a lump of bronze, a shell, or a sharp stone was considered a precious find.

Song Kai almost laughed. Guo Jianglong certainly had refined tastes! The problem was, every time he stirred up trouble, Wu Hongying and her colleagues were on edge.

Guo Jianglong never found the final location. Once he learned Liu Qian was a target, he raced to Tengyun City. To protect her, he concealed his identity and began hunting for the mercenaries.

The whole story was clear now.

Song Kai read through the documents twice, then burned them all, keeping only the turtle shell and jade pendant, which he placed in his backpack before leaving the house.

More than three hours after Song Kai left, in the deepest darkness before dawn, a petite woman in a purple trench coat dropped onto the rooftop as silently as a cat and slipped into the house.

Her movements were lithe and soundless, like the wind. She carried in her right hand a bloodstained steel spike. The blood had dried into a thin, crimson crust.

She entered, sniffed the air, then quickly crossed to the corner and touched the earth.

“Fresh soil…” she muttered, frowning. With her spike, she prodded the cold ashes nearby.

“Fresh ashes…”

Her eyes narrowed, cold light flashing within them. Murderous intent radiated from her.

“I’m too late?” she murmured. She wrapped her coat tightly around herself, then leapt onto the roof and vanished into the night.

By then, Song Kai had already returned to his small apartment. He took out the jade pendant and examined it. Nothing seemed unusual; its patterns were simple.

Since Guo Jianglong had spent a year without finding any clues, it was clearly a difficult puzzle.

Song Kai decided to hide the jade and turtle shell for now. In a month, the college entrance exams would be over. Once he was admitted to Yanjing University, he could investigate the secret of the jade pendant at his leisure…