Chapter Six: Onion

“Do you really think this will increase our chances of success?” On the way to seek out the renowned Master Bai Li Jiufang, Yan Xue looked down at her outfit—a stark contrast to her usual style—and sounded uncertain. “Why would dressing like this make me seem more trustworthy than I would in my normal clothes?”

Yan Xue’s everyday attire was simple: often just a pair of jeans, a plain T-shirt, her naturally wavy hair tied back in a ponytail—she always appeared clean-cut and efficient. Now, however, she was dressed in an ensemble that she and Kang Ge had agreed upon after strategizing. He’d driven out alone to borrow everything: top, pants, hat, shoes, and even accessories—a handbag that, though she didn’t recognize the brand, she could tell at a glance was expensive.

Both the clothes and accessories were from currently popular streetwear labels. The flashy style was almost overwhelming to her, though the price was easy enough to estimate; excluding the bag, even just the clothes would have cost her two months’ salary.

“The reason is obvious—it’s because this look is ostentatious! Look at those huge logos! Just by glancing at you, people will think you’re someone straightforward, and clearly well-off,” Kang Ge said as he drove, casting a sidelong glance at Yan Xue, grinning. It was unclear if he was amused by his own cleverness or by how ill at ease Yan Xue looked in her getup.

Yan Xue had been waiting for a more reasoned explanation, but on hearing this, she couldn’t help but laugh and groan. “You really have a way with words! You make ‘rich and gullible’ sound almost like a compliment! By the way, where did you borrow all this from?”

“Oh, it’s all from my younger sister. Other than that silly girl, I don’t know anyone else whose fashion sense fits exactly what we need right now,” Kang Ge replied, glancing at Yan Xue’s outfit and shaking his head, looking as if he couldn’t quite appreciate his sister’s taste.

“You have a sister? I’m jealous! I always wished I’d had a sibling growing up.” Yan Xue hadn’t realized Kang Ge was only a few years older than her and already had a younger sister. She looked genuinely envious. “If I’d had an older brother, maybe I wouldn’t have needed to become a ‘hothead’ myself.”

“What made you want to become a police officer? There really aren’t many women in our line of work,” Kang Ge asked, his hearing sharp enough to catch her muttered words.

Yan Xue had been asked this question before. “Well, it’s complicated. On one hand, everyone wants to be surrounded by good people. On the other, kind people are often bullied, and that’s unfair. I wanted to be someone with the power to protect the good.”

“And you? Let me guess—did you guys all dream of being heroes as kids? Was it all about upholding justice and fighting evil?”

“You’re overthinking it!” Kang Ge laughed, shaking his head. “I’m pretty laid back. When it came time to fill out my college applications, I just put down whatever. Becoming a cop was pure luck!”

He sounded so serious that Yan Xue smiled and clapped him on the shoulder.

“Oh? What’s that supposed to mean?” Kang Ge turned to look at her, surprised.

“Nothing. Everyone has the right to decide what’s private and what they want to share. You must have had a better reason for joining the police than you say, but it doesn’t matter. Just, next time someone asks, you might want to come up with a different story. Police academies have early admissions—you can’t just ‘write down whatever’ and end up there!”

Kang Ge didn’t seem embarrassed to be called out. “Then I’ll thank my partner for not pressing further! It’s not really a privacy thing, just a long story, and we don’t have time right now. If there’s ever a chance, in the right setting, I’ll tell you the whole tale!”

“Deal! You bring the story, I’ll bring coffee, tea, sunflower seeds, and chips!” Yan Xue joked.

“Sounds good—deal!” Kang Ge agreed readily.

Master Bai Li Jiufang’s “residence” was located on the outskirts of W City. Yan Xue had never been to this area before, but fortunately, Kang Ge was a local. Even if he seldom visited this part of town, he was still more familiar than Yan Xue. Following the navigation, they took turn after turn but managed not to get lost.

After turning onto a narrow road, it felt as if they’d suddenly entered the countryside. The buildings thinned out, replaced by more trees and fields. Occasionally, a small house appeared. The farther they drove, the fewer pedestrians they saw; even passing cars were rare.

“Isn’t there a saying, ‘the lesser recluse hides in the wild, the greater recluse hides in the city’? Seems this master with the double surname isn’t quite at that level yet!” Yan Xue quipped as things grew more remote.

Kang Ge laughed. “Of course! He’s a charlatan, after all. Without the skills of a true sage, how could he hide in plain sight? For him, hiding in the open would only expose his fraud! For many people, the more remote and inaccessible the so-called master, the more they believe in them. If they have a headache or something, they’d rather drive out here to find a ‘master’ whose education is questionable, than go to a doctor who spent eleven years getting a PhD.”

Yan Xue sighed. “It’s laughable, really. If ghosts and spirits actually existed, our jobs would be easy. We wouldn’t need to hunt for murderers—the vengeful spirit would take care of it!”

Kang Ge replied, laced with mockery, “If that were true, these frauds would be the real detectives. The ghost tells him who the killer is, and he just points them out—the case solved in a snap! And if he were really powerful, he could organize all the ghosts to patrol at night and keep the peace. No more locking your doors! Those thugs who yell at patrol cops—let them run into a real ghost, and they’d wet their pants in no time!”

Yan Xue laughed and nodded. Though it was all in jest, there was a grain of truth to it.

“Good thing none of that’s real, or we’d all be out of a job,” Kang Ge joked. “People always want to blame their fears on ghosts, to pin their hopes on gods. It’s so much easier to say ‘a ghost did it’ than to dig for the truth. Praying to deities is a lot less work than struggling to improve your life—what a bunch of crafty little devils!”

Yan Xue glanced over at him, reassessing him. Her initial impression had been of someone always joking around, thoughtless—but hearing him reflect like this, she found him unexpectedly profound. Then again, she realized, it wasn’t so surprising. They were adults now; who was truly straightforward? Everyone was like an onion—layers upon layers, each one a mask, hiding what lay beneath.

Just as Yan Xue was beginning to wonder if they’d lost their way, Kang Ge slowed down, narrowed his eyes, and pointed to a house down a fork in the road.

“That should be it. The route, the courtyard wall, and the gate all match the old lady’s description.” As he spoke, he pulled over to the roadside, stopping about fifty meters from the house.

“Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll get out first, then you climb over to the passenger seat and get out from this side,” Yan Xue said, peering through the window toward the house, seeing no one. “Even if there’s nobody around, we can’t be sure this Master Bai Li Jiufang hasn’t rigged the place with surveillance. You’re supposed to be possessed—driving yourself here would look suspicious!”

“Good thinking! This is your moment to shine—let’s see your acting skills!” Kang Ge clambered out from the passenger side, raising his arm and beckoning with a grin.

Yan Xue walked over, slinging his arm over her shoulder. “Right back at you—it’s time to see if you’re a pretty face or the real deal!”