Chapter Sixty-Four: The Left Protector

With those words, Kang Ge and Yan Xue immediately understood everything. Clearly, Li Xuelin had interpreted Duan Yong’s notion of a "scapegoat" in a very different, literal way, and, very likely in an attempt to save money, had decided to take matters into his own hands.

Thinking about it this way, Xu Wenrui’s situation was indeed fraught with danger. Even if he hadn’t encountered the Leopard-Spotted Deathcap, he might well have fallen victim to some foolish act committed by Li Xuelin in a bid to change his luck. It seemed there was no way Xu Wenrui could escape this calamity.

“Officer Kang, Officer Yan, look, haven’t I been cooperating with your investigation from start to finish? I haven’t lied to you, not a single word! I’ve always told you everything I know!” Duan Yong, leveraging his years of “streetwise” experience, had already realized that Li Xuelin was in trouble and hurried to clear his own name. “I swear to heaven, I never told Li Xuelin to kill someone as a scapegoat! I just wanted to make a bit of money to spend, I’d never harm anyone!”

“I know, and that’s why we’re giving you a chance to distance yourself from all this,” Kang Ge replied. “After all, when it comes to these two cases, one is about swindling money, while the other involves the loss of a human life. You can clearly see which is more serious, so I imagine you’d be more than happy to make your position clear.

Here’s what we’ll do: you help us talk to Li Xuelin. He was willing to believe your talk about ‘scapegoats,’ so we’ll leave it to you to communicate and get the story straight. You’ll take center stage, and we’ll back you up. If we crack the Xu Wenrui case thanks to this, you’ll have some credit to your name—doesn’t that sound like a good deal?”

“It does, absolutely!” Duan Yong’s face looked positively miserable. “Honestly, at this point, I don’t care about credit. As long as I can clear my name and prove I never did anything that cost someone their life, I’ll be more than satisfied!

Whatever you need, just tell me. I’ll do exactly as you say, I promise, I’ll cooperate fully!”

“All right, I’ll go take care of the paperwork. Once we’re out, we’ll rehearse your part,” Kang Ge said, leaving Duan Yong and Yan Xue behind as he went to handle the formalities.

“You’re… taking me out?” Duan Yong was surprised. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll run off?”

“That’s not really a concern,” Yan Xue replied with a smile, clearly unbothered. “It wouldn’t be worth it! Fraud based on superstitious nonsense isn’t a serious crime, and we’re giving you a real opportunity to reduce your sentence. If you don’t make the most of it and actually run away, all you’ll do is make things worse for yourself. You’d only be hurting yourself!”

“Heh… No, no, I’m not that foolish! Since you’re giving me this chance, I’ll definitely seize it!” Duan Yong hastened to reassure her, as if worried his earlier question had made her doubt his sincerity.

Kang Ge had, of course, already received approval from his superiors for this plan. Given that Duan Yong’s fraud was neither particularly large in scale nor dangerous, the paperwork went smoothly. In less than an hour, they were leaving the detention center with Duan Yong in tow.

Although, in theory, Duan Yong had no incentive to escape, Kang Ge still handed the car keys to Yan Xue, letting her drive while he sat in the back with Duan Yong under the pretext of “going through the script.”

Yan Xue didn’t rush off to the next destination. Instead, after leaving the detention center, she drove to a parking lot beside a suburban park nearby. As it was a weekday and past prime picnic season, the lot was nearly empty—perfect for a quiet chat and a thorough rehearsal for Duan Yong.

Kang Ge and Yan Xue had already discussed and finalized the general approach. Since Duan Yong would be taking the lead with Li Xuelin, they needed to make sure he was not only familiar with the process, but could also perform naturally, so as not to arouse Li Xuelin’s suspicion and risk him clamming up. That would render all their efforts pointless.

After Kang Ge explained the plan and rehearsed it with him twice, Duan Yong, a seasoned and somewhat notorious fraudster, demonstrated his impressive “professional competence.” His natural, flawless performance left Kang Ge and Yan Xue genuinely impressed, increasing their confidence in the plan’s chances of success.

With everything in order, they calculated that midday would be a good time to visit Li Xuelin, hopefully catching him off-guard after he woke up. They set off for the area near K University.

On the way there, Duan Yong pressed his face to the window, gazing out at the passing scenery. After a long while, he let out a deep, melancholy sigh.

“What’s wrong?” Kang Ge asked, curious about the dramatic sigh.

“It’s nothing, nothing…” Duan Yong said, yet sighed again. “I just feel like I need to really take in the people, the cars, the buildings, the shops out here. Once I’m back inside, I probably won’t see any of it for years! I really regret it now—shouldn’t have gotten involved in that fortune-telling nonsense to scam people!”

“Do you know what your biggest problem is? You just don’t believe in any of it!” Kang Ge patted his shoulder. “If you actually believed in karma or ghosts or whatever, you’d never have the nerve to con people with it. Then none of this would have happened!

It’s funny, really. That vague, illusory notion of karmic retribution is sometimes more effective at restraining people than the very real laws on the books—how does one even begin to reason with that?”

Near the university, the only shops open early were supermarkets; most operated on late hours. When they arrived, many small stores were just opening, with little business and a tranquil air to the commercial street. The three of them crossed the street and headed straight for Li Xuelin’s small inn tucked away on a side alley.

Because of the hour, the main street was already quiet, and the side street was even more so. Shadowed by a neighboring building, the row of five or six storefronts felt cold and gloomy. One jewelry shop was closed, and two or three had “For Rent or Lease” signs taped to their empty display windows.

Next to Li Xuelin’s inn was an internet café, which, perhaps due to the morning hour, looked deserted. Even the gaming banners at the entrance were faded and curling after too much sun and wind.

Li Xuelin’s place, being a hotel, didn’t have regular business hours. But even though it was broad daylight, the sign’s light was still on.

“Is Li Xuelin still not up?” Duan Yong was surprised at the sight. As a professional fortune-teller who lived off gullible clients, he was astonished by his customer’s lack of enterprise. “It’s this late, the door’s closed, the sign’s on… Anyone would think this place isn’t serious about business!

I always thought he lacked energy, but I didn’t expect him to be this careless! How could he ever succeed like this? Lucky for me he never came back for my services—if he did and things went wrong, he’d blame me!”

“All right, enough about your past clients. Focus—your acting skills are about to be tested!” As they neared the inn, Kang Ge reminded him from behind.

Duan Yong pulled himself together, nodded, wiped his face, clasped his hands behind his back, straightened his chest, and walked over in stately little steps.

And indeed, when he put on his airs, he looked just as he had when Kang Ge and Yan Xue first met him—full of confidence and affected dignity.

Kang Ge and Yan Xue followed behind, playing the roles of dutiful assistants.

They stopped at the inn’s entrance. With a commanding tilt of his head, Duan Yong signaled to Kang Ge, who obligingly pulled open the glass door. Duan Yong strode in, brimming with self-importance, with Yan Xue close on his heels.

To the left of the entrance was a reception desk, topped with a price list but unattended. Judging by the thin layer of dust, the area was rarely used.

The little inn had two floors and was deathly quiet. Most of the first-floor room doors stood open, clearly unoccupied. Scanning the place, Kang Ge spotted a doorbell on the reception desk and pressed it. The sudden jingle echoed through the silent inn.

After a moment, the sound of shuffling slippers came from upstairs. Down the stairs staggered a middle-aged man in loose, floral pajama pants and a wrinkled undershirt, barely lifting his feet, slippers slapping against the steps.

“What is it? Looking for someone or a room?” he mumbled, voice thick with sleep.

“Li Xuelin, come here!” Duan Yong took two steps forward and beckoned. “Come, come! Get over here!”

Li Xuelin, still groggy, froze at the sound of Duan Yong’s voice. Suddenly alert, he gripped the banister and peered downstairs, mouth agape in astonishment when he saw Duan Yong waving at him.

“Master! Y-you… why are you here?” After a stunned pause, he hurried downstairs, nearly tripping on his slippers in his rush. “I was just about to look for you! I can’t believe you came to my place! Master, how did you know where to find me?”

Duan Yong gave him a lofty glance and drawled, “If I couldn’t find a place as big as this, how could I deserve to be called ‘Master’ by you?”

“Yes, yes! Master, your powers are remarkable!” Li Xuelin fawned, then glanced past Duan Yong at Kang Ge and especially at Yan Xue. His eyes lingered on Yan Xue with a hint of lecherous curiosity. “Master, do all you people travel with a female assistant now?”

Yan Xue was thoroughly disgusted by his greasy gaze, but given the circumstances, she pretended not to notice.

“Watch your mouth!” Duan Yong snapped, slapping the counter hard enough to send a cloud of dust into the air. “If you keep talking nonsense and disrespecting people, don’t come crying to me when you attract disaster or vengeful spirits! Do you know who she is? She’s a reincarnated celestial child, an attendant of the Supreme Elder Lord whom it took me years to find! I brought her and my left-hand guardian here today to help you! And you’re here spouting nonsense?”

Li Xuelin blanched, immediately bowing respectfully to Yan Xue, his face plastered with a flattering smile.

Yan Xue maintained a serene expression, even putting on an air of ethereal aloofness, though inside she was nearly convulsed with laughter. Duan Yong’s ability to make up wild stories was impressive, but the fact that Li Xuelin swallowed them whole, without a hint of doubt, was beyond belief.

Kang Ge stood nearby, arms akimbo, his usual smile gone, face set in a fierce scowl. With his tall build and position behind Duan Yong, he really did look the part of a “guardian.”

“Oh, sorry, I was up all night gaming and didn’t even have time to change! So, Master, what brings you here all of a sudden?” Li Xuelin said obsequiously, tugging at Duan Yong. “Come in, come in! Let me make you some tea! I think I still have some left…”

“Enough! I didn’t come all this way just for a cup of tea. Tell me the truth—ever since I told you to come to me for help, you’ve never shown up. Have you been up to something shady lately?” Duan Yong barked, affecting a stern, righteous air. “Don’t try to hide anything from me. Whatever you’ve done, confess now and I’ll see if there’s a way to resolve it.

This is your last chance. If you keep lying, not even the gods will be able to save you!”