Chapter 36: Half Truth, Half Lie

"You’re saying he lunged out directly from this woodpile?"

Tan Huacong looked at the woodpile, then at the distance between it and the courtyard wall. He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before turning to ask Chen Ping’an another question.

"Which spot did you climb over from?"

"Hm? At the time... I was a little nervous and flustered, so I don’t remember very clearly." Chen Ping’an pondered for a moment. "Let me think..."

In reality, Chen Ping’an had already planned out exactly where he would say he’d climbed over the wall. His current hesitation was just an act to make his story seem more authentic and believable.

"It must have been this spot!" Chen Ping’an paced a couple of steps along the courtyard wall before pointing to a location with conviction.

"Here?"

"Yes," Chen Ping’an nodded.

Tan Huacong walked over to the spot on the wall that Chen Ping’an had indicated and glanced back at the woodpile. After estimating the distance between the two and finding nothing amiss, he nodded, signaling for Chen Ping’an to continue.

"He lunged out from here, and I was scared stiff. My mind went completely blank. I won’t lie to you, Mr. Tan, even though I’ve been a constable for a long time, I’ve never been in a situation like this. The man was tall and moved with deadly intent—his sheer presence terrified me. My mind was a complete void. Watching him charge at me so ferociously, my first instinct was to drop into a crouch."

"You crouched down?" Tan Huacong gave Chen Ping’an a strange look.

’A deadly foe appears, clearly intent on taking his life, and his first reaction was to crouch?’

But then again...

’For a young man who hadn’t even reached the Entry Level of the Martial Dao, perhaps that kind of reaction in the face of danger was actually the most realistic.’

"Yes, I crouched down," Chen Ping’an said with a hint of embarrassment. "I didn’t know what to do. I just followed my instincts and ducked. I guess I’m just lucky to be alive. Looking back, I think that single action might have saved me. When I crouched, he lunged right past me and into the wall, I think. Then, somehow, he fell over. The second he was down, my head cleared a little. I scrambled to my feet and made a break for the courtyard gate.

But he got back up faster than I could have imagined. I hadn’t even made it to the gate when he lashed out and kicked me. I had no way to defend myself and took the blow square in the chest. The force sent me sprawling."

Chen Ping’an pulled up his robes, showing his chest to Tan Huacong.

Tan Huacong peered by the torchlight and saw that there was indeed a large, dark bruise on Chen Ping’an’s chest, clearly the result of a kick.

"Are you saying that you, a normal person, took a direct kick from Hairy Fish?" Tan Huacong stared at Chen Ping’an, incredulous.

"Yes," Chen Ping’an nodded.

"You took a kick from him and that’s the only injury you sustained? And you’re still able to stand?"

"I don’t know about that either," Chen Ping’an said, shaking his head in feigned confusion. "All I knew was that my chest was in agony. But then, somehow, a burst of strength came out of nowhere, and I managed to get to my feet. I had barely stood up when his fist was already coming for me. He was aiming for my head, but because I suddenly stood up, he hit me in the chest again."

Tan Huacong looked at the smaller bruise next to the large one on Chen Ping’an’s chest and nodded.

"I took his punch, and I was terrified. I wasn’t thinking, I just scrambled backward. I ran, and he gave chase. But for some reason, after just a few steps, he stumbled and fell. I don’t know where the courage came from, but there was a rock right by my feet. Seeing him down, I snatched it, rushed him, and smashed it into his neck.

After the first blow, he still tried to fight back, lashing out with a kick. Without a second thought, I just kept smashing with the rock. I hit the leg he was kicking with, then I hit his neck again. Afterward, his struggles grew weaker and weaker, but I couldn’t stop. I was afraid that the moment I stopped, I would be the one who died."

A look of fear flashed across Chen Ping’an’s face.

"By the time I snapped out of it... this was the result."

"I see." Tan Huacong nodded calmly.

He considered what Chen Ping’an had said.

’On the whole, the story had no major issues. Still, two things made him suspicious. First, considering Hairy Fish’s Martial Arts Cultivation, Chen Ping’an’s injuries—from one kick and one punch—seemed far too light. Second, there was the matter of Hairy Fish falling down twice during the fight.’

Chen Ping’an watched Tan Huacong, his face a perfect mask of residual fear. Underneath that fearful expression, however, he was secretly tense.

The story he had just told Tan Huacong was a mixture of truth and lies. He had even altered and staged the scene in the courtyard to corroborate the details of the fight he described.

Unless subjected to the most meticulous and professional forensic examination, the scene would reveal no inconsistencies.

Nevertheless, until he received Tan Huacong’s approval, Chen Ping’an couldn’t completely suppress his anxiety. He did, however, manage to hide this feeling very well.

Sometimes, you had to admit, he really had the makings of an actor.

"I have to say, your luck is truly incredible," Tan Huacong finally remarked after a long period of thought. "If any single detail had played out differently, you might be the one lying here right now."

"Yes, sir," Chen Ping’an said, his face a picture of relief. "Maybe the old man is watching over me from the great beyond."

Chen Ping’an’s comment also made Tan Huacong think of Chen Tian’an.

"Alright, that’s enough. I understand the situation. I never would have thought that Hairy Fish of the Cyan Fish Gang, a skilled fighter at the Qi Blood Second Layer, would end up dead at your hands through such a bizarre twist of fate."

Tan Huacong temporarily suppressed the two doubts that had surfaced. ’Perhaps,’ he reasoned, ’Hairy Fish’s injuries from his escape were more severe than we thought. So severe that normal movement was a struggle for him.’

’That would explain why the power of his strikes was greatly reduced, and why he kept falling after just a few steps.’

’It made sense, after all. The man was wanted by the Garrison Commandant’s Office; even if he had money, he’d have no way to buy medicine or provisions. Without adequate food and medical supplies, his injuries could only have gotten worse. It made perfect sense that Hairy Fish would resort to stealing food from Chen Ping’an’s home tonight.’

Of course, this was all just Tan Huacong’s reasonable speculation. It wasn’t necessarily the truth.

For Tan Huacong, however, all that really mattered was confirming that the man dead in the courtyard was Hairy Fish himself. The actual process was not particularly important.

"Mr. Tan, then about the bounty..."

"Yes, I will record this and report it. You can rest easy," Tan Huacong nodded. "However, it’s quite late. Even if I take your statement now, it can’t be submitted right away. Why don’t you head home for now? We’ll handle it tomorrow."

"Mr. Tan, how about I go with you back to the Garrison Commandant’s Office to record everything now? That way, if you need me to supplement any details while taking my statement, you can ask me right away."

With the status of an official constable on the line, Chen Ping’an was too anxious to wait, so he made the proposal.

Tan Huacong glanced at Chen Ping’an, understanding the boy’s eagerness.

After all, with a meritorious service commendation on the line, no one would be able to relax.

"Very well. We’ll head back together," Tan Huacong agreed.

"Excellent! Thank you, Mr. Tan." A smile broke out on Chen Ping’an’s face.

...

PS: This new book is free, so I have no income. Please allow me to shamelessly recommend my old books: *I’m Just a Little Rat Demon*, *Cultivation Is Just That Simple*, and *Raising My World*. (Oh, right, that last one got banned.)