Chapter 126: Visit

A few days passed, and the first break of the new semester arrived, so Chen Chuan went back home.

This time, Nian Fuli was at home. When Chen Chuan opened the door, he found Nian Fuli sitting in an armchair while listening to the radio and reading the newspaper with his legs crossed. His cousins were playing by the side.

Chen Chuan greeted them and went to pour himself a glass of water.

Nian Fuli looked at Chen Chuan before turning to Yu Wan. He patted his breast pocket and said, “I finished my cigarettes. Can you get a pack for me, Yu Wan?”

Yu Wan side-eyed him and said to Chen Chuan, “Look at your uncle. He’s now ordering me around after becoming a constable brigade commander.”

Nian Fuli felt resigned. “It’s just a pack. Why are you saying that? Besides, you’re still limiting me to one pack a day even after I became a constable brigade commander...”

“Fine. I’ll buy a pack for you right now, Commander Nian.”

After Yu Wan left, Nian Fuli put down the newspaper and sent Nian Mo and Nian Lu to their rooms to play before he came back to Chen Chuan. “Xiao Chuan, I heard that you were the one who defeated that Merkarian. Were you there at that time?”

“Yes, Uncle. It was an event organized by the university. I was around when the shooting started, but I don’t know how Mr. Liu is doing,” Chen Chuan remarked.

“Don’t worry about those guys. The government officials only dare to step out of their houses while wearing protective vests. Liu Zhan is just traumatized. We were so busy because of this...” Nian Fuli grumbled.

Then, Nian Fuli told Chen Chuan that the resistance group had not just targeted one area. This was just an attack to draw away the Constabulary’s forces.

“Uncle, how’s the Constabulary going to deal with the Merkarian students?” Chen Chuan asked.

“How are we going to deal with them? Exactly how we deal with all escaped convicts,” Nian Fuli answered.

“Escaped convicts? But aren’t they exchange students?” Chen Chuan was surprised.

“The government looked into it and found that they were not exchange students, but Merkarian escaped convicts. The real exchange students were ambushed when they entered our country, and these convicts took their places to go to Martial Valor University for the exchange program,” Nian Fuli replied.

“Is that so...”

Chen Chuan thought about it. Based on Douma and the students’ behavior, they were a real lecturer and students, and they had received proper martial arts education for a long time. Otherwise, it was impossible for Martial Valor University to be unable to detect them as imposters.

Hence, he had a theory: The Merkarians might have intentionally made the switch to leave no grounds for criticism and to not sour their relationship with the Great Shun Republic. At the same time, this prevented the resistance group from dragging them into their mess.

He had to say that this was a good explanation. The original exchange student group even appeared to be the victims, because the escaped convicts had been stripped of their citizenship a long time ago and were no longer considered Merkarians.

But no one in power was an idiot. Chen Chuan was sure that the government could tell the truth at a glance. If the Merkarians had really made such arrangements, then while the countries would remain friends on the surface, they would never be as close as before.

“What about the students who ran away with the oak leaf?” he asked.

“We don’t know where they are right now, but I’m sure that someone has liaised with them. The resistance group’s actions have caught the Department of Administrative Affairs’ attention. This was a chance to cause trouble again after failing to do so using Fang Dawei and his gang,” Nian Fuli said. He took out a half-full pack of cigarettes and lit one.

After taking a drag, he lamented, “All they do is yap, while we have to run ourselves ragged. The constables are going to have to work themselves to the bone again.”

Not bad, Uncle. Your outlook on life has become different after you got promoted,

Chen Chuan quipped inwardly.

After taking a few drags, Nian Fuli remembered something. He looked outside and put out the cigarette before opening the window to let in some air. “Don’t tell Yu Wan that you were there during the shooting. You shouldn’t worry her like that.”

“Don’t worry, Uncle. I won’t tell her about it,” Chen Chuan said with a smile.

After having lunch at home, Chen Chuan planned to visit Cheng Zitong’s martial niece—He Nan.

While he had never met her before, he had worked together with her disciple, Lin Xiaodi, during a mission with Ren Xiaotian.

Since this was not a mission, Chen Chuan did not call for Xiao Wei. Instead, he made a call and took a bus to the southern part of the city, where He Nan lived.

It was a martial arts training center located at White Riverbank. Rows of willow trees were planted by the riverbank. New willow buds had grown, adding a splash of color to the place. When Chen Chuan arrived at the martial arts training center, an attendant walked over and said respectfully, “You must be Young Master Chen. Ms. He is waiting for you. Please come with me.”

Chen Chuan thanked him and walked inside with the attendant. Even though it was a martial arts training center, the path to the training hall itself was covered in smooth cobblestones. Various potted plants and flowers lined the sides as hints of greenery that were faintly visible yet brimming with vitality.

Once they arrived at the waiting area, Chen Chuan smelled a fragrance that seemed to seep into his bones. It was a comforting scent. Through the carved decorative screen, he could see a woman pruning leaves by the window. There was a longsword within her reach.

The attendant went inside to speak to her, and she put down the shears. She then went to a basin to wash her hands, wiped them dry, smoothed her hair, and walked out.

Chen Chuan observed her when she came out. He Nan was a beautiful woman in her thirties. She had an oval-shaped face, arched eyebrows, an intellectual air, pinned hair, and wore a modified, belted, white martial arts uniform.

If she had not been walking so rhythmically and with steps that spoke of power, Chen Chuan would not have been able to tell that she was a martial artist based on her looks alone.

“Are you Senior Sister He?” he asked with a fist-and-palm salute.

He Nan smiled. “You’re Cheng Zitong’s student, alright. You’re young. Don’t be as old-fashioned as he is.”

She walked over and shook Chen Chuan’s hand. “Xiaodi talked about you. She said that my martial uncle took a handsome boy as his mentee, and I have to say, you do look pleasant to the eye. Come in. Take a seat.”

She led Chen Chuan inside, and they sat down on antique sandalwood chairs next to the latticed window. The attendant brewed each of them a cup of fragrant tea.

Chen Chuan found the decor to be exceptionally refined. The color scheme and environment made people feel at ease. Every piece was picked with great care. By the looks of it, He Nan was a person who enjoyed the finer things in life.

He Nan sat straight and in a dignified manner. She placed her hands on her stomach and said, “Cheng Zitong told me that you’re interested in solving that old case. This problem has bothered Lao Lei for a long time, but he doesn’t like owing people favors, so he has never asked for help, and since he didn’t, I couldn’t approach Cheng Zitong about it. I’m glad that he’s willing to help. This problem has been plaguing my mind for a long time.”

Chen Chuan realized that He Nan had misunderstood and thought that Cheng Zitong was the one who wished to help Lei Guangcheng’s son by using Chen Chuan.

But he did not clear the misunderstanding. Cheng Zitong had to have had his reasons for not telling He Nan the truth, even if there was a casual air about He Nan when she talked about Lei Guangcheng. Clearly, they were close.

“When may I see Mr. Lei, Senior Sister He?” he asked.

“You’re still a student, aren’t you? You’re busy with your studies, but you took the time to come here. I’m sure it wasn’t easy for you. Thank you. You’re on break today, and Lao Lei is at home too. I’ve already told him about you, so I’ll have my driver send you over,” He Nan said.

“Thank you, Senior Sister He,” he said.

“I’m the one who should be thanking you for coming all the way here to solve Lao Lei’s conundrum, Chen Chuan,” He Nan thanked him with a smile.

After exchanging only a few words with her, Chen Chuan got into a light-blue Phreatia. He Nan was obviously rich. She lived in the southern part of the city and even had her own car and driver.

The driver headed south. While he was driving pretty quickly, the car moved steadily. Around thirty minutes later, they arrived at the Quanzhou District, which was almost outside the city. This place was considered to be at the southwest corner of Yangzhi City. There were only a few residents here, but all the houses were either two or three storeys high. Each residence was quite private.

“Sir, does Mr. Lei live nearby?” he asked the driver.

“Mr. Lei doesn’t like places with a lot of people,” the driver offered as an explanation.

After another six minutes or so, the driver turned into a tree-lined avenue and stopped in front of a three-storey house with a flower garden. “We’re here.”

Chen Chuan got out and saw a garden full of beautiful flowers and plants he could not name. They had to be foreign plants or local ones grown in a special way. It was just February, yet Lei Guangcheng’s flower garden was so beautiful and eye-catching. He had to have put in a lot of effort into it.

As Chen Chuan looked at the flowers, he suddenly thought of He Nan. He could not put a finger on the reason, but he just thought that she had something to do with the flowers.

After bidding goodbye to the driver, he walked down the clean path until he arrived at the shaded stairs to the house. Once he walked up, he knocked on the door.

He waited for a while before he heard footsteps. The door opened, and a man who was at most forty showed up. He wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses and a dark-gray jacket over a white dress shirt. He had a straight nose, firmly set lips, and a handsome face.

Chen Chuan was not sure who the man was and asked, “Hello, is this Mr. Lei Guangcheng’s house? I’d like to see him.”

The man nodded and said, “I’m Lei Guangcheng. Did she ask you to come?”

Once Chen Chuan nodded, Lei Guangcheng said politely, “Sorry for the trouble. Come in.”

Then, he went back in.

Chen Chuan observed him. Lei Guangcheng did not look like a government official, but a teacher. He changed out of his shoes at the entrance and went inside.

Even though Lei Guangcheng was talking to someone younger, he treated him politely. He asked him to sit down on the sofa before pouring him a glass of water.

“I’ve never asked for your name,” he said.

“Chen Chuan, Martial Valor University student,” Chen Chuan offered.

Lei Guangcheng was a little taken aback and sized him up a little. “Oh? He Nan only said that you’re Mr. Cheng’s disciple, not a Martial Valor University student.”

Disciples were different from students. After hearing what Lei Guangcheng said, it became clear to Chen Chuan that He Nan had intentionally changed his title to stress his relationship with Cheng Zitong, so Chen Chuan did not deny the statement.

“Chen Chuan... I think I’ve heard that name before.” Lei Guangcheng mulled over the name. Then, he looked up, and his gaze turned sharper. “Are you the one who killed Douma, the Merkarian escaped convict?”

Chen Chuan was not expecting him to know this, since government officials usually did not care about the specifics of what was going on with the people not under their jurisdiction. “I did. I wasn’t expecting you to know this.”

Lei Guangcheng sized him up again. “You’re a Martial Valor University student, not a security guard. You could have stayed out of the matter, so why did you take the initiative?”

“I wasn’t planning to interfere, but there were shooters firing at innocent citizens. Regardless of who I am, as long as I’m capable of doing something, I can’t just stand by and do nothing.”

“You have a strong sense of justice,” Lei Guangcheng remarked with a nod.

“That’s not all. I’m a Yangzhi City local. My friends and family are all here. What if one of them was in the crowd that day?” Chen Chuan continued frankly and honestly.

Lei Guangcheng’s gaze on him became gentler. He was silent for a while before he suddenly said, “You should go.”

Chen Chuan was not expecting that. “Mr. Lei?”

“I’ve thought about plenty of ways to help my son. Let’s put aside whether those methods would work or not, but whatever is affecting him can affect those trying to help him as well, and they might even run into other troubles. You’re a good young man and have a bright future ahead of you. You shouldn’t get dragged into this mess,” Lei Guangcheng said with a shake of his head.

Chen Chuan pondered over this and said, “Mr. Lei, my master asked me to come here because he trusts my abilities.”

Lei Guangcheng was quite surprised by that, because Chen Chuan had said that he was going to solve the problem, not his master. He nudged the glasses up his nose and observed Chen Chuan seriously. After a moment, he nodded and stood up. “Come with me.”

Chen Chuan followed him up the stairs to the third floor. There, Lei Guangcheng took out a key, unlocked the door, and opened it. He gestured to a child curled up in a corner and whispered, “That’s my son. He’s afraid of strangers. If you have any questions for him, please mind your tone when you speak to him.”

Chen Chuan nodded and walked in. When he was close to the boy, he suddenly stopped and turned to Lei Guangcheng.

“What is it? Is something wrong?” Lei Guangcheng asked.

“It’s nothing...” Chen Chuan cast a glance at the child again.

No matter how he looked at it, that was a puppet.