Originally, when Gao Liang arranged for the three of us to come to Hong Kong, he had prepared both an overt and a covert plan. On the surface, the three of us were responsible for receiving the goods and exchanging Huang Ran; covertly, Yang Xiao had already arrived in Hong Kong half a day earlier and had infiltrated Ma Xiaolin's mansion, hiding inside Ma's study. Just as he had concealed himself, a man and a woman quietly slipped in behind him.
These two were not strangers to Yang Xiao—they were Meng Qiqi and Zhang Zhiyan, whom he had met before in the Tomb of a Transcendent Beast. Meng Qiqi and Zhang Zhiyan thought their actions were unnoticed, but all their movements were under Yang Xiao's watchful eye. After another half day, Ma Xiaolin and Jin Buhuan entered the study, meticulously checking and verifying the items to be exchanged for Huang Ran one by one.
Just as all the items on the list were handed over and Ma Xiaolin was about to arrange to open the champagne, Meng Qiqi and Zhang Zhiyan suddenly appeared and attacked, stunning Ma and Jin with stun guns. They were about to bundle the items and escape through the window when Yang Xiao—the "yellow bird"—finally took action. Before Meng Qiqi and Zhang Zhiyan could understand what was happening, Yang Xiao snatched their stun guns and, using their own method, subdued them.
After the butler and several servants confirmed there was no danger, they helped Ma Xiaolin and Jin Buhuan out. How the two regained consciousness needs no elaboration—the matter now rested with Meng Qiqi and Zhang Zhiyan.
Zhang Zhiyan woke up earlier than Meng Qiqi. Still weak, he shakily stood up, turned around, and looked at the people surrounding him. He patted his head, trying hard to recall what had just happened, finally fixing his gaze on Yang Xiao: "It was… it was… you… with the stun…" Yang Xiao stared at him expressionlessly and pointed the stun gun at his finger. "Click-click-click…" A series of blue sparks flashed, and Zhang Zhiyan collapsed again, twitching on the floor.
Seeing Zhang Zhiyan fall, I sighed internally—Yang Xiao's extra move was a bit excessive. Being hit twice in a short time by the stun gun greatly increased the risk of cardiac paralysis. If Zhang Zhiyan really died by Yang Xiao's hand, the veterans behind the Religious Affairs Commission would never let the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation off easily. Hao Zhengyi frowned, squatted by Zhang Zhiyan's side, checked his pulse, and confirmed there was no serious harm before standing up again and giving Yang Xiao a cold glare.
Yang Xiao was still Yang Xiao, even standing behind Wu Rendi, whose presence overshadowed him. But whenever he got a chance to act, he instantly reverted to the ruthless man who treated lives like grass. Hao Zhengyi looked at Yang Xiao for a while, then suddenly turned to Xiao Heshang behind him, hesitated, but finally said, "Consultant Xiao, your Bureau's secretive dealings are a bit hard to accept, aren't they?"
Xiao Heshang, completely unaware of Director Gao's arrangements, was momentarily speechless and found no words to respond. Just then, Sun Fatty raised his eyebrows and said, "Chairman Hao, hold on a moment. I'm just saying, whether our dealings are clear or shady, what business is it of yours? Even if we were blatantly open about it, or involved Director Wu and Yang Jun in secret, as long as we're not stealing or robbing, what does it have to do with you? Right, Master Xiao?"
Sun Fatty's words reminded Consultant Xiao, who chuckled and glanced at Sun Fatty, then picked up the conversation: "Exactly, I can't say much. But there's something I don't understand either, Chairman Hao. Your Religious Affairs Commission arranged for these two kids to steal back the goods we exchanged—what does that mean? You and Crow manage the delivery, and these two handle the theft. So, both the 'red face' and 'white face' are done by your Religious Affairs Commission?"
In fact, Meng Qiqi and Zhang Zhiyan were not officially part of the Religious Affairs Commission, at most relatives of some veterans in the committee. They had trusted Huang Ran's promises and thus got involved in the mess of the Tomb of a Transcendent Beast. Because Huang Ran failed, the items promised to Meng and Zhang as payment for their help were to be redeemed by Huang himself. Unable to fulfill the promise, Meng Qiqi and Zhang Zhiyan took desperate risks, only to be ultimately defeated by Yang Xiao—the "yellow bird."(Note: This is a Chinese proverb, "The mantis stalks the cicada, while the yellow bird lies behind.") It means that the identities of the hunter and the prey may change at any time.
Hao Zhengyi was somewhat at a loss when questioned by Xiao Heshang. He did not want to sever ties with Meng Qiqi and Zhang Zhiyan or offend the elders in the Religious Affairs Commission. Moreover, he felt a bit intimidated facing Xiao Heshang, and for a moment could not respond to his questions. At that moment, a sharp voice rang outside the study: "What happened? Is Luo Simen's remains okay? Huang Ran, say something!"
Blind Jin, supporting Huang Ran, was guided by him as they finally stumbled inside. Jin's shout was like a rescue for Hao Zhengyi. Unlike other blind men, perhaps due to having leaked too much heavenly knowledge and thus being cursed, Jin's hearing was not sharp, so he had not caught their conversation inside the study.
Huang Ran wiped sweat from his brow and said, "No problem... Luo Simen is fine, still lying properly on the table." Jin guided Huang Ran, and together they approached the table holding Luo Simen's waxen corpse. Jin pushed Huang Ran aside (Crow helped steady Huang Ran), then fumbled over Luo Simen's wax figure, feeling around.
Jin's actions made me feel nauseous, but Xiao Heshang and Hao Zhengyi watched him with great interest. After a short while, Jin exclaimed excitedly, "Yes, it's really Luo Simen!"
His shout roused Meng Qiqi, who was still sluggish after being stunned. She glanced at Hao Zhengyi and Xiao Heshang, as if recalling what had happened, then lowered her head silently. Not far away, Zhang Zhiyan was lying prone, seemingly unharmed, which made Meng Qiqi breathe a sigh of relief. But her gaze was soon fixed on Jin, who was holding the wax corpse, as if she had found a lifeline. She whispered softly, "Jin Beihai."
Caught up in his joy, Jin did not hear Meng Qiqi call him again until the young lady raised her voice. Only then did Jin notice the person on the ground (actually two). Having been accustomed to being called "Master," Jin was rarely addressed by his given name and asked, "Who? Who called me Jin Beihai?"
"I'm Meng Qiqi." Seeing Jin did not recognize her, Meng Qiqi said again, "Do you remember now? You gave me my name. My great-granduncle is Meng Shiyi."
Hearing the name Meng Shiyi, Jin recalled him, and in that moment seemed to understand what had happened here. Clutching Luo Simen's waxen corpse tightly, he hesitated before looking up at the empty air beside him and said, "Chairman Hao, Consultant Xiao, the little girl is naive. Whatever happens, you two still need to consider her grandfather Meng Shiyi's face."
Hao Zhengyi did not respond. He glanced awkwardly at Xiao Heshang, who pretended not to hear and paced around the study. Sun Fatty squinted at Jin with a smile and said, "How could Consultant Xiao stoop to the level of a young girl?"
Xiao Heshang said nothing. He crouched down to pick up the scattered documents on the floor, tacitly agreeing with Sun Fatty's words. Yang Xiao, indifferent to human life, showed little interest in the girl. Hao Zhengyi, out of respect for the Religious Affairs Commission's connections, decided not to press the matter further. Neither spoke, only Sun Fatty rolled his eyes at Meng Qiqi and said, "I'm just saying, Miss Meng, enough is enough. We finally let you go. Why don't you go back to France to drink red wine instead of stirring trouble here in Hong Kong?"
Unexpectedly, Meng Qiqi snapped back, glaring at Sun Fatty and said angrily, "I came to take my things!" She pointed at a few items wrapped in red silk scattered on the ground and continued, "I agreed with Huang Ran that these items would be given to me and Zhang Zhiyan when we entered the Tomb of a Transcendent Beast. Now we did go into the Tomb, even though it didn't go exactly as planned, in theory these items belong to Zhang and me. Who would've thought Huang Ran ended up giving them to you? Zhang and I nearly lost our lives in the Tomb, and in the end, it was all for nothing. Tell me, am I wrong to want my own things?"
Sun Fatty looked at her with a mix of amusement and disbelief. "So you're saying you and Zhang Stutter came to someone else's place to steal your own stuff?"
Meng Qiqi was about to argue but was cut off by Jin Beihai's cough: "Qiqi, that's enough. If you keep acting like this, I won't be able to protect you anymore."
Meng Qiqi still feared Jin Beihai somewhat, so she bit her lip and said no more.
Jin Beihai, still clutching Luo Simen's waxen corpse as if afraid someone would snatch it away, was told by Xiao Heshang, "Old Jin, Luo Simen's remains won't run away. Put him down first. What's with holding a dead man like that? You think just because you can't see it doesn't make it disgusting?" He gestured toward the box that once contained the corpse.
I understood immediately, picked up the box, and walked over to Jin. "Master Jin, put the remains in here. It'll be easier to carry."
Jin, suspicious of me, carefully checked the box himself to ensure there were no traps, then cautiously placed Luo Simen's wax figure inside. After locking it, he carried the case with one hand and supported himself with a cane in the other. Looking up at the air, he said, "Chairman Hao, Consultant Xiao, I'll take the Fourth Master back now. I'll fulfill the commitments made to the Religious Affairs Commission. I'll leave first, but when the time comes, I will find you." Without waiting for Hao Zhengyi's reply, he turned to Meng Qiqi and said, "Girl, come with me."
Meng Qiqi was reluctant and whispered a few words in Jin's ear. These words darkened Jin's expression as he said, "What else do you want? It's a blessing you escaped this time." Then he ignored her, carrying the box out of the study.
Hesitating briefly, Meng Qiqi grabbed a bottle of champagne from the desk — originally left by Ma Xiaolin for celebration. She broke the bottle and poured the foaming wine over Zhang Zhiyan's face. The sudden stimulus woke Zhang Zhiyan, who pointed at the items Xiao Heshang had packed and said, "Th… Th… Things."
"Don't want them!" Meng Qiqi shouted impatiently, turning and running outside without looking back. Zhang Zhiyan followed closely behind, ignoring Jin Beihai who was still cautiously exploring the living room after leaving the study. The two fled like a gust of wind out of the Ma family mansion.
After this interruption, Ma Xiaolin finally recovered. His body had long been ravaged by debauchery and liquor; it took a long while for him to regain consciousness after the shock. Now, helped by the butler, he re-entered the study. Compared to him, Jin Buhuan was in better shape and walked unassisted, following Ma Xiaolin back into the study.
Ma Xiaolin blocked Jin Beihai at the study's entrance. "Master Jin, what happened just now? How come I was lying on the ground? My body still feels numb."
Before Jin could reply, Sun Fatty approached and said, "Boss Ma, congratulations. That was the return of the Evil Spirit. As soon as it came back, it went straight for you. I'm not saying anything — it really is a deity. It remembers old ties. It came looking for you as soon as it returned."
Ma Xiaolin's face changed immediately. The numbness from the electric shock hadn't worn off, and the memory of encountering the Evil Spirit was vivid. He took Sun Fatty's words seriously and wouldn't let Jin leave. Grabbing Jin's arm, he said, "Master Jin, you have to save me! Save me!"
Jin, eager to take the corpse away before anything else could happen, merely gave Ma Xiaolin a brief check, then uttered some customary words like, "Your bones are extraordinary, warding off all evil. Though you face a small difficulty now, once you overcome it, a broad path awaits."
Though formulaic, Ma Xiaolin treated these words like a divine decree and listened respectfully. When Jin finished, without any prompting, Ma tore up the check, showing far more cooperation than before.
Sun Fatty, envious, quickly stepped in front of Jin and said, "Master Jin, if opportunity knocks, why not let it in? Give me a reading too." He deliberately blocked Jin's way and grabbed the case.
Jin frowned, wanting to wrestle the case away, but fearing damage to Luo Simen's remains, he reluctantly asked for Sun Fatty's birth details, examined his face and hand bones, then clicked his tongue and declared four words — "Tian Sha Gu Xing" (Heavenly Killer Lone Star).
Luckily, Sun Fatty had lived over twenty years under this ominous label and was used to it, so he didn't seem too disappointed.
Ma Xiaolin personally helped Jin Beihai out of the mansion and saw him off to the car.