Fei Zuohua walked exceptionally fast after leaving the tea shop, heading straight for his car. Tu Ziyun followed behind, sensing the young man was somewhat angry. Was it because of Pei Cangyu?
Tu Ziyun had no intention of soothing the young man’s emotions; he had other places to be. Consequently, neither of them spoke during the drive.
"You can just drop me off at that intersection."
Fei Zuohua glanced in the direction he pointed. "Where are you going?"
"The hospital," Tu Ziyun answered, habitually reaching for a cigarette only to find the pack was empty.
"To see Ding Chuan?" Fei Zuohua turned to ask.
Tu Ziyun nodded.
After another moment of silence, Fei Zuohua asked, "Can I go with you?"
Tu Ziyun found it amusing and let out a short laugh. "What for?"
Fei Zuohua wasn't laughing at all. "I want to see him."
Tu Ziyun turned his head. Fei Zuohua’s youthful face was solemn and tense, his jaw clenched. He looked like a hunter on the savanna who had spotted a lion walking toward him—wary, yet eager for the confrontation.
Tu Ziyun sighed.
"You really are like your—" Tu Ziyun forced himself to swallow the word "father." Even so, Fei Zuohua frowned unpleasantly. He couldn't lash out at an elder, but the boy was not one to hide his emotions.
Tu Ziyun shook his head. "Fine. But don't get your hopes up."
"What do you mean?"
"Ding Chuan isn't the kind of person you think he is," Tu Ziyun thought for a moment, searching for the right description. "Not that kind of 'vicious, irredeemable villain.'"
Fei Zuohua nodded, only half-understanding. Noticing Tu Ziyun clutching the empty cigarette pack, he asked, "Did you bring your lighter? I didn't see you put it away when we left. Do you need to go back for it?"
Tu Ziyun reached into his empty pocket and squeezed it. "I have it."
"Good." Fei Zuohua continued driving, turning at the next intersection toward the hospital.
The twenty-seventh floor of the affiliated hospital was a private wing under heavy guard. Even Tu Ziyun and Fei Zuohua had to pass through security and hand over their phones. As they headed up, Tu Ziyun’s face was so grim that it made Fei Zuohua nervous. This senior officer was usually quite irreverent; this sudden change in demeanor was unsettling.
Climbing twenty-seven floors was no easy feat, but as a dedicated disciple, Fei Zuohua couldn't let his mentor climb alone. He slung his jacket over his shoulder and followed, huffing and puffing up the stairs.
When they finally emerged from the stairwell, Fei Zuohua leaned against his legs, gasping for air. Tu Ziyun simply sat on the floor, loosened his tie, and produced a bottle of water from somewhere, gulping it down.
"I’m telling you... this isn't a long-term solution," Fei Zuohua wheezed. "Find some time to see a doctor."
"When I was in the Eighth Bureau... *cough, cough*..." Tu Ziyun set the water on the floor. "I saw doctors every day. They couldn't fix it. I don't want to see them anymore; it's a waste of effort."
He used the wall to push himself up. "Mainly, I'm just getting old."
The third door on the left, the nurse told them.
A police officer stood guard at the door. Tu Ziyun greeted him. "Just you?"
The officer nodded, his tone implying something deeper. "One is enough."
Tu Ziyun pushed the door open.
It was four in the afternoon. Light filtered through the heavy mist outside the window.
The curtains in the spacious ward were drawn back, and a breeze drifted in, fluttering the knotted fabric. A television was softly playing a cooking show. On the bed three meters away, Ding Chuan was sleeping with the remote in his hand.
Fei Zuohua looked around. The room was indeed luxurious; it seemed the Eighth Bureau placed a certain level of importance on Ding Chuan. He looked back at his mentor. Tu Ziyun hadn't moved; he was staring warily at the sleeping Ding Chuan, his expression shifting between light and shadow. He took two stiff steps forward, looking down at Ding Chuan, then noticed a book lying face down on the bedside table.
Tu Ziyun picked it up. It was a book titled *Thousand Cranes*. Ding Chuan was in the middle of it; a sticky note served as a bookmark, placed over a specific sentence: *"Death refuses all understanding."*
He stared at it for a long time, motionless.
Fei Zuohua gave a soft cough. His mentor immediately snapped out of it, and even Ding Chuan on the bed jolted awake. *A sharp one,* Fei Zuohua judged. From the moment he entered, he had been focused on observing Ding Chuan—the legendary boss of the Dark Fire Syndicate, a man who killed without blinking, who devoured people whole, the nemesis of his father and his mentor...
"You..." Ding Chuan spoke.
Both men were startled. Ding Chuan’s voice was raspier than a serrated blade, sounding as if his vocal cords had been damaged—a tearing sensation.
"Pour me a glass of water."
He was speaking to Tu Ziyun. Tu Ziyun stepped forward, took the cup, filled it, and handed it to Ding Chuan.
Fei Zuohua took the opportunity to move closer, getting a full view of Ding Chuan. Half of the man's face was scarred by burns. He was skeletal, which made his eyes appear particularly shrewd and bright, indicating that his spirit was quite good—perhaps too good. With just a glance, Fei Zuohua felt as if something was burning within Ding Chuan’s eyes. The man’s left side moved with great difficulty, appearing paralyzed. Beneath the blanket, his left leg seemed to have collapsed inward.
Tu Ziyun was just as dazed, holding the water cup without handing it over.
"Xiao Yun," Ding Chuan called out.
Almost instinctively, Tu Ziyun froze for a second before responding, "Chuan-ge."
Fei Zuohua shot a sharp look at Tu Ziyun. Tu Ziyun himself seemed stunned by his own words. Ding Chuan smiled and reached out; Tu Ziyun handed him the water.
"What’s your name?" Ding Chuan’s gaze moved past Tu Ziyun to land on Fei Zuohua.
"Fei Zuohua. Police," he answered coldly.
"No need to be so guarded with me," Ding Chuan smiled, his grin carrying a hint of the macabre. "I was actually the one who came up with your name. It seems your father changed it later."
Fei Zuohua’s expression instantly soured.
Tu Ziyun turned slightly toward Fei Zuohua. "Wait outside."
Fei Zuohua, even more indignant now, didn't budge.
Tu Ziyun didn't press him. He turned back to Ding Chuan. "I have some things to ask you."
Ding Chuan finished the water, set the cup on the table, and leaned back against the headboard. "Speak."
"About Bai Shi." Tu Ziyun stared at him. "You were living in his house—did he really never know?"
Ding Chuan’s smile didn't fade. "You should ask him that."
Tu Ziyun continued, "Does Bai Yinhua’s death have anything to do with you?"
"I’ve already answered these questions for the Eighth Bureau."
"What I’m asking is," Tu Ziyun looked at him seriously, "did you... ever collaborate?"
"What do you think?"
"I’m asking you." Tu Ziyun’s voice dropped an octave. It was the tone of an interrogation, but Fei Zuohua, standing behind him, noticed his clenched fist. He realized this was a confrontation between Tu Ziyun and Ding Chuan, and for Tu Ziyun, it was not easy.
"Why didn't you stay in the Eighth Bureau?" Ding Chuan suddenly asked. "Shouldn't wiping out the Dark Fire Syndicate have guaranteed you a meteoric rise? How could you let such a mediocre man," Ding Chuan’s gaze fell on Fei Zuohua again, though he wasn't referring to him, "become the Deputy Director?"
Fei Zuohua’s temper flared instantly. He took a step forward but was blocked by Tu Ziyun. Tu Ziyun shot him a reproachful look, and Fei Zuohua realized that even if he stepped forward, there was nothing he could do.
Ding Chuan let out a mocking chuckle. Tu Ziyun sighed, pulled up a chair, and sat down, folding his hands in front of him. "Then let’s do an exchange. One question for one question, alright?"
Ding Chuan looked at Fei Zuohua with interest. "Fine."
Tu Ziyun licked his lips and began. "I couldn't stay in the Eighth Bureau. My methods are different from the others. After all, having spent so much time by your side, I’ve picked up a few dirty tricks."
"Oh, then you truly are caught in the middle—better than the worst, but worse than the best." Ding Chuan laughed without a shred of sympathy. "The tricks you and I used are nothing compared to what I’ve seen before."
Tu Ziyun smiled as well. "True."
Fei Zuohua frowned as he watched the two engage in a conversation that almost seemed harmonious.
"Your turn." Tu Ziyun immediately pulled back his smile. "When did you move into the Bai family’s main residence?"
"Five years ago, after Bai Yilong stepped down as head of the family."
"Who knew you were living there?"
Ding Chuan didn't speak, merely curling his lips as he looked at Tu Ziyun.
Tu Ziyun looked down, chuckled, and then looked up again. "Understood. Your turn."
"Are you so obsessed with Bai Shi because you want to catch Bai Yilong?"
Tu Ziyun opened his mouth to speak, but Ding Chuan interrupted him. "Answer 'yes' or 'no'."
"...Yes."
Tu Ziyun immediately followed up: "Who knew you were living in the main residence?"
"No one knew."
"Liar." Tu Ziyun stood up. He moved with such force that the chair screeched sharply against the floor. "The Bai family has four children. Bai Yilong’s wife left the country, and he himself moved into a nursing home. Such an obvious clearing of the decks... without an insider in the Bai family helping you and smoothing things over with the others, how could it have gone so smoothly?"
Ding Chuan stared straight at him, offering no answer. Instead, he asked directly, "Do you want to catch Bai Yilong to avenge me?"
Fei Zuohua was stunned. He immediately turned to look at Tu Ziyun. And Tu Ziyun actually hesitated for several seconds. When he was about to speak, Ding Chuan repeated the phrase: "Yes or no."
Fei Zuohua watched Tu Ziyun’s throat bob. His mouth moved, but no sound came out. He stood up straight and turned around. "Let’s go."
"We’re leaving?" Fei Zuohua was astonished.
Ding Chuan smiled, watching their retreating figures. "If you want to know, come see me more often. Bring Fei Qisheng along; we can reminisce about the old days."
Tu Ziyun didn't answer. He pulled the door open and left.
He walked toward the stairwell. Fei Zuohua, unable to contain his anger, grabbed Tu Ziyun the moment they entered the stairs. "What did he mean just now?"
Tu Ziyun looked at him and tiredly tried to pull his arm away, but he couldn't break the grip.
Fei Zuohua stared at him with burning eyes. "Please, tell me."
Tu Ziyun looked at him for a while, then pointed to the floor. Fei Zuohua let go, and Tu Ziyun sat down.
The two of them sat in the stairwell once again. Tu Ziyun felt around for a cigarette, found none, and ran his hand back through his hair.
"A rotten tree cannot bear good fruit, and the seeds it drops will eventually spoil."
Fei Zuohua looked at Tu Ziyun’s profile. "Are you talking about Bai Shi?"
"Yes," Tu Ziyun admitted bluntly.
"You might not believe me now, but when I told you 'Ding Chuan isn't a bad man,' I was serious. He wasn't always like this." Tu Ziyun pulled all his hair back, making him look much younger. "In the entire Dark Fire Syndicate, including the Bai family, he was considered soft-hearted. He had the fewest conflicts with others. In that world, avoiding conflict is an incredible feat. Conflict means death, and things were very chaotic back then. The Bai family would never give an organization like Dark Fire a chance to go clean; they wanted it as dirty as possible. And Ding Chuan... if he hadn't been desperate for money as a young man and led into this trade, he never would have taken this path."
Tu Ziyun rubbed his face. "I’m getting off track. Ten years ago, the Bai family made the first move. They teamed up with a faction of Dark Fire and some thugs from Yanbian. They struck while Ding Chuan was picking up his daughter from her flute lesson. In the parking lot, they boxed him in, waiting for him to call for backup. But Ding Chuan didn't call his men. He called me and told me to take his daughter away. I was with him at the time, but I hadn't gone downstairs yet.
"I planned to take the elevator down. I just watched the floor numbers jump up and down several times. When the doors finally opened, the inside was covered in blood and bodies. He had fought them with knives in that elevator. I don't know how long it lasted, but he crawled out.
"By the time I got to the parking lot, Ding Chuan was severely injured. His daughter had run down from the stairwell; she wasn't hurt. Ding Chuan handed her to me. He wanted to go back to the syndicate’s building to destroy the records—to protect both Dark Fire and the Bai family. Of course, I couldn't let him go. I tricked him into giving me the location of the files and the password—the only password even I didn't know. I told him to go to the hospital, and then I notified my handler.
"Only later did I learn about the rift between the Bai family and my superiors. The Bai family felt that if those files fell into official hands, there was no telling when they’d be dragged out. Plus, those files contained information on corrupt cops, so they wanted to strike first. They wanted Ding Chuan to take the files. At that time, Ding Chuan didn't know the Bais had betrayed him. And neither did I. My handler just ordered me to get there first. So..."
Tu Ziyun paused and licked his lips.
"I used his daughter to threaten him, making him go to the pier. We both went. I gave the location and password to my handler so the Bai family couldn't reach him.
"We waited at the pier. I held a gun to his daughter’s head, just hoping he would cooperate. It wasn't loaded. In a fair fight, even with Ding Chuan that badly injured, I wasn't sure I could win if he really fought for his life. So I chose his daughter." Tu Ziyun gripped his hair, his face pale. "Ding Chuan was already wounded, stabbed several times. Our masks were off by then. I was determined to bring him in. He... he probably just wanted to kill me.
"Then my handler and the Bai family arrived. Everyone gathered there. Right in front of us," Tu Ziyun let out a short, sharp laugh, almost like a gasp, "right in front of us, as we stood there as enemies, they made a deal. Everyone got what they wanted. They split the files."
Tu Ziyun looked down at his hands. "Ding Chuan’s injuries were grave. He would have died without a hospital. But they were negotiating, back and forth, forever. The Bai family wanted Ding Chuan dead; they tried to pull him away from me. The police didn't want him dead; they pulled his daughter away from me. It was a mess. A total mess...
"A shot rang out. Someone shot and killed Ding Chuan’s daughter."
"...I’m not saying splitting the files was a bad thing. Those records going to the police helped us win the drug war in East Asia. Maybe a certain amount of compromise is normal." Tu Ziyun lowered his head. "Your father was more pragmatic than I was."
"Ding Chuan was thrown into an oil drum, doused in fuel, and set on fire—a common disposal method, though one that hadn't been seen since he became the leader of Dark Fire."
Tu Ziyun stared into space for a moment before continuing. "I still remember his screams in that drum. I asked my handler, but he said nothing. There were things far more important than Ding Chuan; he was never one of ours to begin with. That man, Bai Yilong... I still remember his eyes. He’s a man who will always strike with absolute ruthlessness. Ding Chuan’s drum kept shaking. I fired a shot at it, and the drum rolled into the sea. I never saw him again after that.
"And the negotiations after that went much more smoothly.
"Anything that couldn't be explained was tacitly blamed on Ding Chuan by both sides."
Tu Ziyun smiled. "It’s probably hard for you to imagine now how many corrupt cops were among us back then. If we’d arrested every single one, there would have been no one left on the force. Add to that undercover agents like me and your father—if the Bai family hadn't stepped in, we probably would have been taken out by people in the shadows soon enough. That’s how it was... a negotiation. Everyone... compromised."
Fei Zuohua said nothing.
"In your father’s words, it was a war that had to be fought. It was... the best of the worst possible outcomes..." Tu Ziyun smiled. "Old Fei always had a way with words."
Fei Zuohua looked at him expressionlessly. "So what Ding Chuan said is true. You’re targeting Bai Shi because of Bai Yilong. To avenge Ding Chuan."
Fei Zuohua hung his head, staring at a corner of the stairs.
"And for that, you don't hesitate to drag Pei Cangyu into this. To drag an innocent person in." Fei Zuohua looked at him, asking in disbelief, "Is it... to make up for something?"
Tu Ziyun lowered his head, cradling it in his hands, but his voice remained steady. "I’m not saying we did anything wrong. I just feel that some things... were too cruel. If Ding Chuan’s daughter were alive, she’d be about your age... If someone must be held responsible, if there is a murderer, isn't it Bai Yilong? But none of that needs to be said. The most important thing is that Bai Shi is definitely involved in something. I can guarantee it."
Fei Zuohua stood up and gave him a cold look.
"It’s a blessing for the police force that someone like you didn't stay. After twenty years, you probably can't even tell which side you truly belong to, can you?"
"It’s not a matter of which side I’m on. You should believe me." Tu Ziyun looked up at Fei Zuohua, his eyes clear. "I cannot allow my judgment to be blurred simply because of my position. I know what is right and what is wrong. I know that even in a shameful compromise, there are standards for judging good and evil."
Fei Zuohua shook his head in disappointment. He didn't argue further. He stepped down the stairs, his heavy footsteps echoing as he left.
Tu Ziyun remained motionless.
