When Xu Fei returned to the ruins of the woodland hut where the Gu Master was buried, he glanced at the samurai sword in his hand and decided to leave it there, as a makeshift gravestone for the man.
Then, Xu Fei continued his journey back, intent on leaving the woodlands as quickly as possible.
He hadn’t expected that the clue he’d fought so hard to salvage would turn out to be worthless.
“It seems the only way to get reliable information now is to visit Duanmu Qing’s family again,” Xu Fei mused.
Without hesitation, he followed the mountain path back to where he’d parked his car.
Wasting no time, Xu Fei sped off in his black Hummer, reaching the familiar village by sunset.
As he parked the Hummer at the gate of the well-known courtyard, the noise alerted those inside.
People emerged to see who it was.
“Well, look who’s here, it’s Doctor Mu! Come in, come in!” Duanmu Qing’s parents exclaimed, brimming with joy and warmth upon seeing Xu Fei.
Duanmu Qing’s father, in particular, caught sight of the black Hummer, his eyes crinkling into crescent moons with delight.
“Sharp lad, you seemed penniless at first glance, who knew you were hiding such wealth!”
Duanmu Qing’s father muttered, only to be overheard by his wife. He quickly explained, making her even more excited.
Xu Fei had come to gather information, so he didn’t mind their warm welcome and followed them inside.
“Doctor Mu, come in! Oh, you’re a bit late, Qing went to town today, she’ll probably be back tomorrow.”
“Shall I call her now and ask her to hurry back?”
The lively parents grew more animated, but Xu Fei quickly stopped Duanmu Qing’s mother, who was reaching for her phone, and said with a smile, “No need, Auntie. I came today for two reasons. First, I wanted to check how you’re feeling now.”
At this, Duanmu Qing’s mother beamed and replied, “Oh, Doctor Mu, you don’t need to worry about my condition! Look at me, I’m climbing hills and wandering about without a hitch.”
To prove her recovery, Auntie Li even twisted her waist energetically.
Seeing this, Xu Fei nodded and continued, “That’s good to hear. I’ll get to the point, I heard something rather strange from Duanmu Yun, which is why I came to treat you. You must know about it, right?”
Xu Fei’s mysterious tone left Auntie Li and her husband exchanging puzzled glances, unsure what he meant.
When Xu Fei repeated Duanmu Yun’s words verbatim, realisation dawned on them.
“Oh, you mean that? There’s a bit of a story behind it. The first to know wasn’t us, it was Old Zhang.”
“Exactly, Old Zhang kept going on about it, we overheard, didn’t think much of it, and mentioned it to Duanmu Yun. Who’d have thought you’d take it to heart, Doctor Mu!”
Judging by their reaction, Xu Fei could tell they likely didn’t grasp the full weight of what he knew.
