Chapter 12 - Paper Mask

Editor: mako

Proofreader: kllua

Huo ZhenYe went downstairs to have his breakfast. Picking up a cup of coffee with one hand, he opened the newspaper, and today’s front-page headline was “As the flowers’ ruthless murderer finds it hard to escape the net of justice, the beauties of the flower world can finally regain their splendor”.

Several of the flower world’s beauties also donned white clothing to raise money for the two sisters who were murdered, saying that the donations would be passed to their families.

With those beauties reported as Hongfu 1 “红拂女” (Hongfu) is a legendary Chinese folk heroine/female martial arts master from imperial China whose birth name was Zhang ChuChen. Hongfu, along with Li Jing and Qiu RanKe (“Dragon Beard Man”) are known as the “Three Heroes of the Wind and Dust” (風塵三俠). of the contemporary era, it was no doubt that their votes would rise again for the next round.

Here, Huo ZhenYe set down his coffee cup and flipped through the newspaper. Although Second Liu had not attended court, he was already labeled as the murderer for both cases in the newspaper.

Meanwhile, Big Liu, who the reporters wrote as a man who abandoned his fiancée and killed people because of his infatuation for another, has shifted to become someone who was just a scapegoat for his younger brother. Some tabloid reporters even praised him for his love and righteousness.

Those who went to the Han family’s courtyard last night also saw Han Zhu still taking care of her seriously injured fiancé. Filled with emotion, many had then hoped that the loving couple would live a happy life.

At this time, Huo ZhenYe, who had finished his butter toast, left his house after throwing away the newspaper.

Da Tou, who was standing upright at the precinct’s door in his uniform, was waiting for Huo ZhenYe. As soon as he saw him, he rushed up. “Young Master Huo! I have arranged for everything as you ordered.”

He had arranged for Han Zhu to meet Second Liu before he would be taken to the main precinct.

Second Liu was scheduled to be sent to the main precinct in the afternoon before heading to court. Because he had murdered two people and gouged out their eyes, it had become a big sensational case, and he was sure to receive the death penalty.

Such a meetup today was meant to be a final goodbye for both of them.

“Young Master Huo, the chief inspector said that he wanted to reward me. I have received such a benefit because of you.”

The more Da Tou spoke, the more joyful he became. However, seeing that Huo ZhenYe did not look happy at all, he stopped talking.

Thinking that Huo ZhenYe was unhappy because he was robbed of his credit, Da Tou suggested, “Young Master Huo, do you want to be a consultant to the chief inspector? Since you handled such a big case, the chief inspector will certainly be willing to accept you.”

Huo ZhenYe smiled and patted Da Tou’s shoulder. “We will see first.”

Here, Da Tou did not understand. Young Master Huo has solved a big case, but why did he look so unhappy?

Meanwhile, Second Liu, who was facing the wall of his cell, heard someone coming in. Even then, he neither turned back nor moved.

Han Zhu gave a handful of money to the policeman in charge of the cell. Entering, she squatted on the ground, opened the food container, and took out a few dishes of food and a jar of yellow rice wine.

From the sounds of the footsteps, Second Liu knew that his senior sister had come. His body lightly trembled, and he did not dare to look back.

As there was no table in the prison cell, Han Zhu could only place the dishes on the straw mat. She took out two pairs of chopsticks and a pair of empty bowls before calling him over like usual, “Xiao’Liu, it’s time to eat.”

With tears in his eyes, Second Liu lowered his head and wiped them away. He gritted his teeth and looked back at Han Zhu with red eyes. “Senior Sister…”

“Eat quickly, the food is turning cold.”

There were preserved dried fish with chicken, red braised meat, fried crispy fish, and stir fry cabbage with dried beancurd strips.

They were all his favorite food, and he would request Han Zhu to make these dishes every festive period. Here, Han Zhu also held out a bowl of noodles with vegetables and meat. “Eat. Isn’t this your favorite?”

Second Liu held up the bowl, and his tears fell into it. Afraid of Han Zhu seeing it, he then poured the contents into his mouth and drank half a bowl in one gulp.

Meanwhile, Han Zhu, who was sitting opposite of him, was looking at him. Seeing that he was eating hurriedly, she poured him a cup of yellow rice wine and said, “Eat slowly, no one will snatch them from you.”

Second Liu, with noodles and soup in his mouth, choked out through his sobs, “Senior Sister, I did not intend to do this.”

“I know. Xiao’Liu just wants us to be together as a family forever.” When Second Liu entered the third door, he was only three or four years old. If it were not for Big Liu’s refusal to forsake his younger brother in the early years, he would have starved to death, so it was only right for him to repay this kindness.

“Senior Sister, I have let you down.”

Han Zhu picked up her chopsticks and gave him one of the fried fish with her usual passive expression. “You did not let me down. The one who did so was him.”

Second Liu gritted his teeth and held back his tears. “I cannot pay respects to Master anymore. Senior Sister should inform him that I will be heading down to wait on him in a few days.”

After hearing such words, Han Zhu’s initial impassive expression shifted, and her eyes reddened. She continued to fill Second Liu’s bowl with the dishes until it was full.

In the end, both people did not speak further. This meal was a farewell and Second Liu no longer made unreasonable demands for Han Zhu to forgive his brother. It was only when he saw that she was about to leave that he called softly, “Senior Sister.”

“Tell me the truth.” His older brother was about to take Jin DanGui out of Shanghai, so how could he have killed her? After thinking about it, he felt that only his senior sister could have done so.

Han Zhu poured herself a glass of rice wine before downing it in one shot.

The porcelain cup gave off a “ pa ” sound as it was set back on the ground. “It was me.”

Second Liu looked at her in a daze. With his lips trembling, he gazed at her hand as hot tears fell. “It was really you…”

Han Zhu smiled, “I just did not expect that Mr. Huo would be a compassionate person.”

If it were not for Huo ZhenYe’s refusal to identify Big Liu as the murderer to get rid of his own suspicion, Big Liu would have already been convicted and waiting to be sentenced to death by gun.

She had wanted Big Liu to wait for his death and feel it approaching day by day. At that time, his mind would also constantly remember the sight of Jin DanGui’s appearance with her eyes gouged out.

Second Liu finally understood everything. “What is Senior Sister planning to do with him?”

“According to the rules, how do you think he should be handled if he betrayed the door?”

Second Liu was struck speechless and did not speak further. Polishing all the food off cleanly, he then got up and kneeled down to Han Zhu. He kowtowed to her three times and said, “For the past ten years, Senior Sister had handled the laundry, cooking, and mending. This gratitude Xiao’Liu would not be able to repay in this life. I will only return it in the next.”

Here, Han Zhu finally could not hold it in anymore, and tears ran down her cheeks.

The car to escort Second Liu to the main precinct arrived on time. As Huo ZhenYe watched Second Liu get on, he felt stifled and uncomfortable.

Chief Song pulled Huo ZhenYe aside and asked, “Why did you not come yesterday when I was treating everyone? How can we lack you, the main figure of this case? You should come for today’s one.”

As Chief Song praised Huo ZhenYe with high regard, Huo ZhenYe returned the courtesy, “Chief Song is joking. It is all because of your capable workforce. Otherwise, the case would not have been solved so quickly.”

Chief Song had constant business relations with the Huo family as although he was the chief inspector in the settlement, he could not just earn a chief inspector’s salary. “I asked the reporters of Shanghai News 2 “申报” (Shen Bao, formerly transliterated as Shun Pao or Shen-pao, known in English as Shanghai News) was a newspaper published from 30 April 1872 to 27 May 1949 in Shanghai, China. to come down for an interview. The credit for this case is still Young Master Huo.”

He knew that because of this case, Huo ZhenYe’s marriage with the Tao family had ended in shambles. However, with his current shift to a “detective”, there was negotiable space for this marriage.

Huo ZhenYe’s smile disappeared as he felt bothered by Chief Song’s own decision. “I was unaware that Chief Song also handles matchmaking affairs.”

However, before the reporter from Shanghai News could arrive, Chief Song’s phone rang. Apparently, Second Liu had escaped and injured the two policemen escorting him.

As the precinct turned into a mess, Huo ZhenYe’s first thought was Bai Zhun. Would Second Liu run to the Bai’s residence?

Thinking that, he immediately left but ended up being stopped by the Shanghai News’s reporters at the door. Huo ZhenYe glanced at the currently furious Chief Song before adding oil to the fire, “It is not convenient now. The suspect has just escaped and even wounded two policemen.”

The two little reporters’ eyes brightened. Initially, they thought that their trip here was for official work where they were supposed to praise Young Master Huo. However, they did not expect to come across such big news. Without caring further about Huo ZhenYe, they then rushed in.

Huo ZhenYe, who managed to extract himself from the situation, got into the car and drove to YuQing. Running lightly all the way, he then barged in the Bai family main door.

At this moment, Bai Zhun was playing around with the gramophone. This object in Huo ZhenYe’s hands could make music, but how come he could only create scratching sounds?

Seeing that he was alright, Huo ZhenYe sighed, “Second Liu has escaped.”

Bai Zhun nudged the needle. “You do it.” Saying that, he lifted his eyes and saw that Huo ZhenYe’s back and armpits were soaked with sweat. Raising his eyebrows with smiling intent in his eyes, Bai Zhun added, “What? He dares come knocking up my door to make trouble?”

This was exactly what Huo ZhenYe was worried about. Bai Zhun’s paper army was able to subdue ghosts, but how could it do so to people? Even if the paper general was Lord Yue, a single fist towards it would already create two holes.

He dared to look down on his paper dolls?

As Bai Zhun’s mouth started to twitch, Huo ZhenYe quickly extinguished the flame. “Do you want to eat ice cream? I can buy another one from Lao Da Chang or just directly buy a refrigerator. I can also buy some orange and plum soda. At that time, you can eat and drink them whenever you want.”

Without waiting for Bai Zhun to agree, he was already running out to buy them.

Right after Huo ZhenYe left, Bai Zhun rolled forth with his bamboo wheelchair and said, “Bring him here.”

With Mu GuiYing’s silver spear pressed against Second Liu’s throat, he was brought down from the attic. Afraid to move, Second Liu straightened his neck as he pleaded with Bai Zhun, “Seventh Master, please let me kowtow to my master before leaving.”

“Please help me do so.” Second Liu knelt in front of Bai Zhun and implored, “I have no intentions of dragging on with my life. As long as my wish is fulfilled, I will go back to the precinct and accept their decisions.”

“If I break my vow, the heavens would let me die without a whole body!”

Bai Zhun sat in his wheelchair and looked at Second Liu from above. “No, that is not true.”

Hearing that, Second Liu smiled mournfully and finally revealed his true intentions. “I want to ask my brother face to face whether he even has a heart!”

For Big Liu, his brother, his wife, and his master’s kindness were all not worth wealth and beauty.

As this was something aligned with Bai Zhun’s wishes, he finally agreed, “Okay, I will allow you to do so. You do know the result of deceiving me, right?”

Second Liu felt a chill in his heart as he replied, “Yes.”

Here, Ah Xiu brought forth a yellow paper and a brush. With a light twitch of his finger, a face was drawn on the yellow paper. Like how he could give Ah Xiu a beautiful face, he could, of course, give Second Liu another face too.

With a bamboo frame acting as the outline of the face, the yellow paper with the painted face was pasted on it, making a mask.

“This will only last one day. After that, the paper will return to paper while bamboo will return to bamboo.”

From the start, Second Liu only knew that Bai Zhun was the head of the seventh door and he could control paper dolls. However, regarding this skill, even his master had never mentioned it before. He once more kowtowed to Bai Zhun respectfully.

Bai Zhun then proceeded to light the incense and chant. After he inlaid the interior of the mask with a yellow talisman, the initially paper and bamboo object instantly turned soft and sagged in Bai Zhun’s hands.

If Second Liu had not seen Bai Zhun drawing a face on the yellow paper, he would have thought that it was human skin.

“Bring your head over.”

Feeling fearful, Second Liu closed his eyes. He felt something akin to paste being spread on his face, followed by a “ pa ” sound and the paper being attached to his face.

“Breathe.”

It was only after hearing such words that Second Liu realized he had been holding his breath. As he breathed in lightly, the paper was like a living object that was stuck on his face. Every breath and exhale he took was coordinated together.

Unable to see it, he raised his hand, wanting to reach out and touch it.

However, Bai Zhun used a fine bamboo stick to hit the back of his hand. “Don’t break it.”

Second Liu gave a light nod and gave Bai Zhun another kowtow. When he walked out of the Bai’s residence, he lowered his head as he was afraid of being recognized. It was only when he passed by the tailor that he stopped and secretly looked at his appearance through the glass windows.

An entirely foreign face appeared on the glass surface. He opened his mouth slightly but immediately thought of Bai Zhun’s reminder of “don’t break it” and closed his mouth tightly.

Meanwhile, Huo ZhenYe was directing some workers to bring along the refrigerator. When he was crossing the long lane, he brushed shoulders with a young man standing in front of the tailor. Halting his steps, some feelings of misgivings flashed through him.

That young man seemed to feel his gaze and looked back at him.

However, Huo ZhenYe just turned around and continued forward. Although the person’s bearing was familiar, his face was unfamiliar. He has never seen this person before.

In the end, Second Liu, with his new face, left the city hurriedly.

1

“红拂女” (Hongfu) is a legendary Chinese folk heroine/female martial arts master from imperial China whose birth name was Zhang ChuChen. Hongfu, along with Li Jing and Qiu RanKe (“Dragon Beard Man”) are known as the “Three Heroes of the Wind and Dust” (風塵三俠). 2

“申报” (Shen Bao, formerly transliterated as Shun Pao or Shen-pao, known in English as Shanghai News) was a newspaper published from 30 April 1872 to 27 May 1949 in Shanghai, China.