Chapter 4: The Great Concealment in the City

Police Chief Liao Dongsheng, upon receiving the notification, hurried back to the police station to oversee the interrogation. The theft case had been troubling everyone, but it was no longer Du Long and his team's responsibility. Both Du Long and Feng Weiwu were injured, and Liao Dongsheng instructed them to go to the hospital for a check-up and rest well, so as not to affect their future work. He noted that they still lacked experience in such technical tasks as interrogation.

After leaving the police station, Du Long drove his motorcycle with Feng Weiwu to the main road to hail a taxi. Feng Weiwu, clearly unhappy, said, "Du Long, we caught the guy, so why were we left out of the interrogation? That's so unfair!"

Du Long laughed and said, "When has the world ever been fair? Everyone has to work hard to get ahead. We're new, so we have to be patient. There will be a day when we can shine. Besides, Chief Liao is looking out for us. We need to get checked at the hospital, right? In the end, we caught the guy, so the biggest credit won't slip away."

Feng Weiwu felt a bit better after Du Long's words. They didn't walk far before reaching the West Ring Road. Feng Weiwu raised his hand to hail a taxi. He needed to go to the hospital for a check-up and asked Du Long if he wanted to come along. Du Long shook his head, declining. He knew his injuries weren't serious and didn't need a hospital visit. He could just go home, apply some medicinal wine, and it would be fine.

"Then I'll go. Du Long, thanks a lot for today. I'll remember this," Feng Weiwu said before getting into the taxi.

Du Long nodded and watched the taxi drive away. Then he slowly drove his motorcycle in the opposite direction.

Du Long returned home at around 3 a.m. He took a shower, found some red flower oil, and rubbed it on his left hand, which felt hot. After that, he couldn't sleep. He reached under his pillow for a small, bound book and read it under the bedside lamp.

It was an old, tattered book about the vastness of the universe. However, this book wasn't what Du Long had hoped for. It was an ancient book on health and qi cultivation. The illustrations in the book showed many red dots and blue lines on the human body, representing the meridians and acupoints. This book, "Dongxuanzi," was actually a manual on health practices.

Du Long couldn't understand the obscure ancient texts, but he was very interested in the illustrations. At first, he was excited, but soon he would calm down and fall asleep. Gradually, he got into the habit of reading this old book before bed, which helped him sleep peacefully. He had been doing this for several years. Although he hadn't discovered any world-shaking martial arts, he rarely fell ill and had abundant energy. When he was injured, he recovered faster than most people.

In the morning, after his morning exercise, Du Long went home for breakfast. Then he walked to a small road not far from his house. Although the road wasn't wide, it was quite busy during the early market. Du Long didn't go anywhere else; he went straight to a small barbershop with a sign that read "Flathead." The name suggested it wasn't a trendy place.

The barbershop was tiny, with only one barber chair. The walls were unsmoothed, and the floor was not tiled. An old wooden sofa stood by the wall for customers. The barber, an elderly man, was giving a haircut.

One might think such an old-fashioned barbershop would have few customers, but in fact, it was quite busy. It had both elderly and young customers like Du Long. During peak hours, customers even brought their own stools and waited outside.

However, it was early, and there were no customers. As soon as Du Long entered, the old barber turned and said calmly, "You're here."

Du Long apologized, "Sorry, Master Ma. I was delayed by some matters."

The barber, Master Ma, said calmly, "Just watch for now."

Du Long nodded and stood aside, carefully observing Master Ma's every move. Master Ma held only a pair of scissors and chatted with the customer while cutting hair. No matter the angle, he didn't need any other tools or repeated touches. With one cut, he could transform a messy head of hair into a neat flat top, as smoothly as flowing clouds.

As Du Long watched, Master Ma's speed had slowed down a bit. Normally, he could cut a standard flat top in just over a minute. Because of his skill and speed, and his low prices, he had many regular customers, making his business very successful.

After finishing with one customer, Master Ma handed the scissors to Du Long and said, "I'll take a break. You go ahead."

Du Long took the scissors and, once the next customer was seated, he steadied his breath and began cutting hair. His movements were much slower than Master Ma's, and his hands weren't as precise. He often had to redo parts, which made the process slower.

A middle-aged man waiting in line said, "Master Ma, are you training an apprentice? I should let you know, I don't want my head to be a practice dummy."

Master Ma smiled and said, "The young man has good eyesight and cuts well, but he's still not very experienced, so he's a bit slow. Give him a chance. Everyone starts as an apprentice. Haircuts by Du Long are free. You can choose whether you want him or me."

Du Long was fully focused on cutting hair and didn't notice their conversation. He was slower but much faster than a typical apprentice. One wouldn't think he had only been learning for less than a month. In another place, he could have opened his own flat-top barbershop.

After cutting hair for two people, Du Long was replaced by Master Ma. The middle-aged man chose Master Ma, who finished the haircut in less than a minute. Du Long was about to take over, but Master Ma said, "Let me do it. Your technique is a bit rusty. Is your left hand bothering you?"

Du Long was surprised, "How did you know? Last night, while on duty, I caught a few criminals, and one of them hit my left forearm with a stick. The bruise has mostly faded, and it doesn't hurt or swell, so it doesn't affect my work. How did you know?"

Master Ma, while working, replied, "I noticed it earlier. The human body is a whole. An injury to your left hand would affect your entire body. Cutting hair requires coordination of the whole body. Since your left hand is not convenient, your movements are off, and each cut is a bit off, leading to more rework and slower speed. You should rest. I'll give you some medicinal wine later."

Du Long nodded and watched Master Ma skillfully use the scissors. Although it was just a pair of scissors, in Master Ma's hands, they seemed to come alive, capable of anything. Master Ma, however, seemed to be completely focused on other things, watching TV and chatting with customers without missing a beat or slowing down his work.

Du Long had always gotten his hair cut by Master Ma, even during his time at the police academy. However, he had never noticed anything special about Master Ma until last month when he was discharged from the hospital. A few hooligans came to the barbershop to cause trouble, and Master Ma effortlessly drove them away. That's when Du Long realized Master Ma's unique abilities.

After several days of pleading, Master Ma, who knew Du Long well, finally agreed to take him as an apprentice. However, he didn't teach Du Long fighting skills but rather the art of cutting hair. Master Ma admitted he couldn't train Du Long to be a master fighter, but with one skill mastered, many others would follow. As long as Du Long practiced diligently, dealing with a few hooligans would be easy.

Master Ma soon had a break. He took out a bottle of medicinal wine and asked Du Long to roll up his sleeve. Seeing that the bruise on Du Long's arm had mostly faded, Master Ma didn't bother applying more medicine. He asked, "What happened? With your current abilities, dealing with a few ruffians should be easy."