Heavenly King Suppresses the Tiger, Pagoda Suppresses the River Demon

Nine-thirty finally arrived.

The text message only said Sophia Church square, but didn't specify a location.

This place isn't huge, but it's not small either.

I was still sitting on that bench. Since no specific spot was mentioned, I figured I could be anywhere.

It was already the appointed time, but no one had come to find me.

My phone hadn't rung either. Had I been tricked?

I decided to wait five more minutes. If the other party still hadn't met me or contacted me after five minutes, I would go back.

Five minutes passed quickly. Just as I was about to get up, a man wearing a black trench coat, a baseball cap, sunglasses, and a mask sat down next to me. He was holding a newspaper in his hand.

After sitting down, he didn't speak to me but opened the newspaper and started reading.

However, seeing his appearance made me smile.

It was late at night, the light here was a bit dim, yet he was wearing sunglasses to read a newspaper. It was one thing to be so pretentious, but the newspaper was upside down.

I wanted to laugh, but I held it in and stood up, preparing to leave.

"Heavenly King Suppresses the Tiger!" the man suddenly said, then his head quickly twisted around as if he were looking in all directions.

Could this guy be the one who asked to meet me? This is too over-the-top. He's a total clown.

But his voice sounded somewhat familiar?

"Heavenly King Suppresses the Tiger!" he said again. I suddenly remembered the game "Catch the Spy" we used to play as kids. Back then, TVs weren't very common, and most movies were domestic war films. The movie Tracks in the Snowy Forest was a favorite of ours. We were all kids then, so we often played "Catch the Spy," imitating the secret codes from the movie.

"Pagoda Suppresses the River Demon," I replied.

Hearing this, the guy suddenly threw down the newspaper and tightly gripped both my hands. "Comrade, I've finally been waiting for you."

I could feel people nearby looking at us with strange expressions.

This guy made me want to laugh and cry at the same time. I thought if we were really involved in secret activities, he would have already exposed himself and his companions with his behavior.

"Who are you?"

He raised his right index finger to his lips. "Shh!" He flicked his head. "Follow me."

I felt a bit bewildered. Who exactly was this person?

Could he have escaped from a mental hospital?

He led me to a nearby alley, then took off his sunglasses and slowly removed his mask.

Li Sen!

It was Li Sen!

No wonder his voice sounded so familiar, yet I couldn't place it at first.

It was because I hadn't heard his voice in reality, but in a dream. The dream where I almost got married.

I was completely stunned.

"Surprised? Unexpected?"

"How could it be you? And why are you dressed like this?" I had so many questions in my heart.

It was one thing to see Li Sen in a dream; that was just a dream. But now, I was 100% sure I was in reality, and the Li Sen standing before me was no different from the Li Sen in my dream.

Can anyone tell me what's going on?

Xu Qiuyan had personally seen him jump off a building and commit suicide.

He should be dead.

But now he was standing alive right in front of me.

The scene should have been incredibly bizarre and even terrifying, yet it was also filled with humor.

"You're alive?" I couldn't help but ask.

He nodded. "Of course. Even though they've been trying to kill me, giving me medicine and injections every day, I've still managed to survive."

"Who are they?" My heart tightened. Perhaps Li Sen's appearance could lead to unexpected gains for me.

He pointed his hand towards the alley entrance. "They're here, run!"

He said that and pulled me along as we ran. At that moment, I saw a car stop at the alley entrance. Several people in white medical uniforms, both men and women, jumped out.

"He's there!"

They started chasing after us.

I vaguely saw that the car looked like an ambulance, with the words "Harbin City Mental Hospital" written on it.

My guess was right.

This kid actually escaped from a mental hospital. I really think he's got a screw loose.

However, at this moment, I decided to help him, to prevent him from being taken back to the mental hospital. He must be hiding a secret, and that secret could be very important to me.

"Come with me!"

He used to pull me along, but now it's the other way around, with me pulling him.

However, I'm not familiar with Harbin City either, so I can only try to shake off the people from the mental hospital who are chasing us.

"You take him back first. I'll handle the people behind us."

Purple Clad suddenly appeared in front of me.

I nodded. This isn't the time to be sentimental. I quietly said to her, "Don't hurt anyone."

"Don't worry, I won't."

I led Li Sen towards the alley on the east side. After running out of the alley, we reached the road and hailed a taxi, then headed straight for the hotel.

The taxi stopped at the hotel entrance, and I finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

Li Sen and I got out of the car. Li Sen instinctively looked around, "Is it safe here?"

I nodded, "It's safe."

"Comrade, thank you!" He shook my hand again and then strode off.

"Where are you going?" I grabbed his arm. He stopped and looked at me, "Comrade, your rescue mission is complete. I can't cause you any more trouble. I'm leaving."

"Li Sen, you really don't recognize me?"

He frowned, his gaze fixed on my face, "You look so familiar."

I was a bit speechless. I said, "Come up with me. It's not safe outside."

He shook his head, "No, I have important things to do."

"What things?"

He looked wary, "Comrade, even though you saved me, don't ask about things you shouldn't. You haven't forgotten the secrecy regulations, have you?"

I was furious but couldn't help but laugh. He was really too immersed in his role.

But for a moment, I didn't know what to do.

Just then, Purple Clad got out of a taxi that had just stopped and came to my side. "What's wrong with him?"

"His brain is broken. Can you help me keep him here?"

Purple Clad smiled, "No problem."

She walked over to Li Sen and struck him on the neck with a hand chop. Li Sen went limp and was about to fall. I immediately stepped forward and caught him.

The security guard at the hotel entrance was stunned.

I said to the guard, "My friend drank too much and is a bit disoriented."

The guard said "Oh" and came forward to help me carry him to the elevator.

However, I saw that the guard still looked confused. I handed him a hundred-yuan bill, "Brother, thanks."

The guard didn't take the money. Instead, he leaned close to my ear and whispered, "If you really need me, I can do it too, for free." His face turned slightly red, and his gaze towards me became a little wistful.

What the heck?

He then said, "A forced melon isn't sweet."

Watching his retreating back, I said to Purple Clad, "What does he mean?"

Purple Clad let out a tinkling laugh, "He thought you were gay."

Only then did I understand. I glared at Purple Clad angrily. Purple Clad didn't say anything else and made a face at me.

I got Li Sen into the room and threw him onto the bed.

"Go and get Xu Qiuyan," I said to Purple Clad.

"Okay!" she replied obediently.

Although I was very unhappy about her following me tonight, she played an indispensable role in helping us escape the mental hospital staff and bring Li Sen back.

But I wondered why she was following me. Did she have some ulterior motive?

Soon, Xu Qiuyan arrived.

Seeing Li Sen, she was also surprised, "What happened?"

I recounted the events of the evening. After listening, she said, "So you went alone? What if the person who asked you out tonight wasn't Li Sen but Abe Ichinan or some other Onmyoji from the Island Nation? What if something happened to you?"

Purple Clad said from the side, "Don't worry, with me here, he won't be in any danger."

Xu Qiuyan gave her a displeased look. Purple Clad quickly lowered her head but then pouted.

Xu Qiuyan asked softly, "Why were you following him? Do you have any ulterior motives?"

"What ulterior motives could I have? I just had a feeling something would happen to him tonight, so I followed him."

I asked curiously, "How did you have a feeling?"

Xu Qiuyan rolled her eyes at me, "Actually, I had a feeling too. I just didn't expect you to be so bold. Fortunately, Purple Clad was there. Otherwise, let's see what you would have done."

I shrugged, "Worst case scenario, I would have told them I was Li Sen's family member and gone through the official procedure to have him discharged."

Xu Qiuyan smiled, "Really? Are you so sure they were really from the mental hospital?"

I froze, "Isn't that right?"

Xu Qiuyan shook her head, "I don't think tonight's events are that simple. We don't know if the message was actually sent by Li Sen, and we can't be sure if those people were from the mental hospital. Also, I personally saw Li Sen jump to his death. So, if that was Li Sen, who died? And if the one who died was Li Sen, then who is he?"

I pursed my lips, "Is there a possibility that Li Sen's situation is like Zhuanghe's?"

"You mean he might be a clone?"

I nodded, "Or perhaps the one who died was the clone."

Xu Qiuyan's expression also turned serious, "There is indeed such a possibility."