The missing man

Having plenty of older sisters at home had its advantages. After the meal, everything was cleared away swiftly and efficiently.

Wang Qilin decided to take his eldest sister to live at the station. It happened to need a woman to manage the kitchen and cleaning.

Wang Qiaoniang had no objections. She had few opinions of her own.

Madam Wang née Lu was delighted to hear it. As she packed their things, she said, "No wonder people say that when one person attains the Dao, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. Taking the two of them over there is best. They won't have to put up with mistreatment, and Heidou will get enough to eat. Good!"

Wang Qilin smiled wryly. "Mother, you shouldn't use that saying about yourselves."

Madam Wang née Lu was unconcerned. "Oh, why should country folk stand on ceremony? Farmers like us have it worse than the chickens and dogs in those grand mansions. I hear their young masters and misses raise dogs like children. Don't know if that's true."

Wang Qilin fell silent.

Behind vermilion gates, wine and meat went to waste.

From ancient times to the present, it had always been so.

Madam Wang née Lu was used to his sudden silences. She packed him a bundle of homemade pickles.

There were pickled cucumbers, pickled young ginger, wind-dried greens, and more-all dishes he usually enjoyed with his rice.

After filling up on mutton at noon, they set off back to Crouching Dragon Township that afternoon.

When Wang Qilin stepped outside, Wang Liuwu was drying meat.

He had sliced lean meat thinly and left it out in the wind and sun. The sunlight was not yet strong, nor was the weather warm, so the meat would not spoil while drying.

Wang Liuwu looked at the slices, happiness filling his dark, deeply furrowed face. "I'll bring you some once it's dried. Your eldest sister knows how to cook it. Stir-fried with dried vegetables, it goes wonderfully with rice."

Wang Qilin wanted to urge him to keep it for himself, but he was not particularly good at communicating with family, so he could only smile.

The whole family saw them out, their faces beaming with anticipation for the future.

Yet Wang Qilin's heart was heavy.

The curse on the Minor Seal of Crouching Dragon Township weighed on him. Until that threat was removed, he could not be happy. It concerned not only his life, but his whole family's future.

As they left the village, the clan elder brought the clan's prominent members to see them off, and even specially arranged a mule cart to take them.

Jingle, jangle, jingle, jangle-the mule bells rang.

Heidou's eyes sparkled. He wanted to ride the mule.

But the boy was sensible. Knowing it was impossible, he nestled in his mother's arms and merely imagined it.

Xu Da beckoned to him. "Come ride a big horse."

Heidou climbed onto his neck, smiling until his eyes narrowed to slits.

Leaning against his demon saber, Wang Qilin watched curiously. "How come children like you so much?"

Xu Da said, "Maybe I'm a child too."

"A two-hundred-jin child?"

"Who are you insulting? I'm only twenty jin and three thousand taels."

Heidou had never left his township before. Going from Paifang Township to Crouching Dragon Township might have felt like traveling abroad to him. Once they entered Crouching Dragon Township, he was both nervous and curious, so he covered his face with a garment and picked open a hole to peek out through.

Wang Qiaoniang wanted to smack him. "It was just a tiny hole before. A couple of stitches would've fixed it. Now you've made it a great big hole, and I'll have to add another patch."

It was evening when they reached the township. Wang Qilin took them to eat braised mutton.

The cart driver had been to Crouching Dragon Township before and heard of its famous braised mutton, but had never been willing to spend the money to try it.

With someone treating him this time, he was too embarrassed to eat much and had only one bowl.

Heidou ate two large bowls.

Seeing this, the cart driver ordered another bowl.

When Wang Qiaoniang noticed, she snatched up a broom. Heidou hurriedly waved his hands. "Braised meat, hot-pot meat, either's fine, but no stir-fried meat! Uncle! Uncle!"

Wang Qilin kept his head down and continued eating, pretending not to hear.

"May Uncle live forever and never grow old!"

Wang Qilin said, "Eldest Sister, spare his worthless little life."

Wang Qiaoniang ate one bowl of meat, then swirled some water around his bowl and her son's and quietly drank it.

Xu Da ate four bowls as usual.

Wang Qilin ate one.

Xu Da was puzzled. "Why are you eating so little today?"

Wang Qilin said, "Because I'm paying."

They returned to the station thoroughly satisfied. Before long, several hoodlums suddenly arrived together.

Heidou hurriedly burrowed into his mother's arms. He was all too familiar with men who carried themselves like that.

Xu Da displayed his might, greeting each hoodlum with a punch. "You bastards, timed it perfectly, didn't you? Where were you hiding, watching until I finished eating before you dared show up?"

The leader said aggrievedly, "Forgive us, sir! How could we possibly deprive you of a meal? We only just heard you were back."

Xu Da said, "At least you've got a conscience. Then you owe me a meal. Make it up tomorrow."

"Surely not?"

"Right, right, no. There's the welcome-back feast too. Two meals. You owe me two meals."

The leader was about to speak again when one of his followers clapped a hand over his mouth. "Boss, please just shut up."

Xu Da demanded, "What did you come looking for me about?"

One hoodlum said anxiously, "Sir, Foolhardy's gone missing."

"Oh, he didn't come to see me," Xu Da said.

The hoodlum said, "We know he didn't come to see you, but-the painting!"

Xu Da's brows suddenly drew together. He gave Wang Qilin a look, and Wang Qilin opened the door. "Eldest Sister, I'll show you around the station."

When he reached the main hall and pushed open the door, he spotted a fish's head poking out of the water jar on the table.

Water splashed, and the fish's head vanished.

Wang Qilin was surprised. Could this fish breathe out of water? Or had it heard them and poked its head out to see what was happening?

He went to look at the grass carp. Heidou climbed onto a chair to look too, his dark face wreathed in smiles. "A big fish! Mother, let's have stewed fish tomorrow."

The backstroke-swimming grass carp made another appearance.

Heidou was even happier. "This fish is dead! Great! Mother, that saves us the trouble of killing it."

Tiny ripples appeared on the water.

The grass carp was trembling.

Xie Hama also glanced at the fish afterward and said in surprise, "My lord, this feng shui fish of yours really is extraordinary."

Wang Qilin settled his eldest sister in to rest, then returned and asked, "How is it extraordinary?"

Xie Hama said, "Are you testing this old Daoist's abilities, my lord? This fish has considerable spiritual intelligence. It's an extraordinary spirit fish. I suspect it's had some fortuitous encounter-perhaps it consumed imperial elixir, ate some heavenly treasure, or received guidance from a mighty expert. In any case, where did you find it? There might be heavenly treasures there."

"In the fishpond behind the Gathering Fragrance Restaurant."

"Forget I asked."

Xu Da strode in briskly, interrupting their conversation. "Trouble's here."

"What happened?"

"Remember that painting you burned? The fellow who gave it to me is missing!"

Wang Qilin asked, "You mean the demon woman in the painting took him? Surely not? He was still there when he gave you the painting, wasn't he? Then I burned it. By rights, I should've burned that demon woman to death too, shouldn't I?"

Xu Da said gravely, "That's the strange part. Someone saw another painting just like it in that fellow's house!"

Wang Qilin said, "Bring in whoever saw it. I have questions for him."

All the hoodlums shuffled in timidly.

Xu Da said, "They all saw it."

Wang Qilin asked, "When did you last see Foolhardy?"

"The night before last."

"And when did you last see the painting in his house?"

"The night before last too. When we went back yesterday, both he and the painting were gone."

Wang Qilin asked again, "Foolhardy gave Xu Da a painting. Did you see it?"

They all nodded.

"Were the two portraits identical?"

"Identical." "Yes, her tits were this big in both." "And her legs were this long." "That little wench was a real looker."

Wang Qilin slammed the table. "I'm conducting an investigation! What is all this nonsense?"

The hoodlums dropped to their knees in a flurry. "Please calm down, my lord!" "Forgive us, my lord!"

Such was the authority of the Heaven-Listening Bureau.

Wang Qilin demanded sternly, "I'll ask you again. Were the two portraits identical?"

The hoodlums did not dare speak, but nodded together.

Wang Qilin said, "Were the backgrounds of the two paintings identical?"

This time, the hoodlums gave no response. They looked at one another until their leader finally said awkwardly, "My lord, we didn't pay much attention to the backgrounds."

Wang Qilin frowned instinctively. Thinking he was about to lose his temper, the leader hurried to explain, "It wasn't that we weren't observant. That woman was wearing so little, with so much flesh showing-who had any attention left for the background?"