You Owe Me Face, but I Owe You None

The two brothers went upstairs. Before they even entered, the thick stench of blood assaulted their noses.

They slowly walked inside, their hearts filled with apprehension, and saw flesh and blood scattered all over the floor.

Right in the middle lay Tang Hu, split in two.

Gao Zhengliang cast them a helpless look.

Although Tang Hu was brainless, his overall impression of the Five Viscera Life Society was not particularly bad.

Especially Tang Bao.

He was smart, understood the bigger picture, and had even helped the administration.

Apart from that little unpleasantness last time, there had not really been any conflict between them.

One was the director of the Baofan District Public Security Administration; the other was the founder of the Five Viscera Life Society, a local power in Baofan District. One was an ordinary person, the other a Qi Refiner.

There was no conflict of interest, and they were bound to run into each other regularly. The world did not have that many tangled grudges that could never be unraveled.

Tang Bao and Tang Long turned their gazes toward Lu Ding in the seat of honor.

The man merely sat there, yet he was like a king enthroned, radiating an inexplicable sense of oppression from head to toe.

Lu Ding was not deliberately creating this feeling.

Rather, it was something Tang Long and Tang Bao subconsciously imposed on him.

They feared Lu Ding from the bottom of their hearts.

He did not play by the usual script. He followed rules, but they were Bureau 749's rules and his own. Yet he also disregarded rules-the rules of the outside world.

By rights, someone like that should not live long, but he just happened to be tough enough and capable enough.

His development cycle was short, too, and he developed exceptionally fast. Let your attention slip, and you might still think he was behind you, only to turn around and discover he had already left you so far behind that you could not even see his taillights.

Someone like that could not be made an enemy.

Tang Bao cast Gao Zhengliang a questioning look.

All he received was a look of helplessness.

He understood. Today, he probably had only himself to rely on.

Bang!

Still more than a dozen steps away from Lu Ding, Tang Bao dropped straight to his knees.

His knees cracked the blood-soaked, slippery floor.

"I'm sorry, Patrol Officer Lu. My second brother didn't know better and caused trouble for your work. Beat us or punish us-we'll accept it. Please show mercy and leave us a path to walk."

Beside him, Tang Long knelt without a word.

Tang Bao's tone was sincere as he raised the thorn switch in both hands, holding it above his head in offering.

Lu Ding: ...

This really is tricky. Every last one of them is so smart.

There isn't even any room for me to make an issue of it.

Forget it. Tang Hu is dead anyway, and Tang Bao and Tang Long haven't harbored any other intentions. Their attitude is so sincere, too.

Lu Ding spoke unhurriedly. "From my first day in office until now, after all this time, I've never thought of making things difficult for you. As long as you abide by the law, you live your lives and I live mine. We stay out of each other's way."

"You owe me face. But I owe you none."

"I've seen your attitude today, so this matter ends here. Call it a threat or a warning, but you'd better hear my words clearly and remember them."

"I don't want anything like this happening a second time. As for the matter with Chenla, write up an application and I'll sign it. Remember to pay your taxes!"

From the events of this period, Lu Ding suspected that this year's Ghost Festival would not be dull.

Baofan District was too large. He might not be able to cover everything alone.

Besides, this year was not the only year when something might happen during the Ghost Festival. Every year, incidents occurred on the Ghost Festival, Qingming, Double Ninth, New Year's Eve, and other days that brushed up against the strange.

It was the same across the country.

When Bureau 749 was short-handed and Lu Ding could not get away, these local Qi Refiner factions could still help out somewhat.

That was also why Bureau 749 permitted their existence.

As for ritual consumables.

There was no point in digging too deeply into that.

As the saying went, without buying and selling, there would be no killing. If domestic demand was too great, it would breed crime, whether among ordinary people or Qi Refiners.

So they shifted demand abroad and paid their taxes at home, handing money to Bureau 749 for nothing without it having to supply anything. A deal that good was worth doing.

It consolidated their own position, increased revenue, and would not cause trouble.

How nice.

Hearing Lu Ding relent, Tang Bao let out a long breath.

The Five Viscera Life Society was safe, and the matter of ritual consumables was resolved.

It seems this Corpse-Dissecting Taisui isn't that difficult to talk to after all. At least he's not like the rumors outside.

What he was thinking at that moment was exactly what Lu Ding needed.

This involved a matter of psychology.

To give a simple example, if a good person had been good all his life, but one day was forced into doing something bad, or did it unintentionally, others would judge him, saying he could no longer keep up the act and had finally shown his true colors.

But if a bad person had done bad things all his life, then one day could not stand something and did a good deed, or did one by chance, others would say his nature was not bad after all, that he was simply too driven by his feelings, and that they thought he deserved a chance. Plenty of people would agree with that sort of talk, too.

That was what breaking an established persona brought about.

Only contrasts in character and conduct would leave a deeper impression.

That was how Lu Ding appeared in these two brothers' eyes.

His reputation outside was resounding, but it was not particularly flattering.

Now that he had experienced it firsthand, even at the cost of a brother's life, Tang Bao could still think:

Huh-this guy isn't bad!!!

"Thank you, Patrol Officer Lu!!!"

Lu Ding stood. "No need to thank me. We're just being understanding of each other."

He passed Tang Bao on his way out.

Tang Bao turned his head slightly, watching his departing back.

Thoughtfulness involuntarily entered his eyes. He had met plenty of powerful people and plenty of geniuses, but this was his first time meeting someone like Lu Ding.

Sometimes, a person's charisma was not confined to the opposite sex, nor to affection. Rather, many positive feelings intertwined to give rise to the word "charisma."

Through Lu Ding, Tang Bao experienced the sense of distance that came from someone being right before your eyes yet beyond your reach, as well as the aesthetics of violence created by the jarringly bloody scene.

The Yin Domain Overlap at Dinghao Residential Complex and the gruesome death of the Five Viscera Life Society's Tang Hu, with no remains left intact-two events capable of shaking all of Baofan District had actually happened within a single night and day.

All of Baofan District was buzzing.

Lu Ding seldom appeared in public, so outsiders did not know much about him. Once word of today's events spread, people outside became even more curious about this patrol officer of Baofan District.

Cao Ying was the one among them most interested in Lu Ding.

Unlike the others, he had met Lu Ding. Although they had not spoken much, they could at least be considered nodding acquaintances.

Yet the feeling Lu Ding gave him was that they were fellow travelers, but not on the same road.

Their broad direction was much the same, yet their goals were different.

And now these two events had happened.

Holding the lid of his tea bowl, Cao Ying skimmed away the foam and took a sip of top-grade Houkui that a treasure seeker had personally gathered and processed in the mountains. After clicking his tongue, he gazed thoughtfully at the bowl.

His life had been like the tea leaves in that bowl: born in obscure mountain forests, subjected to searing heat and boiling water, passing through mountains of blades and seas of fire before acquiring its present flavor. But that was not enough for him, nowhere near enough. He wanted more.

Suddenly.

Cao Ying's eyes lit up.

"Right! Rather than approach these local small fry, why not go straight to Lu Ding? With his strength and current reputation, as long as he supports me, who would dare deny my position in Cao Family Alley!?"