Chapter Thirty-Eight: A Shocking Turn of Events at the Funeral Hall

Jiangcheng.

night.

Beside the tram tracks.

As Cheng Qing led the way, she keenly sensed that someone was following her.

She stopped and pretended to bend down to tie her shoelaces. As she turned her head slightly, she saw out of the corner of her eye that two men in black had stopped and were looking around.

She curled the corners of her lips into a smile, slowly loosened her fingers from her shoe buckle, and suddenly rolled to the side!

"Bang!" The bullet grazed her hair and hit a nearby telephone pole, sending up a few sparks.

Cheng Qing heard the man curse, "Damn, this slut's got some nerve!"

Cheng Qing had already gotten up and ran along the tracks towards the alley entrance, like a nimble cat.

It turned out that Cheng Qing had already scrambled onto the wall the moment she ran into the alley. She seized the opportunity, leaped towards the man with the gun, flipped over on the wall, and rammed her knee into his chest, causing him to stumble back two steps.

Caught off guard, the man dropped his gun with a "thud" to the ground.

Before the other person could react, Cheng Qing had already bent down to pick up the gun, pressed her knuckles against his temple, and with a "bang," blood splattered, staining half of her face red.

The sudden gunshot startled another person.

He turned around and was horrified to see his brother staring wide-eyed and mouth agape as he fell straight down.

In the instant he was stunned, Cheng Qing pulled a dagger from her cheongsam, rushed forward, and swiftly slit his throat. Almost instantly, she was like a ghost crawling out of hell, decisively and cleanly taking down two burly men.

Cheng Qing turned and walked towards the alley entrance, moonlight brushing across her face. She touched the ends of her hair, where the warmth of the bullet still lingered.

She stood there, licking the blood from her face, then laughed—a laugh like the croaking of a night owl, piercing to the ears: "Bai Mu." She uttered the name as if biting into a blood-stained candy, "I thought you were the one who would never change, but I never imagined you'd really become a member of the Chen family. Was it for the Chen family, or for Lin Jintang, that you wanted to kill me?"

She kept repeating Bai Mu's name, then, carrying the dagger, slowly walked deeper into the alley.

The wind in the alley carried the aroma of wontons, mixed with a hint of blood, and drifted far away.

...

The next day.

Chen Kan was awakened by Uncle Zhong's knocking on the door.

He sat up, rubbing his aching temples.

"Come in," he called out in a hoarse voice.

Uncle Zhong entered, enveloped in a chill, his eyes still glazed with shock. "Young Master, Lei Zi and A Qiang... are gone."

Chen Kan's hand paused on his shirt button: "What do you mean?"

"The bodies were found beside the tram tracks; one had been shot dead, and the other appeared to have been stabbed in the heart with a dagger."

Chen Kan paused for a moment, then subconsciously asked, "Where's Cheng Qing?"

"She wasn't seen next to the body."

"Who saved her?" Chen Kan frowned. Even if he had some doubts about Gu Manqing's identity, he naturally could not have imagined that she had become a professional assassin capable of killing two men.

Uncle Zhong shook his head: "I don't know yet."

A sense of relief crept into Chen Kan's mind.

Even though he was now in the identity of Chen Kan and knew that no matter whether the other party was Gu Manqing or not, she knew too many secrets and had joined forces with him to kill Qiao Yuan, so she had to die. However, in his subconscious, the image of Gu Manqing, who always followed behind him, called him Brother Bai Mu and had two little braids swinging, lingered in his mind. The remaining conscience and old feelings in his heart made him not want to really see her dead on the spot.

"Forget it, she's been saved, so be it! She's not important." Chen Kan shook his head.

Uncle Zhong felt that this woman was not simple, but as experienced as he was, he did not think of Cheng Qing as a Japanese agent. He would handle this matter himself. Qiao Yuan's funeral today was the important thing.

"Is Third Young Master going to Qiao Yuan's funeral today?" he asked tentatively.

"Of course I'll go." Chen Kan put on his black suit and straightened his cuffs. "Even if the whole of Jiangcheng knows that Qiao Yuan and I don't get along, it's a matter of life and death, so I naturally have to show respect. Besides, isn't this the perfect time for the Chen family to win people's hearts?"

...

Crescent Moon Gang.

At this moment, the bluestone path in front of the hall was covered with white chrysanthemums.

Inside the mourning hall, Qiao Yuan's portrait hung in the center, the frame wrapped in black gauze. On the offering table were his favorite Biluochun tea, braised beef, and an ever-burning lamp.

Lin Tang wore a moon-white cheongsam with a plain shawl over it. The silver hairpin in her hair gleamed coldly. She stood at the entrance of the mourning hall, took the mourning handkerchief handed to her by the gang members, and gently draped it over her arm.

This was the scene that Chen Kan saw when he entered the mourning hall.

In that instant, he felt that she was so close to him, yet so far away, as if they were worlds apart. They had actually come to such a distance in their lives.

Lin Tang saw him and nodded slightly, "President Chen".

Chen Kan felt a lump in his throat.

Are he and Lin Tang destined to remain strangers forever, separated by gangs and hatred? If he hadn't participated in the march that day; or if Qiao Yuan had arranged for him and Lin Tang to leave without harboring scheming and resentment, and had accepted it calmly, would he and Lin Tang now be living the life they wanted overseas?

But this path is one that people walk step by step, and even if you regret it, there's no going back.

"Let Chairman Chen offer incense!" Lin Tang said in a low voice to the gang members, his eyes fixed on Han Ya.

Chen Kan only came to his senses when he held three lit incense sticks in his hand.

He slowly stepped forward, gazing at Chen Kan's portrait. As he bowed, his eyes met those of Qiao Yuan in the black-and-white photograph. Were those eyes filled with hatred, resentment, confusion, or something else? He no longer knew.

But in that instant, a dull ache shot through his chest from the gunshot wound, and the shame and remorse in his heart faded. He murmured, "Qiao Yuan, you died too easily! And you didn't die unjustly. You stole another man's wife and unjustly killed an innocent person. Today, I'm merely avenging what happened years ago!"

His face was calm. After bowing to Qiao Yuan, he placed the incense sticks and said to Lin Tang, "Jin Tang, please accept my condolences."

Just as Lin Tang was about to speak, someone in the hall shouted, "Isn't he Lin Jintang's lover?" "They might be adulterers. They killed Chief Qiao, so what are they doing putting on this show here?"

Chen Kan had come today expecting some insults in the hall, and he imagined he could handle it all and make peace with Lin Jintang. However, he overestimated himself and underestimated the thugs and hooligans who could utter such vile words. His face darkened, and when he tried to respond, his voice was drowned out by their slang.

"Chairman Chen."

A rough, hoarse voice burst in; it was Uncle Chen.

He slammed his cane down and roared, "What's all this shouting about? Guests are guests, and making a scene in front of the gang leader is disrespectful!"

At this moment, Lin Tang spoke up, her tone as cold as ice, "Since Chairman Chen has come and offered incense, please leave."

"Don't let him go!" someone shouted.

Lin Tang looked in the direction of the sound and saw a scar on the man's face.

The man's booming voice was like thunder, and the scar on his left cheek gleamed a hideous red in the candlelight: "Young Master Chen, you're quite the actor! It was clearly you and Lin Tang who murdered the gang leader, and now you're pretending to offer incense? Are you trying to make sure the gang leader dies in peace?"

His words were highly inflammatory.

An uproar immediately erupted in the crowd. Several of Qiao Yuan's old subordinates rolled up their sleeves, ready to rush forward, but Uncle Chen held them down firmly with his cane: "Stop right there! What's the first rule of the gang? 'No noise in the mourning hall, violators will have a finger cut off!' Anyone who dares to disturb Master Qiao's peace will have to get past me first!"

Seeing that these people were about to rush up, Chen Kan subconsciously tried to overturn the incense burner on the offering table, just waiting for the Chen family members outside the door to rush in!

In his panic, he looked at Lin Tang, but Lin Tang stood there, motionless. She suddenly laughed, her laughter like a string of broken silver, yet carrying an indescribable coldness: "I remember the Chen family only cut off our opium and dance hall business for two months, and you were all as anxious as ants on a hot pan, forcing Master Qiao and Chen Kan to negotiate, weren't you? What, you're not afraid now? You think you'll all be safe without Third Young Master Chen and me? Let me tell you, I am Madam Qiao, and Chairman Chen is the head of the Chen family. Without us, none of you will be able to live a normal life!"

She shook her head slightly, and her forces rushed forward to subdue the few troublemakers.

Lin Tang walked confidently to Qiao Yuan's portrait and declared, "Everyone knows I managed the gang for Qiao Yuan and even took a bullet for the gang leader. If I had truly done something to betray the gang leader, given Uncle Chen's prestige within the gang and his relationship with the leader, how could he possibly allow me to stand here?"

The crowd fell silent instantly.

Chen Kan was taken aback for a moment, then understood. He straightened his suit cuffs and nodded slightly to Lin Tang: "Madam Lin, please accept my condolences. I will continue to support the New Moon Gang's business in the future."

He turned to leave, but suddenly the vermilion gate opened wide, and a woman dressed entirely in white appeared at the doorway.

"Brother Bai Mu, are you leaving?"

The familiar voice, the familiar address—Chen Kan froze.

Chen Kan looked up and saw Cheng Qing standing at the entrance of the mourning hall, dressed in white mourning clothes, her black hair as black as silk, her eyes watery but cold, like two frozen springs.

"Chen Kan, Lin Tang, do you think you conspired to murder Mr. Qiao and got away with it without anyone knowing? Do you think you can silence me by sending assassins? But I, Cheng Qing, am lucky to be alive, and today I'm here to seek justice for Mr. Qiao!"