Chapter 221

Seeing that girl run into the narrow alley, She Tou felt a surge of joy in his heart; he was still worried that the lass would run into a crowded place or start shouting in the street, but unexpectedly she ran into the alley—doesn't she know that such alleys are more dangerous?

Usually quite a few people conduct shady deals in the alley; fights often break out, and there have even been cases resulting in death. Most of the residents there follow a self‑preservation principle—even if they hear "catch a thief" at night they shut their doors and stay inside; who would bother with what you're doing here?

Xiao Jiu had been preparing to keep running, but she noticed Zheng Tan stopping beside the old man, panting, yet he didn't seem in a hurry anymore. Looking again at the old man, she recalled that only a blind person would use a bamboo pole or similar stick to probe the way. And this old man was merely blind—what help could he be?

Going around the old man, Xiao Jiu ran a few steps, saw that Zheng Tan did not follow but instead stood calmly beside the old man, and she hesitated. In that moment, She Tou and Lian Dao from behind had already entered the alley and were closing in.

Stopping her steps, Xiao Jiu called out to Zheng Tan in a low voice a few times, signalling him to run quickly and not involve others; besides, this was a blind old man, and She Tou and his lot were clearly no good at first glance—a blind old man facing them would surely come off worse.

Seeing Xiao Jiu's anxious look, Zheng Tan didn't know how to express himself; after thinking, he lifted his paw and hooked Kun Ye's trouser leg, originally intending to convey "hold the thigh," but whether it was because Kun Ye's trousers were of poor material today or Zheng Tan's claws were too sharp and he used too much force, he directly ripped the trouser leg there.

Kun Ye, Xiao Jiu: "……"

Hearing that She Tou and his group were approaching, Zheng Tan gave up on "holding the thigh," hid behind Kun Ye, and poked his head out to look in their direction. Since Kun Ye had already stopped, this showed he was willing to help; otherwise the old man would just keep walking, paying no attention to his surroundings at all.

She Tou's face was somewhat twisted; it was unclear whether his complexion was red from anger or from exertion after running, but he looked distinctly furious, as if he wanted to devour someone. Upon seeing She Tou like that, Xiao Jiu felt an urge to turn and run, yet. Upon seeing that black cat, she again had a strange feeling—as if staying here would be better.

Zheng Tan's gaze was not wholly fixed on She Tou and the closely following Lian Dao who had run into the alley; instead it was directed at the entrance. At the same time he pricked his ears to listen behind him. At the entrance. After Lian Dao entered, another person came in. That person appeared unremarkable, just an ordinary passerby, but Lian Dao completely failed to notice anyone behind him.

She Tou had only heard of Kun Ye's reputation; he had never seen Kun Ye in person, so even when facing him head‑on he did not connect the old man before him with the formidable Kun Ye whose name alone sounded impressive—although he had a brief moment of doubt, looking at the old man's gear he could not imagine what threat this blind man could pose.

Moreover, She Tou was currently in a fit of rage; after his doubt he didn't think much further, his sole focus now was to seize Xiao Jiu—this was worth 400,000, and a little slip would let that fortune escape.

She Tou came running, furious, and glared at Xiao Jiu's direction: "Run, keep running—see where you can hide!" Then he roared at Kun Ye: "Get lost, you old thing…"

Just as he reached out to twist the old man's collar and fling him aside, the arm of She Tou that the dog hadn't bitten was in an instant bent into a twisted angle; he didn't even have time to scream before he passed out.

Lian Dao, standing behind She Tou, was knocked down in the few seconds before She Tou's mishap; the whole process made less noise than the clamor drifting in from outside the alley, and She Tou didn't notice the disturbance behind him at all.

Xiao Jiu stood about five meters behind Kun Ye, watching the direction of She Tou; she saw everything that had just happened clearly—from the person approaching Lian Dao to She Tou also passing out—the whole episode was so brief that she didn't even have time to draw a few hurried breaths.

Xiao Jiu was still puzzled when a person came up from behind her, paid her no heed, and simply walked past at the side. Only then did she turn her attention to the one who had just passed. He still looked quite ordinary; at first glance there was nothing special about him, and Xiao Jiu could see no difference between him and the passersby she had seen on the street before.

One saw that person stride over to that spot, then, together with the one who had just knocked out She Tou, each took hold of one of them, as if supporting a drunk, and left the alley.

Some of the nearby residents also caught a glimpse of what had just happened; although they didn't see it clearly, they could roughly guess that another conflict had occurred inside. Following their self‑preservation and non‑interference principle, they pretended not to have seen anything—such incidents were commonplace, and by now they had grown numb to them.

Zheng Tan let out a relieved sigh; sure enough, Kun Ye had people around him, he had settled those two troublemakers, She Tou and Lian Dao, and Xiao Jiu was safe for the time being.

Kun Ye turned slowly and continued along the original route. As he passed by Xiao Jiu, she grew nervous, swallowing her saliva, feeling her whole body go stiff—even a fool could now tell this old man was extraordinary, which explained why the black cat hid behind him without a worry. Still, they were strangers, and at first glance these people didn't look like the kindly sort; Xiao Jiu didn't know whether they would end up selling her off just like She Tou and his crew.

"Come over." As he passed Xiao Jiu, Kun Ye said.

Xiao Jiu blinked, glanced to the side, then at Kun Ye, and said somewhat tremblingly, "Me?"

Kun Ye gave no reply and kept walking forward.

Zheng Tan wondered, what was Kun Ye up to?

But since Kun Ye had already spoken, Xiao Jiu had to follow even if she didn't want to.

Zheng Tan accompanied Xiao Jiu as they followed Kun Ye through the district; if Zheng Tan were on his own, he'd get lost after a few steps, and the only solution would be to jump onto a roof to get his bearings. Who would have thought that this blind Kun Ye would be so familiar with the area—he didn't pause at all, walking at a nearly steady pace.

By the time Kun Ye returned to his residence, a document already lay on his table—in Braille. Zheng Tan couldn't read it; he only saw Kun Ye turning the pages, his fingers rubbing over them, and could discern nothing from Kun Ye's expression about his current mood. Still, going by instinct, Zheng Tan felt that the old man probably wasn't experiencing strong emotional swings—neither anger nor joy. A lack of emotional fluctuation was also a good thing.

Xiao Jiu was made to sit on a wooden chair not far away; although she was drinking tea and tried hard to act natural, it was obvious that her cultivation was insufficient.

A person walked in; Zheng Tan had seen him before during his previous visit here.

That person entered, glanced at Kun Ye, saw that Kun Ye had given no order for outsiders to withdraw, and spoke up directly, relating what he had found out about the matter concerning She Tou and his gang—far more detail than Zheng Tan had learned.

Xiao Jiu also sat in her chair and listened attentively, especially the part concerning herself. Upon hearing that She Tou and his crew had committed many offenses and even had blood on their hands, her hand trembled; she now felt it was truly fortunate that she had escaped from those people. Glancing at the black cat lying beside the flower vase on the nearby table, Xiao Jiu thought: This cat really does bring good luck.

"Earlier, after hearing some rumors, Qing Ge had his subordinates warn them not to commit crimes here. I never expected them to be so bold…" the person continued.

From what that person said, Zheng Tan also learned that, besides She Tou and Lian Dao, the fellow who had tampered with the vehicle had also been found.

The criminal code contains no direct offence for the transaction of human organs. Moreover, most donors are voluntary, making it hard to deal with; even if She Tou's lot were apprehended by the police, purchasing human organs and then reselling them is essentially a business activity, and since organ trade is prohibited in the country, such conduct constitutes illegal business. However, She Tou and his men also have other offences on their records, which makes the situation serious—any one of those could lead to a heavy sentence. It's just unclear how Kun Ye will deal with She Tou's people,

Regardless, from the tone of that person's voice Zheng Tan could tell that She Tou and his crew were not going to get a favorable outcome.

Kun Ye said nothing, merely raised his hand slightly, and the person departed.

Kun Ye told Xiao Jiu to stay here and had Zheng Tan return home first.

Zheng Tan glanced at the clock—it was indeed late, yet he couldn't put his mind at ease concerning Xiao Jiu; he was hesitating when Kun Ye said, "You can come over tomorrow to see her."

Seeing Xiao Jiu nod, Zheng Tan then left. With Kun Ye's standing, he wouldn't make things difficult for Xiao Jiu, would he? When Kun Ye had discussed cooperation with Wei Leng, Zheng Tan had overheard a bit, and the old man surely wasn't short of a few hundred thousand.

The next day, after Zheng Tan saw Xiao Youzi off in the morning, he headed out; when he passed Tianqiao he glanced over—the old man was still sitting there playing the erhu, and Zheng Tan ran up and circled twice in front of him, but the old man only kept playing the erhu, showing no other reaction at all.

After leaving Tianqiao, Zheng Tan followed the route he remembered from the first time Kun Ye had taken him there, feeling his way to Kun Ye's residence. He lifted his paw and knocked on the door; it opened quickly, and it was the same person who had opened it last time.

Seeing Zheng Tan, that person seemed not at all surprised.

When Zheng Tan saw Xiao Jiu, the lass was holding a book and reading it; Zheng Tan took a look—it was a first‑grade elementary textbook, previously used by someone else, and the pages bore some crooked, uneven writing.

Upon seeing Zheng Tan approach, Xiao Jiu immediately put the textbook down, looking delighted, her eyes full of hope, with no trace of gloom.

Xiao Jiu explained her own choice and Kun Ye's arrangements for her; Kun Ye had offered her several options, she had chosen neither to return home nor to go to an orphanage, and Kun Ye had her follow a certain person who would take her away this afternoon. Still, she would remain within the Chu Hua Shi area and not run off to another region.

From Xiao Jiu's words it was clear that she actually wanted to follow Kun Ye; she felt admiration for him, but frankly speaking she still lacked the qualifications. Not just anyone can stay by Kun Ye's side—ability is one thing, and since they had only met less than a day ago, Kun Ye hardly knew Xiao Jiu, his entourage wasn't lacking in personnel, and he wouldn't likely make a decision so hastily; moreover, Kun Ye wasn't devoted to charity, so he wouldn't help you just because you looked pitiful. Zheng Tan had the feeling that Kun Ye must have other plans.

It's a pity Zheng Tan can't get an answer from Kun Ye right now; judging from Kun Ye's attitude today, Zheng Tan doesn't believe Kun Ye has failed to notice his presence.

Although Zheng Tan doesn't fully grasp Kun Ye's plans, at least for now Xiao Jiu is safe—she hasn't been sold off, nor sent to any bad place, and she has the chance to receive an education; even if she doesn't want to study, she must still attend elementary and middle school.

Zheng Tan lifted his hand to look at Xiao Jiu; the lass's eyes shone with a luster he had never seen before—was it because she could now read, or for some other reason? Zheng Tan couldn't tell.

Xiao Jiu had made her own choice—whether it was an immature impulse or the result of careful thought, who knows? For such a young child, even if she now decides to do something, how long could she keep it up?

At the moment of departure, Xiao Jiu said she might have a chance to look for Zheng Tan, but Zheng Tan didn't take it to heart—what Xiao Jiu could become was still up to Kun Ye to decide.

Lost in thought, Zheng Tan returned to Dongqu Dayuan; he didn't notice his surroundings until someone hailed him, and then he realized that Fang Shaokang, whom he hadn't seen in ages, had actually shown up.

"I'm not here today to look for you," Fang Shaokang said.

Zheng Tan glanced at the gate—Er Mao was already waiting there.

What was Fang Shaokang up to by coming over?

Zheng Tan followed them up to the third floor.

"Third Uncle, have a cup of tea first," Er Mao said obsequiously as he handed over the tea.

Fang Shaokang took the tea, said nothing more, and turned his gaze toward the cat nest: "Are both cats asleep?"

"Yeah, they've been noisy all morning, and they've been sleeping since this afternoon right up to now."

Before Er Mao finished speaking, Zheng Tan saw two cat heads poke out from the kitten nests over there, warily watching Fang Shaokang's side.

"Yo, this alertness is really strong." Fang Shaokang was obviously pleased.

Zheng Tan glanced at Fang Shaokang, then at the kitten nests, "Are you here to pick out kittens?" (To be continued...)

ps: (4.10) I had said there would be a weekend update, but couldn't make it; let's do a double update on Monday.