Chapter 1: 1 The knife serves as proof, the words as evidence

1 The knife serves as proof, the words as evidence. When the prophecy comes true, it is the day to collect payment.

Yun Shi, airport.

Beep—

A sharp, piercing beep echoed through the airport security checkpoint.

The surrounding staff and security personnel all looked over.

The other travelers behind also craned their necks, looking forward.

All that could be seen was a girl in a white Chinese-style Zen robe, frowning as she lowered her gaze to the detector in the security officer's hand.

"How is there still something left? I remember checking it several times."

Tushan Jiu put the lollipop she was holding into her mouth, holding it between her teeth, and muttered ruefully.

The security officer in charge of checking her, now stern, said, "Ma'am, our detector has reacted. May I ask if you are carrying any prohibited items such as controlled knives or sprays?"

Tushan Jiu nodded and admitted frankly, "I have one, it's a knife."

Upon hearing it was a knife, the staff's gaze toward her became even more wary.

The airport special police nearby also noticed this.

The middle-aged woman who had been standing behind her also instinctively stepped back two steps.

"Ma'am, please cooperate and take out the knife you are carrying." The security officer gestured to a colleague beside him.

Tushan Jiu silently sighed, feeling somewhat helpless, "Just a moment, I'll look for it."

Seeing her so candid and cooperative, the security officer also breathed a sigh of relief, fearing he'd encounter a stubborn traveler who refused to cooperate with their work.

Tushan Jiu rummaged through her small personal bag and pulled out a pair of scissors from the innermost compartment.

Her face showed an embarrassed expression.

These scissors were surely left behind when she handled the checked luggage and didn't find them all.

She has been forgetful and prone to losing things since childhood.

The scissors gleamed with a silver light; Tushan Jiu held them in her hand, blinked, moved her tongue, shifting the lollipop from her left cheek to her right, and patiently explained, "Don't worry, they can't hurt anyone—these aren't sharpened."

The security officer stared at the scissors in her hand and said solemnly, "Ma'am, even unsharpened, they are not allowed; these all count as controlled knives, and under civil aviation safety regulations, they cannot be brought onto the plane."

She lowered her eyes to glance at the scissors and asked, "What should I do now?"

"Do you have someone seeing you off? They could take it back for you."

"No." Tushan Jiu shook her head. "Just me."

The security officer frowned.

The airport's courier service does not mail controlled knives.

So for now, the only options are temporary storage or disposal.

The security officer informed her, and Tushan Jiu found herself in a dilemma.

But she could not choose either of those.

If she went to Nan Cheng, she would likely never return to Yun Shi, so temporary storage was out of the question.

As for discarding them, that was even more impossible.

A knife dealer could not possibly throw away his own knife.

Exactly.

Tushan Jiu is a knife dealer.

The knife serves as proof, the words as evidence. When the prophecy comes true, it is the day to collect payment.

Right now, aside from pawning these scissors on the spot, she had no other good options.

The people behind her on this side were growing impatient with the wait.

Urging and dissatisfied voices gradually grew louder.

The security officer signaled to the nearby police, asking them to take her away first so as not to delay other travelers.

"Sorry, just a moment, I'll be ready soon."

She glanced around, and her gaze locked onto a man in denim clothing a few steps away.

That man looked to be in his thirties, with eagle-like eyes, a black earpiece on his ear, and he occasionally glanced left and right.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Tushan Jiu walked toward him.

The man caught sight of her approaching in his peripheral vision, and his expression shifted slightly.

Tushan Jiu stopped two meters away from him, her cheek bulging as she bit down hard on the lollipop.

"Hello, sir. Want to pawn a knife?"

Zhang Xuefeng frowned. "Pawn a knife?"

Tushan Jiu nodded. "You pawn my knife, and I'll give you a prophecy; you can pay me when it comes true."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xuefeng's brows knitted even tighter.

He thought, "Maybe this girl is just spouting nonsense to get rid of her knife."

When he hadn't noticed what was happening over there?

She seemed mysterious and odd, not quite normal.

Zhang Xuefeng glanced at the security staff not far away; weren't they supposed to come over and handle this?

Never mind; they're from different departments, so he couldn't really say anything at the moment.

He bluntly refused, "I don't need it."

Tushan Jiu met his scrutinizing gaze and declared firmly, "You do need it, because you've been played by her."

Upon hearing that, Zhang Xuefeng stared blankly for a moment, then narrowed his eyes, wondering how she knew.

"What do you mean? Do you know some clue?"

This time Tushan Jiu did not speak again.

The meaning is obvious; if you don't borrow my knife, I won't say anything else.

Zhang Xuefeng hesitated for a moment, half-believing and half-doubting.

Now there are many people here; he cannot ostentatiously reveal his identity.

The criminals don't know where in the airport they are hiding; if they see him and escape, all their efforts over these days would be in vain.

That human trafficker is extremely cunning and also skilled at disguise; they have been searching for her for a long time.

After finally obtaining a clue, he cannot disbelieve it just because it seems too supernatural.

Even a shred of useful information is something he cannot miss.

If that girl is deceiving him, then there's even less to fear.

He's a police officer; is he still afraid she'll deceive him?

So, Zhang Xuefeng didn't hesitate further and spoke directly: "All right, I'll borrow this knife."

The first step of the transaction is completed.

Tushan Jiu handed the scissors to the man.

Zhang Xuefeng lowered his head, glanced at the utterly ordinary scissors, and reached out to take them.

After he took it, Tushan Jiu slowly said: "The train to Nan Cheng departing from the high-speed rail station is the 3197, platform three; a woman with shoulder-length hair wearing gray checkered clothing is about to board, it's too late, she has a weapon on her, you can apprehend her at the high-speed rail station in Nan Cheng."

"Are you sure what you said is true?"

"I said before, I'll only collect payment if my prediction comes true."

Zhang Xuefeng didn't waste time, right in front of Tushan Jiu he called his superior and reported the message upward.

He cannot withdraw yet, because Tushan Jiu's words have not yet been confirmed.

But Tushan Jiu didn't wait for him to finish the call.

She turned back to the security checkpoint and continued the unfinished inspection.

But this time, more people were looking at her with strange glances.

However, Tushan Jiu didn't care.

Having followed her grandfather wandering the martial world for so many years, she had long grown accustomed to it.

After the inspection, Tushan Jiu took a new lollipop from her bag, unwrapped it, and put it in her mouth.

The sweetness filled her mouth, and she narrowed her eyes.

Good, this time it's grape-flavored, her favorite.

There was less than an hour until boarding time, but she wasn't in a hurry.

Instead, she walked over to where Zhang Xuefeng was looking down at his phone.

Seeing Tushan Jiu approach, he turned off his phone and slipped it into his pocket.

Without waiting for him to speak, Tushan Jiu smiled slightly and said, "Police uncle, together?"

Zhang Xuefeng was puzzled.

The next second, Tushan Jiu spoke again.

"You're also going to Nan Cheng, aren't you?"

Zhang Xuefeng was shocked.

Clearly the captain had just decided to let him take the nearest flight to Nan Cheng for a joint investigation; how did she know?