Chapter 36

“Master!”

“Master!”

Gu and Hu nearly shouted in unison.

“6:38! You two arrived at the gate at 6:00—this short distance took you eight minutes. Are you two plotting something again?” Lu Haoxuan said slowly, glancing at the large wall clock.

“Hehe, Master, what bad idea could we possibly have? Even if we did, it wouldn’t escape your fiery eyes, right?” Gu Changzheng, abandoning his usual seriousness, grinned.

Wei Jie, cooking in the kitchen, heard the commotion and hurried to the door: “Changzheng, quick! Come help me! Jinquan, go check on that orchid on the balcony—why have its leaves turned yellow these past few days?”

“Alright! Alright!”

“Coming! Coming!”

Upon hearing their mistress’s call, the two immediately dodged their stern master and went off to do their own tasks.

The old man watched them both run off, muttering irritably: “Those two rascals! Now that they’re all busy, who’s going to play chess with me?”

Lu Haoxian’s aura of authority never wavered, but his two disciples knew him too well—they understood that beneath his stern exterior lay a loving heart, especially toward them, as if they were his own children.

At the dining table, the aroma of chicken and yam soup filled the air. As Gu Changzheng placed the final dish—mapo tofu—on the table, he noticed a bottle of Wuling Maotai tied with a red ribbon.

“Oh my, Master! We could never dare drink this treasure of yours!” Gu Changzheng deliberately raised his voice.

Hu Jinquan, tending to plants on the balcony, heard the noise and rushed over. Seeing the iron-lidded Maotai on the table, his eyes lit up.

Lu Haoxuan snorted a few times: “Hmph! Don’t act innocent. Haven’t you two been eyeing this iron-lidded bottle for ages? Drink it tonight—get it over with. Then you won’t keep dreaming about it.”

“Got it! Oh Master, sit down quickly! Mistress, come on, dinner’s ready!” At this moment, Gu Changzheng looked nothing like a police squad captain—he was nothing but a spoiled child.

Dinner proceeded amid laughter and chatter. Lu Haoxuan could not drink much, so the three slowly savored the wine while chatting about family matters.

In Gu and Hu’s hearts, this place felt like home; the two elderly people before them, like their loving parents.

Of course, Gu Changzheng knew that tonight, he and Hu Jinquan would have to discuss that massive case with their Master. He knew this old man too well—his Master, the veteran detective who once led them to solve the most heinous family massacre in Zizhen City since the founding of the nation. Though retired from the force, he never stopped caring about his profession. So today’s conversation, to help the old man relive those days, was precisely why they had come.

After listening carefully to Gu Changzheng’s account, Lu Haoxuan toyed with his wine glass between two fingers, lost in thought. After a long silence, he said to Gu Changzheng: “That Tan Yang is the key figure in this entire case.”

Gu Changzheng nodded: “Master, I agree. But we lack direct evidence to convict him. And the Liu Baoshan cop-killing and gun-theft case had such a terrible impact—the higher-ups want to close it quickly. Tan Yang will probably spend the rest of his life in Anding Hospital.”

Lu Haoxuan set down his wine glass, leaned back in his chair, and said: “Do you two still remember what I told you when you first joined the police force? What is a police officer’s duty? We seek truth—not to prop up political convenience! If even one doubt remains unresolved in a case, you must dig it out! Seek the truth! Restore the facts! That is a police officer’s duty!”

The more Lu Haoxuan spoke, the angrier he grew—by the end, he was outright furious.

Gu Changzheng quickly smiled: “Master, don’t get worked up—I haven’t given up. I’ve been watching Tan Yang closely. I still believe he’s the mastermind behind it all; Liu Baoshan was merely his weapon. Now we just need to wait for him to slip up—otherwise, we don’t have enough evidence to convict him.”

As the three were talking, Gu Changzheng’s phone suddenly rang. He picked it up and saw it was from the office—he answered immediately. Luo Fei’s urgent voice came through: “Chief Gu! Anding Hospital just called—Tan Yang is missing!”

Gu Changzheng’s heart dropped—he’d known it was coming. Tan Yang had finally moved.

“Understood. Go to Anding Hospital right away. I’m on my way—we’ll meet there.”

Gu Changzheng hung up and turned to Lu Haoxuan and Wei Jie with a look of guilt: “Master, Mistress, I’ve got an urgent matter—I have to leave now. You two…”

Before he could finish, Lu Haoxuan said: “Go! All of you go! Solve the case properly—thoroughly! That’s my good disciple! Go. I’ll wash the dishes tonight.”

Gu Changzheng chuckled awkwardly: “Hehe, Mistress, we’re off then. This mess is all Master’s responsibility—you’re not to lift a finger!”

Wei Jie knew they were teasing the old man and didn’t mind. She and Hu Jinquan then took a taxi to Anding Hospital.

Luo Fei, who had arrived earlier, was questioning medical staff. It turned out Tan Yang had indeed been diagnosed with schizophrenia—but during dinner, he had vanished.

Anding Hospital maintained strict protocols; no patient had ever escaped before. The hospital took this incident seriously. By the time Gu Changzheng arrived, they had already prepared all surveillance footage from every area.

Gu Changzheng looked at Luo Fei, who replied: “We’ve reviewed the video from after Tan Yang’s treatment until his disappearance—no abnormalities found.” Gu Changzheng thought for a moment and asked: “Before Tan Yang was discovered missing, did any outsiders enter the hospital?”

The head of the hospital’s security department replied: “We keep records of everyone entering and leaving. Shall I bring them over for you to see?”

Luo Fei said: “Good, please bring them over.”

The security chief handed the visitor logbook to Luo Fei, who carefully flipped through it. It contained detailed entries—names, ID numbers, phone numbers—apparently flawless.

Gu Changzheng asked: “Does this logbook record every single person entering or leaving the hospital? What about hospital staff? Other personnel?”

Gu Changzheng noticed the logbook only listed routine visitors. But such a large hospital had nearly 400 staff members coming and going daily, plus new patients—this could be where the problem lay.

The security chief said: “Yes, we have duty logs for staff too. Shall I bring those over for you?”

Gu Changzheng nodded: “Have someone bring the duty logs to Officer Luo. You take me to Tan Yang’s ward.”