Chapter 39: Startled Bird, Alleyway Ambush

That night, Li Ping'an couldn't sleep soundly; it wasn't guilt or fear, more like an old hunter sensing something off in the woods, hearing the city's undercurrent roar beneath its skin. At first light he woke up, no pretense, his eyes naturally a bit weary, looking more like a sickly weakling than anything else.

The courtyard was oddly quiet. Yan Bu Gui hadn't even rattled his prized door panel; the door was shut tight. The other households were also stifled, an indescribable oppression.

Li Ping'an's mind was as clear as a mirror; the wind outside must have blown in. He still rose slowly, coughed a few times, opened the door, moving even slower than usual.

Sure enough, as soon as he pushed the door, Aunt Zhang from next door carried out a basin of dirty water, and when she saw his gaze, she averted it, lowered her voice and said, "Ping'an, last night it wasn't quiet outside; I heard they're searching for people everywhere! You're sick, so don't run out blindly!"

"Search people?" Li Ping'an forced a hint of panic and bewilderment onto his face, "Search…search for what? The Japanese Soldiers causing trouble again?"

"Sigh, who knows, they say they're looking for some important documents… anyway it's a mess!" Aunt Zhang hurriedly finished, rushed back into her house as if fearing bad luck.

Li Ping'an sneered inwardly; important documents? Looks like that "gift" finally arrived. He tucked his chin, wrapped his coat tighter, moved to the courtyard entrance, pretending to glance outward without intent.

At Hu Tong Kou, indeed a couple of fresh faces appeared, in black coats, eyes scanning like knives; though not wearing dog‑skin, their bearing marked them as plain‑clothes agents. The neighbors kept their distance, daring not to breathe loudly.

At that moment, a crack opened in Yan Bu Gui's door, revealing half a startled, uncertain face, and he whispered a beckon, "Ping'an, come in, quickly come in!"

Li Ping'an slipped inside. Yan Bu Gui hurriedly shut the door, and a stale musty smell filled the room.

"Scared the old man to death!" Yan Bu Gui pounded his chest, his face turning pale, "We heard motorcycles late last night, and this morning I heard Nan Cheng's Wang Pangzi gambling den was taken over by the Japanese! Wang Pangzi and Police Station Liu were both seized! They say…collaborating with the Communists? Or stealing Imperial Army goods? Good heavens, this isn't a game!"

As he spoke, his small eyes darted over Li Ping'an's face, trying to find something, or perhaps simply seeking someone to share his fear.

Li Ping'an's face filled with shock and fear: "Huh? Boss Wang? Director Liu? Even they…even such high officials…" He coughed again at the right moment, spitting out tears, "These times…truly make life impossible…"

Yan Bu Gui, seeing his cowardly demeanor, his suspicion eased a bit, sighing, "Who says it isn't! The city gate fire harms the fish in the pond! They search and search, and we common folk are left trembling… your door… sigh, never mind, never mind, let's not bring it up for now…"

Seems Teacher Yan's pinching of the door ultimately couldn't withstand fear.

Li Ping'an added a few more sighs about the harsh times, then, with a terrified expression, shuffled back to his room. He shut the door; the sickly, fearful look vanished instantly, leaving only a cold stare.

The result was better than expected. The Japanese moved swiftly, even catching the big fish! The gambling den boss and the police deputy director—enough to blow the pot. Next, watch them turn on each other.

He needed more information, to gauge how big the turmoil was. Hiding in the courtyard wasn't enough; he had to go out and listen. But plain‑clothes agents were watching outside—how could he leave?

He spotted the small window at the back of the house. Outside was a dead‑end alley piled with junk, a place even ghosts avoided.

That's it.

By early noon, the sun at its fiercest, everyone in the courtyard hid indoors to rest. Li Ping'an silently pried open the window latch, slipped out like a raccoon, landed silently, and closed the window behind him.

The dead‑end reeked of mildew. He quickly shed his old coat, turned it inside out and put it on; inside was a slightly better fabric. He also grabbed a half‑worn gourd‑skin hat from the corner, hunching a bit, instantly feeling like a different person.

He stepped over piles of junk, climbed over a low wall, and emerged onto another back alley. He brushed the dust off, kept his head down, and shuffled out slowly.

The city's atmosphere was tighter than in the morning. Patrols of Japanese Soldiers and Black Dogs increased, checkpoints grew denser. In the tea house, voices were hushed, eyes panicked, like birds startled by a drawn bow.

Li Ping'an blended into the crowd, deliberately choosing a noisy tea house, ordered the cheapest high‑grade tea, huddled in a corner, and pricked up his ears.

Fragmented chatter drifted continuously.

"Did you hear? The Special High Section acted directly!"

"Wang Pangzi's place seized Hard Currency! It's linked to the Japanese!"

"Liu collapsed on the spot, crying out injustice!"

"Injustice? I think it's absurd! The Japanese blew up, I heard Colonel Kong Ben slammed the table!"

"Now the Police Station will have a blood purge…"

"Not just the Police Station; anyone dealing with the Japanese has to play the submissive grandson these days…"

Li Ping'an sipped the inferior tea slowly, now understanding. The fire had ignited and was burning strong. The Special High Section intervened personally, even Kong Ben Musashi was roused, indicating that the "gift" had reached the right target.

He now had to keep his composure, waiting for the fire to grow larger and more chaotic.

After lingering in the tea house for half an afternoon, feeling he'd heard enough, Li Ping'an stood to leave.

Just a short distance from the tea house, he turned into a quiet side alley he always used to go home, and a sudden chill surged up his spine!

That was the feeling of being targeted! After refining his body, his spiritual perception had become much sharper.

He didn't turn around immediately; his stride stayed the same, but every muscle tensed, his peripheral vision flicked rapidly to both sides. The alley was empty ahead and behind, only the wind rustling discarded paper.

Something's wrong! Too quiet!

Reaching the middle of the alley, from the shadowed mouth ahead, a silent figure emerged, blocking the way. Almost simultaneously, faint footsteps came from behind, cutting off his retreat.

The blocker was a lean, wiry man, short‑statured, eyes vicious, twirling a dagger in his hand. The one behind was slightly shorter but exuded a heavier aura, with thick knuckles.

They weren't ordinary agents or thugs; both carried a scent of blood and a trained rapport.

"Friend, a word or two?" the front man said, his voice rasping like sandpaper.

Li Ping'an halted, slightly hunching, his face showing panic, voice trembling, "Two…two brave men…must have mistaken me? I…I'm just a poor laborer…"

"A laborer?" the man scoffed, spinning the dagger on his fingertip, "You smell of medicine, your steps lighter than a cat's, you've been loitering in the tea house half an afternoon, ears upright longer than a rabbit's…your 'laborer' act is rather distinctive?"

Li Ping'an's heart sank. He'd been targeted for a while! Their gaze was meticulous! Are they from the Special High Section? Or professional assassins hired by Luocha Men?

"Brave man…I truly don't understand…" he kept pretending to be timid, subtly shifting his weight.

The short man behind suddenly spoke, his voice low, "Stop the act. The thing lost at the dock last night, it's related, right? Hand it over, and you'll be satisfied."

Sure enough it's about that! They even came straight to the door! What flaw gave them away? Was he spotted during the retreat last night? Or… that iron plaque had a tracking route he missed?

In a flash of thought, the panic on Li Ping'an's face vanished, replaced by icy calm. He slowly straightened, his gaze like two deep cold pools, sweeping the two opponents.

"What if I don't hand it over?"

The two didn't expect his sudden change, a moment of surprise. The front man's eyes flashed with ferocity: "Then we'll take it ourselves!"

Before the words ended, the dagger sprang, striking Li Ping'an's abdomen like a Poison Snake—fast and vicious!

Simultaneously, a gust rose behind, the short man also moved, delivering a silent side kick, brutally sweeping Li Ping'an's knee! The front‑and‑back assault, perfectly coordinated, aimed to finish him in one blow.

Before refining his body, this would have been his downfall!

But now he had already shed his old self!

When the dagger neared, Li Ping'an's body twisted impossibly, the blade barely grazing his collar. At the same time, his left leg, as if boneless, flicked backward, striking the short man's incoming shin.

Bang! A muffled thud.

The short man felt his shin like being kicked by Tie Zhu, a chilling force seeping in, his whole leg numbing and painful, prompting a grunt, his attack stalling.

Li Ping'an used that impact, his body spinning like a top, his right hand's five fingers slightly curled, summoning a dark wind, directly grabbing the front dagger‑wielder's wrist! Though his fingertips hadn't reached, the chilling force already made the opponent's skin ache.

The man was shocked, his reaction too slow to change his move!

Crack!

A bone‑cracking sound that made teeth ache!

The man let out a wretched scream, his wrist snapped cleanly, and the dagger clanged to the ground! Li Ping'an kept moving, and with a swift elbow he viciously struck his solar plexus!

The man's eyes bulged, blood sprayed from his mouth and nose, and his body went limp, collapsing to the ground.

All of this in the blink of an eye!

The short man behind, his leg still tingling from the pressure, saw his comrade collapse, unsure if dead, a look of horror finally crossed his eyes, and he snatched a turtle‑case from his waist, about to raise his gun!

But Li Ping'an was faster! While dealing with the man ahead, he glided along the ground like a phantom, and with a sweeping leg strike he viciously swept the short man's supporting ankle!

The short man's lower body wavered, he fell forward. Li Ping'an surged forward, his knee like a heavy hammer, brutally knee‑pressing his back heart!

Puff!

The short man spat a mouthful of blood, still struggling to raise his gun, Li Ping'an's hand had already gripped his neck, a faint chill of inner force exhaled.

The short man's body jerked sharply, his gaze quickly faded, and he fell completely silent.

The alley returned to dead silence, only the thick scent of blood spreading.

Li Ping'an slowly stood up, his chest rising slightly, fine sweat beading at his temples. The sudden burst, taking down two skilled opponents, had cost him a lot. His cold eyes swept over the corpses on the ground, quickly feeling each.

Likewise, he found nothing that directly indicated identity, only some change and weapons.

He dared not linger. With a thought, he gathered the two bodies and the dropped dagger and Handgun into a void, even carefully covering the bloodstains on the ground with earth.

After doing this, he reverted to that panicked state, stumbling out of the alley, as if just terrified, blending into the bewildered crowd on the street.

But his heart sank.

The trouble didn't lessen after those two "gifts" were sent; instead it pounced in a more direct, fiercer way.

The real crisis is just beginning.