Chapter 242: Baishui Residential District

In the darkness, sweat dripped in front of Qi Dongjun.

Xi He squatted down, the light from above falling on his face, the shadow of his bangs covering half of it.

His hands rested on his knees, his long, slender fingers dangling loosely. Looking at the nearly exhausted Qi Dongjun in front of him, the corners of his mouth still held that lingering mockery: "So, this is how you saw me from your perspective back then."

"What do you want?" Qi Dongjun's voice was hoarse.

"Having reached this point, I don't want anything anymore, Dad." Xi He suddenly opened his mouth to call Qi Dongjun "Dad," but there was no warmth in the scene; instead, there was a bone-chilling coldness. "In this world, only you know that I wasn't like this from the start. Oh, no, that's not right. You are the one who believed I was a born bad seed. Look, am I not a good son? I haven't let down your expectations at all." He said this calmly, only the white teeth showing at the corners of his mouth revealing the madness surging beneath the surface.

Opposite him, Qi Dongjun was tied up tightly, sitting dejectedly on the ground, his heaving chest showing that he had reached the edge of exhaustion: "You unfilial son!" These were the few words squeezed from the bottom of his throat.

Hearing this, Xi He became inexplicably excited, his sharp mouth curling even wider: "You still think I'm your son? Am I not the devil in your mouth? Come to think of it, I even miss the days when you cursed me. I have to thank you for letting me know very early on that no matter what I did, I couldn't change the fact that you demonized me. You really are a shrewd businessman, calculating this account early on, aren't you? Children can be born again, but you weren't willing to abandon my mother. Truly true love, huh."

"So you killed her! My biggest regret is that I didn't kill you for the sake of righteousness!" Qi Dongjun said through gritted teeth.

Xi He raised an eyebrow: "Kill me? Haha, even if I untied you now, you still wouldn't kill me. Humans are this kind of creature; no matter how they disguise themselves, they can't change from the roots. You are so selfish, how could you let my blood stain your feathers?"

Qi Dongjun's chest heaved even more violently, but he couldn't say another word.

"There are still eight days left. Let me see if your angel son can find you." Xi He looked like he was watching a good show. "Don't worry, I've arranged the scenery along the way in this labyrinth. I'll be waiting for the moment you and your son meet again!"

The white bones were right in front of Feng Yongfu.

Perhaps he had been prepared for it, or perhaps it was the sense of unreality the bones brought, but in any case, he did not show the sadness he had imagined.

All that remained was a numb disillusionment.

"In this world, I am the only one left," he muttered. The morgue was as cold as his lonely life.

Qi Fei was concerned about something else.

The only connection between Nancheng and Feng Yongshou was his aunt; this was the only way to find out how he went from Sanwu Town to the Luomeng River.

"Lao Feng, do you remember where your aunt's house was?" Qi Fei asked.

Feng Yongfu nodded: "I remember that place, but for the sake of the shop's business, I haven't been to Nancheng for over thirty years. When my aunt passed away, she was all alone. I don't know if the place she lived in is still there."

Even so, this was an investigation that had to be made.

Following the direction in Feng Yongfu's memory, the car drove toward the old city district.

Where residential houses once gathered, there were now towering office buildings.

Feng Yongfu looked blankly at the skyscrapers reflecting the dazzling sunlight, at a loss: "I remember my aunt's house was right there, by the tributary of the Ying Jiang. That bridge, look, it was built during the Qianlong era. My aunt took me and Yongshou to the small shop at the foot of the bridge to buy malt sugar. My aunt was especially fond of Yongshou. Later, a few times, she only brought Yongshou here to stay..."

However, the place he pointed to, except for the ancient bridge which was still there because it was listed as a cultural relic, had long been transformed into a faux-antique commercial street at the foot of the bridge; it no longer looked like it did back then.

Qi Fei was not in a hurry; after all, even if this place were found, thirty years had passed—what could possibly be left?

Zhong Kui was equally calm; she had her own train of thought: "Houses can be torn down, but thirty years have passed—people can't all be dead, right?"

Wu Shanqiu, who had come along, had already tacitly checked on her phone and soon had a result: "This area of Guqiao Street was demolished ten years ago. All the residents were relocated to the Baishui Residential District by the Ying Jiang."

"Hmm, well, we'll just have to go there and try our luck." Zhong Kui turned and walked toward the police car.

The car passed through the bustling Nancheng city center, and near the Ying Jiang, a group of tall, pale blue residential buildings appeared in their line of sight.

It was a nice day today.

Although the elderly in the residential district had moved into modern housing, they still retained their original living habits, moving stools to sit at the entrance of the district to bask in the sun and chat.

"What was your aunt's name?" Zhong Kui asked, turning her head from the passenger seat to Feng Yongfu, who was sitting in the back row.

"My aunt's surname was Yu, her name was Yu Hongxia," Feng Yongfu replied.

The car had already come to a stop. Zhong Kui, with the stride of a gambler, walked toward the group of elderly people at the entrance as soon as she got out of the car.

"Do you know Yu Hongxia?" she asked straight to the point.

Qi Fei, standing behind her, was not without doubt; this was purely a case of a blind cat bumping into a dead mouse.

Only Feng Yongfu's gaze fell on one of the octogenarians.

This was an old lady wearing a purple-red vest. Although her face was full of wrinkles and her teeth had all fallen out,

this face vaguely appeared in Feng Yongfu's blurred memory.

Sure enough, after Zhong Kui finished asking, the old lady examined Zhong Kui with extra care: "Who is it you're asking about, that Yu Hongxia?"

"Yu Hongxia, who lived by the ancient bridge with you thirty years ago. I heard she passed away a long time ago," Zhong Kui continued.

By this time, Feng Yongfu had walked up and said to the old lady, not daring to be certain: "You are my aunt's neighbor, the auntie who sold pork, right?"

Hearing this, the old lady also noticed Feng Yongfu, but the middle-aged man in front of her definitely didn't correspond to anyone in her memory, so she couldn't help but ask in confusion: "Who are you?"

"I lived at Yu Hongxia's house when I was a child. I'm her nephew. I was only this tall back then, and I had a younger brother..." Feng Yongfu gestured with his hand.

As the old lady listened, her cloudy eyes lit up: "Oh! You're that naughty little boy? Your brother was well-behaved!" She spoke as if it were just yesterday, then she squinted her eyes, and wrinkles bloomed on her face like chrysanthemums: "Where is your well-behaved brother? Why didn't I see him come with you?"

It seemed that, rather than Feng Yongfu, Feng Yongshou had left a deeper impression on her. ===== CHAPTER 243 =====