Volume One, Chapter 8: The Koi’s Blessing and the White Crane’s Grace—A Chance Encounter with an A-Level Fugitive

He Xinmin, having served as a community police officer for twenty years, knew this neighborhood like the back of his hand.

“Officer He, you’re here! My son and daughter-in-law are arguing again. When will you come to help mediate?” an elderly woman greeted him warmly.

“Oh, big sister, I told you, these young couples should sort things out themselves. The less you get involved, the better,” He Xinmin replied.

“You keep meddling, of course they won’t get used to it,” she said.

“Just go home, pretend you don’t know anything. Couples often quarrel and then make up—it’s normal,” he reassured her.

He Xinmin seemed well acquainted with the family’s affairs and stood chatting with her for over ten minutes.

Ye Lin, utterly bored, stood aside counting ants.

So dull.

This is what a community police officer does.

This is what an old man in the community does.

Ye Lin began to lose all hope for his future life.

Damn it, it’s all this damn system’s fault. If it hadn’t forced me to become a cop, I’d probably be interning at a hospital by now.

Although intern doctors don’t earn much, it’s still better than talking to old ladies about their daughters-in-law.

Good heavens!

Bring on a dangerous criminal!

Or a locked-room murder—after all, I have a system.

Oh, heavens.

After chatting for a while, the elderly woman glanced at Ye Lin and left, as if afraid the policeman might be hostile toward her.

He Xinmin pulled out his water bottle, took a satisfied sip, then turned to Ye Lin. “Little Ye, community work is important. We’re the ones closest to the people.”

“Work hard; there’s a future,” he encouraged.

Ye Lin muttered a perfunctory reply, already bored out of his mind.

He was almost tempted to squat on the ground and watch the ants move.

One, two...

If the woman didn’t leave soon, he wanted to ask, “Ma’am, is there a case at your house? Robbery or theft would be fine.”

“Officer He, you’re here,” a short middle-aged man emerged from Baiyun District Three. Slightly balding, with a strong build and muscular limbs—clearly someone who exercised regularly.

“Old Zhang, you out buying groceries yourself? Where’s your wife?” He Xinmin greeted another familiar face.

“Don’t mention it. She’s been missing for two days. I was about to report it to you guys,” the man said, clearly frustrated.

“Really? Did you guys fight?” He Xinmin asked.

“Try contacting her friends; she’s probably just out at one of their houses,” He Xinmin patiently advised.

The man shook his head and went back to shopping.

“Master, what about a missing wife? Don’t we handle that?” Ye Lin asked, curious.

Finally, something resembling a case, yet Old He seemed indifferent.

“You don’t understand,” He Xinmin said.

“Little Ye, once you’ve been here long enough, you’ll see—there aren’t many real cases. Mostly just domestic squabbles,” he explained, sensing Ye Lin’s boredom.

The old man understood; everyone was young once.

“So a disappearance doesn’t count as a case?” Ye Lin persisted.

He Xinmin smiled. “Of course it does, but Old Zhang’s wife is a local with many close friends. Going out partying once or twice is normal.”

“All right, I’ll take you for a walk in Hengxi Village,” he declared, motioning grandly as they mounted their bikes and headed that way.

At the village entrance, they parked and walked in.

Hengxi Village still had traditional homes, each with a bit of land and a small building on top, often rented out.

The ground floors served as shops—some selling goods, others doing manufacturing or running eateries.

Upon entering, the number of tattooed individuals noticeably increased.

Several young people with brightly dyed hair glanced at them with less than innocent eyes.

They looked like what? A pile of dung seeing flies, always tempted to swat one.

That was Ye Lin’s first thought.

A few young tough girls smoked openly as they passed, shooting provocative looks.

“These are migrant workers who’ve fallen in with some bad company. Such a pity,” He Xinmin said as he walked on.

Ye Lin stopped and grabbed one of the girls.

Startled, she watched as he snatched the cigarette from her mouth, dropped it on the ground, and stomped on it.

“Little sister, smoking harms your health. Didn’t your family tell you that?”

The girl blinked, then snapped, “Mind your own business, you stinky cop!”

“Crazy,” she added before wriggling free and sprinting away.

Ye Lin didn’t chase her. He simply hated seeing these kids fall so far.

If it were his own child, he’d have kicked their ass long ago.

Don’t be fooled by my mom spoiling me. If I ever went bad, she’d punish me harder than my dad ever could.

He hadn’t been happy coming to the community with He Xinmin in the first place, and seeing these kids made him even more uncomfortable.

He Xinmin paused, pulling him along. “Little Ye, you’ll get used to it. Once you’ve been a cop for a while, you’ll see all kinds of things, and it becomes normal.”

“This road leads to the deepest part of the village, where many tough characters live. Fighting and brawling is common. Let me show you,” He Xinmin comforted him.

Ye Lin might have believed it at first, but now he knew better.

Following He Xinmin meant a future of mediating mother-in-law disputes, helping find lost items, and scolding wayward kids.

Ah.

How he envied Lin Xianfeng, who was probably already out catching thieves by now.

“You know, there was a tough guy here before, Wang Dabao. He got into a dispute with villagers, killed two, injured three, and then fled.”

“That was just three years ago. I took part in the manhunt. Wang Dabao trained in martial arts when he was young. Three of us blocked him, yet he managed to escape. Now he’s an A-level wanted criminal.”

“Such a shame. If I’d been here, I’d have used the White Crane Spreads Its Wings move to peck out his eyes,” He Xinmin said, striking a wobbly pose in the middle of the alley.

Ye Lin’s face was filled with disbelief.

Master, please don’t embarrass yourself in public.

If people knew you were my mentor, how would I ever survive?

The village’s roads twisted and turned, and He Xinmin stood at a corner.

Suddenly, a man emerged from the alley—about 1.7 meters tall, dressed like a construction worker, hair tousled.

Damn, who would expect to see a man standing on one leg around the bend?

Startled by He Xinmin’s “White Crane” pose, the man recoiled, his wild hair flared up.

He Xinmin was about to apologize when his expression suddenly changed, and he shouted,

“Wang Erbao!”

The newcomer trembled, his eyes cold and venomous like a snake’s.