Chapter 113: An Eye for an Eye and a Tooth for a Tooth

A hand lightly pressed against the wall, staggering unsteadily from side to side.

“How does it feel to lean on the wall while coming out? Quite wonderful, isn’t it?”

Li Jun looked at Nie Yi, who was slowly making his way out while leaning on the wall, and chuckled, “Last time when we had hotpot with Yunxi, it was me who had to lean on the wall to get out. They say things happen no more than three times, so this second chance should be yours.”

Nie Yi rolled his eyes. “Last time you were stuffed from eating too much fish. This time I got bitten by that damn second stick. Can you compare the two?”

“Exactly! That’s called tit for tat!” Zhou Bing, walking behind them, said resentfully, “The first time that snake bit me, I could barely excuse it since I was the one who got handsy first… But the second time was too much! It even sang ‘You’re too tired, you should take a break’ while biting me, singing terribly and grinning disgustingly. It gave me nightmares all night—dreams filled with creatures half you two and half snake. I was scared stiff. I figured I had to let you experience what it’s like to be bitten by the snake…”

Li Jun turned around, blinking as he asked, “The upper half or the lower half?”

Zhou Bing frowned, “What the hell do you mean, upper or lower half?”

“Well,” Li Jun pointed at himself and then at Nie Yi, “You said the creature in your dream was half snake and half us. So which part were ours? The upper half or the lower half? And if it was the lower half, how did you even tell? If it was the upper half, wouldn’t that be just like the legendary Nüwa? Not scary at all…”

“The lower half! I recognized it by the butts. The big one’s yours, the small one’s that fake stutterer’s. Happy now?” Zhou Bing exhaled deeply, trying to calm himself. “Damn, I’d heard you were a chatterbox, but seeing it today, you really can respond to anything. Learned something new.”

“Not everything can be responded to. For example, you used two damn intensifiers in that sentence just now, and that’s not something I can pick up on,” Li Jun cleared his throat lightly. “But Zhou Jian… I have to say, as a civil servant, you should avoid using such expletives. It damages your image. Often, your face is not just your face; your words aren’t just your words; every move you make represents the word ‘Procuratorate’. Be cautious!”

Zhou Bing gave Li Jun a hard kick on the rear. “Shut up, or you’ll be leaning on the wall just like that fake stutterer!”

Li Jun sulked and looked ahead at Nie Yi, who was slowly descending the stairs. “You should just faint for a while. How can someone survive the Seven-Step Snake Venom poisoning without fainting? It doesn’t create immunity. Just because you managed to endure it this time doesn’t mean you won’t faint the next time you get bitten.”

“Just because you don’t know doesn’t mean it’s impossible. There are actually two ways to avoid fainting after being poisoned by the Seven-Step Snake Venom…” Nie Yi’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he slowly explained, “One is to take an antidote or drink a lot of water to flush out or dilute the toxin; the other is to rely on a steel will to endure it... Willpower only grows stronger the more you test it. This is an opportunity to train one’s willpower. It would be such a shame to let it pass…”

Li Jun and Zhou Bing paused for a moment, then in unison spat out two words: “Pervert!”

In fact, Nie Yi had not said the full truth. The real reason he wanted to endure the poison was because of Li Jun’s opening remark — things happen no more than three times. This wasn’t Nie Yi’s first time being bitten by the second stick. The first time, he fainted after the bite, so he didn’t want to faint again on the next occasion. He wanted to use this opportunity to get used to the snake venom.

Habit is a terrifying thing. Once people become accustomed to a habit, letting go of it feels utterly unnatural.

Nie Yi had grown used to the simple relationship between himself and Sun Tiantian. But one day, that relationship suddenly became complicated, making him feel all out of sorts.

It was near the Lunar New Year, a certain evening when Sun Tiantian suddenly came looking for him, saying it was her birthday and she wanted him to accompany her to set off fireworks.

Nie Yi had wanted to invite Li Jun along, but Sun Tiantian refused, so he had no choice but to go camping in the countryside with her alone. The trunk was packed full of various fireworks, fulfilling her wish.

The dazzling fireworks lit up the darkened sky and brightened Sun Tiantian’s smile.

Nie Yi watched Sun Tiantian spinning around amidst the fireworks, feeling as if he was spinning too — a dizzying whirl.

Often, the sky does not shake, nor does the earth move; it is the heart that trembles.

Nie Yi looked down at the green snake biting his ankle tightly, his face turning ashen. Three-quarters of a second later, he collapsed heavily to the ground, but just before hitting the earth, he landed softly against Sun Tiantian’s body.

Thus, that night in the suburbs was lit not only by fireworks but also by the sounds of passionate fireworks all night long.

When Nie Yi woke up, Sun Tiantian was already driving him back to the funeral parlor, telling him to forget the night’s fleeting spring breeze and that he no longer needed to bring lollipops when coming to the funeral parlor. Then she coolly pushed open the door, got out of the car, and walked into the funeral parlor, closing the door behind her.

Nie Yi said nothing, and dared not say anything. Later, he returned to the detective agency and quietly slipped into the small dark room in the office, staying there for a full day and night. He couldn’t understand why it all happened, nor how to deal with Sun Tiantian going forward, or how to face Zhang Yunxi. He only knew that from that day on, the girl had become a woman, opening one door while closing another.

Creak.

The year Nie Yi stepped out of the dark room, now he was about to walk through another door. People cannot stay in one place forever; a door cannot remain closed eternally — it will always open someday.

Zhou Bing opened the iron gate and gestured politely toward Nie Yi and Li Jun. “This is the good place I told you about. Until the case is solved, you have to stay here. Get up at 6 a.m., sleep at 8 p.m., and meals will be delivered to you.”

Li Jun glanced around and pointed at the safe house in front of them. “This doesn’t look like a prison. Why bring us here? Have suspects’ accommodations improved so much that they can live in detached villas now?”

Zhou Bing snorted coldly. “If you really want to go to prison, I can take you there immediately, and you can stay as long as you like.” Then, turning to Nie Yi, he extended his right hand slowly. “Hand it over.”

Nie Yi blinked, feigning ignorance. “Hand over what?”

“The list,” Zhou Bing’s lips curled into a cold smile as he explained, “The courier slip your master gave you. That thing is evidence and shouldn’t be kept by the suspect.”

Li Jun tilted his head, puzzled. “When did Master give you a courier slip…” Suddenly remembering, he added, “Oh… it was the day I was bonding with the pretty policewoman. So the line of investigation we’re following now is related to that courier slip?”

Nie Yi nodded, pulling a crumpled courier slip from his pocket and handing it to Zhou Bing, regret evident on his face. “Too bad we had to come back before finding anything…”

Zhou Bing glanced at the sole remaining character in the name field on the slip and sneered repeatedly. “If Zhang Xiaoman hadn’t warned me in advance, you wouldn’t have even left City A. Just being able to get out once is lucky. Finding anything would be best, but even if you don’t, at least you won’t spook the snakes.”

Li Jun leaned over for a look and froze on the spot, his mouth agape. “N—Nie Yi? What was inside that courier package?”

“Head!” Suddenly, a cold, clear male voice came from inside the safe house. “A woman’s head!”

Nie Yi frowned, staring at the man who slowly emerged from the safe house, suspicion in his voice. “Chang Ping, what are you doing here?”

“Why I’m here isn’t important,” Chang Ping said expressionlessly, tearing into half a stuffed beggar’s chicken with big bites as he spoke to Nie Yi and Li Jun. “What matters is what I’m here to do.”

Zhou Bing frowned, his face serious as he whispered, “Zhang Xiaoman’s arrangement?”

“Half and half. He did ask me to do something, but didn’t say where. I thought this place was quiet, so I moved the stuff here…” Chang Ping glanced sideways at Li Jun. “Hey… chatterbox! I heard your eyes are sharp?”

“Just so-so, third best in the world…” Li Jun pouted. “And one more thing to correct you — I’m not a chatterbox. I have a name: Li Jun! Handsome and dashing Jun!”

“Third best in the world?” Chang Ping furrowed his brow. “Who are first and second, then?”

“First is naturally my master… and second,” Li Jun pointed at Nie Yi beside him, “is this pervert. His eyes are like a high-powered microscope, so I’m just the third — basically, a regular telescope.”

“That’s easy!” Chang Ping tossed away the chicken bone, took out a tissue to wipe his hands, then produced two pairs of white rubber gloves and tossed them to Nie Yi and Li Jun. “The first one is chasing a rat hiding in the sewer throughout the city. You second and third should help a bit and find something. You’re just idling here anyway.”

Nie Yi and Li Jun exchanged a glance and asked together, “What is it?”

Chang Ping fully opened the iron gate, pointing at two body bags lying in the center of the room. He said flatly, “Find a hair from those two corpses, so your master can repay with hair for hair.”