Sect Leader Yang was a respected leader. His feud with those from the demonic and unorthodox sects was a long-standing one.

Han Dongsheng had a family member involved in the matter. He could not shirk his duty.

But why had she gone over to join the excitement?

She usually behaved in an exasperating "I'm very godly, I'm just pretending to be a coward, everything is within grasp of my hand" manner and had endless tricks up her sleeve. In actual fact, she was afraid of the dark and also afraid of ghosts; she couldn't earn enough for even a pot of vinegar even swindling and conning people for a month; she easily offered to treat someone to a meal but turned right around and skived off; before fighting, she would have to wrap her hands up or they would tremble like someone with Parkinson's...

Wan Mu Chun stayed hidden from the world for such a long time, just to produce someone so unreliable?

All sorts of scrambled and jumbled thoughts were rising and falling in Yu Lanchuan's mind. His spiking blood pressure was close to making his heart explode. Before he could understand why exactly he was panicking, he had already screwed up his role which should have been "sit in a tent and devise strategies," turning it instead into "seize the road in a mad scrabble."

The roaring of the engine and the sound of his own heartbeat filled the small space. A hazy thought suddenly came to the surface, gradually turning clear amidst the static noise.

I…

The fifteen-year old teenager he had suppressed in his heart for so many years forcefully threw off fifteen years' worth of dust. From all those long years, he revealed a face that was nearly unrecognisable.

He thought, I've only just finally managed to find you…

Yu Yan said "Hello?" into the phone a few times. On the other end, Yu Lanchuan had hung up. Yu Yan was just about to call again when he was cut off by a call from a higher-up and he hurried to explain how a "looking for elderly people who ran away from home" case ended up with them risking their lives to fight criminal suspects.

The police were so busy they were going insane. Some of them stayed at the scene to wait for the fire brigade and to catch the criminal suspects.

Those who went along to the hospital not only had to take care of this group of elderly who had received a great shock, they also had to explain the situation to the hospital and contact the family members one by one. They didn't have enough hands to go around, each one of them so busy they could barely stay still.

Han Dongsheng sent off the police officer who came to check on him, then slowly sat down on the wooden chair in the waiting area outside the emergency treatment room.

Old Mr. Zhou had inhaled not an insignificant amount of smoke and ash, and had been sent in for emergency treatment. At the moment, his condition was still unknown. Even though the officer consoled him and said that he would definitely be okay, what if…?

In that case, that breakfast where everyone let him down would likely become the final memory his family gave him.

But thinking further, even without that "what if," Old Mr. Zhou was already past seventy years of age. According to Beibei, her family didn't have any sort of longevity gene. Old Mr. Zhou had already lived past the age where his parents and siblings passed away. He was nearly the longest living person in his extended family. His life had entered a wasteland without milestones or markers. Every work day where he was given the cold shoulder by his family could be the day he finally came to his end.

But to "treasure" was too hard. It was just like being "hardworking," "steadfast" and "disciplined." Everyone knew the reason why they should be like that but only the exceptional ones could do it.

Han Dongsheng's injuries were not serious. Other than the scrapes and scratches from crashing around in the building when it was on fire, the rest could be taken care of with rehydration and inorganic salt. His most serious injuries were caused by his ally—the skin between his fingers on one hand was full of blade cuts. Not a single finger could be moved and the doctor had bandaged his hand until it resembled a large pig trotter.

Waiting alone outside the emergency treatment room, Han Dongsheng initially wanted to sit upright properly. But as he sat, the fat on his back and his stomach started to make him hunch down. The successive days of shock and alarm, the restless nights—they all attacked him at once. He was too exhausted, so tired that he could not even open his eyes.

He was like a lump of heated butter. From a cubic form, he collapsed into an irregular shape and continued to melt into liquid, dripping down below the chair.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming. Han Dongsheng twitched and opened his eyes, and saw Gan Qing walking towards him.

Gan Qing took a longer time than him. In her opinion, the cut on her finger could be handled just by sticking the finger into her own mouth and giving it a lick. There was no need to go to the hospital. However, what happened was, she had just jumped down from the building when she was stuffed into an ambulance for some unknown reason. Those doctors making a huge fuss for nothing not only gave her an injection, they also insisted that coming into contact with blood was a risk and made her go for a lab test.

"I'm just here to ask… cough, about that…" Gan Qing pointed at his pig trotter. "...do I need to compensate you for the medical fees?"

"Ai, what are you saying? I still don't know how to repay you for saving my life. Were it not for these cuts from you, I might have to leave my last words." Han Dongsheng smiled very politely at her, revealing gleaming white teeth which gleamed all the more in contrast with his soot-blackened face.

Gan Qing handed him a wet tissue. The two of them had survived a crisis. They made some small talk but they weren't very familiar with each other and didn't really have much to talk about, so they both fell into silence.

Han Dongsheng's face was covered in black ash. After wiping, the wet tissue in his hand became a black rag. If he held it in his hand and gave it a squeeze, he could squeeze out mud.

He slowly wiped his uninjured hand. After a while, he suddenly said, "When I came out of that building, I thought, if I was really trapped inside, Beibei would have to bring up our child on her own… how would she survive?"

Gan Qing glanced at him. However, she was a single woman with no dependants and had never had to support a family. No matter what she said, she would sound like an armchair critic, so she did not say anything.

Han Dongsheng's words to her gradually became words to himself. Talking to yourself in front of other people was always very awkward because even if the other person was not responding, their attitude was contained in their silence—I don't want to respond to you, you're stupid. But a tree hollow^[1] wouldn't be like that because a tree didn't have the ability to view humans with biased eyes. It was strange. When Gan Qing leaned silently against a corner of the wall, she was just like a wooden stump and Han Dongsheng couldn't help wanting to pour out everything in his heart to her.

"After that, I thought, maybe I was just thinking too much." He laughed self-deprecatingly. "A man like me isn't useful for much. Whether or not I'm there, it'll be fine. She might even have a better life without me."

"I might… just not be the kind of person who can be successful."

"She has always been quite disappointed in me."

Gan Qing shifted her weight to her other leg. Her arms were crossed before her chest and she was only half-listening. Her eyes were looking straight at the stairs.

The woman was disappointed in her husband who did not strive to advance, the old father was disappointed in the love he gave out that did not get any response, the man with no achievements looked back in a fluster and was disappointed in himself.

Han Dongsheng propped up his jaw with one hand. His eyelids were a little swollen from staying awake. "Sometimes, when it's all quiet at night, I can't help thinking how nice would it be if humans could relive their lives once more."

There were finally some slight ripples in Gan Qing's calm gaze. She seemed to be drawing in a deep breath, the muscles on her neck tensing visibly beneath her skin.

"Yeah," she said almost inaudibly. "How nice would it be if we could relive our lives once more."

Right at that moment, there was the sound of hurried, jumbled footsteps. Someone ran stumbling over and fell sprawling on the ground at the last flight of steps. It was Zhou Beibei, her hair dishevelled.

Her fall was too forceful and the two people there lost in their thoughts were startled back to reality. Han Dongsheng saw that it was her and quickly helped her up. "Ai, don't you know how to lift your legs when walking!"

Zhou Beibei didn't wait until she was standing up. Still kneeling, she wrapped her arms around his legs.

"Dad is okay. It's just that he's old and has inhaled some smoke." Han Dongsheng raised his own large pig trotter. With one hand, he supported Zhou Beibei's elbow and pulled her up. "Didn't I tell you to stay at home and wait with Zhou-Zhou? I can take care of things here… What's wrong?"

Zhou Beibei refused to stand up. She buried her face in his waist, not budging an inch.

Han Dongsheng held her by her shoulders and gently pried her off his body. "I'm dirty…"

He paused abruptly because he saw that Zhou Beibei's eyes were reddened. The two of them looked at each other in silence for a few seconds; then, all of a sudden, her tears fell.

She was a woman who only spoke in complaints and had not a single pleasant word to say. Her resentment had blocked her windpipe and her throat, and she could not speak clearly. She could not give voice to any of the thousands, tens of thousands words in her belly. All she could do was sob and wail her heart out.

At first, her crying made Han Dongsheng panic but after a while, he seemed to understand something from her crying. His hand slowly fell to the top of Zhou Beibei's head and he let out a sigh.

Gan Qing watched them with the eyes of a bystander. She smiled, then quietly got into the elevator at the side and went downstairs to leave.

It was pandemonium in the hospital. All the families who had an elderly member missing had rushed there. Some were crying from overjoy, some were hopping mad with anger. There was also a man wandering around lost in the hospital corridor. He happened to bump into Gan Qing when she exited the elevator, and came over to pull her to a stop and ask, "May I ask if there is an old lady with the surname Lin here?"

Before Gan Qing could reply, a police officer rushed up and after reasoning with the man in every possible way, persuaded him to leave.

"That's Old Madam Lin's son," someone said from behind her. "The old lady who was the first to go missing."

Gan Qing turned around and saw Sect Leader Yang slowly walking towards her, leaning on his walking stick.

Old Yang said, "Old Madam Lin had participated once in an activity of this Paradise group—in actual fact, these people just fed them a bit of diluted low-quality hallucinatory drugs which made them dizzy and fall asleep—and the participants even thought that they experienced their souls leaving their bodies. After being duped by that group of people a few times, she had complete and unwavering belief in them and felt that the qigong master she was following previously was a swindler. She even helped to expand the downline. She was the one who urged Old Mr. Zhou and the others to join. Joining the training this time required 40,000 yuan in cash. The old madam didn't have that much money on hand, so she went to look for that qigong master and wanted to get back some of the money she had spent on rewarding him before. Who would have known she had a bit of cardiovascular illness in the first place and had also taken this evil cult's drugs, and on top of that, she couldn't get her money back. Her emotions were agitated and just like that, she was gone… Her body has been found but it was her daughter-in-law who went to identify it. Her son still refuses to accept it."

Gan Qing said rather indifferently, as though the matter was not related to her, "If everyone had a countdown to the end of their lives hanging above their heads, it's likely that no one would ever want to leave their homes and go on long trips."

"Gan Qing, right?" Old Yang turned his head to look at her. "Wan Mu Chun's knife techniques. Your shifu was Wei Xiao."

"In the past, yes." Gan Qing was usually polite and docile at No. 110. Every time he bumped into her at Zhang Meizhen's home, she would either be cleaning the floor or cooking. Yang Yifan always thought that she was like a little nanny who was being oppressed by the old demoness.

At this moment, her hands were folded behind her and she stood a few steps away from Sect Leader Yang. She had finally shed her mask, revealing her true face. She was even slightly taller than the old Sect Leader Yang. Her eyelids were drooping down a little, revealing a touch of obstinate pride that was difficult to describe. "Later on, I revolted and broke ties with him."

Old Yang was stunned.

"It's a family matter, it doesn't bring trouble to anyone else so I won't say more." Gan Qing smiled an inscrutable smile and waved at him. "It should be easier to look for a place at the end of the year. Sect Leader Yang, you don't have to worry. I'll move out once I go back."

"Wait a minute-"

Before he could finish speaking, he saw a Beggars' Sect disciple from the "clean clothing section" running over hurriedly. "Sect Leader!"

He saw Yang Yifan following behind the disciple, charging over in a bold and forthright manner. The Dog Beating Staff was wedged under her arm.

Old Yang's face changed. He hadn't told his granddaughter about going on this wild adventure. He was afraid that she would be suspicious and that the people from the evil cult would recognise the Dog Beating Staff, so he had even left it behind on purpose!

At this moment, Yang Yifan looked like she wanted to snap the Beggars' Sect sacred item right there and then.

Old Yang said hurriedly, "Fan-Fan, if there's anything, let's talk properly. Don't-"

But Yang Yifan slaughtered her way to stand before him, only to sigh and stuff the Dog Beating Staff into Old Yang's hands, then grabbed the hardwood walking stick from him.

Old Yang blinked. He stared at her in a daze.

Yang Yifan held the wooden walking stick in her hand, trying its weight. "This is heavy. It's probably not convenient to use. Why didn't you say something earlier?"

The over ninety years old Sect Leader who was still capable of fighting barehanded was like a primary school student who had made a mistake. He mumbled, "You purposely asked someone to help buy it. It's pretty expensive…"

"So what?" Yang Yifan cut him off. "At festive occasions, I buy Hermès and diamonds, and give them all out to the young pretty boys everywhere as though they cost nothing. I do that to stop their mouths, so that they'll work for me after taking my gifts, so that in the future, they will only obediently follow me around and other than money, they won't demand time and energy from their patron. Are you also a young pretty boy that I'm keeping? Why are you acting according to their standard? If you don't like it, just say so!"

Old Yang, "..."

The Beggars' Sect disciple beside them heard President Yang's outrageously perverse words and shrank his neck back and hunched his shoulders, not daring to utter a sound. He saw Old Yang's smoke-blackened "old pretty boy" face turned from black to red, then from red to greenish-white. Finally, Old Yang could bear it no longer. He raised the Dog Beating Staff and waved it at Yang Yifan. "Whatever next! Is that something a person should say? You disgraceful, unfilial thing!"

Gan Qing quickly walked away to give him space so that she wouldn't affect this old man putting his Thirty-Six Dog Beating Techniques to use. Her hands in her pockets, she headed outside.

She really liked No. 110 Courtyard. It was busy and chaotic, beautiful and cheerful… and most importantly, it was cheap.

Unfortunately…

She probably couldn't continue at Boss Meng's place too. She probably had to change jobs.

What could she do?

Fortunately, it was near the end of the year. Everywhere in Yanning was short of hands. It shouldn't be hard to find a job as a waitress. She could make do for the time being.

When Gan Qing walked out of the hospital building, the northwest wind attacked her head-on, wrapping all around her. She breathed out a puff of white air. She felt that she had lived too comfortably for the past nearly half a year and had become fussy. She was unexpectedly even a little melancholy.

She had originally been the kind of person who lived her life without a fixed home. She was just cleaner and more presentable than the vagrants at the roadsides.

I've forgotten my roots, Gan Qing thought rather self-mockingly.

Right then, she saw a car charge into the parking lot. Before it came to a proper stop, a familiar face rushed down and immediately charged towards the police car that was parked there.

Yu Yan was on the phone with his colleague who was at the scene of the fire. Yu Lanchuan charged up to him, breathing in broken pants, and tugged at him. "Where is she?"

"What?"

"Gan Qing!"

"...Here." From not far away, someone responded hesitantly. "Little Master Yu, I think I heard you calling for me?"

Yu Lanchuan snapped his head around. His knees weakened and he stumbled.

Yu Yan held him up. "Did you work overtime until you have low blood sugar? In that case, you should go back and rest, why did you come here?"

Yu Lanchuan pushed him away.

Gan Qing was standing a few meters away from him, her posture casual and relaxed. Her hands were in her pocket, her coat gone somewhere, and on the inside, she was wearing a cotton vest that was covered in ash. It was extremely tacky. Even though her face had been wiped clean, a few locks of hair were a little singed and she was still covered in grime all over. And it was with this appearance that she crashed into his line of sight.

Yu Lanchuan didn't know why but his heart rate that had been like a hurricane the entire way here did not slow down. Instead, it went up a level.

His long, unwavering gaze made Gan Qing uncomfortable. She thought there was something on her face so she raised her hand to wipe her face with her sleeve without fuss. Only then did Yu Lanchuan's gaze slowly fall on her bandaged right hand.

After wiping a while, Gan Qing didn't see any dirt. Baffled, she looked at Yu Lanchuan with a raised eyebrow. Staring into each other's eyes like this was a little awkward, so she found something to say. "All right, since we happened to bump into each other here, I can say goodbye to you guys. In these couple of days, I plan to-"

The two words "say goodbye" seemed to trigger something in Yu Lanchuan. He suddenly went up to her and grabbed her wrist and dragged her towards his car.

Yu Yan called out, "What's going on? Teacher Meng-Meng, why are you saying goodbye? Ai, Master Lan, why aren't you saying anything? Hey!"

T/N:

[1] "Talking into a tree hollow" is somewhat similar to "yelling into the void"—basically it means a place you can just pour your thoughts into. The difference between the two is that the former is generally about secrets; telling them to a tree hollow is safe because it can't talk and hence can't tell the secret to others. It is a reference to the folk tale The King with Donkey's Ears. You can find the story easily online (it's not a Chinese folk tale, I think), but the relevant part here is the barber digging a hole in the ground to whisper his secret. In the Chinese version (according to Baidu anyway), instead of a hole in the ground, it is a tree hollow.