REDPEAFOWL, Special Chapter 1

On the island where Hong Kongque raises birds. In addition to many birds, marine animals are also abundant and special. From fish to shrimp, shellfish, and even sea slugs are available to catch.

After resigning from the police force, Lu Yipeng decided to live with birds and has no intention of working with his hands or feet as food for the birds. Therefore, recently, he volunteered to go fishing with Luo Songzhi. It was only when they were here that Luo Songzhi revealed that he used to be a fisherman’s son before, but he changed his path to become a gangster and was once rescued by Hong Kongque in a big showdown. Since then, he has followed Hong Kongque.

Luo Songzhi is a big guy. While he was actually similar in height to Lu Yipeng, his bulky physique made Lu Yipeng appear small when standing together. This year, he just turned twenty-eight, but his scarred face and years of fighting made him look much older than his actual age. Despite his tough appearance, Luo Songzhi was actually a gentle and kind-hearted person.

Today, Luo Songzhi went out to fish while Lu Yipeng, who was not treated well by Hong Kungque last night, mustered enough strength to get up from his bed and followed him to go fishing. He let the crazy peacock lie in bed and rest.

The young man changed his clothes and walked to the other side of the beach, where the boat was docked. There, Luo Songzhi was waiting. Their usual cordial attitude was evident as ever. He wore a linen shirt that was rolled up for convenience, revealing the words “Red Peafowl” scarred on his arm.

Luo Songzhi explained that he got this scar done with a knife but later Hong Kungque discovered that if you are someone with good skin, cutting the scar might not necessarily turn out okay, so he resorted to using a hot iron to brand it instead. Lu Yipeng listened but didn’t know what to say and just nodded.

As the two were about to set sail, a voice suddenly exclaimed, “Wait, let me come with you.”

Lu Yipeng looked up and saw Hong Kungque dressed in a brown linen suit and baggy trousers. He was reminiscent of an old uncle taking care of his grandchildren, but his face didn’t quite match this image!

“Hey, you’re getting old. You don’t have to struggle to go fishing yourself.

Go back to bed, and Luo will take care of it.” The young man spoke, thinking that if Hong Kongque appeared like this, something was definitely wrong. Hong

Kongque looked at him and smiled, “Come on, let me come with you.”

“Please come, Sir Peafowl.” Luo Songzhi quickly spoke, turning the boat back to the shore. He had intended to say it earlier, but Lu Yipeng cut in first.

Hong Kongque walked to the shore, not boarding the boat with them as planned, but instead, he gracefully leaped onto the bow of the ship, standing beautifully like a gymnast. Lu Yipeng stared before speaking out, “Why do you do things so differently from normal people?”

Hong Kongque turned and grabbed his hand, “Hmm.. Pengpeng, you can’t resist being jealous, can he.”

“You’re crazy. I’m not competing against you.” Lu Yipeng replied, trying to pull his hand away, but as usual, Hong Kongque pulled his hand back and pouted, “I don’t want to, behaving like this will scare the fish away and make them run away completely. Look at Little Zhi, he is still not saying anything at all.”

Lu Yipeng turned to look at Luo Songzhi, who was smiling broadly, “You are excellent in everything, sir.”

He forgot about this guy worshiping Hong Kongque as if he were his real father.

Unable to find support, Lu Yipeng stared at the sea foam breaking into white bubbles instead. Hong Kongque approached, then he took a shell and put it on the young man’s shoulder, Lu Yipeng immediately moved away.

“What are you doing? Stop being so touchy.” The young man said, but instead of the other person realizing and feeling hurt by the words, he made a retort, “What are you embarrassed about? Everyone knows.”

“I’m not as shameless as you.” Lu Yipeng said, then moved away again, hearing Luo Songzhi’s voice as he was commanding the boat, “Master Lu, you don’t need to be embarrassed, love is like this for everyone, my parents even hug on the boat.”

Lu Yipeng bit his lip as if holding back, and then Hong Kongque grabbed his arm and pulled him closer, making a dramatic gesture.

“Come on… hug me, this wind is making me cold.”

The young man glanced at the person who had sarcastically spoken before replying, “If you’re cold, go hide in the cabin.” Pointing to the control room where Luo Songzhi was standing, Hong Kongque snorted and then turned his face slightly, “Pengpeng, you are really dark-hearted, just because of this, you won’t let me be a good husband.”

Lu Yipeng looked at Hong Kongque as if he wanted to eat him before he suddenly hugged the other person. Hong Kongque leaned in closer and pointed for Lu Yipeng to look at the sun rising over the water, “Pengpeng, the sun is rising.”

“Um…” Lu Yipeng made a noise in his throat. Besides the sun, the seabirds were starting to fly out for their meal.

“Pengpeng, today we will compete in fishing. The loser has to cook.”

“?!” Before Lu Yipeng could even say anything, Hong Kongque walked out and went to the back of the cabin to grab two harpoons.

“Here’s yours.” He said, handing the steel harpoon to Lu Yipeng who couldn’t help but asking, “ Hey, I have a net, why would I need a harpoon!?”

“The net only has one mouth, how are we going to compete? Also, there are plenty of dried fish now. We don’t need to catch too many. Use the harpoon.” Hong Kongque said, turning to Luo Songzhi, “Little Zhi, drive the ship well.

Soon, Pengpeng will complain that you’re on my side too.”

“Yes, sir.” replied Luo Songzhi, while Lu Yipeng thought in his mind that he hadn’t said anything yet. Hong Kongque was quick to tease him.

As the sun caught the edge of the sky, reflecting on the vast expanse of water, Lu Yipeng saw a large school of fish leaping alongside the boat. Hong Kongque pointed down and spoke with an excited voice, “Half an hour, Pengpeng. Beat me if you can.”

Before Lu Yipeng could say anything, Hong Kongque walked to the stern of the boat. Then he plunged the harpoon down. When he pulled it up, a fish was squirming on it.

“One.” He started counting, while Lu Yipeng didn’t know what to do and had to turn his head to look for fish.

A twenty-seven years old, he had lived in the city all his life. Not just for fishing with a harpoon, but the first time he had touched sea fish was on this island.

Lu Yipeng gripped the harpoon tightly, reassuring himself that it was a basic tool that had been used since ancient times. Even though he hadn’t used it much before, it didn’t mean he couldn’t use it at all.

The boat’s body crashed into the sea and broke into foam. The fish were jumping around. There were many, but mostly they were swallowed by the wave foam before Lu Yipeng could find an opportunity to thrust the harpoon down. Meanwhile, Hong Kongque had already caught three.

As he aimed to stab a white fish that had just jumped past twice, he heard Hong Kongque shout.

“Pengpeng, a dolphin!”

Lu Yipeng turned to see a school of dolphins jumping about ten meters away from the boat. Then he saw Hong Kongque climbing onto the boat’s railing, reaching out with the full harpoon. The young man quickly leaned in to hug the waist of the other side, “Kongque, what are you doing!!”

“Why are you asking, I want to eat a dolphin!” said Hong Kongque, and he prepared to take a big step forward, causing Lu Yipeng to have to pull him from the side of the boat.

“Kongque, please, who eats dolphins?”

“I do.” Hong Kongque replied, looking serious. Lu Yipeng’s eyes widened,

“Have you ever tried it?”

“Not yet, I plan to try it today.” Hong Kongque replied with the most serious face, making Lu Yipeng hesitate, “Kongque, dolphins are animals that feed their young with milk.”

“I know.” Hong Kongque replied, then continued, “I haven’t tried it yet. I wonder what the meat tastes like.” As he said that, he prepared to climb up the boat again, and Lu Yipeng almost grabbed him too late. The young man pulled Hong Kongque back and tried to think of something to stop that person with a black heart from doing something cruel to those sea creatures.

“Kongque, dolphins are cute animals.” Lu Yipeng said, turning to the other person, “Hmm, I’ve seen them on TV, but being cute doesn’t mean you can’t eat them. Even dogs and cats are eaten somewhere.”

Lu Yipeng really wanted to go crazy with Hong Kongque. What was this guy thinking of wanting to eat dolphins? He quickly tried to find some words to comfort the other person.

“Kongque, dolphins are as smart as your cockatoo.”

“Can they talk?” Lu Yipeng asked, looking puzzled, “They can’t talk, but they can help people who are drowning.”

“Um… I’ll throw you in the sea. If they help you,  Pengpeng, I won’t eat dolphin meat.” Saying that, he really tried to grab Lu Yipeng and throw him out, and the young man cried out, “Kongque, please stop doing something dangerous! Just eat normal fish. I’m begging you, don’t eat it.”

Hong Kongque looked at Lu Yipeng for a moment, then smiled, “Pengpeng, you are truly kind-hearted. I won’t eat dolphins for real, I was just joking. Little Zhi loves dolphins. I won’t do anything.”

Lu Yipeng glanced at the other person, “Then why did you pretend to want to eat it?”

“Well, I wanted to see if you are a good hearted person, and if you would stop me from eating them.”

Now Lu Yipeng thought it might be better to catch the person in front of him to teach him a lesson, rather than catching fish, “I’m not as cruel as you think.”

Hong Kongque looked at him and chuckled. Then he looked down at his watch, “Oh, it’s been half an hour already. Pengpeng, how many fish did you catch?”

Lu Yipeng blinked a few times before shaking his head. Hong Kongque grabbed his face and smiled mysteriously, “Looks like you lost. Today, you have to cook for me.”

…

The kitchen at Hong Kongque’s mansion was spacious enough. Normally, Li

Kong and two other staff members would be in charge of cooking. But today, Hong Kongque changed the whole program and ordered Lu Yipeng to stand in front of the stove and start cooking as soon as he got off the boat.

Lu Yipeng, reluctantly tied up his apron, stood stiffly in front of the kitchen counter with three sizable fish that Hong Kongque had caught. The person who caught the fish seemed to enjoy watching him cook. Even going as far as bringing a chair to sit in the kitchen and giving orders, “Pengpeng, I want grilled fish, steamed fish, and fish soup.”

The person who was ordered turned to look at the one giving orders, “I will boil the fish for you!”

“Then get the steamed fish with sour soup ready.” Hong Kongque said cheerfully. Lu Yipeng lifted the pot to boil water and looked at the three fish.

Then he seemed to make a move to pick them all up and put them in the pot.

Hong Kongque raised his voice, “Pengpeng, what are you doing?”

“Just cooking the fish.” The other person replied. Hong Kongque made a face as if he were facing a whale, “And you, not taking the insides out, not gutting it first?”

“…”

“Pengpeng…?”

Lu Yipeng was twenty-seven years old. Apart from boiling instant noodles and heating up soup he bought to keep for emergencies when feeling unwell, the young police officer had never cooked anything else. He used to eat with his father. After his father passed away, he ate at the school canteen. After graduating, he bought some food. Therefore, Lu Yipeng’s cooking skills were equivalent to zero. Opening the stove to boil water was already considered a great deed.

However, Lu Yipeng refused to lose face in front of Hong Kongque, so he grabbed a knife and skillfully fileted the fish. He heard Hong Kongque exclaim,

“Pengpeng, what are you doing?!”

“I’m just removing the internal organs of the fish.” The young man replied, and as he fileted the fish into two pieces, Hong Kongque looked defeated. He then stood up from his chair.

“Pengpeng, how can you be like this? You’re almost thirty years old and you can’t even remove the internal organs of a fish?”

“I’m not a cook.” Lu Yipeng retorted immediately, making Hong Kongque look as if he had to deal with a child just learning to speak. He walked over and picked up another piece of cloth to tie it around, “Terrible, really. What kind of husband can’t even do this much?”

Lu Yipeng gritted his teeth as if he wanted to crush Hong Kongque with his bare hands before composing himself, “What are you trying to do?”

Hong Kongque, puffed up, picked up a knife and a board. He then replied,

“Let’s see.”

Then, Lu Yipeng watched as Hong Kongque skillfully cleaned the fish, fileting it into long strips. He then picked up the knife again, pulled out all the internal organs of the fish, and Lu Yipeng, seeing this, was speechless.

“Kongque, I now know that you are truly the best, so it’s okay if you do things like a normal person.” Lu Yipeng reluctantly said as he picked up a pot and bowl to prepare, watching Hong Kongque continue to cook with a delicate and skillful touch.

As long as one didn’t count the strange military tactics Hong Kongque exhibited, he seemed to be managing the cooking well. After a while, Lu Yipeng smelled a fragrant aroma from the pot. He helped Hong Kongque add more seasonings as another person went to prepare the dipping sauce.

“Pengpeng, try tasting it and see if it’s good or not.” Hong Kongque said, turning to look at the pot and using a spoon to taste the broth. He then used another spoon to give to Lu Yipeng, blowing on the spoon gently before letting him taste the soup.

“Mmm, it’s delicious.”

Hong Kongque looked at him and smiled before turning his attention back to the fish with three flavors. Lu Yipeng looked at the white neck in front of him and felt the urge to have more, so he moved closer.

“Kongque…”

“Hmm?” Hong Kongque turned back, only to be kissed suddenly. Luckily, he didn’t spill the soup he was holding as he pushed Lu Yipeng away and focused on the rice he was cooking. Lu Yipeng didn’t know what to do, so he grabbed a bowl and a plate to serve.

After a while, with the sound of sizzling, the aroma of the fish and the steamed fish filled the air, making Hong Kongque’s mouth water. After finishing cooking, he took off his apron and then turned to give instructions,

“Serve it to me at the table in a beautiful bowl.”

Then he grabbed the young man’s neck to kiss him before leaving.

…

Today, Lu Yipeng was forced to catch fish with a net and forced to cook, which he struggled with from the start. He also had to serve as a waiter, carrying all the food on a tray and walking out. Hong Kongque was waiting at the dining table. When he saw his face, he waved his hand to call him.

“Young one, this table.”

Lu Yipeng thought about throwing the tray at Hong Kongque, but the food was delicious, especially the fish with three flavors, and there was still the steamed fish he hadn’t tried yet, so he let Hong Kongque order him ahead.

The young man walked to the table and picked up the bowl of rice, while Hong Kongque waited as if he was in a fancy restaurant. He was not wrong but was still wearing loose pants. After Lu Yipeng placed the rice down, he picked up a bowl to serve the rice.

The hot, fragrant rice was still steaming in the bowl, with a hint of heat rising, and the rice was still warm. Lu Yipeng pulled a chair and sat next to Hong Kongque. Then the other person grabbed a chopstick and picked a piece of fish, putting it in his bowl.

“Pengpeng, you are still a child and need to be well nourished, so that you can be strong enough to maybe defeat me.”

Lu Yipeng turned to look at the person speaking, then replied, “Tell me the truth. Do you want to truly be defeated, or what?”

“Of course. If you are smart.” Hong Kongque replied with a mischievous smile. Lu Yipeng didn’t say anything else, just watched as Hong Kongque skillfully piled food into his bowl – there were grilled fish, fish curry, and fried fish filet. When Kongque finished piling, he turned to him with a smile.

“This time, do you like anything other than snow fish?”

Lu Yipeng didn’t immediately reply. He continued to pile all the rice into Hong Kongque’s bowl before leaning in closer and whispering softly in his ear, “I like…that the most.” Then he kissed Hong Kongque’s cheek loudly.

Hong Kongque chuckled and then spoke, “Pengpeng, you like to eat me? Well, let’s finish eating. I will allow you to eat me as well.”

Lu Yipeng licked his lips, trying to look lecherous before replying, “I’ll eat you until you can’t get up.”

Hong Kongque tapped his nose lightly with a finger, “Stop saying that or you will be screaming and begging me to stop again.”

The blushing young man straightened up immediately before turning his attention back to his own bowl, hearing Hong Kongque chuckle approvingly.

“Pengpeng, I love being with you the most.”

Lu Yipeng didn’t say anything else, just sat there eating with a flushed face.

Damn it, I keep losing every time!!!

…

   -THE END-

THE RED PEAFOWL CHAPTERS HOME

 

   REDPEAFOWL, Chapter 26: Resign to Bird Hunt

Duan Feng’s surgery went smoothly and was successful as expected. The young police officer returned with feelings in his legs. The wound will heal completely by next week and he will start physical rehabilitation. As for the burn scars on his face, the doctor said his skin is recovering nicely and a minor cosmetic surgery should help his face return to normal.

Upon hearing that Duan Feng needed surgery, they looked for young faces that were the dreams of women. They even asked Lu Yipeng to visit regularly and print out catalogs to choose from. After listening, Lu Yipeng had to sigh softly.

“Captain Duan Feng, your original face is already good enough. You don’t need to imitate anyone else’s face.”

Duan Feng responded without hesitation, “No, I think my original face is not outstanding enough. How about a little enhancement, inspector? I think it’s good enough.”

Lu Yipeng blinked his eyes. Before the little bird in the cage could chirp,

“Not handsome, not handsome.”

“Oh… Paechik, why speak like that?” Duan Feng turned to deal with the bird.

After the surgery and the burn scars healed well, Lu Yipeng brought

Paechikchik to visit Duan Feng every day, until the two began to get along well.

“You said… not handsome. Is it me or Inspector-Lu or not?”

“I won’t say. I won’t say.” The little bird said, Duan Feng sneered, “Compare and see, in fact, will you say Inspector is not handsome?!!”

“Compare and see.” Paechikchik continued as Lu Yipeng chuckled. Since he brought Paechikchik to visit Duan Feng, he seemed to be more cheerful. At first, everyone was worried that he might be depressed due to the leg issue that may not allow him to walk normally again and his facial disfigurement. But Duan Feng had a surprisingly strong spirit. He was depressed for several days, but then he accepted what had happened and tried to comfort himself. Lu Yipeng truly admired this man.

After arguing with the bird for a while, Duan Feng turned back to talk to the young police officer, “Inspector, cockatoo’s fur is growing back now. At first, one would think it was a different one from that day.”

“Um… It seems like it’s shedding its fur because it didn’t find its owner.” Lu Yipeng replied. Duan Feng nodded and spoke up, “But it’s okay, now that there’s you, it probably won’t shed its fur anymore.”

Lu Yipeng smiled before continuing, “Captain Duan. If you want to have any surgery, go ahead and indulge, but I prefer your original face much more.”

“Oh… If you were a woman, I would think you are confessing your love to me for sure.” Duan Feng spoke and chuckled as soon as he saw Lu Yipeng’s face, “Inspector, don’t make a face like you’ve seen a ghost. I don’t really want to be your wife, inspector. I see that the nurse in the physical therapy room is beautiful to look at… I might have to spend time in physical therapy. Not sure, inspector. I might have to get a wife before I can walk.”

“Get a wife first, get a wife first.” Paechikchik interjected. Duan Feng turned to talk to it again, “Yes, get a wife first, then marry.”

“No marriage. No marriage.” The little bird protested, hopping and dancing in its cage. Lu Yipeng looked at the man and the bird arguing with each other again.

After arguing with the bird, Duan Feng chuckled and made Lu Yipeng chuckle too. When it was time to inject the anti-inflammatory medicine, the young police officer asked to be excused.

“Inspector, you’ve started working today, right?” Duan Feng asked as Lu Yipeng prepared to leave the room. The person being asked nodded and Duan Feng was quiet for a while.

“Inspector… if in three months I still can’t walk properly, you’ll need a new assistant inspector. Don’t forget to ask if they’re used to riding roller coasters. They won’t be surprised when driving with the inspector.”

Lu Yipeng chuckled, “I don’t have a new partner anymore.”

“?!”

“I’m going to work now. Get well soon, Captain.”

…

Lu Yipeng returned to work on the first day. He heard rumors circulating about him and Hong Kongque, but the young police officer paid no attention and continued to work diligently as usual. Several newspapers contacted him for private interviews regarding the boat explosion case, and the secret relationship he had with Hong Kongque. Lu Yipeng denied everything in every interview, but they continued to stir up trouble with him every day.

Sometimes Lu Yipeng thought to himself, if Hong Kongque were still around, would these people dare to follow him and interview him like this?

But now Hong Kongque was no longer around…

A month passed, and Paechikchik’s feathers began to grow back anew, dense and white, reminiscent of his former self. Meanwhile, Duan Feng seemed happy with his physical therapy sessions, pursuing the nurse that caught his eye.

The investigations into the Hong family massacre case, the car bombings case, and the boat explosion case were all closed with the explanation that all the suspects had died and disappeared. The case files were stored in a room for future studies. Photographs taken over thirty years ago of Hong Kongque were quietly stored away once again.

Upon reflection, it really was absurd. He had lived closely with Hong Kongque, yet there was not a single photograph of that man anywhere.

Only the photos taken over thirty years ago, which were in the case files, remained…

The childhood photos of Hong Kongque were ordered to be destroyed by his older brother. Hong Kongque, who had separated himself, lived a mysterious life, with only those photos hanging or displayed as adornments in secret rooms where mafia members or respected individuals liked to hang or display. No public photos of him existed. Only three Chinese characters were displayed as decorations.

红孔雀 (Hong Kongque=Red Peacock)

Sometimes, when bathing, Lu Yipeng could not help but reread the three words written on his inner thigh…

Hong Kongque left only his name behind, a story that would be passed down for eternity…

…

Today, after work, Lu Yipeng stopped by to visit Duan Feng, had dinner with him, then returned to his resting place. Upon arrival, he placed Paechikchik’s cage that he had taken to work regularly outside. The little bird seemed to be popular within his department. Although many wondered if it was Hong

Kongque’s bird, Lu Yipeng neither confirmed nor denied. He never spoke about Hong Kongque unless necessary. Not in the past, nor now.

Paechikchik flew out of the cage and landed on the shoulder of the hill. He shook his head as he liked to do regularly, and then ran his hand through his hair. Lu Yipeng was playing with a bird for a while before walking over to the writing desk. On the desk, besides the books on forensic medicine, law, and criminology, there were several framed photographs. Whether it was a picture of his father holding him in a detective costume, a picture of himself as a child wearing a hat standing tall like a chief inspector, a picture with classmates at the police academy, or even a picture in a full black suit on the day of induction, or in a blue uniform of the police officer model, they were all captured and kept.

This was the profession he dreamed of. These were the dreams he had chased and fulfilled to the fullest.

Lu Yipeng looked at those photographs. Then tears began to flow down his cheeks.

The air was still cold as it should be. Even though he was inside the house, Lu Yipeng tightly wrapped himself in a winter jacket. Tears kept flowing until there was nothing left to shed.

He waited until the tears dried up. The young detective picked up a piece of white paper. He then wrote something down.

The sky outside was dark and peaceful. The cold air continued to descend. Paechikchik flew out of the slightly open cage to perch near the dimly lit writing desk. To absorb the warmth from the light bulb. He observed the person writing on the paper.

Lu Yipeng wrote the letters on the paper carefully. When he finished writing, he folded it in half. He folded it again. Then he picked up a white envelope and inserted the folded paper inside. He placed it on the table.

By the time Lu Yipeng finished writing the letter, it was quite late. The young detective got up from the table, leaving the dimly lit writing desk open like that, because he saw the white bird sleeping peacefully. The gesture was warm and fitting.

Lu Yipeng got up from the writing desk and walked towards the wardrobe. He opened it and reached for a shirt. Then he began to change his clothes.

It was close to midnight, and the whole house was quiet and cold. Lu Yipeng stood in front of the mirror, bathed in the light from the lamp left on at the writing desk. He looked at himself in the full black detective suit, with the insignia of the department decorated on the left chest.

This was the outfit he had always dreamed of wearing, and he used to wear it with full pride…

In this uniform, almost everything about him is infused with his dreams and determination. He loves being a police officer more than anything else. After receiving this uniform, Lu Yipeng was determined to wear it with pride at every official event he was assigned to by the police department.

He has never taken off this uniform in front of anyone, not even once. Not even when ordered by a superior.

But he took it off in front of one person…

Lu Yipeng slowly took off his hat. Then he removed the black necktie. He slowly took off the full dress uniform once again.

Not because of any orders, or any coercion.

He took it off, because of the voice of his own heart.

…

“Oh, inspector, you’re here early this morning.” Duan Feng greeted the person who walked in with an enthusiastic tone, “Inspector, you have come at the perfect moment, will you be the one judging me, sir?”

Lu Yipeng smiled, “Hmm. I want to see if your face is still as handsome as before.”

Duan Feng chuckled, “Of course, be careful, inspector, you might fall in love with me. Oh… I said, oops.”

Lu Yipeng also chuckled. After a while, a doctor walked in with nurses and medical tools. Then the bandage on Duan Feng’s face was removed, revealing the stitched wounds. The stitches were removed one by one, and once it was done, the doctor handed him a mirror to look at his own face.

“Oh, thank you, doctor, it feels like I never had anything done on my face before.”

The doctor smiled at him, exchanged a few words, then left the room. Duan

Feng turned to look at Lu Yipeng, “Inspector, do you have anything to say?”

“Well… I’m glad your face is back to normal.” Lu Yipeng said, with a hint of disappointment in Duan Feng’s expression, “Hmm. I might consider having the doctor enhance it a bit, or else inspector you might think I’ve become more handsome.”

“Normally, you’re already handsome.” Lu Yipeng said with a smile. Duan

Feng looked at him again, then asked, “Didn’t you bring your assistant today?”

“Oh.. no. I left it at home before, because I might have to drive a long way later.”

“?!” Duan Feng looked at him with an immediate look of surprise, “Where are you going?”

“I don’t know yet.” Lu Yipeng replied straight, before smiling at Duan Feng again, “More than likely, there will be a new inspector to replace me. There is a need to impose rules on someone who’s not afraid of trains.”

“Inspector, what do you mean?!” Duan Feng asked in a shocked tone. Lu Yipeng looked at him again, “Actually, I just made the decision last night.

Seeing that you’re the one I’m closest to, I came to tell you first.”

“Inspector!” Duan Feng called his name again, and tried to sit up from the bed, “What’s happening, why all of a sudden. Why would you…”

Lu Yipeng walked over to hold him down, “I’m sorry, sir, for possibly disappointing you, but I’ve made my decision.”

Duan Feng looked at him, puzzled, “Why, inspector? Where are you going?” Lu Yipeng smiled faintly on his face, “I’m going looking for a bird.”

…

The resignation letter in a white envelope was placed on Chen Qian’s desk.

Before he noticed it, the young police inspector had already driven out of town, leaving his accommodation with his full uniform hanging in front of the wardrobe.

Upon seeing the resignation letter from Lu Yipeng, Chen Qian had two more letters in his hand. The first one was a salary increase notification, with Lu

Yipeng’s name at the top. As for the other letter, it was a report from the

Forensic and Evidence Investigation Department regarding the corpse found on that day.

The report in the letter summarized that the clothing and belt worn by the corpse were abnormal, as if they had been put on by someone else after death.

As soon as he saw the resignation letter from Lu Yipeng, Chen Qian immediately placed this report in the deepest part of the desk drawer before letting out a sigh.

Lu Yipeng drove along the narrow road in a car that had a history of frequent visits to the garage. Inside the car, apart from a small bag containing a few items of clothing and a tent for overnight stays, there was a bird in a cage placed on the front seat. Seat belts were fastened securely, and in the back there was a container holding pots and pans that were just taken off the stove, neatly packed alongside the travel bag and a thick sleeping bag, to prevent them from falling over.

Lu Yipeng left his dreams at his old house, leaving behind everything he had managed to gather, heading towards a place he was not quite sure of but only the young police officer knew that he had to go there.

After working for five years, Lu Yipeng had saved up enough money. Planning to travel for a period of time, he might as well start his journey that could last for years.

He was willing to leave everything behind. In search of a red peafowl that had flown away with his heart.

The young police officer drove south, towards the place where he thought the bird would be.

Hoping the red-peafowl bird would still be waiting for him.

…

The morning air was fresh and cool, with birds of all sizes singing harmoniously. Birds flew out of cages, carrying out their usual rituals to welcome a new day, just like every day that had passed.

On the wide courtyard in front of the mansion-like house built on a high cliff, a man lay stretched out on a long bamboo chair. He wore a silk shirt, layered with another animal fur shirt in white. The man’s skin was pale like snow, the gentle sunlight fell softly on his face, his eyes closed peacefully, the sighing wind in a constant rhythm, as if he was enjoying the surrounding nature in a peaceful manner.

A clean white cockatoo flew in gracefully, catching the immediate attention of the man with closed eyes. The bird landed on his shoulder, before nuzzling his head affectionately.

“Kongque, Kongque.”

A gentle smile appeared on the man’s face. In the shadows of the morning sunlight, a tall figure walked in with a smile.

   -End-

–

**Everyone sees the word “End” above, would want to smash the screen and definitely want to pull my head out to drain my blood for sure!!!

In truth, the story continues, but unfortunately this promotion does not include any desserts (only big-sized instant noodles!!! << get slapped )

Furthermore, the dessert section reserves the right to remain your dessert in your mind…

But… From the comments (almost every comment), everyone seems eager for dessert… So, to keep the peace, I will share some of the dessert content that will be in the collection for you to read and enjoy before that.

    

   -To be continued in the special-

Lu Yipeng drove with his companion, a bird named Paechikchik, in the car with a venus flytrap swaying due to the shaking of the car in support of the driver.

They were headed to a place where he had only been once before, and the winding road was full of bumps and jolts from the car. It was a place where the police did not inspect, a place located far out in the wide sea.

An island full of a flock of birds that Hong Kongque had once taken him to, where he was forced to feed those birds for several days.

Looking back, it wasn’t a beautiful and happy memory at all, yet why… Why did the image of a large flock of birds that flew majestically appear in the back of his mind?

The fact that he had abandoned his dreams, resigned from his job to search for that crazy bird. Anyone who knows would say that he was truly crazy, and Lu Yipeng started to think that he must really be crazy.

But to say he was sorry again, there is no way he would be sorry.

The young police officer drove the car down, stopping to play with the bird to help it cope with the stress of long-distance driving. At first, Paechikchik seemed to be car sick, but after half a day passed, the original bird began to mimic the song playing from the CD, so Lu Yipeng ended up listening to both the bird and the radio singing along.

And then, the bird seemed to get along quite well with its owner after all.

If he had not seen that corpse with his own eyes, Lu Yipeng would never have known for sure that the crazy peacock still had a life. No one would have suspected that someone dead had the time to change his own pants for a corpse, right?

He did not want to believe that this was all planned in advance. Was Hong Kongque just testing his courage like that?

Lu Yipeng could not answer- they said that testing it all seemed like a waste of time and resources. Once he understood that his red peafowl might still be alive somewhere, his heart palpitated. He wanted to go ask the crazy peacock himself, to find out how all of this even happened.

The problem was that the crazy peacock would probably not come out to meet him.

He invested in burning his own secret mansion and ordered his accomplice to leave, and even left the cockatoo he loved like his own child with him like this…

Indeed, truly so!!

Lu Yipeng could not explain what he was feeling towards Hong Kongque. Perhaps a little bit of resentment, a little bit of anger, but what words did he want to say to that swan before this? He still wanted to say…

But before he could say anything he wanted to bite the neck of that peacock at least once. The cause of his restless heart is like this…

Regardless of whether this was all just a planned test or not… in the end, Hong Kongque released him from the model, pulling him out of the old dream successfully.

In this matter, Lu Yipeng lost for real

The plan that Hong Kongque orchestrated to deal with him, played around with him. It made his heart jump out without realizing it, and then repeated it, making him retreat without getting up…

If you think the strategy of Sun Tzu’s martial arts is complex and mysterious, then the love strategy of Hong Kongque is even more intricate and hidden. With a new military genius like Lu Yipeng, will he be able to defeat it?

All in all, losing to such a great intelligent general, no one can match him

Lu Yipeng stopped and spent the night at a gas station, parked his car and rested for the night. In the morning, he drove to the port, a vague memory that belonged to him.

The young man arrived at the pier around 9 in the morning, but he had to spend some time negotiating with the boatmen before they would agree to find a large boat and a paddle strong enough to lift his car onto the boat. However, the most difficult part was finding a boat driver who would take him to the mysterious island.

Just like in old movies, to pass his examination at the Shaolin Temple, he must first pass through the Eighteen Golden Human Checkpoints. Lu Yipeng wanted to sail to find the rare bird on the island, but he had to first pass through the fifteen notorious boat captains, as luck would have it that the bird he was looking for happened to be an incredibly rare species called the “once-in-alifetime” bird, thought to have disappeared for who knows how many years and probably would not appear again, because one specimen was enough to satisfy his hunger.

Lu Yipeng had no choice but to exchange fists with the fifteen boat captains. There was Paechikchik jumping and dancing in the cage, making croaking sounds, sometimes speaking alternately. It was unclear whether it was cheering or teasing him. For example…

“Fight, Fight.”

“No pass. No pass.”

“Definitely dying, definitely dying.”

Lu Yipeng covered his ears and eyes, thirty times he had to escape from those captains’ punches and kicks. He thought that he had gotten closer to the rare bird because it was with him for a while. Never had he heard such ridiculous and senseless speech. The bird must have a special radar and caught signs of his old boss. Surely such gibberish was not meant to be spoken.

Before Lu Yipeng could knock down all fifteen boatmen, the clock was almost showing noon. Both humans and birds were hungry and tired at the pier which was once used as a revolving stage. Less than fifteen minutes. That was the time where that fighting arena changed to become a place where sixteen people and one bird were sitting down to have lunch together.

Because they were chit-chatting during lunch, Lu Yipeng learned that all of them were people who had once been helped by Hong Kongque. Each person showed scars with the words Hong Kongque written on their legs. Some had scars, some had tattoos on their arms, some on their chests. Some even had scars on their necks and backs, but none of them seemed to be in a horrifying place.

When it was time to show his scars, Lu Yipeng felt the most uncomfortable, as he had to remove his pants in front of so many people staring at him. Even if he had a thick face like a brick wall, he couldn’t handle it. So Lu Yipeng had to go to the bathroom and come back with a piece of wiping cloth saving his lower nakedness. Then he slowly opened the softness of his inner thigh for everyone to see, trying to cover that part as closely as possible.

People react differently when they look at the scar. Some widen their eyes while others furrow their brows, but the most interesting thing is not the people but rather the different reaction of that crazy cockatoo.

“Sexy. Sexy.”

Lu Yipeng thought that he really wanted to break the cockatoo’s neck and grill it for real. The thought of cruelty towards him was like a thorn in his side. As he approached the old master, he began to speak uncontrollably, both out of anger and frustration.

Fifteen pairs of eyes looked at the scar on his leg and then applauded, saying that this was the place where they wanted to adorn their Red Peafowl scar the most. This was a crucial place that Hong Kongque would not easily let people scar those three words. So the person who was allowed to have a Red Peafowl scar there. This meant that he was truly special.

Lu Yipeng hesitated, unable to help but asked if there was another person with a scar on the thigh. All shook their heads, then said that a person with a scar like that. Mostly either died or disappeared completely.

Instead of being shocked or afraid, the young man kept asking again and again. Upon receiving confirmation that those with scars like that. Either died or disappeared, Lu Yipeng finally felt a little relieved. When he arrived on the island and encountered Hong Kongque with another person, he then …

Examining the scar again, Lu Yipeng changed into pants. That cockatoo talked nonsense again, trying to make a good impression. Then he asked about the scheduled departure of the boat. It appeared that they were going to that island, but they still had to wait for the high tide of the day, which only occurred in the early morning and late evening. The problem was the morning tide when the water rose. Lu Yipeng wasted time fighting and eating, so he had to sleep there and wait for the late tide to leave by boat.

Why is it so difficult to find a crazy peacock like this?

Lu Yipeng thought about how to deal with that crazy peacock. If he found it, he would cook it in a spicy soup, shred it and gnaw at it. But he also knew full well that thinking was one thing, it would be another thing to find such a rare bird. If he found it, he shouldn’t hope that he could do anything. Not being treated badly or harmed is not enough to make the common people respect and appreciate, so it is considered a good deed if the crazy peacock will let him live alongside him. Instead of thinking of ways to cook the bird in a spicy soup, which would likely never happen, it would be better to plan and deal with the bird in case it suddenly decided to play tricks and escape.

After thinking for a while, the ship’s captain came in to talk to him again. Lu

Yipeng realized that each of them respected Hong Kongque as a father, a brother, a few as an uncle, or an elder. Hong Kongque had helped these people in times of crisis, and they all repaid him by coming to work as boatmen and guarding the entrance and exit of that island.

Listening, one would think of the influential figures in movies who were not wrong, but Lu Yipeng encountered something different, not a movie, but a reality situation.

Conversation goes on until late at night, the captain finally signals that it’s time to leave the boat. That’s when Lu Yipeng had to board the boat.

…

– The End –

…

 

THE RED PEAFOWL CHAPTERS HOME

 

   REDPEAFOWL, Chapter 25: Broken Pieces

Since childhood, Lu Yipeng has dreamed of becoming a good police officer and a pillar of the community. He excelled in his entrance exam to the police academy, scoring the highest marks and graduating with honors at the top of his class, earning praise in every subject.

He began his civil service career by closing several important cases, until he became an inspector at the age of twenty-four. Lu Yipeng’s civil service life was just beginning. He had only been in office for five years… Four out of five of those years were spent working with the legendary mafia that called himself Red Peafowl.

…

Lu Yipeng blinked and found himself in the light.

Where am I?

Someone walked up and sat beside him, “Do you regret becoming a police officer now or not?”

Lu Yipeng tried to look at the face of the person, but he saw nothing but the shining light, “Why should I regret?”

It seemed like he heard the person chuckle, “That’s right. Why should you regret? You chose this yourself. No need to regret at all.”

After speaking, the person got up and walked away. Lu Yipeng shouted after them, “Wait. Who are you?”

The figure in the light seemed to turn to look at him. Then they replied, “I am the person you didn’t choose.”

?!!

Lu Yipeng blinked again. He saw a white ceiling above his head. After blinking several times, the smell of disinfectant used to clean the floor floated up and touched his nose. The young police officer quickly got up.

“Ah, Inspector Lu, you are  awake?!” Someone sitting on the sofa exclaimed. As Lu Yipeng looked, he vaguely remembered this was the police officer who had worked with him before.

“What happened to me?” The young inspector asked, looking puzzled. The police officer looked at him with a confused expression, “Inspector, don’t you remember? You went on the ship with Heiying and Hong Kongque. Then those two blew up the ship. You’re the only one who survived.”

?!! Lu Yipeng’s eyes widened, “What? Am I the only one? Have you found the bodies of the others?”

“Well… in the morning, we took the boat around to look for them again, but then again the boat had exploded violently and the water was too deep. No one would have survived. Only you, Inspector.”

“!”

“Inspector?!” The old police officer called out to him, his voice sounding alarmed, “Are you crying?!”

Lu Yipeng raised his hand to touch his face. Then he realized that warm tears were flowing out of his eyes, and his throat tightened instantly. Before the tears could burst out uncontrollably, the old inspector looked at him for a moment before slowly backing away.

This was the first time in his memory that Lu Yipeng cried. His father always taught him to never let anyone see him shed tears, but today, he couldn’t hold back the tears from flowing uncontrollably.

No one survived…

Lu Yipeng clenched his fists… on the boat, he held onto Hong Kongque’s hand tightly…

Warm tears fell onto his cheeks.

On that boat, Hong Kongque followed his plan.

Warm tears dripped and wet his shirt collar.

On that boat, Hong Kongque sacrificed himself to help him.

The image of the white, clean, snow-like structure that had been violated still remained clear in his mind, even though there was no need for such clarity at all.

But Hong Kongque agreed… agreed to help him…

Lu Yipeng’s throat constricted almost to the point of feeling hard swallowing his saliva.

He knew from the start that Hong Kongque would not let the man be captured. He knew that Hong Kongque wanted to kill the man with his own hands.

But Lu Yipeng was confident that he could persuade Hong Kongque. Lu Yipeng swallowed hard, trying to suppress the sobs.

That day, Hong Kongque came to visit him… even agreeing to put on handcuffs himself. Just to have a conversation with him. Just to get him to come along…

Lu Yipeng’s heart was so painful that it felt like it was about to tear apart.

A person like Hong Kongque. There was no need to wear handcuffs. Just to talk to a small police officer like him. If not for…

The words that almost slipped out of his mouth as they danced together that night, Hong Kongque stopped himself… that person knew even better than him in the end. What would he choose?

Lu Yipeng closed his eyes, tears streaming down his cheeks soaking them completely.

He and Hong Kongque didn’t start their relationship on a good note at all. Everything that man did to him… it was insanity to the end.

But sometimes, in his dreams, he still saw the smile, and those hands trying to feed him snow fish.

Lu Yipeng never really liked snow fish before. He only started to like them because of Hong Kongque, but he would never be able to tell that man again.

Tears flowing uncontrollably.

He was the one who brought Hong Kongque onto that ship, forcing him to do everything just for…

The young police officer’s throat was full. He tried to swallow his saliva again.

On that ship, Hong Kongque asked a simple question, a question he couldn’t answer…

Question that might make that man not leave him.

And then he heard the word “love.” For the first time, and the last time.

From the mouth of the man who exchanged his life for him.

Lu Yipeng couldn’t hold back his feelings anymore. The young man cried out, screaming with the sadness compressed in his chest.

He was sad that he had gotten to know that man.

I regret falling in love with that man, and what I regret the most is not realizing how much he loved that man until… losing that man.

Lu Yipeng screamed like a madman, until both the male nurses and the police officers standing outside had to rush in and grab him.

The young police officer screamed almost voicelessly, but filled with emotions that could never be conveyed to that man again.

Never will that Red Peafowl allow him to speak his heart out again.

Hong Kongque…

…

The explosion incident became big news that week. The names of Black Eagle and Red Peafowl resurfaced in the headlines once again, followed by the coverage of a massive fire at the riverside mansion owned by Red Peafowl.

Both the newspapers and the television reported this news with great excitement. Old photos of the disgraced police superintendent were shown on television. As the prime suspect in the bombings of a police patrol car and a pleasure boat, followed by images of the young Hong Paijue, believed to be the real Red Peafowl, all headlines aligned that the two legendary monsters from the past were likely dead. Even though their bodies had not been found.

It took Lu Yipeng three days to come to terms with what had happened. He visited Duan Feng, who was still in quarantine. As he saw his face, the first thing Duan Feng said was, “Inspector, you did your best. Don’t be sad.”

Lu Yipeng looked at his colleague in silence, unable to find any words to say.

He couldn’t catch anyone, and on top of that…

After that, he was called in for questioning.

The investigation team gathered together as a large group, because they were closing three major cases. Starting from the case of the massacre of the Hong family thirty-six years ago, the case of planting a bomb in a detective inspector’s car, and the latest case of planting a bomb on a luxury yacht. Recorded statements passed through the phone of Hong Kongque, which were secretly recorded from a bug device and used to assist in the investigation.

Lu Yipeng testified with a heart that was about to burst. The images of those events were vivid in his memory, as if emphasizing the feelings he was facing. After finishing the interrogation, he felt exhausted, drained of energy, as if the spark of life had disappeared from his heart.

The young inspector drowned in sorrow once again. He locked himself in a recovery room, rejecting both visits from psychiatrists and psychologists. He was fixated on a single photo of a person that broke his heart the most.

The black and white photo that was taken from an old picture frame, another round of it.

The photo of a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy looking up at something above. He must be in the place he dreamed of being now. And left the person who had just realized his feelings alone in despair.

Lu Yipeng wanted to be as strong as Hong Kong, to bravely pass through this period, but it seemed that people like him would collapse and crumble.

The red peafowl did not chirp or quack to mock him, pushing him further into despair.

…

The young inspector had been immersed in himself for almost a week. One day, Chen Qian brought something to him.

“Pengpeng.”

The sound he heard immediately softened the heart of Lu Yipeng, which seemed to have died. The thing brought to him was a white-collared cockatoo, in a beautifully crafted cage. The person who brought it told him, “Someone left this for the inspector before the incident happened, but it seems you are having a problem. So… I’ll keep it for now.”

Lu Yipeng looked at the little bird dancing in the cage with an excited expression, feeling touched to have found it. Its feathers used to be clean and white, neatly arranged, but now they were messy and disheveled, yet it still had a touch of charm, as the person who brought the bird explained.

“Recently, it has stopped shedding its feathers on its own. It must be missing its old owner a lot, so we thought it would be good to give it to you, inspector.

Maybe it will stop shedding its feathers, and the inspector won’t feel lonely anymore.”

Lu Yipeng smiled for the first time. He thanked the person who brought the bird to him. After they left, Lu Yipeng opened the cage. The bird hopped in towards him as if it missed him greatly. He then gently stroked its head and cheeks as before.

“Pengpeng, Pengpeng.”

Lu Yipeng raised his hand and petted the bird. Tears welled in his eyes.

…

Two days later, Lu Yipeng left the hospital along with the bird. Duan Feng was also discharged from the isolation room, scheduled for surgery to remove the explosive shrapnel embedded in his back the following week.

The first place the young police officer headed was not his own residence, but the site of the once magnificent mansion of the Red Peafowl Family. It now lay in ruins, a mere shell of its former self, with debris and ashes scattered around.

He had heard earlier that after the incident on the ship, the Red Peafowl Family mansion was set ablaze. All the servants and siblings had disappeared without a trace, leaving the grand mansion to fall into the flames as if to engulf its owner in the loss.

Was this Hong Kongque’s final command? Had the man anticipated this fate, or was it always destined to end this way?

Was this the end of the legend of Hong Kongque?

Lu Yipeng stepped out of the car, carrying the cage with the white bird inside. He stopped in front of the yellow and black tape that had been set up to keep people out. He looked at the broken ruins that once used to be a place he frequented.

The smell of smoke still lingered. Though it had been over a week, the extent of the damage was still visible enough to imagine how intense the fire must have been. It was said that the fire burned for two days and two nights, but it was eventually brought under control.

The young police officer looked towards what used to be the garden, the grand front gate, and the reception room where he often found Hong Kongque sitting.

The room was no more. The chair was gone. The person who used to sit there was gone too.

He lifted his head slightly. The part that used to be a wing with a swimming pool collapsed down at nightfall, leaving only the ruins of black bricks and elegant cement. There was no swimming pool where he could swim without fearing anyone seeing the scars on his legs. No one was there to coax him into the pool anymore.

Those paths of circles. He probably never had the chance to explore them.

Even the room adjacent to the balcony where he and Hong Kongque used to dance together. It was desolate, nothing left.

No dining table. No hand to force-feed him anything.

There was nothing left at all. No one left truly.

Hong Kongque had disappeared, destroying everything. Only the painful memories remained in his mind.

He left the cruel burden to the person who had just found confidence in himself that day…

There was nothing left but sorrow…

Lu Yipeng let the wind blow his tears dry before bending down to look at the little white feathered bird in the cage. The little bird looked back at him, as if feeling sad as well.

Hong Kongque loved this bird the most, but he left it behind for someone to take care of it, or perhaps one day he would realize his mistake and leave the bird for him to forgive…

“Pengpeng…” The bird called his name. A name that only its one owner had called. Its voice drifted away with the wind as Lu Yipeng looked at it and smiled, then turned back to the car.

…

Lu Yipeng’s small, cramped apartment was the same as always. The bed was still cold due to the cold weather outside. Lu Yipeng laid the hot water bag that had just been boiled down on the bed before climbing onto it. He hugged the warm bag close to him. To absorb the warmth and prevent his body from feeling too cold.

But his heart was frozen beyond words.

The cage of Paechikchik is situated on a chair near the little bird. It bends its neck to look at him before using its beak to unlock itself and flapping its wings to land on the metal rod at the head of his bed. Lu Yipeng raises his head to look at it and then raises his hand to stroke its white and black feathers lightly.

There are many words and emotions packed tightly in his heart, but the owner of this little bird is no longer there to listen. Lu Yipeng raises his hand to stroke the bird, stroking it until the image in front slowly fades away.

In his dream, Lu Yipeng also sees Hong Kongque sitting at a table eating rice. He uses chopsticks to pick up some food, occasionally pinching his nose. In the dream, he raises his hand to the left and then gestures to the right, but nothing is done on that side. In the dream, Hong Kongque chuckles and smiles at him, as though replaying a scene from a previous day for him to see again.

Then he finds himself in a bathtub with Hong Kongque, seeing a large red peafowl on a clean white back. Hong Kongque then turns his face back, embracing him.

A cold breeze envelops Lu Yipeng as he wakes up and finds the sun shining once again. The little bird is still perched on the bed, looking at him intently. Lu Yipeng sits up, and the little bird jumps to perch on his shoulder, pecking at his hair before chirping out.

“Good morning, good morning.”

Lu Yipeng manages to force a smile, wrapping himself in a thick winter jacket before tucking in the bed and heading to the kitchen.

Paechikchik is still perched on his shoulder, its demeanor seeming somewhat cold as it snuggles close to his cheek. It rubs its head against his cheek, almost as if shedding feathers. Lu Yipeng smiles and turns to pay attention to the noodles boiling in the pot.

The young police officer was about to drain the noodles into a bowl and was about to pour the warm soup over them. Just as the cell phone rings loudly, the young police officer removes his hand from the pot and walks over to answer the phone.

“Inspector-Lu, sorry to disturb you this early in the morning, but we have found a body… would you mind coming to confirm?”

The warmth in Lu Yipeng’s hand that was starting to come from the hot steam from the stove quickly dissipates. He responds back, “Um… I’ll be there in a moment.”

Then the young police officer slumped down to sit at a small table to eat his meal, looking at the noodles in the bowl that were starting to get soggy. After a moment, he walked back upstairs, carrying a bird cage down and placing it on the other side of the table, then grabbing a box of seeds to add to the food bowl.

It was the first time Lu Yipeng ate with a bird… He sat eating noodles at one corner of the table, glancing at Paechikchik pecking at the seeds on the other side of the table.

Not knowing if at other times when he didn’t eat with him Hong Kongque ate alone, or if someone else came to sit with him, or if he did it like him.

Lu Yipeng ate only half a bowl of noodles. He started to feel a little nauseous. The phone beeped, telling him to go confirm the body… If it was a relative or someone he knew, they would have already removed the names… and he had no close relatives to go and confirm the body…

There was only one person’s body that needed him to go and confirm.

…

The air in the room was kept at a cool temperature. When he opened the door, the stench of decay hit his nostrils, making him almost gag. Lu Yipeng had been a police officer for five years, and had never encountered such a smell before, but with this level of decay, even an experienced police officer had to resist the urge to retch.

The forensic doctor and Chen Qian were waiting inside with a team of investigators. On the autopsy table was the body of a person lying on their back. In a charred and bloated state, almost unrecognizable, some parts of the skin were starting to peel away to reveal sections of white bone.

What shocked the young police officer the most was the pants that were tightly attached to the body… Dark red pants, like the blood that was beginning to dry…

As far as Lu Yipeng could remember, the deceased was wearing black pants. As for Hong Kongque, he was wearing a red coat… and after taking off his upper body shirt…

The young police officer was so shocked that he bit his lip, trying to contain the tumult in his mind. Chen Qian opened his mouth to speak to him.

“Inspector-Lu. We only found this body this morning, floating on a fishing boat. The condition of the burns and some missing organs like this… We suspect it may be the body of the deceased. Either it’s Hong Sujue or Hong Kongque. Can you help confirm? You are only one person who has seen both of them alive clearly, “

Lu Yipeng swallowed his saliva, mustered up the courage to walk closer to the dissected corpse on the autopsy table, and looked at the body clearly. The head was charred and most of the back skin had peeled off, revealing only a skull and some decaying muscles. He couldn’t recognize the original face.

The body had been burned more than halfway, one arm was missing, and the remaining skin, if not peeled off, had changed color to the point where it was difficult to determine its original condition. But his pants…

Lu Yipeng swallowed his saliva again. Even though it was clear to this extent, he still didn’t want to believe it. He didn’t want to believe that this was the end of that bird. The young police officer spoke, his voice hoarse.

“Turn… Turn him over so I can see his back.”

The doctor and his assistant helped to turn the almost complete rotten body over, the stench of decay filling the room. When they flipped the back up, Lu Yipeng raised his hands to cover his mouth, widened his eyes, before exclaiming,

“Hong Kongque! I confirm that he is Hong Kongque.”

All the police officers looked at him. Before Chen Qian asked, “Inspector, are you sure?”

Lu Yipeng nodded, his lips pressed tight, “I am sure…”

…

After certifying the body, Lu Yipeng walked out, almost unable to hold back his tears. He almost ran back to the car to go back. Tears began to flow down his face.

Those pants were definitely Hong Kongque’s, the young police officer was sure. No one else wore pants of that color except for that man. But…

On the back of the body… There was no tattoo of a peacock.

There was nothing at all that could point to any previous markings or anything that had been on there before.

Lu Yipeng slammed himself into the car seat before raising his hand to wipe away the tears that were flowing uncontrollably.

Hong Kongque!!

…

** Well~ Congratulations to all of you for finishing this bowl of instant noodles.. Yeah~

Is everyone stunned or not? (Got hit)

This bowl of noodles is finished, just a little more water left. Next time, let’s cook noodles together, okay?

I’ve already said that my noodles are delicious. Hehe.

 

      THE RED PEAFOWL CHAPTERS HOME

   REDPEAFOWL, Chapter 24: The Last Enemy

Ten days. After the doctor allowed Lu Yipeng to go home to continue resting, before leaving, he visited Duan Feng who had moved out of the ICU to an isolation room, as there were concerns about infection in the burn wound.

Seeing the person who walked in was him, Duan Feng immediately spoke up, “Inspector, are you leaving the hospital today, right?”

“Yes.” Lu Yipeng nodded, looking at his colleague who still had bandages all over his body. Duan Feng noticed and spoke again, “Why are you making that face? The nurses just changed my bandages, and now I feel much better. The pain I used to have is almost gone.”

Lu Yipeng looked at Duan Feng again. He knew that the burn wound of this police officer was at a second-degree level, where the skin was not completely destroyed, but the pain did not need to be described, as the skin has many nerve endings. Seeing Duan Feng still talking to him with a lively tone like this, Lu Yipeng couldn’t help but admire him.

When Duan Feng saw the other person still standing, he asked, “Inspector, you didn’t come to just stand and watch me play dead, right? Is that correct? … The inspector is going to go deal with the person who planted the bomb in our car, right?”

In addition to the investigative team, Lu Yipeng had not yet revealed this plan to anyone, but the case of the Hong family, and the matter that Hong Sujue might be the one who planted the car bomb. He briefly told Duan Feng, and it seemed that this police officer could see through his thoughts.

“Be careful, Inspector. I know you’re good, but you don’t look tough like a car hood.”

Lu Yipeng chuckled, “I won’t go to let him toss me around.”

Duan Feng turned to him earnestly, “Inspector, I’m waiting for you to take me back to work because… When I undergo physical therapy, inspector, you must come and see it. You must see my new face.”

Lu Yipeng pursed his lips, finally managing to crack a smile, “Um… I’ll visit you for sure then.”

…

After finishing talking to Duan Feng, Lu Yipeng changed his clothes and got into the car with three other police officers to follow. His plan was to go back home and leave a team of two police officers to guard the house. Then they would rotate shifts to catch Hong Sujue at the right time. Then…

The four police officers drove along the highway, turning onto a bypass road away from the city. They noticed a forklift following them.

“Is there a broken down vehicle around here?” The driver of the police car observed, “I didn’t hear any radio reports.”

“Maybe they were called to tow a car to the garage. There’s a car repair shop around here. Let’s hurry up. Drive fast.” Another police officer spoke. The driver decided to drive closer to the left to let the folk lift pass and drive at the front.

“They are really hurrying up, I’ve never seen a forklift drive this fast before.” Another police officer furrowed his brow at Lu Yipeng, “Why rush so much to get a fork list to the garage?”

“I don’t know.” one of them replied, but before he could say anything, the driver of the police car suddenly exclaimed, “Hey!!”

Then they heard a loud screeching noise, and Lu Yipeng’s face was almost smashed into the seat. Thankfully, there was a safety belt that helped hold him in place. The sound of metal grinding against each other followed shortly after.

Then the airbags installed in the front automatically deployed.

“What’s going on!?” Lu Yipeng shouted as soon as he regained his composure. The police officer sitting in the driver’s seat grunted as he had an airbag supporting his neck, “The car, the fork lift stopped suddenly.”

Before anyone could make any comments, another loud noise of heavy metal crashing into the car was heard. Then the car was lifted up.

“Oh my God!!” Lu Yipeng exclaimed as the car was lifted almost to the point of standing on its rear. All four police officers tried to grab onto something to prevent themselves from losing their balance. They could clearly see the yellow crane of the lifting truck through the front windshield. The loud clinking of metal colliding and the sound of the small wheels spinning on the crane could

be heard distinctly. Then the forklift car started running again, dragging all four of the police officers inside as it ascended to about sixty degrees.

“This is insane. Radio to the center for backup fast.” The police officer sitting next to Lu Yipeng yelled. The problem was that the front airbags were still inflated, forcing the two other police officers to grab onto something. The radio fell off due to the strong gravitational force, and Lu Yipeng reached out to try to grab it, but he soon felt as if the car in front swerved suddenly. Their car was being dragged violently to the side, and the screeching noise of metal grinding got louder. Then they felt as if they were tumbling inside a washing machine.

The car Lu Yipeng was riding in rolled and tumbled, hitting the side road barrier hard before coming to a complete stop. Smoke from the damaged car’s radiator billowed up immediately.

Lu Yipeng felt as if he had lost consciousness in an instant. After the car came to a stop, the young police officer turned to look at the police officer immediately. The police officer had blood all over his face. It was unclear whether he had passed out or lost his life. Before Lu Yipeng could reach out to touch the police officer’s pulse, he heard the police officer sitting in the front seat moaning.

“What the fuck… Oh… my leg…”

“Stay calm.” Lu Yipeng said, feeling tears welling up in one eye. As he raised his hand to stroke the officer’s leg, he found his hand covered in a significant amount of blood.

“I will call the center. We need to call an ambulance.” Lu Yipeng said, and tried to find a phone. In his pants pocket, the sound of metal colliding rang out again. Before the car could be lifted, Lu Yipeng thought he might have a broken neck. When the car crashed onto the ground, he was not able to regain his composure in time. Right next to the car door, which had a shattered window, there was a handle attached to a piece of metal. Then the door was pulled out, and someone’s hand immediately reached out to pull him out.

Since meeting Hong Kongque, Lu Yipeng had been grabbed by the neck several times, each time as heavy and violent as being squeezed by pliers, but this time he felt even more so, as if a whole car was on top of him.

The young police officer, with the strongest hands he had ever encountered, felt pulled him out of the car wreckage. Then he threw him to the ground. Lu Yipeng tried to get up, and that hand reached out to grab his neck again. The sigh of relief of the young police officer disappeared immediately.

Lu Yipeng widened his eyes almost to the point of popping out because of the pressure. Right in front of him was a man about fifty-sixty years old, with a wound in the middle of his forehead. His dark, piercing eyes stared at him as if wanting to kill him.

Hong Sujue!!!

…

Hong Kongque was boxing. As Li Kong walked in, the elderly butler was standing in front of the door with a mobile phone in hand, but had not yet spoken. Suddenly, the boss turned around.

“Did he call?” Li Kong looked at his boss’s face before nodding slowly. His usually steady hand seemed to shake immediately. As he held the phone, he handed it to Hong Kongque’s ear.

“Hello…”

The phone call came from Lu Yipeng’s number, but the voice on the other end had changed, “Hello… Paijue, I am really glad to hear your voice again.”

Hong Kongque’s eyes hardened into a statue immediately, “Your voice sounds much more desperate than before.”

“Um… but your voice is still the same. I’ve been thinking of you all this time.”

“…”

“Paijue, for over thirty years. Even though you may have hurt me, I am proud of your fame and reputation as Hong Kongque. Whenever I hear your name, it always reminds me of your back, “

“Where have you been for over thirty years?”

“I have been in Hong Kong, but you probably didn’t know that I have been watching you all along. You have really improved yourself over the past thirty years. I haven’t had the opportunity to meet you face to face, but you have grown bolder and more mature over time. I am really proud of you, little brother.”

Hong Kongque’s eyes displayed a hint of arrogance, “You stop your nonsense and get to the point. This matter had been going on for over thirty years, so don’t call me with trivial matters like this.”

The other person chuckled, “You are really impatient. Can’t you talk to me for a while, or are you worried about the owner of the phone?”

“To be honest, I don’t want to talk to you for a second.” Hong Kongque replied, “How is my person doing?”

“Still alive.” The other person replied before continuing, “And how about your person? You call the police your person? You are really fond of him. Even if I cut him off and drag his intestines out, would you still care about him?”

“Heiying!!” Hong Kongque’s voice exclaimed loudly, making the other person silent before responding, “It’s not right for you to be so in love with him, right? Do you still have a heart to love someone else?”

“Keep your mouth shut.” Hong Kongque said, “Let me talk to him for a bit.”

“It seems like you won’t listen. This is enough to damage my eardrums already.”

“…” Hong Kongque fell silent for a moment, then spoke up again, “If you don’t let me talk to him, don’t expect me to do as you say.”

“Oh… Is there another negotiation now?” The other side replied, “And if I let him talk to you, will you do as I say?”

“If all you want is to capture and kill him to vent your anger, forget it. I have other things to do.”

“Do you have a heart of steel, seeing him die like that?”

“I know you know my personality… Alright. I will hang up the call and you can do whatever you want with him, kill him, or spare him.”

At the end of the line, a chuckle came out, “I like you just the way you are, you have a really tough heart.”

As he finished speaking, he heard a sound like someone pouring water, before hearing a cough. Then, he heard a louder, more urgent sound, “Say something, let him know that you’re not dead yet.”

Hong Kongque’s heart raced in his chest. He remained silent, waiting for a response, as time passed…

“Kongque…”

A warm feeling surged up in Hong Kongque’s heart immediately upon hearing the voice, “Pengpeng, are you still okay?”

The other end of the line was silent for a moment before responding, “I think so.”

“Good… If not, I will have to tell him to kill you.”

“…”

Then the urgent voice chimed in, “Are you satisfied?”

“Where are you, brother?” Hong Kongque asked back, “I will come get that person back.”

“On the boat.” The other person replied, “I’m angry that you are coming because of this guy, but I want to see you, so we recall the past. I’m on the boat…” Then he described the color and features of the ship, “Come alone, little

Paijue, because I want to see only you.”

“I understand.” Hong Kongque replied. He then continued, “Have Inspector-

Lu hold the phone and talk to me.”

“If you do not hear his voice, will you die?” The other person reiterated, mimicking Hong Kongque’s voice, “No, I’m afraid of being boiled by my brother. When I arrive, he won’t have all his body parts complete. Then I will be coming there for nothing.”

He heard the other person chuckle loudly, “You really worry about him. Alright, I indulge you in everything, I will let him talk to you on the phone soon. Hurry up and come back, I’m waiting.”

The phone went silent once again. Then the voice of Lu Yipeng became louder, “Kongque, what do you think?”

“Pengpeng, can you make sense of anything to interpret for me?” The otherperson asked, continuing, “I’ll go find her and have her interpret for me. I want to make sure you are still breathing by the time I arrive.”

“Um… I want to eat snow fish at your house.” Lu Yipeng said as Hong Kongque chuckled and walked to change his shirt.

“Alright, I’ll have Li Kong prepare it after we finish this task.”

“I want to go sightseeing at your mansion.” Lu Yipeng added.

“Um… I’ll have Little Zhi accompany you for the tour.” Hong Kongque replied.

“I want to go swimming at your house.” Lu Yipeng continued.

“Um…”

“I want to soak in the bathtub at your house.”

“Pengpeng.” Hong Kongque called the other-person’s name, “If he pressures you or cuts something off, it’s because of the way you talk. I guess at this point he’s probably looking at you as if he wants to kill you, right?”

“You guessed it right.” The other-person responded, “But I don’t know what to say to you right now.”

“There’s no doubt about that during this time.”

“I just left the hospital, where there’s nothing but this case.” Lu Yipeng spoke up after a brief silence, “Oh.. my head is split, but the wound seems to have closed.”

Hong Kongque’s sigh followed, “I think the hospital might not be willing to treat you anymore.” He said before taking the shirt from the homeowner to put on.

“Kongque.” Li Kong called out as the boss stepped outside. Hong Kongque turned around to look.

“Let me go with you, please.”

Hong Kongque looked at the elderly, gray-haired face for a moment, then smiled, “Don’t worry, if the head of the house has left, who will take care of things here for me…”

Li Kong pursed his dry lips into a straight line, “Kongque…”

The person being called walked closer to him before speaking, “Please help me one more time please…”

…

“Pengpeng, speak a little louder. I’m on the deck, the machine is loud.” Hong Kongque spoke after jumping onto the boat and starting the engine.

“Oh… I thought you would ride the Jet Ski again.” Lu Yipeng’s voice responded loudly. Hong Kongque retorted, “Don’t act cute. Just because you’re close to the shore doesn’t mean you’re safe. And I don’t want to get wet in this cold weather.”

“Uh.. um…” After a pause, Lu Yipeng continued, “Kongque. Does talking about something make you feel warmer?”

“Is the situation not warm enough for you?” The other person interjected. Lu Yipeng chuckled before responding with a shaky voice, “Um… I don’t think it’s warm enough yet…”

Hong Kongque frowned, “Pengpeng, what’s with your voice?”

“Um… uh… um… well… I’m wet, and… the wind is really strong here, that’s why.”

“?!!”

“Kongque… are you feeling warm?”

“Pengpeng.” Hong Kongque called his name again, “Stop flapping your mouth and causing trouble for yourself. Say something that won’t annoy him…”

The other person chuckled nervously, “Well… I think… anything I do annoys him already… Kongque, about kungfu… is getting old making you more skilled?”

“It depends on the person.” Hong Kongque spoke before explaining further, “But he is at a genius level. Let me guess, he knocked you out before you even had a chance to look at him.”

“He… he brought a forklift.”

“?!”

“I believe he’s crazy.”

“Um… but I think you’re just as crazy as him. Is that a big ship?”

“It’s huge.” The other person replied, “I don’t know if it’s as big as it was thirty years ago, but it’s a really big ship. I don’t see anyone except for him, but

I can’t be sure, because he might be hiding.”

“Um…” Hong Kong nodded as he accelerated the speedboat, rushing out onto the water bathed in the golden sunlight of the late afternoon.

…

The childhood of Hong Sujue. He never called anyone “mom” even once in his life.

His mother passed away on the day he was born, and his father refused to remarry, choosing to raise his son himself.

Hong Suque grew up as the only son of the Hong family. Aside from his mother, he had everything. His father provided lessons in management and discipline from a young age, setting the goal that his only son would grow up to be an outstanding leader in the family. And Hong Sujue excelled in every aspect.

His childhood was better than that of other kids in every way, but his heart seemed to have a hidden knot, a desire for someone to be close to him, someone to play with, someone to stay near him. Without orders, complaints, or demands.

And one day, when he was about eight years old, his father brought a boy to the house, saying that this was his younger brother. The boy was about three years old, with fair, delicate skin. His pitch-black hair was smooth, and his large, round eyes sparkled like little fawns. When he smiled, it seemed like the whole world had nothing but freshness. When the boy called him “big brother.” The emptiness in Hong Sujue’s mind seemed to fill up and overflow.

Hong Paijue

Hong Sujue devoted everything he could at that moment to his younger brother. The little brother who was so adorable.

Since having a younger brother, his life became colorful. He was happiest when he heard the voice calling him “big brother.” He almost didn’t want to let go of the little hand he was holding.

His little brother is cuter than anything else in the world. But the stepfather didn’t let him stay with the little brother he loves all the time. He separates them. The little brother has to sleep in a small room while their stepfather secretly goes to sleep, Hong Sujue will go watch him, looking at the little brother’s face as he sleeps, cute and innocent.

As they grew older, he tried to please his little brother in every way. Whatever he wanted, as long as he said it, he would try to find a way to get it for his little brother. Even if it meant being scolded. He would still agree.

He loved that smile on his face the most.

One day, Hong Paijue told him that he wanted the moon. He even tried to find a way to bring it down. When he couldn’t, he found a way to take his little brother up instead. It wasn’t until later that he realized he almost lost his little brother forever.

Even so, their Hong Sujue still tried to win the heart of his little brother, until finally, their father ordered him to study abroad.

Being separated from his beloved little brother for many years caused him more distress than he had ever experienced before. Hong Sujue thought of various things, afraid that someone would come and take his little brother’s love away from him. He didn’t know if his little brother thought of him anymore. Finally, he had to write letters requesting updates and pictures of Hong Paijue to help ease his longing.

But as the days went on, the photos of his little brother sent to him became too adorable to handle. Even though they were black and white photos, Hong Sujue could almost see how white his skin was and how red his lips were. It was as if he could hear his little brother talking to him through the photos.

He couldn’t think of anything else in this world that was cuter than this. Hong

Sujue don’t care about anyone else, only being infatuated with his little brother’s photos for years, until they finally met again.

Hong Sujue eventually realized. He was so in love with his little brother that he couldn’t control himself anymore. It was the first time he made Hong Paijue cry like a madman. It was the first time his little brother said he hated him, but Hong Sujue couldn’t control himself anymore.

He wanted everything, everything from this little brother. Whether it was a smile, tears, a chuckle, a curse, everything. He just wanted those eyes to look at him alone.

He fell in love with every single part. Hong Paijue made him fall in love over and over again. Sometimes it was like ambrosia soothing his heart, and sometimes it was like a venom eating away at his heart.

Even though Hong Paijue hated him so much that he wanted to kill him and get rid of him once and for all, the inexplicable attraction and infatuation for him remained unchanged.

He waited, patiently waiting for the moment he would have Hong Paijue back again.

This time, he wouldn’t let anyone take his younger brother away from him again.

…

Lu Yipeng had never seen eyes as terrifying as these before. And that’s saying something. He had been working for five years. He had encountered gruesome murderers, mentally ill patients, and even the legendary Hong Kongque with eyes as deep as a raging river. But none of them had given him the icy chill in his heart like this one.

The eyes staring back at him were calm, but at the same time, they exuded the utmost pressure. If this was the eyes of a madman, Lu Yipeng thought he was facing someone crazier than any lunatic he had come across before.

“Are you really Hong Sujue?” The young police officer asked, still holding onto his phone, which was pressed to his ear. The man in his fifties, nearing sixty, looked at him for a moment before smiling, “Um… yeah, but I used to be called that.”

Lu Yipeng swallowed nervously. Time had taken a toll on his physical appearance since the photo was taken over thirty years ago, but some aspects of his personality still lingered, just as the way people look at things.

“Why did you have to plant a bomb in my car?” Lu Yipeng asked.

“Do you know…” Hong Sujue said calmly, walking closer, “If you’re not my brother’s favorite, I’ll blow you up and scatter you into pieces, burn you to ashes, and then throw you into the trash.”

Lu Yipeng shuddered as the other person continued speaking to him, “You’re just a newborn baby, just a few days old, but by chance, you were lucky enough to hug my cute little brother. And he has fallen deeply for you as well. Do you know that for over thirty years now, he has never fallen for anyone else? What have you done to him?!!”

The strong hand, like a pair of steel clamps, reached out to choke him once again, “What have you taken from him? Has he ever let you touch him? But you’ve been going in and out of his house so often. Have you ever touched him?

You must be punished, should be ripped off finger by finger.”

The young police officer tried to take a deep breath while the other person stared at him with piercing eyes, “If it wasn’t for the fact that you are my younger brother’s favorite toy. I would have killed you already, but don’t worry, I guarantee that no matter what, you won’t survive for sure. I just want to see him happy when he sees you complete and perfect. Then…”

The pressure on his fingers tightened gradually, until Lu Yipeng thought he was running out of breath and dying.

“I will kill you. He will see you die in front of his eyes.”

“Oh… the lunatic.” Lu Yipeng coughed out a word, his face turning so red that it was almost green, looking in that direction before chuckling, “Go ahead and curse me, soon you’ll be able to rest forever.”

Just then, the voice of someone else interjected.

“Heiying, you can let him go now.”

…

The tall man in a dark red coat billowed in the wind looked as if bathed in the sunshine exhibited like a painting washed in sharp light, his face calm and beautiful as he stared straight at the heads of the two men standing side by side. One was his past, which was more than his personal hell. The other was his present, who was about to escape from him completely.

Lu Yipeng was tied up with a small iron crane located at the bow. Seeing it,

Hong Kongque couldn’t help but let out a sigh, “Pengpeng, you are really in trouble.”

Lu Yipeng didn’t immediately respond, but just coughed and tried to breathe in the sigh. Even though he only let out a sound, “Um. I know.”

Hong Kongque continued to stare at the figure of the young man hanging tied up before speaking calmly, “Give me back my man.”

Speaking without looking at him, but the tied man still spoke with a clear tone of joy, “Little Paijue… I’m glad to see you again… You haven’t changed at all.”

Hong Kongque’s face hardened into a statue, “Is that so, but I think you’re the one who not looking good.”

The tied man chuckled, “You don’t even turn to look at me, and how do you know that I look bad?”

Hong Kongque frowned as he looked at the person speaking for the first time. The man in front of him was an old man, nearly sixty years old. His hair was black with streaks of gray, almost changing the color of his head. On his face were scars from gunshot wounds, as well as deep wrinkles from time passing. The once magnificent beard resembling an oriental eagle bird was now gone, leaving only a few strands of gray hair. A frail old bird… an old bird who had risen from hell.

Hong Kongque stared directly into the eyes of that pair, facing the fear of his past. Both of them remained silent for a long while. Finally, it was the old man who spoke up.

“You have grown up so much.”

“You are also old, and should be put in a coffin.” Hong Kongque replied,

“How did you survive?”

“You shot my face.” The man said, “It must have been lucky for me that the grazed hit me in the right place at the right time as I was falling on my back.

Fate must have paired us together.”

Hong Kongque glared at the other person with disgust and hatred, and received a chuckle in response.

“What’s about this kid? You love him so much, don’t you?”

Before Hong Kongque could say anything, the machinery started working loudly. Then the crane began to lift Lu Yipeng immediately.

“What are you doing!!?!” Hong Kongque exclaimed as he rushed to the crane which was slowly lifting the young police officer’s body. Then he turned his head towards the front of the ship.

“What do you think, Little Paijue. If he goes under the ship like this. Will he survive?” Hong Sujue asked, smiling. Hong Kongque’s eyes widened immediately.

Lu Yipeng bent down to look at the splashing water below, dispersed by crashing into the ship’s hull, before shouting back, “Kongque, like this, I won’t die.”

“Shut up, you imbecile!” Hong Kongque replied, turning to face Hong Sujue,

“Bring that crane back right now.”

Hong Sujue spoke with a smile, “Remote control is in my hands. Want to try and snatch it away?”

Without wasting any more time, Hong Kongque immediately lunged towards the other person.

…

Lu Yipeng has been watching closely all this time. He always thought that

Hong Kongque’s kungfu was unmatched in the world and no one else could move as swiftly, nor endure the punches the rained as fiercely as that of a wild elephant.

But what he is seeing now is an old man in his fifties or sixties.

Standing while blocking those fists and feet while remaining as steady as a rock, sometimes extending his hand as if he was playing with a child.

What in the world is going on here!!!!

Lu Yipeng knows better than anyone else how strong each of Hong

Kongque’s kungfu techniques is, but that man, that man of twisted mind, bears it with a normal, unaffected expression as if he doesn’t feel anything. The young police officer’s hairs stand on end immediately.

Or maybe he’s miscalculated!!!!

Lu Yipeng turned to look at the sun about to set in the water and then turned back to the intimidating fight that lay ahead.

Hoping that everything will be on time.

…

Hong Kongque has felt the sweat oozing from the depths of his heart for quite some time, truly, no one has been able to match him for so long… Yes, after the incident on the luxury ship that day. Apart from Tian San. No one had been able to match him in fighting for more than ten rounds…

The evil that he thought he had already slain thirty years ago is appearing right in front of him, and may be even stronger than before.

How good is Heiying? Hong Kongque knows best.

Thirty years ago. If it weren’t for Li Kong’s help. He wouldn’t have had the wit to shoot this man in the face. Today. He is back facing his hellish past once again alone. Only a crazy inspector who is both stubborn and foolish chained there at bay.

But in thirty years Heiying has changed. He himself has changed too.

Hong Kongque inhaled deeply. Thirty years ago. Even though he believed that Heiying had truly died back then, the defeat he suffered made him craft a new boxing rhythm, a rhythm that he had written to fight against the man more monstrous than a demon from hell for thirty years. He practiced regularly, hoping that one day he might find a worthy opponent.

The way of heaven has arranged for this evil man to come back and test himself again. In the same situation, facing the same opponent. In the time that has passed

Left foot firmly planted on the ground, shifting the right foot to increase power, slightly twisting the body downwards, an unusual stance with a determined look from an angle that seems unlikely to be attacked the most.

!!!!

Heiying paused, his powerful and strong body leaned back half a step, just enough to give him an opening to attack. Hong Kongque dove with all his might, hoping to end this evil scene once and for all.

!!!!!!!!!!!!

The force of the collision was something like being hit by a truck, sending the body in the red coat flying and crashing into the wall of the ship’s passenger cabin. Hong Kongque struggled to get up with his legs on the ground, before falling back down heavily, before spewing out a large amount of blood.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The smell of blood filled the air, reaching every corner of Hong Kongque’s mouth, his face lifted to see a figure approaching like a bad dream, raising his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth.

“Not bad at all, Little Paijue. Over thirty years have passed, you have improved a lot. I am proud of you.” He spoke, extending his hand to grab the grimacing face, Hong Kongque raised his hand to push it away immediately.

Hong Sujue looked at him, then exhaled.

“Little Paijue, I forgot to tell you one more thing, that rope, actually, it won’t hold him for long.”

“!!!!!!” Hong Kongque turned his face to look at the crane immediately, Lu Yipeng was still hanging there, but the rope tied above was starting to break apart, and, with the sky darkening

“What will you do, Paijue…”

Hong Kongque swallowed his saliva, pressed his lips tightly, before taking off his coat. Then he unbuttoned the coat one by one

…

Lu Yipeng did not want to believe his eyes when he saw Hong Kongque using a fierce Muay Thai stance to fight Heiying. He thought it would definitely be over, but everything took a different turn. The man who survived from a gunshot in the past was so strong that Lu Yipeng began to doubt if he was still the same person.

The image of Hong Kongque hitting the ship’s wall until blood splattered was nowhere near as heartbreaking as what he was currently witnessing.

Fair, delicate skin appeared under the bright light of the last day. White as snow. Even though Lu Yipeng had only touched it a few times, he remembered those feelings well.

Now, on that clean white surface, one old hand was slowly sliding down sensually. The palm touched the face and rubbed down the neck, leaving a mark that turned red. While Hong Kongque embraced him, his eyebrows furrowed, his lips clenched, his eyes closed as if he didn’t want to face what was in front of him.

Lu Yipeng widened his eyes as if they were about to tear apart. His head pulsated as if it was about to explode. The rope binding him to the top mast swayed down continuously.

You madman!!! You madman!!!!!!!!!!!!!

…

Hong Kongque had been through all kinds of hell. Always confronting others face to face was nothing new in his life. In the time when he was still under the authority of Hong Sujue, they would come out and have sex on the dining table while the people in the house hid in the room with shame. Hong Kongque never cared. Even though he managed to escape from Heiying’s control, he never turned back to these matters once, with the power he had. No matter what he did. No one dared to challenge him for sure.

But this time, Hong Kongque did not dare to look up for fear of seeing the face of the person hanging on a crane. No matter how Lu Yipeng’s expression may be, Hong Kongque did not want to see it, even a little. He just raised his hand to touch the body of Hong Sujue, waiting for the perfect moment to play the game.

!!!!!!!!!!!!

The sound of the rope breaking, and the sound of the top mast creaking made Hong Kongque immediately snap his eyes open.

Don’t tell me !?!?

Automatic reaction responses Hong Kongque twisted out of the clutch, and retorted immediately, but it was certainly not in time, but Heiying was no longer the forgetful Heiying as before, so such reactions were immediately responded to!!

Suddenly, Hong Sujue lost his rhythm Kongque took this opportunity to quickly get into action. Both hands and feet went in without waiting for the other person to prepare. Hong Sujue retreated dozens of steps, one after another. Then, before Hong Kongque could recover, he quickly threw a punch. Someone quickly reached out to cut in front of his face!!

Lu Yipeng kicked Hong Sujue even though both his hands were tied together. Perhaps because of the unexpected tightness of his hands being tied together, the force of the kick he sent out was uniformly strong, coupled with the other person already being off guard. Hong Sujue was pushed back and flew back immediately, with Hong Kongque stunned for a moment.

“Put on your clothes quickly.” Lu Yipeng turned to speak, with a shocked expression as if he had seen his own daughter changing clothes in front of someone else. Hong Kongque looked at him and finally burst out laughing, “I’m not a girl, you know.”

Lu Yipeng did not laugh. He spoke with a serious expression, “Kongque, I won’t let him touch you again.”

Hong Kongque looked at Lu Yipeng as if he had seen a ghost before sighing and speaking, “Inspector, save yourself first, and then how did you get here?”

“I swung myself into the boat and the rope just broke.” The other person replied with the most serious expression. Hong Kongque looked at him in shock before speaking, “Hey inspector, you are both crazy and stupid.”

After finishing speaking, he pushed Lu Yipeng out. At that moment, the young police commander realized that Hong Sujue had rushed in, and Hong Kongque turned to greet his adoptive elder brother, with a bare torso and a redwinged peafowl moving in tune with the beat of the shoulder.

The last light of the setting sun disappeared from the edge of the sky

Lu Yipeng had to leave Hong Kongque to deal with Heiying in his own way, and then ran straight to the control room of the ship to turn on some lights.

It’s time!!

…

Hong Kongque didn’t know where Lu Yipeng’s good fortune came from. He even managed to swing onto the boat. Even though the rope holding his hands didn’t break beforehand, that wasn’t a big problem. Now he was sure that the kid would probably be safe. So, with nothing to worry about, he fought back even harder.

As the darkness crept in and covered the sky, Hong Kongque and Heiying continued to fight in the darkness. Relying solely on instinct, each person lunged and parried at each other fiercely, with each hand and foot striking or kicking back. The intensity of the fight pushed them to the edge, with even the iron railing that separated the boat being pushed so much it began to warp.

In the midst of the fierce battle, both sides began to sigh heavily.

Hong Kongque felt internal pain from being hit so hard that he was spitting blood just now, but Heiying didn’t have it any easier. The blows he received from Hong Kongque first, and then from Lu Yipeng in the second blow, combined with the continuous and relentless fight, caused his strength to diminish significantly. Nevertheless, both of them still stared fiercely at the other person in the darkness, as if rewinding the clock back more than three years ago.

Meanwhile, the lights on the boat flickered and gradually lit up one by one.

Lu Yipeng ran up from the control room of the boat, just in time to witness the intense battle between both parties once again. It was an intense battle that was so fierce and devastating that he couldn’t find an opportunity to intervene. The young police officer stood on guard nervously, waiting for the right moment to intervene…

The beads of sweat dripped and seeped on the skin. Despite the cool breeze outside, the atmosphere was still scorching. In the flashing lights, half of Hong

Kongque’s face was bathed in deep darkness, just like half of Heiying’s face that was only half illuminated. Their eyes still locked on each other, unrelenting… both parties understood better than anyone else what the other person wanted.

Ever since being brought from the orphanage, Hong Kongque had learned a new word in his life. That word is father, and an elder brother. An older brother who had been away for five years, but loved and looked out for him just like a real younger brother.

He was such a lucky orphan, what else could he ask for?

Once, Hong Kongque thought that he would never leave his brother, he would grow and help take care of the family business, serving tea at his brother’s wedding, taking care of the grandchildren, and always accompanying the person to go everywhere, but all of that was just a foolish dream.

Everything fell apart, the person he loved and respected the most turned into the person he despised the most. Even not wanting to be in the same world anymore, the hatred and resentment overwhelmed his mind with anger and revenge. Even though over thirty years have passed, everything still lingers in his heart.

He must kill this person with his own hands.

No one could imagine how deeply Hong Sujue fell in love with his own younger brother. Even himself, the irrational love clouded his conscience leaving only the desire to possess and own everything.

Sweat dripped down his face, over thirty years of waiting to meet the person who is more precious than life itself, and now that he has found him, he will not let him go.

Even if they both have to die together, he will agree.

Two people stood facing each other amidst the flashing lights, waiting for the final moment to deal with the other person. In the most tense situation, a loud voice sounded like the edge of a sword.

“Raise your hands above your head right now. This is the police.” The SWAT team in black uniforms of four to five people ran towards them from the rear of the ship, with guns in hand, aiming at the two people standing face to face on the front deck of the ship.

The eyes of Hong Sujue sparkled in the flashing lights. He looked at the person in front of him before a smile crept out, “You are cooperating with the police now? You must feel very low.”

Hong Kongque did not say anything, staring at the other person with a calm and serene gaze, like a statue. For a moment, Hong Sujue continued, “They will capture both you and me. You already know that, don’t you?”

There was no answer from the other person, only still and calm eyes. Hong

Sujue let out a smile, “But I won’t let you be captured. We will go together until the very last second.”

Before anyone could react, Hong Sujue reached into his pocket. Then, the fire burst out from the back of the ship, along with a loud explosion. The force of the explosion knocked several police officers down into the water.

Lu Yipeng jumped down onto the floor, seeing the reflection of red fluorescent lights all over the ship. Then the chuckling laughter became crazier and louder.

“You must go to heaven with me, not with anyone else!!”.

But Hong Kongque did not stand in front of him anymore.

The topless body quickly lunged at the other person aggressively. Then another person also lunged in to join the attack. Both grabbed arms and legs, attacking relentlessly and not letting up. Suddenly, another explosion sounded.

The red fluorescent light skyrocketed into the air while the ship tilted continuously. The force of the explosion made both Lu Yipeng and Hong Kongque retreat. However, the other person took the opportunity to attack immediately.

Hong Kongque prepared to fight back, but instead of hitting the other person as usual, Hong Sujue lunged straight at Lu Yipeng instead. This change caught Hong Kongque off guard for a moment, giving the other side an opening to attack.

Boom!

The force of the kick sent Hong Kongque stumbling back several steps before hearing a louder voice, “Paijue. If you pity this kid too much, I’ll send him to wait for you in heaven first.”

!!!!

Crushed without Hong Kongque, Lu Yipeng could not even last a few seconds. Not to mention Heiying who dealt with Hong Kongque’s punches and kicks comfortably. In this situation, Lu Yipeng had no choice but to escape as far as possible.

The problem is, even if Lu Yipeng wants to escape, he cannot do so quickly in this situation and place, especially with Lu Yipeng’s temperament. In this situation, he knows there is no way to escape completely.

So now Lu Yipeng is struggling to keep up with the other person, with the hope of surviving even a little bit. If the other person was not injured and weakened to this extent, there is no hope that Lu Yipeng can breath for this long, but even so, it doesn’t mean that Lu Yipeng can easily escape the clutches of Heiying.

Hong Kongque lunged in immediately after establishing his stance, before shouting out, “Pengpeng, do you still remember the move you stole from me?”

Lu Yipeng didn’t answer, feeling defeated as he tried to resist the blows from

Hong Sujue striking him relentlessly, much like being hit by a truck. Hong Kongque continued to question his exquisite boxing stance that he only tried to imitate for fun. Who would remember that?

“Your foundation is more stable than mine. Try using it.” After saying that, he rolled into the attack range of the opponent to block Hong Sujue punches for a while. Hong Sujue turned to face his younger brother before screaming

“Move away.”

Hong Sujue’s hand and quickly grasped the Hong Kongque’s wrist before flipping him out of the fighting circle.

As Hong Kongque thrust his hand forward, Lu Yipeng had a moment to sigh and catch his breath. At this moment, the young police officer’s mind couldn’t think much, but when Hong Kongque spoke like that, and Hong Sujue’s hand surged straight in, there was no other option but to take it. Even if he missed, he probably wouldn’t be punched to death in one go.

Lu Yipeng slid his foot back and began moving his body in the most unpredictable and skillful angle possible, as the tilting boat wavered. Hong

Sujue’s swung punch missed its target, grazing his nose slightly. Lu Yipeng grimaced slightly. Then, he lunged with both fists and his palms striking underneath the opponent’s epigastric area.

Crack!!!

The body of the opponent flew out as if kicked instantly. Lu Yipeng stared blankly before turning to Hong Kongque.

“Kongque!!”

Hong Kongque reached out and gestured, “It’s not the time to rejoice,

Pengpeng. Jump into the water now!”

The boat tilted to the point of tingling fear, and the crane that had been lying at the stern started to descend. Lu Yipeng ran towards Hong Kongque, holding onto the railing which was gradually sinking. Amidst the flames that were engulfing the stern of the boat and rising steadily.

“Come with me. Let’s jump down together.”

Hong Kongque looked at him, then spoke, “Inspector, you are going to arrest me, won’t you?”

Lu Yipeng hesitated. Then another explosion sounded loudly once again.

“Kongque. There’s no time, hurry up and come.” He said, quickly grabbing his hand and leading him towards the boat. Several police boats could be seen waiting at a distance.

“Kongque, jump as far as you can. We need to get out of the whirlpool radius around the boat.” Lu Yipeng said, gripping Hong Kongque’s hand tightly. He then tried to pull the other person to jump in, but Hong Kongque shook his hand in refusal.

“Pengpeng.” That person called his name, “Once your mission is over, will you come with me? Resign from your job and stay with me.”

Lu Yipeng looked at Hong Kongque bewilderedly. The faint orange light from the red flames bathed half of Hong Kongque’s face. Lu Yipeng saw his own figure dancing in those eyes. Before Hong Kongque’s hand reached out to hold his face.

Soft lips touched gently, and a warm tongue brushed and swirled on the edge of his lips. Then, Lu Yipeng raised his hand to hold that figure tightly, the taste of the kiss difficult to describe, spread all over his mouth. Before Hong Kongque pulled back.

“Take care of yourself, Pengpeng. I love you.”

Lu Yipeng’s eyes bulged, he hadn’t had time to say anything. His body was then violently pushed by the other person, until he fell from the boat railing immediately. Lu Yipeng reached out his hand to the edge of the boat in his last moment. What he saw was the red-winged bird disappearing into the burning boat.

…

“Ready to go with me?”.

Hong Kongque raised his eyes to look at the figure, who once gave him everything and destroyed everything of his. Around them was a large sea of flames that was about to swallow everything without mercy. The reflected red light was flickering on the face, eyes, and red-winged bird on the figure’s back.

“Little Paijue, let’s go to heaven together.”

Hong Kongque clenched tightly, staring at the figure in front.

“I will send you to hell myself!!”

…

The salty and choppy sea water splashed Lu Yipeng as he fell from the ship’s railing, pushed by the strong whirlpool that was forming around the ship. The young police officer quickly swam out of the deadly whirlpool that was about to sink the ship, and then someone’s hand pulled him up from the water.

!!

Lu Yipeng let out a big sigh. He saw the police officer in a diving suit onboard the ship in front of him. Two people on the sides helped pull him up onto the ship. Lu Yipeng was dragged onto the ship in a drenched state before turning back.

“Where is he?!!!”

An explosion sound and a red fiery blaze suddenly appeared in front of him, as if to answer his question. The yacht slowly began to sink, accompanied by the engulfing flames. The tip of it rose up high into the air, leaving Lu Yipeng staring before attempting to jump off the ship, causing the remaining police officer to hurriedly grab and hold him.

“Hong Kongque!!!!!!!!!!!”

…

*** Don’t be full yet, there’s still instant noodles left…

Susuna, everyone!!

(Gets booted out)

Thank you^^

 

      THE RED PEAFOWL CHAPTERS HOME

   REDPEAFOWL, Chapter 22: The Hong family secrets

What Lu Yipeng felt in that moment was the burst of fire, and a tremendous force. The young police officer quickly rolled down onto the floor at the fastest speed his body could respond to at that moment, and then everything went dark.

…

Beep.. Beep…

Lu Yipeng blinked his eyes open, and had to quickly lay back down when he saw the light from the neon tube high above his head before feeling a sharp pain in his left arm and side. The young police officer blinked his eyes open again, and took a moment to remember what had happened to himself.

He was walking towards the car with Duan Feng, and then the explosion happened.

!!!

Lu Yipeng immediately jumped up, startling the nurse standing nearby. She exclaimed, “Don’t get up like that!!” Before the nurse could hurry to push him back down onto the bed, the sudden influx of pain caused the young police officer to collapse automatically. And now he knew that he was wrapped in a gauze wrap, with saline drips hanging all over his arms.

The nurse quickly pressed the emergency button at the head of the bed, while the young police officer barely managed to say with a dry voice, “Duan Feng,

Duan Feng huh?”

Lu Yipeng’s question went unanswered. The nurse was busy checking his breathing tube and various other connections to see if everything was okay. Then after a moment, the doctor came in to examine him, and commented that the new wound must be cooled down, as he had suddenly jumped up earlier causing the wound to tear. Lu Yipeng looked at the doctor examining him, and asked again, “Duan Feng… my friend, how is he?”

“He’s in another room.” The doctor replied, as he unbuttoned his shirt and picked up a syringe from the tray.

“How is he doing?” Lu Yipeng asked anxiously, as he was still wearing the breathing aid. The doctor administered the medicine to him. Then he picked up the needle to stitch the torn wound.

“Take a rest, your friend is going to be fine.” said the doctor as he picked up a syringe and injected the medicine through the tube inserted in the young policeman’s hand. Then the young policeman drifted off to sleep once again.

…

“Yipeng, I brought something for you.” Lu Yipeng raised his head to look at the father before smiling, when he saw the police hat for kids in the father’s hand, he smiled and put it on his head, “My son, you look cooler with it on.”

Lu Yipeng raised his hand to tip the hat and then raised his hand to salute,

“I’m ready to go out on duty, sir.”

The father chuckled, “Where shall we go catch the bad guys today, officer?”

Being a policeman was Lu Yipeng’s dream job since he was a child. He couldn’t remember why he wanted to be a policeman so badly. Once he felt himself, he was determined to become a policeman and almost did not care about anything else. He wanted his father to see himself in a full black uniform with a cap badge and insignia, but then his father passed away shortly after he passed the police lieutenant exam.

Even so, Lu Yipeng’s determination and confidence in being a police officer never wavered. It never diminished even by the slightest bit.

Graduating with the highest honors, receiving commendations in every subject he studied, Lu Yipeng wore a police uniform with pride, performing his duties to the best of his abilities. No matter how dangerous or difficult the mission was, the young policeman volunteered for almost every task.

Even when investigating the case of Hong Kongque, a person with an identity similar to the legendary figure.

“Inspector-Lu.”

Lu Yipeng blinked a few times. Even though he could see the person clearly in front of him, the young policeman was about to get up again, but he was stopped by the person who placed his hand on his back.

“The wound might tear open again, inspector.” Chen Qian spoke, glancing at the face of the young officer lying down. The assistive device had been removed, but the condition of Lu Yipeng at this moment was truly worrying.

“I was shocked when I found out that there was an explosion.” Chen Qian spoke to Lu Yipeng, looking at his face, “Are you alright, inspector?”

The person who was asked nodded before saying, “The doctor said that the danger has passed, but he was in the driver’s seat so he got more injured than he should have.”

“!!”

“The forensic team reported to me that it was a bomb targeted device connected to the electrical system used for remotely controlling the car. It is believed to have been placed after you parked the car because the bomb would only work when using the remote key lock with the car before exploding.

Where did you park the car, and did you see anything suspicious?”

Lu Yipeng swallowed before recalling what had happened before. He and Duan Feng parked the car in front of the tea shop, went in to buy some hot tea to drink, and chatted for a while. During that time, they didn’t notice anything suspicious, but…

“I felt like there was a car following me when I left the police office.” Lu

Yipeng said before thinking slowly, “It was an old Nissan car, silver in color if I remember correctly. Initially, I thought it might be a group of influential people following, but coincidentally I encountered a chase incident. So I drove after the criminals and forgot about that car.”

“Do you remember the license plate?”

Lu Yipeng thought for a while before telling Chen Qian, who wrote it down in his notebook before asking, “Inspector-Lu, you usually drive the patrol car all the time, right?”

“Yes.”

“Everyone knows about this, right?”

“Um…”

“Inspector, the bomb was placed near the driver’s side door. Even though the bomb was not powerful enough to be fatal, at least it was meant to cause serious injuries to you, Inspector-Lu… I think the target of this attempt was you.”

“?!!” Lu Yipeng was shocked and turned to look at the commanding officer,

“Who would do something like this?”

“We are investigating.” Chen Qian replied, “Inspector, take it easy. I have someone guarding your room.”

Before continuing, Chen Qian began, “The ones who are doing this are close to you.”

Lu Yipeng blinked his eyes slowly, “How long have I been unconscious for?”

“Just one day.”

Lu Yipeng made a move to get up again, so Chen Qian had to press him down once more. Just then, the doctor walked in.

“I’ll leave you for now, inspector. Rest up well, and don’t get up in a hurry, or the wound might tear.” Chen Qian said before walking back out. Lu Yipeng looked after the commanding officer before raising his head to look at the doctor, “Doctor, what happened to me?”

“You have a small burn wound and some glass fragments embedded in your body, but I’ve removed them all.” The doctor replied. Lu Yipeng tried to move his left hand, and felt a sharp, burning pain. He raised his head to look at the doctor again.

“Doctor, and what about my friend?”

The doctor grabbed a syringe and injected it into the vein on the back of his hand before speaking calmly, “You just need to rest, sir.”

…

“Inspector-Lu.”

Lu Yipeng opened his eyes again, and almost tried to get up in a hurry.

Fortunately, someone reached out their hand to hold him down in time.

“How did you come in?”

The man with a scar across his forehead smiled at him, “Vice Captain Chen

Qian allowed me in. I used to work with you, sir.” Luo Songzhi said as Lu

Yipeng looked at his face for a moment before asking,

“Did Kongque send you?”

“Yes.”

“Is he… too busy to come himself or…”

Luo Songzhi hurried to continue speaking immediately, “Master Peafowl wants to see you, sir, but coming on his own might not be good for your reputation, Inspector Lu. I have come to tell you that Master Peafowl wants you to move in with him after you get out of the hospital.”

“?!” Lu Yipeng made a move as if to stand up, “What does he know?!”

Luo Songzhi had to push Lu Yipeng back down again, “I can’t answer that for you, sir.”

Lu Yipeng’s face was visibly tense, “Give me the phone. I want to talk to him.”

Luo Songzhi hesitated for a moment, but finally relented and handed the phone over to Lu Yipeng.

“Kongque!”

“Pengpeng.” The other person called out his name in a relieved voice, “I’m glad to hear your voice.”

Lu Yipeng’s heart on the left side instantly raced, “Kongque…”

“If you get better, come live with me. I don’t trust the police.” The other person spoke, and the young police officer quickly responded, “I am also a police officer.”

Upon hearing a chuckle at the end of the line, Lu Yipeng realized and quickly asked the question he wanted to ask in the first place before being sidetracked,

“Kongque. Do you know anything about this bombing incident?”

Hong Kongque fell silent for a moment before answering, “Hmm.”

“What do you know?”

“Come talk to me at the mansion.”

Lu Yipeng clenched his jaw, “You can’t tell me now?”

“No, you have to come to the meeting place with me first.”

“Why?”

“… You’ll find out when you get there.”

Lu Yipeng remained silent for a moment. Then he responded, “Kongque, is this related to you?”

The other end of the line was quiet for a moment, and the young police officer spoke up again, “Are you trying to deceive me into killing someone to keep quiet?”

“Pengpeng!” The voice on the other end grew louder immediately, “Don’t be stupid. If I wanted to kill you, I could. I have no need to go to such lengths.”

Lu Yipeng nodded, “I know, so tell me. What do you know for sure?”

“…”

“Kongque, is this explosion related to you?”

“Pengpeng…”

“Tell me, Kongque. If you don’t, I will have to investigate.” There was a pause, and the young police officer continued, “I’m not staying at your mansion.”

“Pengpeng!” Hong Kongque called out his name sharply before falling silent,

“Hand the phone Little Zhi back to, please.”

Lu Yipeng handed the phone back to Luo Songzhi, who had already picked up and was talking on the other end. After hanging up, Luo Songzhi turned to him and said, “I’ll go now, inspector. Take care of yourself.”

“Um…” Lu Yipeng made a sound, watching as Luo Songzhi walked out.

…

Because when he leaped to dodge, Lu Yipeng raised his hand to protect his head according to instinct. As a result, his face and head were not severely injured. There were only small cuts from pieces of glass, from the abdomen down to the upper thigh. In addition to the burns, there were also lacerations from glass and metal fragments from the exploding car body impacting him.

The injuries were quite serious and required careful attention.

Therefore, Lu Yipeng had to rest and recuperate in bed for another three days. He was able to get up and move around after that. In the meantime, the police officer came to inform him of the progress of the case step by step.

As soon as he raised his head, the first thing that the young inspector asked about and wanted to see was Duan Feng’s injuries; his colleague. Lu Yipeng, had no serious injuries to his legs, but the doctor’s opinion was that he should not move his body too much, as the wound might tear again. Therefore, Lu Yipeng had to be pushed in a wheelchair to visit Duan Feng in another room.

As soon as the young inspector was pushed into the room, he had to gasp when he found that his colleague had both a feeding tube and all kinds of connected tubes. He turned to ask the male nurse who helped push the wheelchair, “Is he getting better?”

“Not yet, sir.”

Lu Yipeng lowered his hand to spin the wheelchair closer to Duan Feng’s bed before he frowned. His colleague was now covered in bandages all over, including his face. The young detective was clearly agitated before he turned to speak to the male nurse.

“Please excuse me for a moment.”

The male nurse looked at him, then shook his head, “Then you can have ten minutes. I’ll stop by after that, sir.” With that, he walked out. Lu Yipeng raised his head to look at the unconscious figure on the bed once again.

Oh, if he hadn’t handed the car key to Duanfeng, this doctor probably wouldn’t have…

The young inspector put his face down on the edge of the bed. The person with such severe injuries should really be him.

Lu Yipeng had been a police officer for five years, and Duanfeng had only been his assistant for two years. Before this, they were both studying at the police academy. Lu Yipeng used to see Duanfeng’s face occasionally as a junior, but they really became close when they started working together.

Lu Yipeng let out a sigh and raised his head to look at his colleague again. He couldn’t believe that this was the condition of the person who had been arguing with him just a few days ago. Before this, the two of them were still…

“Captain…” Lu Yipeng put his face down on the edge of the bed again before he jolted, feeling like someone was opening the door. It shouldn’t have been ten minutes yet.

The young inspector turned back, with his gaze fixed.

“Pengpeng.”

Hong Kongque walked in accompanied by three or four police officers guarding the front of the room. He was wearing a black coat and was staring at the young police officer, “Are you feeling better now?”

Lu Yipeng looked at Hong Kongque before turning to look at the officers behind him, “How did you get in?”

“I told them that I’m your senior relative.” Hong Kongque answered. Lu Yipeng looked at him again, “Do they know that I don’t have a senior relative as young as you?”

“Hmm…” Hong Kongque cleared his throat and shook his head, “I told them straight up who I am.”

“?!”

“Come with me, Pengpeng.”

“!!!” Lu Yipeng looked at Hong Kongque’s face, unbelieving, before turning to the officers behind him, “Can you please leave?”

The officers looked at Lu Yipeng before shaking their heads, “We can’t, we have to ensure your safety as per the deputy’s orders. And besides, he is also…”

“Let me stay with him for a while.” Hong Kongque interjected, reaching out his hand, “If you’re worried I might harm him, you can handcuff me.”

The four officers looked at each other hesitantly before one of them spoke up,

“Alright, we’ll leave you two alone for now. But if you don’t leave after that, we’ll be back.”

They then handed a phone to the person standing next to Hong Kongque, who appeared to be waiting patiently. One of the officers instructed him to cuff Hong

Kongque’s hands, and Lu Yipeng heard the sound of the handcuffs clicking as they were locked, and the four officers then left the room.

Lu Yipeng raised his head and looked at the person in front of him again, Hong Kongque stood there. In a posture with his hands raised. There was a slight smile on the corner of his mouth.

They looked at each other for a while longer before Hong Kongque turned and used his foot to pull a chair over and sat down in front of him. Like a convict waiting to confess to a crime he didn’t commit.

Lu Yipeng swallowed saliva.  For four years… Four years he had hoped to be able to handcuff this man throughout. Lu Yipeng believed that even if half the police force were there, they still wouldn’t be able to handcuff this guy, but now… Hong Kongque agreed to be handcuffed himself…

“Kongque.” The young police officer spoke up, looking at the beautiful face reminiscent of that dream once again before continuing, “When me and Captain Duan Feng were inside a tea shop there were witnesses confirming that someone pushed a car close to the patrol car I was driving. He claimed that his car battery was dead and needed to borrow a battery from my car. He said he had permission. Then he opened the car hood. The person was a man around fifty-sixty years old, wearing a long coat and behaving like a normal old man.”

He stopped and turned to look at the person sitting there, “But the car hood can only be opened from inside the car… He used his bare hands to pry open the hood as if it were normal… Kongque. Are you involved with this man?”

Hong Kongque remained silent for a moment before chuckling, “I can’t pry open a car hood with my bare hands.”

Lu Yipeng stared at the man in front of him for a while before Hong

Kongque responded. Then he asked, “What time did someone see him?”

“Around eleven o’clock. I parked the car and stopped by the tea shop at that time.” Lu Yipeng replied, and the other person’s face immediately looked pensive, “Eleven o’clock… Your car was parked nearby in district C…” Hong Kongque said, sounding thoughtful. Lu Yipeng looked at him again and asked, “Kongque. Do you really know what’s going on?”

Hong Kongque did not answer the question. He moved his chair closer to the young police officer, then spoke with a serious expression, “Pengpeng. If you don’t want to stay in my mansion. I suggest you fly to another country for a while. Take a vacation.”

“?!” Lu Yipeng’s eyes widened before immediately exclaiming, “Kongque, tell me what is really going on. That old man. You, and me… The bomb was deliberately placed on the driver’s side. I usually drive that car, but Captain Duan had to take over driving.” The young police officer spoke angrily before pushing the wheelchair closer, “Tell me Kongque, what is really going on!”

Hong Kongque pursed his lips. His troubled face was clearly visible, “I can handle this myself. You just… hide somewhere for a while while I sort it out.”

“I’m not going anywhere!” The young police officer exclaimed, “Kongque. If you refuse to tell me, then just go back to your mansion, and don’t call me again.”

“Pengpeng…” Hong Kongque called his name, with a pained expression rarely seen, “Can you not argue with me about this at all?”

Lu Yipeng gritted his teeth. Then he pushed the wheelchair closer, “Kongque.

I can’t just avoid matters like this. My friend suffered. I myself have been targeted without knowing the reason. You know that. Even if you refuse to tell me now, even if you try to intimidate me in any way, I still have to find out.”

Hong Kongque stayed silent for a moment. Then he let out a sigh, “The truth is, this is my private matter.”

“Um… I know. I also have a private matter with you as well.”

“…”

“Kongque.” Lu Yipeng continued, “Tell me. Are you here to tell me this story? If that person is your enemy, and now they are committing serious crimes like planting bombs, attempting to kill officials, causing chaos, join forces with me. We can send them to prison.”

Hong Kongque looked at him for a moment. And then he smiled, “It seems you Pengpeng has improved your speech lately. Did Paechikchik teach you?”

Lu Yipeng locked eyes with the person in front of him before trying to calm his mind and heart completely, “Can you tell me… what really happened?”

Hong Kongque stayed quiet for a moment. Finally, he spoke, “Go and find the details about the case of killing the Hong family thirty-six years ago. I think the police department must have kept the case file.”

“?!”

“I also know that you will not easily go along with me.” Hong Kongque continued, then let out a sigh, with a faint smile on his face, “But I think you might agree if I agree to your request first. I have great hope in this approach.”

“Kongque…” Lu Yipeng called out the name of the opposite party, but before he could say anything, Hong Kongque spoke up.

“Ask your assistant about that case. Tell them that Heiying has returned. He was there at that time, so he might be able to give you a brief overview.”

Lu Yipeng looked at the person in front of him, “Why don’t you tell me yourself…”

“Have you ever wanted to know my history, or not?” Hong Kongque said with a smile, “Investigate for yourself, inspector. After that, if you still want any help from me, we will meet again. Take care of yourself, alright. I am worried.”

Finishing his words, Lu Yipeng stood up with the support of his right hand, which was not injured much, and straightened the shirt of the other person.

“Kongque.”

The person being called turned back, “Do you want to know anything else?”

Lu Yipeng looked at the person in front of him before slowly standing up, always keeping pace with the other person.

“You… take care of yourself, okay? Don’t do anything foolish.”

Hong Kongque looked at him, then chuckled lightly, “Why are you worried, inspector? Take care of yourself. If you stand up like this, the wound will tear again.”

Lu Yipeng said nothing. His right hand, still free, moved up to hold Hong Kongque’s face. Before his lips were about to touch.

The warm touch of the lips and the gentle touch of the tongue made Hong Kongque shiver. Lu Yipeng kissed him for a moment before withdrawing his lips.

“Kongque. I still want to eat the snowfish at your home.”

Hong Kongque pouted his lips, then smiled, “Pengpeng, you are getting more wicked every day, but if you want to come eat for free and don’t want to stay, then… don’t bother.”

“Kongque…”

“I’m going back.” Hong Kongque spoke a little louder for a moment. A police officer outside opened the door and handed the key to Lu Yipeng, who looked at the person in front of him before speaking softly, “Take care of yourself.”

Hong Kongque smiled at the corner of his mouth before walking out.

…

Lu Yipeng sat back down, trying to reassure himself that the wound was not torn. All the police officers followed Hong Kongque out, leaving him alone in a melancholic room with Duan Feng, who had not yet regained consciousness.

Hong Kongque…

Lu Yipeng sighed and thought to himself that Hong Kongque had never agreed to appear in front of anyone else before. Why today, of all days…

“Inspector?”

The louder voice made Lu Yipeng turn around immediately. He saw Duan Feng’s black eyes, surrounded by bandages, looking at him.

“Captain!” Yipeng exclaimed, then used his uninjured arm to wheel the wheelchair over to Duan Feng’s bed. The young captain looked at him and blinked slowly, “Inspector, you don’t look great at all.”

Lu Yipeng looked at him and chuckled, “Have you been awake for long?”

“Adequately enough.” Duan Feng said, “You were chatting loudly with your senior relative when you woke me up.”

Lu Yipeng felt a pang of guilt, “Sorry for speaking loudly.”

Duan Feng looked at him and continued, “Can you take off the breathing device? I can’t talk comfortably. I’m thirsty too.”

Lu Yipeng looked at his colleague before wheeling the wheelchair to call the nurse.

The doctor came to check on Duan Feng’s condition and agreed to remove the sigh device. After drinking water, both police officers were left alone together in the melancholic room once again.

“I think I recognize the face of your senior relative. The same person we sat in the car with that day, right?” Duan Feng asked, still with bandages covering his face. Lu Yipeng nodded in agreement.

“He is Hong Kongque.”

“…”

“I know, sir.” Duan Feng continued, “You don’t want to reveal his name, so he claims to be a senior relative, doesn’t he? You are the only one who can come and go freely in his mansion. Not just me, everyone is suspicious of the unusual relationship between you and him. Um…” The young police officer paused for a moment, “I’m not trying to pry into anything. Just curious… Could it be that the relationship between you and him is not ordinary… Um…”

Lu Yipeng’s expression immediately became more difficult, “It’s not like that.”

“But… um… I think I saw you kissing him the other day…”

Lu Yipeng’s face twisted even more in distress, wondering when Duan Feng had woken up and why he hadn’t said anything to let them know.

“Um… I might be shocked, really. I don’t know you  like men…”

“I’m not.” Lu Yipeng denied immediately. He looked at his colleague, then let out a sigh, “That’s enough of that.”

“Inspector, you are embarrassed, aren’t you?” Duan Feng said. Then chuckled softly before continuing, “But… what he said back then, you probably wouldn’t care about it.”

“?”

“The case of the Hong family massacre.”

“?!”

“Inspector.” Duan Feng turned to look at him, “They planted a bomb in our car, whoever it may be. We need to catch them. It’s lucky that the inspector and I were not that close. When I woke up and heard your voice, I was relieved. I thought the inspector would…”

“Captain Duan Feng.” Lu Yipeng interjected before biting his lower lip,

“Your symptoms are worse than mine, you know.”

“Um… I feel like my face is on fire. The more I talk, the more it hurts. Is it like a burn, sir?”

“Um…”

“Am I going to lose my appearance?”

Lu Yipeng looked at his colleague before responding, “Not at all. Nowadays, medical techniques are so advanced that even large burn wounds can be treated and healed completely. Yours is just a tiny bit.” Despite saying that, Lu Yipeng himself was not sure how severe Duan Feng’s burn wound was. The other side chuckled.

“That’s right. Plastic surgery techniques nowadays are so advanced. I’ve watched foreign shows before, some people undergo surgery and come out looking even better. Hmm.. this might be my lucky chance. Suddenly, I can get free plastic surgery. Do I have to pay you for that, sir? Not sure, but I might end up more handsome than you, inspector.”

Lu Yipeng chuckled, “You’re already more handsome than me.”

“Don’t taunt me, inspector. I’m not afraid of you, but I’m afraid for you.” Duan Feng said before wincing in pain.

“Inspector… I feel pain on my face and at the wound, but I can’t feel anything below.”

“!!!”

“Inspector…” The other person called out with a dry voice, “Catch the person who planted the bomb in our car. Catch them.”

Lu Yipeng clenched his jaw, his hand gripping so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He looked into the dark eyes of Duan Feng, tears welling up, before responding with a hoarse voice, “I will catch them, commander. I promise.”

…

Chen Qian visited Lu Yipeng in the afternoon, bringing a basket of fruits.

“I visited Captain Duan Feng earlier. He still speaks as confidently as ever.” Chen Qian said as he placed the basket of fruits down. Lu Yipeng raised his head once, before looking up and asking, “Do you know about Captain Duan

Feng’s leg?”

Chen Qian remained silent for a moment before responding, “Hmm… the doctor said that some shrapnel is lodged near the nerve line in the lower body. If his body recovers and there are no additional infections, surgery may be possible.”

“Um… will he be able to walk again?”

“It’s not certain yet, but I hope he will be able to walk again.” Chen Qian replied before looking at Lu Yipeng.

“Inspector… I heard that Hong Kongque came to visit you?”

“Yes.”

“What did he say to you?”

Lu Yipeng turned to look at Chen Qian immediately, “Have you ever heard the name Heiying (black eagle) before?”

Chen Qian looked at him before thinking for a moment, “Is Heiying from the Hong family?”

“The Hong family?” Lu Yipeng reiterated, “Who mentioned this name to you, Hong Kongque?”

Lu Yipeng nodded. Chen Qian’s eyes lit up instantly, and he couldn’t help but ask, “Inspector, have you figured something out?”

“I suspect that Hong Kongque has been visiting since over thirty years ago.” Chen Qian spoke before sighing, “You might not have been born yet. Let me give you a brief overview.”

The old police officer spoke and then pulled a chair closer to sit down,

“About thirty years ago, the Hong family was an influential family in one of the clans. Heiying was the nickname of the eldest son known as Hong Sujue, who was considered a genius in the business and expanding the family’s business. However, it was rumored that he had some mental issues. He was said to be both brilliant and insane. Rumor has it that Hong Sujue raped his younger brother, whom he kept locked in a room for several years.”

Lu Yipeng was shocked, “That’s committing heinous acts of sexual misconduct and moral wrongdoing.”

“Well… because he was the eldest son of the Hong family, no one dared to interfere. Most importantly, that younger brother wasn’t his real younger brother, but a child his father adopted and raised. Hong Sujue became the family leader and managed the family business until the age of twenty-two, which was when he was flourishing the most. But one day, a horrifying incident occurred.”

?!!”

“At that time, this case became famous throughout the island.” Chen Qian said, pouring himself a glass of water before lifting it to drink, “That day, the people in the Hong family invited everyone to celebrate on a luxury yacht. The entire household went, even the servants. The luxury yacht belonged to the Hong family leader, and it was a celebration of his birthday. It was in the news because the owner of the yacht for rent had lost contact with the yacht for several days, so they reported it to the police. When we sent the police to investigate, they found the yacht floating in the middle of the bay. According to the words of the officer who went in at that time, when we climbed aboard the yacht, we could smell a strong stench of decay, almost making us sick. From bow to stern, there were only corpses strewn about. Most had their necks broken or organs crushed so severely that they bled to death. Some had been shot, totaling around thirty-one bodies. No one survived. This case became a shocking and gruesome one in our police department’s history.”

“No one survived at all?” Lu Yipeng repeated, sighing before continuing, “It wasn’t exactly like that. There were nearly forty people from the Hong family on the yacht that day. The exact number is uncertain because the owner of the yacht did not inform us beforehand. We found thirty-one bodies. There was no one alive on the yacht to tell us anything. But some people were missing. Through investigation, we found the owner of the yacht himself missing, along with his close friend, who I believe was named Li, and his younger brother who was rumored to have been mistreated by him for years.”

Pausing for a moment, Chen Qian continued, “This story became big news. Initially, we hoped that someone had escaped and was still alive, waiting for rescue at sea. However, in the end, we found two more bodies that did not match the missing persons. The investigation team concluded that the leader of the family may have gone mad and ended up killing his entire family, including relatives, servants, and even his younger brother. Then he may have thrown his bodies into the sea and drowned himself. This speculation was based on the owner’s tendency to cling to possessions, especially items of affection. It was heard that he would keep such belongings close and never let them go. So we thought he wouldn’t allow the bodies of his brother and close friend to rot and be found by anyone, hence why he may have submerged them all in the water.

However, that was just speculation. No bodies of those three were ever found.

They may still be alive.”

Chen Qian sighed as Lu Yipeng remained speechless. They couldn’t imagine the horror of such a case before it happened.

“But in the following years, the name of Hong Kongque appeared in the industry. Those of us who worked on the case back then felt a chill, as we heard that around four or five years before the mass killings on the yacht, the leader had started calling himself Hong Kongque (Red Swan). We thought that Red Peafowl might be Hong Sujue himself. Sometimes, he might have survived and felt guilty, so he used the name instead of his brother’s. Another thing was that Hong Kongque remained mysterious. He never revealed his identity for over thirty years. We thought he might be Hong Sujue himself.”

Lu Yipeng swallowed hard, feeling a chill run down his spine immediately.

He had thought before that Hong Kongque was mentally ill, but never imagined it would lead to the extent of him brutally killing twenty or thirty people like this. The young police officer heard himself asking,

“Deputy… Do you have a picture of Hong family’s heir in the case file?”

Chen Qian paused for a moment before nodding, “I think so. He was a prominent figure back then, but… Inspector Hong’s heir, is it. If he is still alive, he would be around fifty-seven or fifty-eight by now. He may have undergone cosmetic surgery. I think Hong Kongque, even if he grew up, he should be in his thirties.”

Lu Yipeng pursed his lips, “Deputy, if Hong Kongque is really the leader, why would he tell me to investigate his own crimes?”

Chen Qian looked at him, with a troubled expression, “I don’t know. He is crazy, uses common sense that ordinary people can’t understand. Sometimes he may want to confuse us.”

Lu Yipeng remained silent for a moment before asking, “Deputy, where is the

Hong family case file stored?”

“In the old office documents room at the department. The case has expired, but it’s still unsolved. It may still be kept for the detectives to look at. If you’re interested, go and take a look.”

“Can you take it out for me now… I want to see it immediately.”

Chen Qian looked at Lu Yipeng before speaking, “If not, tell the doctor to sign off on your discharge from the hospital. I will go see it myself.”

…

As the sun rose, two boxes of documents were brought to Lu Yipeng’s recovery room. Chen Qian dragged a chair and sat next to him. He spoke, “Inspector-Lu, this is the entire Hong family case file. I managed to borrow it for three days.”

Lu Yipeng raised his head to look at the boxes of documents before nodding,

“Thank you very much, Deputy.”

“It’s nothing.” Chen Qian said before turning to introduce a man in his sixties who stood dignified like a well-trained person, “This is former Inspector Zhou. He used to be in charge of this case. In fact, he only retired last year. I see that the case has been going on for a long time. You may want to hear more details from someone who was involved, so I invited him to join us.”

“Thank you very much, sir.” Lu Yipeng said before turning to bow his head to the elderly inspector, “Please help me, Inspector.”

The former inspector chuckled lightly, “No problem, Inspector. I also want to know the cause of this case. When I heard Hong Kongque mentioned, I rushed over here, Inspector. Who knows, this time we might be able to solve both cases at once.”

Lu Yipeng chuckled softly as Chen Qian spoke up, “Well then… I’ll take my leave now. If you come across anything related to the explosion, please inform me immediately, Inspector.”

“Understood.”

After Chen Qian finished speaking, he walked out, leaving Lu Yipeng with the elderly inspector and the old case files.

The old case files were as old as the person responsible for them. The inspector helped him pull out all the files, with both the covers and contents yellowed with age, emitting a musty smell that had accumulated over time in the room. In the end, Lu Yipeng found the file listing the perpetrator and the missing persons, separated into two large sections arranged alphabetically. Luckily, Zhou Zhilian remembered that the name of the missing person was tucked away at the end of the second volume with paper dividers. It would have been a daunting task for Lu Yipeng to find it himself if he had to read through both files, as many of the notes on the paper dividers had faded to the point of being unreadable.

Upon opening that page, he saw a black and white photograph of a man in his early twenties to early thirties. His posture was imposing, and his dark eyes seemed to be staring directly at him. Below the photo was a name written in Chinese; Hong Sujue or Heiying (Black Eagle).

Following that were detailed and lengthy personal history, from parents’ names to birth accident records, bodily scars, and several pictures of him. Lu

Yipeng furrowed his brow as he read on, trying to compare the man’s face to the scars listed. It didn’t seem to match what Hong Kongque had mentioned at all. Whether it was a scar, a mole, or something else, it wasn’t quite right. After all these years, it could have been removed or altered through surgery.

Thinking that Hong Kongque could have been a ruthless murderer over a decade ago, Lu Yipeng felt a pang of heartache. He had once hoped to drag Hong Kongque into prison… But like this…

The young inspector pursed his lips. Then he saw another person’s photo, a young man in his early thirties with swept-back hair and a studious demeanor.

Below the photo were two written characters.

Li Kong

Lu Yipeng snorted contemptuously.

Li Kong?!

Hong Kongque’s butler also felt that his name should be Li Kong.

The young police officer with curly hair, Butler Li, would be about sixtyseven years old judging from his date of birth listed below. Adding it up, he seemed to be about the same age. Lu Yipeng raised his head to look at the elderly inspector.

“Inspector, this man…”

Zhou Zhilian moved closer to the young police officer, “Ah, yes. His name is

Li Kong, a close subordinate of Hong Sujue. It seems he has been part of the Hong family since he was young. He is close to Hong Kongque and also the  younger brother… When we found a photo of Hong Sujue’s younger brother in his room. Witnesses said… he had been scolded by Hong Sujue to death because he was caught secretly taking a picture of the younger brother. It seems that Hong Sujue was very possessive of his younger brother. He even ordered the destruction of the photos to ensure that no one else saw them except himself. When we went to look for evidence, we almost had nothing to confirm what the younger brother of his looked like until we found a photo hidden under Li

Kong’s bed and we only knew who he was because on the back of the photo there was written Second Young Master. So we concluded he was the younger brother, it continued to be… for another two or three pages.”

Lu Yipeng nodded in confusion before carefully opening the old paper sheets. One of the black and white photos was kept in an envelope attached to the paper. The moment Lu Yipeng saw it, the young police officer felt a chill running down his spine.

The black and white photo showed a half-body portrait of a young man around fifteen or sixteen years old. In a simple shirt jacket, looking completely adorable. In the photo, the young man was looking up at something. The image resembled the secretly taken photo, but Lu Yipeng’s heart began to beat rapidly, almost jumping out.

This face, this nose, these eyes…

Lu Yipeng raised his hand to grab the photo and felt his hand tremble slightly. He turned it over and saw someone’s handwriting on the back, short and concise, “Little Young Master and the Bird in the garden.”

Placing the photo back in the envelope, there were three letters written on it.

Hong Paijue…

Lu Yipeng clenched his lips tightly before finally murmuring.

“Hong Kongque…”

…

**Now I know that Pengpeng is really stubborn. Haha.

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   REDPEAFOWL, Chapter 21: The Mysterious Dead Peacock

No matter how long we live, everyone has inevitably gone through childhood. It is said that memories of childhood will stimulate the formation of individual characteristics, whether desirable or not, as a result of the emotions that arise.

…

Late at night…

A boy around seven or eight years old was comfortably asleep under a soft blanket on a small bed. In the smallest room in the big house. Even so, he slept comfortably in this room every night. The small face that peeked out from the blanket showed a faint smile, as he was probably falling into a very happy dream.

While he was dreaming, the little boy had to wake up abruptly when someone shook him. When he opened his eyes, he saw a boy about twelve or thirteen sitting next to the bed.

“Brother, come down with me for a bit.”

“Uh… it’s late, where else are you going, big brother?”

“Brother, I will take you up to the moon, just like we talked about yesterday.”

The little boy’s eyes widened with excitement, “Really? Let’s go then.”

The older boy held the little boy’s hand as they walked out of the room and onto the grass field. Two or three older boys, called big brothers, were standing there waiting. When they saw the little boy walking down, they spoke with excitement.

“Today we will take you up to paradise. Are you ready?”

The little boy nodded and turned to look at the older brother holding his hand, “Will you come with me, big brother?”

“Yes. As soon as you go up, I will follow.”

The little boy nodded with joy before being led to a smooth rock, “Lie down here, little brother. I will perform a ritual to summon the princess to take you up.”

The little boy climbed up and lay down on the rock easily. The remaining boys formed a circle around them and began chanting something. Then the little boy had to shudder, as someone tied a rope around his neck.

“Where’s the sword?” One of the older boys asked. Another boy replied, “My father didn’t allow me to bring it out. We can use the rope to tie his neck instead.”

The little boy squirmed on the rock with fear. The rope tightened more and more, and the boy next to him knelt down, holding his hand, “Hold on, little brother. You will be in paradise soon.”

The little boy glanced around. Apart from the face of the older brother, the hazy thing he saw in the midst of the choked air was the silver moon hanging prominently in the sky.

It was as if it was chuckling mockingly at their foolishness.

Sometimes the actions of these children, devoid of logic, were no different than the word “savage.” Just because they were children, the word “savage” was replaced with “without logic.”

The little boy barely survived a near-death experience because his father happened to come up to boil hot water for his chronically ill wife and, by chance, heard the noise and came in to stop it. The remaining children, mostly neighborhood kids, were scolded by their own parents, as they were playing something strange, most likely because of the person they called the older brother.

Shortly after that incident, the older sibling was sent to study at a regular school in Taiwan, just like the other neighborhood kids had to do. The only children left at home were the younger ones. The little ones, growing up day and night, were taught all household chores, home management, and administration. They were told that they would be tasked to help the older sibling when they grew up.

Even though he used to dislike the moon before, the little boy was determined to study following the instructions of the adults, hoping that when the older brother returned, they would be able to work together.

Two years passed, and the little boy grew up a lot. One day, the older brother who had gone abroad to study returned to visit.

This year, the older brother, now fifteen years old, is entering his teenage years. He is so handsome that everyone admires him just like his grandfather.

The younger sibling is proud of him.

The older brother is scheduled to return home for a week. It is certain that the room he stayed in is still well maintained, just the same as two years ago in every way. But that night, he walked to the smallest room in the house to find his younger brother.

“Little brother, can I come in?”

The younger brother opened the door to let the older brother enter. As he entered the room, the older brother looked around before speaking up,

“Brother, do you know that when we were kids, I always wondered why your room was so small, and why we never slept together.”

“I know… because I’m not really dad’s biological child. He kept me to raise me. That’s why we had to have separate rooms.” The younger brother answered. The older brother turned to face him and continued, “Do you love me?”

“Yes.”

“How much do you love me?”

“I love you the most.” The younger brother replied. The older brother looked at him for a while, then spoke slowly, “So, if I were to love you more than this, love you more than before, would you accept me?”

“Yeah.” The younger brother replied softly before bursting into tears, and when the older brother hugged him tightly on the bed.

“What are you doing!!”

“I want to love you.” After saying that, he pulled out the sleep shirt of the other person. Then he bent down to kiss that flat chest. The person being kissed was startled. He raised his hand to push the other person away with surprise.

“Who said he loved me?” The person being pushed asked with a puzzled voice, before pushing him down on the bed again, “I missed you all the time when I was studying. I think about your white skin, I think about your eyes when you look at me. You make me have no feelings for other women, do you understand that you have to take responsibility?”

The younger brother looked at his older brother in disbelief, “Are you crazy?”

“Yes!” The older brother replied, “I’m crazy about you.”

The younger brother looked at his older brother with a bewildered expression, before being tied to the bedpost with a shirt. Then his pants were pulled off.

“Little brother, from now on you belong to me. Only me.”

“No, don’t! Please!!” The younger brother cried out as the older brother clapped his hands between his legs, then forcefully twisted them open as if to break them.

“Ah!!” The younger brother screamed before trying to push the person on top of him away, only to be grabbed tightly again.

“Don’t do this, please don’t do this.” The other person begged, tears starting to fall on his face. The older brother looked on for a moment, then bent down to bite his neck forcefully.

“No, you have to belong to me. Only me.”

…

Hong Kongque sighed and then opened his eyes. The clock next to the bed said it was a few minutes past five. He sat up for a while before hearing a knock on the door, so he walked over to open it.

“Mister Li.” Hong Kongque called out to the elderly man who brought in a tray of medicine. Li Kong looked at his boss before bowing his head, “Yes, sir.”

“You’ve been working with me for over thirty years, have you ever felt sorry?” Hong Kongque asked.

“?!” Li Kong looked at his boss again before asking, “Why are you suddenly asking about this, Kongque?”

Hong Kongque raised the medicine cup in his hand before speaking calmly,

“If I could go back in time to that day, would you choose to stand by my side again?”

“I never regretted choosing to stand by you.” Li Kong replied. He looked at the medicine cup and then sighed, “I dreamt of him.”

“?!”

“Jinyin called me yesterday and said that a strange man sailed in. A man aged between fifty and sixty with a scar on his forehead as if someone had shot him point blank. Hey… Mister Li. If that man is not dead, he would be fifty-seven or fifty-eight this year.”

“There is no way it’s possible.” replied another person, “He is already dead. I saw it with my own eyes. You are the one who killed him.”

“Uh-huh.” Hong Kongque nodded, then raised the medicine cup to drink, “I killed him myself, with these hands… but… we couldn’t find his body, right?”

“It’s been thirty years since then, Kongque. If he were still alive, he wouldn’t let so much time pass.”

“Exactly.” Hong Kongque said with a smile, “I’ve thought about it a lot, thanks.”

Today, Paechikchik seemed to be in a special mood. It might be because Luo Songzhi, his regular playmate, went out on business. So when Hong Kongque saw the little bird, he flapped his wings and chirped loudly.

“Kongque is here, Kongque is here.”

Hong Kongque smiled at the bird before extending his arm for it to perch,

“Paechik, do you want to go for a ride in the car today?”

“Let’s go, let’s go.” replied the little bird, then rubbed its head against Hong

Kongque’s arm in excitement. Hong Kongque moved his arm with the bird perched on it closer, and then extended his other hand to gently stroke the little bird’s head.

“Let’s invite Pengpeng to go out together, it would be better.”

The cockatoo looked excited as he walked into the room, hearing the name of the Police Young Man, “Go with Pengpeng, go with Pengpeng.”

Hong Kongque chuckled with delight before walking out of the room, thinking of asking Li Kong to make a phone call to Lu Yipeng. Just then, Li Kong walked in to find him.

“Kongque.” Li Kong called his name with a frown, causing Hong Kongque to raise an eyebrow. Then he continued with a surprised tone, “Someone threw a peacock carcass into the front yard.”

“!!!” Hong Kongque’s eyes widened before he rushed out, “Who?!”

“The city thugs. We’ve caught them, but… it’s better if you see it yourself.”

The peacock carcass was dyed in an unrecognizable color, either red or black, making it seem as if it had been soaked in blood until it dried up. The dead crow was placed neatly on a white cloth. When Hong Kongque arrived, he looked at

it with trembling eyes before turning to face the four young men who were caught, their hands tied above their heads.

“Who ordered the thugs to do this?!!”

All four of them, in a state of fear and shock, turned to face each other before one of them spoke with a shaky voice.

“He… He said his name is… Heiying.”

“?!!” Hong Kongque’s eyes widened even more. He walked towards the men and asked loudly, “What does he look like?!!”

“Uh… he’s an old man, and he has a scar on his forehead, right?” The man answered and turned to ask his friend, who quickly nodded, “Yes yes, an old man with a scar.”

Hong Kongque’s eyes seemed to almost pop out of his head, “Where did you find him?, When?”

“This morning.” One of them answered and continued, “We found him at…

Oh yes, by Highway Twelve. He was standing in front of our car.”

When he mentioned this point, all four of them looked at each other again,

“He smashed one of our motorcycles with his bare hands, and left the carcass of a peacock, saying it was for his younger brother. We didn’t want to be killed.

So…”

Hong Kongque snarled before looking at all four of them, “I will roast you all in the middle of Hong Kong Bay and burn you to ashes like that crazy guy’s name!!”

The four teenage boys cried out desperately, “Please don’t, don’t do this to us. Whatever you want, I will do it. Just don’t kill us.”

Hong Kongque stared at all four of them before retorting, “So be it.”

“Xiao Feng, go and get the hot iron stove, bring two sets of iron.”

The servant standing nearby nodded before walking out. After a while, the hot iron stove was brought in.

“I have a simple proposal for you. Use this hot iron, write the words Red peafowl on the backs of each of your friends neatly, don’t let a single stroke fall. If you can’t even handle something as simple as this, then…” pausing for a moment, “You will be roasted alive in the middle of Hong Kong Bay for sure.”

After finishing speaking, he walked back out, leaving all four of them to look at the hot iron stove with fearful eyes.

…

“Kongque.” Li Kong called out as he walked out into the large courtyard. Paechikchik had already been led out before Hong Kongque went to meet with the leader waiting in the room. Hong Kongque gazed at the pheasant in front of him before sweeping his gaze over the standing servants, then turned back to Li Kong.

“It’s him, for sure.”

The old master stood still for a moment. He nodded slowly.

“No one would dare to go against me to this extent. Except for that madman!” Hong Kongque spoke, with an air of someone trying to provoke rage visibly, “From now on, if anyone hears the name ‘Heiying’, or meets anyone who speaks that name, ask them where they found it. Whoever dares to use that name, they shall not escape death!”

All of Hong Kongque’s servants stood cautiously as he approached and sat down on the original leather chair. The tense atmosphere inside the room was palpable, even Paechikchik, who was usually cheerful all the time, could feel the pressure. The little bird slowly moved from Hong Kongque’s neck to perch on his shoulder, then nuzzled his head against the cheek of that person lightly.

Hong Kongque let out a big sigh.

“Chik… today we will not go out in the car together.”

The little bird turned his head as if he had heard Hong Kongque’s words. He looked at his employer in silence for a moment. Then he turned to Li Kong.

“Mister Li, please call Inspector-Lu. I have a bad feeling.”

“Yes, sir.”

Before Li Kong could make the call, Luo Songzhi rushed in, “Kongque, have you seen the news?”

“What news?”

“The explosion news.” Luo Songzhi spoke, taking a deep breath before continuing, “The news just came out a while ago that the police inspection car was bombed. I heard that Inspector-Lu’s name is among the list of injured.”

“What!!” Hong Kongque exclaimed before turning to look at Li Kong.

“Heiying (Black Eagle)!!”

…

**Finally, Kongque’s secret is revealed a bit more, I am confessing that I am now at       THE RED PEAFOWL CHAPTERS HOME

 

REDPEAFOWL, Chapter 23, and facing writer’s block… as in, the story is getting tangled, making it hard to continue (getting reader’s wrath   ). Even though the story is planned until the end and placed accordingly, it seems like it’s becoming messy due to inconsistency (not in terms of the plot, but in terms of how to narrate it

<<)

It may sound confusing, but in summary… the story has just started to simmer~ Oh my (gets scolded again  )

Thank you for following along.

 

      THE RED PEAFOWL CHAPTERS HOME