Chapter 85: Right and Wrong

"Hello~"
"Is this Qian?"
"I wanted to ask, has Chao contacted you recently?"
Huang Ming’s face was grave and his voice urgent.
The line went dead after a moment, leaving him visibly disappointed.
"Still no word from Wang?" Fatty, noticing his anxious demeanor, couldn’t help but ask.
With brows tightly knitted, Huang Ming didn’t need to speak; Fatty could already guess the answer.
Fatty tried to comfort him, "If you ask me, maybe Wang has taken a liking to some girl recently..."
But seeing the seriousness in Huang Ming’s eyes, he ultimately left the sentence unfinished.

...

Nanye City.

Zhang Ze spent the whole day practicing horse stance in the small park beside the hospital’s family quarters.
A few broken bricks lay before him, a method he’d learned from an online video.
After seven or eight hours of grueling training, he’d indeed made notable progress in his stance work.
Exhaling deeply, he ended his day’s cultivation just as dusk began to fall.
"Your dedication to training is impressive~"
He was about to leave when a familiar voice sounded behind him.
Ma Cheng approached with Cai Hu in tow, speaking as they walked toward Zhang Ze.
Seeing Cai Hu’s listless face, Zhang Ze couldn’t help feeling worried.
"What brings you two to find me at this hour?"
"Want to grab a bite together?"
Ma Cheng didn’t answer directly, instead pulling Zhang Ze along as they headed out.

...

Ten minutes later.

The three of them entered a small tavern near the family quarters.
"He might need you to come with him for a trip," Ma Cheng said in a low voice, nodding at the anxious Cai Hu as they sat down.
Zhang Ze frowned, turning to Cai Hu, his tone steady, "Hu, we haven’t known each other long, but you know the kind of person I am."
"Let me be blunt—your current state is really getting on my nerves!"
He paused, perhaps to collect his thoughts, then continued, "What happened to your parents weighs on me too."
"But look at you—do you have any spirit left?"
"Even if Auntie is just suffering temporary amnesia, even if Uncle is already gone, would he want to see you like this?"

...

Zhang Ze’s words were sharp and direct, yet Ma Cheng didn’t interrupt. Perhaps he too knew that after so many days, Cai Hu needed to try and move on.
After a long moment, Cai Hu finally raised his head, his voice cold as ice. "Ze, I’m going to kill those two cultists!"
Seeing the murderous intent in Cai Hu’s eyes, Zhang Ze and Ma Cheng felt not fear, but a sense of relief—perhaps it was best to let him vent.
With a knowing smile, Zhang Ze asked, "So Ma Cheng said you wanted me to go with you?"
"Yes," Cai Hu replied, his voice more alive than before, spurred on by Zhang Ze’s words. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Captain Zhuang suspects those two escaped from Qingfeng Old Town. I want to track them down and kill them!"
"I’ll go with you," Zhang Ze answered without hesitation.
Even after learning that these two cultists were third-rank martial artists, he showed not a hint of doubt.
That night, Cai Hu drank himself into a stupor.

...

The next day.

Zhang Ze, uncharacteristically, skipped his training. While Cai Hu slept, he contacted Zhuang Ning of the Investigation Bureau alone.
"Captain Zhuang~"
"Heh," Zhuang Ning greeted him with a pleased smile. "Who would have thought—the Monkey King who caused such a stir at the Anqing Province Investigation Bureau now stands before me."
Zhang Ze chuckled awkwardly, not taking the bait.
As soon as he sat down, he asked directly, "Can you tell me the details about the two cultists who murdered Cai Hu’s father?"
Zhuang Ning fell silent.

...

Zhang Ze had his reasons for seeking out Zhuang Ning now.
Since the identities of the two suspects were already known, and with current technology, there was no way Zhuang Ning had no useful information.
Zhang Ze simply didn’t buy it.
Especially since he’d witnessed the Investigation Bureau’s squads hunting down cultist martial artists, he knew how aggressively Beijiang Province was cracking down on these rats.
But this contradicted the information Cai Hu had received.
Logically, with Cai Hu’s father murdered by cultist martial artists, the Bureau would at least know their basic details, or even their names.
Otherwise, it would be unthinkable—especially now, with several provinces determined to eradicate these cultists.
Even if the Bureau couldn’t determine their escape route, surely they could trace who they’d been in contact with before the killings?
With this in mind, Zhang Ze decided to meet with Zhuang Ning alone before acting with Cai Hu.

Zhuang Ning’s reaction only confirmed Zhang Ze’s suspicions.
The Investigation Bureau in Nanye City obviously had more on those two cultists.

"Captain Zhuang, whose father could be killed, whose mother violated, and still remain silent? My brother needs to vent—don’t you understand?"
Ignoring their respective statuses, Zhang Ze’s tone was accusatory.
Zhuang Ning was silent for a long time before he finally said, "You’re right. Internally, we do have more information on the two cultists."
"Can you tell me?" Zhang Ze asked sincerely.
But Zhuang Ning looked troubled. "All I can say is, there are considerations at play. We can’t move against these rats yet."
"Why not?"
No longer bothering with diplomacy, Zhang Ze slammed the table in anger.
"His father is dead. Look at him—does he even seem normal anymore? Why does he have no right to know?"
Seeing Zhang Ze’s fury, Zhuang Ning chose not to argue. He silently lit a cigarette and stared at the young man before him.

...

After a while, as Zhang Ze slumped across from him, breathing hard, Zhuang Ning sneered, "What, tired already?"
Without waiting for a reply, he continued, "Youth is a wonderful thing. You can shout at anyone without worrying about consequences~"
Noting Zhuang Ning’s relaxed demeanor, Zhang Ze quickly changed his own, smiling obsequiously. "Come on, sir, I was just messing around with you."
What a character! As if he hadn’t been the one shouting a moment ago.
With a grin, Zhang Ze pressed on, "Captain Zhuang, can’t you let me in on something? You’ve seen the state my brother’s in—if he keeps bottling it up, he might never get it up again."
"Ugh—" Zhuang Ning nearly choked on his smoke at that.
"Are you part dog? How do you change your face so quickly?"

...

After a bit more banter and bickering, Zhuang Ning’s face turned serious. He explained, "Of course I don’t want to hide anything from you. But the actions of those two rats have caught the attention of the operations team."
"You know as well as I do what these cults are capable of. If I could, I’d be even more eager than you to see them dead!"
"But have you considered—what if they’re after the lifeblood of us martial artists? The manufacturing of elixirs, weapons..."
At that, Zhang Ze’s heart skipped a beat. He thought he saw where this was going, but dared not guess further.
Zhuang Ning, seeing his expression, smiled. "Haven’t I already given your brother a direction?"
"Qingfeng Old Town is quite scenic. Even if his father’s killers aren’t there, it might help him clear his head. Don’t you think?"