Chapter Fifteen: The Drunken Master Chen

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When I heard that place name, I suddenly froze on the spot, unable to utter a single word.

Xinjiang?

Three years ago?

This...

While my mind was still a jumble, Old Chen continued, “Although none of us wanted to go back then, we had no choice; the boss paid too much! So much that almost no one could refuse... In the end, four hunters went! But... they never came back.”

I said nothing, just stared blankly at Old Chen.

My mind raced.

“Sanqi, I know that mission wasn’t simple! Those four hunters were all experts, having stayed in the old forest for at least over a decade. To disappear just like that! And furthermore...”

Suddenly, Old Chen paused and let out a long, drunken burp.

“Burp~”

“And furthermore what?” I asked anxiously.

“And furthermore... when I saw the boss that night, no one else knew! Only I knew, from that moment on, the boss... started to...”

At this point, Old Chen seemed truly drunk.

He slumped sideways, leaning against a large rock by the river, and fell into a deep sleep.

I held a cigarette between my lips, thinking for a long while, then hurriedly shook Old Chen’s body, nervously asking, “Old Chen! Finish your story! Don’t sleep! What happened to the boss from that moment on? And, and three years ago, when those four hunters went to Xinjiang, were my parents among them?”

But Old Chen seemed genuinely drunk.

Lying on the rock, his snores shook the air, completely ignoring my questions.

It made me feel very uneasy.

My parents’ mysterious disappearance had always been a puzzle to me.

And now, what Old Chen told me clearly had something to do with my parents;

Suddenly, I remembered the first day when the boss asked me who Lin Zetian was... After I told her it was my parents, the boss took me in.

Old Chen was the same.

At first, he didn’t want to teach me, but knowing my father was Lin Zetian, he accepted me.

It was as if I had uncovered some secret, and I blurted out, “Yes! It must be that! Three years ago, it was definitely my parents who went to Xinjiang with the four hunters Old Chen mentioned! And Old Chen must know something... yes, he must know something...”

At that moment, I felt my heart beating wildly, so fast I even forgot when the cigarette in my mouth had gone out.

...

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I don’t know how long I thought about it before Old Chen suddenly made a couple of clearing throat sounds, then slowly opened his eyes, his gaze bleary from drunkenness as he looked at me.

He hoarsely asked, “Sanqi! What time is it?”

I glanced at the sky, then fixed my eyes on Old Chen and said, “It’s almost dark!”

“Oh! I’ve been asleep this long? Let’s go, let’s get ready, time to set the bait!”

With that, Old Chen propped himself up on the big rock, swaying as he stood.

I couldn’t help but ask, “Old Chen, do you remember what you told me when you were drunk?”

Old Chen, cigarette dangling from his lips, looked puzzled: “What did I say? What did I tell you?”

Looking carefully at his expression, it was clear he didn’t remember, so I played a little trick.

“You told me my parents’ disappearance was related to... the four hunters who went to Xinjiang three years ago...”

As soon as I said that,

Old Chen suddenly lifted his head and stared at me intently. His voice rose several octaves as he snapped, “What? Did I say that to you?”

I was startled.

After a long moment, I nodded: “Y-yes!”

Old Chen frowned, looked me over carefully, then quickly calmed down.

He shook his head: “Impossible! Even if I did say something like that, you shouldn’t take it to heart! Just drunken nonsense! Don’t believe it!”

“But...”

I was about to say more, but Old Chen cut me off again:

“Don’t ask, Sanqi! There are many things even I don’t know! So I couldn’t have told you much! Just consider it my drunken rambling!”

After saying this, he ignored me, grabbed the poisoned bait, and strode toward the house.

“Old Chen!” I suddenly stood and called after him.

He turned his head, squinting at me.

After thinking for a long time, I decided not to press further.

After all, if he didn’t want to tell me, asking was pointless.

There’s a saying: you can never wake someone who’s pretending to sleep.

I changed the subject: “Well... let’s get going!”

“Mm!”

...

Without eating, Old Chen led me into the forest. Our objective was clear.

At night, we often heard wolves howling nearby, so Old Chen was certain there was a wolf pack in the vicinity.

We tracked through the old forest for a long time. It grew very dark. Soon, I was drenched in sweat. Spider webs and dead leaves constantly clung to my face and neck, making me very uncomfortable.

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Old Chen and I both carried liquor. When we stopped to rest and drink, we could hear the rustling of insects and the faint hissing of snakes.

“How do you feel?” Old Chen asked, turning his head to me as we sat on the ground.

I gasped for breath, gulping down wine.

“Still... okay!”

“We’re almost there! Shouldn’t be much longer!” Old Chen reassured me.

Sure enough, after walking another ten minutes, Old Chen suddenly stopped and said, “Found it! Wolf tracks!”

I looked down where he was looking. Indeed, on the dry leaves and soil beneath our feet, there were rows of wolf paw prints.

“All right, Sanqi, set the bait nearby!” Old Chen called.

We threw the poisoned bones onto the wolves’ path. After tossing all the bones, on our way back we scattered the poisoned jujubes nearby as well.

Of course, not all the jujubes were poisoned; some good ones were mixed in.

...

On the way back, I felt a little better and said, “Ah, Old Chen, this trip was too easy! I bet by tomorrow morning, we’ll catch the foxes and wolves poisoned by the bait!”

But Old Chen calmly glanced at me and said, “Sanqi, you’re thinking too simply.”

“Ah? Why’s that?” I asked instinctively.

“Because...”

Before he could finish, the forest suddenly echoed with eerie laughter.

Yes!

Laughter.

“Gahaha!”

“Hehehe!”

The sound was strange, like someone strangling their own throat to laugh—a chilling noise.

Old Chen stopped speaking and abruptly turned his head, staring up at the thick canopy above, lost in thought.

As for me,

At that moment, every hair on my body stood on end uncontrollably. I swallowed nervously and hurried a few steps toward Old Chen.

“Old Chen... that laughter...”