Chapter Twenty-six: Someone Is Following Us

Page (1/3)

Chapter Twenty-Six

Three cars, with Li Feng from the neighborhood and me seated in the middle one. In front were Wang Tingting, Shisan Fei, and Long Hongtao—two girls taking care of Gangzi—with the bodyguards following behind. The three cars moved in tandem along Guangzhou Avenue. The young man driving us was strikingly handsome, so much so that I couldn’t help but steal a few glances at him.

As soon as we entered Guangzhou Avenue, the young man grew alert, his eyes fixed on the rearview mirror. His actions did not escape Li Feng, who glanced behind and asked, “Gao Jian, is something wrong?”

So, the young man’s name was Gao Jian. I mused that if he dressed up as a woman, he’d be an absolute beauty—thin lips, large eyes, and remarkably fair skin.

“Boss, there’s a car tailing us,” Gao Jian said, pointing to a dark SUV in the mirror. “That one.”

At his words, everyone in the car became attentive and looked back. I noticed the vehicle seemed to drive at a leisurely pace, not hurried nor close, so I quickly said, “Could it just be a passing car?”

Gao Jian shook his head with certainty. “Ever since we left Hongtian, that car has followed us to the hospital, and now from the hospital all the way here. No mistake about it.”

If Gao Jian was right, the people trailing us were skilled at hiding their intentions, and Gao Jian himself could spot their tactics unassumingly—a talent I couldn’t help but admire.

Li Feng called the bodyguards in the rear car, instructing them to go ahead and ensure Gangzi’s safety. He also contacted the cars in front, telling them to take a detour and shake off the trailing vehicle, just as we reached an intersection and our car slowed.

It was nearing half past seven, twilight descending, and darkness creeping in. The traffic lights flickered, but there were still plenty of vehicles and the traffic police were hard at work.

Our car slowed even more to see how the tail would react. With so many cars, the trailing SUV grew impatient, honking furiously, probably thinking our car had broken down. If we stalled here, this road would be blocked for hours. The passing traffic officer thought we were in trouble and pulled us aside to let other cars pass.

But Gao Jian ignored the officer. We wanted to stall the trailing car for Gangzi’s safety, so we kept moving slowly in the middle of the road, forcing other cars to crawl past. The SUV behind us kept pace, about a hundred meters back, though it felt farther with all the traffic.

A traffic officer wearing sunglasses grew furious, blowing his whistle at us and pointing sharply with his white-gloved hand as he ran over. Li Feng was unfazed. “No rush, drive as slowly as you can,” he said. Gao Jian took his cue and performed with the car, creating the illusion of a breakdown. The trailing SUV seemed fooled, growing anxious and trying several times to edge past other cars, but the congestion left them no chance.

The officer reached our window and slapped it hard, pointing at Gao Jian and barked, “Pull over! Stop!”

Gao Jian killed the engine, finding a perfect excuse to observe the tail more closely. The officer gestured for Gao Jian to roll down the window, eyed us suspiciously, and snarled, “Didn’t you see my signal? Show me your license.”

“Officer, could you be a bit more civil?” Gao Jian replied with a smile, seemingly unconcerned.

Li Feng gave Gao Jian a look, who handed over the license. The officer’s demeanor softened when he saw the car belonged to Hongtian, but Gao Jian’s aloofness irked him, and he withheld the license, grumbling, “Is your car broken or not? I told you to pull over—didn’t you see? You’ll have to get your license from the traffic bureau later. If your car is causing problems, it’ll be towed.”

“Officer, perhaps you should call Hongtian to tow us. We’re busy here.” Gao Jian, hearing about the tow, dared not argue—otherwise, it’d be hard to catch up with the front cars.

Page (2/3)

The officer snorted coldly and ignored us, arrogantly calling a tow truck over the radio. In those few minutes, the vehicles behind us formed a long queue.

We exchanged glances—by now, the cars up front must have gotten far ahead. Li Feng called Shisan Fei to confirm everything was fine, then dialed another number. The officer seemed determined to tow us, thinking our car was broken and didn’t want to block traffic.

Li Feng’s second call was for help, laughingly complaining about being stopped by the police. The person on the other end grew angry upon hearing Li Feng was being detained, demanding that the officer answer the phone.

Li Feng shot me a look, feigning seriousness. “No, no, this isn’t proper—how could I trouble you? I appreciate the thought.”

But the voice on the phone insisted, cursing the officer, and demanded he answer. Li Feng reluctantly complied, handing the phone to the officer. It turned out the call was to the deputy director of the traffic bureau. Li Feng appeared to be merely greeting him, but he was actually seeking help and playing coy.

The officer, surprised that Li Feng wanted him to take the call, hesitantly answered, only to be berated by the deputy director. He could only nod and agree repeatedly. From inside the car, Li Feng laughed heartily as the officer was scolded.

After hanging up, the officer returned the phone, his face awkward, but now very polite. “So sorry to have delayed you all.”

I had feared Li Feng would act up, but I worried too much—he’d clearly earned his position and knew how to handle people smoothly.

Li Feng replied politely, “Officer, you were simply doing your duty. If your superiors find out, they’ll surely reward you for your service to the people.”

The officer, still gloomy from the deputy director’s scolding, brightened at Li Feng’s “thoughtful” praise. He understood well enough, hoping Li Feng would speak well of him to the deputy director in the future.

Seeing his words had worked, Li Feng leaned over and pointed to the trailing SUV, whispering, “That car seems to have really broken down—shouldn’t you tow it back and check?”

The officer agreed, saluted us, and let us go. Gao Jian sped ahead. Li Feng laughed, “Boss, your tactics are brilliant—I’d love to see the faces of the ones tailing us when the police stop them.” Li Feng joined in the laughter.

Though I was amused, a thread of worry lingered. Who would dare follow us? Could it be someone from the Nine Chrysanthemum Sect?

When we arrived at the entrance to Gu Jing’s villa, Ma Junfeng was already waiting about a hundred meters ahead, holding incense. As our car entered, Ma Junfeng placed incense at several spots behind us, affixing a yellow talisman at each location.

Li Feng and I exchanged curious looks. “What’s he doing?” they asked.

Feigning mystery, I whispered, “Have you ever heard of the ‘Star Array’? This is it.” The Star Array’s reputation is legendary, often read about or seen on TV—how many have ever experienced it? Li Feng and the others pondered the name.

The handprints made on Gangzi earlier had already astonished them. Most people never encounter such mysteries in their lifetime, but Li Feng and the others had seen two in a single day. I patted their shoulders. “Get out of the car. The world is full of wonders—if you’ve had the chance to witness them, why be so surprised?”

After getting out, Li Feng and the others were still deep in thought, exchanging glances. They considered my words and found them reasonable, their expressions easing somewhat.

Long Hongtao and Wang Tingting, who arrived first, hurried over to ask if we were alright. Gao Jian, embellishing the tale, recounted the car tailing us—most likely still at the traffic bureau—making the girls laugh heartily.

After Wang Tingting’s car arrived, the bodyguards had already set up security measures around the villa—impressively efficient. Gu Jing placed Gangzi in the Spirit Hall, lying alongside him.

Page (3/3)

Aside from the bodyguards, Li Feng, Long Hongtao, Shisan Fei, and Li Feng were not outsiders, so I led them into the Spirit Hall. The Spirit Hall was Gu Jing’s treasure, and upon hearing our footsteps approaching, he hurried out to greet us at the door.

I introduced everyone. Shisan Fei had met Gu Jing before, but the others were meeting him for the first time. Gu Jing wasn’t fond of entertaining guests, but since I had brought them, he couldn’t be inhospitable.

Li Feng was particularly excited to meet Gu Jing, repeating his courtesies. “It’s a great honor to meet you, Master Gu. Had it not been for your help settling the Beijing Road shop, Hongtian would not have been so successful. Uncle Chen spoke of your reputation, and I’ve long admired you.”

Gu Jing listened and asked, “Are you from the Hongmen Society?” Seeing Li Feng so respectful, it was clear he held a significant position, though Gu Jing never expected this young man to be Hongmen’s leader.

Li Feng nodded. “Master Gu, your kindness to Hongmen is known by all. If you ever need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Hongmen is fortunate to have someone like you. The leader’s eye for talent is commendable. Were it not for Hongmen’s sake, I wouldn’t have meddled.”

Li Feng nodded in agreement. I’d never seen him so impressed—it seemed Gu Jing truly had skill. Lately, Gu Jing rarely performed feng shui for others; his involvement with Hongmen had its reasons.

The origins of Hongmen are varied. Some say it was founded during the Ming dynasty by loyalists seeking to restore the Ming, forming the Heaven and Earth Society, later renamed Hongmen. Others claim it began in the eleventh year of the Yongzheng Emperor, when Shaolin monks plotted against the Qing, and after their plan was uncovered and the temple burned, they formed the sect to resist the Qing. Whatever its true origins, Hongmen has always upheld the principle “one for all, all for one,” and values “righteousness” and “harmony” as guiding virtues.

Though Hongmen has become associated with organized crime, this is a result of shifting national fortunes; the conduct of its members, past and present, remains admirable.

Li Feng met Gu Jing for the first time. Gu Jing observed him for a long time before speaking, “Your brow is tightly furrowed, and your glabella is red—an ominous sign.”

Normally, Li Feng would have dismissed such talk as charlatanry, but after seeing so many wonders in one day, and given Gu Jing’s connection to me, he had no choice but to believe.

Li Feng grew anxious at Gu Jing’s words, but I patted him, knowing Gu Jing’s temperament, and said, “If Master Gu points out a problem, he must have a solution—otherwise, he wouldn’t mention it. Right?”

Li Feng caught on and agreed. Even the refined Li Feng thanked Gu Jing in advance, which surprised Gu Jing, who laughed and scolded, “You rascal, always causing me trouble.” He handed Li Feng a pouch. Li Feng thanked him and tucked it carefully away, while Li Feng looked enviously at Gu Jing, wishing he’d received one himself.

After introductions, I inquired about Gangzi. “Shouldn’t we show our guests around—how is Gangzi doing?”

Though we’d been here a while, Gu Jing still stood at the Spirit Hall’s door, not inviting us inside. When I tried to enter, Gu Jing stopped me. “I’m establishing the altar here. Ordinary people’s fate will suffer if they enter.”

He wasn’t being stingy; the Spirit Hall’s atmosphere was too intense for most, especially during rituals.

With this explanation, Li Feng and the others understood. Just then, Ma Junfeng arrived, offering to show them around the villa. Long Hongtao and Li Feng followed, Li Feng pulled Shisan Fei along, and they went off to chat.

Only Wang Tingting and I could enter the Spirit Hall. My presence was expected, but it surprised me that Wang Tingting could enter. Gu Jing explained that her incense had been accepted by the ancestors, so there was nothing she couldn’t endure. It seemed the girl had great potential.