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After dinner, Zhang Qiu took out a wooden box containing Xueqiu San from his pocket and presented the pills to everyone. Aunt He looked on curiously and asked, "Is this the kind of pill you mentioned, traditional Chinese medicine?"
"It contains traditional Chinese medicine ingredients, but it's different in some ways. However, that's not the most important part; the most important thing is its name. I named it Xueqiu San."
"Xueqiu San." Jiang Xue softly repeated the name, her eyes lighting up with a knowing smile.
Zhang Qiu handed a pill to Aunt He and said with a smile, "Auntie, this one is for you. You can take it right now."
"Such an important thing, isn't it a waste for me to take it?"
Aunt He smiled and declined. Zhang Qiu felt a pang in his heart and looked at Jiang Xue. Jiang Xue chimed in, "Mom, since it's from Zhang Qiu, you should just take one."
Aunt He hesitated, but Zhang Qiu placed the pill in her hand without hesitation: "Auntie, you've raised Xue'er this big; it's only right to repay you."
"Well, okay then." Aunt He put the Xueqiu San into her mouth and quickly tilted her head back to swallow it.
"Mom, how does it feel?"
"I don't feel anything." Aunt He looked blankly at Jiang Xue and then turned her gaze to Zhang Qiu. "Am I taking it correctly?"
"Yes, yes, yes. Just swallowing it is enough; the effects will gradually manifest."
Qiu Wan then distributed Xueqiu San to Jiang Xue and Tao Ya. He decided that every relative and friend he had a good relationship with should take it, and he would later find Bai Jingwei for more medicine. Zhang Qiu even thought about promoting Xueqiu San as a benefit within the community in the future.
After Jiang Xue and Tao Ya took theirs, Zhang Qiu looked at the man sitting quietly beside them. From the man's gaze, Zhang Qiu saw an eager desire. He smiled slightly and handed him a pill of Xueqiu San: "Uncle, this one is for you."
The man was taken aback; he couldn't believe that this kid was calling him uncle. Aunt He reacted quickly, glancing at the man and giving him a gentle push: "The kid is giving you medicine; why aren't you taking it?"
"Hey, hey, hey." The man hurriedly reached out to grab Xueqiu San, immediately putting it in his mouth and nearly choking, coughing several times.
After dinner, Zhang Qiu and Lucia naturally stayed overnight. Zhang Qiu suggested that, like before, he would sleep in the same room as the man, while Auntie, Xue'er, Tao Ya, and Lucia would share a room. The earthen kang in the village could easily accommodate four people. Qiu Wan had not expected that Jiang Xue would suddenly say, "Zhang Qiu, you should sleep with us tonight."
As soon as Jiang Xue finished speaking, everyone except Lucia looked at her with strange expressions. Jiang Xue's face flushed red, and she quickly explained, "It's winter anyway; we can sleep in our clothes. I have a lot of questions to ask Zhang Qiu."
"Just right! I also have a lot to say to Jiang Xue; let's sleep together tonight."
The man immediately said, "Alright then, you all..."
"Cough, cough. You can sleep in one room; I'll sleep with your uncle." Aunt He pulled the man back into the house.
Zhang Qiu, Jiang Xue, Tao Ya, and Lucia all entered the house. As soon as the door was closed, Zhang Qiu said, "Xue'er, you have something to tell me."
"Ha." Jiang Xue smiled and nodded. "You really understand me."
"Of course! I'm your most beloved boyfriend." Zhang Qiu said as he stepped forward and hugged Jiang Xue. When Jiang Xue suggested sleeping together, Zhang Qiu read the meaning in her eyes.
"Tch!" Jiang Xue lightly struggled in Zhang Qiu's embrace. "Most beloved shouldn't come from my mouth; you're just adding words for yourself."
"Then what about you? Aren't you my most beloved?"
"Yes, yes, yes! Oh dear, we're still in front of others." Jiang Xue's face turned red. Zhang Qiu chuckled and released her. "Alright, tell me what happened?"
Jiang Xue's expression became serious as she said solemnly, "Scorpion has been captured."
“Stone Dagger Gang's Scorpion?”
“Yes, that's him.”
Zhang Qiu was taken aback and quickly asked, “Is the information accurate?”
“Absolutely! Taolengman, Gao Zhi, and Zhao Pingchuan all called me about this. The news of Scorpion being captured has already spread in the underworld.”
“How could Scorpion be caught?” Zhang Qiu recalled that since the split of Stone Dagger Gang, Scorpion had vanished. It had been so long without any sightings; how could he suddenly be captured?
“There are two versions circulating in the underworld, but the outcomes are quite different. The earlier parts are fairly consistent, and it shouldn't deviate much from the actual situation.”
“Tell me both scenarios.”
Zhang Qiu and Jiang Xue climbed onto the heated bed, which was warm and cozy. Zhang Qiu comfortably leaned against the blanket while Jiang Xue pulled a quilt to prop under her arm. Tao Ya gently moved beside Jiang Xue, adopting a posture as if she wanted to hear a story. Only Lucia, looking confused, sat aside playing on her phone.
“During the time Scorpion was missing, he was waiting for an opportunity—a chance for revenge. Scorpion lurked outside Lin Tao's house for countless days and nights, finally seizing the opportunity to sneak in at night. Armed with a dagger, he killed all eleven people inside Lin Tao's home, including bodyguards. Secondly, the police found Third Brother's body in the bushes near Lin Tao's house; this traitor of Stone Dagger Gang was also eliminated by Scorpion. It’s said that on that night, Third Brother had gone to Lin Tao's house for a meeting, and perhaps Scorpion was waiting for this chance. When the police caught Scorpion, his hair was disheveled and matted together, his beard unkempt; although he had changed into clean clothes, he was in a terrible state.”
Zhang Qiu took a deep breath. During the time that Scorpion had disappeared, he indeed lay low like a scorpion, waiting for an opportunity to strike his opponent fatally. Lin Tao had always been a major enemy of Stone Dagger Gang, and Third Brother played a crucial role in this incident. Scorpion knew he only had one chance to take out both targets simultaneously and ensure success each time. Although it was difficult, Scorpion waited for the opportunity and succeeded. However, such an ending felt somewhat tragic. Zhang Qiu could imagine that in the end, Scorpion felt satisfied. If given another chance, he would likely do it again.
“How did Scorpion get caught?” While feeling regret for Scorpion, Zhang Qiu wanted to know his final fate.
“The first version is that after killing Lin Tao's family, Scorpion quietly waited on the living room carpet. He made the emergency call himself; when the police arrived, they were stunned by the scene before them—the young officer even vomited on the spot. There sat Scorpion, covered in blood on the floor, coldly staring at the police at the door while tightly gripping the bloody knife in his hand. Blood dripped from the knife onto the carpet, filling the entire room with a metallic scent of blood.”
“And what about the other version?”
“Scorpion remained calm after the murder, washing away the blood splattered on his face and hands. He changed out of his blood-soaked clothes into a clean outfit he had prepared in advance and got into his car to flee. However, as Scorpion passed through the toll booth, he was unexpectedly rear-ended by another vehicle. The toll booth staff immediately approached to mediate, and Scorpion calmly got out to check, telling the driver of the rear-ending vehicle that no compensation was necessary.”
“The toll booth staff naturally did not want to cause congestion at the intersection or get involved in unnecessary matters. Seeing that Scorpion was not pursuing the issue, the driver of the offending vehicle’s frown immediately relaxed. But just then, police officers on duty approached, and a sharp-eyed veteran officer quickly noticed a brown stain on Scorpion's khaki boots. Scorpion's unusual lack of inquiry further aroused the veteran officer's suspicion. As he walked up to Scorpion, he immediately caught a whiff of an unmistakable foul odor emanating from him. At the same time, a bloody scent wafted into the veteran officer's nostrils, alerting him.”
“Just as the veteran officer was about to react, Scorpion sensed danger and suddenly shoved past him, turning back to the driver's seat and flooring the accelerator, crashing through the toll booth barrier. The toll booth staff and Rear Driver, along with the police officers, were left stunned. The veteran officer stumbled back a few steps from being pushed and shouted, ‘Chase him! Quick!’”
“The police officers on site immediately ran back to their cars, and two police vehicles blared their sirens as they rushed into the toll booth to give chase. A high-speed car chase unfolded on the highway, with both the police and Scorpion's black sedan sustaining damage. Ultimately, Scorpion could not escape being captured by the police. The exit points along the way were heavily guarded; spike strips were laid out on the ground, and police officers, SWAT teams, and armed soldiers were all on high alert. Underneath countless rifle barrels, Scorpion hit the brakes. The SWAT team pulled him out of the vehicle and pinned him to the ground while armed soldiers opened the trunk, revealing two large severed heads inside, battered from the chase. On Lin Tao's thin skull, two strands of matted hair stained with blood stuck up into the air.”
“Zhang Qiu fell into deep thought after listening to Jiang Xue recount Scorpion's story. Two types of justice could be at play here; what drove Scorpion was hatred. After he killed his enemy, he lost any goal for continuing life. The second type of justice had a strong narrative but was also very real. Others might not understand, but Zhang Qiu knew very well that his uncle was strict about law enforcement; there were indeed police officers on duty at that toll booth—He Jun himself had even gone there to experience it firsthand. Regardless of which situation it was, Scorpion’s life had come to an end; he could not escape the fate of death penalty. For Scorpion, being born into such a family was a tragedy in itself.”
“‘Zhang Qiu, are you okay?’ Jiang Xue asked tentatively when she saw him lost in thought for a long time.”
“I’m fine; it’s just that I feel a bit… not difficult to accept; I don’t know what it is—just a little uncomfortable inside. After all, Meng the Boss once helped me.”
“Jiang Xue stepped forward and embraced Zhang Qiu, softly saying, ‘Let go of the past.’”
“Zhang Qiu nodded and leaned against Jiang Xue’s embrace, tilting his head to look out the window where everything was pitch black and indistinguishable. The long-dominant Stone Dagger Gang in Beilan County, along with Lin Tao, had been destroyed simultaneously after decades of conflict; it made Zhang Qiu sigh at how unpredictable life could be.”
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