Chapter 35: Queen Zhao Mingkun

2022-05-20

With that, Brother Wei Two led the way into the courtyard.

I didn’t overthink it—holding Guan Zengbin’s hand in one hand and Wang Ergou’s in the other—I followed them inside.

It was a traditional siheyuan, and the courtyard was packed with five or six people sitting together. As soon as we—a couple of strangers—walked in, every head turned to size us up.

Most of them looked to be in their thirties, but what really stood out was a woman in her late twenties, strikingly beautiful among all the men.

She had bright red lips and white teeth, sharp features, and a natural air of confidence between her brows. At that moment she was lounging sideways on a long bench, one foot braced on its end.

I took her in while she took in me.

That woman was no stranger—she was Zhao Mingkun!

I recognized her right away. This was definitely Zhao Mingkun, once the trusted aide of the genius Shi Huacheng. That so-called genius was still under tight watch back in Qingcheng—he wasn’t getting out any time soon. But here was Zhao Mingkun, showing up in this place. Why? Was she here with a purpose?

Guan Zengbin quietly squeezed my hand. We’d both seen photos of Zhao Mingkun, so I guessed she recognized her too.

Funny how the world works sometimes.

“Who are these three?” Zhao Mingkun finally spoke, voice smooth and calm.

Brother Wei Two answered, “These three are colleagues from Qingcheng who fell on hard times and stopped to pay respects along the way. Colleagues helping colleagues—from the Northern Faction. We help our own. This here is Brother Wu, this is Brother Wu’s wife, and the one crawling on the ground is Wang Ergou. He’s got a few screws loose. Thinks he’s a dog.”

But right then Wang Ergou snapped back, “You’re the one who’s nuts. I’m the smartest dog in the world!”

“And who might these folks be?” I tried to sound casual, glancing around.

Brother Wei Two took his time introducing everyone, and it turned out some of them had reputations of their own.

He said, “The two balding ones—you’ll notice they never separate, like conjoined twins—are Qian Er and Qian San. That fool in the corner is called Dadan. Those two, Xiaosan and Lao Liu. And this lovely lady here is Zhao—”

But Zhao Mingkun lifted a hand to stop him. She rose from the bench and walked up to me, eyes flicking over every detail. It felt like she really wanted a look at me. “You look quite a bit younger than me. Why don’t you call me Queen Sis?”

I managed a smile, but it froze the next second.

Zhao Mingkun seized my arm, spun me around, and before I could react, my knee buckled and I was dropped down on one knee. My left hand was twisted behind my back. I hardly knew any self-defense, so facing Zhao Mingkun’s move, I was helpless.

Everyone else got to their feet, watching us intently.

Brother Wei Two started to say something but Zhao Mingkun silenced him with a look.

My heart skipped a beat. This didn’t make sense—we’d just arrived in Jiazixian, Linfen, and Team Leader Shao hadn’t even finished setting up the office yet. How had we already blown our cover? Besides Team Leader Shao, Mary and Xiao Liu, only me, Guan Zengbin and Gu Chen knew about this mission.

Did we have a traitor among our six?

No, that couldn’t be right.

It looked like Zhao Mingkun was just testing us.

Sure enough, I could feel her carefully checking my hand behind my back, studying me for clues.

If someone’s been through constant training, they’d have thick calluses on their index and middle fingers. Mine were smooth as a kid’s—the product of a rough childhood, where even finding a fight was rare enough. No calluses here.

If Gu Chen was the one caught, she might figure it out, but I was safe.

No wonder Team Leader Shao wanted me for this investigation.

With that realization, I calmed down.

Now, Wang Ergou—who’d convinced himself he was a dog, and a fiercely loyal one at that—had always treated me well in the psychiatric hospital. I was his closest human, so seeing me in danger, he lunged for Zhao Mingkun’s exposed leg, aiming for a bite.

But just as he leapt, Zhao Mingkun pinned his head underfoot, locking him in place.

Seems like Zhao Mingkun could handle herself—she could probably take down three of me without breaking a sweat.

“Queen Sis, can you please not scare me like that?” I blurted out, desperate.

Zhao Mingkun said, “You’re good at pretending. But the only one a better actor than you is this mutt under my foot. If you really aren’t who I think, surely you wouldn’t mind if I killed a dog? If you want our help, you’ve got to show some sincerity.”

“Let go of my master! I’m the bravest dog in the world! Woof!” Wang Ergou barked, not a trace of fear in his voice, even pinned to the ground.

Zhao Mingkun just pressed him down harder.

Guan Zengbin finally cracked, shouting, “He’s a poli—”

I guessed what she was about to blurt out, and if our identities were revealed, we’d really be doomed. These people were all veterans, and we technically weren’t even legit members of any organization.

The moment Guan Zengbin spoke that last syllable, everyone’s face changed.

I quickly jumped in, heading her off, “Mentally ill! He’s mentally ill—how could you even consider it? If someone’s got to die, kill me, leave my junior out of this!”

Brother Wei Two joined in, saying, “I don’t think that makes sense. Who would take a mentally ill guy out on a job… and I really know Wang Mazi, so there’s no way I’ve got it wrong.”

“Little brother, it’s not that I don’t trust you,” Zhao Mingkun said, massaging my arm, “but you can’t be too careful in a world like this. I wouldn’t have survived otherwise. And your little doggy junior, sorry about the rough treatment. Puppy, does it hurt?”

Wang Ergou whimpered, “No, not at all.” Not exactly brave.

Brother Wei Two slapped my shoulder, saying, “Haha, just a misunderstanding, that’s all. Brother Wu, come on, don’t take it to heart—better safe than sorry, right?”

We all sat down. Zhao Mingkun took a seat next to Guan Zengbin. She looked at her and grinned, “Hey, little sis, you’re not very old. Already married?”

“Not married,” Guan Zengbin replied, glancing my way, “But I’ve been with him since I was small. Wherever he goes, I go.”

She gave me a shy look—must admit, Guan Zengbin could act pretty well.

I rolled my eyes and said, “She was an orphan. I met her when I was sixteen, she must’ve been thirteen then. I gave her a bowl of rice and she’s followed me ever since. She calls herself my wife, but look at her—malnourished from childhood. My real type’s more like Queen Sis here.”

Everyone burst out laughing, while Guan Zengbin pinched my leg hard under the table.

“But Queen Sis,” I said with a grin, “I get the feeling this line of work isn’t all you’re capable of. If there’s a chance, why not let me in? I heard there’s a big tomb around here.”

Zhao Mingkun just smiled faintly. “No need to worry about that. We just came from the tomb. But maybe we can work together on something else in the future.”

“Brother Wu,” piped up Brother Wei Two, “tonight I’ll take you to see something spectacular.”

“Spectacular? What kind of show?” I asked, wary.

Brother Wei Two grinned, “Ever heard of a ghost marriage?”

“You mean like Old Zhang, right? Isn’t he the one living off corpses? He must have at least a dozen stashed away.”

Brother Wei Two nodded, “Since you know Old Zhang, I’ll be straight with you—sometimes we sell corpses to him too. He seems to have unique connections, a distribution channel that’s not ordinary. Almost like there’s some big shot backing him.”

I shook my head. “A big shot? Any idea who? I’d love to get in touch.”

“Ambition’s a dangerous thing for the young,” said Qian Er, flashing a mouthful of yellow teeth. “Some things are above your pay grade.”

I shrugged it off.

“Drop it. Weren’t we talking about ghost marriages?” Brother Wei Two continued, “Tonight, there’s going to be one right here in Jiazixian. Interested in seeing it for yourself?”

Judging by the way Brother Wei Two’s crew operated, they were probably the lowest rung in this operation. The real big fish were those so-called backers. Catching them would matter far more than nabbing a hundred Brother Wei Twos.

And with Zhao Mingkun part of the party, her presence made things even trickier. Unless I found out more, it was best not to spook them. I still needed to learn their real purpose here.

So I eagerly piped up, “Of course I want to see! I’ve never witnessed a ghost marriage before.”