Daomu Biji: The Southern Archives

Zhang Haiyan really didn’t care about Zhang Ruipu, and didn’t think Zhang Haixia’s hunch was all that accurate.

Penang was indeed Zhang Ruipu’s territory, and the plague this time must have caused a lot of damage to him, but using the plague to deal with a specific person was really a little too overdramatic.

Moreover, assassinating Zhang Ruipu was their first mission when they first arrived in Perak, and they had investigated the Flower Reef case several years later. The two missions were set far apart in time, and weren’t related to each other at all. To insist that they were connected was really too far-fetched.

Zhang Haiyan had his own theory that all the conspiracies and tricks in the world had to be full of flaws, because the people behind them were unreliable. As to why so many conspiracies weren’t discovered, it was because people didn’t know where the conspiracies led to. Most conspiracies were crude, but this crudeness was obscured by the enemies’ carelessness and lack of awareness.

Zhang Haiyan shook his head to show that he disagreed. The two were silent for a while, and then Zhang Haixia asked, “Why’d you stop talking? Are you afraid sensitive topics will come up and it won't end well?”

“Hmm.” Zhang Haiyan nodded.

“Since the clues lead to Nan’an, why not get on the ship and investigate? When will the ship reach land again?” Zhang Haixia asked.

Zhang Haiyan took a big puff of his cigarette, “Next week.”

“Nan’an is heading to Xiamen, so if you board the ship and investigate the case, you’ll have to stay on board for the entire journey and disembark in Xiamen.” Zhang Haixia said. “The ticket is very expensive, so even if we get the cheapest cabin, we can only afford a one-way ticket at most. In other words, if you arrive in Xiamen, it may be more than a year before you can come back."

“Exactly. It doesn’t make sense for me to leave.”

“I think it’s a good idea. You can go back and check why we haven’t received our pay, and also meet our godmother. You’re going back to Xiamen to investigate a case, so it doesn’t count as a violation, right? If the Southern Archives is gone, then don't come back. Just send me a telegram and we won’t have to see each other again.”

“We made a promise that we’ll go back together. It’s weird if I go back alone. Besides, the money belongs to the both of us.”

Zhang Haixia rubbed his legs. “This is the South Sea. I won’t freeze to death even if I sleep on the streets. I’m familiar with the things in the sea and the fruits in the woods. If I go back to Xiamen, I won’t live a better life. I made my decision a long time ago. I’m not going back. You go back to Xiamen for me. There’s no need to waste your life here because of me.”

Zhang Haiyan shook his head. “Forget it. I’ll check on Zhang Ruipu. Maybe your hunch is right and there won’t be a need to go back to Xiamen.”

Zhang Haixia didn’t say anything more, and they sat there for a while before Zhang Haiyan helped Zhang Haixia back to his room.

That night, neither man slept well. When Zhang Haiyan got up in the morning, he found that his military uniform and a neat stack of money had been placed by his bed.

Zhang Haiyan’s first reaction was, the idiot’s legs are cured? But when he got up, he found Zhang Haijiao packing. It turned out that she was the one who had folded the clothes and placed the money there, obviously following Zhang Haixia’s instructions.

Zhang Haiyan picked up his military cap. They had been trained to maintain their military uniforms, so his always looked immaculate.

He sighed and looked at the little girl, “You switched sides already? Have you even thought about who rescued you and brought you back?”

“Uncle Shrimp said that you really want to go back to Xiamen. It’s not easy to have something you want to do, and he envies you very much."

“So? You guys are forcing me to leave?”

“Didn’t you say that you brought us back because you wanted us to be Uncle Shrimp’s pets? I’ll take care of Uncle Shrimp. You can leave without worrying.”

Zhang Haiyan squinted and reared his head back, looking at Zhang Haijiao as if she were a monster. Women…no, this isn’t even a woman, she’s just a girl. Girls are really terrifying creatures.She found the fastest way to improve her status in this family.

“Did Zhang Haixia teach you to say that?”

“It’s also my own idea. From now on, we and Uncle Shrimp will depend on each other and live together. We’ll work hard and save enough money to come to Xiamen so that we can reunite with you. You can leave without worrying. We won’t die without you.”

Zhang Haiyan's head reared back even more, as if he had been slapped. He slowly stood up, collected the money, and yelled, “Zhang Haixia, what the—” He rushed to Zhang Haixia’s room and suddenly found that there was more than one person inside.

In other words, Zhang Haixia wasn’t alone, but had a lot of people standing in his room.

These people stood tall and straight without any expressions on their faces. Most of them appeared to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. Their leader was a middle-aged man, who appeared to be checking Zhang Haixia’s legs.

Zhang Haiyan wasn’t afraid of the crowd and stepped forward immediately. He flicked the blades onto his tongue, and said to the middle-aged man, “If you like playing with cripples, you’ll have to get in line.”

Zhang Haixia immediately stopped him and shouted, “Don't be reckless, Hailou. This is Mr. Zhang Ruipu.”

Almost at the same time, all the young people present bent over backwards to avoid the blades, and Zhang Haiyan immediately stopped what he was doing.

The middle-aged man tapped Zhang Haixia’s legs, shook his head, and got up.

He was a very strong middle-aged man. So strong, in fact, that there was a dazzling light in his eyes that showed he clearly wasn’t an ordinary man. When he looked at you, it was as if needles were piercing your body.

“I heard that you’re investigating things regarding the plague.” Zhang Ruipu said. “I’m here to help.”

****

Tiffany’s Notes: I can’t remember if the author confirmed this, but Zhang Ruipu might have been in the same generation as Fo Ye’s grandfather (Zhang Ruitong) because they had the same generation name “Rui”. Based on how badass they acted, they might just be from the main Zhang family. Or maybe this is all just a coincidence lol.