# 864
Chapter 865: The Secret
Inside the room.
Jialan's peripheral vision swept over An Qingyu and Chen Gou, who were still chatting outside. She gently closed the door, and a white figure drifted out from the earth, floating by her side.
"Jialan-sister." Jiang Er's voice came through the earpiece in Jialan's ear. "I just took a walk around this area. Besides a few broken radios, there are no electronic devices in this village. Not even one phone."
Considering that Jiang Er's ghost form was too吓人 (frightening), and that knocking on villagers' doors at midnight while carrying a coffin hardly seemed like normal behavior, An Qingyu had beforehand hidden Jiang Er's coffin in a cave outside the village. She also borrowed a caretaker from Lin Qiye to guard the coffin and prevent any accidents with Jiang Er.
With Jiang Er's current [Spirit Medium Field] coverage range, even with the coffin in the cave, she could move freely throughout the fishing village in magnetic field form.
"It does seem rather backward here." Jialan's gaze swept across the dilapidated house and finally停留 (landed) on a wall where the paint had already peeled off.
On that grayish-brown wall hung several old-fashioned photo frames, containing yellowed photographs with the fishing village's coastline as the backdrop. In one, a middle-aged man and a seven or eight-year-old boy stood on a small, battered boat, holding several large fish and laughing happily.
The middle-aged man in the photo was none other than the younger version of the fisherman named Chen Gou outside.
"He doesn't look that old in the photo?" Jiang Er mused. "His son should only be in his twenties now?"
"More or less."
Jialan shifted her gaze away from the photos and began examining other details in the room.
Jiang Er helped while debating with herself, and finally curiosity won out. "Jialan-sister..."
"Hm?"
"I heard that you and Qiye broke the bed last night?"
"Cough cough cough..."
Upon hearing this, Jialan nearly choked, breaking into a violent coughing fit.
"N-no... it's not what you're thinking." Jialan's cheeks flushed crimson, and she spoke somewhat incoherently. "We did break the bed, but... but we didn't do anything!"
Jiang Er cast a subtle glance at Jialan's legs. "Mm, I can tell."
Jialan's face grew even redder.
Jiang Er watched Jialan's flustered state, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly. After a moment of hesitation, she ventured cautiously, "But Jialan-sister... won't this be a bit inappropriate?"
"Hm?"
"What I mean is... God's Ruins are God's Ruins after all. Even if [Fake Love] can make others fall into obsessive love, that kind of love is ultimately false, isn't it?" Jiang Er said seriously. "Even if you pierce Qiye with Cupid's arrow, his infatuation will eventually fade someday. This强行 (forcefully bestowed) love... is not the right approach."
Jialan gazed at Jiang Er's utterly serious expression and blinked. Those pure, black-gem-like eyes sparkled with amusement.
She walked gently to Jiang Er's side, lowered her voice, and said mysteriously:
"The truth is..."
After Jialan's murmured words, Jiang Er's mouth couldn't help but fall open, her eyes filled with astonishment.
"So you actually..."
"Hush!" Jialan made a silencing gesture at her, smiling meaningfully. "Don't tell anyone about this, understood? His thick skull finally seems to be waking up. If you spill the beans, the spell won't work!"
Jiang Er nodded vigorously. "Don't worry, Jialan-sister!"
Jialan nodded in satisfaction. Just as she was about to open the door and leave, her peripheral vision caught something, and she stopped in her tracks.
She narrowed her eyes, staring at the oldest photograph on the edge of the wall. In the corners of this father-son photo, two names were written in crooked, childish handwriting, complete with pinyin—clearly written by a child just learning to write.
On the left side, by the middle-aged man, it read: "Chen Gou" (third tone).
On the right side, by the laughing child, in the same crooked script, were two characters:
—Chen Lu.
...
Night Watch Headquarters.
Interrogation Room.
In the dark, damp small room, an elderly man with silver-white hair sat imprisoned in the center, eyes closed, his expression solemn and serene. Before him stood a fierce-looking man, cold幽光 (spectral light) emanating from his body.
"Chen Lu, I'm advising you not to be ungrateful!" The man spoke with chilling menace. "I respect that you were once a hero of Night Watch, so I've given you plenty of face. Don't push me!"
Elder Chen's eyes opened slightly. He gazed at the man before him for a moment, then smiled gently.
"You're Tan Maoxun, aren't you? I remember you. When I was the chief instructor at training camp, your scores were quite excellent. It was on my recommendation that you walked this path..."
Tan Maoxun's eyes flickered. His ferocious expression froze on his face. He opened his mouth as if to say something harsh, but he couldn't find that feeling anymore.
"Son... don't be nervous, and don't feel like you're overstepping. Let me see how much you've grown over the years." Elder Chen said gently. "Go ahead. Use your most confident technique, and see if you can pry open my mouth to get what you want."
Tan Maoxun clenched his jaw tight. After a moment of internal struggle, the spectral light around him erupted once more.
"Fine then, let me show you..."
He lunged forward, pressing his hand against Elder Chen's chest. The spectral light surged into Elder Chen's body like needles. His eyes blazed with madness.
Elder Chen's body was completely engulfed by the spectral light. His body shuddered as those spectral needles pierced every inch of his skin at a惊人的 (alarming) frequency. The excruciating pain made his brow furrow slightly, his expression strained... but that was all.
"Talk! Where is [Mask] Squad! What exactly are you trying to do?!" Tan Maoxun roared.
Under the torment of agony, Elder Chen's aged face trembled slightly. A smile appeared on his features as he said unhurriedly:
"Not bad. Compared to back then, you've improved greatly... I taught you well."
Tan Maoxun's pupils contracted sharply.
His chest heaved violently. A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes as the spectral light continued pouring into Elder Chen's body.
Yet Elder Chen remained smiling amidst the spectral light, his eyes full of approval, without any intention of saying more.
"Enough!"
Zuo Qing's voice came from outside the interrogation room. The spectral light around Tan Maoxun paused, receding like a tide back into his body. He stepped back to the side and respectfully bowed slightly to Zuo Qing.
"Commander Zuo..."
Zuo Qing walked in from the doorway, frowning as he looked at the silver-haired old man whose eyes were still smiling. His fists couldn't help but clench tight.
"Why did you stop?" Elder Chen asked leisurely. "If this one isn't yielding, maybe you should try someone else?"