BPIFC -Volume 1 – Chapter 187 Merit

“Look at how polite you are, Bureau Chief Sun,” Kong Dalong said with a faint smile. “You already knew about the relationship between me and Che Qianzi, and that’s why you never bothered to argue with this old man like you otherwise would. I may be over seventy, but I’m not confused.”

He paused, then continued more seriously.

“Now that I’ve told you everything, the rest… I’ll have to trouble you with it.”

His expression turned solemn.

“What needs to be done now is to awaken Wu Rendi’s memories so father and son can recognize each other. I can’t do it. Jiao Dalang can’t do it either. Only Bureau Chief Sun—you can.”

“Old Master, you really think too highly of me,” Sun Desheng said with a bitter laugh, interrupting him. “I know exactly how many bowls of rice I can eat. I can’t handle something like this.”

He paused, then suggested, “How about this—bring back Gui Bugui and Ren San from overseas. You came from the sea; those two must know something. Let them handle it.”

“That’s been considered,” Kong Dalong said, shaking his head before Sun could finish. “Rejected.”

“Wu Rendi is no ordinary man. He has lived for over two thousand three hundred years on his own strength. He is extremely confident in himself… And Gui Bugui is famous for being full of schemes. If I were Wu Rendi, I’d suspect this is another trap set by him.”

“Just think about it—if Gui Bugui suddenly shows up and tells him Che Qianzi is his son, and he can’t even remember that period of time… With his personality, would he believe it so easily?”

“Most likely, he’d think it’s another scheme. Before anything else, Gui Bugui would probably end up spending a few days in intensive care.”

Kong Dalong shook his head again.

“In truth, it isn’t that hard to make Wu Rendi acknowledge Che Qianzi. We just need to awaken his memories.”

“Back when he came to Hangzhou, Jiao Dalang already tried. He took him to that house and showed him the button torn from my clothes. He already had a faint impression. As long as Bureau Chief Sun finds a way to fully restore his memory, everything else becomes easy.”

Sun Desheng narrowed his eyes slightly and said nothing for a moment.

Then he spoke again.

“Old Master, from what you’re saying… you already have a plan, don’t you? You just need someone to take the blame, right?”

“What do you mean ‘take the blame’?” Kong Dalong said with a laugh. “This is an act of great merit. A supreme virtue.”

“Think about it—this is Wu Rendi’s own son. With such immense merit on your side, you’ll be able to commit all the minor misdeeds you want in the future. Enough to last until the day you die.”

“I’ll just take that as you praising me,” Sun Desheng said dryly.

“Old Master, if it’s such a great merit, why don’t you do it yourself? After all, Director Wu won’t remember anything anyway. He wouldn’t even recognize you. Wouldn’t that be perfect?”

“Perfect my ass,” Kong Dalong sighed. “That’s exactly why I can’t do it.”

“If he remembers… that I once pinned him down and slapped him, made him bleed out of his nose…”

“If he recalls that scene, I don’t even know whether Che Qianzi will recognize his father—but I know for sure I won’t survive it.”

“So don’t refuse. I’ve already thought through everything. Among all people in the world, you’re the most suitable. In any case, you’re all tied together by family relations.”

Sun Desheng was curious what method this old man would use to awaken Wu Rendi’s memories. After a moment, he nodded.

“Fine, Old Master. Just explain it to me—though I’m not agreeing yet. If it’s dangerous, I won’t do it.”

Seeing him finally loosen up, Kong Dalong leaned closer and whispered his plan into Bureau Chief Sun’s ear…

An hour later, Shen La finally dragged back an unwilling Che Qianzi.

When they returned, the room once again had only Sun Desheng inside.

Seeing the sulking young Taoist, Sun Desheng exchanged a glance with Shen La, silently asking whether he had slipped anything about Wu Rendi’s identity.

Shen La gently shook his head.

Only then did Sun Desheng grin, walk over, and drape an arm around Che Qianzi’s shoulder.

“Come on now, brother, why such a temper? Even your elder brothers haven’t said anything and you already lit yourself up like a powder keg…”

“Just now I got some news. Your master Kong Dalong has nothing to do with that incident.”

“Back then, he was harassing people by West Lake and got caught red-handed by our respected Director Wu. It wasn’t exactly glorious, but it has nothing to do with the case from back then…”

Che Qianzi relaxed a little at first, but quickly caught a flaw.

“Hold on—Fatty, my phone is with me. Who sent you that message?”

He pulled out the phone and handed it back.

“Who said I only have one phone?” Sun Desheng chuckled, taking it back. “And who said I even need a phone?”

“Your big brother here has deputy-minister-level privileges. I always have protection you don’t see. If something really happened, I wouldn’t even need Shen La—twenty or thirty bodyguards would appear instantly. Passing a message is easy.”

Shen La, lacking Sun Desheng’s eloquence, quickly added, “Just listen to Big Sun. Don’t overthink it. Nothing bad will happen.”

Still doubtful, Che Qianzi listened on.

Sun Desheng then grew serious.

“Let me get to the point. I’ve basically figured out the origin of that button, but I need more details back at the Bureau for verification.”

“Don’t look at me like that—I’m not hiding anything from you.”

“Twenty years ago, Director Wu came to Hangzhou during his weak period. He got into trouble here and was beaten until he was covered in blood. He survived, but lost part of his memory.”

“The place where it happened was right here. When he collapsed, he grabbed a button from someone’s clothing. That’s why the moment he saw that black jade button, he reacted so strongly.”

Shen La briefly explained what “weak period” meant for white-haired individuals.

After listening, Che Qianzi stared at them strangely.

Just as Sun Desheng thought he had seen through the lie, Che Qianzi suddenly spoke.

“So that’s it. Fatty, just say it straight—my old master got caught red-handed and couldn’t take it. He came back for revenge, right?”

“I always wondered why he stayed hidden in the mountains and never came out. Turns out he was afraid of retaliation from Wu Rendi…”

“Right, right,” Sun Desheng laughed awkwardly. “You should really talk to your master about this in the future…”