RYEY -Chapter 374 Draw It Out

The noise of quarrels, furious shouts, and curses kept rolling in, mixed with children’s frightened crying. The entire train seemed to fall into chaos.

At last, a group in green military uniforms came running over. It turned out that a local garrison unit had received orders to board the train and conduct a full search of everyone.

Cheng Qiao and little Cheng Li were searched, and their luggage was carefully checked as well. Cheng Qiao’s name and destination were recorded, and she was asked the purpose of her trip.

Once they learned that Cheng Qiao was a future doctor specially recruited by the Wuwei Garrison Hospital, the two of them were immediately cleared to leave. People like her had already gone through strict political screening—there was no way she could be involved.

As she was getting off the train, Cheng Qiao glanced back at the scruffy man. He cupped his fists toward her, silently thanking her for the big meat bun and the corn bun she had given him.

Cheng Qiao smiled and nodded, then led little Cheng Li off the train. But suspicion lingered in her heart—could that scruffy man be the killer? He might even possess some kind of special ability; otherwise, Little Red wouldn’t have been suppressed so badly.

Seeing his daughter and grandson among the first to get off, Cheng Liguo hurried over. When little Cheng Li spotted him, he excitedly shouted, “Grandpa! Grandpa!”

“Child, you must’ve been frightened,” Cheng Liguo said.

“I’m okay, Grandpa. With Mom here, I could hold on.”

“Good. You’re still young now, so your mother protects you. When you grow up, it’ll be your turn to shoulder the responsibility of protecting her.”

Little Cheng Li puffed out his tiny chest. Of course—aside from Brother Xuhui, he was the second oldest in the family. Now that big brother had gone to school, it was his job to protect Mom.

“Who was the murderer?” Cheng Liguo asked.

Cheng Qiao shook her head. Little Red seemed to be in a deep sleep. Whatever had happened last night must have dealt it a severe blow.

The image of the scruffy man flashed through her mind. A sense of understanding dawned on her, and she subconsciously tightened her grip on little Cheng Li’s hand—until he cried out in pain, snapping her back to her senses.

“Cheng Qiao, what’s wrong? Why did your face suddenly turn so pale?”

“Dad, let’s go. Quickly.”

“Alright, we’ll leave right away.”

Cheng Liguo scooped up little Cheng Li and hurried out of the station. Li Bing quickly followed. He knew this incident had to be connected to Cheng Qiao—perhaps someone had come specifically to kill her.

“Where are we heading now?” Li Bing asked.

“First to my dad’s yaodong. Did you drive here?”

“Of course. Guoqing went to the border to deliver supplies, so I drove his little van. Get in.”

Li Bing originally wanted to help Cheng Qiao with her luggage, but when he saw she only had one large and one small bag in her hands, he withdrew his hand.

Once the three of them were in the vehicle, Li Bing started the engine. The van struggled a bit, but courteously rumbled forward. Only after they’d driven about a li did the alarm bells in Cheng Qiao’s heart finally subside.

“Li Bing, where’s the nearest post office? I need to make a phone call to my master.”

Li Bing hesitated. There had been a phone in the station duty office, and there was also a post office near the station. But now they were already on the road—should they turn back?

Turning back was out of the question. Cheng Qiao told Li Bing to keep driving and stop once they reached a post office.

“Let’s drive another hour,” Li Bing said. “Once we enter our garrison area, I’ll take you straight to Captain Qin’s office to make the call.”

Cheng Qiao nodded, though anxiety was rising inside her. She wanted to enter her space to check on Little Red, but the situation didn’t allow it.

Just as she was growing increasingly worried, a faint breath from Little Red reached her mind. It vanished in an instant, but Cheng Qiao had already received crucial information.

Last night, Little Red had been quietly curled up against little Cheng Li. Then it sensed a surge of killing intent and immediately raised its head, moving soundlessly toward the source.

When it realized the killing intent came from the bunk below Cheng Qiao, its whole body tensed. If this person meant harm to Cheng Qiao, then there would be no mercy.

But at the critical moment, that person’s hand moved toward the bunk opposite. In the darkness, Little Red clearly saw a flash of silver—then blood burst from the other person’s throat.

The silver hidden weapon automatically returned to the attacker’s hand, only to be flung out the window. With the speeding train, it disappeared without leaving a trace.

Cheng Qiao pictured the scruffy man again. Over those two days and nights, she had hardly looked at him properly—he was simply too filthy for her to bear.

“Mom, do you remember that dirty uncle?” little Cheng Li suddenly asked.

Cheng Qiao froze. Had the child seen clearly too?

“I only glanced at him when we were getting off. His hair was too long—it covered most of his face, so I couldn’t see clearly.”

“I saw him. When he was eating the big meat bun, I looked up at him from below.”

“Really?”

“I’ll draw him for you.”

Little Cheng Li quickly pulled a notebook and pencil from his schoolbag and began to draw. The van’s poor suspension made some strokes slant as it jolted along.

He took out an eraser—fixing what needed fixing, redrawing what needed redrawing. Before long, a bearded, unkempt face appeared on the page. Cheng Qiao nodded excitedly—that was him.

“Son, can you draw another one—without the beard?”

Little Cheng Li thought for a moment, then agreed to try. He took out a fresh notebook, and the pencil scratched softly across the paper. Gradually, a face emerged—still the same person, but now looking fairly clean-cut.

“Cheng Qiao, little Cheng Li has real talent for drawing,” Li Bing said. “Last time, he even drew that girl from the Wu family. Maybe you should find a famous artist to guide him.”

Before Cheng Qiao could answer, little Cheng Li refused outright. He felt teachers taught too slowly—he learned faster on his own. After all, though he was only in second grade, he could already understand third-grade books.

“Let him decide,” Cheng Qiao said. “If he wants to study, I’ll help him find a teacher.”

“Li Bing, do you recognize this person?”

While driving, Li Bing glanced at the face in the notebook. It was unfamiliar—he had never seen him. But they could send the drawing to Ye Chengying.

“I think Ye Chengying has already gone to the capital,” Cheng Liguo said. He had come to understand Ye Chengying a bit; from their brief two-minute phone call earlier, he’d picked up on something. By now, Ye Chengying should already have left.

“Then send it directly to Wu Hongxin,” Cheng Qiao suddenly said.

Cheng Liguo’s eyes lit up. Li Bing, however, nearly stomped the accelerator through the floor. Wu Hongxin—the one living up on the mountain. They couldn’t even get a meeting with him; how were they supposed to make contact?

“Big Brother,” Cheng Qiao continued, “report this to Captain Qin and leave it to you. I have a dagger that General Wu gave me. As long as you carry this dagger, you’ll be able to go up there.”