Chapter 423 — What Was He Supposed to Do?

A couple of casual slaps, and the man had turned mute?

Uncle Yan could hardly believe it either. He had never seen a technique like Wei Zhao's before. Could it be acupoint sealing? Impossible—he himself was a martial artist, and he had never heard of anyone who could seal acupoints. That sort of thing only existed in TV dramas; it simply did not exist in reality. So he was somewhat skeptical of Wei Zhao's words. He was just about to open his mouth to prove he was not mute when he discovered, to his astonishment, that no sound would come out!

Qiu Lingshan watched Yan Qiyuan standing there going "yi yi ya ya" and was left somewhat speechless. By the look of it, the man really had been turned mute by Wei Zhao. How terrifying! A few casual slaps, and he was mute?

"Oh, right, he can still write. How about I turn him into an idiot instead?" Wei Zhao suddenly thought of this.

"Mmm... mmm..." At Wei Zhao's words, Yan Qiyuan shook his head desperately. What kind of joke was this? Turn himself into an idiot? What meaning would his life have then? He still had to deliver the news to his family. As for who had captured him, he truly had no interest in saying much to the police—he was doomed either way, and saying more would only waste his breath.

"See, he says he won't talk. All right, then, we're done here. I'm off." Naturally, Wei Zhao could not very well turn Yan Qiyuan into an idiot in front of Qiu Lingshan. He shrugged, pulled Tang Zhi into the car, and drove away.

Qiu Lingshan watched Wei Zhao with a complicated look in her eyes, then took Yan Qiyuan and got into the police car, speeding back to the station.

Qiu Lingshan escorted Yan Qiyuan into the police station and happened to run into Zou Tiandi and his son, who had just finished receiving their punishment from the criminal investigation unit and were walking out of the station.

When Zou Tiandi saw Yan Qiyuan being escorted by Qiu Lingshan, he gave a great start, and a flash of shock and terror crossed his eyes! How had Uncle Yan been captured and brought back by Qiu Lingshan? Had he not sent Zou Ruoming to take him along and intercept Wei Zhao?

"What's this, Mr. Zou, you know this fugitive wanted for murder and robbery?" Qiu Lingshan glanced at the astonished Zou Tiandi. She knew perfectly well that this Yan Qiyuan had been brought in by Zou Tiandi, but she also knew that a man like him would never admit to something for which there was no evidence.

"No... I don't know him..." Zou Tiandi hastily shook his head and hurriedly dragged Zou Ruoguang away. He did not dare to have anything to do with a murderer—even though they clearly did have a connection.

Qiu Lingshan watched the departing backs of Zou Tiandi and Zou Ruoguang and gave a cold laugh. Then she turned around and came face to face with Liu Wangli.

"Captain Song, you've made an arrest? A man this old—what did he do?" Liu Wangli glanced at the prisoner in Qiu Lingshan's custody and asked.

"Yan Qiyuan, fugitive wanted for robbery and murder." Qiu Lingshan gave Liu Wangli a casual order: "He's yours to handle."

"Captain Song, you... you actually caught Yan Qiyuan and brought him back?" Liu Wangli's eyes went wide, and his admiration for Qiu Lingshan knew no bounds. Over this period, Qiu Lingshan had cracked one major case after another, and her standing in the police station and the ** unit had risen rapidly. She had plainly become Yang Huaijun's worthy successor!

The earlier voices saying that Qiu Lingshan only knew how to charge in and could not solve cases had all faded away. It seemed everyone had come to acknowledge her! Liu Wangli had been uncomfortable when his superior was being gossiped about, and now that all he heard was praise, he felt a strange satisfaction. This time Qiu Lingshan had even brought back a wanted criminal—Liu Wangli felt all the more that his face was shining!

Yet only Qiu Lingshan's heart was in some turmoil. What exactly was her relationship with Wei Zhao? A cooperative one, or an adversarial one? It really was hard to say...

Zou Tiandi and Zou Ruoguang got back into the car. Zou Tiandi clutched his chest, frightened out of his wits: "Ruoguang, did I see that right? Was that man Uncle Yan?"

"It was Uncle Yan!" Zou Ruoguang nodded. "How did Qiu Lingshan catch him? Wasn't he an early-stage Huang-rank expert?"

"I don't know either. Let me call Ruoming first and ask!" Zou Tiandi was also eager to get to the bottom of what had happened.

"Hello? Ruoming? What did you do? How did Uncle Yan get caught by the criminal police?" Zou Tiandi called Zou Ruoming and, without waiting for him to speak, fired off his questions like a string of firecrackers.

"Dad, something terrible has happened!" Zou Ruoming was badly frightened too. At that moment he was hiding at home, not even daring to go to school: "That kid's name is Wei Zhao. He goes to our school. He's an expert! He knocked Uncle Yan flat with one slap and kicked him unconscious in a few kicks..."

"What! That man is that formidable?" Zou Tiandi was shocked the moment he heard Zou Ruoming's words! What shocked him most was that Zou Ruoming actually knew Wei Zhao!

"He's the terror of our school. Nobody dares to cross him now..." Zou Ruoming's voice was on the verge of tears: "He already had it in for me, and today I brought Uncle Yan to make trouble for him again. You've ruined me completely! Dad, I don't even dare to go to school..."

Zou Tiandi's face turned ashen in an instant. He knew very well how strong Uncle Yan was. What kind of strength would it take to bring Uncle Yan down with ease? How had he gone and provoked such a person?

The mere thought of Zou Tiandi sent a chill of dread through him. If Wei Zhao truly wanted him dead, it would be no harder for him than crushing an ant. And last time he had even fought the man over a hospital room—the very thought of the consequences made his mind reel!

The grimmest face in the room was not Zou Tiandi's but Zou Ruoguang's. He had heard the voice on the phone as well, and the dread in his heart ran even deeper than his father's: "Dad, I told you we could not afford to provoke that man, but you just had to provoke him anyway. Now we are finished... If he wants to crush us, it is like child's play. What are we going to do from now on? Last time you even told me to bring men to teach him a lesson—good thing I did not go, or you would be burning paper money for me right now!"

"Enough, Ruoguang. Do not be afraid. Wei Zhao is formidable, true, but has he actually done anything to us? He kept Uncle Yan behind but let Ruoming go—that shows he cannot be bothered to stoop to people like us. We simply must not cross him again. Find an opportunity to give him a red envelope, and we will host a banquet to apologize. I doubt he will hold a grudge forever." Zou Tiandi was a man of some caliber after all; he had reasoned out a countermeasure on the spot.

"That is all we can do!" Zou Ruoguang nodded. "Last time I was possessed by some madness and even thought of harassing that girl beside him... Just thinking about it now makes my blood run cold!"

"Indeed. This time I have memorized his face well, and even saved a photo on my phone. From now on, whenever we see him, we take a detour. If we cannot avoid him, we act with the utmost deference. As the saying goes, one does not strike a smiling face. If we are sufficiently fawning, a man of his eminence surely will not hold anything against us." Zou Tiandi spoke.

"We can only console ourselves with that!" Zou Ruoguang still wore a bitter, scowling face. Speed, and greater safety!

BA