The physician said with difficulty, "Alright, I'll go in first, but I feel a bit embarrassed to trouble you so much."
The officer replied, "It's my honor to serve you, sir. Please, make yourself comfortable!"
He then let the physician in and gestured towards the villa's hall, saying to me, "You rest in the living room for a bit. They'll call you if they need you."
I had no choice but to enter the living room. To be honest, I wasn't afraid of anything else but encountering someone I knew. If they recognized me, it wouldn't just be trouble for me, but the physician would also be in a difficult position.
I quickly entered the room and found a place to sit, pulling my straw hat down low to cover my face.
Just then, I heard voices outside. I had been wondering why there were no guards at the entrance if this was Wu Guodong's residence. It was only when I heard the voices that I understood; perhaps they had temporarily left their posts and weren't nearby.
A few people not in uniform entered. My heart sank. I hadn't seen Wang Dong and Qian Fugui in uniform the other day either. These plainclothes men within the high walls and deep courtyards were undoubtedly a special group, similar to the military intelligence or the Kuomintang secret service during the Republic of China era—a group of ruthless individuals.
In the military, not wearing a uniform, much like wearing a uniform among civilians, marks one as a mysterious figure.
It was as if my fears were coming true. I didn't look up. Wang Dong was a close bodyguard, so encountering him here was entirely normal.
I had considered the possibility of meeting Wang Dong here and had thought of various ways to deal with it. The first approach was to deny everything.
To deny that I was Li Hua.
When they entered and saw me, their conversation abruptly stopped. One of them walked up to me and asked, "Who are you? Why are you here?"
I slightly lifted my head and said, as if extremely scared, "I am Master Liu's disciple, here with the master."
The man said, "Master Liu? He always comes alone. Why are there two of you this time?"
I replied, "My master is not feeling well, so I'm here to take care of him."
The man seemed to find this plausible and didn't press further, turning to go into the inner room. Suddenly, he stopped as if he remembered something, turned back, and asked, "Your accent sounds familiar. Lift your hat. You sound a lot like someone I know."
We were certainly familiar, so familiar that we were mortal enemies, our lives hanging by a thread.
I lifted my hat. Before coming, I had applied a lot of Jing Lei's eyebrow ink to my face, making it look a bit dark. Most people wouldn't be able to recognize my original appearance.
I looked at him, feigning fear. This man was indeed Wang Dong, the same Wang Dong who was almost shot by Qian Fugui.
Wang Dong stared intently at me, as if trying to see through my very soul.
He asked, "Are you from Ruili?"
I replied, "No, I'm an orphan. I was abandoned by the roadside as a child. Master took me in and raised me. I don't know where my home is."
Wang Dong scoffed, "That's nonsense! Master Liu has always been alone. Where did you, a disciple raised by him, come from?"
I explained, "It's hard for you to say. When I was thirteen, I couldn't bear Master's poverty and secretly went down the mountain. I wandered the streets again. It was only recently that I met Master again and stayed by his side."
Wang Dong pressed on, "You really look like someone I know, from Ruili. Your appearance, your height, your voice—it's all too similar. No, it's exactly the same person! Tell me, do you have any brothers?"
I reiterated, "I've already told you I'm an orphan, I don't have a home, let alone parents. How would I know if I have brothers?"
Wang Dong muttered to himself, "Something's still not right. There must be a trick here. I've never doubted my own judgment."
He suddenly said sternly, "Stand up!"
I looked at him tremblingly and carefully stood up, glancing at him timidly, trying my best to appear frightened.
He stood beside me, scrutinizing me from head to toe, as if comparing the me from that day with the me now, checking if the two images would merge.
He suddenly punched me in the chest. I couldn't withstand it and fell back onto the sofa.
He seemed unconvinced. When he had hit me earlier, my reaction had been weak, with no ability to resist.
If it had been me from that day, I might not have been a martial arts master, but at least I would have been someone from the martial world.
To be knocked onto the sofa with just one punch like this, he found it hard to believe.
He was still troubled, unsure where his judgment had gone wrong.
He asked me, "Have you gone out recently?"
I replied, "Yes, I have."
He immediately perked up, "Where did you go?"
I said, "Here! Aren't I standing opposite you now?"
He became furious and slapped me hard, "Who the hell are you asking about now? Am I blind? Don't you see me standing in front of you? I'm asking where you went in the past few days!"
I covered my face, looking at him with pain and grievance, "I didn't go anywhere. I was just digging herbs on the mountain with Master."
He said nothing further, continuing to scrutinize me. It seemed he wouldn't give up until he had tricked me into confessing.
I continued to put on a frightened demeanor, cautiously watching his fists, afraid he would hit me again.
At that moment, the officer came out and approached me, saying, "Mr. Liu is feeling a bit overwhelmed and needs your assistance with some work inside."
Wang Dong immediately retorted, "Absolutely not! I suspect this kid is here from Ruili for revenge. If he enters the inner chambers, it will be detrimental to the General!"
The officer asked, "You need evidence to make such claims. Why do you say he's from Ruili?"
He replied, "He looks exactly like Li Hua, the one who came to the poppy fields the day before yesterday. They are identical! How can there be such a coincidence in the world?"
The officer said, "Just because you say it's him, does that make it so? I heard this Li Hua had a fight with our men and possessed considerable skill. Several of our top experts were defeated by him. If you want to prove whether it's him, it's easy – just take him out for a spar, and you'll know."
Wang Dong asked, "What about the General's quarters?"
The officer replied, "The General's safety is paramount. Let Mr. Liu hold on a little longer. You two go out and spar. If it's not him, you must show restraint and not harm him; we still have use for him."
Wang Dong said, "Then please act as the judge. If it is him, I will make him fall right here. Principal Sun is waiting for the bounty."
The officer stated, "Receiving a bounty and identifying a suspect are two different matters. I hope you won't wrongly accuse an innocent person for a bit of money. The General's health still relies on them for maintenance."
Wang Dong declared, "Then please be assured, I will not wrong the innocent, nor will I indulge wrongdoing. I will not bend the law for personal gain. I will thoroughly investigate this matter!"
The General commanded, "Good, begin quickly. I will be the referee. Let's make it swift."
They were completely indifferent to whether I was the real person or a master. Here, everyone was a top-tier expert. If I were to fight, even with the strength of three heads and six arms, I wouldn't be able to escape.