Chapter 667 - Lai Da's Journey of the Heart

Though he projected confidence, a deep unease gnawed at Lai Da. He and Gou Chengxuan knew too well the terrifying power the bald bandits wielded. Even the imperial army would need brutal, grinding combat just to pressure them into withdrawing—a view the local gentry clearly shared, given their refusal to make even token gestures of support, the kind of low-cost bets that cost nothing yet kept options open.

And so Lai Da waited, bitter and anxious. What arrived was not victory but catastrophe: news of the imperial army's devastating defeat at Chengmai. The Lai brothers, who had been poised to become the heroic "Returned Homeland Corps," were struck dumb with shock. As captured spoils flowed continuously back from the battlefield, the two sank into utter despair.

Now only two paths remained. They could flee back to Qiongshan and cling to their master's side, surviving precariously day by day while awaiting some distant chance to rise again. Or they could settle quietly in Lingao—where honest work guaranteed a livelihood for anyone willing to seek it.

For hours the brothers debated in private, yet no resolution came. While they wavered, Lai Da spotted Chu Qing one day at the farm gate.

She had transformed entirely, dressed now in Australian clothing. Had her face not turned toward the construction site at precisely that moment, he might have walked past without recognizing her.

Her gaze swept absently in his direction, and his heart seized. She had grown breathtakingly beautiful. He had always found Chu Qing attractive, but after years apart, she positively radiated.

That fleeting encounter was enough to extinguish all thoughts of departure. Not only did he abandon any notion of leaving Lingao, he also violated his earlier principle of avoiding crowds and major thoroughfares. He began haunting the farm gate repeatedly, desperate for another glimpse—and if fortune allowed, a chance to exchange even a few words.

But Chu Qing rarely appeared. The farm demanded endless work, and she served not only as Wu Nanhai's personal secretary but also managed countless small affairs besides. She was perpetually busy. Lai Da came several times without success. So he took work as a day laborer hauling dirt and digging at the nearby construction site—laboring while he waited for her to emerge.

He worked more than ten days straight without seeing her again. One day, consumed by lovesickness that bordered on madness, Lai Da—as if possessed by some reckless spirit—approached an Australian walking out of the farm gate.

Learning that Chu Qing was indeed within, Lai Da felt joy surge through him. Though he had lived a precarious, wandering existence these past years, never once had he stopped thinking of his "bride-to-be." He had yearned constantly for the day he would drive out and destroy the bald bandit who had stolen his woman. This fantasy of reclamation had been the spiritual pillar sustaining him through every hardship.

When the imperial forces had gathered at Qiongshan, preparing their grand expedition with an atmosphere of gathering storm clouds, Lai Da had calculated and recalculated: after the bald bandits fled, how should he handle Chu Qing?

She had been taken by one of them—whether as servant or concubine—and was almost certainly no longer pure. After Lingao's conquest, Lai Da would be a contributor to imperial victory. Plenty of fine women would be available to him—perhaps even a wealthy family's daughter. He could hardly marry such "spoiled goods" properly. But he was a man of sentiment and principle. Her loss of virtue was more the bald bandit's fault than hers. The appropriate course would be to keep her as a concubine—a gesture befitting both his feelings and propriety.

Many times he had fantasized about it: how Chu Qing would kneel before him, begging forgiveness; how overwhelmed with gratitude she would be once he magnanimously pardoned her...

News of the imperial army's catastrophic defeat shattered that daydream entirely. Lai Da's feelings reverted to their original state—she was his "bride-to-be" once more. His longing intensified with each passing day.

Now, blood pounding in his temples, Lai Da wanted nothing more than to rush into the farm that instant, find Chu Qing, pour out his heart, and then flee with her to some distant place—abandoning Young Master Gou Er, the bald bandits, the court, the imperial army, all of it. The farm's walls weren't high, but the dense hedge looked difficult to breach. Bald bandit sentries stood watch at the gate—sneaking in would be no simple matter...

His reverie lasted an hour before reality intruded. People of this era lacked modern concepts of time. They also drastically underestimated how rapidly modern-style security systems could respond. Lai Da knew he shouldn't linger—but his definition of "lingering" was measured in days, not minutes.

He was seized and taken to the Political Security Bureau's Investigation Division, where he was thrown into an interrogation room.

The investigating officer was a native named Wu Ming. He had once worked as a caravan guard, but his methods were so brutally violent that escort agencies kept firing him. After being dismissed by multiple firms, he came to the attention of Guangzhou Station personnel who had heard rumors of his particular talents. Sent to Lingao, he first served in the police force. Ran Yao assessed him as shrewd, capable, decisive, and ruthless—a rare "hawk and hound" type who, with proper training, would make excellent claws and fangs for the bureau. When the Political Security Bureau was established, Wu Ming was transferred in as an action-team member. After Zhao Manxiong became First Deputy Director, he quickly rose to investigator.

Under Wu Ming's sharp, relentless questioning, the unprepared Lai Da stumbled and contradicted himself, exposing countless holes in his story. He attempted silence as a defense, but when two burly men entered carrying unfamiliar implements, their faces twisted into obscene, suggestive smiles, terror loosened his tongue immediately.

The investigator learned that the prisoner's name was "Chen Da," that he had worked as a servant elsewhere, and that after being dismissed, he had just returned to Lingao. He carried no identification documents. Upon seeing the inspectors, he had panicked and feared trouble. As for why he had been asking about Chu Qing, Lai Da couldn't conceal all of it. He said vaguely that she was an old neighbor; he had spotted her on the road and simply wanted to ask after her wellbeing—nothing more.

The story was plausible enough. Under normal circumstances, it might have passed scrutiny. But Wu Mu had already ordered Gou Buli brought in to identify the prisoner from a concealed room adjacent to the interrogation chamber. Recognition was instantaneous: this was Lai Da.

The investigator opened the "Wanted Roster." On the second page, Lai Da's name appeared prominently, marked "Level One."

"We've caught ourselves a big fish." Wu Ming immediately telephoned Wu Mu.

Wu Mu was quite satisfied. Capturing Lai Da held little practical value in itself, but if it led to the escaped Gou Er and his father, the transmigrators' reputation for omniscience would rise another level.

"Very good," Wu Mu said simply. "Well done."

"Serving the transmigrators and the people, Director!"

"Now you may continue that service. In ten minutes, a document will arrive. You are to pry his mouth open following the outline it contains."

"Understood, Director!"

Wu Mu hung up. With Lai Da in custody, Gou Chengxuan might well be active somewhere in Lingao or Chengmai. He immediately drafted orders for searches in both locations.

The search, of course, turned up nothing. Gou Chengxuan was neither in Lingao nor Chengmai—not even in precarious Qiongshan. Knowing the imperial army was utterly unreliable and that all of Hainan would eventually fall, he had long since fled back to the mainland.

Under interrogation, Lai Da revealed everything: Gou Chengxuan's activities in Guangzhou, his scheme to ally with the Huang family against the bald bandits. He also confessed that Gou Er's father, Gou Xunli, remained somewhere in Lingao.

But no matter how hard they pressed, Lai Da could not provide Gou Xunli's exact location—only that he was "in the mountains."

"In the mountains!" Wu Mu dismissed this as useless. Lingao's mountainous regions were vast, connecting with neighboring counties and the Li territories. Dense vegetation blanketed them—thickets and scrub everywhere. During bandit suppression operations, this was manageable; large bandit gangs had to descend for food eventually. But tracking down someone like Gou Xunli with merely a handful of followers would prove extraordinarily difficult. He could easily retreat into Danzhou to rest, then slip back into Lingao at will.

It wasn't that the transmigrators couldn't catch him—merely that the cost-benefit calculation didn't justify making it a priority case.

Wu Mu felt a twinge of disappointment. Seeing nothing more of value to extract, he ordered Lai Da detained pending final disposition.

"Director, I have a report," Wu Ming said. "Lai Da requests permission to see Chu Qing."

"Chu Qing?" Wu Mu had learned from the confession how intimately Lai Da's capture was tied to his obsessive longing for her.

If a meeting could produce more substantive intelligence, he would certainly arrange it. But Lai Da had already been squeezed dry. Letting him see Chu Qing now offered no value whatsoever—and worse, it risked complications. What if the girl still harbored feelings for him? That would upset Wu Nanhai, and Wu Nanhai's displeasure would inevitably be blamed on the Political Security Bureau. Most inappropriate.

"No." Wu Mu organized the interrogation report. His decision was already made: Lai Da had exhausted his usefulness. Better to make him disappear quickly. Otherwise, the matter of his former engagement to Chu Qing would become deeply unpleasant.

With this in mind, he spoke sternly to Wu Ming: "All interrogation records pertaining to Lai Da are to be consolidated here with me. Furthermore, the contents of this interrogation are to be kept strictly confidential. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Director!" Wu Ming didn't know exactly what was happening, but the chief's stern expression suggested some earth-shattering secret. Nervous now, he drew himself up. "I will maintain absolute secrecy!"

"Yes, I believe you will perform admirably," Wu Mu said. "Allow me to congratulate you in advance—you will be receiving a commendation signed by Division Chief Zhou."

"Serving the transmigrators and the people!" Wu Ming snapped to attention.

After Wu Ming departed, Wu Mu reviewed the materials at length. After considerable deliberation, he excised Lai Da's confession regarding his engagement to Chu Qing and compiled a sanitized version. Then he telephoned Zhao Manxiong.

"...Yes, yes. I've removed it. Shall I destroy the original?" Wu Mu asked.

"The original interrogation record must be preserved and filed," came the instructions from the other end. "Otherwise, if anyone ever reviews the case, there will be no way to explain what you removed."

"Yes, I understand."

The following day, Lai Da was transferred to the Arbitration Court's Special Tribunal for prosecution as a "war criminal."