Chapter 116: Chase in the Night
Chapter 116: Chase in the Night
Li Zian immediately dashed out. He went through the living room, exited the door, and as he entered the elevator, he took out his mobile phone and dialed Liu Jun’s number.
“Officer Liu!”
“What is it so late?”
“That White-clad Woman appeared again, on the River Embankment opposite my home. I am chasing her now, come quickly!”
“Hey, be careful…”
Before Liu Jun could finish speaking, Li Zian hung up the phone.
The elevator doors opened, and he shot out like an arrow. He exited the main door and ran onto the River Embankment.
That white figure was still on the River Embankment. She wore a white dress and a veil covering her head. The dress was ancient-style, with a top and skirt, somewhat resembling a traditional hanfu dress. The veil hung from a straw hat. Under the semi-transparent white gauze, her face was faintly visible, but not clear. In her arms, she held a sheathed long sword. The hilt and scabbard were inlaid with various gems that glittered under the streetlights.
Li Zian slowed his pace and walked toward the White-clad Woman.
He wanted to leap forward, like a fierce tiger pouncing on its prey, pin her to the ground, and subdue her until Liu Jun arrived with backup. If he succeeded, he would have caught the killer. Not only would he clear his name, but he would also become a model of police-civilian cooperation.
But the White-clad Woman held a long sword, and her entire outfit resembled that of a heroine from a martial arts movie.
If he rushed at her directly, and she happened to be highly skilled in martial arts, she might draw her sword and stab him twice in the belly. Blood could spurt over a meter high. Wouldn’t that be an unjust death?
Stay calm, stay calm…
Safety first.
There were still some pedestrians on the River Embankment. Li Zian followed behind a couple as he walked toward the White-clad Woman.
The White-clad Woman watched Li Zian. Though separated by a layer of veil, her blue eyes were quite noticeable. Perhaps it was the lighting, or perhaps her eyes were just exceptionally beautiful—they gave off a sapphire-like impression.
Closer and closer.
Li Zian grew increasingly nervous. Several plans raced through his mind.
Plan one: Catch her off guard, rush from the front, grab her arms to prevent her from drawing the sword, and at the same time, knee her camel toe, dealing ten thousand points of damage, then throw her to the ground and subdue her.
Plan two: Walk past her, catch her off guard from behind, hold her to prevent her from drawing the sword, and knee her rear end, dealing five thousand points of damage, then throw her to the ground and subdue her.
Plan three: Go up and start a conversation…
The White-clad Woman suddenly turned and walked forward.
All plans failed.
Li Zian quickly followed, pulling out his mobile phone as he walked, and took a picture of the White-clad Woman’s back.
Hadn’t Liu Jun said he hadn’t seen this White-clad Woman? Well, he would take a picture to show him.
It was as though the White-clad Woman had eyes in the back of her head. Seeing Li Zian taking her photo, she suddenly sidestepped and then broke into a run. Her speed was incredible. As she started, her skirt fluttered up, and in an instant, she created distance.
Li Zian panicked. He broke into a run, shouting, “Stop!”
The White-clad Woman didn’t even glance back. She kept running forward. Her legs were long, and her running posture was elegant and light. Her white skirt fluttered wildly in the wind.
Li Zian felt as though he wasn’t chasing a woman, but a white deer. He even suspected that as she ran, she might suddenly soar into the air, riding a white cloud and flying away.
The White-clad Woman’s running route was also bizarre. Sometimes there was clearly no obstacle in front of her, yet she would still swerve, taking a serpentine path. Even so, her speed far exceeded Li Zian’s straight-line pursuit. The gap between them widened.
“Stop! You stop right there!” Li Zian chased with all his might, yelling in frustration.
Many pedestrians on the River Embankment gave him strange looks, but no one looked at the White-clad Woman.
Soon, he reached the end of the River Embankment. The White-clad Woman ran down the embankment, crossed the road, and entered a narrow alley.
Li Zian also ran down the embankment, ignoring the traffic as he dashed across the road.
A taxi nearly hit him. The driver slammed on the brakes and leaned out the window, yelling, “Are you trying to get yourself killed? If you want to die, go jump in the river!”
Li Zian didn’t have time to retort. He quickly crossed the road and chased into the alley.
The alley was quiet. There were no streetlights, and the walls and buildings on both sides blocked light from elsewhere, making it pitch black.
Once he reached this point, Li Zian could no longer see the White-clad Woman. Chasing into such an alley was dangerous, yet he couldn’t bring himself to give up.
He looked around, picked up a brick from a pile of debris, and entered the alley.
He didn’t exactly feel invincible with the brick in hand, but if the White-clad Woman attacked him, he could at least throw the brick to buy himself some time to escape. If she turned her back to him, he might even have a chance to hit the back of her head with it. The odds of that happening were slim, but what if it did?
One must always keep hope alive.
Crack!
A sudden shattering sound startled him. He looked toward the sound and saw a cat leaping down from the top of a wall, stepping on and breaking a tile on the ground.
“Meow.” The stray cat called out to Li Zian, then ran deeper into the alley.
Li Zian took a deep breath and continued walking further into the alley.
He kept worrying that the White-clad Woman would jump out from some corner and stab him in the belly with her sword, so he moved cautiously and very slowly.
Before he knew it, he reached the end of the alley.
It was a dead end. The alley terminated at a wall about two meters high.
The White-clad Woman had vanished.
Li Zian looked around but still saw no white figure. He felt utterly frustrated. Just as he shifted his gaze back to the wall at the alley’s end, a white silhouette appeared atop the wall. It jumped down and disappeared again, visible for less than a second.
“Stop!” Li Zian sprinted after her.
As he neared the wall, he leaped up, pressing his right foot against the wall to propel himself upward. In that instant, his hands gripped the top of the wall, and he hoisted himself over. He had scaled the two-meter-high wall.
Behind the wall was a small yard. There were clotheslines propped up, two flower beds, and some plants, giving it a homely feel. It seemed like the residence of a native Shanghainese. If this house were demolished, the owner would become a millionaire.
At the far end of the yard was a small, tiled house. Entry was through a door, which was closed. Beside the door was a window, also closed. No lights were on, so it was unclear if anyone lived there.
If he had a stick of sandalwood incense now, he could take a couple of puffs to enhance his hearing. Then, from the breathing sounds, Li Zian could determine whether someone was inside. But he had rushed out in a hurry—how could he have thought to bring sandalwood incense?
Should he go in and check?
He saw the White-clad Woman jump into this yard with his own eyes. But what if she was hiding behind the door? As soon as he entered, she might stab him in the belly, and blood would spurt over a meter high…
Li Zian really wanted to uncover the White-clad Woman’s identity and the secrets behind the symbols and patterns on the Great Sluggish Cauldron. And that White-clad Woman most likely held the key information. But if there was a risk to his life, he had to weigh whether it was worth it.
Unraveling the mystery of the Great Sluggish Cauldron was tempting, but his life was more important.
Just as Li Zian was hesitating, a light suddenly turned on inside the house. Light streamed through the curtains and door cracks, brightening the previously pitch-black yard considerably.
Li Zian’s attention was immediately drawn to the window.
There was someone behind the curtain. In the backlight, that person’s shadow was silhouetted on the curtain—thin and tall.
The White-clad Woman was also thin and tall.
A thought struck Li Zian. He wondered, “Could the person inside be the White-clad Woman? Is this her home?”
The person behind the curtain was taking off their clothes—the movements were quite clear.
Li Zian stared intently at the silhouette’s chest area. But he could only see the shadow, and it was too blurry to make out any female characteristics.
In this situation, he could only rely on chest features to determine if the person inside was the White-clad Woman. But even that wasn’t possible.
Ring-ring, ring-ring…
The sudden ring of his mobile phone startled him. He quickly ducked down against the wall, pulled out his phone.
Unsurprisingly, it was Liu Jun calling.
Li Zian swiftly answered the call but didn’t dare speak.
Liu Jun’s voice came through the phone, “Where are you?”
Just then, the door of the small house opened. A person’s shadow stretched across the cement floor of the yard with the spill of light.
“Hey, why aren’t you talking? I asked where you are right now!” Liu Jun’s voice clearly carried irritation.
Li Zian couldn’t bother with Liu Jun now. He stared fixedly at the open door.
A person stepped out from behind the door.
It was a woman. The female characteristics he hadn’t seen earlier were now obvious at a glance—and quite sizable at that. But it wasn’t the White-clad Woman. Instead, it was a middle-aged woman in her forties. She wore only two connected pieces of upper clothing, and her exposed midriff showed a bit of excess flesh. The glaring white bulge was somewhat jarring to the eyes.
Li Zian was dumbfounded. He clearly saw the White-clad Woman jump into this yard and hadn’t seen her escape from anywhere else. Yet, the person who came out of the house was an auntie.
The auntie held a rolling pin in her hand, her eyes warily scanning the corners of the yard where someone might hide.
Li Zian also got a clear look at her face—an oval face with delicate features. She must have been quite pretty when she was young, and now she still retained some charm. Except for her figure—that was the only flaw.
After checking the most likely hiding spot, the auntie suddenly looked up toward the top of the wall.
Startled, Li Zian rolled off the wall and dropped down.
Thud!
The fall was hard. Li Zian gasped in pain.
“Who’s there?” came the auntie’s voice.
Li Zian didn’t dare answer. He scrambled up from the ground and limped toward the alley exit. After a few steps, the pain lessened, his limp vanished, and his speed increased.
Beep, beep, beep…
The dial tone sounded from his phone—Liu Jun had already hung up.
But Li Zian wasn’t worried. He knew Liu Jun would call again.