Courtyard House: First, kill the hypocrites, leave none alive.

A mourning tent was set up in Zhao Jianguo's courtyard.

The white cloth curtains fluttered in the autumn wind. In the center of the shed stood a black lacquered coffin, the eternal flame flickering in front of it, illuminating the white paper wreaths on either side. Zhao Jianguo's portrait sat on the altar. In the photo, he was wearing a neat Zhongshan suit and smiling. It was a work photo taken two years ago by the neighborhood committee.

Now, the person in the photo lies in a coffin, with seventeen stitches in his abdomen, resembling an ugly centipede crawling on his body.

The courtyard was packed with people. Zhao's three brothers, two cousins, several other cousins, and Wang Qiang's relatives—more than twenty men and women—filled the already small courtyard to the brim. Smoke swirled around them, and every face bore the marks of grief, anger, and murderous intent.

"A thousand dollars!" Wang Qiang slammed his cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it with his foot. "Scarface is offering a thousand dollars for Chen Xiaoyu! Everyone in the underworld has gone crazy. Even Crippled Li from the east of the city has sent out dozens of his men to search for her!"

Zhao Jianjun sat in the rattan chair at the head of the table, his face so gloomy it looked like it could drip water. He was the eldest son of the Zhao family, and had worked as a fitter in a steel rolling mill for thirty years. His hands were covered in calluses, and the wrinkles on his face were so deep they could trap flies. He had originally thought that the 500 yuan reward was already an astronomical sum, enough to mobilize all the thugs and hooligans in Beijing.

Unexpectedly, the scarred man actually offered a thousand.

"Scarface's brother?" Zhao Jianjun's voice was deep. "Wang Dagang? Why is he looking for Chen Xiaoyu?"

"It's for revenge," said Zhao Jianguo's third brother, Zhao Jianye. "Scarface was hired by Yi Zhonghai to kill Chen Feng, but Chen Feng killed him instead. Now his brother is here, and he wants revenge for his brother. He's looking for Chen Xiaoyu, probably to lure Chen Feng out."

"Then can we cooperate with him?" Wang Qiang's eyes lit up. "He'll offer a thousand, we'll offer five hundred, that'll be a total of fifteen hundred! With such a generous reward, Chen Xiaoyu will be dragged out even if she hides in a crack in the ground!"

Everyone in the courtyard looked at Zhao Jianjun. He was the eldest, and the decisions had to be made by him.

Zhao Jianjun didn't answer immediately. He picked up the enamel mug on the table, took a sip of strong tea, and the bitterness of the tea leaves spread in his mouth. He was thinking about Wang Dagang.

He knew Wang Dali, the scarred-faced man. A ruthless leader in the black market of the north of the city, but he had his own rules and wouldn't touch what he shouldn't. Two months ago, Yi Zhonghai hired him to kill Chen Feng, but Chen Feng killed both Chen Feng and his men. The story spread like wildfire in the black market; everyone called Chen Feng a killing god.

Now Scarface's brother has arrived, seeking revenge.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Zhao Jianjun understood this principle.

But cooperating with people in the black market is too risky. The police are keeping a close eye on things now, and if things are exposed, every single one of the Zhao family members will be in jail.

But Zhao Jianguo's revenge could not be left unavenged. The fourth brother's death was too tragic; he was stabbed to death in broad daylight on his way to his funeral, without even a chance to fight back. This injustice could not be swallowed.

"Cooperation is possible," Zhao Jianjun finally spoke, "but be careful. Wang Qiang, go and contact Wang Dagang's people to sound them out. Remember, don't mention our bounty; just say we're also looking for Chen Xiaoyu and are willing to help."

"Understood!" Wang Qiang stood up.

"Also," Zhao Jianjun stopped him, "find out Wang Dagang's background. Is he really Scarface's brother? Where did he come from? How many men did he bring? You need to find out all of these things."

"it is good."

Wang Qiang left. Silence fell again in the courtyard, broken only by the faint crackling of the ever-burning wick.

Zhao Jianjun looked at the coffin, at his brother's smiling face in the portrait, and felt a sharp pain in his heart. In two months, two people had died in the Zhao family—his sister-in-law Wang Yulan and his brother Zhao Jianguo, both killed by Chen Feng.

A blood feud, irreconcilable.

Zhao Jianjun became increasingly confused. This pool of water was too deep, its bottom unseen.

He concluded by saying, "Chen Feng must die. Finding Chen Xiaoyu will lead to finding Chen Feng. Then, we'll settle all the old and new scores together."

The people in the courtyard all nodded in agreement.

Outside the mourning tent, night was deepening. The autumn wind swirled up the ashes of the paper money on the ground, sending them twirling into the sky like a flock of black butterflies.

At the heart of this bounty storm, Chen Feng was completely unaware of it.

---

The Chengnan Orphanage is an old two-story brick building with peeling paint revealing the red bricks underneath. There are several old locust trees in the courtyard, most of their leaves have turned yellow, and they fall rustlingly in the wind.

When Chen Feng arrived, it was already past nine o'clock at night. The orphanage had long since closed, with only one window on the second floor still lit. The dim yellow light of the kerosene lamp shone through the window, looking like a lonely eye in the night.

He didn't knock on the door, but went around to the back of the yard, where there was a low wall with broken glass stuck in the top. However, in one place, due to years of disrepair, a few pieces of broken glass had fallen off, and he could climb over it.

Chen Feng put down the cloth bag, stretched his arms and legs, then grabbed the top of the wall, and with a light leap, he flipped over and went inside.

It landed silently. He crouched in the shadows by the wall and observed for a while.

The courtyard was quiet, with only the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves. The building was also quiet; the children must have all gone to sleep.

He stood up, bent over, and quickly ran to the back door of the building. The door was made of wood, with a bolt inserted from the inside, but the door panel was somewhat rotten, and there were large gaps in the door.

Chen Feng pulled out a thin piece of iron from his pocket—a lock-picking tool he had found from Wang Ba Lian. He inserted the iron piece into the crack in the door and slowly pried open the latch.

"Click".

With a soft click, the latch opened.

Chen Feng gently pushed open the door, slipped inside, and closed it behind him.

Inside was a dark corridor, with only a small kerosene lamp at the end casting a faint light. The air was filled with the mixed smells of disinfectant and old clothes, along with the distinctive milky smell of children.

He remembered that the dean's office was at the very back on the first floor. The last time he came, the dean was an elderly woman in her fifties, surnamed Zhou. She spoke very gently and even poured him a glass of water.

Chen Feng walked along the corridor, his steps light, like a cat. As he passed several dormitories, he could hear the even breathing of the children inside, and occasionally, some even talking in their sleep.

He stopped at the door of the dean's office. The door was closed, but light was shining through the crack, indicating that someone was inside.

Chen Feng knocked on the door three times, very softly.

The sound of a chair being moved came from inside, followed by footsteps. The door opened, and Dean Zhou stood in the doorway, holding a book in his hand and wearing reading glasses on his nose.

She paused for a moment when she saw Chen Feng, but quickly recognized him.

"It's you..." Dean Zhou's voice was low, tinged with surprise.

Chen Feng nodded: "Dean Zhou, I apologize for disturbing you."

Dean Zhou glanced down the corridor to make sure no one was there before stepping aside: "Come in."

The office was small, containing a table, two chairs, a bookshelf, and a single bed. A kerosene lamp was lit on the table, and a book titled "Child Psychology" was open under the lamp.

"Sit down," Dean Zhou gestured to a chair, then sat on the bed himself. "You're here so late, is there something you need?"

Chen Feng sat down and took off his hat. In the light of the kerosene lamp, his face appeared even thinner, his eyes deep-set, but his gaze sharp.

"I'm still looking for my sister," Chen Feng said. "It's been two months, and there's still no news. I'd like to ask if any little girls like her have come to the orphanage recently? Or have you heard anything about it?"

Dean Zhou remained silent for a moment, then took off his reading glasses and wiped the lenses.

"Sir," she put her glasses back on and looked at Chen Feng, "I know you're looking for your sister. The police have come three times in the past two months, each time asking the same questions. I really want to help you, but..."

She sighed, "Really, no. The orphanage has strict procedures for accepting children; they need a certificate from the local street office and to register their household registration. If your sister came, I would definitely know."

Chen Feng's heart sank. Sure enough, nothing happened.

"Then... is it possible that she was taken in by another charity?" he asked, unwilling to give up.

Dean Zhou thought for a moment: "Besides ours, there are two other orphanages in Beijing, one in the east and one in the west. I've asked around, and there aren't any children who match your sister's characteristics."

Dead end. Another dead end.

Chen Feng lowered his head, his fingers unconsciously stroking the brim of his hat. For two months, he had searched almost every possible place in Beijing, but Xiaoyu was like a drop of water, disappearing into the vast sea of ​​people.

Could it be... that he's really gone?

"Sir," Dean Zhou suddenly said, "there's something I'm not sure if I should say."

"Please speak."

"Your sister... if she's still alive, she probably wouldn't be in a place like an orphanage." Director Zhou's voice was soft. "A fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl has many ways to avoid being found. For example, she could dress up as a boy, cut her hair short, and change her clothes. Or, she could hide in places no one goes—abandoned factories, under bridges, air-raid shelters."

Chen Feng's heart skipped a beat. Disguise herself as a boy? Would Xiao Yu do that?

Possibly. Xiaoyu is very clever; if she knows someone is looking for her, she might deliberately change her appearance.

"Furthermore," Dean Zhou continued, "I heard that recently someone on the black market has offered a reward for a young girl whose features are very similar to your sister's. The reward was initially very high, five hundred dollars, and later it was raised to one thousand."

Dean Zhou said, "I heard about it from the neighborhood office. Apparently, Zhao Jianguo's family offered a reward of 500 yuan, and later the scarred man offered a reward of 1,000 yuan. Now the whole city is looking for him. Even one of the teachers in our institute said that if he can be found, he'll never have to worry about anything again."

Chen Feng's hands clenched. The Zhao family offered a reward of five hundred, Wang Dagang offered a reward of one thousand... Wait, Wang Dagang?

Isn't that himself?

He did indeed have Skinny Monkey spread the word, offering a reward of one thousand for information leading to Xiaoyu's whereabouts. But how could the news spread so quickly? Even the director of the orphanage knew about it?

"Dean Zhou," Chen Feng suppressed his shock and asked as calmly as possible, "do you know who put out the bounty?"

"I don't know the specifics, but they're definitely from the underworld. The five hundred yuan came from the Zhao family; after Zhao Jianguo died, his family said they wanted revenge. The thousand yuan... I heard it was from a guy named Wang Dagang, Scarface's older brother, who came from out of town and wanted to avenge his brother."

Chen Feng understood. His identity as "Wang Dagang" had already spread. Moreover, because of the 1,000 yuan reward for finding Xiaoyu, everyone assumed he was looking for her to seek revenge.

That's perfect. This identity can cover for him, allowing him to legitimately seek out Xiaoyu without arousing suspicion.

"Thank you for telling me all this," Chen Feng stood up. "I'm sorry to have disturbed your rest."

"Mr. Chen," Dean Zhou also stood up, looking at him with a complicated expression, "I know your sister is very important to you. But... some things can't be forced. If she's really gone, you have to learn to let go."

Chen Feng didn't speak. Let go? How could that be?

His parents are gone; Xiaoyu is his only family. Even if she is truly gone, he will find her body and bury her with his parents.

I want to see him alive, or I want to see his body if he's dead.

"I'm leaving," Chen Feng said, putting on his hat. "I hope you'll keep tonight's events a secret."

"I see."

Chen Feng left the office and retraced his steps. As he climbed over the wall, he glanced back at the window on the second floor of the orphanage. The kerosene lamp was still lit; Director Zhou was probably still reading.

This old lady is a good person, but she can't help him.

He slung the cloth bag over his shoulder and hurried away.

Walking in the night, Chen Feng's mind raced.