The carefree life of Yang Shuisheng, the village miracle doctor

As darkness fell, Yang Shuisheng quietly made his way back to the vicinity of Zhao Hu's house.

He didn't go through the front door, which was locked. Although he could break it open by force, it would be too noisy.

So he went around to the back of the house, pressed himself against the wall, held his breath, and listened carefully to the sounds coming from inside.

But the room was dark and quiet, and it seemed that no one was there.

The back window is an old-fashioned wooden lattice window, covered with paper, some of which is already torn.

Yang Shuisheng tried to gently push one of the doors, and it creaked open a crack, not being bolted shut.

It seems that even when Zhao Hu was hiding at home, he didn't dare to seal all the doors and windows completely, leaving some room for ventilation and emergency escape.

Yang Shuisheng sneered inwardly and became even more cautious in his movements.

He slipped sideways, like an eel, and silently slipped through the half-open window, landing without making a sound.

It was darker inside than outside, with only a sliver of light coming in through the window, barely enough to make out the outlines.

This was a back room filled with miscellaneous items, and the air was thick with the smell of dust and mildew, along with a hint of alcohol and leftover food.

Yang Shuisheng did not act immediately. Instead, he stood quietly against the wall for a while, listening intently to any sounds in the room.

He quietly moved to the doorway of the back room, gently lifted the curtain, and outside was the main room.

The main room was equally dark, but by the faint starlight filtering through the broken window, he could see several bowls and plates, a wine bottle, and a small pile of peanut shells scattered haphazardly on the eight-immortal table in the center of the room.

He leaned closer and smelled it. The bowl contained leftover stir-fried vegetables and a few slices of cured meat. Although it was cold, it didn't have a strong sour smell. There was also about half a bottle of wine left in the bottle.

It's obvious that someone ate or drank here recently.

And they ate quite well.

Yang Shuisheng's gaze shifted to the tightly closed wooden door of the bedroom next to the main room.

The target is inside.

He took out a hemp rope and a rag that he had prepared beforehand.

Then he quietly walked to the bedroom door.

The door wasn't locked, it was just ajar.

He gently pushed open a crack, and a stronger smell of alcohol and sweat rushed out.

Through the light filtering through the crack in the door, you could see a bulging mass on the bed, rising and falling slightly with even breathing, and emitting soft snoring.

She was sleeping soundly.

A cold smile appeared on Yang Shuisheng's face.

He killed someone, became a fugitive, and was able to sleep so soundly in his own house.

Zhao Hu's mental fortitude, or rather, his carefree attitude, truly impressed him.

Without hesitation, he slipped into the bedroom and gently closed the door behind him.

Then he walked to the bedside and, in the dim light coming through the window, looked at Zhao Hu, who was sleeping soundly on the bed.

Zhao Hu was pale and had a scraggly beard, but he was sleeping on his back with a drool hanging from the corner of his mouth.

Yang Shuisheng moved with lightning speed. He first stuffed the rag into Zhao Hu's slightly open mouth, which was snoring. Then, before Zhao Hu could fully recover from the sudden feeling of suffocation and the foreign object in his mouth, he had already quickly wrapped the hemp rope around his wrists and ankles several times and tied a tight knot.

"Waaaaah! Waaaaah—"

Zhao Hu was jolted awake from his sleep, his eyes widening instantly, filled with fear and confusion.

He wanted to scream, but could only let out a whimper that was muffled by the cloth.

He tried to struggle, but his hands and feet were tightly bound. He could only twist violently on the bed, but he couldn't break free at all.

Yang Shuisheng watched coldly as he futilely struggled on the bed until he was exhausted, leaving only terror and bloodshot eyes.

"You're pretty lucky, Zhao Hu." Yang Shuisheng pulled over the only broken chair in the room, sat down on the edge of the bed, and looked at him with a smile. "You were chased into the mountains, and you still managed to kill someone and run back alive. You've got some skills."

Upon hearing his words, Zhao Hu's body stiffened abruptly, and he then struggled even more violently, his eyes filled with pleading and fear.

"Don't move or make a sound." Yang Shuisheng leaned closer to him, his voice low but threatening. "I'm going to ask you a few questions. If you answer honestly, I might consider letting you live."

"But if you dare to try anything funny, or shout and yell..."

"You killed someone, and the body is still in the mountains, isn't it?"

"Tell me, if the villagers or the town police found out you were hiding here and had killed someone, what would happen to you? Hmm?"

Zhao Hu was so frightened that he trembled all over, and his clothes were instantly soaked with cold sweat.

He nodded vigorously to show that he was obedient.

Yang Shuisheng then reached out and pulled the rag out of his mouth.

"Cough cough—"

Zhao Hu coughed violently and gagged, his face turning bright red.

He gasped for breath, looking at Yang Shuisheng's icy eyes, his voice trembling: "Shui...Brother Shuisheng, Cadre Yang! Spare me! Spare me!"

"It was all a misunderstanding before. I shouldn't have touched that woman. I was wrong. I really know I was wrong."

"Please, please let me go! I'll do anything for you, even be your slave."

"Stop talking nonsense." Yang Shuisheng interrupted his sobbing. "I'm asking you, of the three men who chased you that night, besides the one you killed, where did the other two go?"

"And what happened to the woman you captured?"

Zhao Hu was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Yang Shuisheng to ask this.

He dared not hide the truth and quickly replied, "Of those two people, I killed one. The other one was chasing me too closely, so I lured him to a steep slope, where he fell down. I don't know if he's dead or alive; I didn't dare to go and see."

"The other one stayed behind to watch over that woman. When I ran, he seemed to be scared away by something. I didn't see clearly, and the woman was gone too. I guess the one who was scared away took her with him, or she ran away on her own?"

"I really don't know, Brother Shuisheng. I was only thinking about escaping at the time."

He spoke hastily, with lingering fear, and it didn't sound like he was lying.

Yang Shuisheng recalled that night and it seemed that Zhao Hu had killed one of them, another might have been injured or died, the guard had been scared away by him, and Lin Wan had been rescued by him. The situation basically matched up.

"Who are those three people? Where can we find them?" Yang Shuisheng continued to press.

"I don't really know their background either."

Zhao Hu swallowed hard, his eyes flickering, but under Yang Shuisheng's icy gaze, he confessed honestly: "They said they were from the city and were looking for someone, a woman. They gave me a photo; it's Lin Wan."

"They said there would be a big reward for finding them. They usually stay in town, on the second floor of a place called 'Limin Hotel' at the east end of town, in the innermost room."

"When I need something, I go there to meet them."

"I really don't know anything else... I'm just someone who does things for money."

Limin Hotel?

Yang Shuisheng noted down the name; it was a clue.

"Is everything you're saying true?" Yang Shuisheng stared into his eyes.

"Absolutely true! Every word is the truth! Brother Shuisheng, my life is in your hands now, how could I dare to lie to you?" Zhao Hu swore.

Yang Shuisheng looked at him for a few seconds and nodded: "Okay, I'll trust you this once."

Just as a glimmer of hope appeared on Zhao Hu's face, Yang Shuisheng suddenly struck with lightning speed, tapping him lightly with his knuckles on a spot on the side of his neck.

"Uh..." Zhao Hu felt a numbness in his neck, and his vision went black. He didn't even utter a sound before he completely fainted and collapsed onto the bed.

Yang Shuisheng used a simple acupressure technique combined with the application of Qi sensation, which could cause temporary unconsciousness without causing permanent damage.

After confirming that Zhao Hu was unconscious, Yang Shuisheng stuffed his mouth with a rag again to prevent him from waking up and shouting.

Then they found an old burlap sack used for storing grain in the storeroom, stuffed the unconscious Zhao Hu into it like a dead pig, and tied the sack tightly with a rope.

After finishing all this, Yang Shuisheng dusted off his hands and looked at the burlap sack on the ground with a cold gaze.

The reason he didn't kill Zhao Hu on the spot was partly because he wanted to extract more information from Zhao Hu about the city people who were chasing Lin Wan, in order to prepare for a possible trip to the provincial capital later.

On the other hand, Zhao Hu had a grudge against him, and now that he had killed someone, he deserved to be punished. While killing him directly would certainly be satisfying, it would be better to hand him over to the law for punishment, which would be more legitimate and would also completely eliminate any future troubles.

Moreover, handing over Zhao Hu, the murderer, might earn us favor with the town's police station or even a reward.

He took a deep breath, bent down, and easily hoisted the sack containing Zhao Hu onto his shoulder.

With his current strength, he could easily carry a person weighing over a hundred pounds, let alone a person weighing over a thousand pounds.

He carried the sack and crawled out through the same back window he had come in through, carefully placing it on the ground.

Then he climbed out himself, dragged the sack out of the window, and hoisted it back onto his shoulder.

The night was deep and all was quiet.

Carrying the burlap sack that was constantly wriggling slightly, Yang Shuisheng avoided the main roads where there might be people, choosing instead quiet paths and field ridges, and quietly left Taohua'ao, walking briskly towards Daliang Town.

He was going to check around the Limin Hotel area to see if there were any other clues, and also to deliver the large gift bag he was carrying to the appropriate place.