Chapter Eighty-Four: An Unwelcome Visitor

The alluring woman was still standing in the room, wrapped in a towel, looking temptingly seductive. The other was a man in his early thirties, thin and frail, with black-rimmed glasses, wearing a shirt and black trousers. He looked like a schoolteacher from some backwoods village.

“Welcome to your silent little visit,” Liu Jingye said with a cigarette between his lips. “I’ll put you in a double room right away. Don’t worry, our rooms are very well soundproofed, and the nightstand even comes with complimentary protection gear and security supplies, so your stay will be completely worry-free.”

“What nonsense are you spouting? I don’t know him at all!” the woman shouted at once. “And what kind of worry-free inn is this? What kind of place barges in on guests while they’re bathing?”

“That’s one of our specialty services,” Liu Jingye said. “We also offer scrubbing and pedicure services. However, since resources are limited, our little inn has a rule: anyone who wants a bath must register in advance and bathe only at the assigned time. If you don’t follow the rules, incidents of forced entry will happen, so please be understanding.”

“Hmph!” The woman snorted in annoyance. “I don’t know how you people serve customers here. I’ve been inside for ages and no one came to attend to me, yet the moment I started bathing, you barged in. I’m beginning to suspect you’ve been hiding somewhere, watching all along.”

Liu Jingye smiled faintly. “Absolutely impossible. I just went out for a bit to see off a few police officers. They came especially to tell me that there’s been a citywide crackdown lately, and a lot of bathhouses and inns have been inspected. Many girls have lost their jobs, and quite a few have started moving to rural inns around the outskirts for temporary shelter. They asked me to keep an eye out and contact the police immediately if women like that show up.

By the way, miss, please register.”

“What do you mean by that? Are you saying I’m one of those bathhouse girls?” the woman exploded, her almond eyes widening, though her expression remained alluring.

“I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just the inn’s rule: guest registration.” Liu Jingye smiled. After giving her a few quiet digs, he felt much better. This female assassin played her role rather well.

He turned to the other man. “And you too, sir. Please show your identification.”

The man looked at him in confusion, then began making sounds, pointing repeatedly to his ears and mouth.

“Oh, you’re deaf and mute. My apologies,” Liu Jingye said courteously. He took out his own ID card, pointed at the computer, and said, “Check-in registration.”

The man made a few sounds to show he understood, then pulled his own ID card from his pocket.

The woman also picked up the small bag beside her, still wrapped in the towel, showing not the slightest embarrassment. Yet Liu Jingye continued to treat her as if she were invisible. Wine, sex, wealth, and ambition—sharp knives that kill without drawing blood. Especially a female assassin: she knew best how to make use of her own assets, while at the same time becoming the most lethal weapon of all.

Liu Jingye took the two ID cards they handed over. The man was named Zhang Shan, thirty-one years old, living in the neighboring city. The woman was Li Si, twenty-four, from the provincial capital.

At first glance, nothing seemed amiss, and the cards even passed the verification. But upon closer inspection, Liu Jingye found them strangely unsettling. The portraits on the IDs did not quite match the people in front of him, though he could not say exactly where the difference lay. It was simply a strong sense of incongruity. And such perfect timing for “Zhang Three and Li Four” to arrive together—too coincidental by half.

“All right, both of you.” Liu Jingye finished the registration and handed the IDs back. Just as Zhang Shan reached out, Liu Jingye’s stool suddenly tilted. He nearly fell, his hand jerked, and the ID slipped free.

But in that instant, Zhang Shan moved like lightning, snatching it from the air and catching it steadily in his hand. Then, seeing Liu Jingye’s startled expression, he gestured wildly and noiselessly, though Liu Jingye could not understand what he meant.

Liu Jingye then tossed the key to the upstairs room to Li Si, but the moment it came near her, her gaze abruptly sharpened. She did not reach out to take it; instead, she turned with exquisite speed and slipped aside. The key fell to the floor with a sharp ring.

“Damn it, who exactly are these two?” Liu Jingye’s expression did not change, but inwardly he was astonished. “It was only a key I threw, yet that woman was clearly on guard against me, instinctively dodging as if expecting danger. But that man, Zhang Shan—wasn’t his hand speed a little too fast?”

“Are they in the same group, or are they working for different masters?” Liu Jingye wondered. “I’ll have to find a chance to test them.”

“Come along, both of you. I’ll take you upstairs.” Liu Jingye stood and made an inviting gesture.

Ladies first. Liu Jingye and his deaf-mute friend walked side by side.

The woman had a voluptuous figure, and with only a towel wrapped around her, she was even more suggestive. Especially when she climbed the stairs, she swayed with a provocative grace, twisting and turning in a way that made one’s blood surge.

But Zhang Shan, that deaf-mute companion, paid her no mind. Head lowered, he walked on his own, always keeping pace with Liu Jingye, as if watching for something.

Liu Jingye smiled faintly. An idea suddenly came to him. Just as the woman was about to step onto the second floor, with only the last stair remaining and her foot just lifting—

Liu Jingye struck like lightning, landing a hard and precise smack on her backside. A crisp clap rang out, echoing through the entire inn.

Then Liu Jingye hurriedly stepped back. The whole thing had happened in the blink of an eye, too fast for anyone to anticipate, much less react to.

“Ah—” The woman cried out and spun around sharply. Zhang Shan was behind her, and Liu Jingye behind him. No need to think; she knew instantly who had hit her. At Liu Jingye’s current distance, he could not possibly have reached her.

Li Si’s fury flared at once, murderous intent flashing in her almond eyes. Zhang Shan was startled. Coming to himself, he opened his mouth as though to say something, but it quickly turned back into mute gesturing and frantic sounds, pointing again and again at Liu Jingye.

Liu Jingye met his gaze with contempt and shook his head with a wry smile. “I never thought this deaf-mute friend of yours would have such courage.”

As though Zhang Shan had heard him, his muffled cries grew even louder. He pointed straight at Liu Jingye’s nose, his face full of anger.

“Smack—” At that moment, a sharp crack interrupted his silent protest. Li Si slapped him hard across the face. Zhang Shan was caught off guard; the blow left him reeling, nearly tumbling down the stairs.

To Liu Jingye’s astonishment, even while his balance was thrown off in an instant, Zhang Shan suddenly powered his waist, tapped a toe, and drifted lightly down the stairway to land steadily on the floor. Though a little disheveled, his movement was genuinely nimble and elegant.

“Heh, another familiar technique,” Liu Jingye thought.

“Pervert!” After landing the slap, Li Si cursed him and went straight upstairs.

Zhang Shan followed silently behind, glaring at Liu Jingye as he walked.

Liu Jingye spread his hands with a smile. “Sorry about that. Seems I’ve given you a taste of bitterness.”

Whether Zhang Shan understood or not, he kept rubbing his face while glaring furiously at him, rage brimming over.

Upstairs, the two entered their respective rooms. Liu Jingye had deliberately arranged for them to stay next to each other.

“Good night, you two. Sweet dreams,” Liu Jingye said warmly.

Both of them slammed their doors shut with force, shaking dust loose from the ceiling.

Liu Jingye returned downstairs, lit another cigarette with easy composure, and found that all drowsiness had vanished. Smiling up at the ceiling, he muttered to himself, “Looks like those two aren’t working together. That slap just now would have knocked out at least three teeth from an ordinary person. If they were partners, there’s no way she’d have struck that hard.”

“But Zhang Shan’s skills are indeed formidable. His sense of balance and flexibility are rare. So, two more experts, eh? They really think highly of me, Liu. Fine—let me see first which of you is the better one.”

“Since both of them are coming for me, tonight is the best time to act, because they’ll think I’m unguarded. Then I’ll measure my patience against yours.”

Liu Jingye smiled faintly, turned on the computer, casually watched a few movies, played a little game when he grew tired, did several push-ups, opened one or two bottles of beer, and smoked a couple of cigarettes.

Before he knew it, midnight had passed. Then Liu Jingye heard movement upstairs. The first one down was Zhang Shan. Seeing Liu Jingye still at the computer, he seemed slightly surprised. He was wearing long-sleeved plaid pajamas, and his wrists kept retreating a little into the sleeves, as though something were hidden in his palms.

He gave Liu Jingye an awkward smile and pointed toward the bathroom. Liu Jingye nodded. “Public restroom. Use it carefully. If you pee outside, it means you’re too short to aim in; if you can’t get it in, it means you’re too soft.”

Zhang Shan’s body stiffened slightly, then he resumed his act of deaf-muteness and walked inside.

Liu Jingye lit a cigarette and appeared to be staring intently at the monitor, but in truth he was watching every move the other made. In the silence of the night, not the slightest sound could escape his ears. As expected, Zhang Shan did not actually urinate in the bathroom; there was only the sound of flushing.

Zhang Shan soon came out and went straight back upstairs. Liu Jingye smiled and continued waiting.

An hour later, at about half past one in the morning, faint noises came from upstairs again. This time it was Li Si’s turn.

Li Si reacted just like Zhang Shan. When she saw Liu Jingye still sitting there at the computer, full of energy, she gave a start. Liu Jingye smiled and asked, “Hey, beautiful, what can I do for you?”

Li Si felt awkward. She lifted a hand to smooth back her long hair and, blushing, said with eyes like silk, “The weather outside is so dry and stuffy, it’s making me feel restless too. Do you have anything here that can cool things down and quiet things down?”

Liu Jingye pointed at the refrigerator. “There’s a cucumber in there. I’ve been keeping it chilled all day.”

Li Si gritted her teeth, blushing all the while, muttering under her breath as she really did take a cucumber upstairs.

Liu Jingye let out a breath of relief. In the dead of night, with the dew heavy and the darkness deep, he asked himself: if the other side had just used beauty to tempt him, could he have held out?

And they, too, were wary of Liu Jingye, which was why they chose to strike at midnight.

Naturally, Liu Jingye would not let them have their way. After they returned to their rooms, he deliberately made some noise, making it seem as though he was still brimming with energy. At the same time, he kept listening for movement upstairs. There were always faint sounds from above, but after three-thirty in the morning, all became utterly still, and every trace of sound disappeared.

The hours after three in the morning are when people are at their sleepiest, when slumber is deepest and sweetest. Anyone would grow drowsy then, and professional assassins were no exception.

They thought Liu Jingye had not noticed them at all. They had no idea that this was precisely the moment when Liu Jingye would turn guest into host.