"Did you not make him into such a person? He Qing, I never thought you could be so wicked. I truly misjudged you before!"
"Are you saying you didn't come to see me today to catch up? Just to blame me?"
"Precisely."
"Heh heh, brother, you're just too naive. Someone like me must have harmed many innocent people outside. Yet you only discovered this about me recently. Detective He, being toyed with by someone closest to you only proves your incompetence!"
"He Qing!"
"Brother, I'm sorry. I spoke too directly for a moment, but don't be angry. Alright, time is almost up. Perhaps this is our last meeting. I have to start my sentence tomorrow morning."
"He Qing, no matter what, I hope you will repent in Forest Hell."
"I probably won't..."
He Qing stood up and was led away by two prison guards. At that moment, I could only feel an overwhelming sense of unfamiliarity. Facing this younger brother, I had mixed emotions. He seemed like a completely different person, or perhaps, he had always been this way, and I had never realized it.
A week after this incident, He Qing was gone, and Er Jun Chi had also faced legal consequences. Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, I found that my old wounds would sometimes ache faintly. Knowing my condition, He Xiaoyu concocted some herbal medicine and applied it to my old injuries, which made me feel much better.
He Xiaoyu said, "It's all that fellow's fault. He hurt you like this last time. If we hadn't treated you in time and with the help of that North Star pendant, you probably would have gone to meet Jesus."
"What time is it, and you're still joking? You guys must be tired lately. Why don't you go back to Hejia Village to rest for a while?"
"Didn't we agree on this before? You have to go back, and bring your wife!"
At this moment, He Xiaoyu was actually in the passenger seat, and He Jinghui was driving. Liu Yuning and I sat in the back.
Liu Yuning was quite nervous about meeting my family for the first time. When we entered the village and she saw trees everywhere, she was a bit taken aback. "Is Hejia Village still this primitive? Are these all treehouses?"
"That's right. Hejia Village still preserves the customs and traditions of ancient times, so we live in treehouses. But don't let the simple exterior fool you; the interiors are quite well-decorated." I explained to Liu Yuning.
Liu Yuning showed no signs of weariness upon arriving here. On the contrary, curiosity flickered in her eyes. She tidied her makeup, took out a mirror to carefully examine her already goddess-like, breathtaking beauty, patted some dust off her shoulder, applied a touch of bright red lipstick to her lips, adjusted her bag, and then took my hand, saying, "Let's go! As a daughter-in-law of the He family, I won't disappoint you!"
"Of course not. Being able to bring you back is a blessing I've cultivated over ten thousand years."
"Look how sweet your words are, but I like it."
We stopped the playful banter as we entered the village and became serious. The two of them followed on either side, like our personal bodyguards. As we approached the trees, many people from Hejia Village saw us returning and couldn't help but peek out from their small wooden houses.
"Look everyone! It's He Sheng!"
"That's right. And this girl, uh, is she He Sheng's wife? I heard them say last time..."
"I think so. She's quite pretty. I wonder what she does for a living?"
Although their voices were low, they couldn't escape our ears. Liu Yuning's expression seemed to change several times at that moment, but overall she was quite happy, as the praise from everyone was evident.
When we reached the patriarch's house, the two elders were already waiting there. Seeing us enter, the patriarch said, "It seems you've solved the case. Well done, He Sheng. Letting you out was a wise choice!"
"Thank you, Patriarch. If not for you, I might not have been able to handle it so smoothly. The forensic techniques you taught me were very useful."
"That's good to hear. If it can help you, then my unique skills can continue to be passed down to the next generation."
"Yes, now let me introduce you. This is my wife, Liu Yuning. She was formerly a captain of the criminal police and is also the deputy leader of the Punishing Sin Squad."
"Oh, a female captain of the criminal police. Excellent. It seems Captain Liu has made many sacrifices for our He Sheng."
"It's alright, Patriarch. You are the most important elder here. I'm finally able to visit you all!"
"I know about your parents' situation. That you were able to bravely awaken then and help He Sheng overcome all difficulties is commendable. A woman like you is qualified to be He Sheng's wife. This time is just for everyone to meet formally, so you don't need to be nervous."
"Thank you, Patriarch. I was worried you wouldn't like me before!"
"Haha, why would that be? Do you think I'm like that person from the Song family? He's too demanding and always thinks he's so capable. But you know, the more capable people are, the more humble they should be, shouldn't they?"
"The Song family?"
The patriarch said no more. We then paid our respects to the old man. He was very pleased and held our hands, encouraging us to live as happily as they had. We all agreed. When we left the patriarch's house and came under a large banyan tree, Liu Yuning curiously asked me, "What is your relationship with the Song family?"
"Heh heh, since we have time now, I'll tell you. Actually, our ancestors had a joint relationship with the Song family. From the Three Kingdoms period to the Song Dynasty, and even now, the situation is the same. However, during the Three Kingdoms period, our He family was much more prosperous than the Song family, which is why we gradually declined. Today, only we few are forensic investigators. What's even more regrettable is that when fighting a certain leader of the organization, Song Ci and my ancestor He Tianqiong both sacrificed their lives. But the world only knows Song family's ancestor Song Ci, and not our He family's He Tianqiong."
"It is truly a pity. Alas! I really wish I could meet someone from the Song family if I had the chance. I wonder how they differ from you."
"What difference could there be? They were all taught by the same founding ancestor. However, Song family forensic investigators prefer to dissect bodies during autopsies, while our He family can do it with or without dissection."
"Uh, it sounds like you're implying the Song family is inferior to yours."
"You can't say that. It's like the difference between geomancers and Taoist priests; each has their own strengths."