Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Lu Xiao’s Connections

“Got it.”

Lu Xiao’s voice sounded even deeper and colder than before.

“I’ll investigate this. The lead you provided is very important. Thank you.”

Doctor Wang didn’t seem to notice the shift in Lu Xiao’s mood. Hearing this, he felt a little embarrassed.

“Captain Lu, I’ll have to trouble you with this, then.”

“She is my wife. This is my responsibility.”

’What did he mean by that?’

’Trouble him? Su Tang is his wife. If it wasn’t his problem, should it be this Doctor Wang’s?’

The feeling of discomfort in Lu Xiao’s heart grew more pronounced. He stood up, the intention to see his guest out perfectly clear.

Doctor Wang knew it was time to leave. After a few more words, he departed, his expression full of worry.

Lu Xiao stood in the courtyard, staring at the apples on the stone table, his brow deeply furrowed.

Shaking off the strange thoughts in his head, Lu Xiao considered that the man Doctor Wang described matched the lead about the source of the poisonous herbs.

’Hu Lili really did have an accomplice.’

’Or perhaps… Hu Jianjun told Hu Lili to do it?’

“TSK TSK TSK…”

Chang Jia’s voice suddenly came from the doorway. He had returned at some point and was now leaning against the doorframe, looking at Lu Xiao with a teasing expression.

“Look at that dark face of yours, like the bottom of a wok. What’s wrong? Unhappy after hearing Doctor Wang praise your Su Tang a little?”

Lu Xiao shot him a cold glance. Chang Jia had a sharp tongue, and Lu Xiao couldn’t be bothered to engage. “Is the field training over?”

“Fooling that idiot Hu Jianjun is a piece of cake.”

Chang Jia walked in, casually grabbed an apple, rubbed it on his shirt, and took a bite.

“I was keeping an eye on him. The kid was distracted all morning and messed up in training several times. He’s clearly got a guilty conscience.”

“What did that Doctor Wang say just now?”

Lu Xiao briefly recounted what Doctor Wang had said.

Chang Jia paused mid-bite. “She really has an accomplice? Hu Lili’s getting bold! Could it be that gang of hooligans from the town’s black market?”

“Most likely.” Lu Xiao’s gaze was icy. “I’ll check out the lead in town.”

Seeing the look in Lu Xiao’s eyes, Chang Jia shook his head helplessly.

’Those guys really picked a fight with the wrong person.’

“Fine. I’ll keep a close watch on Hu Jianjun and see if he slips up or tries to meet with Hu Lili.”

Chang Jia finished the apple in a few bites, tossed the core, and clapped his hands together.

“But I’m telling you, Lu, isn’t your jealousy a bit much? Doctor Wang was genuinely grateful to Su Tang. From the looks of it, he was just short of worshipping your wife like a living Bodhisattva.”

“You put on that ’stay away from me’ face and scared the guy off.”

Lu Xiao ignored his teasing and turned to walk out, leaving him with a single sentence. “Less talk, more work.”

Chang Jia shouted at his back, “For your Su Tang’s innocence, and for my chili sauce! I’m on it! You hurry to town, and you’d better drag that little punk out so I can break his legs!”

’Making me come back from an urgent mission with no time to rest.’

Lu Xiao didn’t break his stride, but the corners of his mouth turned down almost imperceptibly.

’Chang Jia was right. That strange discomfort was indeed because of Doctor Wang’s attitude.’

’Su Tang’s kindness, being remembered and appreciated by another man…’

This was the first time Lu Xiao had ever tasted such a feeling. It was sour and bitter, and also… inexplicably irritating.

He didn’t like this feeling, because it made him feel as if things were slipping out of his control.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing this unfamiliar emotion.

The most important thing now was to find evidence and get Su Tang out of confinement with her name cleared.

’As for everything else…’ Lu Xiao’s eyes darkened. ’That can wait until this is over.’

He quickened his pace, his figure quickly disappearing at the end of the dirt road leading to town.

Lu Xiao belonged to the most remote camp in the Northwest, but it was also the most secret operational area.

Getting to town wasn’t easy; it required two bus transfers.

That’s why people here rarely went into town.

Furthermore, things were a bit chaotic recently, so there were fewer people in town.

Lu Xiao arrived just as it was getting dark and went to find an old acquaintance, who was also an old comrade-in-arms.

Lu Xiao didn’t go directly to the most chaotic alleys in town.

He expertly turned into an inconspicuous little alley on the east side of town and stopped in front of a small shop with a sign for shoe and tire repair. He knocked rhythmically on the door three times.

A rustling sound came from inside. The door opened a crack, revealing a scruffy, bearded face with puffy bags under the eyes.

When the man saw clearly that it was Lu Xiao, his eyes lit up, and he quickly pulled the door open wider.

“Captain Lu? What a rare guest! Quick, come in!”

The man’s voice was a bit hoarse with surprise.

This man was Geng, an old brother-in-arms who had fought alongside Lu Xiao in the trenches. He had later injured his leg and returned to his hometown.

The shoe repair shop was a front. He was well-connected and knew everything about the town’s underworld.

Lu Xiao walked inside. The room was dimly lit and smelled of a mixture of cheap tobacco and leather glue.

Geng dragged over a wobbly-legged stool and offered it to Lu Xiao.

“Geng, I’m short on time, so I’ll cut to the chase.”

Lu Xiao didn’t sit, speaking directly in a low voice.

“Help me find someone. A new face who has been active in the black market these past few days, or a familiar face who’s been stirring up trouble. The key is, they need to be able to get their hands on some illicit herbs.”

After saying this, Lu Xiao briefly explained Su Tang’s situation.

Geng’s smile vanished, his expression turning serious. “Something like that happened?”

Lu Xiao nodded, his eyes as deep as a frozen pool. “Someone stuffed something dirty into the medicine packets she had prepared to frame her.”

“Son of a bitch!”

Geng spat and cursed fiercely, “Which bastard dared to touch your wife?”

He rubbed his rough palms together, a fierce glint in his eyes.

“Captain Lu, don’t you worry. Leave this to me! Of all the punks in this town, I can more or less figure out who’s got dirty hands or who’s recently come into a small fortune.”

He thought for a moment, then leaned closer to Lu Xiao. “Things really have been tense in town lately. The heat is on, so the black market moved. It’s not in this area anymore.”

“They’re meeting behind the abandoned brick kiln by the riverbed on the west side now. Usually at night or just before dawn. If you’re looking for a source for herbs, you’ll most likely have to ask there.”

“The brick kiln?”

Lu Xiao frowned. That place was extremely desolate. It was no exaggeration to say that you could dump a body there and no one would ever find it.

“Right. A stranger would stick out like a sore thumb.”

Geng fumbled under his workbench and pulled out a small, crumpled stack of grain ration coupons, stuffing them into Lu Xiao’s hand.

“Take these. They’ll get your foot in the door. Look for a kid nicknamed ’Little Cripple.’ He hangs around the kiln, running errands and acting as a lookout to get by.”

“Just tell him ’Brother Geng sent you to buy some goods from the mountains.’ Then give him these ration coupons, and he’ll take you to the right person. The kid is sharp; he knows who has the ’real stuff’.”

Lu Xiao looked at the ration coupons and pushed Geng’s hand back. “Thanks, Geng, but I have my own. You keep them. When this is all over, I’ll bring Su Tang to thank you properly.”

“What’s there to thank me for!”

Geng waved his hand, cutting him off. “Haven’t you helped me enough already? Go on, and be careful. That bunch is slippery.”

’If it weren’t for Lu Xiao, he wasn’t even sure if he could have opened this repair shop.’

Lu Xiao clapped Geng on the shoulder, said no more, and turned to leave.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep