Light Fortress
Chapter 108 - 97. Wild Dog

Chapter 108: 97. Wild Dog

"The old town, Lion Alley... It’s just three streets over, a ten-minute walk, and you’ll see it."

Crow chuckled, "Lion Alley, ever heard of it?"

Gu Shen’s heart stirred, slowly furrowing his brow.

Indeed, he had heard of Lion Alley!

Gu Shen grew up in the nooks and crannies of Qinghe District, a place already remote and informationally backward, where he knew almost nothing of major events... But the name Lion Alley had somehow made an impression on him.

The orphanage’s radio channel had reported on Lion Alley because of a very significant case, and it broadcasted for several days in a row; Gu Shen still remembered the news... A certain big-shot who had just topped the wealth list of Dadu District was assassinated in Lion Alley.

"Ever since I was a kid, winters in Da Du have been really cold, and people didn’t go out much, but I often wandered outside. That’s when I would always catch this strange scent of alcohol... I originally planned to climb walls and sneak in to steal some booze, but instead, I got caught red-handed."

Song Ci smiled sadly, "The man was interesting; caught a little thief but wasn’t angry, even offered me a taste... The liquor was so spicy it made my nose run and my eyes water. He laughed his head off, called me a coward, so I took another big gulp. After that, I blacked out and ended up crashing in that yard for the night, a nobody orphan, I could sleep anywhere."

"The man’s name was Lu Cheng; I called him Old Lu."

Song Ci’s voice was hoarse, "I always thought that guys like Old Lu, who hung around the old town idly circling the block, would be good-for-nothings, street bums who couldn’t find a wife when they got old, nothing but vagrants... until that day I climbed over the wall, and Lion Alley’s walls were stained with blood, encircled by hundreds of onlookers. I saw a crowd of police officers, doctors, lawyers, all arguing fiercely. Old Lu was just lying quietly in the middle of them, blood steadily spreading beneath him."

"Afterward... they took Old Lu away. I saw on TV that Old Lu was the richest man in Da Du, and those people were arguing because Old Lu had too much money, and each wanted a piece of it." Crow looked at Gu Shen and chuckled, "What do you say... doesn’t that sound absurd?"

The greatest concealment lies in the openness.

Everyone has heard this saying, but how many can truly achieve it as Lu Cheng did?

"After Old Lu died, some called me a jinx, accused me of cursing my parents to death and then my neighbor as well." Song Ci shrugged, murmuring, "It was only after Xiao Lu arrived that they stopped saying those things, not because they turned kind-hearted and refrained from pointing out painful truths, but because Xiao Lu was beautiful as snow, clearly someone who emerged from a nest of phoenixes, they did not dare to gossip behind her back."

"Xiao Lu...?"

"They knew nothing," Song Ci laughed coldly, "Xiao Lu was a name I came up with. After Old Lu died, the courtyard was empty, and she moved in alone; that’s why I started calling her Xiao Lu. Everyone speculated she might be Old Lu’s daughter, but her manner didn’t quite fit, so they guessed she might be some distant relative... If you ask around, who knows what Xiao Lu’s real name is?"

I had asked before...

Gu Shen whispered, "Why did Xiao Lu leave?"

"Not sure," Crow’s spirit deflated, his face looking mournful, "Xiao Lu has always been inscrutable like that, comes when she says she will, leaves when she decides to; never said goodbye to me, never set up a next meeting... It wasn’t until Mrs. Nanzhi took me away that I found out they had a fight. Xiao Lu left Da Du out of anger, carrying her bags, saying she would never come back."

He took a deep gulp of his drink.

Crow said angrily, "Fine, leave if you must, but why not take me? I’m tough, adaptable, why leave me behind like I’m a burden?"

Gu Shen had a complex expression, thinking wasn’t it because you’re too unreliable?

"Heh, women." Song Ci waved his hand dismissively, "When she returns to Da Du, I’ll give her a chance to repent."

"After Old Lu was gone, there was only this wine left. Xiao Lu didn’t take it, so I suppose it belongs to me now." He invited Gu Shen to toast, curiously asking, "Mr. Gu... how come you can drink so well? Not feeling even a little buzz?"

"Ugh... I’m almost there..." Gu Shen paused, his hand on his forehead, then asked, "Another glass?"

"Tonight I’m definitely going to drink you under the table!" Song Ci gritted his teeth, raising his glass, "You little scoundrel, you deceived me so badly before... Turns out your running away was really due to a guilty conscience from doing something despicable, so come clean, what horrendous thing did you do?"

"Actually, I did tell the truth at the time..." Gu Shen touched his glass to Song Ci’s, smiling helplessly, "It’s just that you didn’t believe me."

Song Ci shook his head, holding his chin up with one hand to prevent it from hitting the table.

He tried to recall Gu Shen’s explanation from before.

A moment later.

His brows twisted into a figure-eight, his speech slurred, "You said before that you... knocked on... Cui Zhongcheng’s... bamboo... pole..."

"Mhm."

Gu Shen responded softly.

"Crow... Crow... hell..."

Song Ci sharply inhaled a breath of cold air, slowly leaning back tactically, looking at Gu Shen in disbelief, and asked again, "Cui Zhongcheng?"

After the acknowledgment.

He shook his head vigorously to clear the drunkenness and burst out laughing, throwing his arm around Gu Shen’s shoulder, "You really talk big, but... I believe you!"