Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Secret of the White Jade Cup

Old Man Zeng muttered to himself. It was hard to tell whether he was talking about Wang Jiu’s wife or simply rambling. Watching his eccentric behavior, Zhang Qinglin sighed helplessly and turned back into the house.

“What time is it already? Why isn’t Uncle Xu back yet? Is he planning to let us starve?” Cheng Che walked to the sofa, eyeing the white jade cups on the coffee table. “Old Zhang, there’s something else I can’t figure out—how did that man surnamed Chen know the map was with us?”

Zhang Qinglin looked at him, slinging his backpack to his chest as he sat on the sofa. “Someone must have told him. I know what you’re thinking, but that person definitely isn’t Wu Cheng’an.”

Cheng Che protested, “Why not? He’s the most suspicious one! What if he’s really from the Qilin Sect? What if he’s the one who leaked the map to Chen? Old Zhang, listen to me, stop trusting his words. He’s nothing but a liar…”

“Cheng Che, I understand your concerns, but maybe it’s not as you think. He pretended to be ignorant before, sure, but that was to protect himself and his family. He had his reasons. Besides, if he were the one who leaked the information, why go to the trouble? Why not just give the map directly to Chen instead of passing it to me? Until we find him, we can’t judge him unfairly.”

Cheng Che scratched his chin, then looked Zhang Qinglin in the eye. “But we don’t even know where he is now. How about asking Uncle Xu to look into it? I’ll talk to him when he gets back.”

He glanced again at the white jade cups on the table. “You still haven’t figured these out? Want me to take a look?” As he spoke, Cheng Che reached for the nearest cup, intent on examining it.

But before his hand could touch it, the jade cup suddenly cracked. With a sharp snap, it shattered to dust.

Cheng Che froze, then sat bolt upright in alarm. “That—That wasn’t me! Old Zhang, you saw it too. I hadn’t even touched it before it broke.”

Zhang Qinglin was equally astonished, staring in disbelief at the shattered remains of the jade cup, which somehow still retained its shape. How could this be? These cups shouldn’t break easily. Was the water he’d poured in earlier too hot?

He checked the other cup—it too had cracked, its hot water spilled out.

With both cups broken at the same time, Zhang Qinglin and Cheng Che exchanged uneasy glances. “What now? When Uncle Xu comes back and sees this, we can forget about getting any information on Wu Cheng’an, let alone finding Yueyue,” Zhang Qinglin said anxiously.

“Don’t you know how to repair cups? Can’t these be fixed?”

“Do you really think there’s any way to fix them now?”

“Then let’s get out of here, fast! If Uncle Xu comes back, he’ll never let us off. Old Zhang, don’t just stand there—move!” Cheng Che stood up and headed for the bedroom to gather his things.

But Zhang Qinglin kept his eyes fixed on the shattered jade cup, clutching his backpack tightly. After a moment, he relaxed, his face regaining composure. He looked up at Cheng Che. “We can’t leave now…”

Before he finished speaking, the iron door clanged. Xu Bin entered, carrying two bags of food, his face alight with excitement. Seeing both Zhang Qinglin and Cheng Che, he walked over. “There’s a lead on Wang Jiu’s murderer. Turns out he’s a deranged serial killer.”

He set the food down, but when his gaze fell upon the shattered jade cups, his expression darkened. “What happened here?”

“Uncle Xu, I’ve discovered the secret of these jade cups,” Zhang Qinglin said quickly, noting Xu Bin’s change of mood.

“Oh? What secret? Tell me!” Xu Bin demanded, his excitement returning.

Cheng Che glanced between Zhang Qinglin and Xu Bin, unsure whether Zhang was bluffing or had genuinely found something.

“Uncle Xu, may I borrow your flashlight? Cheng Che, close the curtains.”

Once the room was dark and the flashlight in hand, Zhang Qinglin set down his bag, took the flashlight, and shone it through the fragments of the jade cup. The light filtered through the cracks, revealing something unusual. Shining from above, the light refracted through the jade, casting patterns on the outside—shapes that seemed like characters or perhaps symbols. In the daytime the images were faint, but at night, they might be clearer.

“Uncle Xu, only in darkness can the refracted light reveal the crucial information hidden on the inner wall of the cup. Let’s try again tonight,” Zhang Qinglin suggested.

Though Xu Bin had been angry at first, he calmed down at Zhang Qinglin’s words and agreed to wait.

Cheng Che asked if there was any news of Jiang Xinyue, but Xu Bin said he would reveal it after they figured out the secret of the jade cups. After a few bites of food, Cheng Che retreated to the bedroom.

Indeed, the jade cups hid a secret, though no one knew exactly what it concealed. Zhang Qinglin noticed six characters etched on the cup base: “Punish Heaven, Wipe the Stars.” The character for “punish” meant to kill or condemn—was this a warning to heaven, or did it hint at something else?

When Zhang Qinglin shone the light from inside out, the patterns formed scattered starlight, with several larger stars among them. Looking down from above, the larger stars circled the outer wall, connecting in the shape of the Big Dipper. He drew what he saw on paper, confirming the pattern.

The other cup revealed the outline of mountains and rivers in the play of light and shadow. Zhang Qinglin thought the contours resembled the mountain range depicted in the “Eight Steeds of Shangtang” painting, and he sketched these images as well.

“So this is the secret hidden in the jade cups!” Xu Bin exclaimed, studying the papers in Zhang Qinglin’s hands.

Zhang Qinglin straightened up, handed Xu Bin the drawings, and explained, “This one is a star chart of the Big Dipper. This one seems to be a chain of mountains, though I don’t know what it means…”

Xu Bin nodded, tucked the papers away, and said, “Good work. Get some rest. Tomorrow I’ll take you out.”

He carefully placed the jade cups in a box. “Hmm? Is there something else?”

Zhang Qinglin asked anxiously, “Is there any news of Yueyue?”

“You’ll know tomorrow,” Xu Bin replied, picking up his cigarettes and lighter along with the box, and retreating to his room.

Zhang Qinglin slumped on the sofa, face clouded with worry, his hands pressed to his forehead. He pulled out the leather notebook and map from his backpack. Reading the notes again, he was sure these were the items Old Seven had stolen before. Wu Cheng’an hadn’t lied—he had risked his life to preserve these things before giving them to Zhang Qinglin. Why did he run? Where had he gone? Zhang Qinglin pondered for a long while before heading to the bedroom.

As soon as he sat on the bed, Cheng Che turned over and looked at him, but said nothing, just silently watching his back.

Never before had Zhang Qinglin and Cheng Che found themselves at odds over someone they had only known a few days. A strange sense of dissatisfaction and unease gnawed at Cheng Che’s heart.

The next morning, Xu Bin packed his bags and called Zhang Qinglin and Cheng Che. Seeing Xu Bin carrying a large bag, Cheng Che asked where they were going.

Xu Bin didn’t answer, only told them to get in the car and promised to explain on the way. As they left the building, Old Man Zeng stood at the door, beaming at them. “If the road at night gets rough, take this out. If you meet strange people, don’t say a word. Xiao Xu, your wife is going with you—be careful on the road!” With that, he fished a brocade pouch from his pocket and handed it to Xu Bin.

Standing at Xu Bin’s right, Zhang Qinglin listened as Old Man Zeng muttered more nonsense.

“Old Zeng, you’re always muddleheaded. I don’t have a wife, don’t worry. I’ll bring you something tasty when I get back. We’re off!” Xu Bin laughed as he took the pouch.

Leaving the compound, Xu Bin drove onto the highway.

Watching the road signs outside, Zhang Qinglin was startled. “Uncle Xu, do you have any news about Yueyue? If you don’t want to go, just tell us where Chen is keeping her—we’ll go ourselves.”

Cheng Che leaned over in agreement. “Yeah, if you’re afraid of getting involved, we’ll handle it.”

Xu Bin gripped the wheel and shouted, “No one is going! I did get the information—Chen set a trap. Now that you’re separated, don’t take any more risks. We’re leaving Wuzhou, that’s final.”

“What? She’s my friend, and his sister. We have to save her! Tell us where she is!” Cheng Che slapped the seat, demanding.

“They won’t hurt her, but I have to get you two out of here now,” Xu Bin insisted, pressing down on the accelerator.

“No! We can’t just abandon her. Stop the car—stop!” Zhang Qinglin gripped the seat, yelling at Xu Bin.

“Stop! We’ll go ourselves!” Cheng Che lunged for Xu Bin’s arm. Xu Bin frowned, struggling with the wheel as the car swerved dangerously. “Let go! Hey, hey—”

The car careened wildly along the road, then screeched to a halt, teetering on the edge of a cliff, the left front wheel hanging over the abyss. All three broke into a cold sweat, staring at the boundless distance.

“Do you even know where she is? You just keep shouting about going,” Xu Bin said, running a hand through his hair.

“Even if we don’t know, we have to find out. Cheng Che, let’s go!” Zhang Qinglin grabbed his backpack and started to open the door.

Xu Bin turned to them. “Fine, I’ll take you there, but listen—once we get there, rescuing her is up to you.”

Cheng Che tugged Zhang Qinglin back into his seat. “Deal,” Zhang Qinglin replied.

Leaving the main road, Xu Bin drove onto a rough, bumpy path. After half an hour, they reached a village. At the entrance, Xu Bin got out to buy a box of cigarettes before driving on.

Xu Bin explained that Young Master Chen was last seen in Tongshan District. They headed there by car.

After three or four hours, they arrived in Tongshan. Xu Bin parked and pointed at an abandoned building ahead. “My friend saw them bring the girl in there.”

Zhang Qinglin peered at the desolate site, an empty skeleton of a building standing alone in the wilderness. Without a word, he and Cheng Che sprinted toward it.

They rushed inside, shouting Jiang Xinyue’s name, searching every floor. There was no sign of anyone. As they exchanged uneasy glances, wondering if Xu Bin had tricked them, he came running in. “Quick, they’ve already moved her!”

“What’s going on, Uncle Xu?” Cheng Che demanded.

Xu Bin spun the steering wheel, pulling out of the site. “I was about to leave after you went in, but then I spotted the secret signal my friend leaves if anything changes.”

“Where are they now?” Zhang Qinglin asked urgently.

Xu Bin pointed at a nearby village. “We’ll have to find him and ask. Hang on tight.”