Under the stillness of night, the sky glittered with stars, casting a faint light into the dense darkness. For mankind, light had always been a symbol of hope.
Đinh Trường Sinh walked silently in the dark, his mind churning with the revelations he'd just heard from Điền Ngạc Như. He felt as though a new path had opened before him. At first, he had intended to cling tightly to Khấu Đại Bằng and climb upward step by step. But now, he realized there was another path—one that started from an even higher point. Of course, this path was also fraught with danger. After all, Điền Ngạc Như was a married woman, and her husband wasn’t just anyone—he was his direct superior, the man who had brought him into this line of work. If this affair were to be exposed, he would never be able to stay in Lâm Sơn Town.
At times, he felt a twinge of guilt, especially when facing Hoắc Lữ Mậu. That feeling was growing more intense with time. But the instincts of youth, the burning ambition of someone like Đinh Trường Sinh, had been bewitched by the bright future painted by Điền Ngạc Như. He knew that once he stepped onto this ship, it would be nearly impossible to disembark. But he wasn’t afraid. Compared to what he could achieve, this entanglement meant little.
He no longer wanted to live in poverty, no longer wanted to be looked down upon. He craved a life others would envy—like that time he drove Khấu Đại Bằng's car back to his hometown. That sense of admiration from others was the greatest kind of satisfaction for him.
"Đinh Trường Sinh, where are you?"
The phone rang. It was Trương Cường calling.
"I'm at home. What’s up?"
"Get back to the station or head straight to Lô Gia Lĩnh—something big just happened."
"What? Isn’t the chief there?" Đinh Trường Sinh felt a jolt of panic. Had something happened to the chief?
"The chief is at the scene. Lý Kiến Thiết’s house was set on fire—we don’t know if he’s alive. Hurry up!"
With that, Trương Cường hung up.
"Hello? Hello..." Đinh Trường Sinh tried to ask more, but the line was dead. He stood frozen for a moment, his mind blank. But after a brief pause, he bolted into action.
His thoughts were flooded with the image of that woman—simple in dress yet radiant in beauty. The woman who had given him his first kiss, who had shown him the sweetness of intimacy. How is she now?
He avoided the main road—it was winding and longer. Despite the poor visibility at night, he chose to cut through the mountain trail to get to Lô Gia Lĩnh as fast as possible.
Just a few days ago, he had come here for dinner. Now, the place was reduced to rubble. Several houses had burned to ashes, even the firewood stack in the backyard was gone. A bitter taste rose in his throat. Could it be... that both Lý Phượng Nhi and Lý Kiến Thiết are gone?
"Chief, what’s the situation?" Đinh Trường Sinh squeezed through the crowd and reached Hoắc Lữ Mậu.
Hoắc Lữ Mậu turned to look at him, stunned for a moment. Đinh Trường Sinh was covered in mud, his uniform torn to shreds.
"You... what the hell happened to you?"
"I was at home when Trương Cường called, said something big happened in Lô Gia Lĩnh. I figured you’d be here and might be in danger, so I took the mountain trail to get here. I’m not too late, am I?"
"You little punk... not too late? Look around—the fire’s out already."
"Ah..." Đinh Trường Sinh gave an awkward smile. "Chief, what caused the fire?"
"Looks like arson. But the investigation is still ongoing."
"Chief, I know who did it."
"You do? Who?"
"Vương Lão Hổ."
"How do you know? Tell me everything."
Hoắc Lữ Mậu pulled him away from the crowd to a quieter spot.
"Chief, do you remember that gambling incident with Vương Lão Hổ? He tried to trick me, and that’s why I hit him."
"He has a grudge against you? Why target you?"
"I don’t really know. It was Lý Kiến Thiết’s daughter who told me. She said that night, while heading home to grab some clothes, she overheard Lưu Ma Tử, Trần Tiêu Tử, and Vương Lão Hổ plotting to trap me in a rigged game—make me lose big, then force me to work for them. They also talked about this election, and wanting to teach Lý Kiến Thiết a lesson, so they planned to set fire to the firewood shed behind his house. I thought beating Vương Lão Hổ would be enough to scare him off, but I didn’t expect him to actually go through with it."
"You’re sure?"
"Absolutely. If you don’t believe me, ask Lý Phượng Nhi."
"But she’s not here—she’s taken Lý Kiến Thiết to the hospital."
"Is she okay?"
"Just some light burns on her arm. But Lý Kiến Thiết is in bad shape—most of his body might need skin grafts." Hoắc Lữ Mậu said, then lowered his voice. "Have you told anyone else about this?"
"Told what?"
"You little rascal—I mean the arson. The part about Vương Lão Hổ."
"No. You’re the first to hear it."
"Good... What’s taking Trương Cường so long?"
"Chief, I think we should go to Vương Lão Hổ’s house now. If he really did this, he’s probably fled."
"We can go—but if we miss him and tip him off, it’ll be a mess."
Under the dim light of an oil lamp, three men sat in the main room, nervously smoking and glancing outside. Vương Lão Hổ sat on a chair, scratching his head anxiously and glancing at the door now and then.
"Brother Hổ, that fire... it wasn’t you, right?" Trần Tiêu Tử asked in a hushed voice, eyes darting to the doorway.
"You think I’m stupid? If I did it, would I still be sitting here chatting with you?"
"But... if it wasn’t you, why not go home? Staying here won’t help."
"Go home? So I can get arrested? Hoắc Lữ Mậu’s people will come looking for me. When that happens, will you stand up for me?"
Trần Tiêu Tử looked away, silent.
"Brother Hổ! Bad news!" The door burst open. Lưu Ma Tử dashed in, out of breath. "Đinh Trường Sinh just brought people to your house! They’re looking for you! What now?"
Vương Lão Hổ cursed under his breath. Shit! I knew it!
"I can’t stay here—I have to run!"
He scanned the room, then lowered his voice. "Who’s got money? Give me some. I’ll pay you back later."
"Brother Hổ, I rushed out so fast I didn’t bring anything..." Lưu Ma Tử stammered.
"I have over 300. I’ll give you 200, keep 100 for my kid’s milk." Trần Tiêu Tử hesitated, then handed over the cash.
Vương Lão Hổ took the money, heart turning cold. All those years of drinking and gambling—he thought he'd built true brotherhood. But in times of trouble, no one wanted to get involved.
Without another word, he stuffed the money into his pocket and rushed out, disappearing into the dark night.