Ten Years of Lanterns in the Rainy Nights of the Jianghu

As soon as Old Lu left, Hannah Pan turned to Victor Zhang and asked, "Where's that kid?"

"Oh, that kid's in the holding cell. We'll keep him there overnight, let him feed the mountain mosquitoes, and knock some of that arrogance out of him!" Victor Zhang replied.

"Sigh—he probably won't get the chance. I'm here on the chief's orders to bail him out. Wang Shaobai already contacted his private lawyer, so he'll be released tonight. Plus, that kid seems to be a pretty famous young master from Beijing. Looks like you're in trouble now. Let me talk to him first, see if there's any room to negotiate." Hannah Pan frowned as she spoke.

"Oh—alright, he's in the holding cell. Come on, I'll take you in." Victor Zhang said, grabbing the keys and leading Hannah Pan toward the cell.

As soon as they entered the holding cell, they saw Charles Morin frantically swatting at the relentless female mosquitoes that were biting him all over. His fair, delicate arms and face were covered in red, swollen marks. Cursing under his breath, he waved his hands wildly to fend off the mosquitoes, who seemed intent on feasting on his pretty boy looks. He looked utterly miserable.

"Hey—you, are you Charles Morin?" Hannah Pan asked from outside the cell door.

Charles Morin paused, looked over, and saw it was a female officer. He was stunned for a moment, then quickly nodded, "That's right, I'm Charles Morin! Officer, I didn't break any laws, I'm innocent—I protest!"

"Uh—I've got a rough idea of your situation. I'm here to take your statement and record it. If everything checks out, I'll hand you over to your private lawyer and you'll be free to go." Hannah Pan said politely.

"Oh—great! I told you I was innocent. Damn, it was that fat cop behind you who pinned all those charges on me, even shoved a gun to my head! Hell, I've only ever used my own gun to threaten women, never had anyone pull one on me! Shit—when I get out, I'm gonna make that damn cop pay!" Charles Morin perked up as soon as Hannah Pan mentioned his private lawyer was negotiating bail, and started cursing cockily again.

Hearing Charles Morin's filthy language, Hannah Pan's eyebrows shot up. She slapped the iron cell door hard and shouted, "Shut up, punk! What the hell are you talking about, threatening women with your gun? I'd like to see just how 'impressive' your gun really is! Go ahead, whip it out now! I'll shoot it off myself! Damn, you're just a bored, good-for-nothing scoundrel—a thug!"

"Uh—I wasn't talking about you—" Charles Morin hadn't expected Hannah Pan to be even fiercer than Victor Zhang. His cocky attitude instantly vanished. He suddenly realized the police here in Nanning were way tougher than those in Beijing, who always smiled and sucked up to him.

"Heh, I knew this kid needed a good lesson! Damn—let him spend a night with our southern mountain mosquitoes, see if he dares act tough again!" Victor Zhang said from behind, feeling extremely satisfied to see Charles Morin put in his place by Hannah Pan.

"Yeah, let's go outside for now. We can take him away before dawn." Hannah Pan agreed with Victor Zhang's suggestion, since she despised guys like Charles Morin who used money and power to insult women.

"Hahaha—great idea! I'll go make us some tea—heh heh—" Victor Zhang was thrilled, not only because he got to vent his frustration, but also because Hannah Pan was willing to stay with him until morning. Right now, they were the only two officers at Shilong Mountain Police Station. For Victor Zhang, who'd just received some 'expert advice' from Officer Luke Lu, this was a golden opportunity!

"Ah—please, officers, I—I know I was wrong, okay? I won't talk nonsense anymore—I promise!" Charles Morin pleaded, seeing how things were going. He glanced at the clock outside the cell—it was just past 2 a.m. If he had to survive this whole long, miserable night, he'd be doomed. After all, he'd never really suffered before.

"Hmph—promise my ass. Just stay put in there." Hannah Pan hated spineless men, and Charles Morin got shut down again.

With that, Victor Zhang and Hannah Pan ignored Charles Morin, turned, and left the cell, leaving him inside looking utterly miserable, tangled up with the relentless female mosquitoes.

The two of them went outside to cool off at the entrance of Shilong Mountain Police Station. Victor Zhang eagerly made some tea, dug out the snacks Officer Luke Lu kept for night shifts, then dragged over a small table and a long bench so he and Hannah Pan could sit together.

"Wow—didn't expect you to know how to enjoy life, Victor Zhang! Out here in the middle of nowhere, and you've still got all these comforts. Us city cops are always running around like crazy!" Hannah Pan said, shooting Victor Zhang a sideways grin.

"Heh—it's called balancing work and rest. Being a cop is tough, so any chance to relax is rare. Not to mention, there's barely any time for a love life, right, Sergeant Pan?" Victor Zhang said with a sly grin, scooting closer to Hannah Pan.

"Uh—yeah—Victor Zhang, why do you seem so creepy when you smile tonight?" Hannah Pan blushed as Victor Zhang sat close. Normally, if any guy got that near, she'd beat him up without hesitation.

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"N-no?" Victor Zhang's heart skipped a beat, and his boldness quickly shrank.

"Good—because you really are acting weird tonight," Hannah Pan replied, face still flushed, though in the darkness it wasn't obvious.

As they chatted, a sudden gust of wind swept through. Shilong Mountain Police Station sat at the foot of Shilong Mountain, with dense woods outside its gate. The wind rustled the trees, and eerie cries of night owls echoed. The crickets and frogs abruptly fell silent, and a strange atmosphere filled the air, as if time itself had frozen.

"Weird weather tonight. I could see the moon back in the city, but here it's vanished," Hannah Pan muttered, glancing up at the dark, cloud-covered sky.

"Uh—maybe the mountain weather's different from the city!" Victor Zhang agreed, though he still felt something was off.

Just then, a fine drizzle began to fall, carried by the night wind. The cold raindrops brushed their faces, tinged with a faint metallic scent—a strange, unsettling feeling.

"Ugh—just great, now it's raining. What a buzzkill," Victor Zhang sighed, disappointed, just as he was hoping to get closer to Hannah Pan.

Suddenly, a strange, mournful rhythm echoed from the woods across the way—“I dwell in the North Sea, you in the South; geese can't carry my words. Peach blossoms, spring breeze, a cup of wine; ten years of rain-lit lanterns in the rivers and lakes—Last night, the east wind swept through the little tower again; why does it stir up sorrow? Wine only deepens the ache, the underworld and the heavens are far apart—”

"Uh—what's going on? It's raining in the middle of the night, and someone's reciting poetry in the woods? That's just bizarre," Hannah Pan frowned, standing up to peer into the forest.

Victor Zhang stood up too, craning his neck to look, but the woods were pitch black, shadows dancing, and the wind howled—he couldn't see a single soul.

"Weird. Did I imagine it? Victor Zhang, did you hear someone reciting poetry in the woods?" Hannah Pan asked after scanning the darkness for a while, unable to spot anything.

"No, I heard it too—should we go check it out?" Victor Zhang said, feeling uneasy but determined to act brave in front of Hannah Pan.

"Yeah, let's go have a look—grab the flashlight!" Hannah Pan, curiosity piqued, wanted to get to the bottom of it.

Just then, a bolt of lightning split the sky, illuminating the woods. Victor Zhang and Hannah Pan suddenly saw—standing outside the forest, two figures in black cloaks and bamboo hats, like ancient wanderers, each with a pack slung over their shoulders. The scene was strangely ominous in the rainy night.